Part 15 (1/2)

”You knew?”

”One of the troopers sent a short-wave message you were safe and Donner captured.”

”But Chet . . . What . . . ? How . . . ?” Frank stammered.

”Nothing to be amazed about,” said Chet as the others, grinning, made a place for Frank at the table. ”Old Chet went for the police and brought 'em back, that's all!”

”But the smashed car-you weren't in it?”

”Right! Just a little detective's trick.” The stout boy shrugged with attempted modesty. ”I had a head start on that hijacker, so I hid the convertible in some trees near that jalopy we saw. I put in a blanket, set the old crate on fire, and shoved it over the bluff.”

175 Chet beamed. ”Did it burn! That Socky thought I was in it. I waited till he'd gone, drove on down Rim Road without lights, and called the State Police from the first house with a phone. Told 'em to come ready for a wild animal as well 58 as criminals. When they got here I showed the police the secret chute and the cabin. They did the rest, and rounded up all the crooks.”

”You're a real trooper for sure,” Frank said. ”We couldn't solve a mystery without you.”

This proved to be true in the boys' next case, THE VIKING SYMBOL MYSTERY.

”As for me,” Fenton Hardy took up the story, ”I hurried over here from New Jersey right after I quizzed that pair you boys caught in the station wagon.

Just by luck, I was at the State Police barracks when Chet's call came in.”

”This is the gang you've been after, then?” Frank asked.

”Sure is,” his father answered, ”and they're all behind bars now. Webber's shoes matched the cast taken by Sheriff Ecker-so he confessed to setting the cabin on fire, hiding nearby, and seeing you boys escape. We found the cache of hijacked goods in two of the underground pa.s.sages.