The Secret Panel Part 19

"We'd better get this fellow down to Headquarters," Mr. Hardy said sternly. "Shall we use your underwater boat, Whitey, or the police car?"

Whitey Masco was startled by the question. So the detective and his sons knew about his boat! He grew sullen, and refused to talk. But as they all drove to Bayport Mr. Hardy related to John Mead the story of Whitey's past. How, with the police hot on his trail as a bank robber, he had hoped to throw them off the track by robbing museums. How he had tried to make Lenny a gangster to get revenge on the boy's mother. How he had known of old Mr. Mead's ring with the strange Y insigne; and, upon finding the original from which it had been copied, had stolen it from a museum in order to open Mr. Mead's safe beyond the secret panel.

"Then the rest was easy, eh, Whitey?" Mr. Hardy remarked. "Well, here we are at Headquarters."

Within a week Mr. Hardy had rounded up the other members of Whitey Masco's gang.

Jeff proved to be the one who had dropped the valuable stolen book at the garage. It was he, also, who had tarn208 pered with the auxiliary electric system at the Mead home. From a motor in the boathouse a cable ran underground to the cellar. Thus it was Jeff who, while working on the motor, had been directly responsible for Frank receiving the bad shock.

When Griff was captured, he admitted having taken the old dory from the Mead boathouse and sold it to Chet. He thought Whitey Masco did not know about the boat. But when his boss, who had locked some loot in the fish box, learned of the sale, he had threatened Griff with his life if he did not bring back the dory.

"And where do I come in?" Chet Morton asked. "I want my money back!" The boy had been invited to a celebration dinner at the Hardy home.

"The police will see to that," smiled Mr. Hardy. "In fact," he added, as the doorbell rang, "I believe an officer may be here now to talk to you."

Chet turned pale. "B-but, Mr. Hardy, I didn't do anything. I------"

"Please answer the bell, Chet."

Trembling, the Morton boy managed to get to the door. When he opened it Patrolman Riley stepped into the hall.

"Just the person I want to see," the policeman said importantly. "Suppose you tell me everything you know about the stolen dory." Riley felt very good. Now was his chance to get even for some of the kidding he had had to take from the stout boy!

Chet tried to tell his story, but the words stuck in 209 his mouth. In the midst of his explanation, Riley pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the youth. When Chet's shaking fingers opened it, he looked at the patrolman.

"Why-why, it's money," he stammered.

"Yes, that guy Griff sent it to you," Riley explained. "Just sign that receipt for the police records."

"And I don't have to go to jail?" Chet asked.

From behind him came whoops of laughter. Frank and Joe could restrain themselves no longer. They had known of Riley's coming, and told their father they'd like to play a joke on their friend. For a moment Chet looked blank, then he grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, fellows," he said. "You win this time. Guess it served me right for dealing with that crook. But say," he added, "you promised to bring me up to date on the mystery."

"Glad to oblige," Joe replied. "What's bothering you?"

"Did the same person who stole the fingerprint folder out of your father's file kidnap the nurse?"

"Yes. One of the gang by the name of Bondy. He was on a bus with Aunt Gertrude, and stole her keys. Whitey Masco gave him the job of getting the fingerprint file that night Miss Johnson was here. When he overheard that she was a nurse, he decided to kidnap her to take care of Lenny.

"So it wasn't Mike Matton?" Chet remarked.

210 "Well, then, why was Matton trying to break into your house?"

Frank explained that Ben Whittaker's dishonest a.s.sistant had been misinformed that Mr. Hardy owned a unique collection of hardware-souvenirs of cases he had solved-and Mike had hoped to obtain them and sell them to Masco.

Matton had struck up an acquaintance with Whitey Masco when that crook had come to the shop and had the locksmith make a key from a wax impression. Whitey had secretly procured this impression during a call on old Mr. Mead.

Mike Matton decided to make a duplicate for himself when Whitey Masco wouldn't tell him what the key opened. Mike found out the crook collected old and rare hardware, so he told him he'd get some and meet him at a certain place. Through his work at homes of wealthy people in Bayport, the fellow knew where there were valuable door knockers and locks.

Whitey agreed to buy the loot, but failed to keep the appointment. Mike, who had once heard Ben Whittaker mention the unusual Mead locks, went out to the house. He was puzzled when he could find no keyholes. After several visits he discovered the strange lock on the front door and found that the odd-looking key fitted it. Masco was not there at the time, but Mike felt sure that he was using the house as a hide-out and would return. He decided to bring the stolen hardware there and lie in wait for Masco.

211 At this point in the story Chet heaved a sigh. "Can't we go back to dinner?" he asked.

"You can tell me the rest while I'm eating."

Mrs. Hardy laughed. "I'm glad there's someone around here who doesn't forget to eat when there's a mystery being solved."

Frank, Joe, and their father looked guilty. The younger boy said, "Mother, we'll probably have nothing to do from now on but eat. Not a mystery in sight."

"I wouldn't depend on that," Aunt Gertrude spoke up. "And I'd not have to be a prophet to think so, either. As soon as that roadster of yours that Griff wrecked is repaired------"

She was right. Another case popped up for the Hardy boys even before Whitey Masco was brought to trial. It involved a strange search for "The Phantom Freighter." "The Phantom Freighter."

"You know, Chet, we almost caught the museum thieves twice," Frank told him. "Once, when Joe and I were inside the Mead house, Whitey was there too. Jeff was outside. He dumbly yelled to his boss, 'We'd better go now!' "

"Gee," said Chet, wide-eyed, "you might have been caught yourselves!"

"The other time was when I heard the groan," Joe explained. "It came from Lenny Stryker. Whitey Masco was just opening the secret panel from the inside."

"Whew!" cried Chet. "That was close!"

"Guess I got away just in time," said Joe. "It scared Whitey, though, because once before his men had seen us there when they came in a car. Remember the time they backed out in a hurry? So he helped himself to the vacant house at 47 Packer Street and deliberately had his men put fingerprints around it to throw us off the track."

"And used me for a dope," Chet said, shaking his head sadly. "But you fellows got me safely out of that place, thank goodness."

"And I'm thankful all of you are safe," said Mrs. Hardy. "I never know from minute to minute--"

The doorbell rang again. Mr. Hardy asked Frank to answer it.

"The caller may be Mr. Mead," he said. "I invited him to come. On the other hand," the detective added, looking searchingly at his sons, "it may be news of another mystery."

"I sure hope so," the Hardy boys said together.

THE END.