“You’d find out soon enough,” answered Mr. Newton. “How long do you suppose you would refuse to sign, or your mother—how long do you think she would refrain from signing, if she knew by doing so she could get Jimmy back? We are fighting a desperate gang, I’m afraid, and we’ll have to be on our guard. Be careful of every move, be suspicious of all strangers, and keep a lookout for the blue-handed man.” “Can’t we notify the police?” “Oh, we could, but it would be worse than useless. In the first place we have nothing but suspicions and vague threats. The police could not act on them. Besides you couldn’t have a bluecoat detailed to watch Jimmy all the while.” “I wonder what we had better do,” mused Larry, who was much alarmed over the turn things had taken. “We have several days yet,” said Mr. Newton. “They give us a week to make up our minds. In that time something may turn up. We’ve done enough work for to-night. Let’s rest until to-morrow.” So, with his brain filled with thoughts of the possibility of Jimmy’s being kidnapped, and pondering over the strange web he was being tangled up in, Larry went home. CHAPTER XXI THE GAS EXPLOSION It was with no very easy mind that Larry started for work next morning. Before he left for the office he warned his mother to keep her eye on Jimmy. “What for?” asked Mrs. Dexter. “Because there’s been a lot of automobile accidents in the streets lately,” replied Larry. “I don’t want Jimmy to get hurt.” “I can beat an auto running!” cried the little fellow, who overheard his brother’s warning. “Well, you’d better not try it,” said Larry. “You might win the first time, if the auto wasn’t going very fast, but the next time the machine would beat you, Jimmy, and knock you down, and roll you over in the mud, and, maybe, if it was a very bad auto, it would make your nose bleed.” “Then I’ll be careful,” promised Jimmy, with rather a frightened look on his face. “I’ll stay close to the house.” Satisfied that he had frightened him sufficiently to make his little brother keep his promise Larry went to work. All the morning, however, his thoughts were more on the threatening cipher he had received, and on the possibility of Jimmy being kidnapped, than they were on his assignments. Every time the reporters came in from police headquarters Larry was afraid lest they bring in a story of a little boy having been stolen. But, as the morning wore on, and there was no bad news, Larry began to feel more relieved, and he began to think the threat was an idle one, after all. Still, he recalled that the week was not yet up. He found a chance to talk with Mr. Newton in the course of the day. “Don’t you think I’d better agree to sign the deed?” he asked. “What’s the matter, getting frightened about that cipher?” asked Mr. Newton. “A little.”