Latest / Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery / 14 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon

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14 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon · Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The public domain Montrouse. Again, the hardy boys were not
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: discouraged by this failure. They realized that it was too
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: much to hope for success in their venture at the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: first trial, and resolved to lay their trap again. If
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: their parents were curious as to why they had remained
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: out so late, they gave no sign of it, and
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  Speaker 1: the following night, Frank and Joe again drove out along
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  Speaker 1: the shore road in their new car. This time they
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  Speaker 1: went to another parking place, not far from the spot
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  Speaker 1: where Isaac Fussy's automobile had been stolen. Again, they turned
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  Speaker 1: out the lights again, they crawled into the locker at
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  Speaker 1: the back, and again they remained in hiding while car
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: after car went by on the shore road. An hour passed.
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  Speaker 1: Looks as if we're out of luck again, whispered Joe.
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  Speaker 1: We'll stay a little while longer. Frank switched on his
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  Speaker 1: flashlight and glanced at his watch. It was almost ten o'clock.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: They heard an automobile roar passed at tremendous speed, and
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  Speaker 1: a few moments later there was a heavy rumble of
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  Speaker 1: a truck. Funny time of night for a truck to
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: be out. Frank remarked that first car was sure breaking
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  Speaker 1: all speed laws. After a long time, Frank again looked
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  Speaker 1: at his watch. Half past ten, another evening wasted. Are
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: you getting tired? My legs are so cramped, I don't
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  Speaker 1: think I'll ever be able to walk straight again. Joe
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: had inadvertently raised his voice. Suddenly Frank gripped his arm
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  Speaker 1: sh They listened. They heard footsteps coming along the road.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: The steps sounded clear and distinct on the hard highway,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: then they became soft and muffled as the pedestrian turned
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  Speaker 1: out onto the grassy slope. Coming this way, whispered Frank.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Someone approached the roadster cautiously. The boys could hear him
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: moving around the After a moment or so, one of
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the doors was opened and someone clambered into the seat.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: The boys were breathless with excitement. Was this one of
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  Speaker 1: the auto thieves, but the intrud made no move to
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  Speaker 1: drive the car away. Instead, when he had snapped lights
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: on and off, he got out, closed the door behind him,
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  Speaker 1: and strode off through the grass. The first impulse of
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: the two brothers was to clamber out, but they realized
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  Speaker 1: that this would be folly. They remained quiet as the
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: footsteps receded into the distance. The man gained the road
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: again and walked slowly away. Finally they heard the footsteps
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  Speaker 1: no more. Frank sighed with disappointment. I thought sure we
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: had a bite that time, He said it was only
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: a nibble. When the lads were quite sure their unknown
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  Speaker 1: visitor had gone, Frank raised the lid of the locker
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  Speaker 1: and the boys got out. I guess it was only
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: some farmer on the way home. He probably just got
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: into the car out of curiosity. He wasn't an auto thief,
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: that's certain, or he would have driven off with it.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Not much use staying around any longer. They got back
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  Speaker 1: into the seat. Nothing had been disturbed beyond turning the
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: lights on and off. The stranger had tampered with nothing.
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  Speaker 1: Frank started up the engine and drove the car back
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: onto the shore road. There was not much room in
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  Speaker 1: which to turn around, so he drove on down the
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: road for about a quarter of a mile until he
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  Speaker 1: came to a lane which offered sufficient space. Just as
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  Speaker 1: he was bringing the car around to head back toward Bayport,
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  Speaker 1: the head lights shone on two figures coming up the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: road in the glare. The men were clearly revealed, there's
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  Speaker 1: our friend Gus again, remarked Frank quietly. He was right.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: There was no mistaking the surly visage of the ex
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  Speaker 1: farm hand. The man with him was unknown to the boys,
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  Speaker 1: but he was no more prepossessing than his companion. Broad
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  Speaker 1: of build, unshaven of face. He was not the sort
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  Speaker 1: of fellow one would care to meet alone on a
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  Speaker 1: dark night. Handsome looking pair, Joe commented. The car swung
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  Speaker 1: out into the road, and the two men stepped out
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  Speaker 1: into the ditch, turning their faces away. Frank stepped on
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  Speaker 1: the accelerator, and the roadster shot ahead. This seems to
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  Speaker 1: be Gus Montrose's feat, he said, when they had driven
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  Speaker 1: beyond hearing distance. Wonder what takes him out along here
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  Speaker 1: every night. Perhaps he was the chap who got into
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  Speaker 1: the roadster. But Frank shook his head. That fellow went
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  Speaker 1: away in the direction Montrose is coming from, he pointed out.
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  Speaker 1: And besides, he was alone. That's true too. Wondering what
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  Speaker 1: brought Montrose and his villainous looking companion out the shore
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  Speaker 1: road on foot at that hour, the hardy boys drove
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  Speaker 1: back into Bayport. Better luck next time, said Frank, cheering up.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: We won't give up yet. Third time's luck, you know.
