Mystery Map Page 3

  “We should keep a lookout for those mean guys too,” Chet added. “We don’t want to run into them again.”

  “Do you think they know about the treasure?” Iola asked.

  Joe shrugged. “Who knows? But if they don’t, we definitely shouldn’t tell them.”

  They walked a little farther until they spotted the V-shaped tree. It was in the middle of a small, sunny clearing. “Okay, what’s next?” Joe asked his brother.

  Frank checked the map. He traced the dotted line along the narrow path. Over the creek, past the V-shaped tree…

  “Oh no!” he exclaimed as he saw where the line went next. “It goes right off the page!”

  “What do you mean?” Iola grabbed the map to look. Then she gasped. “He’s right!” she cried. “The end of the trail is on the part of the map that’s chewed off. It’s a dead end!”

  7

  Follow Your Nose

  But we’ve got to find that treasure!” Joe looked around in dismay. “How much farther could it be? We should just start digging!”

  “Are you kidding?” Iola handed the map back to Frank. “We can’t dig up the whole forest. That’s crazy. Let’s forget about the stupid treasure and go back and see if anyone wants to play dodgeball.”

  Chet was gazing at the ground. “I could try looking for tracks,” he said. “Maybe I can trace the steps of whoever hid that treasure.”

  “Hey, that’s a good idea!” Frank said.

  Joe and Iola both turned to stare at him. Even Chet looked surprised.

  “Huh?” Joe said. “You mean you really think Chet can follow tracks to the treasure?”

  Iola shook her head. “Get real. He’s only even been into tracking for like a day and a half.” Then she glanced at her brother. “No offense.”

  Chet just shrugged.

  Frank was grinning. “No, not Chet,” he said. “But I think I know of someone who maybe can track down that treasure.”

  “You do?” Joe asked. “Who?”

  “Come on.” Frank turned back down the trail. “I’ll show you.”

  “What do you want with Biff, anyway?” Phil asked Frank.

  “Yeah,” Joe put in. “Who’s Biff, and how’s he going to help us find that treasure?”

  Frank smiled as he walked along the sidewalk near Phil’s house with his friends. He still hadn’t told anybody his plan. First he needed Phil to show them the way to Biff’s house.

  “Biff’s that really tall kid who goes to the other elementary school,” he told his brother, Chet, and Iola.

  “Yeah,” Phil said. “I know him from soccer camp. He’s cool. But what’s this about a treasure?”

  Chet quickly explained about the map. “But the part with the final hiding spot got chewed off by an animal or something, so we didn’t find the treasure,” he finished.

  Joe nodded. “And I still don’t get how this Biff kid is going to help us do it,” he complained.

  “Not unless he’s the one who chewed off the corner,” Iola said with a giggle.

  Frank laughed. “I don’t think so,” he said. “But anyway, it’s not really Biff we need.” His eyes lit up as they turned the corner. In a yard up ahead a tall, blond kid their age was playing with a lively puppy. “It’s him!” He pointed to the puppy.

  Joe’s eyes lit up. “That’s a bloodhound!” he cried. “Of course! I should have remembered.”

  That was Frank’s plan. Like Joe, he’d seen Phil’s friend walking his new dog around town the past week or so. He also remembered his father talking about how a bloodhound had helped him solve one of his cases by using its super-sensitive nose to track down a missing person. Now Frank was hoping Biff’s bloodhound could follow his nose to the treasure, even if they couldn’t follow the map.

  Biff heard them talking and wandered over. “Hi, Phil,” he said, tugging on the leash as the puppy jumped around. “What’s up?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure,” Phil said. Then he introduced Biff to Frank, Joe, Iola, and Chet. “They all go to school with me,” Phil explained. “I think they might need your help. Or Chuck’s help, anyway.”

  Biff glanced down at the puppy. “His name isn’t Chuck anymore,” he said with a sigh. “I just can’t decide what to call him. None of the names I think of seem right.”

  Frank wasn’t too interested in the puppy’s name. He was much more interested in what the puppy could do. “Does your bloodhound know how to track yet?” he asked eagerly. “Because we have a mystery we need him to help us solve.”

