“My police contacts believe the Sabatines’ mother knew where Joss Orlando had gone the night he disappeared,” Mr. Hardy said. “She knew he was a thief—even though his police record was clean. The story that he went out for groceries and never came back was something she fabricated for the press. She didn’t worry at first, because she knew the Forbeck robbery had been successful; it was in every newspaper. But when her husband didn’t come back or even call, she reported him as missing. She probably hoped the police would bring him home so she could get her cut. She died a couple of years ago, without ever finding out what had happened to him.”
“The Sabatines’ mom must have told her kids the truth about their father’s disappearance,” Frank said. “When Orlando’s body turned up, Lily and Todd auditioned for Warehouse Rumble just so they could search the warehouse. They appeared late for auditions, remember?”
“So Todd’s ankle injury was a sham,” Daphne said, nodding.
“Yeah,” Joe said. “It allowed him to hang around the set, without having to participate in any of the games. He must have taken the opportunity to both search the warehouse and sabotage some of the games.”
“The police found a ketchup-stained sock at the Sabatine house, as well the mutant costume he used to attack Chet,” Fenton Hardy added.
“He nearly hurt his sister with that falling-tower stunt,” Chet said.
“Clearly, that didn’t go quite as they’d planned,” Joe said.
“I remember at the time how mad Lily looked,” said Daphne.
“That might have gone wrong,” Joe said, “but her near-miss did avert suspicion from them. If not for that and his ‘injury,’ we might have connected Todd with that accident and the reappearance of the sleeping pills much earlier. He was responsible for both—though he tried to pin the missing prescription on us. Turns out the falling catwalk was his work too.”
“The confusion and the media circus both worked to Todd and Lily’s advantage,” Frank said. “In all the chaos, no one gave any thought to either of the Sabatines being missing.”
“No one but you and Joe,” Iola corrected.
“I did think it was strange when we rescued Lily from the cellar,” Frank said. “Why was she there? We now think she was searching for the jewels while Bo was continuing with the game. He never suspected he was her alibi.”
“She got caught under the pipe by accident,” Joe said. “The warehouse is a pretty dangerous place, despite what Willingham wants people to believe. We found her pretty close to where Daphne discovered the Forbeck ring.”
“What I wonder,” Laura Hardy asked, “is how did Joss Orlando’s body end up in that chimney?”
“The police sent some cops out to search for the thief after the robbery,” Frank said. “Joss must have hidden in the old warehouse to escape them.”
“Forensic tests are already showing that Orlando had numerous broken bones when he died,” Fenton Hardy said. “Apparently he fell into the chimney—and that’s probably what killed him.”
“He must have been up on the roof, trying to escape the police,” Joe suggested, “when a portion of the chimney gave way and he fell in.”
“Just like it collapsed when I fell against it,” Chet said.
“But with more fatal results,” Frank noted.
“And the bag with jewels slipped down through the chimney into the furnace below,” Callie said. “I guess rubble covered it up until the Sabatines—and Frank and Joe—found it.” She sighed. “If only we got to keep some!”
“There should be a reward,” Fenton Hardy said, “which would surely help your college funds.”
“But why wasn’t the ring Daphne found with the rest of the treasure?” Iola asked.
“The holes in the leather bag the jewels were stored in give us the answer to that,” Frank said. “We know a lot of rats are living in the warehouse. We saw them the other day, when Todd Sabatine stirred them up with a smoke bomb so the TV crew would flee.”
“The holes in the valise containing the jewels were surely chewed by rats,” Joe continued. “They pulled out that ring and dragged it to where Daphne found it. It wasn’t far from the furnace room—at least not for a crawling rat. Some rats like shiny things.”
“And teens like Lily and Todd Sabatine,” Chet quipped.
All of them laughed.
“Those kids would have been better off if they hadn’t followed in their father’s footsteps,” Fenton Hardy said.
“It’s so sad when young people go wrong,” Aunt Gertrude added, arranging some cookies on a plate.
“They’ll have a long time to think about their mistakes,” Laura Hardy remarked.
“And they’ll see it all played back on TV when Warehouse Rumble debuts,” Iola said.
“With all this publicity,” Frank said, “the Sabatines may be catching themselves on reruns for a long time.”
“You mean, we’ll be catching them in reruns,” Joe said. They all laughed again.
Daphne let out a long sigh. “I’m beat,” she said. “I don’t think I have any energy left to compete in the finals tomorrow!”
“With Lily Sabatine in jail, whom will you compete against?” Iola asked. “Bo Reid is now one teammate short.”
“I’m sure Ward Willingham will dig someone up to replace him,” Frank said. “He hasn’t come all this way just to quit now.”
“Of course he’ll find a replacement,” Chet said. “The TV show must go on!”
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 February 2004
Copyright © 2004 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ALADDIN PAPERBACKS
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Children’s Publishing Division
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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 2003105621
ISBN: 978-0-689-86455-1
ISBN: 978-1-4391-1379-0 (eBook)
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