it had to be him, but like I say, he's as crazy as they come."
Frank accepted a glass of lemonade from Walter and passed one to Callie.
"The guy who attacked me was going off to
Deadfall
the right," Joe said, thinking out loud. He gestured with his hand. "Uphill, I guess, right over that way."
^'That's the way to Galen's cabin!" Ecks said excitedly. '*Just about a mile past Horizon's equipment yard."
Suddenly Joe grinned.
"Something funny?" Frank asked.
"Not really, but that bump on the head must have shaken something loose. I just realized what it was that was missing from Buster Owens's belongings."
"What?" Callie asked, taking a sip of lemonade.
"His key ring!" Joe exclaimed. "He had the biggest key ring I've ever seen hanging from his belt at the general store. You could hardly help but notice the thing. Maybe whoever killed Buster took his keys."
"What did the keys open, Walt?" Callie asked, her expression very serious.
"Oh, just about everything," Ecks replied. "All the equipment yards, for one thing. And the buildings down at the mill. He had the keys to all the vehicles, too. He used to say he didn't trust the loggers not to lose them."
For an instant Walter Ecks's eyes teared up. Embarrassed, he wiped the tears away. "Nobody but Buster had every key," he added. "I have a few for the mill and yard, and Millie has some for their house, of course. But Buster had every single key on that ring. He liked to keep stuff to himself."
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILE5
*'Thanks, Walt," Callie said a bit later, after they took the empty lemonade glasses inside to the kitchen. ''I think we should go talk to Vance Galen."
"On the way let's check out the equipment yard to see if anything's missing," Joe put in. "Do you have an inventory list so we can check to see if anything's gone?"
Ecks gave Joe a list and a key to the gate. He offered to call the towing company for their car and have it brought into Crosscut. The Hardys and Callie said goodbye and set off up the mountain road, this time keeping a sharp eye out for attackers.
"Getting run off the road by a bulldozer and pounced on by a stranger in the woods sure does help a guy work up an appetite," Joe muttered as they trudged on under the hot sun. It was past noon, and the heat was becoming uncomfortable even that high in the mountains.
"Don't worry," Frank said. "We'll put some fuel in that body the minute we finish with Galen."
"If he turns out to be the guy who attacked me," Joe added, "maybe I'll just have him for lunch."
The lock on the equipment yard gate showed no signs of tampering. "That means if something was taken from here, it was done by someone with a key," Frank pointed out, unlocking the gate. "Okay, fan out. The inventory says there
Deadfall
should be eight bulldozers here. If there's one missing, it shouldn't be hard to spot."
"There's one bulldozer missing," CaUie called out a few minutes later. "But nothing else is gone, as far as we can see," she added as she and Joe rejoined Frank near the gate. "What are you looking for?" she asked when she saw Frank peering at the ground.
"Bootprints," he said, frowning. "But the mud's too stirred up to tell anything."
"What more evidence do we need?" Joe demanded. "Vance Galen lives near here. He could easily have come in here and snitched a 'dozer, that logging truck that unloaded on us last night, and even a few sticks of dynamite. I think we have a suspect, Frank."
"Patience, brother," Frank said. "Let's go talk to the guy first before we decide he's guilty."
"Not home," Joe announced when no one answered Frank's knock on Galen's door. "Must be out bulldozing cars again."
"Come on," said Callie dejectedly. "Let's go home."
"Hold on," Frank insisted, knocking again. "Galen!" he called. The silence that answered his call was eerie.
Frank reached out and tried the doorknob. "You're just going to walk in?" Callie demanded.
"Nope. It's locked," Frank said, disappointed.
THE HARDY BOYS
Frank accepted a glass of lemonade from Walter and passed one to Callie.
"The guy who attacked me was going off to
Deadfall
the right," Joe said, thinking out loud. He gestured with his hand. "Uphill, I guess, right over that way."
^'That's the way to Galen's cabin!" Ecks said excitedly. '*Just about a mile past Horizon's equipment yard."
Suddenly Joe grinned.
"Something funny?" Frank asked.
"Not really, but that bump on the head must have shaken something loose. I just realized what it was that was missing from Buster Owens's belongings."
"What?" Callie asked, taking a sip of lemonade.
"His key ring!" Joe exclaimed. "He had the biggest key ring I've ever seen hanging from his belt at the general store. You could hardly help but notice the thing. Maybe whoever killed Buster took his keys."
"What did the keys open, Walt?" Callie asked, her expression very serious.
"Oh, just about everything," Ecks replied. "All the equipment yards, for one thing. And the buildings down at the mill. He had the keys to all the vehicles, too. He used to say he didn't trust the loggers not to lose them."
For an instant Walter Ecks's eyes teared up. Embarrassed, he wiped the tears away. "Nobody but Buster had every key," he added. "I have a few for the mill and yard, and Millie has some for their house, of course. But Buster had every single key on that ring. He liked to keep stuff to himself."
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILE5
*'Thanks, Walt," Callie said a bit later, after they took the empty lemonade glasses inside to the kitchen. ''I think we should go talk to Vance Galen."
"On the way let's check out the equipment yard to see if anything's missing," Joe put in. "Do you have an inventory list so we can check to see if anything's gone?"
Ecks gave Joe a list and a key to the gate. He offered to call the towing company for their car and have it brought into Crosscut. The Hardys and Callie said goodbye and set off up the mountain road, this time keeping a sharp eye out for attackers.
"Getting run off the road by a bulldozer and pounced on by a stranger in the woods sure does help a guy work up an appetite," Joe muttered as they trudged on under the hot sun. It was past noon, and the heat was becoming uncomfortable even that high in the mountains.
"Don't worry," Frank said. "We'll put some fuel in that body the minute we finish with Galen."
"If he turns out to be the guy who attacked me," Joe added, "maybe I'll just have him for lunch."
The lock on the equipment yard gate showed no signs of tampering. "That means if something was taken from here, it was done by someone with a key," Frank pointed out, unlocking the gate. "Okay, fan out. The inventory says there
Deadfall
should be eight bulldozers here. If there's one missing, it shouldn't be hard to spot."
"There's one bulldozer missing," CaUie called out a few minutes later. "But nothing else is gone, as far as we can see," she added as she and Joe rejoined Frank near the gate. "What are you looking for?" she asked when she saw Frank peering at the ground.
"Bootprints," he said, frowning. "But the mud's too stirred up to tell anything."
"What more evidence do we need?" Joe demanded. "Vance Galen lives near here. He could easily have come in here and snitched a 'dozer, that logging truck that unloaded on us last night, and even a few sticks of dynamite. I think we have a suspect, Frank."
"Patience, brother," Frank said. "Let's go talk to the guy first before we decide he's guilty."
"Not home," Joe announced when no one answered Frank's knock on Galen's door. "Must be out bulldozing cars again."
"Come on," said Callie dejectedly. "Let's go home."
"Hold on," Frank insisted, knocking again. "Galen!" he called. The silence that answered his call was eerie.
Frank reached out and tried the doorknob. "You're just going to walk in?" Callie demanded.
"Nope. It's locked," Frank said, disappointed.
THE HARDY BOYS
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