S4 E13 Frank and Joe Find a Clue in Chapter 9 of The Hardy Boys the Tower Treasure

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Well, hello, and welcome to the Comforting Voice podcast. I'm your host, Shastere, and I'm coming to you live, pre-recorded from my temporary bedroom studio once again. And this is a little bit of a surprise episode. I feel like I owed you an episode of the Hardy Boys because I skipped one. Shame on me. Oh my gosh. But here we are. How fun is that? And this is proof that you guys found a really great podcast app and you subscribed, so you got a notification, you knew about it, here we are. Look at that, that works. So this is a catch-up episode for the Hardy Boys The Tower Treasure. Before we jump in, I want to remind you of our ongoing challenge called the Join the Fun Challenge, trying to expand the listener base. If you're in a conversation or if you're on social media and something comes up, tell people about the podcast. The easiest way is through our website, comfortingvoice.com. All of the episodes can be found there, and I've got links to some of the most popular podcast apps, so you've got some choices that way. And as I am recouping and recovering from my recent surgery, I have had all kinds of wonderful podcast ideas hit me. So some of that is already in progress, and I cannot wait until I hit the point where I can give you the announcements on all that. Fingers crossed that I can get it all accomplished. So many ideas, and it's always fun to hang out with you guys and continually try to make this a better place. Okay, next. Are you comfortable? Are you cozy? Do you have your feet up? Are you unwinding after a long day? Whatever the case, make sure you've got everything you need within arm's reach, whether that's a beverage of choice or an extra pillow. Make sure those curtains are drawn so the sun isn't waking you up too early in the morning. Whatever you need. Make sure that's all situated. And when you're ready, engage in a really great productive stretch. Reach through your arms and legs, into your feet, hands, fingers and toes. Wiggle those fingers and toes really quick and let go of that stretch so that the relaxation factor can just kick in. Wow. Next, take your index finger, doesn't matter which one, put it on the bridge of your nose, kind of where your nose dips down between your eyes, right? And don't push, just touch it there. Just touch. And when you do that, take a deep breath, inhale to about the count of four, hold it to about the count of three, take another quick little inhale, hold it for another count or two, and then exhale slowly, hopefully to about the count of eight. And you don't need to keep your finger there. You're done with that. But between the stretch and that little tiny awesome pressure point right between your eyes, on the bridge of your nose where it dips down, and that deep breath of air, you are primed and ready for relaxation, and you're gonna fall asleep before you know it. Boom! There you go. Okay, let's just jump right into our next chapter. Things are getting crazy with the Hardy Boys, and we left off. One of their friends has been going through drama with this robbery thing going on, and now his dad is being accused of being the thief, and everyone knows this guy is a really good guy. And the Hardy Boys, they don't know how to help their friend, but we can kind of feel something going on here. So let's see what's in store for Frank and Joe tonight. We are reading The Hardy Boys, the Tower Treasure. This was written by Franklin W. Dixon. We're on chapter nine, titled Red Hair. The arrest of Henry Robinson caused a sensation in Bayport, for the caretaker of Tower Mansion was one of the last men in the city whom anyone would have suspected of dishonesty. There was a great deal of public sympathy for the family, but little for the accused, as most people seem to take it for granted that he would not have been arrested if he had not had something to do with the crime. But the Hardy boys were not satisfied. I am positive Henry Robinson is innocent, said Frank to his brother the next morning. There is a great deal about this case that hasn't come to the surface yet. I have a sort of sneaking idea that the man who stole Chet Morton's car had something to do with this. He was a criminal, that much is certain, agreed Joe. He stole an automobile and he tried to hold up a ticket office. I'd like to go back to the place where we saw the wrecked car. You never know what evidence we might find. There might be something there that would identify the guy. I'm with you. Let's go this morning. So within the hour the boys were on their motorcycles speeding along the shore road toward the place where the speed fiend's car had been wrecked in the bushes. I'd certainly like to do something to help clear Mr Robinson, said Frank. This has been really tough on Slim and his mom and sisters. We probably won't be able to do very much. If Dad can't clear him, I don't think we can help a great deal, but it's worth trying. It sure is, and I've had a hunch all along that we didn't investigate the wreck of that car closely enough. Well, we'll make a thorough job of it this time. When the boys reached the scene of the wreck, they found the smashed car just where they had seen it last. The tires had been taken, and some of the accessories that had escaped the destruction had been stripped from the automobile, but the car had been so badly smashed that there was little evidence of disturbance. Leaving their motorcycles by the side of the road, the two brothers plunged into the bushes and busied themselves examining the wreckage. Joe hunted through the side pockets in hope that there might be papers or some other means of identification, but in this he was disappointed. There were no license plates, but Frank managed to secure out engine number, and this he jotted down on the notebook he carried. Perhaps this will give us a clue. Although I have an idea that the guy got this car the same way he got Chet's, it's probably a stolen automobile. For a little while they rummaged around among the wreckage without success. Then at last Frank gave a low cry. Here's something, he exclaimed. Look. Joe came over to where he