Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings Read online

  _Chapter VII_

  GROUND TRAILS

  Bill unlatched the back door of the bank, pushed it open and stood asidefor Dorothy to pass through.

  "Wait a minute." She put out a restraining hand. The full glare of thearc light in the alley fell on the damp ground at their feet. "Rightover there are the tire marks of the holdup car. It's lucky it rainedthis afternoon. The prints are perfect in this mud."

  "Well, that's interesting, but--"

  "Oh, no. Of course they won't solve the mystery. That's what you weregoing to say, isn't it?" Dorothy's voice was mocking as she looked up atBill. "But here--see these footprints? From this door to the car?" Hertone was triumphant now. "They ought to help just a little, don't youthink?"

  But Bill seemed unmoved at her discovery. "Probably hoofmarks of thecops," he said rather disparagingly.

  Dorothy laughed. "If those footprints were made by policemen I'll eatthem. Where are your eyes, Bill? The cops in this town wear regulationbroad-toed shoes. When I heard the traffic cop tell Dad that he'd seenthe robbers' car go up the alley, I dashed out here to have a lookaround. And as soon as I saw these prints I knew they were not made bybroad-toed boots. Let's examine them closer."

  Taking care to avoid stepping on the well defined trail that led fromthe door to the tire marks of the car, the two studied the line offootprints.

  "One fellow wore rubber soled shoes--I guess you're right, Dorothy,"acknowledged Bill, squatting on his heels. "The pattern on this set ofprints could have been made by nothing else. But what do you make ofthese tracks here? Just holes in the mud with a flat dab right ahead?"

  "High heeled shoes, Bill. One of this gang is a woman, that is clearenough. What bothers me is the third set--look!"

  Bill stared at the footprints to which she pointed. "The right-hand onewas made by a long, narrow shoe, but I'll swear that boot last was nevermade in America. It's too pointed," he said finally. "The shoe that madethat imprint was bought in southern Europe, I'll bet--Italy, probably.But those queer looking marks to the left are beyond me," he frowned.Then he cried--"No, they're not! I have it--the man who made thoseprints was club-footed!"

  Dorothy disagreed with him. "A club-foot couldn't make that mark. It istoo symmetrical--straight on both sides and kind of rounded at the backand front. It wasn't made by a wooden leg, either, Bill!"

  "No. That would simply dig a hole in the mud."

  "Oh, I know! Why didn't I see it at once!" she exclaimed excitedly--"Theman was lame!"

  Bill snorted. "And he had long pink whiskers which he tied round hiswaist with a green ribbon!"

  "Don't be silly--I know what I'm talking about."

  "How so?"

  "I _know_ that a lame man made that set of marks."

  "Very well. May Doctor Watson inquire on what Miss Sherlock Holmes basesher astounding deduction?"

  "On those queer marks, of course, stupid!"

  "Thanks. The clouds have vanished. You make everything so lucid." Billstood erect once more.

  "But, Bill--did you ever see a lame man--whose left leg was shorter thanhis right?"

  "Maybe I did. But I can't swear at this distant date which leg was theshorter."

  "Well, I can tell you that in this case, the left was!"

  "Maybe--"

  "Maybe nothing! Why am I sure of it? Because the man wore a lame man'sboot--the kind with a very thick sole. My grandfather wore one. Hetwisted his hip when he was a boy and that leg didn't grow as long asthe other. What is more, he always walked on the _sole_ of his bigboot--the heel never touched the ground!"

  "I believe you _are_ right," mused the young man, studying one of thequeer footprints again.

  "I know I am, Bill. That kind of a shoe would make exactly that print.Not such a bad hunch to take a look out here, was it?"

  "You're a swell sleuth, Dorothy. Let's see. Now we know there were threein the gang this evening. The chap who played chauffeur and woresneakers, a woman, and a lame man--probably an Italian."

  "Yes. But that doesn't solve the mystery, does it?"

  "No, but it helps a lot. How about the tire tracks?"

  "Not our car. Daddy uses Silvertowns and those were made by some otherkind."

  "Goodyears, I should say. How about going in now and telling your fatherwhat we've learned?"

  "I'd rather not, if you don't mind?"

  "Why!"

  "Well, you see, Bill, Dad hasn't much confidence in girls' views on whathe calls 'the practical side of life'--mine especially. There'll soon bea bunch of detectives on this case. If they find out for themselves,it's O.K. with me--but I shan't tell them."

  "You want to work up the case yourself?"

  "That's exactly it. If you'll help me?"

  "Certainly I will. But we may get into trouble--I mean it is likely tobe dangerous work."

  "Does that bother you?"

