Read Online The Vanishing Thieves by Franklin W. Dixon - Free Book Online Page B

“You know my rule about thoroughly checking all prospective employees, Red.”
    â€œBut he’s a very old friend, sir,” Red protested. “I can vouch for him.”
    â€œI hope so, because we already have a serious security problem. Big Harry and Crafty caught the younger son of Fenton Hardy and a companion inside the warehouse this afternoon.”
    â€œAgain! Both Hardys were here this morning, but they got away. Who was Joe’s companion?”
    â€œSomeone named Vern Nelson.”
    Red and Jivaro looked at each other. “The same pair!” Red said.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” the boss asked.
    â€œWe almost had them earlier today. Did they get away again?”
    The boss shook his head. “Not this time. They’re trussed up in the machine shop.”
    â€œWhat were they after?”
    â€œI haven’t interrogated them, because I prefer not to have my face seen by people outside the organization. ”
    â€œThe older Hardy boy is still around somewhere,” Red said, “and so is another friend named Chet Morton.”
    The boss frowned. “They could be lurking around here. You better search the whole area.”
    â€œI think they’d be too scared,” Anton Jivaro spoke up. “We left a warning in their hotel room to go back to Bayport.”
    â€œLook anyway,” the boss instructed.
    He continued out the front door while Red and Jivaro went into the office. Frank motioned for Chet to follow him, and the two tiptoed over to the machine shop. They slipped inside and closed the door behind them.
    Joe and Vern lay on the floor, tied and gagged!
    â€œI’ll take care of them,” Frank whispered to Chet. “You’d better open the door just a crack and watch if anyone’s coming.”
    Chet nodded. While Frank removed the gags from the prisoners’ mouths, the chubby boy silently turned the doorknob to peek out. Then he gasped.
    He was staring directly into Red Sluice’s face!

11 Overboard!
    Chet tried to close the door, but Red kicked it open with his foot, and the boy jumped back in order to avoid being batted.
    Then Red Sluice, Anton Jivaro, Crafty Kraft, and Big Harry poured into the room. Frank had not yet succeeded in loosening either Joe’s or Vern’s bonds, so it was four against two. There was a fierce struggle but the hoods finally subdued the young detectives, tying their hands behind them.
    When the boys were safely bound, Red declared with satisfaction, “You two saved me the trouble of hunting you down.”
    Crafty Kraft asked, “Now what?”
    â€œUntie the feet of those two so they can walk,” Big Harry ordered, pointing to Joe and Vern. “Then load all four of them on your truck.”
    â€œAre we going over to the island now?” Crafty asked.
    Big Harry shook his head. “We have to wait until morning because I can’t get away tonight. But I want them out of here. They’ll be safe tied up on the boat. ”
    Red scowled. “I’d rather get it over with tonight.”
    â€œCan you run the boat?” Big Harry countered.
    Red shook his head, and then looked hopefully over at his partners. Crafty Kraft and Anton both admitted they knew nothing about boats either.
    The boys were put in the rear of the eighteen-wheel truck. Sluice and Jivaro got in with them as guards, while the tattooed Crafty drove.
    â€œWhere are we going?” Frank asked Red as the truck began to move.
    â€œTerminal Island,” Red told him.
    â€œI thought that was a prison,” Joe said.
    â€œThere’s a federal prison there, but the Los Angeles Harbor’s there too.”
    â€œWhat kind of boat does Big Harry have?” Anton Jivaro asked Red.
    â€œA thirty-six-footer with twin diesel engines. Sleeps six and has a cruising range of one thousand miles.”
    â€œWill we be going that far?” Chet asked, worried.
    â€œYou’ll only be going about