Suddenly Tom’s blue eyes flashed with suspicion. “That bomb scare at the airport! It might have been arranged to give the thief a chance to rifle your suitcase at the luggage counter!”
Tom strode to the phone and dialed his friend Chief Slater at Shopton Police Headquarters. After telling the reason for his call, Tom asked for details on the bomb incident.
“Soon after the New York flight arrived, we got an anonymous phone tip that a bomb had been set to go off in the terminal,” Chief Slater said. “Naturally I called the airport and ordered them to clear the building at once. No sense taking chances! Since then, we’ve traced the warning call to a booth right there at the terminal.”
“Did anyone notice the caller?” Tom asked.
“Yes. An airline clerk gave us his description -a tall, sallow-faced man with several gold teeth, wearing a light-colored tropical suit.”
Tom turned and called the description to Ed. “Why, that fellow sat right next to me!” Ed exclaimed. “He tried to draw me into conversation!”
Tom passed this information on to Chief Slater. “Good lead,” the officer remarked. “We’ll check the airline passenger list, although the man 24 TRIPHIBIAN ATOMICAR
probably used a phony name. I’ll let you know if we find him, Tom.”
“Thanks, Chief.” Tom hung up the phone and returned to the others with a thoughtful frown. “Looks as though you’re right about that book’s value, Ed.
Either ‘Mr. Goldtooth’ wants to find that lost ruby mine himself, or he’s determined to keep you from finding any clues to it.”