because of Robinson!"
"I can't understand it!" Joe burst out. "Jackley said he hid the stuff in the
tower."
"If that fellow did hide the jewels and bonds in one of the towers," Applegate
surmised, "someone else must have come in and taken them-maybe someone
working with him. Or else Robinson found the loot right after the robbery
and kept it for himself."
"I'm sure Mr. Robinson wouldn't do that," Joe objected.
"Then where did he get the nine hundred dollars? Explain that. Robinson
won't!"
On the way back to the main part of the mansion, Hurd Applegate elaborated
on his theory. The fact that the loot had not been found seemed to convince
him all over again that Robinson was involved in some way.
"Like as not he was in league with Jackley!" the man stated flatly.
Again Frank and Joe protested that the ex-caretaker did not hobnob with
criminals. Nevertheless, the Hardys were puzzled, disappointed, and alarmed.
Their search had only resulted in implicating Mr. Robinson more deeply in
the mystery.
Back in the hallway of the main house they met Adelia Applegate, who
crowed triumphantly when she saw the search party returning empty-handed.
"Didn't I tell you?" she cried. "Hurd Applegate, you've let these boys make a
fool of you!"
She escorted the Hardys to the front door, while her brother, shaking his
head perplexedly, went back to his study.
"We sure messed things up, Frank," Joe declared, as they walked toward
their motorcycles. "I feel like a dud rocket."
"Me too."
They hurried home to tell their father the disappointing news. Fenton Hardy
was amazed to hear that the stolen valuables had not been located in either
tower. "You're sure you went over the place thoroughly?"
"Every inch of it. There wasn't a sign of the loot. From the dust in the old
tower, I'd say no one had been there for ages," Frank replied.
"Strange," the detective muttered. "I'm sure Jackley wasn't lying. He had
absolutely nothing to gain by deceiving me. 'I hid it in the old tower.' Those
were his very words. And what could he mean but the old tower of Tower
Mansion? And why should he be so careful to say the old tower? Since he
was familiar with Bayport, he probably knew that the mansion has two
towers, the old and the new."
"Of course, it may be that we didn't search thoroughly enough," Joe
remarked. "The loot could be hidden under the flooring or behind a movable
wall panel. We didn't look there."
"That's the only solution," Mr. Hardy agreed. "I'm still not satisfied that the
stolen property isn't there. I'm going to ask Applegate to permit another
search of both towers. And now, I think your mother wants you to do an
errand downtown."
Mrs. Hardy explained what she wanted and Frank and Joe were soon on
their motorcycles again. When the boys reached the business section of
Bayport they found that Jackley's confession had already become known.
The local radio station had broadcast it in the afternoon news program and
people everywhere were discussing it.
Detective Smuff walked along the street looking as if he would bite the head
off the first person who mentioned the case to him. When he saw the Hardy
boys he glowered.
"Well," he grunted, "I hear you got the stuff back."
"I wish we had," Frank said glumly.
"What!" the detective cried out, brightening at once. "You didn't get it? I
thought they said on the radio that this fellow Jackley had told your father
where he hid it."
"He did. But how did the news leak out?"
"Jackley's door wasn't closed all the time. One of the other patients who was
walking by the room heard the confession and spilled it. So you didn't find the
loot after all! Ha-ha! That's a good one! Didn't Jackley say the stuff was
hidden in the old tower? What more do you need?"
"Well, it wasn't there!" Joe retorted hotly. "Jackley must have made a
mistake!"
"Jackley made a mistake!" Smuff continued cheerfully. "It looks like the
joke's on you fellows and your father!" The would-be sleuth went on down
the street, chuckling to himself.
When Frank and Joe returned home they found that Mr. Hardy had been in
touch with Hurd Applegate and had convinced him that a more detailed
search of the towers would be advisable.
"Boys," he said, "we'll go there directly after supper. I think we'd better not
wait until tomorrow."
At seven o'clock the detective and his sons presented themselves at the Tower
Mansion. Hurd Applegate met them at the door.
"I'm letting you make this search," he said as he led them toward the old
tower, "but I'm convinced you won't find anything. I've talked the case over
with Chief Collig. He's inclined to think that Robinson is behind it all and I'm
sure he is."
"But how about Jackley's confession?" Mr. Hardy asked him.
"The chief says that could be a blind. Jackley did it to protect Robinson.
They were working together."
"I know it looks bad for Robinson," Mr. Hardy admitted, "but I want to give
the towers another close examination. I heard Jackley make the confession
and I don't believe he was lying."
"Maybe. Maybe. But I'm telling you it was a hoax."
"I'll believe that only if I don't find anything inside or outside either tower,"
Mr. Hardy declared, his mouth set in a grim line.
"Well, come on, let's get started," Hurd Apple-gate said, unlocking the door
leading to the old tower.
