S4 E15 Frank and Joe Take Things Up a Notch in Chapter 10 of The Hardy Boys The Tower Treasure

Good evening and welcome to the Comforting Voice podcast. I'm your host Shasta Ray, and I am coming to you live, pre-recorded from a temporary studio that I have set up in my bedroom, and I'm joined by yet another Diet Soda. I find this to be the best podcast co-host choice when we're doing our readings. The birds are insane. And the giant dog is downstairs right now. He just had dinner and he's probably sound asleep. And beyond that, I'm ready to find out what Joe and Frank are up to tonight. But before we get started on that, how are you? How has your week been? Are you ready to just kick back and let go of all that busyness and all the stuff you had to contend with this week? Oh my gosh, that'll be waiting for you whenever you need to pick that up or not, whatever life is presenting to you right now. Be very thankful you got through all the stuff you needed to get through, and have confidence that you're still gonna get through the stuff you still need to get through. It'll be waiting for you. Just leave it at the door. Let's hang out, let's have a good time. Maybe you're here to doze off. If that's the case, or even if you're just hanging out, let's all run through the sleep prep right now. Just real fast. Make sure you're ready to just be in potato mode, because that's what it's all about. Make sure you've got everything you need right within arm's reach, like a beverage of choice, extra pillow, blanket, teddy bear. Make sure that your phone is on the charger. If you forgot to do that, this is a good time to go do that. And make sure your listening device is set at that perfect volume for you. When you're ready, let's stretch. Reach from your shoulders down through your arms, hands, and into your fingers and really, really stretch those fingers out. Just really tense everything up into a good stretch. Same with your legs, down into your toes, and then while you're still in that stretch, really quick, wiggle your fingers and toes, and then just let go of that stretch, and you're gonna feel amazing instantly. Then take your finger, put it right between your eyes on the bridge of your nose where it kind of dips down. You don't need to press, just touch right there very lightly, and inhale to about the count of four, hold it to about the count of three, take another quick inhale to top it off, hold it for another count or two, and then exhale slowly to about the count of eight. And you do that whole stretch sequence, touch that pressure point right between your eyes on the bridge of your nose while you do that. Inhale, you are going to be drifting off to sleep in no time. You won't even know what this story's about. That has been the absolute best sleep tool that I have ever found in my 58 years, almost 59 years. And then, really quick, before we get going on tonight's reading, don't forget to check out the website, comfortingvoice.com, and all of the episodes can be found there. I've got some extra links there to go explore. And if you have not downloaded your favorite podcast app onto your mobile device yet, I've even got some links there to some of the most popular podcast apps that people use regularly. And all you gotta do is subscribe, there's no cost, it's just a convenience, it's a great way to listen, it's a great way to explore other podcasts, and you'll get notifications every time I publish an episode. So you can't go wrong. So go check that out at comfortingvoice.com and don't forget to tell the others. Just mention this podcast if you hear of anybody looking for some easy listening that, you know, doesn't involve news, politics, scary stories, true crime, none of that, but just something to let your mind drift and let go of the world for a little bit. And here we are. Okay. So last week when we were hanging out with the Hardy Boys, they had revisited that first car wreckage to see if they could find clues. And lo and behold, they found a clue. They found a small little scrap of a wig of red hair that looked like it got torn up in the wreckage, and then suddenly they put two and two together that the person driving that car must have been the one that took their friend's roadster and tried to hold up the ticket office, and suddenly the dispute of the witness account between who saw the man with dark hair and red hair suddenly made sense. But does this connect to the Tower Mansion robbery? Or was that a separate issue? What's going on here? Well, I think we're about ready to find out. So once again we are reading The Hardy Boys at the Tower Treasure written by Franklin W. Dixon. This is chapter ten titled An Important Discovery When the Hardy Boys returned from school the next afternoon, they saw that a crowd had collected about the bulletin board in the post office. I wonder what's up now, said Joe, pushing his way forward. He was able to make his way through the crowd with the agility of an eel, and Frank was not slow in following. On the board was a large poster, the ink on which was scarcely dry. At the top, in enormous black letters, they read one thousand dollar reward. Underneath, in slightly smaller type, came the following The above reward will be paid for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who broke into the tower mansion and stole from a safe in the library jewels and securities as follows. Then came