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  Speaker 1: Let's hope, so tomorrow night may tell. They drove back
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  Speaker 1: into the city without incident, and when they reached their home,
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  Speaker 1: they saw that there was a light on in their
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  Speaker 1: father's study. Frank's face lengthened, I'll bet we're in for
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: it now. He doesn't often stay up this late. He's
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  Speaker 1: likely sitting up to lecture us. They put the car
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  Speaker 1: into the garage. The light in the study seemed ominous.
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  Speaker 1: Just then, well, said Joe, I guess we might as
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  Speaker 1: well go in and face the music. If the worst
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  Speaker 1: comes to the worst, we'll tell him just what we
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  Speaker 1: were up to. They went into the house. It would
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  Speaker 1: have been easy for them to have gained their room
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  Speaker 1: by the back stairs, but the boys had too much
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  Speaker 1: principle to dodge any unpleasantness in this manner, so they
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: made a point of passing by their father's study. The
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  Speaker 1: door was open, and they saw Fenton Hardy sitting at
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  Speaker 1: his desk. He was not writing, but gazing in front
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: of him with a fixed expression on his face. A
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: telephone was at his elbow. To their relief, he smiled
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  Speaker 1: when he saw them come in. He invited Frank and
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  Speaker 1: Joe entered the study. Did you catch any auto thieves?
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  Speaker 1: Asked their father. The boys were astonished. How did you
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  Speaker 1: know we were after auto thieves? Dad asked Frank. It
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  Speaker 1: doesn't take a great deal of perception to find that out.
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  Speaker 1: Their father answered, all these mysterious doings can have only
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  Speaker 1: one reason. Well, we didn't catch any, Joe admitted, I
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  Speaker 1: didn't think so. They've been busy tonight, I can Fenton
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  Speaker 1: Hardy nodded, I've just been talking to the secretary of
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  Speaker 1: the Automobile Club. He telephoned me a short time ago.
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  Speaker 1: The thieves cut loose in Earnest this evening. Did they
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  Speaker 1: steal another car? Two they made off of a new
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  Speaker 1: Buick that was parked down on Oak Street, And then
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  Speaker 1: they stole a truck from one of the wholesale companies.
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  Speaker 1: Can you beat that, breathed Joe. Two more gone. They
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: were taken within a few minutes of each other. Evidently,
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  Speaker 1: the reports reached the police station almost at the same time.
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  Speaker 1: The truck mightn't have been missed until morning, but one
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  Speaker 1: of the wholesale company employees was coming home and he
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  Speaker 1: recognized it as it was driven away. He thought it
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  Speaker 1: rather suspicious, so he went on up to the company
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  Speaker 1: garage and found the truck had disappeared. The boys looked
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  Speaker 1: at one another, A truck and a pleasure car, exclaimed Frank.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: Why that must have been the same thought had struck Joe.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: The two cars that passed us on the shore road.
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  Speaker 1: What time were they stolen? Dad? Sometime between half past
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  Speaker 1: nine and ten o'clock. Why did you see them? Two
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  Speaker 1: cars went out the shore road a little before ten o'clock.
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  Speaker 1: They were both going in a fast clip. I remember
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  Speaker 1: we remarked at the time that it was a funny
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  Speaker 1: hour of night for a truck to be out the
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  Speaker 1: shore road. Eh, did you get a good look at them?
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: The boys were embarrassed. Well, to tell the truth, said Frank, hesitatingly.
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  Speaker 1: We didn't exactly see them. We heard them. Hm, you
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  Speaker 1: didn't see them, but you heard them and you were
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  Speaker 1: on the shore road. That's a little mystery in itself,
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: remarked their father with a smile. He reached for the
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  Speaker 1: telephone and asked for a number. In a short time,
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  Speaker 1: his party answered, Hello, Chief, this is spent in Hardy speaking. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: I've just had information that the big car the truck
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  Speaker 1: went out the shore road way a few minutes before
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  Speaker 1: ten o'clock. Yes, you've made inquiries. I see. That's strange,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it. Yes, my information is quite reliable. All right,
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  Speaker 1: let me know if you hear anything, don't mention it.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Chief, goodbye. He put down the telephone. I
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: was talking to Chief Collg. He says. The three towns
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  Speaker 1: at the other end of the shore Road were notified
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  Speaker 1: immediately after the thefts were discovered, and that they had
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  Speaker 1: officers watching the roads from ten o'clock on and they
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  Speaker 1: didn't see the cars. Fenton Hardy shook his head. Not
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: the slightest trace of either of them. Frank and Joe
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: looked at one another blankly. Well, if that don't beat
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: the Dutch, Frank exclaimed, you're quite sure of the time. Positive,
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: I had just looked at my watch, well, said Fenton Hardy.
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  Speaker 1: Since the cars haven't been seen in any of the
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  Speaker 1: other towns, and since there aren't any of the roads,
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: the shore road must hold the solution. I think I'll
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: do a little prospecting around the farms out that way tomorrow.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: We've been doing a little prospecting ourselves, admitted Joe, but
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: we haven't been very successful so far. Keep at it.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Their father said encouragingly, and good luck to you both.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: End of chapter fourteen.