Franklin W. Dixon

“ While the car bowled along over the city roads toward the Tower Mansion that was gloomily silhouetted against the sky, Mr. Hardy and Mr. Applegate discussed the robbery.
"I don't really need a detective in this case," snapped Hurd Applegate. "Don't need one at all. It's as clear as the nose on your face. I know who took the stuff. But I can't prove it."
"Whom do you suspect?" asked Fenton Hardy.
"Only one man in the world could have taken it. Robinson!"
"Robinson?"
"Yes. Henry Robinson—the caretaker. He's the man." ”

“ The highway was like a city pavement beneath them and the cool breeze stung the color into their cheeks. For more than two hours they rode, passing through villages and small towns, until at last they came to a point where another railway intersected the line they had been following. Here, a road also ran parallel to the tracks, branching off the main highway. Always on the alert for new country to explore, the Hardy boys decided to follow this side road.
"It's off the main stream of traffic," said Frank, "and the country seems to be wooded farther on. ”

“ Miss Applegate sniffed again and viewed the boys with frank suspicion.
"As if any thief would be fool enough to hide them right in the house he robbed!"
"These are Mr. Hardy's boys," explained Hurd Applegate. "He is the big detective, you know."
"All detectives," said Miss Applegate, "are nosey. Always pryin' into other people's affairs."
"We're just trying to help you," put in Joe politely.
"Go ahead, then. Go ahead," said Miss Applegate, with a sigh. "Come around at this hour of morning, disturbing honest folks. Go ahead, and tear the old tower to pieces if you like. ”

“ The motorcycles took the next curve neatly, and then the boys confronted a long, steep slope. The rocky cliffs frowned on one side, and the embankment jutted far down to the tumbling waves below, so that the road was a mere ribbon before them.
"Once we get to the top of the hill we'll be all right. It's all smooth sailing from there to Willowville," remarked Frank, as the motorcycles commenced the climb.
Just then, above the sharp put-put of their own motors, they heard the high humming roar of an automobile approaching at great speed. ”

“ Detective Smuff opened the package. The coverings fell away. The cardboard box, dripping with water, tumbled apart.
A bright object fell to the pavement with a clatter.
Everybody jumped.
But there was no cause for fear. The bright object was nothing more harmful than an old alarm clock.
The Hardy boys and their chums, mingling with the crowd, roared with laughter, and when the crowd saw how Chief Collig and his assistants had been duped they joined in the merriment.
"An alarm clock!" roared some one. "They thought an alarm clock was a bomb. Pouring water over an alarm clock!" ”

“ The chief made a note of it.
"And you," he said, pointing the pen at Ike Harrity, "say the hold-up man drove up to the office in a yellow roadster?"
"That's right, chief. That's right. A yellow roadster, it was. And now that I come to think of it, I've seen Chet Morton's car before and it was the spittin' image of it."
"Then," declared the chief, putting down his pen with the air of one making a momentous discovery, "it looks to me very much as if the hold-up man and the fellow that stole the car is one and the same man." ”

“ Hardy was silent.
"I don't know what to do," said Perry. "I'd do anything to save him. But there's nothing—"
"There is nothing any of us can do now unless by some lucky chance the loot is recovered. That would clear everything up, of course. But in the meantime we just have to wait and hope."
"And you can't do anything more, Mr. Hardy?"
"A detective is not a miracle man, my boy," said Fenton Hardy kindly. "He is only a man who is trained in tracing criminals. He has to go by the facts at his disposal. ”

“ On such a narrow, treacherous road there was danger enough when an automobile passed them traveling at even a reasonable speed, but the reckless and insane driving of the red-headed motorist was nothing short of criminal.
"If we ever catch up to him I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" declared Frank. "Not content with almost running us down he had to shake his fist at us."
"Road hog!" muttered Joe again. "Jail is too good for the likes of him. If it was only his own life he endangered it wouldn't be so bad. Good thing we only had motorcycles. ”

“ He asked us to deliver these papers for him in Willowville. He's letting us help him."
"I'd rather get in on a real, good mystery," said Frank. "It's all right to help dad, but if there's no more excitement in it than delivering papers I'd rather start in studying to be a lawyer and be done with it."
"Never mind, Frank," comforted his brother. "We may get a mystery all of our own to solve some day."
"If we do we'll show that Fenton Hardy's sons are worthy of his name. Oh boy, but what wouldn't I give to be as famous as dad! Why, some of the biggest cases in the country are turned over to him. ”

“ Although the Hardy lads realized that it was only natural that Perry should stand up for his father, they shared some of his conviction that Mr. Robinson was not guilty.
"Of course he's innocent," agreed Frank. "He'll be able to clear himself all right, Perry."
"But everything looks pretty black against him," said Perry, who was pale and shaken. "Unless your father can catch the real thief I'm afraid dad will be blamed for it."
"Everybody knows your father is honest," said Joe consolingly. "He has a good record—even Applegate will have to admit that." ”

“ And in the clearing stood Chet Morton's lost roadster!
"My car!" yelled Chet, in delight.
His shout was heard by all the other boys, and the sound of snapping twigs and crackling branches soon told Frank and Chet that the others were losing no time in reaching the scene.
Chet's delight was boundless. He examined the car with minute care, in every particular, while the other boys crowded about. At last he straightened up with a smile of satisfaction.
"She hasn't been damaged a bit. All ready to run. The thief just hid the old bus in here and made a getaway. ”

“ I declare, Hurd Applegate, you're just as bad as those boys are."
"Maybe, maybe," he answered. "But I'm going to help them search the new tower, anyway."
"Don't ask me to brush the dust off your clothes when you come back, then. For that's all you'll get. Dust. Nothing more. The jewels and bonds are no more in the new tower than they are back in the safe right now."
"All right, Adelia. Perhaps you're right. But it won't hurt to make a search, anyway. Come on, boys." ”