  Biff looked interested. “I don’t know,” he said. “My mom says he tracked down the dog treats she tried to hide in a drawer. So I guess he does know how to follow his nose. What kind of mystery?”

  Taking turns, they all told Biff about the map. By the time they finished, he was just as excited as they were.

  “I can’t believe there might be a real hidden treasure right here in Bayport!” he exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”

  “So you’ll help us?” Chet asked.

  Biff grinned. “Sure. Come on, boy,” he told the puppy. “Let’s go!”

  Soon they were all back in the woods. Frank led the way to the little clearing where they’d lost the trail.

  “See if he can sniff around and pick up any kind of trail,” Joe told Biff.

  Iola was patting the bloodhound puppy. “I think you should call him Nosy,” she said. “He definitely likes to follow his nose.”

  “Nosy?” Chet wrinkled his own nose. “That’s a dumb name.”

  “Over here, boy.” Biff pulled Nosy—or Chuck—or whatever-his-name-was—over to the spot Frank had pointed out. “Find that treasure!”

  Nosy-Chuck-Whoever barked, seeming just as excited about the search as the rest of them. Maybe too excited. He raced around in circles, sniffing at anything and everything. When a squirrel rustled in the underbrush, he leaped at it so fast that he almost pulled Biff down.

  “Settle down, boy!” Joe exclaimed. “Otherwise we’ll have to name you Hyperdog!”

  Biff laughed. “That’s a pretty good name for him.”

  “Keep trying to get him to find the trail,” Frank urged. “Maybe he just needs a minute to settle down.”

  Biff kept trying. But it was no use. The puppy was just too active. Every time he put his head down to sniff something, another scent captured his attention. He ended up mostly running around in circles.

  Finally Frank sighed. His great idea wasn’t turning out to be so great after all. “Maybe we can find a grown-up bloodhound somewhere,” he said. “Do you know of any, Biff?”

  Before Biff could answer, Chet let out a cry. He was poking around near the edges of the clearing.

  “What is it?” Phil asked him.

  Chet looked excited. “I just spotted some tracks over here,” he said. “They’re leading away in the direction the trail was going. Do you think whoever made the map might’ve left them?”

  The others raced over. Sure enough, several human footprints led out to the far side of the clearing.

  “Whoa!” Joe said. “Good work, Chet.”

  Iola looked surprised. “I can’t believe your tracking stuff actually worked,” she told her brother.

  At that moment the puppy let out a loud, happy bark. He jumped ahead so fast that Biff lost hold of the leash.

  “Hey, come back!” Biff cried, rushing after the puppy.

  But the puppy stopped just a few steps beyond the clearing. He wagged his tail and jumped up on someone standing in the woods. It was Adam Ackerman!

  8

  A New Lead

  What are you doing lurking out there?” Joe demanded, rushing over and grabbing the puppy’s leash.

  Adam sneered at him. “It’s a free country. I can stand wherever I want.”

  “Were you spying on us?” Frank asked.

  “So what if I was?” Adam looked around as the others caught up. “It’s not like you were doing anything interesting.”

  Joe and Frank traded a worried look. How much had Adam heard?

  At least he won’t dare try to grab the map or anything like that, Joe thought. Adam might be a big bully, but he’s not stupid enough to face down six other kids at once.

  Still, Joe knew it wasn’t going to be easy to continue their search as long as Adam was hanging around. How were they going to get rid of him?

  “Go away,” Iola told Adam with a frown.

  Adam folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against a tree. “Who’s going to make me?” he taunted. “You and your loser brother?”

  “Hey, watch it,” Biff said. He took a step forward. He was even bigger than Adam.

  That made Adam shut up. But it didn’t make him leave.

  Suddenly Joe had an idea. He leaned closer to Frank. “Just play along,” he whispered.

  Frank looked confused. But he nodded.

  Then Joe grabbed the puppy’s leash off the ground. “Whatever, Adam,” he said loudly. “Just don’t get in our way, okay? This dog is a tracking machine, so it’s not like you have any chance of finding the treasure before us.”

