067 Lethal Cargo by Franklin W. Dixon

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

***

"Looks like everyone showed up," Joe remarked, peering out the window as the taxi pulled up to the front of Seamen's Hall. The wide front steps of the colonial-style building held several dozen people. "I didn't know Tim was so popular."

As they climbed out of the taxi, Joe noticed Percy Hughes-Smith, the insurance investigator. "Hi," he called to the tall, thin man. "We didn't expect to see you here."

"Hello, boys," the investigator said, tipping his hat to the Hardys. "I read about the service in the paper this morning, and since my plane doesn't leave until this evening, I thought I'd drop in."

"You've finished your investigation so soon?" Joe asked as the three climbed the steps together.

"Not at all." The investigator entered the large hall ahead of the Hardys. "I received a call from Mr. Max Baines this morning. He informed me that his brother, Alex, is still in the Philippines, too grief-stricken by his son's death to deal with the collapse of his company. He's turned the business over to Max, who's decided under the circumstances to withdraw the insurance claim on the freighter. He agrees with us, you see," Hughes-Smith concluded with a self-satisfied smile. "There were suspicious activities connected with the Laura Baines's sudden collapse. He doesn't want his own company sullied by any hint of scandal."

Joe said thoughtfully. "I thought Max and Alex Baines were enemies."

"That's not my business." Hughes-Smith dismissed Joe's comment with a flick of his hand.

The investigator moved- to the front of the large meeting room, and the Hardys took seats near the back where they could watch the other guests. "That was a surprise," Joe said, commenting on what Hughes-Smith had told them. "Does this mean there was no insurance scam, or does it just mean that Max Baines is too rich to bother continuing a scam his brother started? And why would Alex give his company to a brother he hates, no matter how upset he is?"

"I have another question," Frank said casually. "If Alex Baines is so grief-stricken over Tim's death, why isn't he here? And if he isn't so grief-stricken, why is Max acting on his behalf? And if Alex was really trying to steal the insurance money in the first place, why wasn't he here instead of in the Philippines when he was most needed to stake his claim to the money?"

"Who knows?" Joe said gloomily. "This case is getting too murky for me."

"There's Vince Brewer," Frank said.

Joe spotted Brewer in the second row, surrounded by other members of the Laura Baines's crew. Joe stared at him. "He doesn't exactly look like I remembered," he said to his brother. "Maybe he's not the guy who's been after us after all."

Joe turned to watch a large man in an expensive white suit walk up the center aisle, followed by several men in ship officers' uniforms. Joe noticed his strong resemblance to the photographs of Alexander Baines in the shipping company's office.

"Max Baines!" he overheard an onlooker murmur to a friend in the row behind the Hardys.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.