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Authors: Franklin W. Dixon

BOOK: The Twisted Claw
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“The trick worked!” Frank exclaimed triumphantly
After saying good-by to his family, he picked up the plumber's tool kit, took a deep breath, and left the house.
The boys cautiously peered through a window. Across the street they saw a man's head pop out from behind a tree, then vanish again as their father drove off. Obviously the stranger was remaining at his post.
“The trick workedl” Frank exclaimed trium phantly.
“Right,” Joe agreed. “But I wonder how long that guy is going to stick around.”
Frank chuckled. “One thing is certain. He's in for a long wait.”
While Aunt Gertrude prepared a cup of tea for Mr. Callahan, Frank and Joe discussed the case.
“The
Black Parrot,”
Joe mused. “Sounds eerie.”
“Let's go down to the harbor first thing in the morning,” Frank said. “Right now we'd better keep an eye on that fellow across the street.”
The boys hurried downstairs and peered through one of the living-room windows. Minutes passed.
“No sign of him,” Joe muttered. “Maybe he's gone.”
“Could be,” his brother replied. “But let's wait awhile longer, just to be sure.”
While Frank kept his post at the window, Joe paced up and down impatiently. Finally he could not suppress his curiosity any longer. “I'm going to see if that spy's still there,” he said and ran out of the house. He looked behind the tree across the street, then signaled Frank that the coast was clear.
When he came back Frank met him at the door. “You shouldn't have run out like that, you know.”
“Sorry. I thought it was about time for a show-down.”
“You might have—”
Frank was interrupted by a terrifying scream from the kitchen.
CHAPTER II
The
Black Parrot
“HOLY crow!” Joe exclaimed. “That was Aunt Gertrude!”
The boys rushed into the kitchen and almost collided with their mother who had heard the scream, too.
They found Miss Hardy shaking like a leaf. She pointed to an open window. “A-a strange man was looking in at me! Call the police! Do something!”
Frank and Joe spotted a man running down the street. They dashed out of the house and gave chase, but before they could close the gap, their quarry leaped into a car and sped off.
“There were two men in that car!” Frank declared. “One of them must have been watching the rear of the house as Dad suspected. He tried to get a look inside and frightened the wits out of Aunty.”
“I wonder what he was up to,” Joe put in.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Frank replied.
They returned to find their mother pressing a cold wet towel on Aunt Gertrude's forehead.
“How do you feel?” Joe inquired.
“Awful! Simply awful!” exclaimed Aunt Gertrude. “Who was that cutthroat?”
“Probably just a peddler,” Frank replied, hoping not to upset her further. “Your scream frightened him more than he frightened you.”
“Some nerve!” Aunt Gertrude snapped. “Imagine! Peering into people's houses.”
Frank looked at his watch. “I think we can leave now,” he said to Mr Callahan “Come We'll take you to the airport to pick up your truck.”
“Okay.” As they got into the boys' convertible, the plumber said, “Tell me, is there always that much excitement at your house?”
Frank winked at his brother. “This is a rather quiet day, wouldn't you say, Joe?”
Mr. Callahan shook his head and asked no more questions.
The boys retired early that night and were up at six the next morning. After breakfast they drove to Bayport Harbor. They found the area bustling with activity.
“There's the
Black Parrot,”
Joe said, pointing.
They watched as stevedores pushed handcarts, loaded with wooden crates, up a gangplank to the ship. A hoist was putting heavier cargo aboard.
“We won't be able to get much information for Dad unless we can board the ship,” Joe remarked.
Frank did not speak. Instead, he signaled Joe to follow him and walked toward a crewman who was standing at the base of the gangplank checking a manifest.
“My brother and I are very much interested in ships,” Frank began nonchalantly. “Do you think your captain would let us go aboard for a few minutes?”
The man glared at them in surprise. “Get outta here!” he roared.
