The boy jumped on the windowsill and swiveled his legs onto the fire escape. He climbed down into the alley and seconds later vanished behind the buildings.
Frank placed the puzzling message on the table under the light of the lamp and the boys studied the warning.
“What do you make of it?” Frank asked his two companions.
“The way it reads,” Chet declared, “this could be a threat or just a straight message.”
“Why cut out words to send someone a message?” Frank objected. “Why not just write it?”
“To avoid having your own writing recognized.”
“Sure, but whose own writing?” said Frank. “Are you saying Jenson himself is a phony or a traitor?”
“Well, he must be,” Chet argued, “if this is his work.”
“Yeah. If! That’s the question,” said Joe.
“There’s no way to tell. If you ask me, our first problem is, How did this get under Jenson’s blotter after he disappeared?”
Frank glanced at his brother. “You think Smoky’s lying?”
“Let’s just say we have no reason to trust him so far.”
“Maybe not. On the other hand, the message could have been overlooked, as he says.”
“That’s right,” Chet added. “Jenson may have put it under his blotter and forgotten about it. Perhaps he didn’t take the warning seriously.”
“Boy, the situation looks serious now,” Chet said. “If NASA goes ahead with the Firebird launching, it may be curtains for both Young and Jenson.”
“For all we know,” Joe warned, “it may have been curtains for Dr. Jenson already!”
CHAPTER VI
A Ghostly Hand
CHET gulped. There was silence for a moment.
Then Frank said, “We don’t have much time to solve this case. Professor Young said the Firebird will be launched in a couple of weeks.”
“From the Space Flight Center,” Joe added. “Maybe Dad’s onto something down there. Let’s call him in the morning and find out.”
The boys went back to sleep and were up bright and early. After breakfast they found the maid cleaning their room, which prevented them from using the phone. They decided to use the club phone in the basement.
Frank and Joe squeezed into the booth and shut the door, while Chet stood guard outside in case any suspicious character tried to listen in. Joe dialed SFC-1234, the hot-line number Mr. Hardy had given them for top-secret phone calls.
A woman’s voice answered. “This is Space Flight Center Control,” she said crisply. “Please identify yourself and the party you wish to speak to.”
“Frank and Joe Hardy,” Joe said. “We’d like to speak to Fenton Hardy.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been alerted that you have clearance. But Mr. Hardy isn’t here.”
“Can you tell us when he’ll be back?” Joe asked.
“Sorry, but I don’t know. Mr. Hardy wasn’t in yesterday, either, and he hasn’t phoned. Would you like to leave a message for him?”
“Yes. Please tell him to call us at the Aerospace Lab or at the Nassau Club in Princeton as soon as possible.”
Leaving the phone booth, the Hardys told Chet they had failed to reach Mr. Hardy.
“Where do you suppose he’s gone?” said Chet.
Frank shrugged. “He may be following up an outside clue or keeping someone under surveillance. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t had a chance to phone.”
“So what do we do now?” Chet asked.
“Let’s go over to the lab and start talking to people,” Joe said.
“Okay, but how about stopping at the library on the way?” Frank suggested. “I’d like to bone up a little on Australia. When Professor Young was telling us about Woomera yesterday, I realized how little I know about that whole continent.”
“Same here,” said Joe. “I guess we could all do with a quick fill-in on the scene down under. Who knows, it might even suggest another angle on the case to us!”
The three set out across the campus, passing students and professors on the way.
The university library was a stone building, three stories high. At the desk inside, Frank asked where they could find books about Australia. “On C Floor,” an assistant told him. “Three stories down. You can take the stairs or the elevator.”
“I don’t know about you,” Chet declared, “but I’ll ride.”
The Hardys followed him into the elevator, and Frank pressed the button. The doors closed, and they descended to the bottom floor, where a wall chart guided them to the left. Following the numbers that marked the shelves, they came to the section on Australia.
Each of the boys grabbed an armful of books, which he carried to a large circular table. They sat down and began to turn the pages, flipping through to the chapters and illustrations that interested them. Frank concentrated on geography and history, Joe and Chet on the people.
“I’m going to see if I can find something specific on Woomera,” Joe said finally and stood up. He returned his stack of books to their places. Then he scanned those on the shelf beneath. As he reached for one, a ghostly hand appeared from the opposite side! It clamped around Joe’s wrist and held tight!
Startled, the younger Hardy boy pushed a big volume out of the way with his free hand and looked through the opening. A young man grinned at him.
“Smoky Rinaldo!” Joe exploded.
“I couldn’t resist it,” Smoky said. “I’m a great practical joker, you know.”
“Some joke,” Joe grumbled. “You scared me half to death.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Smoky said. “Sorry.”
“What are you doing here anyway?” Joe asked. “I thought you wanted to get enough sleep to be fresh for your exam?”
“I woke up early so I came here to do some research. By the way, you’re being watched.”
“What?”
Smoky jerked a thumb in the direction behind Joe, who whirled around in time to spot an indistinct figure sneaking furtively between the stacks.
“I didn’t get a good look at him,” Smoky said, “but he seemed to be eavesdropping on you before, when you all sat at the table.”
