Highway Robbery (2 page)
Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
"It's for an Ultratech cassette deck," he said, pointing to it. "This was the right place after all."
"But the sale is over," replied Frank.
***
Joe and Tony returned just a couple of minutes before the first carload of sheriff's deputies rolled in. Frank and Joe had a few contacts and even a couple of friends among the Bayport police, but they didn't know anyone in the county force.
An officer took their statements, and then told the boys to wait while he talked to his superior officer.
The man in charge appeared to be in his late forties. He was tall and lanky, with a deeply tanned face and gray-tinted eyeglasses in silver frames. As he listened to the junior officer's report, he nodded and glanced over at the Hardys and Tony a couple of times. After the younger man had finished, he silently studied the three for a minute before walking over to them. He held their statements in one hand.
"I'm Chief Deputy MacReedy," he said. "Which one of you is Tony Prito?"
"I am." Tony stepped forward.
MacReedy looked Tony up and down, saying nothing. Finally he studied the notes in his hand.
"Frank and Joe Hardy, huh? Would you happen to be Fenton Hardy's kids?"
"Yes, sir," answered Frank. "Do you know him?"
"We've met," said the deputy. There was another silence, which was broken by Joe.
"Do you know who the dead guy is?"
MacReedy's head shot up, and he fixed Joe with a steely look from behind his glasses. He walked over to Joe and stopped when their faces were inches apart.
"Now, listen. We'd better get something straight here and now, son, or you and I won't get along at all. I'm the one who asks the questions, and you're the one who answers them. And those answers better be good. That clear?"
Joe's eyes flashed for a moment, but all he said was, "yes."
"That pretty van outside belong to you?"
"Yes, sir," said Frank. He gave Joe a look that conveyed the message stay cool. They knew the deputy was being a major jerk, but it wouldn't do to get on his bad side.
"Very nice. A real fancy set of wheels. Your daddy must be doing real well at the detective business to buy his boys a nice toy like that."
"He didn't - " Joe started to say, and the deputy cut him off with an upraised palm.
MacReedy began to pace back and forth in front of the three boys, speaking as he moved. "Now, I ask myself what three fellows like you in that customized, souped-up machine are doing out here, on the wrong side of the tracks."
"It was my idea," Tony said. "Like I told the other officer - "
"That's 'deputy,' son."
"Yes, sir," Tony said nervously. "Like I told him, I heard that there was a place around here where you could get stereo equipment at a really great price."
"Yeah, I know what you said," snapped MacReedy. "But I bet you can come up with a better story if you try real hard. One I might actually believe."
"We're telling you the truth," Frank insisted.
"That so?" MacReedy abruptly stopped his pacing and turned to face them. "I have a buddy who's a Bayport cop. I've heard all about you two - how you always turn up at crime scenes - before the police as often as not. How you get underfoot and try to do their jobs for them.
"Well, I don't want you thinking you can get away with playing junior cop on a case of mine. Just because I've got no cause to bring you in right now doesn't mean I buy that line about shopping for stereos. I've got my eye on you."
Joe said, "Wait a - "
"Don't you dare interrupt me!" MacReedy's voice cut like a whip. He reached out a long arm and pointed a finger at Joe, Frank, and Tony in turn.
"Now listen up, and keep those lips buttoned. If I hear that you've been snooping around, asking questions, sticking your noses in where they don't belong, I'm going to land on you with both feet. There won't be a thing your daddy will be able to do for you then. Now you three get in that van and get out of here. And stay out of my way! If I want you I'll send for you."
With that, the deputy wheeled around and stalked away. Frank watched a muscle twitch in Joe's jaw, and he reached out to steady him.
"Let's get moving," he urged. "There's nothing we can do here except buy into some major trouble."
Joe took a deep breath and slowly relaxed. But after they went outside and climbed back into the van, he whispered to Frank, "Wouldn't you love to solve this thing and rub his face in it?"
Soon after they pulled out of the parking lot, Tony leaned forward and asked, "Joe, would you stop at that phone booth again? I want to call home and let them know where I am."
