Read Online Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty by Michell Plested, J. R. Murdock - Free Book Online

sure was her father’s hope.
    She turned and pushed the tip of her parasol into Jack’s chest. Her eyes held a dark humor that came with each telling of the story. “Tell me.”
    With a sigh, Jack began. “I was working on the docks for your father. I had invented a new mechanical crane that would speed up loading and unloading of the ships. I wanted to demonstrate it to him. He waited on the dock near the crates I was going to pick up and move across from one pier to another. At first your father seemed impressed as he watched and gnawed away on his cigar. That was until I started the crane. As it reached to pick up the first crate, it overshot and picked up your father. While he was being hauled into the air, kicking and screaming, something else went wrong and a spring broke free and lodged into the gears.”
    Betsy howled with laughter. “How long? How long?” She swatted him with her parasol.
    “He was stuck up there nearly all day as I tried to fix the machine and rescue him.” To Jack the story wasn’t funny at all.
    He’d lost his job that day nearly three years ago and began working for Felonious Fenduke Filcher the Fourth. Jack almost spat the name out in his mind. Even though he had a good supply of raw material to work with, he longed to be back on the docks building things that would change people’s lives, not just silly toys he tinkered with.
    Once Betsy got control of herself, she hugged Jack and kissed him on the cheek. “Anything you need today is yours, Mr. Kane.”
    “Please, Betsy, call me Jack.”
    “You’re no fun. You know I love the formality of a title.”
    “I know, I know, but really, I have pressing business.”
    “So serious. Why Jack, is there a mystery afoot that requires our combined attention?”
    “I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. If something is happening, I don’t want you getting involved.”
    “Well, it’s too late for you to tell me that. If you want information, I want to know what’s going on.”
    He swallowed hard. Even though Betsy was of the fairer sex, she could certainly handle herself in a scrape and had done so on many an occasion. “Well…”
    “Well nothing. You’ve got your satchel, and I know what that means. I’ve kept your secret identity all these years. Let me in on what’s happening. Are the British up to no good? I need a good article for tomorrow.”
    “This isn’t about an article. This is about someone sinking a ship in the harbor.”
    A slender brow rose. “What? I hadn’t heard about that.”
    “The explosion was quite early this morning. I was out, heard the explosion, and went to the docks. I need to know what that ship carried so I can understand why it was sunk. I don’t think this was an accident.”
    “Why don’t you think it was an accident?”
    “I saw a second smaller ship sinking with the bigger ship. I interviewed the sailors on the Isere , a French ship coming in at the same time, and they confirmed my suspicions.”
    “So someone sunk a ship in this harbor? Oh. Father must be furious about that one.”
    “I don’t know about your father, but Officer O’Malley certainly did shoo me off in a quick fashion.”
    “Really?” She arched an eyebrow higher and stared at him intently. Her smile said more than she did.
    Jack flushed. “It doesn’t matter, I wasn’t allowed to stay and ask any questions. I need to know what was on that ship.”
    “Very well. I can access my father’s records from here.” Betsy shut down the printing press and tugged a cable from its main frame then plugged the cable into what looked like a large typewriter. “What was the name of the ship?”
    “It was the…hmmm… What was it called again? Oh, yes, it was the Manuel Llaguno .”
    “Oh you’re kidding? It couldn’t have been something easy to spell like the Grand or the Royal Mate . How do you spell that?”
    It took them several minutes to spell the name of the ship correctly, and once they did the typewriter