The Melted Coins

by Franklin W. Dixon

  “Oh, yes. The Indians,” Dr. Rideau said, pursing his lips thoughtfully.

  “Then you found out the prowlers were really Senecas?” Frank asked.

  “Of course. They kept shaking their rattles.”

  “Why would they want to let you know that they were Indians?” Joe asked. “It doesn’t seem to make sense, Dr. Rideau.”

  The man looked at him in astonishment. “Of course they’d want me to know. They’re trying to get at my treasure, because they think I have the melted coins.”

  “Old Spoon Mouth, you mean,” Frank said with a smile.

  “Spoon Mouth—Moon Face—whatever they call it,” the doctor said testily. “I don’t have it!”

  Remembering the parted curtain upstairs, Joe discreetly asked whether their tenants had heard the prowlers.

  “Yes, they did. And they’re mighty upset,” Mrs. Rideau replied.

  Frank took up the questioning. “You say they are researchers, who also teach in college. Could that be at Zoar College in the summer?”

  Mrs. Rideau seemed pleased that the boy’s guess had been so accurate. “Why, yes, that’s exactly what they do.”

  Frank took a plunge by asking bluntly, “Do you folks know an Elmont Chidsee?”

  There was not a moment’s hesitation. “Yes. Of course. He’s visiting upstairs right now. I understand he’ll stay overnight.”

  Joe rolled his eyes and said to Frank, “Oh, boyl That spells trouble!”

  “Did you say trouble?” Mrs. Rideau asked.

  “Yes. We’re sorry you had this trouble,” Joe said quickly. “But if the police know all about it, I feel that you’re safe enough, at least from outside prowlers.”

  Mrs. Rideau excused herself and went to the kitchen to turn off the stove. The doctor, meanwhile, shuffled downstairs to put his coins away.

  Frank and Joe had an opportunity to talk things over. “The Rideaus are very naive not to suspect their tenants,” Frank remarked.

  “We’ll just have to protect them,” Joe decided.

  The boys laid out a plan, and when Mrs. Rideau returned, Frank said that they would like to sleep in the Rideaus’ basement that night.

  “That would be fine,” she said. “In fact, there’s a cot in the old dental office already. We can put another one there.”

  “But,” Joe added, “first we’ll go into the barn as if we were planning to spend the night there. Then the prowlers will be thrown off.”

  “Right,” Frank went on. “And if they should happen to break into the house, Joe and I will grab them!”

  Mrs. Rideau chuckled and said, “My, you are brave boys. But our dogs would grab the ruffians before you had a chance!”

  While supper was being prepared, the Hardys joined the doctor in the basement. He showed them the coin vault and took them to his old dental office, where they would sleep.

  “I never sold any of my equipment,” he stated proudly, and pointed to the chair, the tools, and his drill. “That’s an air drill. Fine instrument. I always bought the best.”

  The Hardys returned to the dining room, where Mrs. Rideau served a succulent beef stew along with a generous green salad. All the while Frank and Joe listened for sounds from upstairs. If Chidsee was there with the professors, he was keeping mighty quiet.

  When darkness came, Frank and Joe took flashlights and their bags and went to the barn. They talked for half an hour, watching the upstairs windows of the Rideau house. Several times figures moved back and forth, but they were too indistinct to be recognized.

  Finally Frank said, “Okay, Joe. Ready to go to the dentist?”

  “Please, not the air drill!” Joe protested.

  They crept through the darkness, opened the back door quietly, and descended into the basement.

  “I don’t think anyone saw us,” Frank said as they stretched out on the cots.

  The boys decided to spell each other with guard duty during the night. Frank slept first while Joe watched. At the end of two hours the younger boy roused his brother.

  “Your turn,” he said. “I didn’t hear a sound.”

  Some time past midnight, Frank was startled by a faint rattling noise, then he heard footsteps coming slowly down the basement stairs. He alerted Joe and gave the high sign for quiet.

  Both rose quickly and stood on either side of the door. They could hear the knob being turned.

  They held their breath and tensed to spring. The door opened. Frank flicked on the light.

