See No Evil Read Free

you," Frank said, grabbing a slice for himself before he, Joe, and Callie headed out of Ernie's. As they passed the counterman, Frank thanked him for his help. "Callie's just got some kind of virus. We'll make sure she gets home okay."
    The counterman grunted, then yawned. He looked at his watch, then at Chet attacking the pizza. At the rate Chet was devouring those slices, he'd be out of there on time.
    The Hardys and Callie soon reached the vacant lot. Frank pulled a pen-size flashlight from his pocket and flicked it on. "Let's take a look."
    Callie bent over, following the beam of light as it moved across the ground. "Yes, there's my calculus book," she called. "And my history book. And there's my notebook."
    The books lay near one another on the ground. Callie picked them up and examined them.
    "Hey, watch out. You're forgetting about fingerprints." Joe reached for the books.
    "The guy was wearing gloves," said Callie, not bothering to look away from the book she was examining. "My books are all okay. But the way they're lying open makes me think the guy riffled through them. I wonder what he was looking for."
    "Money, probably. Good thing you didn't have your shoulder bag with you."
    "I have to hand it to you, you've got sharp eyes," Callie said. "I didn't realize I had forgotten it till I was almost at your place tonight. By then I didn't feel like going home to get it."
    "Joe's sharp eyes have nothing to do with it," Frank said, earning a dirty look from his brother. "After you left, your mom called to say you had left the bag at home and she was leaving the front door key under the doormat."
    "Right. They were going to a surprise birthday party for an old friend," said Callie. "They won't be home until late." She turned to Joe. "I take back the compliment. Sharp eyes — hah!"
    "They're sharp enough to see what happened here," said Joe. "The mugger desperately went through your books, hunting for cash. He must have been pretty mad, getting nothing for his trouble."
    "He sure did go to a lot of trouble." Frank frowned. "Using chloroform for a simple mugging."
    "It is unusual," Joe admitted. "But what could he have wanted besides her bag? There's no reason for anyone to attack Callie — she's no one special."
    Callie glared at him. "Thanks a lot, Joe," she muttered.
    "Oh, you know what I mean," Joe replied.
    "At least you didn't get hurt, Callie." Frank took her hand. "We can be thankful for that."
    "I'd be more thankful for some clues," Callie said. "This guy left no fingerprints, and I didn't see his face. Quite a challenge, huh?"
    "Maybe an impossible one for the time being." Frank made one last sweep with his flashlight before giving up. "I don't think there's anything we can do until the mugger strikes again. Dad says that most crooks are basically unimaginative. They choose one method of operation and keep using it over and over. So maybe we'll be able to spot the pattern when this guy tries his next heist."
    "We'll just keep on the lookout," said Joe, agreeing.
    Callie yawned. "Well, if there's nothing more to do right now, I'm heading home to bed," she said. "Mugging or no mugging, I still have that exam tomorrow. And the one thing I can't afford to have stolen is sleep."
    "We'll walk you home," said Frank, taking her arm. "You must still feel pretty shaken up."
    But the way he took her arm, holding it as if she were made of fragile china, made Callie shake him off.
    "Thanks, but, no thanks," she said. "I can make it by myself. You think lightning will strike twice in one night?" She turned away, about to head off. Then she turned back to Frank. "If you want any help hunting this guy, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll be pretty busy this week."
    Frank watched her walk away from them with a determined stride.
    "Still a little angry, I guess," Joe said. "Don't worry. It'll blow over."
    "You don't know Callie," said Frank. "That was her I-hate-to-lose look. She gets it whenever I pull ahead of her in a game." Frank