"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 037 - The Ghost At Skeleton Rock (Original)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)

out o' luck."
"Just a minute!" said the tall man, stepping forward. "That dummy is exactly
what I been lookin' for. How much is the kid payin' for it?"
"Eighteen dollars and ninety-five cents."
"Then I'll give you twenty bucks!"
Mr. Bivven hesitated. He hated to lose the extra profit, but Chet was a good
customer and he didn't want to offend him.
"Nope. I'm sorry, the deal's already closed."
"Twenty-five!"
Mr. Bivven gulped and shook his head. "I told you before, mister, it's no go.
First come, first served. Dummy's already sold to Chet here."
Grinning triumphantly, Chet counted out the money. But as the proprietor turned
to ring up the sale on the cash register, the short man suddenly whipped out a
shiny, blue-steel revolver.
"It's a cinch that gun's no toy!" thought Joe, wincing.
"We want that dummy!" snarled the short man.
As Chet stood quaking, the tall fellow grabbed Hugo off the counter!
CHAPTER IV
A Double Burglary
THE armed intruders kept the boys and Mr. Bivven covered as they backed hastily
toward the door with the Hugo dummy.
"Don't try any hero stuff and don't call the cops after we leave," warned the
swarthy gunman. "If you do, you'll sure regret it!"
Then the tall man jerked open the door and the two dashed out to a car parked at
the curb. Frank and Joe rushed to the window just in time to see the short man
slide behind the wheel.
"Watch it, fellows," Chet begged.
Pale and trembling with excitement, he half expected to see the store's show
window shattered by a hail of bullets. Instead, the engine roared and the car, a
green sedan, sped away.
"No luck on the license number!" Joe groaned, "The rear plate was caked with
mud."
"After them!" Frank cried, dashing out the door.
The Hardys leaped into their convertible and took, off. Luckily, traffic was
light. In the distance Joe caught a glimpse of the getaway car. "There it is!
"he yelled.
Frank speeded up. The green car whined in a turn to the right at the next
intersection. As the convertible followed, the other car suddenly put on a fresh
burst of speed.
"They must have spotted us in their rear-view mirror," Frank muttered through
clenched teeth.
As the chase continued, the green car shot through a stop sign. When the boys
reached the crossing, a stream of traffic barred the way. Then a huge tank truck
halted for a left turn, completely blocking the intersection. By the time the
route was clear, the getaway car was nowhere in sight.
"What luck!" Joe groaned.
The boys cruised around for a while, hoping to locate the trail again, but
finally gave up.
"Guess we may as well go back and get Chet," Frank sighed.
A police squad car was parked in front of the novelty shop. When the Hardys