a list of the jewels and negotiable bonds that had been taken from the Tower Mansion, the jewels being fully described and the numbers of the bonds being given. It was announced that the reward was offered by Heard Applegate. Why, that must mean that the charge against Mr Robinson has been dropped, exclaimed Joe. It looks like it. Let's go and see if we can't find Slim. All about them, people were commenting on the size of the reward, and there were many expressions of envy for the person who would be fortunate enough to solve the mystery. A thousand dollars, said Frank as they made their way out of the post office. That's a lot of money, Joe. I'll say it is, and there's no reason why we haven't as good of a chance of getting it as anyone else. Gosh, if we only could, said Joe. Why not? Let's get at this case in real earnest. I mean we would do it we could anyway, but but a thousand dollars Hey, it's worth trying for. Well, Dad and the police are barred from the reward 'cause it's their duty to find the thief if they can. But if we find him, we get the money. And we'll have the satisfaction of clearing mister Robinson too. Joe, let's really get at this case. We have some clues right now, and we can follow them up. I'm with you. Hey, there's Slim now. Perry Robinson was coming down the street toward them. He looked much happier than he had been the previous evening, and when he saw the Hardy Boys, his face lit up. Dad is free, he told them. Thanks to your father, the charge has been dropped. Oh gosh, I'm glad to hear about that, exclaimed Joe. I see they're offering a reward. Your dad convinced mister Applegate that it must have been an outside job, that it was the work of a professional crook, and the police admitted there wasn't much evidence against my dad, so they let him go. I tell you it was a great thing for my mom and sisters. They were almost crazy with worry. No wonder, commented Frank. What is your father gonna do now? I don't know, Slim admitted heavily. Of course we've had to move out of the tower mansion. Mr Applegate said that while the charge had been dropped, he wasn't altogether convinced in his own mind that Dad hadn't had something to do with it, so he dismissed him. Oh, that's tough luck, but he'll be able to get another job somewhere. I'm not so sure about that. People aren't likely to employ a man that's been suspected of stealing. Dad tried two or three places this afternoon and he was just turned down. The Hardy boys were silent. They were sorry for the Robinsons because they knew only too well that the family was badly off financially, and that in view of the robbery it would indeed be difficult for Mr Robinson to get another position. We've rented a small house just outside the city, went on Slim. It's cheap, and we'll have to get along. There was no false pride about Perry Robinson. He faced the facts as they came and made the best of them. But if Dad doesn't get a job, it'll mean that I'm gonna have to work. But Slim, you'd have to quit school. I can't help that. I wouldn't want to. I was trying for the class medal this year, but oh well. The Hardy boys realized how much it would mean to their friend to leave school at this stage. Perry Robinson was an ambitious boy and one of the cleverest in his class. He had always wanted to continue his studies, go to a university, and his teachers had predicted a brilliant career for him. Now it seemed that all his ambitions would have to be thrown overboard because of this misfortune. Don't worry, Slim, comforted Frank. Joe and I are gonna plug away at this case until we get to the bottom of it. That's mighty good of you guys, said Slim gratefully. I won't forget it in a hurry. You've been really nice to me through all this. Ah, shucks, muttered Frank embarrassed. It's the reward we're after. Applegate is offering a thousand dollars. Oh Frank, I know it isn't just about the reward. You would do it to help us anyway, and you know it. Look what you've done already. Well, we're gonna get busy, Joe said hastily. See you later, Slim, and don't worry too much. I think everything's gonna be alright. Slim tried to smile, but it was evident that he was deeply worried, and when he walked away, it was not with the light, springy, carefree step his friends had previously known. What's our first move, Frank? Well, we'd better get a full description of the jewels. Maybe the thief tried to pawn them. We can call at the pawn shops and see what we can find out. Then we may be able to get a line on the thief. You know, he may have tried to pawn something here if he needed money in which to get out of town. Hey, good idea. Do you think Applegate will give us a list? Well, we don't have to ask him. Dad should have all that information. Well let's go ask him right now. But when the boys returned home and asked their father for a description of the jewels, they were met with a disappointment. I'm quite willing to give you all that information, said Fenton Hardy, but I don't think it'll be of much use. Besides, I'll bet I can just tell what you're gonna do. What? You're gonna try to make the rounds of pawn shops and see if any of the jewels have been turned in. The Hardy boys looked at each other. How did you ever guess that? asked Frank. Their father smiled. Because it is just what I have already done. Not an hour after I was called on the case I had a full description of all those jewels in