“Why get mad at us?” Joe queried. “We were just—”
“You heard mel Get outta here before I take a club to ya!”
Joe was about to challenge the man, but Frank grabbed his brother's arm and led him away from the ship.
“That guy's about as pleasant as a rattlesnake,” Joe said angrily.
“Take it easy,” Frank warned. “We can't risk getting involved in a row. We've got to remain as inconspicuous as possible.”
“What'll we do now?”
“Wait and hope for a break.”
The young detectives watched the
Black Parrot
from a distance. Then came a stroke of luck. A crewman placed a sign at the base of the gangplank announcing that more help was needed to load the ship. The Hardys were among the first to volunteer.
“So! It's you two again!” growled the man they had encountered earlier. He stared at them for a moment. “Well—you kids look pretty strong.” He named a price for every crate carried aboard and told them to take it or leave it.
“We'll take it,” Frank said quickly. “But what about union cards?”
“Forget the union and get movin'!” the crewman ordered. “We haven't got any more handcarts, so you'll have to bring the crates aboard one by one.”
“Thanks a lot,” Joe muttered.
The job was extremely hard. The boys stuck to it most of the day, hoping to learn something, but their sleuthing was hampered by the constant surveillance of the crew.
That afternoon, while carrying a crate aboard, Joe tripped and fell. The wooden box crashed to the deck. At that instant the first mate of the Black Parrot appeared and demanded to know what was going on.
“Just an accident,” Frank explained. “My brother tripped and—”
“I'm not interested in excuses!” the officer yelled. He gave Joe a shove. “Now pick that up. And be quick about it!”
“Pick it up yourself!” Joe retorted as he scrambled to his feet.
The first mate was about to lash out with his fist, but Frank stepped in and grabbed him by the arm. As he did, he noticed that the man was wearing a strange ring on his finger. It consisted of a heavy silver band with what looked like a red, twisted bird's claw on top.
“Let go of my armi” the man demanded. Frank released him. “Now get your pay and get off the ship!”
“We haven't finished our work,” Joe said.
Several crewmen moved toward the Hardys. “You heard him,” one of them snarled. “Get goin'.”
The boys had no choice but to comply.
Joe sighed. “I certainly messed things up.”
“It wasn't your fault,” Frank said. “Anyway, we couldn't have done much investigating with all those guys around.”
As they walked down the gangplank to the pier, they heard a familiar voice call out, “Hi, master-minds !” It was Chet Morton. “Your mother said you were down here,” he went on. “What're you doing?”
Frank and Joe drew the stout boy aside and told him about their assignment and their adventure onboard.
“And you fellows were ordered off the ship, eh?” Chet reflected. “Let me see.” He began walking toward the
Black Parrot.
“I'll get some information for you.”
“Wait a minute!” Frank said. “Come back here!” His words went unheeded.
“Ahoy, mates! Make way for a real seaman!” Chet shouted to a group of crewmen as he hurried up the gangplank.
“Oh, oh. Now we're really in for trouble,” Joe muttered anxiously.
Chet disappeared into the midst of the group. Shortly scuffling broke out among the men. Before Frank and Joe could aid their friend, he came rolling down the gangplank like an oversized bowling ball.
“Are you all right?” Frank cried as he and Joe rushed to Chet.
The stout youth got to his feet and began brushing off his clothes. “I'm—I'm okay. Those guys aren't very friendly.”
Frank frowned. “Right now, our chances of getting back aboard the ship are nil. Let's go home and try to figure out another plan.”
The boys had an early supper, then went to their father's study to discuss their next move.
Joe thought for a moment. “I've got an idea,” he said finally. “Why don't we disguise ourselves as a couple of crewmen and just board the ship?”
“I don't know,” Frank muttered, rubbing his chin dubiously. “Then again, it might work if we try it after dark.”
“I'll dig up the caps and seamen's jackets we used on that sailing trip last year.”