  “Treasure?” Adam stood up straight. “So that’s what you nerds have been doing out here?”

  “It’s ours, okay?” Joe exclaimed. “So don’t even bother to follow us because you’re not getting any of it!”

  With that, he turned and raced off into the woods. He was careful to go in the opposite direction of the real trail. The puppy ran along with him, letting out an excited bark.

  “That’s right, boy!” Joe yelled. “Follow your nose to the treasure!”

  Then he sneaked a peek over his shoulder. Biff had followed a few steps, looking confused. But Frank was whispering something in his ear.

  Adam was the only one running after Joe. “It’s a free country!” he shouted. “I can go anywhere I want, and you guys can’t stop me.”

  Joe didn’t answer. He just ran faster. “Find the treasure, boy!” he called out.

  After that he and the puppy led Adam on a twisting trail through the woods. Luckily, Adam didn’t seem to notice that the others weren’t following.

  Finally they reached a clearing behind a row of houses. Someone had made a big trash dump there. The middle of the clearing was piled high with cardboard boxes, spoiled food, old mattresses, and all kinds of other junk.

  “Is this it, boy? Right here under this pile?” Joe said loudly, giving the puppy a pat. “Good work!”

  Then he looked back at Adam. This was going to be the tricky part.…

  Joe pasted a nervous expression on his face. “Oh,” he said. “I guess you’re the only one who kept up, huh?” He peered over Adam’s shoulder, pretending to look for the others.

  Adam grinned. “Yeah,” he said, pushing past Joe. “And you know what they say. Finders keepers! Now scram and let me find my treasure!”

  Adam clenched his fists and made a threatening face. Joe backed away, pretending to be scared. “O-okay,” he said. “But only until my friends get here! Then you’d better watch out!”

  Adam smirked. “They’ll have to hurry if they want to stop me from finding the treasure.”

  He hurried over to the trash pile. Kicking aside an aluminum can, he started to dig through the pile.

  Joe wished he could stay and watch. It would be pretty funny to see mean Adam Ackerman covered in garbage. But he had more important things to do.

  Giving a tug on the puppy’s leash, he headed back into the woods.

  ••••

  By the time Joe and the puppy made their way back to the others, Chet had tracked the footsteps another twenty yards down the trail.

  “Hurry up!” Iola called when she spotted Joe. “I think we’re getting warmer!”

  Chet pointed to another footprint. “This way!” he cried.

  For the next few minutes the trail was clear. Joe felt his heart pounding with excitement as he clutched the puppy’s leash. They were going to find the treasure!

  But then the trail crossed a gravel path. On the far side was an open, grassy meadow with just a few gnarled old trees in it. And no matter how hard Chet looked, he couldn’t find any more footprints.

  “Man!” Phil said with a frown. “I thought we had it.”

  Frank sighed. “Me too.”

  Joe’s shoulders slumped. Could it be true? Had they really reached another dead end?

  Then he felt the puppy tug on the leash. With a bark, the young bloodhound jumped forward. He put his nose to the ground and sniffed. Then he sniffed again. Then he let out a deeper, louder bark and took off toward one of the gnarled trees.

  “I think he’s got a scent!” Biff said, hurrying after him.

  “Probably just another stupid squirrel,” Iola grumbled. But she followed the puppy too. So did the others.

  The puppy reached the tree. He started dancing around it, howling happily.

  “Do you think the treasure’s buried under this tree?” Chet asked.

  Joe had another idea. He’d just spotted a knot in the trunk. Stepping forward, he reached inside.

  “Hey! There’s something in here!” he cried.

  He pulled out a plastic shopping bag. When he looked inside, he gasped. It was full of cash!

  “We’re rich!” he yelled.

  9

  Cash Back

  We did it!” Iola cried gleefully. “We found the treasure!”

  “Your puppy’s awesome, Biff!” Chet exclaimed, grabbing the little bloodhound and giving him a hug.

