The Shore Road Mystery Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER I - Pursuit!

  CHAPTER II - Police Tip-off

  CHAPTER III - A Pilgrim Mystery

  CHAPTER IV - Suspicious Visitor

  CHAPTER V - Strategy

  CHAPTER VI - Mysterious Collision

  CHAPTER VII - Flight Sniper

  CHAPTER VIII - The Ring of Fire

  CHAPTER IX - The Spider’s Net

  CHAPTER X - Strange Roadblock

  CHAPTER XI - Guard on the Cliff

  CHAPTER XII - Planted Evidence?

  CHAPTER XIII - A Hungry Sleuth

  CHAPTER XIV - Sea Clues

  CHAPTER XV - Double Attack

  CHAPTER XVI - Retreat Trick

  CHAPTER XVII - The Wooden Horse

  CHAPTER XVIII - Prisoner Rescue

  CHAPTER XIX - Hopeless Escape

  CHAPTER XX - Roundup and Treasure

  Match Wits with The Hardy Boys®!

  Collect the Original

  Hardy Boys Mystery Stories®

  by Franklin W. Dixon

  The Tower Treasure

  The House on the Cliff

  The Secret of the Old Mill

  The Missing Chums

  Hunting for Hidden Gold

  The Shore Road Mystery

  The Secret of the Caves

  The Mystery of Cabin Island

  The Great Airport Mystery

  What Happened at Midnight

  While the Clock Ticked

  Footprints Under the Window

  The Mark on the Door

  The Hidden Harbor Mystery

  The Sinister Signpost

  A Figure in Hiding

  The Secret Warning

  The Twisted Claw

  The Disappearing Floor

  The Mystery of the Flying Express

  The Clue of the Broken Blade

  The Flickering Torch Mystery

  The Melted Coins

  The Short-Wave Mystery

  The Secret Panel

  The Phantom Freighter

  The Secret of Skull Mountain

  The Sign of the Crooked Arrow

  The Secret of the Lost Tunnel

  The Wailing Siren Mystery

  The Secret of Wildcat Swamp

  The Crisscross Shadow

  The Yellow Feather Mystery

  The Hooded Hawk Mystery

  The Clue in the Embers

  The Secret of Pirates’ Hill

  The Ghost at Skeleton Rock

  The Mystery at Devil’s Paw

  The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

  Mystery of the Desert Giant

  The Clue of the Screeching Owl

  The Viking Symbol Mystery

  The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior

  The Haunted Fort

  The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge

  The Secret Agent on Flight 101

  Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

  The Arctic Patrol Mystery

  The Bombay Boomerang

  Danger of Vampire Trail

  The Masked Monkey

  The Shattered Helmet

  The Clue of the Hissing Serpent

  The Mysterious Caravan

  The Witchmaster’s Key

  The Jungle Pyramid

  The Firebird Rocket

  The Sting of the Scorpion

  Hardy Boys Detective Handbook

  The Hardy Boys Back-to-Back The Tower Treasure/The House on the Cliff

  Celebrate 60 Years with the World’s Greatest Super Sleuths!

  THE SHORE ROAD MYSTERY

  When the Hardy boys eagerly agree to assist their friend Jack Dodd and his father in locating a family treasure, the two young detectives are unaware of the baffling complications that will arise. The only clue to the long-lost treasure is a cryptic message written by a Pilgrim ancestor.

  But when Mr. Dodd and Jack are accused of stealing cars and then mysteriously disappear, Frank and Joe are confronted with a triple mystery. Have their friends run away to avoid the law? Or are they secretly hunting for the treasure? Or have they been kidnapped?

  Despite mounting evidence and the bitter suspicions of the townspeople, the Hardys are convinced that the Dodds are the victims of a sinister plot. Clues that Frank and Joe uncover, with the aid of their jolly, plump friend, Chet Morton, lead to the secret hideout of a ruthless gang of criminals.

  Deadly road traps and aerial ambush, a spider man and a suspect who carries a menacing cane harass the young detectives as they seek the triple solution to this perplexing and exciting mystery.

