Mystery of Smugglers Cove Read Free

the basement fell shut all by itself,” she explained. “I couldn’t get it open, so I went looking for help. I was going to ask Mr. Wester to let you out, but he’s on the phone.”
    â€œWe found another exit,” Frank informed her, then looked at her sharply. “Do the initials I.N. mean anything to you, Mrs. Summers?”
    The housekeeper seemed startled, but shook her head. “No one here has those initials,” she insisted.
    â€œMay we see Mr. Wester now?” Joe asked.
    â€œCertainly.” Mrs. Summers let them in, and the young detectives joined the art collector in his study. Wester hung up the phone as they walked through the door. He was taken aback when he heard about the secret passage in the basement. “I never knew it was there!” he declared. “But then, the house was built over a hundred years ago.”
    Frank had an idea. “Mr. Wester, if your secretary had anything to do with the theft of the painting, perhaps he stole other things, too. Have you noticed anything else missing?”
    Wester shook his head but told Mrs. Summers to check. She came back shortly afterward, looking upset. “I didn’t notice before,” she said, “but the big silver pitchers have been taken out of the sideboard. Also the tall golden candlesticks.”
    â€œSomeone, perhaps Morphy, has been robbing you blind,” Joe commented.
    â€œI just wonder why he didn’t take more of the valuable paintings,” Frank mused.
    â€œHe probably figured it would be too obvious,” Joe reasoned.
    Mrs. Summers nodded. “The pitchers and candlesticks were not openly displayed,” she said. “I wouldn’t have discovered that they were gone unless I’d checked.”
    â€œDid you find a clue while you were looking through the house?” Wester asked the boys.
    â€œJust this,” Frank said, showing him the jackknife.
    The art collector did not recognize it, nor did he know the initials I.N. The Hardys then inspected the area above the fireplace where the Bolívar portrait had hung. A spot on the wall caught Frank’s eye. He scrutinized it closely. “This is a pretty clear fingerprint,” he declared. “Joe, do you want to get our kit from the trunk of the car?”
    â€œI’ll be right back,” Joe said. He returned with a small box and sprinkled some powder over the spot. Then he photographed it with a small camera before lifting the print with a piece of special tape.
    He turned to Wester. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll take another print from Morphy’s room and we’ll see if they match.”
    Wester told him to go ahead, and Joe left the study. Frank looked thoughtfully at the empty wall over the fireplace. “I wonder why whoever mon keyed with the picture didn’t wear gloves.”
    Wester glowered at him. “Maybe you know as well as I do that the picture wire was twisted around the hook. The thief had to use his fingers to loosen it.”
    They discussed the mystery until Joe returned.
    â€œI took a perfect print from the mirror Morphy used for shaving,” the younger Hardy boy revealed. “Now we can have Chief Collig check both of them at police headquarters. Mr. Wester, we’ll get back to you when we find out if they match. If they don‘t, the police might be able to figure out whose they are from their records.”
    Wester nodded. “While you’re there, tell him my house has been robbed.”
    â€œWe’ll be glad to make the report for you,” Frank assured him.
    The art collector glared at him. “And don’t forget to mention to the chief that it seems the main suspects are Frank and Joe Hardy!”

3
    A Cry for Help
    Frank and Joe stared at the art collector. Apparently he still believed they were guilty!
    â€œWe’ll have to find Mark Morphy to clear ourselves,” Frank said slowly. “What does he look like,