"That's it exactly. Bad news, Dashaway, I'm sorry to say," announced the aviator in a very serious tone. CHAPTER XIV THE MISSING AIRCRAFT The aviator led the way back to the Aegis hangar. Dave saw that Mr. King was not inclined to explain any further until they were off the public course, so he asked no more questions, for the present. Dave had a good deal to tell himself. His mind had been full of it all day. Something in the grave, thoughtful manner of Mr. King, however, caused him to defer his own anxiety and impatience. When they were inside the comfortable room where the aviator made his office, Mr. King turned to Dave with a very sober face. "I said I had bad news, Dashaway," he spoke, "and that's no mistake." "Then you failed to find Mr. Dale at Warrenton?" inquired Dave. "He has not been there for over a week." "Why, I thought he lived there?" "He did. He went away, or was kidnapped, nearly ten days ago." "Kidnapped?" exclaimed Dave in surprise. "That's what I think. Mr. Dale lived alone, except for a very old man servant. As near as I can figure it out, that young thief, Gregg, appeared at Warrenton two days after I had him arrested. I did a very foolish thing in dealing with the young scamp." "You mean letting him go free?" inquired Dave. "Yes, I feared at the time that I was unwise in not punishing him, to serve as a lesson against more mischief. He acted so scared, though, he helped me get back the property he had stolen from you, he signed a confession telling that he was not the real Dave Dashaway and had imposed on Mr. Dale, so I thought he would proceed to at once make himself very scarce. I felt sure that he would not be able to play any more tricks on Mr. Dale, for I expected that you and I would go the very next day and see this old friend of your father. You know we were rushed from Dayton to the next meet, and had no chance to get to Warrenton and explain matters to Mr. Dale. I blame myself for not sending you at, once to him at the time. As I told you, I wrote to a friend, a lawyer at Warrenton, to learn what I could about Mr. Dale. He reported Mr. Dale was absent on a trip. When I got to Warrenton yesterday and met the old Dale servant, I saw at once that something was wrong." "How do you mean, Mr. King?" asked Dave quite anxiously. "Well, I learned that this young scamp, Gregg, had appeared at Warrenton two days after I let him go." "Still pretending to be Dave Dashaway?" "So the old servant says. Gregg and Mr. Dale went away together. There is no doubt in my mind that Gregg put up a plot to get Mr. Dale away from Warrenton before we could expose him." "But he could not keep Mr. Dale away from home forever?" "No, but he and his accomplices might get the old man to some remote place and make him a prisoner." "And force him to give up a lot of money before they let him go." "Yes, that has been done before," admitted Dave.