The Secret Of The Old Mill thb-3 Read online

  The Hardys decided to separate, each searching the highway for a mile in opposite directions.

  "We'll meet back at the service station we stopped at," Frank called as the boys kicked their motors into life and took off toward the highway.

  Fifteen minutes later they parked near the station. Neither boy had spotted any suspicious

  pedestrians, "Did you see anybody come down this road in a hurry during the past twenty

  minutes?" Joe asked the attendant

  "I didn't notice, fellows," came the answer. "I've been busy working under a car. Find your friend?"

  "No. That farmhouse is apparently deserted except for signs of a tramp living there," Joe told him.

  The Hardys quickly asked the attendant if he knew of any boardinghouse nearby. After a

  moment's thought, he replied: "I believe a Mrs. Smith, who lives a little ways beyond the old place, takes boarders."

  "We'll try there. Thanks again," Frank said as he and Joe went back to their motorcycles.

  Before Frank threw his weight back on the starter, he said, "Well, let's hope Ken Blake can give us a lead."

  "If we ever find him," Joe responded.

  They located Mrs. Smith's boardinghouse with no trouble. She was a pleasant, middle-aged

  woman and quickly confirmed that Ken was staying there for the summer. She was an old

  friend of his parents. Mrs.

  Smith invited the Hardys to sit down in the living room.

  "Ken's upstairs now," she said. "I'll call him."

  When Ken came down, the Hardys noticed that he looked dejected. Frank felt certain it was

  because of losing his job and asked him what had happened.

  "I don't know," Ken replied. "Mr. Markel just told me I wouldn't be needed any longer. I hope I'll be able to find another job this summer," he added. "My folks sent me here for a vacation.

  But I was going to surprise them-" His voice trailed off sadly.

  "Ken," Frank said kindly, "you may be able to help us in a very important way. Now that you're not working at the Elekton gatehouse, we hope you can answer some questions-to help solve a

  mystery."

  Frank explained that he and Joe often worked on mysteries and assisted their detective father.

  Ken's face brightened. "I'll do my best, fellows," he assured them eagerly.

  "Last week," Joe began, "a shabby green panel truck went to Pritos' Supply Yard and picked up old bricks and lumber. Our friend Tony Prito said there was a boy in the truck who helped the

  yardman with the loading. Were you the boy?"

  "Yes," Ken replied readily.

  "Who was the driver?" Frank asked him.

  "Mr. Docker, the maintenance man at the mill. He said he'd hurt his arm and asked me to help load the stuff." Ken looked puzzled. "Is that part of the mystery?"

  "We think it could be," Frank said. "Now, Ken -we've learned since then that one of the bills you gave the yardman is a counterfeit twenty."

  Ken's eyes opened wide in astonishment. "A-a counterfeit!" he echoed, "Honest, I didn't know it was, Frank and Joe!"

  "Oh, we're sure you didn't," Joe assured him. "Have you any idea who gave Docker the cash?"

  Ken told the Hardys he did not know. Then Frank asked: "What were the old bricks and lumber used for, Ken?"

  "Mr. Docker told me they were for repair work around the plant. After we got back to the mill, Mr.

  Markel and I stored the load in the basement."

  "Is it still there?" asked Frank.

  "I guess so," Ken answered. "Up to the time I left, it hadn't been taken out."

  The Hardys determined to question Markel and Docker at the first opportunity. Then Frank

  changed the subject and asked about the day of the picnic when Joe thought he had seen Ken

  at the window.

  "I remember," the younger boy said. "I did see you all outside. I never knew you were looking for me."

  "When we told Mr. Docker," Frank went on, "he said Joe must have been mistaken."

  Ken remarked slowly, "He probably was worrying about the plant's security policy. He and Mr.

  Markel were always reminding me not to talk to anybody."

  "During the time you were working at the Elekton gatehouse, did you see any strange or

  suspicious person near either the plant or the mill grounds?" Frank asked.

  "No," said Ken in surprise. Curiosity overcoming him, he burst out, "You mean there's some crook loose around here?"