“I’m going after him!” Joe decided. “Want to come?”
“Sure thing.”
Smoky and Joe met at the end of the stack. There was no time to alert Frank and Chet, since the man was hastening toward the exit.
Joe saw a ray of light reflected by tinted glasses. It was the man who had been shadowing them at the lab! He darted into the elevator and pushed the button. Joe and Smoky ran after him. He glowered savagely as they drew near, and then the elevator doors closed in their faces. The boys ran around to the stairs and took two steps at a time to the main floor, where they almost bumped into Professor Young!
“It’s lucky you’re here, professor,” Joe blurted, and quickly described their pursuit of the bearded man with the tinted glasses.
“I saw him!” Young declared. “He got out of the elevator and went up to the next floor. You may be able to catch him!”
The boys rushed up, found no one on the second floor, and continued to the top. There was no sign of the man anywhere! Joe and Smoky asked a group of students if they had seen him. No one had.
“He must have gone down the back stairs,” said a girl.
The boys returned to the ground floor. Young was still there and told them he had been watching the main staircase. “I was ready to call for help if the man appeared, but he didn’t.”
“He probably took the back staircase,” Joe said.
“Too bad,” Young said. “Well, I hope you catch him next time. I’ll keep an eye open and have him arrested if he shows up at the lab again. By the way, he apparently got in yesterday by flashing someone else’s pass. An employee reported that his was stolen. But now that everyone’s alerted, the fellow won’t be able to pull the same trick twice.”
Young walked off to work in the card-index file, and Smoky said he had to get going, too. He returned to
the bookstack he had been examining before, while Joe went to question the attendant at the door.
“A man with tinted glasses and a beard?” the fellow said. “Yes, he walked out a few minutes ago.”
“Thank you,” Joe said. Disappointed, he joined Frank and Chet and told them about his unsuccessful pursuit.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll see our shadow again,” Frank muttered. “Meanwhile we looked at all the books, including the one you pulled halfway off the shelf. We didn’t find anything interesting on Woomera, so let’s get over to the lab and start working.”
The trio spent the rest of the week questioning employees and students at the lab, searching files and records, and investigating Dr. Jenson’s background and family. Not a single clue turned up.
As they were painstakingly searching the scientist’s desk, Frank noticed a lightning bolt engraved on one side. He asked Professor Young about it.
“That’s Adrian’s unofficial trademark,” Young told them. “The staff claims he solves problems with lightning speed, and one of the fellows marked his desk one day after Adrian helped him out on a critical project.”
On Sunday night the phone rang as the boys were getting ready for bed. Frank lifted the receiver. “It’s Dad,” he called out. Joe and Chet joined him at the instrument and filled the elder Hardy in on what they had done in Princeton.
“I’m still investigating people at the Space Flight Center,” Fenton Hardy said. “Director Henry Mason is afraid that an attempt may be made to destroy the rocket on its pad. I joined the work crew in disguise and spent two days at the launch site. However, so far I’m up against a stone wall.”
“Will you stay there until the launching?” Frank asked.
“Yes, I think so. It will take a lot more leg work to uncover a lead. Also, I’m setting up a brand-new security system for the launching. It’s of vital importance that nothing go wrong.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Frank asked. “We’ve talked to everyone in the lab and nothing has turned up.”
His father was thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I think your best bet is to go to Australia!”
CHAPTER VII
Radioactive Evidence
“Australia!” Frank exclaimed.
“Yes. Tell Professor Young I want you to try to pick up Jenson’s trail in Sydney. A room was booked for him at the Australian Arms Hotel, but apparently he never checked in.”
“Okay, Dad. We’ll go as soon as we can.”
“And another thing. Try to shake your shadow. He worries me. He obviously knows you’re investigating the case and follows you wherever you go.”
“We’ll get rid of him on the way home,” Frank promised and hung up.
“Do you think Young will let me go along?” Chet asked apprehensively.
“We’ll ask him,” Frank said and called the professor’s home. He told Young about the conversation with his father and the detective’s suggestion.
“That’s a good idea,” Young agreed. “Your father is right. You’re being watched here. So far I haven’t been able to find out anything about your shadow, and it’s probably best if you leave Princeton without returning to the lab. Take a roundabout route and make sure you’re not being tailed.”
“Will do,” Frank said. “If I can’t get plane reservations for tomorrow or Tuesday, I’ll call you back. Can we take Chet with us?”
Young hesitated. “I’m responsible for the expenses in this case, Frank. I can’t really make a requisition for three people without a pressing reason.”
“I understand,” Frank said, disappointed.
Chet, who had overheard the conversation, looked crestfallen. After Frank hung up, he patted his friend on the back. “Don’t feel bad, Chet. We might be back sooner than you think.”
“Feel bad!” Chet said. “I feel worse! I would love to see the kangaroos and the Great Barrier Reef. Just think of skin diving in the coral reef, more than a thousand miles of it! And fish in all colors of the rainbow—”
“Listen, we’re not going sightseeing. We have a mystery to solve,” Joe put in. “Now I’d better call the airline and make reservations.”
