PART 2
Rather disturbed by the realization she had while speaking with the children, Jo planned to go into town immediately after breakfast.
"Has anybody seen my gloves?" Jo asked to nobody in particular. Rob shook his head no. "I thought I put them right here, but I cannot seem to find them. Bess, honey, would you be so kind as to check my room while Nat and Nan help me check the dining room and the parlor? I really must be leaving soon." Bess went up stairs.
"Maybe it's the goblins," Nan said to Mrs. Jo.
"What's that Nan?"
"The goblins, Mrs. Jo. Everybody knows about goblins. Maybe they're taking all these things around here." Nat answered for her.
"Yeah, and when they have something that belongs to you, they can come for you anytime they want," Nan added
Rob screamed with fear. "They have my bear and now they'll get me." He ran to his mother and hid his face in her skirt.
"Rob, Nan is just telling a pretend story. There are no such things as goblins and nobody is going to come and get you."
"I'm sorry Rob. It's just a story," Nan said, twisting her mouth as she looked at Nat.
"We'll figure out where your bear is, Rob. Don't worry," Nat added.
Bess came down the stairs. "I could not find them Aunt Jo, but I brought you mine. You may borrow them if you like."
"Thank you, Bess. That was very sweet of you." Jo kissed her niece on the cheek. "Good bye." Bess and Rob walked her out to the carriage leaving Nan and Nat alone.
Nat and Nan looked at each other with a smile. "This is getting really interesting now," Nat said. "Who could be taking all these things?"
"Well, we can rule out Rob." She thought for a moment. "Nick's been actin' strange…"
"Nah. He would never do something like this," Nat answered, his face set with concentration. "It has to be somebody that likes to play jokes on people."
They look at each other. "Tommy!" they said in unison.
"But we can't just accuse him, we have to catch him at it," Nat said.
"Good idea," Nan said. "Why don't we try to find him and see what we can find out?"
They found Tommy outside. "Hi ya, Tommy. What are you doing?" Nat asked.
He looked at them strangely. "I'm going to school. What are you doing?"
Nat and Nan looked at each other guiltily. "We, uh, we're going to school, too. Of course," Nan said.
"Without your books?" Tommy asked.
"Uh. I guess we kind of forgot about that," Nan said.
"I'll go get them," Nat offered. "You go ahead and walk to school with Tommy" he said to Nan.
Tommy smiled. He liked the sound of that.
When Jo reached town she headed straight for the Concord Chronicle Office. As she entered, Harrison Bridger smiled and greeted her warmly.
"It's a pleasure to have you here Mrs. Bhaer. It's a fine day isn't it? To what do I owe this honor?"
Jo cut right to the point. "I wondered if you had another copy of last weeks article about the bank being sold."
Harrison looked over the top of his glasses at her, curiously. "Why is Plumfield so interested in that bank sale?
"What do you mean?" Jo inquired.
"Well, Mr. Riley was in here last week asking me a million questions about the buyer. Then, a few days ago your housekeeper, I believe Asia is her name, was in here asking to see the article. Maybe my newspaper gets put into the fire a little too quickly around there," he laughed. Jo didn't.
"Who is the buyer?"
"Potential buyer," Harrison stressed. "Jenkins and Son." Jo chewed on her lip trying to recognize the name. "They are from Baltimore."
"Maryland," Jo said slowly, trying to make a connection. Then a thought struck her like a lightening bolt. Nick's uncle and aunt were from Maryland. "Could it be?" she wondered to herself. She looked up and started to leave. "Thank you Mr. Bridger."
"Mrs. Bhaer?" Harrison said. "I don't know what this is all about but I thought you might like to know that Mr. Jenkins is arriving in town today."
Jo almost ran out of the office and right into her sister. "Meg! What are you doing here?"
"I thought I would ask Mr. Bridger for another look at last week's newspaper. Nick has been rather distracted since we would not help him read that article about the bank," Meg replied. "I feel a bit guilty now."
"Yes," Jo agreed. She thought it out while she spoke. "I've never seen him like this before. But, I think I've made the connection. The potential buyer of the bank is a Maryland company. As you know, Nick grew up poor, on a farm, but he once told me that after his parents died he went to live with his uncle and aunt in Maryland for about a year. Maybe they were better off than his parents. Maybe his uncle is a banker."
"That is a lot of speculation, Jo. But you said he was there for a year. What happened? He was just a boy. Where did he go then?"
"I don't know," Jo said, disturbed. "Why don't we go to the bank and see what we can find out?" They set off, fully expecting to see Nick there when they arrived.
When Franz dismissed the class for lunch Nat and Nan put their plan into action. They casually followed Tommy back to the house. When he went upstairs, Nat went, too. When he went to the outhouse, Nan followed. They sat on either side of him at lunch.
"So Tommy, what have you been up to lately?" Nat asked.
"Nothin'."
"You have to be doin' something," Nan said. "What do you do when you're not in school?"
"Homework, fishing, same stuff as everybody else."
"Played any good jokes on anybody lately?" Nat asked.
Tommy looked around to see who was listening. "Yeah, but you have to promise not to tell." They both agreed.
"I played one on Franz today, but he doesn't know it yet."
"What did you do?" Nan asked very excited.
Before he could answer Dan walked in. "Dan you're late again. Please sit down and start eating. Lunch is getting cold," Asia said. He sat down next to Nat and started to chat. The conversation with Tommy would have to wait.
PART 3
