105-The Smoke Screen Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:13:38+00:00

Chapter 8

Suspicious Secrets

Joe stared at the van in amazement.

"The question is," he said in a low voice, "does it belong to Kevin or to someone who's visiting him?"

"We'll find out soon enough," said Frank, getting out of the van.

"Wait a minute," said Joe, stepping over to the blue van to take a closer look. "No smudged license plate, no broken tail pipe. And the words Bayport Examiner are clearly printed in white lettering on both sides. ... This can't be the one we followed on Sunday," he concluded with a frustrated sigh. "But what's an Examiner van doing here?"

"There's only one way to find out." Frank turned and walked toward the house, and Joe followed behind.

Kevin answered Frank's second knock on the door. When he saw the Hardys standing on the front steps, he looked warily at them.

"What do you guys want?" Kevin asked, his eyes darting back and forth between Frank and Joe. Joe noticed that he was still wearing the sleeveless flannel shirt that matched the swatch they had found at the warehouse.

"Look, Kevin," Frank said. "We want to help you. You've got to believe us."

"If you really want to help me, then stop suspecting me of arson," insisted Kevin. But he opened the door a little wider.

"The only way we can do that is if you cooperate with us," Joe said. "There are some questions we need you to answer."

Kevin looked from Frank to Joe, then he bit his lip and nodded. "Okay. Come on in."

The Hardys followed Kevin into the small living room, which held a few worn armchairs and a comfortable-looking sofa.

Kevin glanced at his watch as he sat down in one of the armchairs. "So what do you want to know?" he asked.

"First of all, what's an Examiner van doing parked in your driveway?" Joe asked.

"That's an easy one," Kevin said, smiling a little. "I got a part-time job delivering the paper for a friend who's sick. I've been having a tough time getting a full-time job, so right now I'm taking any work I can get. What else?"

"What did you mean when you said you'd 'get' Pierce?" Frank asked. He saw Kevin frown. "We have to know, Kevin," he added quietly.

Kevin looked down at the floor and sighed. "I guess it was really dumb of me to lose my temper and threaten him like that. I was mad at him, that's all. I didn't know what I was saying. That's the truth, guys." He raised his head to look at the Hardys, then glanced at his watch again.

Joe looked at Frank and then down at his jacket pocket. When his brother nodded, Joe pulled the flannel swatch out and held it out to Kevin. "This piece of material has been soaked in gasoline. We found it at the first Pierce warehouse that burned, along with other evidence of arson," he told Kevin. "Does it look familiar?"

Kevin's face went pale. "It's the same pattern as the shirt I'm wearing," he admitted nervously. "But if you're saying I cut off the arms of my shirt and used the pieces to start a fire, you're wrong.

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