  Frank and Joe nodded vigorously. "We're afraid so," Frank told him. "But who, or what he's up to, is what we're trying to find out. When we do, we'll explain everything."

  Joe then asked Ken if he had seen anyone in the area of the mill with a bow and arrow.

  "A bow and arrow?" Ken repeated. "No, I never did. I sure would've remembered that!"

  Frank nodded and switched to another line of questioning. "When you delivered envelopes,

  Ken, did you always take them to Mr. Victor Peters?"

  "Yes," Ken answered.

  The Hardys learned further that Ken's delivery trips always had been to Bayport-sometimes to

  the Parker Building, and sometimes to other office buildings in the business section.

  "Did Mr. Peters meet you in the lobby every time?" Frank queried.

  "That's right."

  "What was in the envelopes?" was Joe's next question.

  "Mr. Markel said they were bulletins and forms to be printed for Elekton."

  "Were the envelopes always marked confidential?" Joe asked.

  "Yes."

  "Probably everything is that Elekton sends out," Frank said.

  "Sounds like a complicated delivery arrangement to me," Joe declared.

  Ken admitted that he had not thought much about it at the time, except that he had assumed

  Mr. Peters relayed the material to the printing company.

  Frank and Joe glanced at each other. Both remembered Frank's surmise that the bulky Manila

  envelopes had not contained bona fide Elekton. papers at all!

  "What does Mr. Peters look like?" asked Joe, a note of intense excitement in his voice.

  "Average height and stocky, with a sharp nose. Sometimes he'd be wearing sunglasses."

  "Stocky and a sharp nose," Frank repeated. "Sunglasses." Meaningfully he asked Joe, "Whom does that description fit?"

  Joe jumped to his feet. "The man who gave Chet the counterfeit twenty at the railroad station!"

  The Hardys had no doubt now that the mysterious Victor Peters must be a passer for the

  counterfeit ring!

  CHAPTER XVI

  A Might Assignment

  GREATLY excited at this valuable clue to the counterfeiters, Frank asked, "Ken, who gave Mr.

  Markel the envelopes for Victor Peters?"

  "I'm sorry, fellows, I don't know."

  The Hardys speculated on where Peters was living. Was it somewhere near Bayport?

  Joe's eyes narrowed. "Ken," he said, "this morning we found out that sometimes you'd ride up that dirt road to the deserted farmhouse. Was it for any particular reason?"

  "Yes," Ken replied. "Mr. Markel told me a poor old man was staying in the house, and a couple of times a week I was sent there to leave a box of food on the front porch."

  "Did you ever see the 'poor old man'?" Frank asked. "Or the green panel truck?"

  The Hardys were not surprised when the answer to both questions was No. They suspected the

  "poor old man" was Peters hiding out there and that he had made sure the truck was out of sight whenever Ken was expected.

  The brothers were silent, each puzzling over the significance of what they had just learned. If the truck was used by the counterfeiters, how did this tie in with its being used for the sabotage at Elekton?

  "Was The Arrow in league with the saboteurs? Did he also have something to do with the

  envelopes sent to Victor Peters?" Joe asked himself.

&nb
sp; Frank wondered, "Is The Arrow-or a confederate of his working at Elekton-the person

  responsible for the warnings, the attack on us, and the tampering with the Sleuth?"

  "Ken," Frank said aloud, "I think you'd better come and stay with us for a while, until we break this case.

  Maybe you can help us."

  He did not want to mention it to Ken, but the possibility had occurred to him that the boy might be in danger if the counterfeiters suspected that he had given the Hardys any information

  about Victor Peters.

  Ken was delighted with the idea, and Mrs. Smith, who knew of Fenton Hardy and his sons, gave

  permission for her young charge to go.

  As a precaution, Frank requested the kindly woman to tell any stranger asking for Ken Blake

  that he was "visiting friends."

  "I'll do that," she agreed.

  Ken rode the back seat of Joe's motorcycle on the trip to High Street. He was warmly welcomed

  by Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude.

