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by eleven.”
    Joe repeated the information to Isabel.
    â€œOkay—I’ll be waiting for you in front of the hotel at ten,” Isabel said. “Look for a red Porsche.”
    â€œWe’ll be there,” Joe told her.
    When Joe hung up the receiver, he said, “Why ten? We never really talked about that. Do you know something that I don’t?”
    â€œI just remembered that when we were at Senhora Bragança’s house the first time, the car with the domestic help arrived just before 3 P.M .,” Frank said. “That’s the beginning of a normal work shift.”
    â€œOh, yeah!” Joe said. “7 A.M . to 3 P.M ., 3 P.M . to 11 P.M ., and 11 P.M . to 7 A.M .”
    â€œExactly. So if we’re there when the car brings in the domestic help at around 11 P.M ., we can followthe car through the gate,” Frank said. “I think that’s the only way we can get past the security guards.”
    â€œWhat about the dogs?” Joe said. “Once we’re inside, won’t they pick up our scents?”
    â€œWe’ll bring a little fresh meat and a mild sedative. Nothing that will harm them,” Frank said. “We’ll get some kind of ground meat and an over-the-counter sleep aid.”
    Another conversation with the concierge led Frank and Joe to a nearby meat market, where they bought a pound of ground pork. After that they went two doors down to a pharmacy where—after pondering which one of the many sleep aids to buy, it occurred to Frank that he could ask the pharmacist for whatever pet owners gave to their animals when they were taking them on long trips. The pharmacist went directly to the shelf, picked up a package, and said, “This one is the best!”
    A few minutes before ten o’clock the Hardy boys were waiting in front of the hotel. Joe was holding the canvas bag containing the fold-up shovel, a flashlight, and a bag of ground pork that had been mixed with some of the sleep aid.
    Isabel pulled up in front of the hotel a couple minutes after ten o’clock, but she was driving a dark-colored late-model Ford instead of the Porsche.
    Frank and Joe spotted Isabel in the car and quickly climbed in.
    â€œWhere’s your car?” Joe asked.
    â€œI thought it would be too obvious,” Isabel explained. “This was the car Father used when we were in the United States. It’s in great condition and it doesn’t stand out.”
    â€œGood thinking,” Frank said.
    Even though the traffic was heavy, with Isabel’s expert driving they made the trip in forty-five minutes. They parked the car two blocks away from Senhora Bragança’s house.
    â€œWe have about fifteen minutes to prepare,” Frank whispered as the three of them climbed out of Isabel’s car. “That’s plenty of time. Come on.”
    As they headed toward Senhora Bragança’s house Joe explained to Isabel their plan to enter the grounds behind the car that would be carrying the domestic help.
    â€œIf everything goes according to schedule, the car will be arriving here just a few minutes before eleven,” Frank said. “We’ll be hiding behind some shrubs beside the gate and we’ll follow the car inside.”
    Joe told Isabel about the ground pork with the mild sedative. “If this doesn’t work on the dogs, then—well, do you think you can scramble back over that fence?”
    They were close enough to Senhora Bragança’s house for Isabel to judge the high fence. “No problem. I took gymnastics for years,” she said. “What about you guys?”
    Frank grinned. “We’re in track and field back at Bayport High School.”
    Joe glanced up and down the street. He didn’t see anybody. As they were all wearing dark clothing, he doubted that they were visible from Senhora de Feira’s house.
    Frank looked at his watch. “We need to get behind the shrubs,” he