Read Online The Secret Panel by Franklin W. Dixon - Free Book Online Page B

the guy and get the dory, too,” Frank countered.
    There was no doubt in his mind that the man who retrieved it was the same who had sold it to Chet and had trapped the three boys in the room at 47 Parker Street.
    â€œMeanwhile, the guy probably took what he wanted out of the locked box and skipped,” Joe went on.
    â€œWell, let’s go see.”
    When they reached the spot indicated by the salvage captain, there was no sign of the dory. Frank and Joe jumped into the shallow water and pulled the Sleuth up on the sand.
    Close scrutiny led them to drag marks some distance away. They followed the track, obviously made by a keel. But to their disappointment, it ended at the roadside. Chet’s Bloodhound was not in sight!
    â€œEvidently a truck was waiting and carried it away,” Joe concluded.
    â€œI have an idea!” Frank said. “I’ll bet that dory came from the Mead place and has been taken back there!”
    â€œYou mean because of the strange Y symbol?”
    â€œRight. What do you think?”
    â€œIt’s certainly worth a try. Let’s go!”
    Joe stepped into the Sleuth and Frank pushed it out into the bay. Soon it was skimming across the water, its motor churning. When they reached the Mead property, Frank tied up to the dock. There was no sign of anyone. The boathouse was tightly locked, and Chet’s dory was not in sight.

    â€œWhere is the dory?” Frank called
    Joe took out a pair of swim trunks from a compartment.
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Frank asked.
    â€œSee if I can swim under the boathouse door.” Joe quickly changed, then cut the water in a clean dive and disappeared.
    Frank waited eagerly. All was quiet. In a minute he called out, “Joe, can you hear me?”
    The only sound was the water lapping against the Sleuth. There was no sound from the boathouse !

CHAPTER X
    The Intruder
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    WHAT had happened to Joe? Several possibilities raced through Frank’s mind. Had his head butted into a submerged piling? Did he have a stomach cramp?
    â€œJoe! Joe!” Frank called out again. No reply. He kicked off his shoes and was about to dive after his brother when he heard a whistling-spluttering noise from inside the boathouse. Joe had popped to the surface and let out a chestful of pent-up air. Then he called out:
    â€œFrank! I’m okay. Got tangled up in a piece of old cable.”
    â€œOh boy! You had me scared for a minute.”
    â€œSorry about that.” A few seconds passed, then Joe reported, “The dory’s not here. But I’ll look around a bit more.”
    â€œGood idea.” Frank waited, hoping no one would appear to ask what they were doing there. Presently Joe returned and climbed aboard the Sleuth. As he dried himself and put on his clothes, Frank asked him what he had seen.
    Joe related that there was no boat of any kind inside the building. He had, however, spotted a valuable piece of evidence.
    â€œThere was an old oar on a rack,” he said. “That same funny Y was carved on it!”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œPositive. I looked at it twice.”
    â€œNo question now that the dory belongs to this place,” Frank commented.
    â€œRight. And I saw something else of interest,” Joe went on. “There’s a generator in the boathouse. Probably supplies auxiliary power to the mansion.”
    â€œThen that explains the lights,” Frank declared. “Someone’s been tampering with the generator, turning the current on and off.”
    â€œRight again,” said Joe. “You know, I still suspect that the dory will be brought here. What say we come back later and check again?”
    â€œOkay. But we ought to tell Chet what happened. Maybe he’d like to come along.”
    â€œYes. Let’s go over to the Mortons around lunch time,” Joe suggested with a grin. “Turn the tables on Chet. Aunt Gertrude says he eats us