The Mystery Of The Purple Pirate Part 10

"Is the shed locked?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"So anyone who knew the costume was there could have used it."

"I suppose so, Jupiter," Captain Joy agreed.

"Which doesn't help us much," Jupiter said, sighing unhappily. Then he brightened. "But we know now where Karnes is digging, and the real question is, What is he looking for? It must be something hidden in the tower, Mr. Evans, or the tunnel itself."

Joshua Evans shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest idea what it could be."

"Captain?" Jupiter asked.

"I suppose it has to be something left behind by the Purple Pirate, even though the place was torn apart pretty well when people dug all around the cove a hundred years ago."

"Something left by the Purple Pirate is most likely," said Jupiter, "although there was smuggling and other criminal activity at the cove later."

Bob said, "Whatever it is, Jupe, I hope it's still there. I mean, we don't know when they dug through that blocked part."

"We know they were still digging last night," Jupiter pointed out. "Second, go and see if the stakeout is still on."

Pete nodded and trotted towards the front gates. Joshua Evans watched the Second Investigator go with a puzzled look.

"Stakeout?" Evans said. "What stakeout, boys?"

"Karnes has some of his men outside watching the Purple Pirate Lair all day," Bob explained. "Sometimes it's one of them, sometimes two, but someone's always out there."

Evans rubbed his jaw. "All the time, eh?"

"It's one aspect of the case that has me quite puzzled," Jupiter admitted. "It's almost as if Karnes were afraid that someone would take whatever he's after before he can get to it. Or else he knows others are after the same thing he is."

"Maybe whoever was in that Purple Pirate costume," Bob suggested.

Pete came back. "The ice cream van is out there, First."

"And you're supposed to go to the taping session again tonight. Captain Joy?"

Jupiter asked.

"We sure are," Jeremy answered for his father.

"Then," Jupiter said, his voice firm and determined, "I suggest we all go home and get some rest. We may have a very long night ahead."

He turned to Joshua Evans and Salty Sam. "And I think it would be a good idea for Mr. Evans and Sam to be with us tonight - in case things become more dangerous than we can handle!"

Chapter 18.

A Nasty Shock JUPITER, PETE AND BOB arrived back at the Purple Pirate Lair on their bikes, carrying their walkie-talkies and torches, just as the last tourists were leaving. The Three Investigators were all wearing dark s.h.i.+rts. They slipped in among the exiting tourists to avoid being noticed by Carl in the tree truck, who was now on the stakeout for Major Karnes. Once inside, they hurried to the trailer. The boys shared the Joys'

dinner - they all had hearty appet.i.tes after the day's adventures.

An hour later Sam Davis joined them. Mr. Evans remained in his tower, showing himself at windows from time to time so that Carl in his cherry-picker would think that all was the same as usual. When it was almost dark, Captain Joy and Jeremy locked the gates and left in their van for the taping session in Rocky Beach.

"Time, fellows," Jupiter said quietly.

They all slipped out of the trailer, keeping to the shadows. If Karnes and his men acted as they had last night, the boys and Salty Sam had about ten minutes to get to the boathouse, and they knew that Carl could be watching their every move. But their dark s.h.i.+rts let them reach the old boathouse without much risk of being spotted.

Inside, Bob and Pete and Sam Davis climbed a steep ladder up into the sail loft while Jupiter plopped into the water and waded under the pier. After opening the drawbridge and locking it behind him, the First Investigator hurried through the tunnel and pressed the lever on the wall. He opened the secret door to the tunnel, closed it behind him, and scurried through the cellar of the stone tower to join Joshua Evans.

In the sail loft Pete and Bob lay in the shadows directly above where the double doors would open and the van drive in if Karnes showed up. Sam took the other end of the loft, where he could watch out the loft window in case anyone came by water.

In their positions, they settled down to wait.

Out in the cool June night cars pa.s.sed from time to time on the cove road. A dog barked in the village across the water. Someone sang somewhere. One of the air taxis took off with a momentary flash of light through the front window of the sail loft. A van door closed! A low squeal of brakes sounded.

A squeal of brakes that seemed to come from the front gates! The sharp click of metal against metal in the near distance. The low purr of a smooth almost m.u.f.fled engine that came closer in the night. Then a silence.

The double doors opened!

Pete and Bob held their breath.

Then they heard the soft engine purr into the boathouse and looked straight down on the top of the van as it drove in. Major Karnes and Hubert jumped out to close the boathouse doors. Bob breathed three times into his walkie- talkie, the boys' prearranged signal.

A faint tap came over Bob's instrument, the return signal from Jupiter.

As soon as the boathouse doors were closed, the little major and Hubert hurried to the side of the pier and jumped into the shallow water. Their torches probing the darkness under the pier, they waded to the tunnel entrance and ...

A loud clatter echoed through the empty boathouse like a sudden artillery barrage!

"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" Salty Sam cried.

As Pete and Bob watched, horrified, the clumsy handyman sprawled on the floor of the sail loft in a tangle of old boards and rope as if he had tripped over something while making some move. Before they could go to his aid or hide themselves, a large mast somehow dislodged by Sam's fall crashed down on them.