Eagerly the four set to work. They started at the top of the old tower and
worked downward. Their investigation left no possibility untouched. All the
walls were tapped for hollow sounds which might indicate secret hiding
places. The floors were examined closely for signs of any recent disturbance
to the wood. But the missing jewels and bonds were not located. Finally the
group reached the ground floor again.
"Nothing to do but go on to the new tower," Mr. Hardy commented briefly.
"I'll have to rest and eat something before I do any more," Hurd Applegate
said wearily. He led the way to the dining room where sandwiches and milk
had been set out. "Help yourselves," he invited. He himself took only
crackers and milk when they all sat down.
After the brief stop for refreshment, the Hardys and the mansion owner
turned their attention to the new tower. Again they searched carefully. Walls
and partitions were tapped and floors were sounded. Every bit of furniture
was minutely examined. Not an inch of space escaped the scrutiny of the
detective and his helpers.
As the search drew to a close and the loot still had not been found, Mr. Hardy
remarked, "It certainly looks as if the stolen property was never hidden here
by Jackley. And furthermore, there's no evidence that if he did hide it here,
anyone came in to take it away."
"You mean," said Frank, "it's proof that Mr. Robinson did not come in
here?"
"Exactly."
"Maybe not," Mr. Applegate conceded. "But it still doesn't prove he wasn't
in cahoots with the thief!"
"I'm not going to give up this search yet," Mr. Hardy said determinedly.
"Perhaps the loot was hidden somewhere outside the old tower."
He explained that it would be difficult to examine the grounds properly at
night. "With your permission, Mr. Applegate, my sons and I will return at
sunrise tomorrow morning and start work again." As the owner reluctantly
nodded his assent, Mr. Hardy turned to Frank and Joe and smiled. "We
ought to be able to prove our point before schooltime."
The boys, who had had no time to prepare any homework, reminded their
father that a note from him to the principal would be a great help. The
detective smiled, and as soon as they reached home he wrote one out, then
said good night.
Frank and Joe felt as if their eyes had hardly closed when they opened them
again to see their father standing between their beds. "Time to get up if you
want to be in on the search," he announced.
The boys blinked sleepily, then sprang out of bed. Showers awakened them
fully and they dressed quickly. Mrs. Hardy was in the kitchen when they
entered it and breakfast was ready. The sun was just rising over a distant
hill.
"Everything hot this morning," Mrs. Hardy said. "It's chilly outside."
The menu included hot applesauce, oatmeal, poached eggs on toast, and
cocoa. Breakfast was eaten almost in silence to avoid any delay, and within
twenty minutes the three Hardy sleuths were on their way.
"I see you put spades in the car, Dad," Frank remarked. "I take it we're
going to do some digging."
"Yes, if we don't locate the loot hidden above ground some place."
When the Hardys reached Tower Mansion they instituted their hunt without
notifying the Apple-gates, who, they were sure, were still asleep. Everything
in the vicinity of both towers was scrutinized. Boulders were overturned, the
space under the summerhouse examined by flashlight, every stone in the
masonry tested to see if it could be dislodged. Not a clue turned up.
"I guess we dig," Frank stated finally.
He chose a bed of perennial bushes at the foot of the old tower where there
had been recent planting, and pushed one of the spades in deep with his foot.
The tool hit an obstruction. Excitedly Frank shoveled away the dirt around
the spot. In half a minute he gave a cry of delight. "A chest! I've found a
buried chest!"
CHAPTER XVII
An Unexpected Find
THROWING out the dirt in great spadefuls, Frank uncovered the chest
completely. It was about two feet long, six inches wide, and a foot deep.
"The treasure!" Joe cried out, running up.
Mr. Hardy was at his son's heels and looked in amazement at Frank's
discovery. The boy lifted the chest out of the hole and instantly began to raise
the lid on which there was no lock.
Everyone held his breath. Had the Hardys really uncovered the jewels and
securities stolen from the Applegates? Frank flung back the lid.
The three sleuths stared at the contents. They had never been more surprised
in their lives. Finally Joe found his voice.
"Nothing but a lot of flower bulbs!"
The first shock of disappointment over, the detective and his sons burst into
laughter. The contents of the chest were such a far cry from what they had
expected that now the situation seemed ridiculous.
"Well, one thing is sure," said Frank. "Red Jack-ley never buried this chest.
I wonder who did?"
"I can answer that," a voice behind them replied, and the Hardys turned to
see Hurd Apple-gate, clad in bathrobe and slippers, walking toward them.
"Good morning, Mr. Applegate," the boys chorused, and their father added,
"You see we're on the job. For a couple of moments we thought we had
found your stolen property."
Hurd Applegate's face took on a stern look. "You didn't find my securities,"
he said, "but maybe you have found a clue to the thief. Robinson buried that
chest full of bulbs. That's what he's done with Adelia's jewelry and my
securities! He's buried them some place, but I'd be willing to bet anything it
wasn't on the grounds here."
