025 The Secret Panel by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI

Kidnapped

“PERFECT,” the intruder said to himself. “The dame in there is a nurse, eh? That solves our problem just fine.”

He moved on upstairs to Mr. Hardy’s study. Reaching it, he went directly to the detective’s filing cabinet. He took out a small tool and began skillfully to work on the lock. Soon it opened. One by one, he noiselessly pulled out the drawers.

Suddenly his eyes lighted up as he came upon a marked folder. Quickly he removed the papers from it and put them into his pocket.

At the same moment he heard Aunt Gertrude say, “Well, how about some coffee, Martha? I’ll go fix it.”

The intruder froze on the spot. He waited until Miss Hardy had finished the coffee and taken it into the living room, then silently tiptoed downstairs again.

While the women were chatting gaily, he streaked through the kitchen and a second later had left the house.

Meanwhile, after a pleasant time at the local theater, Frank and Joe dropped off Chet and the girls and started for home. As they neared the house, Frank heaved a sigh.

“I’m so full of ice cream I could burst.”

Joe thumped his stomach. “I feel like Chet looks. If—Oh!”

A woman’s frantic scream pierced the air. The boys drove toward the spot, but found nobody. A moment later they heard a car roar off a short distance away.

“What do you make of that?” Frank asked.

Joe shook his head. “Sounded like someone was in plenty of trouble. Let’s report it to the police.”

They pulled into their driveway, parked the convertible in the garage, and entered the house. They had just reached the hall when a shriek came from their father’s study.

“Aunt Gertrude!” shouted Frank and dashed upstairs. Joe followed.

They expected to see their relative prostrate, the victim of some kind of attack. To their relief, they found her standing in the center of the room, unharmed.

“What’s the matter?” Frank asked.

His aunt was speechless. Finally she was able to stammer, “The filing cabinet!”

The boys gasped as they noticed a slightly opened drawer, and jumped to the same conclusion. A burglar!

They checked drawer after drawer. Although not familiar with everything in the cabinet, they soon found the empty folder that had contained the fingerprint records of the television thieves.

“We’ve been robbed!” exclaimed Frank.

“Mike Batton!” Joe cried out.

Aunt Gertrude demanded an explanation. Joe told her how Ben Whittaker’s assistant had been tampering with their back-door lock two days before.

“Batton claimed he was supposed to change it, but we sent him away,” Frank said. “Now I believe he must have taken a wax impression, made a key, and came back tonight.”

“That means he’s tied in with the television thieves!” Joe reasoned.

Suddenly Frank had an idea. “I wonder if the woman’s scream had anything to do with the intruder.”

“You mean when he left the house he might have frightened her?” Joe asked.

Frank nodded. “The burglar went out the back way. Running from the house like that, he might easily have scared some passer-by.”

Frank turned to his aunt. “When did Miss Johnson leave here?”

“A few minutes ago.

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