The three boys were stunned by Vanides’ admission.
“You risked an awful lot for the helmet,” Frank said. “Why?”
“Why?” The shipper waggled the gun toward Evan. “Because of his Uncle Nick, that’s why!”
“My uncle never harmed you!” Evan protested.
“Oh no? He gets the fat shipping contracts. He’s praised for his charity. He wants Agamemnon’s helmet to present to the state! More praise, more glory!”
Vanides’ face flushed with hatred. “Now I have the helmet and Nick’s favorite nephew and assorted trash from the United States!”
Frank stepped forward impulsively.
“Don’t move or I will shoot you!” Vanides snarled.
Dimitri said, “We have the fat kid again. Can’t seem to get rid of him! And that’s your fault, Vanides. Your chopper pilot should have dropped him off in the Gulf of Corinth! Same as we planned to do with that stupid Saffel before he got away!”
“Quiet!” Vanides ordered. “Where is the other Hardy boy?”
“He’s not with us,” Frank stated.
“Brilliant observation!” Vanides said sarcastically.
“You’re not so smart yourself,” Frank said, “or you wouldn’t have pulled this caper. All you have is us, a broken helmet, and a lot of trouble.”
“Trouble?” Vanides laughed. “You are in trouble. I have won!” His grinning confederates joined in his pleasure. “As for the helmet,” he said, “it goes to the Moscow Museum of Antiquity—benefactor Spiro Vanides!”
Gerrold interrupted at this point. “And as for you kids, what a great ransom!”
“No!” Vanides’ voice rose. “They will go to the bottom of the Ionian Sea!”
“But we could get a million dollars for them!”
“Listen! You might be boss in the States, but I am boss in Greece. You will do as I say!”
Frank saw Twister flinch and quickly pressed the advantage. “What do you know! Filbert Francisco isn’t the big shot any more!”
The taunt threw the gangster into a rage. His face grew livid and he lunged toward Frank.
At that instant the whole cave reverberated with the staccato of explosions.
“Joe’s back with the cops!” Chet shouted.
Vanides stood dumbfounded for a second. The gun slumped momentarily. Frank knocked it from Vanides’ hand with a karate chop. At the same time Chet and Evan set upon their tormentors with strength born of desperation.
The cave was filled with groans and grunts as the battle raged evenly. The sudden appearance of Joe gave the boys the advantage. He kayoed Gerrold with a smash to the point of his chin. Chet took care of Dimitri while Frank and Evan tied up the hapless Vanides.
Then Frank picked up the gun with his handkerchief and pocketed it as evidence. As the other two were being tied, he asked, “Where are the police with the guns, Joe?”
His brother grinned wryly. “Guns? What guns?”
“The explosions!”
“Oh, those were firecrackers. Thank Chet. I still had them in my windbreaker.”
Chet chuckled. “I had a hunch we’d need them!”
The boys stowed the helmet in their boat, then carried the three men outside.
Frank scanned the sky for the helicopter, but it had disappeared. Evan guided the boat into open water and it chugged toward the town of Corfu.
Meanwhile, accusations flew from gunwale to gunwale. One prisoner set himself against another in rage over being outsmarted by a handful of boys.
Frank and Joe asked questions that helped to supply some missing facts in the case. Dimitri spoke freely, revealing the motive for the caper.
It all started, he said, when Cole was assigned by Twister Gerrold to harass the Hardys because of their father’s investigation. When these tactics failed, Dimitri joined Cole at Hunt College to kidnap Frank and Joe.
“Why didn’t you?” Joe asked.
“Before we had a chance to, Vanides learned through Nick Pandropolos’ secretary that the shattered helmet might have been Agamemnon’s and was worth a fortune. That changed things. Now we followed you to find the helmet.”
“But you kept harassing us. Why?”
“Gerrold hoped it might eventually have an effect on your father and he would drop the investigation.”
“But how does Vanides tie in with Gerrold?” Frank asked.
“Shut up!” Vanides shouted and glared at the Albanian, but Dimitri continued.
“Vanides is a smuggler. Twister is his partner in the States. What Vanides asks, Twister does.”
The town of Corfu came into sight now. When Evan docked, Joe went to get the police. The officers were amazed to see Vanides tied up, and for a while were inclined to believe his story that the boys had kidnapped him.
Back at headquarters, however, they radioed Athens and soon had the truth. The Athens police, meanwhile, seized Vanides’ helicopter when it landed there and arrested the pilot and his companion.
Two days later, after Evan’s Uncle Nick presented the shattered helmet to the museum at an impressive public ceremony, a reception was held for all the participants. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hardy had arrived by plane in time for the event, which was covered by radio, television, and the press.
While Frank, Joe, Chet, and Evan received official accolades, a movie camera whirred to record the event. The boys glanced up to see Leon Saffel, one eye pressed against the viewer. He waved and the young heroes returned the greeting. If Leon’s camera had been a crystal ball, they might have foreseen their next adventure, to be known as The Clue of the Hissing Serpent.
“Hey, Joe!” Frank said suddenly. “We forgot to do something!”
“What’s that?”
“Cable the news to Rena Bartlett in Hollywood!”
The Shattered Helmet Page 12
