Mystery Map Read online

  “So all we need to find out is Why and How, and maybe then we’ll figure out the Where,” Joe said. “I know! Let’s check the garage and see if his car is there.”

  “Great idea,” Frank said. “If it is, we’ll know he didn’t go far.”

  Soon they were out in the garage. Their parents’ cars were parked neatly side by side.

  “That means he’s probably still in the house somewhere.” Joe glanced out the garage window. “Or maybe the yard.”

  Frank pointed to several pairs of boots lined up just outside the door leading into the house. “His outside shoes are here,” he said. “That means he’s probably not working in the garden or anything like that.”

  Joe glanced up. “Did you hear that thump?” he asked. “I think I just solved the mystery.”

  “Of course! The spare room!” Frank couldn’t believe they’d forgotten to look there. For the past month or more, their father had been fixing up the area over the garage. That was the Where.

  The brothers left the garage and hurried around the outside of the house. They started up the steps to the spare room, which started near the kitchen door.

  When they reached the landing, they saw that the spare room door was shut. Joe reached for the handle.

  “It’s locked,” he said.

  Frank nodded. “Dad’s been secretive about the spare room all along,” he recalled. “You decided he was going to surprise us by letting one of us move in there so we could each have our own room, remember?”

  “I still think he’s going to do that,” Joe said. “What else could it—”

  Just then the door opened and their father looked out. When he saw them, he quickly stepped out onto the landing and shut the door behind him.

  “Yes, boys?” he asked. “What is it?”

  “We wanted to ask you about the treasure map,” Frank said.

  Mr. Hardy checked his watch. “Let’s take a look later, all right?” he said. “Right now I should go help your mother.”

  He hurried down the steps and into the house. Joe watched him go. Then he tested the spare room door.

  “Still locked,” he reported. “So much for the Why,” he said with a frown.

  Frank bit his lip. “That was kind of weird,” he said slowly. “It was like Dad didn’t want us to catch a glimpse in there.”

  The two of them stared at each other. Frank knew they were both thinking the same thing.

  What was their father trying to hide?

  4

  The Search Begins

  I still think one of us is getting the spare room,” Joe told Frank.

  It was the next morning. The two of them were walking through the woods on their way to the park to meet Chet.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Frank said. “That spare room is more like a little apartment than a regular bedroom. It even has its own bathroom. Plus, it’s totally separate from the rest of the house. There’s no way Mom and Dad would let one of us live out there all alone.”

  Joe shrugged. He wasn’t ready to give up hope. “Then maybe they’ll let both of us move out there,” he said. “That would be cool too. It’s a lot bigger than our room now.”

  “Then what would they do with our old room?” Frank still sounded doubtful.

  “Maybe Mom will turn it into that craft room she’s always wanted.”

  “Or maybe the spare room will be her new craft room,” Frank said. “That makes more sense. We should probably just ask them.”

  “I already tried,” Joe said. “I asked Dad before breakfast. He just said something about needing more storage space. Then when I asked Mom a few minutes later, she said it was ‘up in the air.’”

  “Hmm,” Frank said. “That is kind of weird.”

  Joe nodded, feeling excited at the thought of a bigger, better bedroom. “It has to be almost finished by now. I bet they’re just waiting for Aunt Gertrude’s visit to be over with before they surprise us.”

  The boys had come to the edge of the woods. Joe looked around for Chet. It was early, and the park wasn’t very crowded yet. There were only a few people on the swings, and there was a small group of teenage girls playing kickball. Joe soon spotted Chet watching the kickball game.

  Chet was watching for the Hardys too. He waved and hurried over to them.

  “Did you bring the map?” he asked eagerly.

  Joe pulled it out of his pocket. “Right here. We think we figured out some of the markings and stuff.”

  “Cool!” Chet grinned. “Treasure, here we come!”

  The three of them bent over the map. “This has to be the playground,” Frank told Chet. He pointed to a drawing that looked like a swing set. “And these trees are the woods.”