They stopped a minute later, and Tony went to use the phone. "Did you get the idea that there's some kind of history between Dad and this MacReedy?" asked Frank.
"Loud and clear," Joe said. "I don't think they were good buddies, either. Let's ask Dad about him when we get home. Here's Tony."
Tony slowly climbed into the backseat. His face had gone pale, and he looked even worse than he had after they'd found the body.
"Tony?" Frank asked. "What's the matter? You look real shook up."
Tony didn't say anything for a moment. Then he said softly, "It's - my cousin Mike."
"What's the problem?" asked Joe, worried.
"He was driving a truckload of Ultratech components and a bunch of goons forced him to stop. When Mike realized that they were going to hijack his goods, he tried to fight them off. They beat him up - bad. He's in the hospital."
"I want to get over there right away," Tony said anxiously.
"Sure." Joe started up the van. "We'll take you there right now."
Forty-five minutes later they arrived at the hospital and were directed to a room on the seventh floor.
Tony's cousin Mike Simone was a muscular man in his thirties, but lying in the hospital bed he appeared to be fragile. Some curls of black hair stuck out from the bandages wrapped around his head. His left arm was in a cast, and his face was swollen and bruised. In addition to his visible injuries, Mike had a cracked rib.
The boys noticed, though, that the look in Mike's eyes wasn't so much one of pain as it was of anger.
"If it had been two guys, I would've taken them," Mike muttered. "But four was too many.'
"How long will you be laid up?" Tony asked. He sat in a chair beside his cousin, while Joe and Frank leaned against a window sill.
"I may be out of here as early as the day after tomorrow once they're sure my head's okay." Mike sagged back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "But I don't know when I'll be able to drive a rig again. This arm won't be much good for maybe two months."
"How'd it happen, anyway?" Joe asked. "If you don't mind talking about it."
"No, I don't mind," said Mike. "I had just left Bayport, heading north. There's a shortcut I always use between two interstates, kind of a deserted stretch of road. About halfway along this, I see these traffic barriers and flashing lights. A guy was standing there in one of those orange vests, waving a red flag.
"I figure there's some kind of accident up ahead, so I pull over. Three guys in ski masks with blackjacks or clubs or something jump up on the cab and yank both doors open. Then the guy in the vest drops his flag and pulls a mask down over his face."
At the mention of ski masks, Frank and Joe exchanged a look. Mike went on.
"I had a baseball bat under the seat, and I grabbed it and tried to belt one of them, but they pulled me down from the cab and - the last thing I remember was getting something real hard bounced off my skull. A woman driving a car found me lying on the road a little while later. The truck was gone."
"You could have been killed, Mike!" Tony stood up and stared down at his cousin. "Why go up against four guys like that? For what? A bunch of electronics?"
Mike nodded and sighed. "I won't argue, kid. I was stupid. But - see, there's things going on here that you don't understand."
"Like what?"
Mike was silent. He glanced at Frank and Joe.
Quickly Frank suggested, "Tony, why don't we wait outside for you?"
"No, wait, Frank," Tony said. "Mike, these are my buddies, and I trust them. I guarantee anything you say will be kept confidential."
Mike thought a moment and then said, "Okay, Tony, if you say so. Pop probably won't like me talking, but - this is just between us, right?"
"You got it," Joe said.
"All right. My dad owns this shipping outfit, Lombard Hauling. We're just a family company with a small list of clients we transport goods for. Our biggest client is Ultratech Electronics."
"And their shipment got taken today," said Frank.
"The thing is," said Mike, "this isn't the first Ultratech shipment to be hijacked. It's the third."
"The third!" echoed Tony with disbelief. "How come you haven't said anything - "
Mike held up his good hand. "Tony, if it was up to me, this wouldn't be news to you now. But Pop has played it real close for some reason. The company is really hurting, Tony. I'm scared that we could lose Ultratech as a client, and our insurance, too. And then Lombard Hauling would be out of business."
"What did the police say?" asked Frank.
