025-The Secret Panel by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T14:26:59+00:00

CHAPTER XIII

The Puzzle of the Lights

luckily a bus came along as the Hardy boys raced from the office of the salvage company. They hopped aboard, and not long afterward reached the boathouse where they kept the Sleuth.

Joe had the engine going in no time, and sped out into Barmet Bay. He headed for the spot where Chet's dory had gone down. No salvage boat was in sight. To the boys' dismay, they could see no sign of the Bloodhound, though they circled round and round the vicinity, peering down through the water, "They must have raised it!" Frank concluded.

"Now what'll we do?" Joe asked in disgust. "Go back to the salvage company?"

"Guess we'll have to," sighed Frank.

His brother headed the Sleuth in that direction. They had gone only half a mile when they spied the salvage boat just ahead. Hoping that Chet's dory was aboard, and that they could nab the man who had ordered it raised, the Hardys drew up alongside 107

108 The Secret Panel the salvage boat and hailed it. The larger boat stopped. The captain came to the rail.

"What's that you say?" he called down, not understanding Frank's request.

The boy repeated his question.

"Yes, I raised a sunken dory, but I haven't got 'er aboard," the man said. "I put 'er on the beach where the fellow who owned the dory told me to."

"But he didn't own it!" Frank cried.

The captain was astounded. He asked for more details, and upon hearing the whole story, told the Hardys where they no doubt could find the ill-fated boat. Without waiting for further discussion, Joe swung the Sleuth toward the north shore of Barmet Bay.

"Gee, we're sure running into bad luck," he said.

"Maybe we can nab the thief and get the dory too," Frank suggested hopefully.

There was no doubt in his mind but that the man who had ordered the boat raised was the fellow who had sold the dory to Chet and had trapped the three boys in the room at 47

Packer Street. Hoping that the thief planned to move the Bloodhound by truck, but had not already done so, Frank had an idea.

"Let's hide on the shore and nab him when he comes back with the truck," he suggested.

"Maybe he won't be back. The guy probably took what he wanted out of that fish box and skipped," Joe said.

When the boys reached the spot where the captain The Puzzle of the Lights 109

said he had deposited the dory, there was no sign of the boat. Frank, wading ashore, discovered tracks which indicated that the dory had been dragged some distance away. He eagerly followed the marks, but to his dismay they ended abruptly. Chet's Bloodhound was not in sight! Disappointed, Frank went back to report this to Joe.

"The tracks ended at a little road," he said. "Evidently a truck was waiting and carried the dory away."

The youth climbed back into the motorboat, and the brothers went into a huddle. They admitted having been outwitted, and had no way of knowing where the Bloodhound had been taken.

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