  “Yeah, he’s a real detective,” Joe agreed. “Hey! That gives me a great idea. You should call him Sherlock! You know, like the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.”

  Iola laughed. “That’s cute! My dad loves those books.”

  “Sherlock, huh?” Biff grinned and bent down to ruffle the puppy’s fur. “What do you think? Huh, Sherlock?”

  The puppy barked. Everyone laughed.

  “I think he likes it,” Phil said. He was counting the money from the bag. “Wow, there’s a ton of cash in here! Oh, and some gum and candy and stuff too.”

  “Cool,” Chet said eagerly. “How much will we each get if we divide the money six ways?”

  Frank gulped. He was starting to feel uneasy about this. “Wait a minute,” he said, reaching for the bag of cash. “It looks like this bag is from the KwikSnak. You know, the convenience store on Third Street.”

  “So what?” Iola said.

  “So, what if this money belongs to the store?” Frank said. “If it does, we can’t just keep it. It wouldn’t be right.”

  Joe bit his lip. For a second he looked ready to argue. But then he sighed. “Maybe you’re right,” he muttered.

  Phil nodded. “We should at least check it out.”

  The others looked disappointed, but they all nodded too. “It’s not like finding the booty of old-time pirates or something,” Chet said. “If this belongs to a real living person right here in Bayport, we need to return it.”

  Frank was glad that they all agreed. The mystery of figuring out the rightful owner of the cash wasn’t as exciting a mystery as following that treasure map. But it was even more important.

  “Hello, Mr. Bersal,” Frank said when they reached the front of the line at the KwikSnak. As usual for a Saturday afternoon, the store was busy. “Sorry to bother you. We were just wondering if your store, um, got robbed anytime lately?”

  The cheerful store owner frowned. “As a matter of fact, Frank, yes!” he exclaimed. “Just a couple of days ago. Some teenage punks came in looking for a certain kind of soda. One of the kids had a nose ring. Millie was working that afternoon, and when she went to the back to see if we had the soda, the kid grabbed all the cash out of the register and took off!” He shook his head. “Ah, what’s Bayport coming to these days?”

  “We have good news, Mr. B,” Joe said. “We think we might have found your money.”

  Phil held up the bag. Mr. Bersal gasped as he looked inside.

  “I can’t believe it!” he cried. “Where did you get this?”

  “We found it in a hollow tree out in the woods behind the park,” Chet said.

  “Yeah,” Iola added. “And Sherlock helped!”

  Mr. Bersal looked kind of confused by that. But he also looked happy. In fact, he was beaming from ear to ear.

  “Thank you so much!” he exclaimed. “You kids are real heroes!”

  10

  Secret File #3:

  Two Cases Closed

  An hour later the Hardys were back in their tree house. Frank was writing on the white-board while Joe counted a handful of cash.

  “Awesome!” Joe said as he shoved the money back into his pocket. “It was really nice of Mr. Bersal to give us all a reward!”

  The convenience store owner had been so pleased to get his money back that he’d immediately counted out a nice reward for all six of the kids. He’d also grabbed a box of dog treats off a shelf for Sherlock. He’d even offered each of the kids their choice of a piece of candy from beside the register. Frank had put away his chocolate bar for later. But Joe was already sucking on the blueberry lollipop he’d picked.

  “I know,” Frank said. “He didn’t have to do that.”

  Joe grinned around his lollipop. “Nope. But I’m glad he did!”

  The reward wasn’t as much as if they’d split the money they’d found. But Joe didn’t mind. Somehow, it felt even better knowing they’d helped someone. No wonder their dad loved his job so much!

  “Now we can fill in the whole W list,” Frank said as he went back to writing. “We know who did it. It was those two punks we saw in the clearing.”

  Joe nodded. Mr. Bersal had called the police, and they’d found the teens right away. They were still lurking around out in the woods. It turned out they had been in Bayport after visiting some relatives in a neighboring town. That was why neither Mr. Bersal nor the kids knew who they were. The teens admitted to the robbery and explained that they’d made the map so that they’d remember where the money was—but when they came back to Bayport after their visit, they realized they’d lost the map!