The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge Read Free

lamb stew and I don’t want it to get cold!”
    â€œAunty,” Joe said, “we’re never late for lamb stew.”
    He winked at his brother and followed him upstairs to Mr. Hardy’s study on the second floor. From a secret compartment under a desk drawer, Frank withdrew the key to his father’s extensive files.
    Quickly they began looking through the cross index and the individual run-down cards.
    â€œNothing’s been touched so far,” Joe observed as Frank deftly separated the cards.
    â€œYes, everything’s okay through L,” Frank said, then started on the M’s.
    A moment later Joe exclaimed, “Hey! There’s no card for Milo Matlack.”
    Frank grinned. “Don’t get excited. Dad took the card himself and left this memo.”
    A slip of paper with Mr. Hardy’s handwriting bore the notation that the detective had taken not only the card, but also the complete dossier on the ex-convict with him to Kentucky.
    â€œI knew it!” Joe burst out. “Matlack’s our man beyond a shadow of doubt.”
    â€œGuess you’re right,” Frank conceded. “So, if we can find Milo Matlack, we may crack this case. Something tells me it’ll be no cinch.”
    The brother sleuths had already solved a number of baffling mysteries, from locating The Tower Treasure to recently uncovering the secret of The Haunted Fort.
    As Frank locked the files, Joe grabbed the telephone and dialed Radley’s number. Sam answered. Joe first inquired about Mrs. Radley.
    â€œShe’s feeling better. But no leads yet to the intruder.”
    â€œSam, we’re hot on a trail!” Joe told the operative of Mr. Hardy’s memo, then asked if Sam could describe Matlack and give some of the criminal’s history.
    â€œI can’t recall much detail,” Radley replied. “But I do remember that Milo has gray hair.”
    â€œWhere are we likely to find him?”
    â€œPossibly in New York City, his old home.”
    â€œThen that’s where we’ll go!” Joe declared. Sam promised to round up all the information he could on the former jailbird. Joe thanked him and hung up.
    â€œBoys! Supper!” Miss Hardy called up.
    The boys quickly washed, then hurried to the dining room. Joe held a chair for his mother, and Frank helped Aunt Gertrude place a steaming tureen of stew on the table. As Mrs. Hardy served, her sons told the women about the latest exciting developments in their father’s mystery.
    â€œThere are two things Joe and I have to do!” said Frank. “Capture Milo Matlack and make him pay for what he did to Dad, and second, unearth the real story behind the bridge collapse.”
    â€œThe police should handle such a—a fiend,” Aunt Gertrude stated.
    â€œThe police can help us,” Joe said, “but we want to collar Matlack ourselves.”
    Although fearful for her sons’ safety, Mrs. Hardy was proud of their courage and ability. Quietly she advised them to exercise the utmost caution.
    â€œDon’t worry, Mother,” said Frank. “We will.”
    After supper the boys went to their father’s study and discussed the mystery until bedtime. Before retiring, Frank telephoned the hospital and learned that Mr. Hardy’s condition was about the same.
    Late that night the boys were jolted from a deep sleep by the shrill jangling of the telephone. Frank switched on the bedside lamp and dashed to pick up the hall extension. Joe followed.
    The caller was Miss Tice, the night nurse. “You’re to come right over to the hospital,” she told Frank in a tense voice.
    Frank’s heart sank. “You mean the whole family?”
    â€œCertainly not,” replied the nurse. “Just you and your brother.”
    â€œWe’ll be there,” said Frank and hung up. “Hurry, Joe! Something must have happened!”
    Hastily the boys changed from pajamas to street