800 miles away Frank and Joe Hardy were playing touch foot ball with some of their closest friends in their backyard, while more cheered them on.
"Come on guys!" Joe said in his team's huddle durring half-time"We can come back and win still!"
The score was 21-7, and not in favor of Joe's team. "No, I don't think we can." Said Chet Morten, wipping sweat from his brow
Just then a siren pierced the air, getting louder every second.Frank ran around the side of the yard with everyone following close behind.When they got to the sidewalk out in front of the Hardy's house, they saw two police cars stopped outside of a house down the street.
"Look! They're stopped in front of Mr. Carterson's!" Exclaimed Biff Hooper.Everyone went down the street to see what had happend.
Officer Rhyllie- an officer that knew Frank and Joe fairly well - saw the small herd of teens headed his way and nudged his partner. "Uh-oh, better call for back-up!We've got trouble!" He said chuckling, and everyone laughed with him. Joe stuck his finger and thumb in the air, immitating a gun, said "You got that right!Now hand over your vauluables!"
Officer Rhylie chuckled slightly, then turned serious."I would, but we've already been cleaned out here..." he trailed off nodding towards Mr. Carterson's house. "Is Mr. Carterson okay?"Frank spoke up, concerned for the nice old man that he could remember giving his brother and him candy when they were young.
"Yeah,"the other officer- Officer Jimney Joe read off his badge- said."you two," he said pointing at Frank and Joe, "must be Frank and Joe Hardy." the two boys nodded and he continued. "I've heard about you.Yes Mr. Carterson is okay.The theives didn't get much but we think...oh never mind you don't need to worry." He finnished up quickly after stopping in mid-sentance, realizing he didn't know all of these kids, or their backrounds.
After a bit more talking everyone started heading back to Frank and Joe's yard to finnish the football game.
"Biff!" Mrs. Hooper called from the hooper's front porch."Dinner time!" Biff looked at his watch "Quarter to six!" he exclaimed."I didn't know it was that late!" Others made simular exclaimations and soon everyone dispursed and the game was officially declaired over.
Later at dinner Frank ate slowly, looking thoughfully into space, hardly touching his ham and potatoes.Joe however did touch his- all three servings of it. Mrs. Hardy noticed Frank's lack of appitite. "Frank, you've hardly touched your food...Are you feeling alright?" She asked as Joe finnished up his third helping.
Joe answered for him."Don't worry mom ," he said with a grin. "I'm eating enough for both of us." Frank gave a half smile towards Joe."I'm fine," he said after his eyes lost the spacy look. "I was just thinking about Mr. Carterson." Mrs. Hardy gave a knowing nod."Yes, the poor man.I went over to see him a bit before dinner." she said "He was a bit shaken up."
Fenton Hardy sighed deeply, making his presence known at the table."I hope they catch whoever did this, soon." He said. "I can remember, when we first moved in, he and his wife-you boys wouldn't remember her.Frank was only two when she died - uh..." he paused trying to remember what he was going to say. "Oh yes, they invited us over for dinner the first night.Mmmm.I can still taste that chicken pot pie."he trailed off with his hand rubbing his belly, and a far away look in his eyes.
Frank got up and went over to the phone and picked it up "Well I'm going to call Cheif Collig-" he paused to dial "-that new officer was starting to say something, then stopped in the middle of his sentence.Probley because there were other people there-hello? yes may I speak to..."
Laura, Fenton , and Joe started clearing the table, listening when they were in hearing distance.
"Hello Cheif, it's Frank.Yes, about the robbery...mm-hmm.ok-" he got a pen and paper out and started wrighting fast "-yes, he was talking but he stopped..."
After a few more yes's, ok's, and hm-mms, Frank thanked the Cheif and hung up.
"Well?" Joe pressed "What did he say?"Frank looked at him a smile playing on his lips."Be patient Joe."
his mother scolded. "Well, Officer Jimney, who just joined the force, is off duty right now, but Cheif Collig filled me in." He paused reading the paper that he had filled up with information.
"Why don't you boys sit down." Laura suggested "And I'll cut up that blueberry pie I made this after-
noon." The three men agreed to this and settled down back at the table. "Cheif Collig said that Mr. Carterson's house was the sixth burglery in the past three weeks.All six were simular, in the middle of the afternoon-" Frank paused to take a bite of the pie his mother had just set down in front of him "mmm this is good mom.Uh, they took everything they could get their hands on,and in every case except one, the owners were home.There were anywhere from three to six men, depending on the size of the house."
They all turned the information over in their heads.
Joe broke the silence. "Ok.Sounds like a burglery ring...what about the one were the owners weren't home?" He asked.
Frank turned his head towards Joe."Thats what the police are thinking.As for the one where the owners weren't home, their three kids were home with a baby-sitter, and a dog.
The kids are three, six, and eight.The baby-sitter is seventeen, and the dog is her's" he continued through bites of pie. "In that one they broke in through the garage.They were all in the kitchen except the youngest was taking a nap upstairs.The dog attacked one of the men and scared them off.They jumped into a car that was waiting for them-" he looked down at the paper "a black dodge pick-up.
The Cheif said if we want to take the case, we can come in tomorrow to get more information.He said the station is swamped, and it sounded like it." Frank added.
Before he could ask Joe, Joe spoke up ''We'll take it!"They look to their parents for permission.
"You have our permission." Fenton said after getting a nod from Laura. "On one condition-"
"Be careful, we know." Frank and Joe said in unison.They burst out laughing, and turned their attention to their pie and talked of their plans for the next few days before heading off to bed."Goodnight boys their mom called up the stairs as they headed to bed and she and Fenton finnished up the dishes.
"Goodnight!" Frank and Joe called back down.They then said goodnight to themselves and went to their own bedrooms after agreeing to go to the station first thing in the morning.