“ Like most boys, they speculated frequently on the occupation they should follow when they grew up, and it had always seemed to them that nothing offered so many possibilities of adventure and excitement as the career of a detective.
"But whenever we mention it to dad he just laughs at us," said Joe Hardy. "Tells us to wait until we're through school and then we can think about being detectives."
"Well, at least he's more encouraging than mother," remarked Frank. "She comes out plump and plain and says she wants one of us to be a doctor and the other a lawyer." ”

“ Lunch, motorcycles—everything else was forgotten!
With a wild yell of delight, Frank began to scurry down the embankment that flanked the right of way. At his heels ran Joe.
They raced down the grassy slope until they came to the wire fence. They scrambled over it, heedless of tearing their clothes. They dashed up on to the cinder path beside the rails.
"What if we're wrong, Frank?" panted Joe.
"We can't be wrong. I just know that's what Jackley meant. The old tower. It was the old water tower he meant all along. ”

“ In this manner the triumphal procession returned to Bayport.
But as the cheering lads came down the main street they noticed that there was an unwonted air of excitement in the town. People were standing on the street corners in little groups, talking earnestly, and when the boys spied Detective Smuff, of the police force, striding along with a portentous frown, they called out to him.
"What's on your mind to-day, detective? Chet got his car back!"
"I've got something more important than stolen cars to worry about," declared Detective Smuff. "The Tower Mansion has been robbed." ”

“ There isn't much we can do, but we'll have our eyes open for more clues—if there are any."
Perry Robinson shrugged his shoulders disspiritedly. "I guess there isn't much use now," he said. "But I appreciate it of you."
When he went away, the Hardy boys watched him going down the front walk. His carefree stride was gone, and instead he walked mechanically, as though in a daze.
"What a fine pair of detectives we are!" exclaimed Frank, in sudden disgust. "If we had been any good at all we could have got those clues soon enough for dad to have caught Jackley in time." ”

“ Chet proceeded to lay forth his plan in a stealthy whisper. It was received with chuckles and murmurs of admiration. His companions clapped him on the back, and when he had finished the boys hastened down the street toward the Hardy home.
In the rear of the house were a garage and an old barn. In the barn was a gymnasium that the Hardy boys had fitted out for themselves, and here was the usual collection of old toys, footballs, broken baseball bats and such paraphernalia, to be found wherever boys store their cherished possessions. ”

“ In his hand Frank held a small tuft of vivid red hair. It was very coarse in texture, and the surprising part of it was that the hairs were not separate but were attached to a sort of tough linen.
"Why, it's part of a wig!" said Frank, examining the hair more closely.
"You're right," agreed his brother. "No human hair ever grew like that."
"Part of the fellow's wig was torn when the car was smashed up!"
"And that explains why Harrity and his witness couldn't agree on the color of the fellow's hair!" exclaimed Joe, in excitement. ”

“ They had not told him how Chief Collig and Detective Smuff had missed the train, but they were shrewdly certain that their efforts in this respect had been of considerable assistance to Mr. Hardy.
"First of all," said the detective, "Jackley is dead."
"Did he confess?"
"You're not very sympathetic for the poor fellow. Yes, he confessed. Fortunately, Chief Collig and Detective Smuff didn't show up—"
Fenton Hardy saw that Joe and Frank glanced at one another, and he smiled quietly. ”

“ Applegate to the door.
"I hear the Tower Mansion was robbed," said Joe.
Mr. Hardy nodded.
"Yes―Mr. Applegate was just here. He wants me to handle the case."
"How much was taken?"
"Quite curious, aren't you?" remarked Mr. Hardy, with a smile. "Well, I don't suppose it will do any harm to tell you. The safe in the Applegate library was opened. The loss will be about forty thousand dollars, I believe."
"We heard it was over a hundred thousand!" exclaimed Joe.
"Rumors always exaggerate. Forty thousand dollars is the figure Mr. Applegate puts it at. And it's quite enough, too. ”

“ Frank replied. "It wasn't any use. No one had been there. So then we thought Jackley might have been mistaken and that he had left the stuff in the other tower."
"And Applegate let you search that as well?" and Fenton Hardy's eyes twinkled.
"Not until we had told him our reasons. We told him about Jackley, and then he became enthusiastic and even helped us in the search. But we didn't find anything."
"Strange," muttered the detective. "I know Jackley wasn't lying. He had nothing to gain by deceiving me. Absolutely nothing. He was in real earnest if ever a man was. ”

“ Perry Robinson got up, twisting his cap nervously in his hands.
"We all thank you very much too, Mr. Hardy," he said huskily. "Don't think I've been ungrateful by coming here and asking you to do more. I guess I didn't realize just how hopeless it is."
"It isn't hopeless, exactly. Don't think that. There's always hope, you know. But—be prepared for the worst."
"I'll have to be."
With that, the boy left. Frank and Joe met him in the hallway and awkwardly tried to express their sympathy. Perry was grateful. ”

“ When the boys reached the lane that led in toward Willow Grove from the main road they broke into a run and raced into the woods, shouting and yelling like wild Indians. Once in the friendly shade of the trees they capered about in the joy of their Saturday freedom. ”

“ He would have told more if he had been able. And what could he mean but the old tower of Tower Mansion? Why should he be so careful to say the old tower. Every one knows the mansion has two towers, the old and the new."
"Of course, it may be that we didn't search thoroughly enough," Joe said. "The stuff may be hidden in the flooring or behind the walls."
"That's the only solution I can think of," replied Fenton Hardy. "I'm not satisfied yet that the loot isn't there. I'm going to get in touch with Applegate and ask permission for a real, thorough search of both towers. ”