Then the beam of a torch shone directly into the boys'

faces.

"All right, you two, get down from there!" By the door of the van, Carl stood glaring at them with a torch in one hand and a pistol in the other. Gulping, Bob and Pete climbed slowly down the steep ladder. The major and Hubert had climbed back up on to the pier and stood dripping water behind Carl.

"Look up in that loft," the major ordered Hubert, "See if anyone else is up there."

The big man nodded and began to climb up the ladder, which groaned beneath his weight. Major Karnes stared at Pete and Bob, his sharp eyes boring into them.

"I've seen you two somewhere before!" He went on staring at them as the ma.s.sive Hubert stumbled around in the sail loft above. "By thunder, yes! You were the boys who helped me with the angry mob on the first day of the interviews. The first boys I interviewed! What the devil are you doing here? And where's the other one of you?

There were three, I remember. A rather plump boy, who did most of the talking.

Where is he, and what were you two doing hiding in that sail loft?"

"W-we ...weren't ..." Bob stammered.

Hubert called down from the loft, "No one else hiding out up here, boss!"

Bob and Pete looked at each other. Where was Salty Sam? What was he up to?

Clearly, he must have climbed out the loft window and escaped.

"Look hard, you fool!" Major Karnes called up to the loft. "There should be a third boy." He looked back at Bob and Pete. "Now tell me what you're doing hiding in this boathouse."

"We weren't hiding," Bob said. "We just fell asleep. I mean, we went on the pirate s.h.i.+p ride, got tired, and came in here to rest a while and just fell asleep."

"Sure," Pete agreed quickly. "We fell asleep."

Hubert climbed down the ladder, slipped, crashed through the last three rungs, and knocked Pete sprawling.

"You clumsy oaf!" Karnes cried.

Stammering, Hubert bent to help Pete up. "S-sorry, feller." He brushed apologetically at the tall Investigator's clothes, then stared at Pete. "Hey, boss?

Remember I told you I maybe seen a kid watchin' us last night when we went out the gates? This is the kid, you know? I mean, I think."

"So!" Karnes said. "Carl, search them both!"

Carl found their torches, cards and walkie-talkies. Karnes read their cards.

"Detectives, eh? So that's it. You spotted us and tailed us, and the other boy is waitin' for you to tell him what we're doing." He grabbed Pete's walkie-talkie unit.

"Are you there, boy? Listen carefully. We've got your pals. We're going to tie them up and leave a man with them. Stay out of our way and don't try any tricks, or you won't like what we do to your friends!"

Chapter 19.

The Tables Are Turned IN THE LIVING ROOM of the stone tower Jupiter and Mr. Evans heard the whole scene in the boathouse through Jupe's walkie-talkie, left on receive for Bob's next message. They heard Karnes's final grim warning.

"They've caught them," Jupiter said desperately.

"Steady, Jupiter," Mr. Evans warned.

"But we have have to do something!" to do something!"

"I don't know what," Evans admitted.

"Perhaps we-"

There was a frantic knocking at the front door. Jupiter froze. Joshua Evans pulled his pistol from his coat pocket.

The knocking came again. Insistent.

Mr. Evans walked quietly to the door and pulled it open.

Sam Davis stood there, his legs sopping wet. He hurried into the room looking back over his shoulder.

"That major feller, he caught the boys!"

"We know," Evans said. "How did you happen to get away?"

"Was up front in that loft, got out the window," Sam panted. "Had to jump into the dang water and slog my way out."

"You were lucky," Evans said. "And maybe we are too. Now that you're with us, Sam, I'm beginning to see a plan of action."

"What plan, sir?" Jupiter asked.

"We'd better get down to the cellar first."

The three of them hurried down the cellar stairs into the dim light of the low-ceilinged bas.e.m.e.nt. At Evans' request, Sam hid under the stairs. Jupiter and Evans crossed over to the storeroom.

"What we gonna do, Evans?" Sam whispered hoa.r.s.ely.

Jupiter echoed, "Yes, Mr. Evans, what is your plan?"

"Well, Jupiter," Mr. Evans said, "I'm afraid it starts with a confession. You see, I-"

"You already found the treasure!" Jupiter exclaimed. "You returned to Pirates Cove because you knew it was here!"

"Yes, Jupiter. I did come back just to find the old treasure, and I found it a week ago!"

"You mean it's still in the tower?"

Evans nodded. "Right here in this storage room. Just as I found it, old Chinese chest and all. You see, long ago my father told me about this tower and the treasure my great-great-grandfather had hidden here. It wasn't until last year that I could leave the East and return to the tower. After a lot of searching, I found the treasure just last week."

"But, sir," Jupiter said, "why didn't you tell anyone you'd found it?"

"To tell the truth, Jupiter, I wasn't sure what my legal position is, who the treasure really belongs to! Until I was sure, I thought it better to keep it quiet."

"I should think it belongs to anyone who finds it on his property at this late date,"

Jupiter decided.