  "I'd hate to have you get hurt--"

  "I won't do anything on my own without telling you first. We'll worktogether. Does that suit your highness?"

  "You bet! Where do we go from here?"

  "Back to my house. We'll go down the alley and hop in your car. I wantto ride up to our garage. I've got another hunch."

  "The kid's clever," remarked Bill admiringly. "Want to tell me? Ihaven't a glimmer."

  They turned out of the alley into Main Street before Dorothy answered.

  "Suppose you guess," she suggested teasingly as she stepped into thecar. "Or, better still, now that you've become my aviation instructor,I'll even things up and give you a short course in sleuthing."

  "That's a go, teacher," grinned Bill. The car rolled up the hill pastthe white Memorial Cross on the village green. "But to a mere amateur incrime it looks as though you had barged into a pretty good mystery, nokidding."

  "Sh--" commanded Dorothy. "Sherlock Holmes is thinking."

  "Don't strain anything," Bill advised as he stepped on the accelerator.

  Dorothy did not retort to this thrust, but remainder wrapped in herthoughts for the remainder of the ride. Bill turned the car into theDixon's drive before she spoke again.

  "Keep on to the garage, please."

  "Right-oh! Still sleuthing, I take it?"

  "Yes."

  "What _is_ the big idea?"

  "Wait and see."

  He drew up under the arching elms with the glare of their headlightsfocussed upon the closed garage doors. Dorothy sprang out and ranforward.

  "Locked," she affirmed, giving the handle a tug. "Wait a minute, Bill.I'll be right back." She disappeared in the direction of the house.

  Bill shut off the engine and clambered down to the ground. Presently hesaw her coming back, accompanied by a woman in maid's cap and apron.

  "All right, Lizzie," her young mistress said, "I want to look atsomething first. Then you can tell us exactly what happened. That'sright, give me the key."

  She swung open one of the wide doors.

  "The Packard's there, just as I told you, Miss Dorothy," volunteeredLizzie as the three stepped inside the garage. "It's your car that'smissing."

  "I left it at the beach club--" Dorothy cut herself short. "The licenseplates are gone from the Packard!"

  "Wasn't that to be expected after what the cop told us in the bank?"There was a hint of mockery in Bill's voice.

  "Of course. But the point is--were they taken this afternoon while Daddyhad the car parked behind the bank--or later this evening after he drovehome? He would never remember whether he drove from the bank with theplates still attached or not. He never notices details like that."

  Bill seemed amused. "Perhaps not--but what's the difference?"

  "Wait a minute. You'll soon get another slant. Now, Lizzie--start fromthe very beginning."

  Lizzie spoke up eagerly. "Yes, miss. Cook and me was havin' our supperin the kitchen, miss--"

  "Where was Arthur?--He's our chauffeur-gardener," explained Dorothy toBill.

  "It's Arthur's
night off, miss. He went to the movies--said he'd get abite at the lunch wagon in the village, though why a man should want toeat hot dogs and such trash with honest-to-goodness vittles waiting forhim at home is more than--"

  "Never mind that now, Lizzie.--You and cook were eating supper--?"

  "Yes, miss. We was just finishin' when we heard a car pass the house onits way out to the garage. I thought it might be Arthur, back in theFord for some supper. Cook said--"

  "Oh, Lizzie, please! What happened then?"

  "Why, a man came to the back door and asked for the key to the garage.Said as how he had orders to fix the Packard."

  "What time was that?"

  "About five minutes after we heard the car drive out here, miss."

  "No--I mean the time of day."

  "I couldn't rightly say, Miss Dorothy. The kitchen clock is down toWhipple's being mended. But it was just after you'd gone over to Mr.Bolton's for dinner."

  "What did the man look like, Lizzie?"

  "Like any young man, miss."

  "But was he tall or short?"

  "Kind of medium-like--"

  "Dark hair or light?"

  "I can't seem to remember--he had a chauffeur's cap on and was in hisshirt sleeves, that I do know."

  "Did you notice if he limped?"

  "No, he didn't, miss--but the other fellow did--him with the big boot."

  "Bull's eye!" cried Bill. "You're sure some detective, Dorothy!"

  "Keep still?" ordered that young lady. And then to the housemaid: "We'lltake up the man with the big boot in a minute, Lizzie. Now then, yougave the other one the garage key, I s'pose?"

  Lizzie snorted. "That I didn't, miss. I took the key off the hook andwalked out to the garage with him. Mr. Dixon wouldn't be thankin' me tolet strange men fool round in the garage by theirselves!"

  "Then how in thunder did they cop the license plates without your seeingthem?" exploded Bill.

  "Do shut up and let me talk!" Dorothy stamped her foot impatiently."Now, Lizzie, what happened next?"

