Part 15 (1/2)
The Final Link THE trapped boys stared at Warren in astonishment, hardly able to believe their eyes.
”Then you, Alex, and Copier have been behind the painting thefts and the haunted fort!” Joe exclaimed.
”No doubt you're surprised,” Warren answered with an irritating air of superiority. ”Too bad you had to find out. But you may be able to tell us more than stupid Copier.”
The art thief flushed. ”Oh, yeah? You haven't been holed up in this miserable dungeon-all because of that worthless junk!”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. It was then, in the dimness, that the boys noticed a stack of paintings, some without frames, against the wall farther up the corridor. The stolen fort pictures!
”Shut up!” Warren snapped at his partner. ”You talk too much!”
”Alex, it was you who kidnapped Mr. Davenport for the treasure clue,” Frank prodded. ”Where does Oilman fit in?”
Warren laughed. ”He doesn't. After we failed to find any clues in the old frames, we removed several in order to 'frame' Gilman, so to speak.” The merchant went on to admit being the ringleader, and that he and Alex had put Frank in the steel drum.
”We didn't intend to drown you,” Alex put in. ”That's why we didn't put the lid on tight.”
The sport-store owner had quickly engineered the fake detour after Alex phoned him that the boys were heading for the fort that night. Warren also had been responsible for the canoe sabotage, as well as the dock fire. It was Alex who had learned the Hardys had been asked to come to Millwood.
”No doubt you, Alex, and Warren stole all the fort paintings from the gallery,” Frank said.
Warren nodded, boasting, ”Pretty clever I was to get into Millwood by playing the weekend painter bit.”
He said that the red paint smear had accidentally been rubbed off from his artist's smock onto the back of the picture while he had been examining it in the gallery.
”And of course you had a swell chance to shotgun that red paint into our room,” Joe said.
”Naturally.” Warren's eyes glittered. ”I trust you remember that message I left.”
The Hardys and Chet felt a chill of fear as they recalled the ominous threat.
Ronnie spoke up. ”Joe, he must be the one who hit you on the head!”
Warren glared. ”And you must be the twerp who beat us to that map!”
”Did you push my car down the slope?” Chet asked. Warren pointed to the chauffeur.
”My orders, of course, though your pal was lucky enough to foul them up. Alex tells me he gave you three quite a runaround in the woods one night.”
Not to be outdone, Alex boasted of cutting the ferry cables. ”We had to do something to discourage tourist pests. Unfortunately that zany Frenchman and Everett kept nosing around the fort-they had lumps on their heads to show for it.”
”By the way,” Copier whined proudly, ”those well boards didn't move by themselves. You Hardy pests kept me cooped up that day, but I sneaked out once.”
The boys learned that the drumbeats were made by Copier who had used an Indian tomtom to signal his partners for meetings.
”What have you done to Mr. Davenport?” Frank demanded, worried because of the elderly man's silence and drawn face.
”He hasn't been cooperative.” Warren smirked. ”He'll get worse treatment if you don't tell us where the gold chain is hidden 1”
Even Chet now realized they must spar for time. ”One thing still puzzles us,” he said, ”is how you walked on the lake Monday night. It was great.”
”Simple,” Warren bragged, holding up two black slotted objects resembling small surfboards. ”Water shoes, made of urethane. Copier trimmed 'em down. By the way”-he chuckled-”Alex provided Kenyon with a little acid 'turpentine-' ”
”You batted zero out there, Warren,” Joe taunted. ”We already uncovered that.”
Warren became furious. He struck Joe across the face. ”Wise guy! What's that painting clue? When you almost dug into our setup here, Copier overheard you say something about a tomahawk -what? Better still, where's that gold chain?”
”We don't know yet-we've been looking in a tunnel,” Frank said.
”Tunnel? Where?” Alex demanded. ”You've got a lead-out with it!”
The Hardys explained the clue, adding that Warren's hatchet had given them the lead. ”The west dungeons, either entrance,” Joe said. ”There are loose cell stones. One tunnel leads to a cave-in. We can show you.”
”No you don't!” Warren said harshly, satisfied with the information. He picked up two lanterns.
”Copier, you stay here and keep your eye on these punks. Alex, we're going for that chain!”
After Warren and the chauffeur had left, Frank racked his brain for a way to escape. Joe looked over and shrugged. Adrian Copier boasted, ”You fools should have paid attention to my warning in Bayport.
You'll be sorry you didn't!”
A few minutes later Copier began pacing the room nervously. Frank glanced at Mr. Davenport, who winked and signaled the boy closer.
Though bound hand and foot, Frank inched along the floor until he was two feet from the millionaire.
Suddenly Davenport moaned and slumped over. In alarm Copier rushed to him.
”Davenport! What's happened? Don't die! Please. Not here!”
All the while Frank was pulling his knees up until he was poised like a spring.
Wham! His feet flew forward and caught Copier on the side of the head. The thief collapsed like an empty sack.
Instantly the millionaire opened his eyes and smiled. ”Good work!” He untied Frank, who promptly released the others. As they freed Mr. Davenport's legs, he a.s.sured them he was all right. He chuckled.
”Some act I put on, eh?”
Ronnie agreed to stay with him while the Hardys and Chet went after Alex and Warren. The Bayporters emerged and crossed the vacant parade ground to the West Barracks. ”They could have gone in either one,” Frank surmised. ”Let's check the first!”
They squirmed below and crept along the silent corridor into the clue-marked cell. Frank switched off his light before dropping soundlessly into the hole at the beginning of the tunnel. Chet followed, then Joe.
They listened carefully before flas.h.i.+ng on their beams. The lights. .h.i.t the barrier of caved-in dirt sixty feet ahead. n.o.body in sight.
”They must be in the other tunnel,” Joe said, and turned about. ”Come on!” But his attention was suddenly caught by a straight fissure in the stone wall at the start of the tunnel. On a sudden hunch Joe grasped a projecting stone edge and he tugged with both hands. Frank did the same. The stone moved slightly. Excited, the Hardys pulled with all their might. Finally a door creaked open!
”What do you know about that!” Chet exclaimed.