  Joe flew into the air

  PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

  Copyright © 1992, 1964, 1956, 1928 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Grosset Group, New

  York. Published simultaneously in Canada. .S.A.

  THE HARDY BOYS® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

  eISBN : 978-1-440-67320-7

  1999 Printing

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  CHAPTER I

  Pursuit!

  “... stolen at Dune Beach. Car is Swiftline cream sedan, believed heading south on Shore Road. Alert all cars! Repeat ...”

  The bulletin had just come over the police band on Frank Hardy’s motorcycle radio. He and his brother Joe, side by side on their dark-gray machines, were roaring northward along Shore Road to join school friends for a swim.

  “Dune Beach!” Frank shouted, and the boys skidded to a halt on a sand shoulder. The car thief might pass them at any moment!

  “Let’s stop him!” Joe proposed.

  The boys waited, scanning a deserted fishing pier on their right. Frank was eighteen, tall and dark-haired. Joe, a year younger, was blond. Both were excellent amateur detectives.

  “Joe, do you realize this makes five car thefts in one week along Shore Road?”

  The Hardys steered their motorcycles to the land side of Shore Road and faced them south, ready to move out quickly.

  Several cars whizzed by, heading north. Then two police cars screamed past in the other direction.

  After five more minutes had gone by, Frank frowned. “It looks as if we’re not going to nab any thieves today.”

  Joe said, “Let’s hope the police are on the right track!”

  But subsequent bulletins indicated another successful getaway by the car thieves. The Hardys cycled to Dune Beach to learn what they could. Here the boys found several state troopers taking down information from the elderly man whose car had been stolen.

  “It was gone when I came up from the beach,” he said.

  Presently the boys headed south for their swim. “I don’t understand this,” Joe remarked. “The stolen car couldn’t just vanish into thin air!”

  “The police seemed just as puzzled,” Frank observed. “Unfortunately, there were no witnesses. Did you notice that the tires of two nearby cars had been punctured? The thief must have done that to avoid pursuit.”

  The brothers eased their motorcycles toward a wooden rack behind Oceanside’s bathing pavilion. Joe swung off his vehicle and unstrapped his towel roll. “Maybe a good swim will sharpen our wits.”

  “Right,” said Frank as they headed for the bathhouse.

  Being the sons of Bayport’s famous detective, Fenton Hardy, the boys were not easily deterred by initial disappointments in pursuing criminals. Although still high school students, they had helped their father on many cases and had used their sleuthing prowess in solving several mysteries. Joe, though impetuous, was quick-witted and dependable. Frank, more serious-minded, was incline
d to think out a situation before taking action. They worked well together.

  After the Hardys had changed into swimming trunks and Bayport High sweat shirts, they trotted across the hot white sand to the roped-off bathing area.

  “Frank! Joe!” called their waiting friends.

  Greetings were exchanged as Phil Cohen and Tony Prito, pals of the Hardys, bounded over from behind the lifeguard’s green chair. Phil was a quiet, intelligent boy with sandy hair. Tony, olive-complexioned and lively, owned a motorboat and had shared many adventures with the Hardys out on Barmet Bay.

  “We’re sorry,” Frank apologized, “but we were delayed by a car thief.” He recounted the story.

  “Another one!” Tony shook his head. “Is your dad on the case?”

  Joe slipped off his sweat shirt. “No, not yet. He’s going out of town today. All the police in the area are, though. Maybe there’ll be a break in the mystery soon.”

  Phil tilted his head. “If you fellows get on the job, there will be.” He grinned. “For better or worse.”

  “Thanks,” said Joe, then turned and raced for the water. Frank followed.

  “Whoa there!” From behind a pair of sunglasses appeared the tan, smiling face of blond Lifeguard Biff Hooper.

  The Hardys greeted Biff and looked around the beach. There were not many bathers in evidence.

  “Where is everybody today?” Frank asked.

  “I think the car thefts are keeping folks away,” Biff answered. “It’s been like this for a week.”