  There stood Dr. Rideau!

  “All right boys, it’s only me,” he whispered hoarsely. “You can turn the light off.”

  “What are you doing here?” Joe asked, irritated by the needless fright.

  “I just wanted to see if you fellows were all right.”

  “But what about that rattling sound we heard?”

  “Hm!” The doctor thought for a moment, then put his hands in his bathrobe pocket and jiggled some coins. “I guess this is what caused it.”

  “I suppose it is,” Frank said, yawning. “Well, you’d better get back to sleep, Doctor. We’ll take care of things.”

  Rideau padded up the stairs and the Hardys turned off the light.

  “Wow!” Joe said. “Guess I might as well stand watch now. I’m wide awake again.”

  Frank laid down and closed his eyes, but only for a few moments. From the floor above came a bloodcurdling cry!

  CHAPTER XII

  Trustworthy Men

  FOR the second time that night the Hardys were jolted into action.

  “It sounds as if someone’s being murdered!” exclaimed Joe as he and Frank took the steps two at a time. When they opened the kitchen door, they heard Mrs. Rideau moaning, “Oh, my poor babies!”

  Frank and Joe burst into the living room to see the elderly couple in their bathrobes, kneeling beside the two dogs. Tay and Boots lay on their sides, tongues lolling, and their chests heaving with short rasping breaths.

  “What happened?” Frank asked. “What’s the matter with the dogs?”

  Mrs. Rideau said that after her husband had gone to the basement, Tay and Boots had become restless. “I thought perhaps somebody might be prowling around outside,” she said, “so I let them out for a few minutes. When they came back, they acted strangely.”

  “Do you suppose they ate anything while they were out?” asked Joe.

  The Rideaus doubted this. “They’ve been trained not to take anything unless we give it to them,” the doctor explained.

  “Well, they’re sick, that’s for sure,” Frank said. “Have you called the vet?”

  “Not yet,” replied Dr. Rideau. “There’s the number on a list beside the phone.”

  While the doctor comforted his wife, Frank quickly called the veterinarian.

  “I’m sorry to bother you this late at night,” he said, “but the Rideaus’ two dogs are in bad trouble.” Frank listened, then he went on, “Yes, we’ll bring them over right away.”

  Dr. Rideau dressed hurriedly and backed the car to the front of the house. Frank and Joe, straining under the weight of the immense beasts, carried the limp forms to the waiting automobile.

  “Joe,” Frank said, “you stay with Mrs. Rideau. I’ll go along. I don’t want to leave this place unguarded.”

  By the time they reached the veterinarian’s office, his lights were on. Seeing the car, he hastened outside and helped Frank with the animals, who were now rasping at an even greater rate.

  “Poison,” the vet muttered. He put Tay on the table and quickly injected an antidote, and a heart stimulant. Then he did the same for Boots.

  “I’ll be frank with you,” he said to Dr. Rideau. “I don’t know if we can save them. But I certainly will give it a good try.”

  Then he asked questions about the dogs’ activities. “You’re sure they ate no poisoned food?”

  “I’m certain of that.”

  The vet examined every inch of Tay’s body. Near the dog’s rump his finger touched something sharp. He loo
ked at it closely and pulled out a tiny needle.

  “Here’s your answer,” he said. “He’s been shot by a poison dart!”

  Dr. Rideau shook his fist. “Those murdering Indians!” he muttered. “They were prowling around and shot my dogs!”

  “We can’t be sure they did it,” Frank said quietly.

  The vet also recovered a miniature missile from Boot’s back. Both dogs seemed to be breathing easier now as the medication took effect.

  With Frank’s help, the vet placed the animals in spotless compartments in a room adjoining his office. Then he went to the phone and reported the incident to the police.

  By the time Dr. Rideau and Frank returned to the house, a police car was in front and two officers with powerful flashlights were searching the property. Frank and Joe joined them, but after twenty minutes could not find any evidence of an intruder.

  Frank took Joe aside. “Any sign of the profs or our buddy Elmont?”

