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Dad?”
    â€œNot much luck yet,” Fenton Hardy reported. “I need certain data from my safe. Get out all the top-secret records on Balarat and shoot them to me here in Los Angeles by airmail special delivery. You’ll find them in a Manila packet labeled The Chameleon.”
    â€œWe’ll send it right away, Dad.”
    â€œFine! See you later, boys! Good-by.”
    The brothers hurried upstairs to their father’s study. Joe dialed the secret combination of the safe, then opened the safe door.
    He stared inside, gulped, and cried out in dismay, “The file on the Chameleon is gone!”
    Frank nodded, grim-lipped. “This’ll be a blow to Dad. That envelope contained all his private evidence against the Chameleon.” He grabbed his brother’s arm. “Do you know what this means? One of the Chameleon’s henchmen must be watching this house. When he saw the front door open, he walked in without the alarm going off.”
    â€œRight. And, Joe, he must be an expert at safe-cracking! I think we’d better notify Dad at once.”
    â€œFirst, let’s see if anything else is missing,” Joe suggested.
    On the inside of the safe door the boys’ father had pasted a printed list of the contents. As Joe read each item, Frank checked. Finally he said, “Everything’s here. That burglar only wanted the Chameleon file.”
    Frank placed the call to his father’s hotel in Los Angeles. Fenton Hardy took the bad news with little comment, but said he was disturbed for the safety of the boys and his sister.
    â€œYou’d better be extra careful from now on,” the detective warned. “And call the police to investigate.”
    â€œRight, Dad!” Frank said.
    Within five minutes after the young sleuth had phoned headquarters, a police car arrived at the house. Chief Collig hurried inside, accompanied by two plain-clothes men, Hanley and Darkle.
    â€œNow then, what happened?” Chief Collig demanded.
    Frank gave the details of the robbery, then led the men upstairs to the study. Joe followed.
    Collig and Hanley examined the safe. The latter dusted it for prints, but found none.
    â€œSmart operator,” he remarked. “Wiped off all traces clean as a whistle!”
    Chief Collig nodded shrewdly. “He’d have to be smart to open this job without blowing it.” Turning back to the boys, the chief said, “I didn’t have time to check my files on the Chameleon. What’s the story on him?”
    Frank explained that he was an international thief and confidence man, whose real name was Arnold Balarat. Originally from New York, Balarat had operated all over the United States and in Europe, as well as on ocean liners.
    â€œThe Trans-Ocean Lines engaged Dad to find him after he swindled a number of their passengers,” Frank concluded. “The FBI is certain that Balarat is now in this country. Dad’s been hunting for him out on the West Coast after some clues turned up in Los Angeles. But so far the Chameleon is still at large.”
    Together the police and the Hardy boys looked for clues to the identity of the burglar. They found none and Chief Collig shook his head, perplexed. “That man left no fingerprints. Well, we’ll talk to the neighbors about seeing any prowlers and find out what they have to offer.”
    After the officers left, Frank said, “I suggest we call Mrs. Witherspoon and Dr. Montrose. They may have seen someone.”
    He spoke to Mrs. Witherspoon first. “Oh, how dreadful! A robbery!” she said.... “No, Frank, I didn’t see anyone. I hope you catch him soon. I’m too weak to talk any more. I’ll have to see Dr. Montrose. Good-by.”
    Frank now called the doctor himself. His line was busy. In a few minutes Frank tried again. Still busy. After a third try he proposed that he and Joe stop at Dr. Montrose’s office on their way to the dock.
    â€œGood