“I oughtn’t to take them out of the water for a minute or two yet,” Jimmy protested. “And they take quite a while to dry—”
“Push ’em through as fast as you can,” the sergeant interrupted. “I’ll telephone headquarters.”
As Jimmy worked in the darkroom with the second policeman at his elbow, he thought swiftly. While he wished to cooperate with the law, he didn’t like to relinquish the films and a possible opportunity to profit from them. Vaguely he recalled having read a newspaper story about Legs Jovitch being a notorious bank thief who had escaped from New York state police. Quite by luck he had come into possession of pictures which might pack a news punch.
“I’m glad to let you have these films except for one thing,” he said to the policeman. “I thought I might sell them to the _Ledger_.”
“Tell you what we’ll do. It’s against regulations but you can ride along to headquarters with us. We’ll have extra prints made there.”
“Now what do you remember about those two men?”
Jimmy provided the best description he could and was surprised that his mind as well as his camera had photographed so many details.
“Sounds like Legs, all right,” the policeman nodded. “The fellow with him may be Al Morgan—he’s wanted for shooting his way out of a bank down state.”
The films were partly dry by the time Sergeant Bedlow tramped back upstairs after making his telephone call.
“We have orders to proceed to Morewell Avenue right away,” he reported. “We’ll pick up those films later on.”
“You can take them now if you’re careful not to let them touch anything,” Jimmy replied quickly. “Want me to go along and handle them for you?”
“The boy figures on selling his pictures to the _Ledger_,” explained the other policeman. “I told him he could ride along with us and get some extra prints at headquarters.”
Jimmy followed the two men from the house, not forgetting to tuck his miniature camera into his coat pocket.
Jimmy climbed into the rear seat of the big sedan. He pinned the damp films to a chromium crossbar so that they would swing free.
The car left the neighborhood street and toured down Jackson Street to Florence Boulevard. Suddenly the sergeant slammed on the brakes, scrutinizing a black sedan without license plates which was parked at the curb.