  “They were questioned, but it seems they slept right through the whole thing,” Joe replied. “Then they came down in their robes and gave Mrs. Rideau a line of baloney. Took her upstairs to rest!”

  “What do they look like?” Frank asked. “Have you ever seen them before?”

  Joe shook his head. “No. They’re handsome, thirtyish, smooth—too smooth!”

  “Did Elmont come down, too?”

  “No, luckily he didn’t. I wasn’t keen on seeing him at all!”

  The boys went back to the basement and resumed their watch, but everything was quiet for the rest of the night.

  The next morning they talked with the Rideaus before breakfast. “I asked our tenants upstairs to redouble their surveillance of the premises,” the doctor stated. “Especially since Tay and Boots are hospitalized.”

  “Did they say they would?” Frank inquired.

  “Oh, yes. They’ll keep an eye on the place. I must say, I feel much better about it.”

  Frank and Joe stepped outside. “What do you know about that!” Frank said. “It’s like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop!”

  “They’re being set up for a robbery,” Joe remarked. “Wouldn’t you think that he’d see it?”

  The boys walked to the barn. There were blankets to be folded and cots put away. When Frank opened the door, he sucked in his breath.

  “Good night, Joe! Look at this!”

  A bale of hay had fallen from the loft and landed on Frank’s cot. The legs were smashed and the fabric ripped.

  “And to think you might have been sleeping there!” Joe exclaimed, shuddering.

  “Our prowler last night didn’t miss a trick,” Frank said, shaking his head gravely. “Joe, if thieves are going to strike at Dr. Rideau’s treasure, it’ll be soon. I feel it in my bones!”

  The boys straightened out their blankets and went into the house for breakfast. They decided to withhold the story of the splintered cot, so as not to disturb the couple any further.

  Frank, however, felt obliged to tell them about their suspicions. After the meal he pushed his chair back, looked at the Rideaus levelly, and said, “I don’t want to upset you nice people, but I think you’re going to have a robbery here—and soon!”

  “Oh dear!” Mrs. Rideau said. “And we won’t have our dogs for protection!”

  “That’s part of the plan,” Joe said. “Getting rid of Tay and Boots eliminates one big obstacle for the thieves.”

  The woman heaved a sigh and went on, “But at least we have our professors. I don’t think anybody would rob this house while they’re about.”

  “In this case, I don’t think I’d trust anybody,” Frank said.

  The doctor put down his coffee cup and smiled benignly. “My, but aren’t you suspicious! The professors are educated men, and very trustworthy!”

  Just then hastening footsteps were heard on the stairs. The front door opened and closed.

  “There they go now,” the doctor remarked.

  “I’ve never met them,” Frank said.

  “Let me show you some snapshots,” Mrs. Rideau said eagerly. She went to the living room, opened the drawer of an end table, and returned with an envelope of photos.

  “We had a picnic in the yard a couple of weeks ago,” she explained, handing the prints to Frank. “Aren’t the professors handsome?”

  “Yes, they are,” Frank said slowly. “And this is a good picture of you and the doctor, too.” As he looked over the photographs, he took a snapshot of the professors out of the pile and, unnoticed by the Rideaus, slipped it in his pocket. He would return it later. Then he handed back the rest of the pictures.

  “Would you like another glass of milk?” Mrs. Rideau asked.

  The boys said No, they had enjoyed a good breakfast. Everyone got up, and while the Rideaus busied themselves in the kitchen, the Hardys walked quietly up the stairs.

  “Maybe we can investigate their apartment,” Joe whispered. “You think they’re all out?”

  Frank nodded. “It sounded like three people leaving. Let’s risk it.”

  Frank tried the door. It was locked. “We can’t break in,” he said. “And if we picked the lock and were found out—”

  “I know what you mean,” Joe interrupted. “It would infuriate the Rideaus. The profs have a real in with these people.”

  The boys trotted down the stairs and sat in the living room, mulling over what to do next. Frank pulled out the snapshot and showed it to Joe.

  “Why did you take it?” Joe asked.

  “I want to send it to Sam Radley and see if he can give us a rundown on these people, provided, of course, that they have a record.”