Frank and Joe booked a flight to Sydney on Tuesday. Early Monday morning the boys left the Nassau Club and drove home, making sure they were not followed.
“The coast is clear,” Joe reported. “No one is behind us.”
They were not far out of Princeton, however, when Chet noticed a black limousine that seemed to keep them in sight. When Frank stepped on the gas, the driver of the limousine followed suit.
“You’ll have to get off this road to lose him,” Joe said to his brother. But before Frank had a chance to do this, the limousine pulled nearly abreast of them. The driver honked his horn and motioned for them to pull to the side.
“Make a run for it!” Joe advised and Frank pressed the accelerator to the floor.
Another car drove between the limousine and the Hardys. Their pursuer swerved to the left, increased the speed of his powerful V-8 engine, and passed the second vehicle. He inched up to the Hardys and proceeded to cut them off!
Frank noticed the legend on the limousine’s side: PRINCETON AEROSPACE LABORATORY, as he wrenched the wheel desperately to avoid a crash. With split-second timing he turned to the right, past the front fender of the limousine, careened off the highway into a rest area, and skidded halfway around before coming to a stop in a cloud of dust.
The limousine jolted after him and its driver braked to a halt. He bent his head and seemed to be searching for something in the seat beside him. Neither Frank nor Joe got a good look at him, but they wasted no time. They leaped from their car and wrenched open the door of the limousine. In a split second they collared the man and wrestled him out.
“Hey, fellows, wait a minute!” the driver pleaded. He was Smoky Rinaldo!
Frank dropped Smoky’s arm. “You nearly caused a crack-up!” he said angrily.
“Is this another one of your practical jokes?” Joe almost shouted.
“Of course not,” Smoky said. “But I had to catch you, and you ignored the horn when I tried to flag you down. You wouldn’t stop, so I had to make you!”
“We thought you were the guy who followed us all over Princeton,” Joe said, his anger cooling.
“I assumed you’d recognize me.”
“With that goofy cap pulled down over your face?”
“Anyway, I didn’t mean to cause an accident,” Smoky went on. “I thought I could detour you into the rest area by cutting you off.”
“What did you want to stop us for?” asked Chet, who had joined the boys.
Smoky held up his hand and revealed a metal flask with Dr. Jenson’s name on it. “Here, look at this!”
“What about it?” Frank asked.
“It’s radioactive!” Smoky asserted.
Chet retreated hurriedly. “It might explode!”
“Radioactive material doesn’t just explode,” Frank calmed him. “It takes a triggering device to start a chain reaction.”
Smoky swung his flask by its heavy top. “No fear of that. It’s not even radioactive enough to kill a cockroach.”
Frank was getting irritated. “Did you chase us all the way from Princeton to tell us that?”
“No. I wanted you to know that I think Dr. Jenson was up to something.”
“Why?”
“Because I found this flask in one of the file cabinets. I was digging in some records and ran across the flask in the back of the bottom drawer. It’s against regulations for anyone to take anything radioactive out of the lab.”
Smoky explained that the steel flasks were used to hold nuclear materials during experiments. When the experiment ended, the scientist conducting it was supposed to send his flasks to a storeroom lined with lead, where they would be decontaminated.
“Dr. Jenson took this one and hid it in the file,” Smoky concluded. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
“Did he ever break the rules
before?” Joe asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Did you tell Professor Young about it?”
“Sure. Right away.”
“What did he say?”
“He found it very odd and called you at the Nassau Club. He was informed that you had just left. Since he didn’t know what arrangements you had made and whether you would go home before you left for Australia, he asked me to try to catch up with you. He also gave me a photo of Jenson for you. So I drove in the direction of Bayport. I figured I’d go down the highway for a while, and sure enough, I saw your car.”
Frank was thoughtful. “This is odd. I’m glad you caught us, Smoky.”
“One thing bothers me,” Joe said. “We searched all the files in his office and the flask was not there then.”
“It wasn’t in his office. It was in the record room.” Smoky said. “In one of the general files that a number of people use. But it was Jenson’s flask, all right, none of the others have any occasion to handle radioactive materials.” He looked at the three boys. “Now you’re not mad any more that I cut you off?”
“Of course not. You had no choice,” Frank told him.
“Okay. I’ll head back then. And good luck to you. I hope you find Dr. Jenson!” Smoky got into the limousine and drove off.
Frank, Joe, and Chet resumed their trip to Bayport and discussed the latest development.
“How about that!” Chet said. “I wonder why Jenson hid that radioactive flask in the general file?”
“Maybe he was going to smuggle it out of the lab,” Joe suggested, “to hand it over to someone on the outside. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that he wasn’t kidnapped by foreign agents after all. He made a deal with them!”
Frank was doubtful. “What could anybody do with a radioactive flask?”
“I don’t know. They might analyze the atomic formula from the stuff in the flask,” Joe guessed.
“Okay,” Frank gave in. “But where does that leave the warning message Smoky found under the blotter on Jenson’s desk?”
“Jenson himself might have planted it there to throw people off his trail,” Chet said.
The Firebird Rocket Page 4
