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The Flash in the Tower · The Tower Treasure

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  Chapter twenty of The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon. This LibriVox recording
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  is in the public domain Chapter twenty, The Flash and the Tower. For
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  two days after the unsuccessful search of Tower Mansion, there were no further developments
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  in the affair of the robbery, but on the third day Chief Colleague took
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  a hand. The first intimation the Hardy boys had of it was when they
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  met Calli Shaw and Iola Morton on their way to school. Iola, a
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  plump, dark girl, was a sister of Chet Morton, and had achieved
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  the honor of being about the only girl Joe Hardy had ever conceded to be
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  anything but an unmitigated nuisance. Joe, who was shy in the presence of
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  girls, professed a lofty scorn for all members of the other sex, particularly
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  those of high school age, but had once grudgingly admitted that Iola Morton was
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  all right for a girl. This from him was high praise. Have you
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  heard what's happened? Asked Calli as they met the near the school entrance.
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  School called off for today, asked Joe eagerly. No, No, nothing
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  like that. It's about the Robinsons. What's happened now? Mister Robinson has
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  been arrested again. The Hardy Boys stared at her as though thunderstruck. What
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  for, demanded Frank in astonishment over that robbery at Tower Mansion. He has
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  been working in the city lately, and chief colleagues sent Detective Smuff for him
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  last night. Iola and I were over to see the Robinson girls last night
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  and they told us about it. Smuff should be back by now. Well
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  can you beat that? Exclaimed Frank. I wonder what's the big idea of
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  arresting him again. It seems the Chief has an idea that mister Robinson was
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  in league with this man Jackly, the man your father got the confession from.
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  He told missus Robinson last night that he was sure mister Robinson had the
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  stuff hidden somewhere and that he was going to find out. He was perfectly
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  mean and nasty about it, and Missus Robinson doesn't know what to do.
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  The Hardy Boys looked at one another. The affair had suddenly assumed more serious
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  proportions. If mister Robinson is brought back, he'll lose his job, and
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  he had a hard time getting it anyway, said Iola. The worst of
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  it is, said Frank, slowly that the case looks pretty bad against mister
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  Robinson. You don't think they'll send him to the penitentiary. It looked bad.
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  The thief said he hid the stuff in the old tower. When we
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  looked for it, the stuff wasn't there about the only person that could have
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  found it and taken it away was mister Robinson himself. He wouldn't do it,
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  declared Iola, indignantly. We're sure he wouldn't, but a jury mightn't
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  be so easy to convince. It was time to go into school at that
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  moment, and they went to their classrooms. Frank and Joe deeply worried by
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  what they had just heard. At recess that morning, they met Jerry,
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  Phil, Tony, and Chet Morton and told them the news. All the
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  boys were highly concerned over this sudden turn and events. This will be tough
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  on Perry, said Phil. It'll be tough on the whole family. Chat
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  declared, They've had enough trouble over this dirty affair as it is. The
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  boys discussed the situation from all angles and racked their brains for some way whereby
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  they could help the Robinsons, but they were reluctantly forced to admit that only
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  by actual discovery of the hidden loot could mister Robinson be cleared of suspicion in
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  connection with the robbery. Even if he were tried and acquitted, it would
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  be a stain on his reputation for the rest of his life as long as
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  the treasure isn't recovered. Frank summed up, We'll just have to wait and
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  see what happens, Joe said, We've done all we could and it hasn't
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  been enough, and Dad has done the same. I'm sorry on his account.
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  He was so sure he had cleared the whole thing up when he got
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  the confession from Jackie. But there was something lacking. Well, we all
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  helped too, remarked Jerry. We kept Colling and Smuff from catching that train.
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  Jackie wouldn't have talked at all if they had seen him so reluctantly enough,
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  the boys were forced to admit that they were facing a stone wall.
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  This also was the conclusion of Fenton Hardy when they talked to him at lunch
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  that day. There's nothing to be done, said the detective. Robinson has
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  been arrested, and while he might be cleared by a skillful lawyer, he
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  hasn't any money to spend on his defense. Whether he is cleared or not,
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  his reputation is ruined unless the loot is found. Put in Joe,
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  Yes, unless the loot is found, that is his only hope. But
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  I don't think there is much chance of that. And there the mystery of
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  Tower Mansion rested for the time being. The arrest of mister Robinson furnished a
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  sensation for a day or so, and then the case receded into the background,
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  the newspapers finding other things to become excited about. But for the Robinsons
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  it was naturally enough a matter of supreme moment. Perry Robinson paid a call
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  at the Hardy home, pleading with the great detective to continue his efforts to
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  clear the accused man. Mister Hardy was sympathetic, but, as he said,
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  he was facing a stone wall. I've done all I can, my
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  boy, he explained to the grief stricken Lamb. If there was anything more
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  I could do, I would do it. But there are no more clues.