was standing, and Frank plucked something from the front seat of the wrecked car. Red hair. In his hand Frank held a small tuft of vivid red hair. It was very coarse in texture, and the surprising part of it was that the hairs were not separate, but were attached to some sort of tough linen. It's part of a wig, said Frank, examining the hair more closely. You're right, agreed his brother. No human hair ever grew like that. Part of the fellow's wig was torn when the car was smashed up. And that explains why Hardy and his witness couldn't agree on the color of the guy's hair, exclaimed Joe in excitement. I see it now. The man didn't wear a wig when he held up the steamboat office, and the minute he reached the car he put it on again. That explains why Brown saw a red haired man driving away in Chet's roadster and why Haredy was positive the man wasn't redheaded. That's a real clue, exclaimed Joe. We ought to tell Dad about this. And we will, said Frank, beginning to scramble through the bushes back toward the road. He put the fragment of the red wig carefully in an inner pocket, and then the hardy boys started back towards Bayport. The clue was slight, of course, but still it served to clear up the disagreement as to the color of the hold up man's hair. It also served to prove conclusively that the man who had passed Frank and Joe on the shore road at such breakneck speed and who had later wrecked his car was the same man who had stolen Chet's roadster and had attempted to hold up the steamboat ticket office. I guess Dad will think we're not such poor detectives after all, Joe exulted as they brought their motorcycles to a stop in the yard of the Hardy home. Their father was in the library, but in their excitement the boys forgot to rap at the door and rushed into the room without ceremony. Dad, we found a clue, cried Joe when he saw his father sitting at the huge oak desk. Then he fell back, embarrassed when he saw that there was someone else in the room. Beg pardon, said Frank, and the boys would have retreated, but Mr Hardy's visitor turned around and they saw it was Perry Robinson. It's only me, said Slim. Don't go. Perry has been trying to shed a little bit more light on the tower robbery, explained Mr. Hardy. But what is the clue you're talking about? It isn't about the robbery, replied Frank, although it might have something to do with it for all we know. It's about the red headed man who stole Chet's car and who tried to hold up the steamboat ticket office. What about him? This, said Frank, taking the fragment of red hair from his pocket and showing it to his father. The fellow wore a wig. Mr Hardy examined the little tuft of hair closely. Where did you find it? he asked. In the wreckage of that smashed car. Mr Hardy nodded. That seems to link up a pretty good chain of evidence. The man who passed you on the shore road wrecked his car, then stole Chet's roadster, and afterwards tried to hold up the ticket office. When he failed in that, he abandoned the roadster. He wore a red wig that he took off occasionally to confuse pursuers. If we could only find the wig, we might be able to get further information. Do you think it might help us to solve the tower robbery? asked Perry. Possibly. The man was evidently a professional thief, explained Frank. If he was smart enough to wear a wig, he was evidently an old timer at the game, and if he failed in the ticket office holdup, who knows but what he may have been hanging around the city waiting for another chance. Oh my gosh, you may be right, exclaimed Perry. I was just telling your dad that I saw a strange man lurking about the grounds of the Tower Mansion two days before the robbery. I didn't think anything of it at the time, and in the shock of dad's arrest I forgot about it. Did you get a good look at him? Are you able to describe him? asked the detective. I'm afraid I couldn't. It was in the evening, and I was sitting by the window studying. I happened to look up and I saw this fellow moving about under the trees near the wall. Later on I heard one of the dogs barking in another part of the grounds, and shortly afterward I saw someone running across the lawn, but I thought it was probably just a tramp. Did he wear a hat or cap? As near as I can remember, it was a cap. His clothes were dark. And you didn't see his face. No. Well, it's not much to go on, but it might be linked up with Frank's idea that the man who stole the roadster might have been hanging around. Mr Hardy thought deeply for a few moments. I'm going to bring all these facts to Mr. Applegate's attention, and I'm also going to have a talk with the police authorities. I don't think they have enough evidence to really warrant holding your father, Perry. Do you think you can get him released? asked the boy eagerly. I'm sure of it. In fact, I think Mr. Applegate is beginning to realize now that he made a mistake, and I don't think the police are any too anxious to go forward with the case on the meager evidence in their possession. It'll be wonderful if we can have Dad back with us again, said Perry, although it won't be quite the same, he'll be under a cloud as long as this mystery isn't cleared up, and of course Mr. Applegate isn't going to employ him anymore. All the more reason why we should get busy and clear all this up, returned Mr. Hardy. You boys can help. How? By keeping your eyes and ears open and using your wits. That's all there is to detective work. Well you can just bet if it'll help Slim's dad, we'll be listening and looking for every clue there is, Joe reassured his father. And now the story takes a turn where the famous detective is starting to see the value in his sons. I can't wait to find out what happens in chapter 10. So here again, don't forget, subscribe on your favorite podcast app. We're listed in just about everything out there now. And once you hit that subscribe button, all that does is it sends you a notification when I publish a new episode. And that's all there is to it. Of course, all episodes can always be found on the website, comfortingvoice.com, and that's all I got for you tonight. So I'll see you Tuesday for our regular Tuesday mishmash ramble chat of goodness. And until then, sleep tight, good night, and bye bye.