  “Smart thinking!”

  The phone rang. Mrs. Rideau picked up the extension in the kitchen, then called out, “It’s for the Hardys!”

  Frank took the instrument. Chet’s voice, agitated and abrupt, came over the wire. “I’m at Niagara Falls. In trouble. Keystone—”

  With a click, the phone went dead.

  CHAPTER XIII

  A Startled Seneca

  CHET Morton’s abrupt message for help plunged the Hardys into a quandary.

  “We’re in a real bind,” Frank said. “Chet’s in Niagara Falls, probably kidnapped, and the coin collection seems ripe for a heist.”

  “What’ll we do?” Joe asked.

  “When you come right down to it, there’s no choice. Chet’s worth more than all the money stashed away downstairs.”

  However, the young sleuths decided to appeal to the local police. Excusing themselves, they hastened to headquarters.

  Frank was careful not to accuse anyone. If the professors were not guilty of any wrongdoing, the Hardys might be subject to slander proceedings. They had to couch their suspicions in the mildest of terms.

  They approached the desk sergeant and requested to see the police chief.

  “What is your business?” he asked them.

  “We have some suspicions,” Frank said, “that we would like to report to the chief.”

  “I can take the complaint.”

  “It’s not a complaint,” Joe said. “It’s just—”

  Having heard the conversation, the chief stepped out of his office. He was a short stout man with a thatch of cropped gray hair. “What can I do for you?” he asked. “My name’s White.”

  The Hardys introduced themselves and asked if they could speak with him privately.

  The man ushered them into his office and motioned them to be seated. He settled back in his swivel chair, folded his hands over his midsection, and regarded Frank and Joe with a fixed expression.

  “To put it bluntly,” Frank began, “we suspect that Dr. Rideau’s coin vault may be robbed soon.”

  “Really?” Chief White seemed unimpressed.

  “I wonder if you could give him some protection, for a while, at least,” Frank went on.

  “How come you’re so concerned about this possible theft? If what you say is true, why hasn’t Dr. Rideau asked us for protection?”

&n
bsp; Frank told of their accidental meeting on the highway; how they had dropped in on the couple and learned about the prowlers; and how Tay and Boots had been knocked out by poison darts.

  “We know all about that,” White said, putting his elbows on the desk. “Do you think we’re asleep at the switch?”

  Frank and Joe were quick to deny any such thought.

  “Well, that’s better. I don’t like any young fellows accusing us of inaction.”

  “Not at all, sir,” Frank said. “I’m sure you know about the situation. But there’s one thing you don’t know.” He proceeded to tell the story of the bale of hay which had smashed his cot in the barn.

  The chief was thoughtful. “It could have been an accident,” he said slowly.

  “The mask wasn’t,” Joe put in, and told of Chet’s experience.

  “I agree it seems as if someone wants to get you out of the way,” Chief White said. “Unfortunately all we have are suspicions without a suspect. Tell you what. I’ll have my men patrol the Rideau house more often, especially at night. I can’t spare anyone to stand guard around the clock—”

  Frank got up. “We realize that, Chief. But I think that will help. We’ll have to leave for a few days on an emergency, and when we get back, we’ll pitch in, too.”

  “Okay. Let me know if something else develops.” The chief walked the boys to the door, and they said good-by.

  On the way back they passed the post office. A public phone booth stood on the corner in front of the building. “I’m going to try to reach Radley,” Frank said and stepped inside.

  Sam was at his hotel in Cleveland, and before Frank could tell his story, he asked, “Did Chet get there? He started yesterday. The car’s all fixed. Looks like new.”

  When Frank told him about Chet’s call, Sam was shocked. “Niagara Falls?” he repeated. “How did he get up there?”

  “Our guess is he’s been kidnapped,” Frank replied. Then he told what had happened at Hawk Head.

  Radley immediately questioned the authenticity of the professors.

  “I’m putting the picture in the mail to you,” Frank said. “Could you check with the FBI?”

  “Sure thing. By the way, your dad is in Florida.”

  “No kidding. Some people have all the luck!”