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

"How odd!" exclaimed Mrs. Morton, and Iola added, "It's positively spooky!"
Her father frowned uneasily, "Frank, you and Joe have had experience with this
sort of thing. What do you think we should do?"
"If you don't mind, Mr. Morton, I'd like to take both the dummy and the diamonds
home with us, so we can investigate them further."
"All right, you do that!" From the tone of his voice, Chet's father sounded
relieved to have the disturbing objects removed from his house before the
thieves might pay a return visit,
Before leaving, Frank telephoned his father's top investigator, Sam Radley, and
asked him to meet the brothers at the Hardy home.
"I'll start at once," the detective promised.
Soon after the boys reached their house, they heard Sam's car pull into the
driveway. Joe hurried to let him in.
"What's up, boys?" asked the muscular, sandy-haired detective as soon as he was
seated in the living room.
Frank briefed him quickly, then showed Sam the dummy and the curious-looking
stones. The detective picked up one of the gems and held it to the light. Then
he took a jeweler's loupe from his pocket and scrutinized the stone carefully,
"It's an uncut diamond, all right," Sam announced. He examined the others.
"Several carats altogether; the lot of them should be worth a good sum of
money." He advised the boys to notify Mr. Hardy about their find as soon as
possible.
Joe warmed up the short-wave radio transmitter and tuned to the Hardys' special
frequency for secret communications. He spoke into the mike:
"Bayport calling Fenton H. in Puerto Rico! Come in, please!"
Again and again Joe repeated the call. But transmitting conditions were poor and
he failed to make contact.
"Never mind," said Frank. "We'll try again tomorrow."
"Which reminds me," Sam Radley put in. "I have news for you two."
He reported that Jack Wayne had spotted a car, tent, and trailer which might
belong to Hugo and Abdul. He had made the discovery while flying over a wooded
area fifty miles away.
"He couldn't get any answer to a phone call here, so he contacted me," Sam
explained. "Told me he was planning to take you up for a look-see at five
tomorrow morning. He didn't think the trailer would pull out before that."
The boys were jubilant at the news, and called Jack to say they would be on hand
promptly for the take-off.
Early the next morning Frank and Joe hopped out of bed the instant their alarm
clock rang. After breakfast they drove to the airport.
Jack Wayne had his own ship, Skyhappy Sal, fueled and ready on the runway. He
was talking to Tony Prito, a good friend of the Hardy boys. During the summer
the handsome, dark-eyed, olive-skinned boy drove a truck for his father's
construction firm.
"Hi, fellows!" Tony greeted them. "Dad gave me the morning off. I decided to get
some exercise and hike out here to see your dad's new plane. Boy, it's a real
beauty! Say, you Hardys are on the job early. Another case?"
Frank explained briefly what their mission was, and Jack asked, "Want to come up
with us? I have room for another passenger and we'll be back soon."
Tony enthusiastically accepted, and a few minutes later they took off. As the
plane soared high above Bayport, Jack turned to Joe.