"Now let me make sure I have all of this straight," Ferris was saying. "It was Rafe Collins who actually planted the dynamite in the Horizon sawmill."
"Right," Frank confirmed. "My guess is that
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if you compare Johnson Lumber's dynamite with the results of the arson investigators' lab results that should arrive today, the two should match perfectly. And remember that Vance Galen saw Collins's red Cadillac by the mill just before it blew up."
''So far the story holds together," Ferris replied. ''But how did Buster Owens end up in the Horizon mill?"
"First, you need to remember that Collins had Buster's key ring," Joe responded. "Millie Owens identified it herself, right?"
The sheriff nodded.
"That key ring could only have come from Buster," Joe continued. "Since Buster had the keys until at least an hour before he died, chances are that he killed Buster and stole the keys. And then there are the bootprints. Did you compare Collins's boots with those prints Frank photographed?"
"I certainly did, last night," the sheriff told the group. "The sole of one boot has three missing hobnails right where Frank's pictures showed them missing."
"Did you find Collins's fingerprints on the dynamite he planted in Stan Shaw's truck, or on the bulldozer he tried to ram us with?" Frank asked.
"Nope," Ferris told him. "He must have been wearing gloves. But the bootprints, along with the key ring and Galen's testimony, might be evidence enough."
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILE5
"What I don't get is why Johnson framed me/' Stan said mildly.
"Yeah. Vance Galen would seem a more likely person to pin it on," Joe agreed.
"But if Stan was being held by the sheriff as a murderer, it would give Johnson a better chance to get that franchise from the Forest Service. After all, that's what he was aiming for," Frank pointed out.
"You see. Sheriff," Frank went on, "we think that when Johnson learned what Buster was planning, he figured the only way to keep from being put out of business was to close down Horizon Lumber until he could retool at Johnson Lumber. That's why he tried to buy the equipment that was intended for Horizon."
"But why would he kill poor Buster?" Stan Shaw wondered.
"I'm not so sure killing Buster was part of the plan," Joe replied. "Judging by the way his truck was forced off the road some distance from the mill. Buster's running into Collins might have been an accident. Maybe Collins panicked when he realized Buster was headed for his mill, and forced him off the road. He knocked him out and then decided to eliminate him by leaving him in the mill."
"Well, all that's for a jury to decide," Ferris observed. "At least now the right people will be tried for the crimes. Stan, I'm sorry you had to go through all this."
"No hard feelings," Stan Shaw said with a
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wan smile. ''You were just doing your job. But if that's all you need, I'd like to get out of here."
"Of course," Ferris agreed as he stood up and opened his office door. ''I guess I can get the rest of the story from Freddy Zackarias," Ferris said with a knowing chuckle. ''Guess he was pretty busy acting as a spy for Collins. Collins wouldn't have known where you'd be without Freddy following you fellas. But I think Freddy's ready to testify against Collins and Johnson—he was in way over his head. Frank and Joe, you and Callie have been a big help. If I need more information—"
"We'll be happy to help, Sheriff," Frank re-pHed as everyone headed for the door. "We'll be here in Crosscut for another week or so."
"Let's hit the Potbelly Cafe," Stan said as the weary group filed outside of the office. "I'm craving some of their fried chicken and biscuits. And to show you all how grateful I am, the meal's on me."
"Can't say no to that, can we, Frank?" said Joe with a wink.
"No way," Frank agreed. "But there's just one commitment we have to honor first."
"Oh?" Stan Shaw paused, looking puzzled. "What more commitments could you boys have?"
"A personal interview with Ronnie Croft," Frank started to explain. And, as Callie and Joe joined him, he added, "An exclusive!"
Frank and Joe's next cose:
The Hardy boys have come to the Yucatan to take on a gang of grave robbers. Stolen Mexican artifacts have appeared in Bayport, and Frank and Joe intend to cut the smugglers off at the source. But the jungle is full of deception and distraction, including a bevy of beautiful models who have appeared at the site for a photo shoot.
A different kind of shooting, though, quickly puts the Hardys back on track. The raiders of the Mayan pyramids are not about to give up their lucrative looting without a fight. They plan to draw Frank and Joe into the jungle and add two deep new chambers to the ancient tombs ... in Grave Danger, Case #61 in The Hardy Boys Casefiles'".
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