  “Right.” Joe waved a hand at a section of woods nearby. “The dotted line starts in there, so we should probably go look around for more clues.”

  Soon the three of them were making their way down a dirt trail. Chet pushed aside a branch. “Do you think we’re going the right way?” he asked.

  Frank nodded, checking the map. “The spot where the dotted line starts should be right up ahead.”

  Joe was in the lead. He hopped over a fallen tree trunk and then glanced back at the others. “What do you think the treasure will be? Could it really be pirate’s booty like Dad said?”

  Chet’s eyes went wide. “Pirate’s booty? You mean like gold and jewels and stuff?”

  “I doubt it,” Frank said. “Why would pirates come to Bayport to hide their treasure? And why would anyone draw a map to it on an old burger wrapper instead of just digging it up?”

  Chet shrugged, looking a little disappointed. “Okay, so maybe it won’t be pirate booty,” he said. “But I hope it’s something good!”

  Just then Joe stopped short. He was still out in front. “Shh!” he hissed over his shoulder to Frank and Chet. “I hear voices.”

  Frank heard them now too. It sounded like a couple of people muttering to each other.

  “What if someone else found our treasure?” Chet whispered, sounding worried. “Maybe that dotted line was the end of the trail instead of the beginning!”

  Frank tiptoed forward. When he pushed aside some branches, he saw a clearing up ahead. Two teenage boys were standing there. One was short and wiry with a wispy, dark mustache. The other was taller and heavier with spiky hair and a silver nose ring. Frank couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like the nose ring might be shaped like a skull.

  He carefully let the leaves fall back into place. “Those guys look pretty tough,” he whispered to Joe and Chet. “Maybe we should hide out and wait for them to leave.”

  “Okay,” Chet whispered, backing away.

  CRACK! One of Chet’s sneakers came down on a dry branch. It snapped in two, making a loud noise like a starting pistol going off.

  “Hey!” a voice yelled from up ahead. “Who’s there?”

  “Should we run for it?” Chet whispered, sounding frantic.

  But it was too late. The two teenage punks had already rushed over. They glared at the three younger boys.

  “What are you doing here?” the taller one demanded. “This is our spot!”

  “Yeah,” the other guy added with a sneer. “Twerps not invited.”

  “Oh yeah?” Joe retorted boldly. “I thought this was a public park.”

  Frank groaned. Sometimes he wished his brother didn’t have such a big mouth!

  Sure enough, the teens looked angry. “Get out!” the guy with the nose ring snarled, coming at them. “Unless you want us to make you get out!”

  “Yeah.” The shorter guy grabbed at Frank’s arm.

  Frank twisted away just in time. “Run!” he shouted.

  5

  Running and Hiding

  Joe could hear Chet panting loudly behind him as they raced off through the woods. Frank was in the lead. He ran down one trail and then another.

  “Faster!” Chet cried, sounding terrified. “Are they catching up?”

  “I don’
t think so.” Joe slowed down, listening. “I don’t hear them anymore.”

  He stopped. So did Frank and Chet.

  “I guess they didn’t want to catch us,” Frank said. “They just wanted to chase us away.”

  Chet looked anxious. “How are we supposed to find that treasure now? The trail starts back in that clearing!”

  “I know.” Joe shrugged. “Maybe we can try again after lunch. Those guys might be gone by then.”

  Frank nodded. “If not, we’ll figure out a new plan.”

  “Hi, Mom!” Joe shouted. He had to shout to be heard over the noise of the vacuum cleaner.

  Joe and Frank had just arrived home for lunch. Their mother was vacuuming the living room, and their father was nowhere in sight.

  “Hi, boys,” Mrs. Hardy said, switching off the vacuum. She grabbed a rag and started dusting the coffee table. “What are you doing home so early?”

  “Early?” Frank checked his watch. “It’s twelve thirty.”

  Mrs. Hardy looked alarmed. “Already?” she cried. “But I haven’t touched the dining room yet, let alone the foyer. . . .”