"Come on guys!" Joe said in his team's huddle durring half-time"We can come back and win still!"
The score was 21-7, and not in favor of Joe's team. "No, I don't think we can." Said Chet Morten, wipping sweat from his brow
Just then a siren pierced the air, getting louder every second.Frank ran around the side of the yard with everyone following close behind.When they got to the sidewalk out in front of the Hardy's house, they saw two police cars stopped outside of a house down the street.
"Look! They're stopped in front of Mr. Carterson's!" Exclaimed Biff Hooper.Everyone went down the street to see what had happend.
Officer Rhyllie- an officer that knew Frank and Joe fairly well - saw the small herd of teens headed his way and nudged his partner. "Uh-oh, better call for back-up!We've got trouble!" He said chuckling, and everyone laughed with him. Joe stuck his finger and thumb in the air, immitating a gun, said "You got that right!Now hand over your vauluables!"
Officer Rhylie chuckled slightly, then turned serious."I would, but we've already been cleaned out here..." he trailed off nodding towards Mr. Carterson's house. "Is Mr. Carterson okay?"Frank spoke up, concerned for the nice old man that he could remember giving his brother and him candy when they were young.
"Yeah,"the other officer- Officer Jimney Joe read off his badge- said."you two," he said pointing at Frank and Joe, "must be Frank and Joe Hardy." the two boys nodded and he continued. "I've heard about you.Yes Mr. Carterson is okay.The theives didn't get much but we think...oh never mind you don't need to worry." He finnished up quickly after stopping in mid-sentance, realizing he didn't know all of these kids, or their backrounds.
After a bit more talking everyone started heading back to Frank and Joe's yard to finnish the football game.
"Biff!" Mrs. Hooper called from the hooper's front porch."Dinner time!" Biff looked at his watch "Quarter to six!" he exclaimed."I didn't know it was that late!" Others made simular exclaimations and soon everyone dispursed and the game was officially declaired over.
Later at dinner Frank ate slowly, looking thoughfully into space, hardly touching his ham and potatoes.Joe however did touch his- all three servings of it. Mrs. Hardy noticed Frank's lack of appitite. "Frank, you've hardly touched your food...Are you feeling alright?" She asked as Joe finnished up his third helping.
Joe answered for him."Don't worry mom ," he said with a grin. "I'm eating enough for both of us." Frank gave a half smile towards Joe."I'm fine," he said after his eyes lost the spacy look. "I was just thinking about Mr. Carterson." Mrs. Hardy gave a knowing nod."Yes, the poor man.I went over to see him a bit before dinner." she said "He was a bit shaken up."
Fenton Hardy sighed deeply, making his presence known at the table."I hope they catch whoever did this, soon." He said. "I can remember, when we first moved in, he and his wife-you boys wouldn't remember her.Frank was only two when she died - uh..." he paused trying to remember what he was going to say. "Oh yes, they invited us over for dinner the first night.Mmmm.I can still taste that chicken pot pie."he trailed off with his hand rubbing his belly, and a far away look in his eyes.
Frank got up and went over to the phone and picked it up "Well I'm going to call Cheif Collig-" he paused to dial "-that new officer was starting to say something, then stopped in the middle of his sentence.Probley because there were other people there-hello? yes may I speak to..."
Laura, Fenton , and Joe started clearing the table, listening when they were in hearing distance.
"Hello Cheif, it's Frank.Yes, about the robbery...mm-hmm.ok-" he got a pen and paper out and started wrighting fast "-yes, he was talking but he stopped..."
After a few more yes's, ok's, and hm-mms, Frank thanked the Cheif and hung up.
"Well?" Joe pressed "What did he say?"Frank looked at him a smile playing on his lips."Be patient Joe."
his mother scolded. "Well, Officer Jimney, who just joined the force, is off duty right now, but Cheif Collig filled me in." He paused reading the paper that he had filled up with information.
"Why don't you boys sit down." Laura suggested "And I'll cut up that blueberry pie I made this after-
noon." The three men agreed to this and settled down back at the table. "Cheif Collig said that Mr. Carterson's house was the sixth burglery in the past three weeks.All six were simular, in the middle of the afternoon-" Frank paused to take a bite of the pie his mother had just set down in front of him "mmm this is good mom.Uh, they took everything they could get their hands on,and in every case except one, the owners were home.There were anywhere from three to six men, depending on the size of the house."
They all turned the information over in their heads.
Joe broke the silence. "Ok.Sounds like a burglery ring...what about the one were the owners weren't home?" He asked.
Frank turned his head towards Joe."Thats what the police are thinking.As for the one where the owners weren't home, their three kids were home with a baby-sitter, and a dog.
The kids are three, six, and eight.The baby-sitter is seventeen, and the dog is her's" he continued through bites of pie. "In that one they broke in through the garage.They were all in the kitchen except the youngest was taking a nap upstairs.The dog attacked one of the men and scared them off.They jumped into a car that was waiting for them-" he looked down at the paper "a black dodge pick-up.
The Cheif said if we want to take the case, we can come in tomorrow to get more information.He said the station is swamped, and it sounded like it." Frank added.
Before he could ask Joe, Joe spoke up ''We'll take it!"They look to their parents for permission.
"You have our permission." Fenton said after getting a nod from Laura. "On one condition-"
"Be careful, we know." Frank and Joe said in unison.They burst out laughing, and turned their attention to their pie and talked of their plans for the next few days before heading off to bed."Goodnight boys their mom called up the stairs as they headed to bed and she and Fenton finnished up the dishes.
"Goodnight!" Frank and Joe called back down.They then said goodnight to themselves and went to their own bedrooms after agreeing to go to the station first thing in the morning.