“Thanks so much for doing this,” Frank told Tony as he, Chet, and Joe climbed into the Prito van. They had taken a few minutes to unload their friends’ luggage and loaded a picnic pack and a few tools Fenton suggested that they take, specifically a magnificent telescope.
Tony waved his hand. “No problem, man. Chet’s been bringing us to and from school a lot. It was the least I could do.” He glanced at Chet. “I do hope we can find the Queen soon.”
Chet nodded as he buckled in. “I hope so too.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high, though,” said Joe as he buckled in. “There’s still a pretty high chance we might not find it today.”
“But with you two on the case, there’s a high chance you will find it soon, if not today,” said Chet with a confident nod of his head.
“Aw, thanks Chet, appreciate that,” said Joe.
“But the only way we can do that is if we get going. Tony’s let’s go!” said Frank.
Tony grinned at him through the rearview mirror and saluted him. “Aye aye Captain!”
Jerry Gilroy chuckled from his seat in the very front as he turned to look at Frank and Joe. “I’m your navigator today, Captain. Where’s our first stop?”
Frank grinned back at him. “We’re going to stop at every hiking trail north of Bayport and go from there.”
“Alright then.” Jerry turned to consult the map. “Looks like Gardiner Loop is first.”
“Should we finish with the old Pollitt house on the cliff, or go a bit further?” asked Tony as he pulled the van out of the Hardy driveway.
“It depends on how long it takes us to get through the trails,” said Frank as he pulled out his own map from his backpack.
“We could narrow them down by looking for the Queen’s distinct tire marks,” said Joe as he peered over Frank’s shoulder.
Frank grinned sheepishly. “But, I don’t know them.”
“But I do!” said Chet triumphantly.
“And I’ve helped you with the Queen often enough that I do too,” said Joe with a grin.
“Alright, then we’ll drop you two off at each trail, and you look for the Queen’s tire marks. If you don’t see them, we’ll continue on. If you do, we’ll join you and spread out from there,” said Frank.
“How should we split up?” asked Biff.
Frank mentally counted the boys there. There was him, Joe, Chet, Biff, Phil, Tony, Jerry, and Jack Dodd. Frank gave a slight nod of his head recalling why Slim Robinson and Pete Jones couldn’t make it. The two were trying to keep up their grades to get into prestigious colleges. “Well,” he said, “there are eight of us. We could split up into four groups of two and each of us could go in a different direction. Who wants to go with whom?”
“Tony!” said Phil quickly.
“Phil!” said Tony at the same time. Frank grinned. Ever since the vandalism on their houses, the two and their families had stuck together like glue, even though the Cohens were Jewish and the Pritos were Catholic.
“There’s one group. Who else?”
Joe raised his hand. “I want Biff!”
Biff flashed a grin as he high-fived Joe. “I want Joe!”
Frank laughed. “Next?”
“Jack!” said Jerry.
“Jerry!” said Jack.
“Alright, guess that leaves me with Chet.” Frank glanced at Chet. “Please keep up.”
“Oh, it’s easier for me to keep up with you than with Joe,” said Chet.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Joe as Frank chuckled.
Chet wrinkled his nose. “You’re too fast. You’re liable to run right off a cliff if you’re not careful enough.”
“Hey!” blurted Joe. The others howled with laughter. The rest of the trip was full of playful banter. But as soon as Tony pulled the van over at Gardiner Loop, the mood turned serious and the boys got down to business. Joe and Chet hopped out of the van and checked the dirt for the Queen’s distinct tire marks. They returned to the van with a firm shake of their heads. The Queen hadn’t gone down this path. The group continued on for a while, meeting with negative results at every trailhead. They stopped at one trail to eat lunch, feeling somewhat dejected that they hadn’t found a single clue to the Queen’s whereabouts. Frank glanced at his watch as they ate.
“I think we’ll have just enough time to look over two more trailheads before we should check out the Pollitt house and head home.”
“Hmm,” said Jerry as he pondered over the map and nibbled on his sandwich. “If I was to hide a bright yellow car, where would I hide it?”
“If it’s even still in Bayport,” mumbled Chet.