  She hurried off into the next room, clutching her rag and muttering to herself. Frank stared after her.

  “Weird,” he said. “Mom’s in a total cleaning frenzy.”

  “Yeah. That’s not like her.” Joe glanced at the vacuum. “She hates cleaning.” Mrs. Hardy usually left most of the vacuuming and dusting to the cleaning lady, who came once a week.

  Frank was already heading toward the kitchen. “I’m starved. Let’s make ourselves some sandwiches.”

  Soon the brothers were fixing lunch. Joe was still thinking about their mother’s cleaning spree.

  “I know why Mom’s such a clean freak all of a sudden,” he said. “Aunt Gertrude’s coming tonight, remember? She’s a cleaning machine. Mom probably doesn’t want to hear her grumble about how dirty the house is, so she’s cleaning up before her visit.”

  “You may be right,” Frank agreed. “Mystery solved.”

  Joe grinned. “Except for the mystery of why Mom isn’t making Dad help,” he said. “After all, Aunt Gertrude is his sister.”

  Just then their mother rushed in carrying some folded dish towels. “Hey, Mom,” Frank said. “Where’s Dad?”

  Mrs. Hardy dropped the towels on the counter. “Your father?” she mumbled, sounding distracted. “He’s out doing some shopping.”

  She raced away again before the boys could say anything else. Joe stared at his brother.

  “Did you hear that?” he asked. “Double weird. Dad hates shopping just as much as Mom hates cleaning!”

  “Maybe it’s opposite day,” Frank joked. “But I know one thing for sure. If we hang around too long, Mom will probably make us help her clean.”

  Joe’s eyes widened. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here!”

  They hurried outside with their sandwiches. Crossing the backyard, they headed into the woods.

  Their tree house was invisible to anyone who didn’t know it was there. But as soon as Joe tugged on a rope attached to a pulley, a ladder tumbled down. The boys climbed up into the tree house, then pulled the ladder up after them.

  “Whew!” Joe flopped down onto the wooden floor. “At least we never have to clean anything up here.”

  Frank took a bite of his sandwich. Then he wandered over to the whiteboard hanging on the wall. The notes from their last mystery were still written there. “Guess we should start making some notes for our new mystery,” he said, wiping away the old ones.

  Joe liked solving mysteries, but he hated taking notes. Still, he had to admit that Frank’s notes helped sometimes.

  “Are you going to list the six Ws?” he asked.

  The words “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” “Why,” and “How” were still written down one side of the board. Frank picked up the pen and stared at them.

  “I’m not sure what to write,” he admitted. “We don’t know much except that we’re looking for treasure. We don’t even know what kind of treasure it is.”

  He wrote “Treasure?” by the word “What.”

  Joe chewed a bite of sandwich. “We don’t know who hid it,” he said. “Or when, or even why. The only part we might be able to figure out is where and how, thanks to that map.”

  He pulled out the map and looked at it. This time he noticed that blob of reddish goo under the dirt. “Hey, I have an idea,” he said. Brushing off some of the dirt, he tasted the goo. “We were right. It is ketchup.” Joe licked his lips. “And it doesn’t taste that old. So the map probably isn’t old either.”

  Frank looked kind of grossed out. But he turned back to the whiteboard and wrote “Recently” beside the word “When.”

  “Anything else?” Frank asked, staring at the mostly blank board.

  Joe took another bite of his sandwich. It was pretty good, but not as good as the ones his mom made.

  “Maybe we should write up our other case,” he joked. “You know—the mystery of why Mom and Dad are acting weird lately.”

  Frank grinned. “Good idea.”

  He drew a line to make a second column beside the W words. Next to the words “Who” and “What,” he wrote “Mom & Dad” and “Acting weird.” Next to the word “How,” he wrote “Mom cleaning” and “Dad shopping.”

  “You can fill in When,” Joe pointed out. “They seemed perfectly normal until the last day or so. And Where is easy too. Right here at home.”