every pawn shop in the city. More than that, the description has been sent to jewelry firms and pawn shops in other cities near here, and also to the New York City police. Here's a duplicate list if you want it, but you'll just be wasting time by going around to the shops. They're already on the lookout for all this stuff. Mechanically Frank took the list. And I thought it was such a great idea. It is a great idea, but it's been used before. Most jewel robberies are solved just in this manner by tracing the thief when he tries to get rid of the gems. Well, said Joe gloomily, I guess that plan is all shot to pieces. Come on, Frank, we'll think of something else. Out after the reward, huh? said Mr Hardy shrewdly. Yes, and we'll get it too. I hope you do. But you can't ask me to help you any more than I've done. It's my case too, remember, so from now on, you're part of my opposition. Oh, okay, let's go. More power to you then, and Mr Hardy returned to his desk. He had a sheaf of reports from shops and agencies in various parts of the state through which he had been trying to trace the stolen gems and securities. But in every case the report was the same. There had been no trace of the gems or bonds taken from Tower Mansion. When the boys left their father's study, they went outside and sat on the back steps, silently regarding their motorcycles. What should we do now? asked Joe. I don't know. Dad sure took the wind out of our sails that time, didn't he? Yeah, I'll say he did. But it's just as well it saved us a lot of trouble. Yeah, we may have been going around to all the pawn shops in the city and not getting anywhere. It looks like Dad has the inside track on the case anyway. If any of the jewels are turned in, he'll be the first to hear of it. What chance do we have? I don't know, declared Frank with determination. We know that there was a strange man hanging around Tower Mansion, and we know there was a red headed crook in town. Perhaps those two facts aren't connected, but I think they are. And we know he stole Chet's roadster and left it in the woods. And hey, Joe, we didn't take much time to look around when that roadster was found, did we? Well, what was the use? The roadster was there and Chet got it back. No, but the man who stole the car had been there too. Maybe he left more clues. Joe slapped his knee with an open hand. I never thought of that, Frank. Let's go back there right now. Come on. Eagerly the hardy boys dashed over to their motorcycles, and in a few minutes they were speeding through the streets of Bayport, out toward the woods where Chet Morton's roadster had been abandoned. They were fired with enthusiasm again, in spite of the momentary setback they had received when their father squelched Frank's plan of going around to the pawn shops. They felt now that they were on a new trail. They came to the abandoned road that led into the woods, and they brought their motorcycles as far as possible, finally leaving them by the roadside and going ahead on foot. Frank located the place where the roadster had been driven off into the woods, for the trees were still bent and broken, and the two boys plunged into the depths of the thickets. At last the hardy boys emerged into the little cleared space where the roadster had been found. Everything was just as they had left it, and they examined the ground carefully. He may have dropped some letters from his pocket or something, said Joe hopefully as they explored the clearing. But the auto thief had not been so careless. There was not even a footprint, for the boys had trampled the ground thoroughly after the roadster had been discovered. If only I thought to look for footprints at the time, groaned Joe in disappointment. Or fingerprints? He must have left fingerprints somewhere in the car. If he was a professional crook, we could have traced him easily. Now, too late now. Chet has had the car washed since then, and we didn't think of it in time. Their search was without success, and the hardy boys were about to give up in disappointment when Frank left the clearing and began to hunt about in the bushes. I guess we may as well go home, said Joe. We've come hunting for clues too late. If we'd had any sense, we would have looked for fingerprints and he was interrupted by a shout from his brother. Joe, come here, quick, I found something. There was no mistaking the excitement in Frank's voice. Joe lost no time in scrambling through the bushes until he reached his brother's side. Frank was standing in the midst of a thicket, holding up something red and bushy. It was a wig. The red wig exclaimed Joe, his eyes widening. Not only the wig, replied Frank, but this and he bent over to pick up a battered hat from the ground. And this whereupon he picked up a worn coat. They belonged to the crook. It couldn't have been anyone else. He must have disguised himself here and left the wig and things in the bush when he abandoned the car. And it would seem that Joe and Frank's instincts are right on target, they're finding clues, and things are starting to heat up in the Tower Treasure. Oh my gosh, what's gonna happen next week? Well, make sure that you download that podcast app, subscribe, and you'll get a notification as soon as we publish a new episode. And between next Friday and now, I'll see you for our Tuesday night mishmash ramble chat of goodness. Sleep tight, good night, and bye bye.