  "I hope you enjoy your stay here," said Mrs. Hardy, who knew that Frank and Joe had a good reason for inviting Ken. But neither woman asked questions in his presence.

  "Your father probably will be out all day," Mrs. Hardy told her sons. "He'll phone later."

  While lunch was being prepared, Frank called police headquarters to give Chief Collig a report on what had happened at the deserted farmhouse.

  "I'll notify the FBI," the chief said. "I'm sure they'll want to send men out there to examine that truck and take fingerprints. Elekton," the chief added, "had no record of any employee answering The Arrow's description."

  "We're working on a couple of theories," Frank confided. "But nothing definite so far."

  After lunch the Hardys decided their next move was to try to find out more about the contents

  of the envelopes Ken had delivered to Peters.

  "We could ask Elekton officials straight out," Joe suggested.

  His brother did not agree. "Without tangible evidence to back us up, we'd have to give too many reasons for wanting to know."

  Finally Frank hit on an idea. He telephoned Elekton, asked for the accounting department, and

  inquired

  where the company had its printing done. The accounting clerk apparently thought he was a

  salesman, and gave him the information.

  Frank hung up. "What did they say?" Joe asked impatiently.

  "All Elekton's printing is done on the premises!"

  "That proves it!" Joe burst out. "The setup with Ken delivering envelopes to Peters isn't a legitimate one, and has nothing to do with Elekton business."

  Meanwhile Ken, greatly mystified, had been listening intently. Now he spoke up. "Jeepers, Frank and Joe, have I been doing something wrong?"

  In their excitement the Hardys had almost forgotten their guest. Frank turned to him

  apologetically. "Not you, Ken, We're trying to figure out who has."

  Just then the Hardys heard the familiar chug of the Queen pulling up outside. The brothers

  went out to the porch with Ken. Chet leaped from his jalopy and bounded up to them. His

  chubby face was split with a wide grin.

  "Get a load of this!" He showed them a badge with his picture on it. "I'll have to wear it when I start work. Everybody has to wear one before he can get into the plant," he added. "Even the president of Elekton!"

  Suddenly Chet became aware of Ken Blake, "Hello!" the plump boy greeted him in surprise. Ken smiled, and the Hardys told their friend of the morning's adventure.

  "Boy!" Chet exclaimed. "Things are starting to pop! So you found that green truck!"

  At these words a strange look crossed Frank's face.

  "Chet," he said excitedly, "did you say everybody must show identification to enter Elekton's grounds?"

  "Yes-everybody," Chet answered positively.

  "What are you getting at, Frank?" his brother asked quickly.

  "Before yesterday's explosion, when we saw the gate guard admit the green truck, the driver didn't stop-didn't show any identification at all!"

  "That's true!" Joe exclaimed. "'Mr. Markel doesn't seem to be the careless type, though."

  "I know," Frank went on. "If the green truck was sneaking in explosives-what better way than to let the driver zip right through."

  Joe stared at his brother. "You mean Markel deliberately let the truck go by? That he's in league with the saboteurs, or the counterfeiters, or both?"

  As the others listened in astonishment, Frank replied, "I have more than a hunch he is-and Docker, too. It would explain a lot."

  Joe nodded in growing comprehension. "It sure would!"

  "How?" demanded Chet.

  Joe took up the line of deduction. "Markel himself told Ken the envelopes were for the printer.

  Why did Docker say Ken wasn't at the mill the day I saw him? And what was the real reason for

  his being discharged?"

  "I'm getting it," Chet interjected. "Those men were trying to keep you from questioning Ken.

  Why?"

  "Perhaps because of what Ken could tell us, if we happened to ask him about the envelopes he delivered," Joe replied. Then he asked Ken if Markel and Docker knew that Joe had picked up the envelope the day of the near accident.

  "I didn't say anything about that," Ken replied. The boy's face wore a perplexed, worried look.

  "You mean Mr. Docker and Mr. Markel might be-crooks! They didn't act that way."

  "I agree," Frank said. "And we still have no proof. We'll see if we can find someone way or another."