  Frank scribbled all that down on the board. “The only thing we need to figure out is Why,” he said.

  “I think I know the answer to that one too.” Joe rolled his eyes. “They’re probably just acting nutty because Aunt Gertrude’s coming to visit.”

  “I don’t think that’s it,” Frank replied. “You’re the only one Aunt Gertrude drives nuts. Besides, she comes to dinner at least once a month, and sometimes for the weekend. Mom and Dad have never acted this way about her visits before.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Joe popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. “Then I guess we really do have two mysteries to solve. But right now we’d better get back to the park so we can solve the one that might help us buy some cool new skateboarding posters for our new room over the garage!”

  6

  On the Trail

  I hope those jerky guys didn’t find our treasure,” Joe said as he and Frank walked toward the park.

  “Me too.” Frank was still thinking about the other mystery. “Hey, what if we’re moving to a new house or something?”

  Joe looked confused. “What do you mean? Do you think we’ll find enough treasure to buy a whole new house?”

  Frank laughed. “No, I’m talking about the other mystery,” he explained. “What if the reason Dad fixed up the spare room and Mom is cleaning everything is because they’re going to sell our house and move to a new one?”

  “If that was the reason, why wouldn’t they tell us?” Joe shook his head. “No, I still think they’re planning some kind of surprise, like giving us the spare room.”

  “But why would they clean up the rest of the house for that?” Frank asked, kicking at a rock in the path.

  Joe shrugged. “Okay, maybe Dad’s going to have another story written about him in the newspaper,” he said. “Maybe he’s out buying new clothes and Mom is cleaning so everything will look extra good in the photos.”

  Frank thought about that. It seemed possible. Their father and his crime solving had been written up in local newspapers and magazines several times in the past.

  “Could be,” he said. “But I don’t know why that would be a big secret either.”

  “Maybe they don’t want to tell us until after Aunt Gertrude leaves,” Joe suggested. “She’s always saying Dad’s work is too dangerous. What if they don’t want her to know about the story, and they’re afraid we might forget and say something in front of her?”

  “Maybe. If that’s it, I guess we’ll find out after she goes
home.”

  By now they’d reached the park. Chet was there waiting for them with Iola.

  “Hi, Hardys,” Iola said. “I can’t wait to go treasure hunting!”

  “You brought your sister?” Joe asked Chet with a frown. “Does that mean we have to split the treasure with her, too?”

  Iola made a face at him. “It was my brother who found the map,” she reminded Joe. “You’re just lucky we’re sharing with you!”

  “Come on.” Frank was already heading toward the woods. “If those punks are still hanging around, there might not be any treasure to share.”

  They followed the dirt trail they had started down earlier. When they got close to the clearing, they slowed down and kept quiet.

  “Do you hear anything?” Chet asked Joe.

  Joe glanced back at him. “Only you yelling in my ear,” he whispered back. “Be quiet or they’ll hear us!”

  But when they reached the edge of the clearing, there was no sign of the teens. Just a few soda cans and empty food wrappers lying around.

  “What litterbugs,” Iola said with a disapproving shake of her head. “Should we pick up their trash?”

  “We can do that later,” Frank said. He bent over the map, tracing the dotted line with one finger. It was kind of hard to see, but he was pretty sure it led into the woods on the far side of the clearing. “Come on, I think it’s this way.”

  All four of them headed back into the trees. Frank kept his finger on the dotted line on the map, following along as they went.

  “Over here,” he said, ducking under a tree branch to follow a smaller trail.

  “Are you sure?” Chet panted.

  Frank checked the map again. “Pretty sure,” he said. “Everyone watch for a creek.”

  “There it is!” Joe pointed to a trickling stream that crossed the trail up ahead.

  Iola jumped over it. “Now what?” she asked.

  “Keep going straight for a while, and keep a lookout for a big tree with a V-shaped trunk,” Frank directed, peering at the map. “At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what’s drawn here.”