“Okay. But let's disguise ourselves in the car. We don't want Mother and Aunt Gertrude to see us. They'll only worry.”
The boys lost no time putting their plan into action. Within half an hour they had completed their disguise.
“You look as if you've been at sea for years,” Frank said laughingly as he gazed at his brother.
Joe grinned as he started the car. “And no one would take you for a landlubber either.”
It had been dark for nearly an hour when the Hardys arrived at the harbor. They were startled to find the
Black Parrot
gone.
Frank leaped out of the convertible and approached a watchman who was walking along the pier “Where's the
Black Parrot?”
he asked.
The man eyed the young detective. “Sailed about an hour ago. Were you supposed to be on board?”
“Er—no,” Frank replied. “Heard the ship was in port. Just wondered if the captain needed a couple of extra hands.”
“Then you ain't missed nothin‘,” the watchman told him. “Strangest crew I ever did see. Weren't friendly toward nobody. You'd be better off signin' on with another ship. Try the
Nomad.
It'll be dockin' here in the mornin'.”
Frank hurried back to the car. “Well, that's that.” He sighed. “The ship's gone and we have nothing to report to Dad.”
“This was a tough assignment,” Joe commented. “If only we had had more time.”
They removed their disguises and returned home. Aunt Gertrude had a message for them. “Your father telephoned while you were gone. He wants you to get a book for him.”
“Sure,” Frank said. “What is it?”
“It's called
Essays in Criminology,
by Weaver. He said you might have some trouble finding it since it's out of print.”
“We'll try. How's Dad?”
“Fine. He'll call again in a few days.”
The boys spent the following day canvassing the second-hand bookstores in Bayport. Their search was unsuccessful, however.
“Let's go to New York City,” Frank suggested. “If there's a copy of the
Essays
anywhere, we're likely to find it there.”
That evening Joe telephoned Jack Wayne, pilot of Mr. Hardy's single-engine aircraft. The plane was based at Bayport Airport. Wayne readily agreed to fly the boys to New York.
“By the way, I understand your father recently left on a trip by airline,” the pilot said jokingly. “What's wrong? Doesn't he like his own plane any more?”
“Not necessarily,” Joe answered with a laugh. “Maybe he thought you needed a vacation. We'll see you in the morning.”
The following day was crisp and clear. Jack Wayne was already warming up the plane's engine when the Hardys arrived at the airport. Soon they were off the ground and headed for their destination. A little more than two hours later the pilot made a smooth landing at La Guardia Airport.
Frank and Joe got on a bus that took them into the city. There they looked in the classified telephone directory and made more than a dozen calls to various bookstores, but to no avail.
Finally they went to a street well known for second-hand bookstores. After hours of searching, they finally discovered a copy of the book their father wanted.
“What luck!” Frank exclaimed as he flipped through its pages.
Joe, meanwhile, glanced casually toward the rare-book section. Suddenly his eyes fastened on a certain volume. He grabbed Frank's shoulder. “Look! Over there!”
CHAPTER III
Trapped at Sea
“IT'S the symbol!” Frank exclaimed. “Just like the one I saw on the first mate's ring!”
The boys stared at an old volume entitled
Empire of the Twisted Claw.
The strange, red-colored insignia was stamped on its cover. Thick glass doors with sturdy locks prevented the Hardys from examining the book more closely.
At that moment the proprietor of the shop appeared. “Find something that interests you?” he inquired.
“How much are you asking for that book?” Joe asked.
The man adjusted his eyeglasses and peered at the volume. “I'll have to look up the exact price. But nothing on this shelf goes for less than fifteen hundred dollars.”
Frank and Joe looked glum. Buying the book was out of the question.
The proprietor saw that they were greatly disappointed. He regarded them for a moment, then smiled. “Tell you what. Promise to be careful, and I'll let you see the volume.”
The Hardys were elated. They thanked the man as he pulled the book from the shelf and placed it on a reading table nearby.

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