Frank drew the chief aside and asked quietly, "How about Dad and his men? Have they located Chet and Biff?"
The chief shook his head. "They should have radioed in by now," he replied. "Let's see what we can get out of the prisoner." He walked over and stood in front of Duke. "If you know what's good for you-" he began but was interrupted by a clatter of feet outside.
The next moment Ben Stark and Moran, handcuffed together, entered the chief's office,
followed by Fenton Hardy and two policemen. "Dad!" cried Joe. "Did you find Chet and Biff?"
"No," said his father quietly. "Are you boys all right? You look as if you'd had a rough time."
"We're okay," Frank assured his father quickly. "Tell us your story."
"We followed Stark and Moran from Shantytown," his father explained. "They drove down to the docks and sat there, apparently waiting for a boat. When it didn't show up, they headed
back to Shantytown.
So did we. As soon as I saw that Pat was missing from his station, I knew you boys and your
guard had been brought here. We arrested these two right in the shack."
"Do Stark and Moran know where Biff and Chet are?" Joe asked.
"I think they know all right," Fenton Hardy said grimly. "But they're not talking."
Frank and Joe looked disappointed.
"Cheer up," Chief Collig advised them. "You've done a terrific job. We can hold these three on a charge of kidnaping you. After we've checked the prints on the masks you found, we'll probably be able to identify them conclusively as the bank robbers."
After the sullen prisoners were taken away. Frank and Joe told their father and the police what had
happened to them. Then the Hardys left the station and piled into the detective's car.
"We'll pick up our motorcycles tomorrow," Frank said.
When they reached home, the three shared a late supper of cold chicken, milk, and apple pie.
Then they went straight to bed.
The next morning, as the boys were coming downstairs to breakfast, the telephone rang. "I'll get it," said Mr. Hardy, picking up the receiver.
A few minutes later he joined the boys in the dining room. "That was Chief Collig," the detective announced. "The fingerprints of Ben Stark, Fritz Stark, Duke, and Moran-all wanted by the police-were on the masks. One set of prints is unidentified."
"They probably belong to the big bald fellow," said Frank. "The one Mr. Caine mentioned."
"Caine!" exclaimed their father. "In all the excitement I forgot to tell you that Mr. Caine phoned yesterday just after you left for the costume shop. He wants you to call him."
At this news the boys hurried to the hall and Frank dialed the long-distance call to Northport. In a few seconds Frank was speaking to the friendly dock manager.
"You remember those fellows who rented the Black Cat from me?" he asked. "Well, one of 'em left an empty envelope in his hotel room. I own the hotel, that's how I found it. Thought it
might help you to track 'em down. Fritz Stark's address is on it."
"That's wonderful, Mr. Caine!" Frank cried out, and said to Joe, "He has what might be the Starks'
address." Turning back to the telephone, Frank asked, "Where was the letter from?"
"Let me see . . ." the dock manager said. "It's from Worldwide Radio Distributors, Yokohama, over in Japan!"
CHAPTER XVI
Skeleton Symbol
"MR. CAINE," said Frank in a puzzled tone, "may I have the address on the letter?"
After jotting down the information, Frank thanked him and said good-by. He told Joe, "Just a San Francisco hotel. But the sender was the distributor for radios in Yokohama."
"Sutton had a Yokohama radio!" Joe exclaimed. "And we saw him talking to Ben Stark that day at Shantytown."
"The radio seems to be a connection between them," Frank pointed out. "I think we'd better go back to the hi-fi shop, and find out more about the identity of Yokohama Super-X purchasers."
After eating breakfast, the boys hurried off, first to pick up their motorcycles, then to go to the hi-fi shop.
When they entered the store, the young clerk was glad to see them.
"Change your minds, fellows?" he asked hopefully. "Like to buy one of those sets?"
"We would like to look at them," Frank replied.
Immediately the clerk bustled off and returned with four of the compact little radios. "Go ahead," he invited. "Try them."
While Joe flicked the button on one set, the young man said, "These are neat. As I told you the other day, we buy them from a distributor in Japan." In response to Frank's query about who had purchased them, the clerk gave the customers' names, all familiar to the Hardys. None of
them could be suspect.
"Three of these radios came in yesterday afternoon. I could give you boys a good price, since we bought them at a big discount."
"How come?" Frank asked.
"Well, we didn't buy these from the distributor," the clerk admitted. "These were brought in by a fellow who wanted to sell them at a secondhand price, even though they're brand new. My
boss snapped up all three. He knows a bargain."
"I see." Frank nodded. "No questions asked."
"Oh, it's not anything illegal," the clerk hastened to say. "They were brought in by a respectable businessman, Mr. French, who owns the costume store down the street."
"Mr. French!" the boys echoed in amazement.
"Yes. What's so strange about that?"
"Oh, nothing, I guess," Frank replied. "You just reminded us that we must see Mr. French ourselves right away. The radios will have to wait. Come on, Joe!"
While the mystified clerk stared after the Hardys, they bolted from the shop and hurried along the sidewalk toward the costume shop.
"Mr. French again," Joe muttered, shaking his head. "Is he one of this gang?"
"Somehow I trust him," Frank replied. "Maybe the robbers are forcing him to play along with them, and have threatened harm to his family unless he does."
"He didn't look very happy the afternoon we picked up our costumes," Joe recalled. "Those men in his shop were threatening him. And when he came to our house in the middle of the
night, it was no mistake!"
"He knows Dad's a detective," Frank said. "I think he wanted him and was confused when we answered the door."
"Well, we'll soon find out," Joe said as they neared the shop.
"It looks closed," Frank remarked. The heavy door was shut and the blinds drawn. Going closer, the boys saw a sign in the window: CLOSED INDEFINITELY
"I wonder why," said Joe. "Has Mr. French gone out of business?"
"Hey," Frank cried out, "where are the gorilla and magician outfits that were in the window yesterday afternoon?"
Only one costume was now on display-a skeleton suit, which stood up with outspread arms, like
a scarecrow!
"I hate to think what that costume means, if it's a signal," Joe said.
"Never mind," Frank said. "We must find Mr. French. Perhaps he lives over the store." Frank strode to a door at one side of the building. "Yes, here's his name on the bell plate."
Impatiently the young detective jabbed with his thumb at the button. The bell sounded loudly
but no one answered.
"Hey!" came a sharp voice. "What are you two doing here?"
Frank and Joe whirled to face their two chums Jerry Gilroy and Tony Prito.
"We're sleuthing around," Joe replied, and grinned. "What are you fellows up to?"
Tony explained that he and Jerry were on an errand for Mr. Prito, then asked, "Have you found out anything more about Chet and Biff?"
"We found out plenty!" Joe exploded. "Chet and Biff were kidnaped by the bank robbers, who mistook them for Frank and me."
"What!" cried Tony and Jerry. While they listened intently, Frank and Joe gave the details of their adventure the night before.