  The Hardys reflected on the other mysterious happenings. "The green truck," Frank said, "could belong to the gatehouse men, since it seems to be used for whatever their scheme is, and they

  are hiding it at the deserted farmhouse."

  "Also," Joe put in, "if Victor Peters is the 'old man,' he's probably an accomplice."

  "And," Frank continued, "don't forget that the bike Ken used was available to both Docker and Markel to deliver the warning note. The arrow shooting occurred near the mill; the attack on us in the woods that night was near the mill. The warning note found in Chet's car was put there

  after Markel told him to go to the front gate. The guard probably lied to Chet the first day we went to the mill-he never did phone the personnel department."

  "Another thing," Joe pointed out. "Both men are more free to come and go than someone working in the plant."

  There was silence while the Hardys concentrated on what their next move should be.

  "No doubt about it," Frank said finally. "Everything seems to point toward the mill as the place to find the answers."

  "And the only way to be sure," Joe added, "is to go and find out ourselves. How about tonight?"

  Frank and Chet agreed, and the boys decided to wait until it was fairly dark. "I'll call Tony and see if he can go with us," Frank said. "We'll need his help."

  Tony was eager to accompany the trio. "Sounds as if you're hitting pay dirt in the mystery," he remarked when Frank had brought him up to date.

  "We hope so."

  Later, Joe outlined a plan whereby they might ascertain if Peters was an accomplice of Docker

  and Markel, and at the same time make it possible for them to get into the mill.

  "Swell idea," Frank said approvingly. "Better brush up on your voice-disguising technique!"

  Joe grinned. "Ill practice."

  Just before supper Mr. Hardy phoned to say he would not be home until later that night.

  "Making progress, Dad?" asked Frank, who had taken the call.

  "Could be, son," the detective replied. "That's why I'll be delayed. Tell your mother and Gertrude not to worry."

  "Okay. And, Dad-Joe and I will be doing some sleuthing tonight to try out a few new ideas we have."

  "Fine. But watch your step!"

  About eight-thirty that evening Chet and Tony pulled up to the Hardy home in the Queen.
r />   Ken Blake went with the brothers to the door. "See you later, Ken," Frank said, and Joe added,

  "I know you'd like to come along, but we don't want you taking any unnecessary risks."

  The younger boy looked wistful. "I wish I could do something to help you fellows."

  "There is a way you can help," Frank told him.

  At that moment Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude came into the hall. Quickly Frank drew Ken

  aside and whispered something to him.

  CHAPTER XVII

  Secret Signal

  WITH rising excitement, Frank, Joe, Chet, and Tony drove off through the dusk toward the old

  mill.

  Chet came to a stop about one hundred yards from the beginning of the dirt road leading to the gatehouse. He and Tony jumped out. They waved to the Hardys, then disappeared into the

  woods.

  Joe took the wheel of the jalopy. "Now, part two of our plan. I hope it works."

  The brothers quickly rode to the service station where they had been that morning. Joe parked

  and hurried to the outdoor telephone booth nearby. From his pocket he took a slip of paper on

  which Ken had jotted down the night telephone number of the Elekton gatehouse.

  Joe dialed the number, then covered the mouthpiece with his handkerchief to muffle his voice.

  A familiar voice answered, "Gatehouse. Markel speaking."

  Joe said tersely, "Peters speaking. Something has gone wrong. Both of you meet me outside the Parker Building. Make it snappy!" Then he hung up.

  When Joe returned to the Queen, Frank had turned it around and they were ready to go. They

  sped back toward the mill and in about ten minutes had the jalopy parked out of sight in the

  shadows of the trees where the dirt road joined the paved one.

  The brothers, keeping out of sight among the trees, ran to join Chet and Tony who were waiting behind a large oak near the edge of the gatehouse grounds.

  "It worked!" Tony reported excitedly. "About fifteen minutes ago the lights in the mill went out, and Markel and Docker left in a hurry."

  "On foot?" Joe asked.

  "Yes."

  "Good. If they have to take a bus or cab to town, it'll give us more time," Frank said.

  Tony and Chet were given instructions about keeping watch outside while the Hardys inspected