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  If Red Jackally's confession couldn't clear up the affair, than nothing else could.
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  I'm afraid. He left the sentence unfinished. Do you mean my father
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  will go to jail. I wouldn't say that, but you must be prepared
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  to face the worst. He didn't do it, said Perry doggedly. I
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  know you have confidence in him, but the law looks only at the facts.
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  Many an innocent man has been convicted on less evidence. It will kill
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  my mother. Mister Hardy was silent. I don't know what to do,
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  said Perry. I'd do anything to save him, but there's nothing. There
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  is nothing any of us can do now, unless by some lucky chance,
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  the looters recovered. That would clear everything up, of course, but in
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  the meantime we just have to wait and hope, and you can't do anything
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  more. Mister Hardy. A detective is not a miracle man, my boy,
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  said Fenton Hardy kindly. He is only a man who is trained in
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  tracing criminals. He has to go by the facts at his disposal. I
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  have exhausted every line of action in this case. Everything that could be done
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  has been done. Perry Robinson got up, twisting his cap nervously in his
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  hands. We all thank you very much too, mister Hardy, he said
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  huskily. Don't think I've been ungrateful by coming here and asking you to do
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  more. I guess I didn't realize just how hopeless it is. It isn't
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  hopeless exactly. Don't think that there's always hope, you know, but be
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  prepared for the worst. I'll have to be with that. The boy left.
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  Frank and Joe met him in the hallway and awkwardly tried to express their
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  sympathy. Perry was grateful. I know both of you have done a lot
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  for us in this mess, he said. If it hadn't been for you,
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  we wouldn't even have Jackie's story to go on. We're only sorry it
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  didn't work out as we hoped, Perry. Frank said, we thought that
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  would clear the whole thing up. Instead, it seems to involve your father
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  deeper than ever. It wasn't your fault. Perhaps something will turn up yet.
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  Joe and I aren't going to lie down on the job now. There
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  isn't much we can do, but we'll have our eyes open for more clues,
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  if there are any. Parry Robinson shrugged his shoulders dispiritedly. I guess
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  there isn't much use now, he said, but I appreciate it of you.
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  When he went away, the Hardy boys watched him going down the front
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  walk. His carefree stride was gone, and instead he walked mechanically, as
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  though in a daze. What a fine pair of detectives we are, exclaimed
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  Frank in sudden disgust. If we had been any good at all, we
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  would have got those clues soon enough for Dad to have caught Jackie in time.
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  No use worrying about that, now, replied his brother. It was
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  just the way things happened. Well, there's one thing left. We must
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  find that loot. Haven't we tried, Yes, but we can try some
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  more. We've just got to clear mister Robinson, and there's only the one
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  way we must find the loot. It was a dull, gloomy day,
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  indicative of brain and this did not add to the boy's spirits. To ease
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  their feelings, the brothers took a walk, and quite unconsciously, their steps
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  took them in the vicinity of Tower Mansion. Let's have a squint at the
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  old place from the outside, suggested Joe. Don't let Adelia see you,
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  or she'll come after you with a broomstick, chuckled Frank. Gee, but
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  she is a tartar. They walked into the grounds. It was growing darker
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  now and they easily made their way among the trees and bushes to the vicinity
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  of the Rambling mansion. They gazed up at the old tower questioningly. Some
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  puzzle, was Frank's comment. Will the case of the tower treasure ever be
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  solved? Search me? Was his brother's slanging answer. Perhaps, Oh,
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  Frank, look, he added. Suddenly he was gazing at the upper windows
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  of the old stone tower. He had seen a strain flash of light.
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  Now this flash was followed by another. That's queer, muttered Frank, What
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  can it mean? The light disappeared, Then of a sudden it flashed out
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  and downward in the direction of the lads. Must be looking for us,
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  gasped Joe, and started to get behind a bush. It's Adelia, and
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  she has a big flashlight, came a moment later from Frank. What do
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  you know about that? She's looking for the treasure herself, cried Joe.
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  Huh, and after all she said about our looking being nothing but foolishness.
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  They saw the woman gaze out of the window for a few seconds. In
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  one hand she held the flashlight. For a moment she turned the light into
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  her own face, and the boys saw there a look of utter disgust didn't
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  find it. I'll bet a cookie, chuckled Joe. Come on, let's
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  get away before she spots Us. Returned his brother, and they were soon
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  on their way. As they walked home, Joe and Frank talked the matter
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  over. They smiled when they thought of the eccentric woman up in the that
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  dusty old tower, but their minds soon went back to Slim and the troubles
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  of the Robinson family. We've got to find that loot, declared Frank emphatically.
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  No matter where that tower treasure is, we've got to find it.
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  Got to But can we We simply have to, I tell you. End
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  of Chapter twenty