  “Have any of the rest of our crowd been here today?” Joe put in.

  “I haven’t seen Iola all day,” Biff teased.

  The others laughed, and Joe joined in. Bashful with girls, he was used to being teased about his attachment to Chet Morton’s sister.

  “Say, where’s Chet?” Frank asked.

  “Chet? I haven’t seen him here this week,” Biff replied. “But I did hear he’s been spending some time at the Bayport Museum.”

  “It must be connected with food.” Tony grinned. Their stout friend loved to eat.

  Frank and Joe went swimming. An hour later they saw Biff beckoning to them from shore. “Message for you fellows!” he shouted. They swam quickly to the beach.

  Biff exclaimed, “A phone message was just brought to me! Jerry finally got his new car! He’s at Beach Grove. Why don’t you Hardys run over later and take a look at it?”

  “Great!”

  Jerry Gilroy, a fellow student, had long spoken of buying a handsome car for which he had been saving earnings from summer and after-school jobs.

  Before leaving, Frank and Joe decided to stroll along the beach toward a black stone jetty in the distance. Suddenly they came upon a dead bat in the sand.

  “Funny,” said Joe. “Wonder how that got here.”

  The boys walked on to the end of the jetty and scanned the horizon. Beyond the bathing area, a black fishing boat cruised by slowly. Moments later, the Hardys recognized a smaller green-and-white boat which belonged to their friend Jack Dodd.

  They waved to him. Jack seemed about to wave back when they saw him lurch forward sharply and drop below in his boat. Then he stood up and signaled frantically.

  “Something’s wrong!” Joe gasped. “Look! The bow is beginning to list!”

  The Hardys dived off the jetty and swam swiftly out to meet the craft as Jack headed it toward the rock promontory. In moments they had climbed into the boat.

  “Frank! Joe! Quick! In there!”

  Jack pointed to the small forward compartment as he maneuvered the boat closer to the jetty. Below, the Hardys found themselves standing in an inch of churning water!

  “Near the left bulkhead!” Jack called down, cutting the motor.

  Frank had already spotted a small, bubbling fount and covered it with his foot. Joe ripped a towel off a hook and together they stanched the leak until some wood sealer was found in the paint locker. By the time Joe and Jack were mooring the boat to the jetty, Frank had tightly plugged the leak.

  “I guess I owe you fellows my boat.” Jack smiled gratefully as the three bailed most of the water out of the compartment.

  Jack Dodd was a likable, dark-haired youth. He and his father, a widower and respected Bayport citizen, worked a farm on Shore Road.

  “The exercise did us good—and in.” Joe laughed and jumped onto the jetty. “How did it happen, Jack? Did you strike a rock?”

  Jack shook his head worriedly. “Some other object struck my boat underneath.”

  Frank’s face showed astonishment.

  “Something’s wrong!” Joe gasped

  “It sure seemed that way. I was moving along great until I heard a scraping noise and then the gush of water. I’ve never hit any rocks around here before.”

  “But who would deliberately—” Joe was puzzled.

  “You’ve got me.” Jack shrugged. “I’ve run into some cranks along the coast, but never any who seemed likely to do this sort of thing.” A gleam came into Jack’s eye. “Say, how would you fellows like to help Dad and me solve a mystery?”

  “A mystery!”

  “Yes,” Jack continued, brightening. “My uncle, an astronomy professor at Cheston College, is coming up from Greenville tomorrow to assist us, but we need a couple of good local detectives.” He grinned at the Hardys. “This mystery concerns a geographical puzzle that’s been puzzling our family for three centuries!”

  The Hardys whistled. “You bet we’ll help!”

  Jack promised to give them the details the following day. He cast off, waving good-by.

  After Frank and Joe had changed into their sport clothes, they returned to the motorcycles and headed north on Shore Road, eager to see Jerry’s new car.

  As they neared Beach Grove Point, they saw a boy running toward them. “It’s Jerry!” Frank exclaimed.

  The Hardys screeched to a halt as their wiry, red-cheeked friend flagged them down. His hair was tousled and his eyes wide with worry.

