Cliff

Chapter 20 -- Mrs. Templeton Makes Some Guesses

Tom strode through the doors of the tea shop looking very serious. He asked generally but looked directly at Mrs. Teabody, "Has anyone seen Sally McDougal this morning?"

Mrs. Teabody answered immediately, anxious to be able to finally learn something. "Oh, she was here, all right. She went off with Mrs. Templeton. Very secret, it all was. I really can't say where."

"Wemt off where, Mrs. Teabody," Tom asked.

"I'm sure I can't say, young man. Mrs. Templeton said thew were going somewhere they could talk privately, although I can't see why they couldn't talk privately here."

Tom ignored that. That probably means the library. They could talk there without being overheard and it was close to the tea shop.

Neither Mrs. Templeton nor Sally were at the library. Tom left and headed for the Constable's office. He was going to knock some sense into the guy if it was the last thing he would do. He knew Sally was in trouble over her head, and the Constable could ask for help finding her if he would. And he would.

In front of the Constable's office he met up with Mrs. Templeton, also going to see the Constable. Although probably not contemplating violence quite as much as Tom, she did have a very determined look on her face. She knew Tom, and he quickly explained that Sally was missing and that he was afraid for her. He guessed that she had gone to see Professor Lockridge at the Research Station, and that they were going to need the Constable, if they could get him to cooperate.

"Oh, I think he'll cooperate. I believe I can assure that."

Then they walked in to find him behind his desk, moving quickly to turn off the small TV he had under the counter. "What can I do for you good people this fine morning," he beamed.

Tom spoke, "You can find Sally McDougal. She is missing and is likely in trouble. The guy she went to see is a desperate murderer and she is mad enough to get herself into real trouble calling him out."

"Well now, let's see. Ms. McDougal is not underage, or anything, is she?"

"You know very well she isn't. So what?"

"Well, people over the age of 21 can come and go as they please. I have no right to go looking for her just because she wanted to go somewhere, and you claim that she went to see a murderer."

Mrs. Templeton had had enough. She cleared her throat to get the Constable's attention and said, "Matthew Blatenberger, if you don't look for that girl right now, and find her before she gets hurt, I'll make sure you wish you had, and you know what that means. I mean it, and you know I can do it, and if that girl is in trouble so help me I will."

The staring contest that ensued was of short duration. The Constable's eyes fell. "Mrs. Templeton, I'm moving. Where was she last seen?"

"In the library talking to me. From there, I think she was going to meet someone from the Research Station, probably one of the professors."

"I won't ask how you figure that. Let's go. Get into the patrol car."

"We're looking for Professor Lockridge," Tom added, "he isn't usually there on Saturday morning, but maybe this morning he will be. He's the guy we're looking for anyway, wherever he is."

"Sally seemed to know exactly what she was going to do when she left me, and I don't think she intended to wait for Monday morning to do it." Mrs. Templeton said.

They arrived at the Research Station in a few minutes. The only one who seemed to be there was a guy with a work uniform on who said he was the weekend caretaker. Yes, he had seen Professor Lockridge in the morning, but he left in the station van about an hour ago. No, he hadn't said where he was going, and wasn't likely to, to me.

"We'll just take a walk through the place, if you don't mind." the Constable said.

"Sure thing, let me know if you need anything."

The Constable was searching the work area while Mrs. Templeton walked through the office building looking in each room and trying all the doors. She had reached the front door and was about to make another, more careful search when Tom burst into the work space and shouted, "The Station Boat is gone." He and the Constable went back outside and were walking towards the dock when the maintenance man caught up with them.

"Did you know the station boat was gone?" asked the Constable.

"No I didn't. And that's pretty peculiar, too. That boat is supposed to be scheduled and authorized, and I get a copy of the schedule, and it isn't supposed to be out this morning."

"Could Professor Lockridge have taken it out?"

"Well, sure he could. He could authorize himself all right, but he would still have to sign the log book. And he didn't."

"Where could he have gone?"

"How would I know? The whole Pacific Ocean is out there just beyond the buoys."

They were all staring out towards the opening of the harbor. They could see two small objects, probably fishing boats. The Constable pulled a wry face, then glanced at Mrs. Templeton and turned to walk back towards his police car. When he returned he had a pair of field glasses in his hand.

"I called for the police boat. They should be here in a few minutes. I guess we can run down those fishing boats, or whatever they are, and ask them, but it's a long shot."

They took turns looking at the horizon through the field glasses. Tom said that he thought that one of the boats didn't look like a fishing boat. The police launch came alongside the wharf and everyone got on board. It took off at full speed towards the boat Tom had pointed out. In about 10 minutes, they were close enough to recognize it as the research vessel with it's boom hanging over the stern. There seemed to be some sort of rectangular wire box hanging from the boom on a cable.