Frank nodded. “We have to keep that option in mind too. Hopefully Chief Collig’s APB went out early enough that the guy wouldn’t have made it to the Big Apple and he’s still in the general area.”
Joe nodded. “That’s the only hope we have.”
“Unless he has some sinister business in Bayport,” said Biff before he took a bite of his sandwich.
Joe and Frank paused mid-bite and glanced at Biff, their faces grim.
Joe spoke as he swallowed his bite first. “We had thought of that, that’s another reason why checking out the Pollitt place is equally as important. We’re kind of hoping that the car thief was meeting someone there for a job.”
“Well then,” said Jerry, pointing to a large green area on the map, “Willow Grove is pretty close to the Pollitt house. It’s certainly large enough, and there are very few, if any, visitors to the park this time of year.”
Jack nodded. “And lots of places that are overgrown where someone could hide a car easily enough.”
“That’s a great place to look! And there’s enough vegetation that the Queen’s distinct yellow couldn’t be seen!” said Chet, his spirits rising with every word.
Frank nodded. “That’s definitely the likeliest place right now. But it’s a pretty large area, would we have time to cover Willow Grove, the Pollitt house, and get back home in time for dinner?”
Jack let out a breath. “Who knew that looking for a car could take so much time? Bayport isn’t even that big!”
“Well, Tony did have to wait for me to finish at the synagogue,” said Phil. “That didn’t help.”
“That doesn’t count, unless you didn’t pray for the Lord to help us find Chet’s car,” said Biff.
“I have as much faith in the Lord as I do in the Hardys,” said Phil with a grin.
“That makes two of us,” quipped Tony.
Joe snapped his fingers. “I have an idea. We’ll head out straight away to the Pollitt place and find out what we can. If we have enough time after that, we’ll check out Willow Grove. If not, we check that first thing tomorrow after church.”
“That sounds like a good plan, Joe,” said Frank. The others nodded their consent.
Phil raised his hand. “But what should I do while you’re at church tomorrow?”
“If you wouldn’t mind getting breakfast together for us so that when we return, we can eat and head out to Willow Grove,” said Frank.
Phil thought a moment then nodded. “That’s doable.”
“Good, so long as you don’t cook like Joe,” said Frank with a wink. The others laughed.
“Hey!” said Joe as he whacked Frank’s shoulder.
“Oh, being a better cook than Joe isn’t that hard to do,” said Phil with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Don’t you start either!” blurted Joe.
Biff ruffled Joe’s hair. “Hey, come on man, you tease us all the time about things we can or can’t do. Did you really think you were going to be able to stay out of the fun for this long?”
Joe chuckled. “Nah, should have figured. But I guess I have been spoiled by my mom, Aunt Trudy, and Chet.”
Frank snorted. “Boy, have you ever.”
“Yeah, that’s right, neither Frank nor dad cooks that much . . .”
Frank sighed. “Joe, come on. You know I can cook way better than you can.”
“Yeah, you’ve been cooking more lately.” Joe waggled his eyebrows. “Been practicing for a certain, lovely pen pal?”
Frank’s face turned beet red. “Now, Joe, you promised!”
Joe’s eyes lit up. “You know what, we should call her and tell her!”
“Yeah!” the others chorused.
“Joe, you know the rules. We don’t talk during May due to finals, you know that.”
“Aw, but she would like hearing about it!”
“We’ll contact her the first day of summer break, no earlier,” said Frank with finality. Joe pouted.
“Hey man, it is why Slim and Pete aren’t here,” said Tony.
Joe sighed. “Oh fine, but the first day of summer break, no later.”
“Besides, you might have solved both mysteries by then, and you can give her all the details,” said Jerry before shooting a sly grin at Frank.
“Yeah, provided there aren’t any setbacks.”
“Well, you can ask her for help then, right? Hasn’t your dad always said she has a mind that could rival yours or his?” said Chet.
“It’s why Frank likes her so much,” teased Joe.
“Joe,” warned Frank.
“Come on you guys, don’t fight. We need to keep our heads straight if we’re going to find Chet’s car and for you guys to help solve your dad’s case,” said Jack.
“You’re right Jack. Sorry Frank, it’s just too easy to tease you.”