  "Well, miss, I unlocked the doors and he started tinkerin' with theengine of the Packard there. Then all of a sudden he went out to theother car and spoke to somebody inside."

  "What car was that?"

  "The one he'd drove up in. It was parked out on the drive where theyoung gentleman has his'n now."

  "Another Packard, was it?"

  "I couldn't say, miss. I didn't pay much attention to it, except that itwas a closed car--and there was a man and a woman in back."

  Dorothy exchanged glances with Bill. "And then?"

  "Then the young feller comes back and says as how the lady in the carwas feeling sick, and could I fetch her a glass of water with ateaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda in it. I knew we had some in themedicine chest upstairs, so--"

  "So you went back to the house and got it?"

  "Yes, miss."

  "And _that's_ when they copped the plates!" declared Bill, theirrepressible.

  "Bull's eye!" derided Dorothy. "How'd you guess it?"

  "Form of genius some of us have."

  Dorothy ignored this last and turned again to the maid. "What happenedwhen you brought back the bicarb, Lizzie?"

  "I give it to the young lady in the car, miss."

  "Young, was she?"

  "I couldn't get a good look at her face, for she was dabbin' her eyeswith a handkerchief like she'd been cryin'. But she was dressed in someof those new-fangled pajamas like you wear to the beach, they was--sortof yellow-green color--and a wisp of her hair that had got loose fromthe bandanna she wore was red--the brightest red hair I ever see. Sheturned her head away when she drunk the medicine, but she thanked meprettily enough when she handed back the glass."

  "Have you washed it yet?"

  "No, miss. You see, I--"

  "Then don't. I want that glass, just as it is. Was the lame man sittingbeside her?"

  "No. When I brought her the soda he was comin' out of the garage withthe other fellow. He was carryin' a package wrapped in newspaper and hesays as how he was takin' some part of the engine back to the shop. Hespoke kind of funny, like a foreigner, I thought. And all dolled up in alight suit and a cane. Why, he'd even got lemon colored gloves on forall his lameness and the big boot he wore!"

  "Did the girl and the other man wear gloves?"

  "The man put them on when he started to tinker with the car, I remember.But the girl had no gloves on."

  "You're sure?"

  "Oh, yes, miss, because I noticed her shiny pink finger nails,particular. I thought at the time that washin' dishes couldn't be nopart of her life."

  "That's fine, Lizzie. You make a splendid witness."

  "Thanks, miss. I got a good look at the lame man, too. He had a funnylittle black mustache like they wear in the movies and little gold knobsin his ears--what do think of _that_!" Lizzie paused dramatically as shegave this choice bit of information.

  "Earrings?"

  "Earrings, miss--and--"

  "Thank you, Lizzie. You may go now."

  "Remember those earrings, miss. And I'll keep the glass for you, andwon't let cook touch it either, never fear!" Lizzie's slight figurefaded into the darkness.

  "So you've got pretty good descriptions of the gang _and_ the lady'sfingerprints!" Bill summed up. "I've got to hand it to you, kid. Reckonyou'll have to let your father know about it though. Those fingerprintswill have to be examined by the police."

  Dorothy nodded. "Guess you're right. I'll tell him what we found out."

  "What _you've_ found out, you mean. As I think I told you before, whenit comes to detective work, I'm a ground hog!"

  "Nonsense! But that reminds me, Bill. Do I get a lesson tomorrow?"

  "Do you think you can take time enough from your life work?"

  "Don't be ridiculous. You may think I've finished fooling with thisrobbery when I turn over the dope to Daddy--but I haven't. I want aflying lesson, just the same, in the morning. Shall we go up in the_Loening_ again?"

  "No. I'll drive you down to the shore and we'll take the _N-9_ out.Don't wait for your father to-night. Tell him what you want to atbreakfast."

  "But I've got to--"

  "This is your flight instructor speaking, Dorothy. No lesson in themorning for you, young lady, unless you go straight to bed now and get agood night's rest. A clear head and steady nerves are the firstrequisites for flying."

  "All right then. I'll turn in directly. Good night."

  Bill was already seated behind the wheel of his car. "Good night,Dorothy. By the way, _I've_ got a hunch about this bank business. Afteryou've had some flight training we'll investigate together--and theplane will be a great asset," he added mysteriously. His foot pressedthe self-starter.

  "Don't be so vague--spill the news like a good fellow."

  "Sh--" mocked Bill. "'Sherlock Holmes is thinking!'" His laugh rang outand the car disappeared in the deep shadows of the drive.

  "He's not so dumb as he pretends," mused Miss Dixon. "What can he haveup his sleeve?"

  Slowly she moved off toward the back door of the house.