Frank, realizing the man was not in a good humor this morning, tried to steer
the conversation away from the stolen valuables. "Mr. Applegate," he said,
"why did Mr. Robinson bury these flower bulbs here?"
The owner of Tower Mansion gave a little snort. "That man's nutty about
unusual flowers. He sent to Europe for these bulbs. They have to be kept in a
cool, dark place for several months, so he decided to bury them. He's always
doing something queer like that. Why, do you know what he tried to get me to
do? Put up a greenhouse here on the property so he could raise all kinds of
rare flowers."
"That sounds like a swell hobby," Joe spoke up.
"Swell nothing!" Mr. Applegate replied. "I guess you don't know how much
greenhouses cost. And besides, growing rare flowers takes a lot of time.
Robinson had enough to do without fiddling around with making great big
daisies out of little wild ones, or turning cowslips into orchids!"
Frank whistled. "If Mr. Robinson can do that, he's a genius!"
"Genius-that's a joke!" said Mr. Applegate. "Well, go on with your digging. I
want this mystery cleared up."
It was decided that Mr. Hardy, with his superior powers of observation,
would scrutinize the ground near both towers. Wherever it looked as if the
ground had been turned over recently, the boys would dig at the spot. The
chest of flower bulbs was carefully replaced and the dirt shoveled over it.
"Here's a place where you might dig," Mr. Hardy called presently from the
opposite side of the old tower. When the boys arrived with their spades, he
said, "I have an idea a dog dug up this spot and probably all you'll find is a
beef bone. But we don't want to miss anything."
This time Joe's spade hit the object which had been buried. As his father had
prophesied, it proved to be only a bone secreted by some dog.
The three Hardys transferred their work to the new tower. All this time Hurd
Applegate had been looking on in silence. From the corners of their eyes, the
Hardys could catch an expression of satisfaction on the elderly man's face.
Mr. Hardy glanced at his wrist watch, then said, "Well, boys, I guess this is
our last try." He indicated another spot a few feet away. "You fellows must
get cleaned up and go to school."
Undaunted by their failures so far, Frank and Joe dug in with a will. In a few
moments they had uncovered another small chest.
"Wow, this one is heavy!" Frank said as he lifted it from the hole.
"Then maybe-maybe it's the stolen property!" Joe exclaimed.
Even Mr. Applegate showed keen interest this time and leaned over to raise
the lid himself. The box contained several sacks.
"The jewels!" Joe cried out.
"And that flat-shaped sack could contain the securities!" Frank said
enthusiastically.
Mr. Applegate picked up one of the circular bags and quickly untied the
string wound about the top. His face took on a look of utter disgust. "Seeds!"
he fairly shouted.
Mr. Hardy had already picked up the flat sack. He
looked almost as
disappointed as Mr. Apple-gate. "Flower catalogs!" he exclaimed. "They
seem to be in various foreign languages."
"Oh, Robinson was always sending for things from all over the world," the
Tower Mansion owner remarked. "I told him to destroy them. He paid too
much attention to that stuff when he might have been doing something useful.
I suppose he buried the catalogs, so I wouldn't find them."
After a long breath the elderly man went on, "Well, we've reached the end of
the line. You Hardys haven't proved a thing, but you've certainly torn up my
house and grounds."
The three sleuths had to admit this was true but told him they were still fired
by two hopes: to clear Mr. Robinson of the charge against him, and to find
the stolen property. As they put their spades back into the Hardy car, Mr.
Applegate invited them into the house to wash and have a bite to eat.
"I guess you boys could do with a second breakfast," he added, and the
brothers thought, "Maybe at times Mr. Applegate isn't such a bad sort."
They accepted the invitation and enjoyed the meal of waffles and honey.
Their father then drove them to Bayport High.
Frank and Joe had no sooner stepped from the car than they heard their
names called. Turning, they saw Iola Morton and Callie Shaw coming toward
them.
"Hi, boys!"
"Hi, girls!"
"Say, did you hear what happened early this morning?" Callie asked.
"No. School called off for today?" Joe asked eagerly.
"I wish it were." Callie sobered. "It's about Mr. Robinson. He's been
arrested again!"
"No!" The Hardys stared at Callie, thunderstruck. "Why?" Frank
demanded.
Iola took up the story, saying that she and Chet had heard the bad news on
the radio that morning. They had stopped at the Robinsons' home, when their
father brought them to school, to find out more about what had happened.
"It seems that Chief Collig has an idea Mr. Robinson was in league with the
thief Jackley, that man your father got the confession from. So he arrested
him. Poor Mrs. Robinson! She doesn't know what to do."
"And Mr. Robinson had just managed to find another job," Callie said sadly.
"Oh, can't you boys do something?"
"We're working on the case as hard as we can," Frank replied, and told the
girls about their sleuthing the evening before and early that morning. At that
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