Page:The House On The Cliff.pdf/118

112 "Who said anythin' about being afraid of the Polucca place? Can't you take a joke? Of course I'll go up and investigate this—at least I'll send Smuff up—"

"Who, me?" demanded Smuff, in alarm.

"Smuff and me, we'll go up together."

"I'm doggone sure I won't go up alone," declared Smuff.

"Well, as long as we're sure you'll investigate, we won't say anything to the newspapers," said Frank, and Chief Collig breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's fine. That's fine," he said. "Smuff and me, we'll go up there first thing to-morrow morning and if we find out anything we'll let you know."

But although Chief Collig and Detective Smuff duly departed from Bayport the next morning in an exceptionally noisy and decrepit flivver, with Smuff perched nervously at the wheel, they returned before noon with the news that they had been able to discover nothing further regarding Fenton Hardy. They had, they said, called at the house, but the people there had given a reasonable explanation as to the finding of the cap.

"Real nice people, they were too," added Chief Collig. "The man said he found the cap on the road, and why should he tell a lie about it? So Smuff and me, we came away."