  “The car—my new car!” he gasped. “It’s just been stolen—sky-blue Cavalier hardtop! Did it pass you heading south?”

  The brothers shook their heads. “Then it must have gone north,” Jerry declared.

  “We’ll chase it,” Joe offered.

  The Hardys gunned their motors and swept northward. Crouching low, they whipped up an incline beneath a rock overhang.

  “There it is!” Frank shouted.

  Several hundred yards ahead a light-blue hardtop sped around a long curve in the highway. When the car came into view again, the gap between it and the boys had widened. The Hardys accelerated and streaked ahead through an unbroken stretch of farm country.

  “We’re gaining on him!” Joe yelled.

  He had no sooner said this when Frank saw something that made him exclaim in dismay.

  A huge, bright-red produce truck pulled out of a dirt road directly ahead, entirely blocking off the highway! It stood still.

  “Joe, look out!” Frank shouted, desperately braking down from top speed.

  But it was too late! Tires smoking, the motorcycles screeched into a skid off the road!

  CHAPTER II

  Police Tip-off

  SWERVING to avoid a wooden fence, the Hardys windmilled their motorcycles violently. Both boys flew off as the machines came to a stop in a cloud of dust. Dazed, Frank pulled himself up and limped over to Joe.

  “You okay?” Frank asked with concern. His brother had a bruised forehead and had skinned his left arm.

  Joe seemed stunned but managed a weak smile. “I just hope our cycles came out of it as lucky as we have.”

  “The radio’s banged up,” Frank said.

  Up ahead, the door of the produce truck slammed. A short, plump man with yellowish-white hair approached the Hardys. From his floppy straw hat, denims, and mud-stained shoes the boys concluded that he was a farmer.

  “You fellers all right?” he asked. “Mighty sorry ‘bout that spill. Didn’t see you comin’. My truck horn don’t work
noways. Hope you wasn’t in no hurry.”

  “We were after somebody, but it’s too late to catch him now,” said Frank. “May we use your phone?”

  “Ain’t got one,” the man replied.

  As he drove off, the Hardys righted their motorcycles. To their relief, both machines were operable.

  “We’d better get back to Beach Grove,” said Frank, and the boys chugged off.

  They found that Jerry had already phoned the police. There were no noticeable footprints or other clues where he had left his car.

  “I sure hate to lose that bus,” Jerry said. “Although the car was a year old, it was a good one, and an expensive model, too.”

  “Was your car locked?” Joe asked their friend.

  “Yes, but the thief managed to get it open.”

  After the police arrived, Frank and Joe said they must leave. Jerry thanked the boys for their efforts. “I’ll let you know what happens,” he promised.

  In a short time the brothers reached the pleasant, tree-shaded Hardy home, which stood at the corner of Elm and High streets.

  After dusting off their motorcycles, the boys entered the back door and tiptoed through the fragrant kitchen.

  “I’m ready to put away a good meal,” Frank remarked.

  Smudged, unkempt, and with a few bleeding cuts, they hoped to wash before alarming their mother or peppery Aunt Gertrude. Their father’s unmarried sister was a frequent visitor.

  They had no sooner started up the stairs when Miss Hardy came from the living room and called to them.

  “Supper is almost ready—” In the moment of silence that followed, there was a disapproving gasp. “Frank and Joe! Look at yourselves! Dust and mud and dirt and—” the tall, angular woman began.

  “That supper sure smells good, Aunty!” Joe said, smiling.

  “Joe Hardy, don’t you change the subject!” she continued. “A fine spectacle you are! And tracking dirt all over your mother’s vacuumed carpet—”

  Suddenly Aunt Gertrude saw Joe’s skinned arm and bruised forehead. “Joe, you’re cut! And Frank—why are you limping? Oh, my goodness, what happened?”

  Her nephews could not repress smiles. They soon dispelled her concern without mentioning the details of their accident on Shore Road. The brothers loved their aunt and knew that beneath her huffish way she held great affection for them.