“So I’ve noticed, but you’re forgiven this time. Next time, you’ll find a pillow in your face.”
Joe grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Well, I’m finished eating,” announced Chet. “How about the rest of you?”
Frank, Joe, and Jerry still had their sandwiches. They quickly finished eating while the others picked up the picnic and loaded the van. Once Frank, Joe, and Jerry finished eating, they rushed into the van and wiped their hands on some wet wipes before buckling in. Tony started up the van, and the group was on their way to the Pollitt place. The trip was only a few minutes, but the boys were quiet the entire time. The banter had been fun, but with the prospect of criminals on the horizon, their imaginations ran wild with scenarios of possible encounters, though Joe’s typically involved saving a pretty girl.
“We’re here,” came Jerry’s tense announcement as Tony pulled into the driveway of the deserted house.
“It really does look like no one’s been here in months,” said Chet in an almost whisper.
“But, what exactly should we say if anyone comes upon us snooping?” asked Jack.
Joe shrugged. “Well, we still have the picnic pack in the back. You could tell him we had our picnic here and now we’re just exploring.”
“It’s a good cover, but, will he buy it?” asked Biff.
Frank shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out. Come on, Joe and I need to get this telescope out, and we need you to act as guards.” The others nodded and quickly filed out of the van. They helped the Hardys pull out the telescope and get it set up. Once it was set up, Tony, Phil, Jerry, and Jack went to check out the house while Frank looked through the eyepiece, getting it focused. He let out a gasp.
“What? What is it?” blurted Chet.
“I see a boat out there!”
“Where?” said Joe.
“It looks to be six miles out.”
“What kind of boat is it?”
“Look like a cruiser, or a cutter. Want to take a look?”
“Are you kidding?” exclaimed Joe. He and Frank quickly switched places.
“I didn’t look for the name or any numbers. Can you see any?”
“No, but I see a guy climbing down the side into a smaller boat!”
“What, really?” said Biff, straining his neck to see if he could see the boat without the aid of the telescope. All he saw out the corner of his eye were their friends returning from the house.
Frank noticed them too. “Anything?”
They shook their heads. “Both doors are locked, there’s a broken window, but not large enough for anyone to fit through, much less a baby, and the place looks like it hasn’t been touched in months,” came Tony’s report.
Joe, never taking his eye off the boat, said, “Well then, they might not be using it as a hideout, but a meeting place, if anything’s evident by this boat.”
“Can I take a look?” asked Biff.
“Sure,” said Joe as he backed away from the telescope, “just let us know the instant you can see a name or any numbers.”
“What boat?” asked Tony. Frank and Joe filled them in on what they saw through the telescope.
“Ah, I don’t see anything, and the boats are moving away now,” said Biff.
“Think this sighting has anything to do with your dad’s case?” asked Chet.
“It’s a possibility,” said Joe.
“A huge possibility,” said Frank.
“What is your dad’s case anyway?” asked Jerry. “And why didn’t you tell us over the phone?”
“Well, now’s not exactly the place to talk about-” began Frank, but he was interrupted by a scream. The boys glanced around as another scream pierced the otherwise peaceful scene.
“Where’s it coming from?” asked Jack.
“It’s probably coming from the house!” blurted Joe as he dashed off towards the house. Biff, Jerry, Jack, and Phil were hot on his heels.
Frank turned to Tony and Chet. “Dismantle the telescope and get it into the van. Lock yourselves in if you have to!” He turned and quickly followed the rest of the boys around to the back of the house. They had broken a window and were filing in. Joe and Biff had already begun the search for the man who cried for help. Phil helped Frank in while Jack and Jerry took off towards the second floor. Phil and Frank went into the cellar. They went around, looking for any signs of someone having been there, but they couldn’t find anything.
“Well, let’s get back topside,” said Frank.
“Right, the others might need our help.” The two went and pushed on the door.
“It’s not budging! Why isn’t budging?” asked Phil when the cellar door refused to open after several attempts.
Frank glanced at him, eyes wide. “It must be locked!”
“What should we do now?” asked Phil, panic rushing in his voice.
“What that guy did to lure us in here, call for help!”