Dan Carter and the Cub Honor Part 21

"Take it cool, for one thing," Brad replied, forcing himself to remain very calm. "Hey, look here!"

He pointed to the bolt which had been shot into place from the inside of the building.

"Well, what d'you know?" Dan mumbled.

"In your excitement, you must have locked that door yourself."

"I never did!" Dan denied. "I haven't been near this door since we came in and toted the freezers downstairs."

"Then how'd it get locked from the inside? I know I didn't do it."

As the full realization of what could have happened, dawned upon the two, they stared at each other an instant. Neither voiced the thought that someone might be in the building with them, but Dan involuntarily raised his eyes toward the darkening belfry steps. Those creaking sounds he had heard now seemed to have significance.

"Let's see if we can get out of here," Brad said gruffly.

The bolt stuck. He struck it sharply with his fist, and it flew back. The door opened readily.

"That's a relief!" Dan exclaimed, drawing a natural breath again. "And how!"

The two cubs hurriedly left the building. Having no key, they could not lock the church door from the outside.

"Anyway, we're leaving it just as we found it," Brad said. "Dan, you're sure you didn't slip that bolt in an absent-minded moment?"

"Positive."

"So am I." Brad frowned thoughtfully. "It must have been done while we were in the cellar. But who did it?"

"And what became of the person who locked us in?" Dan demanded in a hushed voice. "Do you suppose-?"

"He, she or IT is still in there?" Brad finished the sentence.

"You have to admit it's sort of spooky."

"It's disturbing all right," Brad agreed. "Maybe we were locked in by accident. But if so, someone had to be in that church. And that someone must be still there."

The Cubs gazed reflectively at the old building. Despite their suspicion that it might have an occupant, nothing could have induced them to return for an inspection.

"Maybe it was Terry," Brad said doubtfully. "He could have heard us inside, and played a joke."

Dan shook his head. "It wasn't Terry, I'm sure, Brad. If he had caught us there, he would have raised cain."

"I think so myself."

Dan indicated the little red wagon which had been used to haul the freezers. He pointed out that anyone approaching the old church certainly would have seen it and know of their presence inside the building.

"Someone did it to scare us away, Brad," he declared. "I didn't tell you, but I was sure I heard footsteps on the stairway leading to the belfry."

"You think someone may have been hiding there, Dan?"

"I'm wondering."

"Not one of Pat's gang, I hope."

"This old church is awfully close to the river and the railroad tracks,"

Dan remarked. "Someone could be using the place without the trustees knowing. I suspect Old Terry isn't as careful about keeping windows and doors locked as he's supposed to be."

"We could go back inside and check-"

"Not now, anyway," Dan said quickly. "We're in enough hot water as it is."

Brad agreed with the denner that it would be unwise to investigate further that day. He proposed, however, that they inform Mr. Hatfield of their findings, and also Terry Treuhaft.

The very next day, Dan ran into the old caretaker on a downtown street.

Drawing him into conversation, he told of finding the unlocked door.

"How'd it get unlocked?" Terry demanded. "I never left it that way."

The caretaker was not as angry about the Cubs returning the ice cream freezers as Dan had expected him to be. Encouraged, he even dared reveal that the lid to one of the containers was missing.

"Yeah?" Old Terry grunted. "I reckon it can't be helped. Anyhow, those freezers ain't been used in years."

"Seemingly, they intend to go ahead with their court action," the Cub leader informed the boys. "We'll have to hire ourselves a lawyer."

Advance ticket sale for the Friday night basketball had been very large.

On the evening of the game, the gymnasium was packed.

"Say, I'll bet we've taken in twenty or thirty dollars at least!" Fred Hatfield excitedly reported to the other Cubs. "This will be a big boost for our treasury."

Game time was at seven o'clock. Shortly before the hour, Pat Oswald and his four players trotted out on the floor to practice a few baskets.

"Get a load of those suits!" Chips muttered to Dan.

The five players wore new, bright-hued purple sport s.h.i.+rts. By contrast, the Cubs had non-descript shorts and s.h.i.+rts, no two alike.

"And look at that guy shoot baskets," Chips went on gloomily. "He can't miss!"

He nodded his head toward Pat, who was winning applause from the crowd by his dead-aim at the basket.

"Just get in there and guard him," Dan urged. "Don't let him get a chance a throw."

Dan gazed at the caretaker in sheer amazement, wondering if he were ill.

Why this sudden change of heart toward the Cubs?

"Thanks for the tip about the door," Terry said. "I'll check up on it right away." He started off, then paused and said awkwardly: "About that suit the trustees are threatening to bring-"

"Yes?"

"Just wanted you to know, I kinda changed my ideas about the Cubs."