068-The Submarine Caper by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:12:06+00:00

Chapter 13

The Man in the Lobby

Frank stared at his brother. "Joe! Did you hear that! Heinz Kroll is probably Heinz Schmidt!"

"I heard. Karl, can you describe Heinz to us?"

After the old man had given them a good idea of what the man looked like, there was no doubt in the boys' minds. Schmidt was indeed Kroll!

"Karl, you've been a great help!" Frank said. "You've given us our best clue yet!"

"Boys," Doris Altenberg interrupted, "would you mind telling me who this mysterious Kroll is? Or would you rather not reveal your findings since I'm still a suspect?"

The young detectives assured her that they never for a moment believed that she was involved in the thefts.

"We just didn't mention Kroll by name because we didn't realize he had something to do with the paintings," Joe said. "Only as of this morning do we suspect that the two cases we're working on might be connected."

"Two cases?" Doris asked, amazed.

"That's right." Quickly, Joe told her about Alfred Wagner's mini-sub and the reason for their trip to Diisseldorf. He also mentioned the Argentinian handkerchief and the warning they had received at the hotel.

"It all didn't make much sense until now," Frank added. "But since Heinz Kroll is really Heinz Schmidt, the puzzle falls into place. One thing I can't figure out, though. How did he have access to the paintings?"

"Perhaps his father told him where they had been hidden," Fraulein Altenberg surmised.

"That's possible. But Heinz was only a little boy when Wilhelm Schmidt died."

"Maybe Herr Lechner can shed some light on this matter," Joe suggested.

"And let's not forget Blendinger, either," Joe said. "His role in all of this is still a mystery." He sighed. "I can see that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"You'll figure the whole thing out," Doris said. "You've already discovered a great deal, and I'm sure you'll eventually find the pictures."

"The gang probably sold them a long time ago," Joe said. "I doubt they stole them just to look at them."

"Of course not. But I have a feeling they had trouble finding a buyer," Doris insisted. "There's a good chance that the paintings are still in their possession."

"What makes you think so?" Frank asked.

"Easy. If they had accomplished their goal, they wouldn't try so desperately to get you out of the way. They wouldn't have to, because by now they'd be long gone!"

"Excellent reasoning!" Frank said admiringly. "You're quite a detective, Fraulein Altenberg."

After lunch, the boys thanked their hosts and said goodbye. On the way out of town, they stopped at City Hall to talk to Herr Lechner. He told them that the skeleton they had found in Altenberg's cellar had indeed been identified as Blendinger, and that Frau Schmidt's maiden name was Kroll.

"With his father's reputation, Heinz apparently didn't want to use his name, so he adopted his mother's maiden name," Frank surmised.

Next, the boys called at the mayor's office. Mayor Reimann told them that the town of Glocken, with the help of state authorities, posted a reward of ten thousand marks for the person who found the paintings.

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