Chet Morton's car hummed through the New Jersey night. This latest version of 'Queenie', the nickname he gave all his cars, was a lovingly-repaired 1928 Durant coach. The Hardy boys shared their friend's affection for the machine. There was something about the swelling black curves of its fenders and the lemon-yellow body, smooth and glossy as a candy coating, that were irresistible.
Joe, sitting in the back seat, put his face to the open window and felt the rush of cool air take his breath away. He loved drives through the countryside. He loved the smell of the meadowlands mixed with a hint of salt sea air.
"Some day, everyone in America will have a car," said Chet. "Won't that be great?"
"Yeah, but then the roads would be jam-packed with cars," warned a skeptical Frank. "They'd have to widen the roads to eight, ten lanes and it still won't be enough. We'll all be stuck in traffic, crawling along. And from the highways you won't be able to see the country. There'll be billboards and cheap motels blocking the view."
Joe laughed. "You're such a pessimist, brother." He looked out the window. The road was brushing the coastline. He felt like shouting,"The world is young! We're young! The moon is rising over the Atlantic and we don't have to worry about school because we're on spring break!"
In front of the College of Engineering building at New York University's West Bronx campus a line of students was marching back and forth carrying picket signs. From the messages it was clear that they were protesting the university's involvement with Prof. Heinze. They said such things as, "No collaboration with Nazis", "Kill German millitarization before it kills us", and "Heinze puts the weapons in the Fascist butchers' hands". Frank suspected there was only one "L" in "militarization". As the Hardys and Chet mounted the front steps, protesters pressed leaflets into their hands. Frank snatched a brief glimpse at his leaftlet. Responsibility for the protest was claimed by a group calling itself 'The Student Anti-Fascist Coalition'. At the bottom there was an invitation to another protest, planned for a meeting of 'The German-American Alliance' on Friday.
"Vanished? How is that possible?" Chet Morton was in the hallway standing in front of the wide metal door to lecture hall 109.
Craig Shelbourne stood beside the door. "Prof. Heinze contacted the department yesterday and said the public lecture had to be cancelled. We tried to phone him but he wasn't in. Today, Prof. Lombard went to see him in his hotel room but no one was there."
Frank Hardy stepped forward. "Let's not get alarmed. I'm sure there's a simple explanation."
"I think you should see Prof. Coville," said the red-headed student. "He's in his office one floor up. It's room 212. The stairs are over there."
"Aren't you coming with us?"
Craig looked apologetic. "No, I should stay here. Somebody should be here if there are questions." He fumbled nervously in his pocket for a packet of cigarettes and matches. They watched him light up. In the meantime, people came up to the metal door, read the notice taped to it, and turned to leave. Most were students but Joe also noticed an older man with short gray hair wearing a black trenchcoat.
Prof. Coville was behind his desk and speaking to Martin Lombard when they came to the open door. The office was crammed with tall bookcases and metal file cabinets. Most of one wall was a blackboard. Books, file folders, notebooks and loose sheets of paper flowed from Prof. Coville's ample desk over every available horizontal surface, including the top of the ornate brass radiator. Frank thought it was a modest office for such an important figure.
"Come in, come in. No doubt Mr. Shelbourne has already described the situation to you." Prof. Coville wore his anxiety clearly on his face. He hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette in a glass ashtray.
"You don't think something unfortunate has happened to Dr. Heinze, do you?" asked Frank.
"We have reasons for grave concern for Otto." Prof. Coville paused to consider.
"Professor," interjected Lombard, "might we not take advantage of the fortuitous connection these boys have with the matter and ask them to make use of their well-known expertise?"
"Yes, certainly, Martin. Well, everyone's heard of the Hardy Boys and their adventures. I don't live under a rock, you know. Under a pile of books, maybe." He chuckled at his own joke.
"We'd be happy to do anything we can to help," volunteered Joe. He observed that Prof. Coville spoke with animation and emphasis in his words. The professor must enjoy giving lectures, he thought. On the other hand, Lombard was bland and precise. He sounded like an engineer.
"Good. Now, as for Otto, what we know is that he is part of a top secret research group. We can assume that they are working on rocket weapons. Otto has told us that the purpose of his trip to the United States is to tap into the expertise of certain other researchers in this country, including Martin here. We have been advised by the State Department not to cooperate if it aids weapons development. Now you may know that there are groups in this country who fear and revile the threat they believe Germany poses. They would not hesitate to threaten or harm Dr. Heinze if they felt it would hinder German militarization."
"Have you received any threats?" Frank inquired.
"Not as yet. We have tried to keep the significance of Dr. Heinze's visit under wraps. As far as the public knows, it's a normal academic exchange. He'll give public lectures, hold some seminars for students, that sort of thing.
"However," Prof. Coville continued, "that is only part of the picture. There are some of his own people who believe that this explanation of the motive behind the trip is only a ruse. They suspect that Otto intends to deliver his work and his knowledge to us, the United States. They think, in other words, that he is a traitor. Otto said that he felt sure his mail was being read, his telephone conversations monitored, and that some of the people he works with on a daily basis are, in fact, agents of his government."
"You've spelled it out very clearly for us," Joe commented.
"We're grateful for your trust," added Frank.
"About the specifics of the case," Joe continued, "what exactly did Mr. Heinze say when he cancelled the lecture?"
"Ah, I'm afraid I can't tell you," answered Prof. Coville. "He phoned the department and left a message."
"You didn't actually hear his voice. That's interesting."
"He apparently didn't give any reason for the cancellation."
Joe turned to Prof. Lombard. "I know it's an obvious point but you seemed concerned about the trip from the air base into town. Did you notice anyone following you? Was there anything suspicious?"
"No, we certainly didn't notice anything. But I might add, someone could easily have been waiting for us at a road junction near town and joined the stream of traffic. There would have been too much traffic at that point for us to notice one car."
"You last saw Mr. Heinze…?"
Prof. Coville answered. "On Monday. He came to the department. We had lunch and chatted. Martin let it be known that we weren't at liberty to help him with any of his technical problems. He was disappointed but his spirits seemed cheerful."
"He didn't give any indication at the time that he had been threatened or was afraid?"
"Not at all. As I say, he seemed quite cheerful."
"Did he say what he planned to do the next day?"
"No, he didn't."
"Fellows, I'll have to get going now." Chet gave a quick wave and started to back out of the room. "Please stay in touch. I want to hear the rest of this case." The Hardy brothers were dismayed that in their concentration on the facts being presented to them they had forgotten about their friend
"Is it possible," asked Frank, turning his attention back to Prof. Coville, "that we could see Mr. Heinze's hotel room tonight?"
"I'd be happy to take them," said Lombard rising from his chair. "I managed to convince the front desk clerk to admit me to the room this afternoon. I'm sure there will be no objections."
"Let us phone home and let our parents know," said Frank. "I think we'll have to stay in a hotel in the city until we get to the bottom of Mr. Heinze's disappearance."
"I'm sure we can find some way to pay for your expenses out of the department's budget," Prof. Coville hastened to add.
"Luckily, it's spring break and we have time for this," said Joe. Secretly, he was much happier being on a case than sitting in a lecture hall, even for a topic he might have been interested in.