“But a fiery crash destroyed that prototype engine,” Pops added. “Those plans were lost forever.”
“Not forever,” Frank said. “Even a genius like Metzger couldn’t build an engine out of nothing. Remember the story? He jotted down the plans when he got the idea, then made blueprints from them.”
“But the newspapers reported that Metzger had destroyed those blueprints once the bike was done,” Paco said.
“He did, but what he didn’t destroy—and what Navarro found out about in his research—was the original sketch those plans were based on,” Joe said. “He discovered that Metzger, who was nearly broke at the time, didn’t sketch the plans on paper—rather, he scratched the idea for the engine onto a motorcycle gas tank.”
“Most people assumed that that tank had been destroyed along with the blueprints,” Frank said. “But Navarro found out that wasn’t the case. Being broke, Metzger couldn’t afford to waste good motorcycle parts. So, he just painted over the gas tank for use later.”
Jamal snapped his fingers. “But he died before he could reuse it, so the tank remained in his garage.”
“Until Pops found it and put it into the restored SD5!” Corri concluded.
Frank and Joe folded their arms across their chests and smiled. “That’s what made the SD5 so valuable to Navarro,” Frank said.
“Just think,” Joe said, “if you’d known about it, you could have paid off Corri’s medical bills without any trouble. Those plans are worth a fortune.”
Pops shook his head in disbelief. “I thought that gas tank was just a souvenir I picked up at auction.”
“Boy,” Paco said, “those plans sure caused a lot of trouble.”
“But the troublemaker is behind bars now,” said Joe, “for good.”
Paco looked thoughtful for a moment. “Once we copy the plans off the tank, I think I’ll donate the whole bike to raise money for a hospital.”
“That’s a great idea, son,” Pops said. “We’ve raised enough money with the race to cover our bills. It would be good to give something back to the community.”
“I doubt you folks will ever have to worry about money again,” Joe said. He, Frank, and all the others smiled.
“Well,” Pops said, “now that you’ve solved our problems, what are you Hardy boys up to next?”
Frank and Joe both shrugged.
“Who knows?” Frank said.
“A long vacation, maybe?” Joe added.
“Well, whatever comes next,” Jamal said, “I hope you’ll both be ready to rev up and race new criminals like you did here.”
The brothers looked at each other, smiled, and, in unison, said, “Count on it!”
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First Aladdin Paperbacks edition April 2005
Copyright © 2005 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ALADDIN PAPERBACKS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
The text of this book was set in New Caledonia.
THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
THE HARDY BOYS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Control Number 2004106922
ISBN 978-0-689-87365-2
ISBN 978-1-4424-8355-2 (eBook)
Motocross Madness Page 11
