"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 014 - The Hidden Harbor Mystery (original)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)

CHAPTER V

OUT ON BAIL


JOE, Frank and Chet were stunned by this announcement. Fenton Hardy's face flushed with anger.
"Under arrest!" he exclaimed. "These boys? Why, that's perfectly ridiculous. What is the charge?"
"I'm only obeying orders," replied the policeman. "I was told to pick up Frank and Joseph Hardy and Chester Morton. That's all I know about it. I daresay you'll get the whole story from the chief."
"I-I never committed a crime in my life!" blustered Chet. "I stole an apple from an orchard once about five years ago, but surely I'm not going to be run in for that."
The others laughed in spite of the fact that they were upset and puzzled by this strange turn of events.
"When were you ordered to arrest these boys?" demanded Mr. Hardy.
"Just a few minutes ago. I was told I'd find them here. There's no use arguing. I must do my duty."
"I'm not going to argue," returned Fenton Hardy. "But I can't understand it. There must be some mistake. Come along, boys. We'll get this matter cleared up at once."
Frank and Joe were completely in the dark. They shared their father's opinion that there had been some ridiculous mistake.
"Perhaps the steamship company is rounding up witnesses and trying to obtain information about the wreck," Frank suggested. "Probably we're merely wanted for questioning, and this policeman thinks it's for something else."
Mr. Hardy, greatly worried, hailed a cab. They then drove to the station house, a small brick building located in the center of the town. Here they were ushered into the presence of the Chief of Police, a stout, red-faced man with a heavy black mustache.
"Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hardy," he said, shaking hands with the great detective. "I've often heard of you, of course."
"Under the circumstances," replied Frank and Joe's father, smiling, "I can't say that I'm very glad to make your acquaintance. What is it all about, Chief? Your man tells me these boys are under arrest. It's a mistake, isn't it?"
The officer shook his head regretfully "No mistake at all, Mr. Hardy, I'm sorry to say. I don't know much about the case myself, but a charge has been placed so I have to act accordingly."
"What's the charge? And who is behind it?" asked Frank.
"You're accused of robbery, the whole three of you, by Mr. Samuel Blackstone," was the astounding reply.
For a moment the boys were speechless.
"Robbery!" squeaked Chet finally.
"Mr. Blackstone charges us with robbery!" exclaimed Joe.
"I never heard of anything so absurd," Mr. Hardy snapped. "'Why, my boy Frank saved Mr. Blackstone's life. We have just taken the man to the hospital."
"The ungrateful old reprobate!" muttered Chet.
"Can't help that," returned the Chief. "It seems that Mr. Blackstone was talking to the captain of the Bluebird and told him that as soon as the boat docked he wanted to have Frank Hardy arrested and warrants issued for the other boys. You were all on the Resolute with Mr. Blackstone, weren't you?"
"That's true," admitted Frank.
"Well, he told the captain that he had been robbed of six thousand dollars in cold cash just before the shipwreck, and blames you boys for his loss. He claims you lured him down a dark passage and that you then staged a fake fight in a stateroom, which ended with his getting a terrible crack over the head. Then he says you stole his money."
The boys were beginning to realize now that they were in a serious predicament. The news that Blackstone had lost his funds surprised them, and they could plainly see that a very damaging case might be built up against them.
"If anyone has robbed him," declared Chet hotly, "it is Ruel Rand. I'm sure he was the man in our stateroom who knocked Mr. Blackstone down."
The officer shrugged.
"I don't know anything about it,,' he said. "The case can't be tried until Mr. Blackstone is well enough to come to court and testify."
"Do you mean to say we'll have to stay in jail until then?" demanded Frank. "Why, it may be weeks before the man is on his feet again."
"I can take you over to see the judge," suggested the chief. "Maybe he'll let you out on bail."
"We'll get it settled as soon as possible," said Mr. Hardy.
Across the street was the office of the judge, where the circumstances were explained.
"It's a serious charge," said the justice, a mild-mannered old gentleman with white chin- whiskers. "I don't want to keep the boys in jail, of course, but there will have to be bail"
"I understand," said Mr. Hardy. The formalities were soon completed, greatly to the relief of the boys, and they were officially remanded for hearing on the theft charge at a later date. They were glad Mr. Hardy's presence had saved them from being placed behind bars, even temporarily, but it was not pleasant to think that they would be under a cloud of suspicion until the time of the trial.
"Now we must find Ruel Rand if he is alive!" Joe insisted.
Chet beckoned to a newsboy and bought a noon edition of the local paper.
"They ought to have the survivors of the wreck pretty well checked by now," he said. "Let's see if there is any news of Rand."
On the front page, several columns of which were given over to the Resolute disaster, the boys found a complete list of the passengers who had escaped.
"He's alive! Look!" exclaimed Chet. "Ruel Rand, slightly injured, suffering from exposure, picked up by coast guard and taken to life-saving station at Rocky Inlet."
"For your own sakes," advised Mr. Hardy, "I think you had better get in touch with this fellow at once, and size him up. If he denies having been in the stateroom and protests any knowledge of Mr. Blackstone's money, you will have to do a little detective work and try to get at the truth of the story.
"I have some business to attend to this afternoon and won't be able to help you. The loss of those handwriting specimens means that I must try to get others to replace them. Why not see if you can get to that life-saving station? It may not be far away."
The boys made inquiries and learned that Rocky Inlet was only five miles from Croston, and could be reached by road.
"Let's get a car and go there," decided Frank. "Maybe a little talk with Ruel Rand will clear up a lot of things."
"Somehow he didn't give me the impression that he was a crook," Chet admitted. "But you never can tell."