Hardy Boys Mystery Series by 47

Author:47 [47]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2010-08-23T01:10:56.787000+00:00

CHAPTER XI

The Eavesdroppers

"are you joking?" Joe asked. "Spike Marlin. Turn it around and you get

marlinespike, the tool used in rope splicing."

"It struck me the same way," Captain Flint replied. "But that's what he

said his name was."

"Fine alias for a guy with a sense of humor," Frank said, and asked the

captain where Marlin was from or where he was going. Flint did not know. "Was

there anything unusual about him, anything that might help us to identify

him?" Frank asked.

"Not much. His clothes were worn, but pretty nondescript. I did notice an

anchor tattoo on the back of his left hand. He might have been a seaman, but I

wouldn't swear to it."

"Those are pretty good clues," Joe said. "Thanks a lot."

The boys left to scan the area, trying to pick up Tim Varney's trail. They

had no luck, so they

91

92 Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

returned to Mrs. Snow's in the late afternoon. After supper they headed

back to the seaport.

They searched in seamen's meeting houses and in cheap restaurants, and

questioned proprietors of stores and clerks at hotel desks. But their efforts

were fruitless. Several persons readily admitted to knowing Varney, but no one

had seen him for the last few days or knew where he might be found.

Finally the trio stopped at a drugstore and ordered sodas.

"Boy, these are really good!" Joe said after the first cooling gulp.

"Good! My friend, they're superb!" Chet responded. He finished his soda

before the Hardys were halfway done and ordered another. After the gurgling

sound of the straw reaching bottom, Chet gave the Hardys a plaintive look.

"Fellows," he said, "it's not that I'm trying to get out of work or anything,

but these sodas are the best I've ever tasted."

"What are you trying to say, Chet?" Joe asked.

The chubby boy wore a sheepish expression. "Well, if you guys think you

might be able to do without me for a while, I'd sure like to stick around and

do some real justice to that artist who makes these ice-cream dreams."

"Look, Chet," Joe said. "We were planning on having you lead us in a

couple of double-time laps around the block."

Chet raised his hands in mock horror, and

The Eavesdroppers 93

Frank added, "Okay. If we run into any trouble, we'll come back and get

you. Otherwise plan on meeting us here in an hour."

Frank and Joe left the drugstore and continued their search. Darkness was

falling and the moon was visible only as a dim, thin crescent above a layer of

black wind-driven clouds.

"Do you think Tim Varney has gone into hiding?" Joe asked.

"It's a possibility. I-Wait a minute! Over there by the grocery store,

Joe!"

Joe squinted against the blackness, focusing his eyes on the figure that

was moving furtively along the other side of the street. "That's our man, all

right."

"Into this doorway, quick," Frank said. "Give him a chance to get a bit of

a lead, then we'll follow him."

Varney glanced nervously around, as if to make sure that he was not being

followed. After a moment he shrugged and hurried on. When he was half a block

away, Frank and Joe stepped out of the doorway. They

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.