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

As they started across the parking area, Joe caught his brother's eye. He made a
slight gesture toward the zippered case. Frank nodded.
Turning to Shanley, Frank started chattering casually. "Do you have an office
here in Eastern City?" he inquired.
While Frank distracted the detective's attention, Joe gave the zipper a quick
jerk. Inside, he caught a glimpse of several thin, flat boxes sealed in
cellophane. They bore a drug manufacturer's label with the name Variotrycin.
Joe pulled the zipper shut before Shanley noticed anything. The young
detective's mind was racing.
"Variotrycin's that new wonder drug I read about in the papers," Joe thought.
"But what has a new wonder drug to do with dummies and diamonds—or Skeleton Rock
176?"
Joe, deeply engrossed in trying to find an answer to the puzzle, was taken off
guard by three men who suddenly darted out from between two cars parked nearby.
"We'll take that case!" snarled the leader, a burly, baldheaded man in a polo
shirt.
"Oh, no, you won't!" Joe ducked, and threw up an arm to protect himself.
Frank leaped to his assistance, fists flying, as the hoodlums tried to grab the
case.
To their astonishment, Shanley had disappeared. But there was no time to
speculate about what had happened to him as Frank drove home a punch that split
the lip of his adversary, while Joe gave another of the men a blow that sent him
reeling.
In doing so, Joe dropped the case he had held under his left arm. As the young
detective stooped to pick it up, he was amazed to have it snatched from the
ground by none other than Shanley! The detective had crept up from behind.
"Thanks!" Shanley sneered, and sprinted for his car.
The Hardys were powerless to stop him. With the odds three against two, their
attackers were pressing the boys harder than before.
Furiously, Frank and Joe swung their fists with telling effect. One of their
opponents howled with pain as Joe caught him on the nose. A second later the
baldheaded leader winced and groaned under the walloping impact of Frank's fist
under his chin.
Even so, the fight began to go against the boys.
Step by step, they were being driven back and hemmed in against the bumper of a
parked car.
Then, suddenly, the tide of battle turned. The burly baldheaded man was jerked
around and struck on the jaw by a blow that rocked him on his heels.
"Tony!" Joe cheered. Heartened by the unexpected help, the Hardys put forth a
fresh surge of fighting fury.
Their assailants lost heart rapidly. "These guys are too tough! I'm gettin'
outta here!" gasped one of the ruffians. Pulling loose from the fray, he turned
and ran, with Tony after him.
The baldheaded ringleader followed, with Frank at his heels. As the third
hoodlum tried to join in the getaway, Joe dropped him with a flying tackle.
But the leader and the other ruffian kicked off their pursuers and leaped into a
car that was waiting for them on the road beyond the parking area. At the wheel
was Shanley!
Discouraged by this latest development, Frank and Tony went back to Joe, who was
holding their prisoner. The fellow was bony and pinched-faced, and wore a