Tony bit his lip. "We reported the first hijacking so we could get the insurance money for Ultratech. But Pop wouldn't go to the sheriff last time, and he won't go this time, either. When he was here earlier we had a big argument about it. He just won't go, and he won't say why, either. I tried to convince him, but - "
"That's crazy!" Tony burst out. "Uncle Matt can't - "
"Hold it, Tony," said Frank. "Mike, how do you think your father would feel about bringing in private investigators?"
"The kind of people who know how to find things out, and keep their mouths shut," added Joe.
"I don't know," Mike said, shaking his head. "Why? You have some in mind?"
"We do, actually," Frank said. "Our father, Fenton Hardy, is one of the best private operatives there is - "
"The thing is," said Mike, "we're sort of strapped for cash right now."
"Well, we have a kind of family business, too, and my dad wouldn't press you," Joe said. "Frank and I are sort of junior partners."
"Hold on a minute," Mike interrupted. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but this hijacking business is no game." He pointed to his bandaged head. "They play rough."
"No, really, Mike," said Tony. "Frank and Joe are for real. They've gotten into some heavy scenes, and they can take care of themselves."
"We're good at finding things out," Frank added with a smile.
Mike stared at the Hardys. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Could you figure out some way of setting us up with jobs at Lombard, as a cover?" Frank asked. "At least we could look around."
"It couldn't do any harm," added Joe.
Mike nodded. "Let me call Pop," he said. "He had to go back to the office. He's probably still there."
The phone conversation was short, and Mike didn't do much of the talking. When he hung up, he seemed to be shaken and disturbed.
"What's up?" Tony asked.
"Ultratech gave Pop a rough time," Mike replied. "They said they're thinking of finding another trucking company, one that does a better job of keeping its shipments safe. And then, he said, the law just paid him a little visit."
"I thought you said the sheriff's office didn't know about the hijacking," Joe said.
"No, this was about something else. They found a body around five o'clock today, a guy who'd been murdered, somewhere near Bayport."
Tony was about to tell Mike about their experience at the warehouse, but he caught a warning look from Frank and kept quiet.
"What does the body have to do with Lombard Hauling?" Joe asked.
"The cops said the guy was a small-time gangster named Mickey Vane. He had a fairly long record. Well, he once worked for Lombard as a driver. Pop told the deputy that he didn't know anything about his record, but the deputy didn't seem to believe him. And Pop says the deputy's on his way over here to question me." Mike let out a sigh, then added, "Oh, he did say he'd talk to Frank and Joe about this investigation tomorrow morning at the office."
"What can you tell the law?" asked Tony.
"Me? Nothing," Mike said. "But it sounds like this cop who questioned Pop is a rough customer. He all but said that he suspected Pop of being mixed up with this Vane guy in some kind of dirty business. Pop almost threw him out of the office."
"Mike," said Frank. "You said that these hi jackers stopped you on a pretty deserted road that you used as a shortcut, right?"
"Right. Driving a rig, you're always trying to save a little time and gas."
"The thing is," Frank went on, "if this was a shortcut, how many people could have known you'd be there?"
Mike gave Frank a troubled look. "You mean, is there somebody inside the company that's part of this gang? Yeah, I've thought the same thing. Maybe that's why Pop didn't want the police involved. Maybe he's scared that there's a crook at Lombard, and that it might even be one of the family."
"Impossible," said Tony flatly.
"Well, even the other employees are like family to Pop. If someone there is bent, he'd handle it quietly, without - "
There was a knock at the door, and a nurse entered, looking flustered.
"Mr. Simone, there's a - an officer here who insists on talking to you right now. I told him that you were resting, but he said - "
A brusque voice interrupted the nurse. "I said I didn't have time to waste. He'll talk to me, and talk right now."
A tall man in a khaki uniform brushed past the outraged nurse, and for the second time that day Tony and the Hardys found themselves looking into the hard eyes of Chief Deputy MacReedy.
Joe felt anger rise in him as he watched the officer's eyes narrow.
"You three again," MacReedy said, his lips compressing into a thin line. "The way I keep tripping over you, you boys are bound to end up in a jail cell!"
"All right," said MacReedy, "let's hear your story this time. What are you boys shopping for at the hospital?"