The Sinister Signpost Part 3

"It is an alibi you want, yes?"

"Just making a ittle check-up. Nothing serious, you understand."

Vilnoff smiled affably.

"I onnerstand pairfectly. Moreover, you fonny, inquisitive Americans will not have to bother about me any longer, because I sail for my native land in a few days."

"Oh, leaving the city, Mr. Vilnoff?"

"I leave America for good. It is too bad I will not see any more football. Your son," and Vilnoff made a polite bow in Frank's direction, "he was so good as to explain that complicated game to me. But I am stupid, yes. I do not onnerstand football. It is very rough.

Very confuse."

36 Mr. Vilnoff bowed them out of the house, thanking them profusely for the honour they had bestowed upon him by calling. On the way back home Frank asked curiously: "What did you want his alibi for, Dad?"

Fenton Hardy shrugged.

"Oh, the government is just checking up on all visiting aliens," he remarked casually. "It wasn't very important."

"A result of the explosion in the munitions factory?" Joe suggested shrewdly.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that I connect Vilnoff with that," returned Mr. Hardy.

Although their father would say no more, the boys felt that they could read between the lines. They were firmly convinced that his investigations had some connection with the factory explosion. Later, when he left them to go on an errand that would take him into the downtown section of Bayport, they talked the matter over.

"There's something fishy about that Vilnoff fellow," declared Joe. "I'd like to know a little more about him."

"Same here. What say we go back there and take a look around?"

"Back to Vilnoff"s house?"

"Why not? If Dad has his eye on Vilnoff there must be some mystery about him."

Acting on this sudden impulse, the lads made their way back to the foreigner's home. It was a big, luxurious dwelling with well-kept grounds and gardens. The Hardy boys slipped through the gate, stole across the 37.

lawns, and noticing a light in a bas.e.m.e.nt window, crept forward to investigate.

They crouched beside the window and peered into the bas.e.m.e.nt below. The room they could see seemed to have been fitted up as a workshop of some kind. A motor was running, and a man, sitting at a bench with his back toward them, was engaged in some work that demanded the use of a number of small tools. Occasionally he would reach toward a rack in front of him and take down a wrench, a small screw-driver, a tiny hammer, and other articles as he needed them.

Finally he stood up abruptly and turned a switch. The motor stopped. The man moved away from the bench, strode across the room, and snapped out the bas.e.m.e.nt light when he reached the door. At no time had the boys had a glimpse of his face.

The young detectives straightened up. They were intensely interested in Mr. VilnofPs underground machine shop, but as yet it meant nothing to them.

"Let's take a prowl around to the back of the house," suggested Frank. "Perhaps-----"

Suddenly Joe gripped his arm.

"Listen!" he whispered.

On the gravel path leading from the front of the dwelling they heard crunching footsteps.

"Someone is coming!" whispered Frank. "Better hide."

They separated, and ducked into tall bushes at the side of the path. Unfortunately Frank tripped over a wire and went sprawling into the crackling brush. He heard a shout behind him, picked himself up, and broke into a run. Some distance awav he could hear 38 thudding footsteps as Joe fled toward the back of the estate.

Frank raced beneath the trees, hoping to gain the street, but a dark figure loomed up suddenly before him. The lad dodged, but the man was too quick for him, and seized him by the arm.

"You come along with me!" growled his captor menacingly. "We don't like sneak thieves around here."

Frank struggled, but the man hustled him back across the lawn toward the house. When they reached the path two more figures emerged from the shadows. One of them was Joe, held firmly by someone in a chauffeur's uniform.

"Did you get the other guy, Harker?" called out the driver.

"You bet I got him, and I'm hangin' onto him, too. They'll get jail for this. Better call the police and have 'em arrested."

"We'll let the boss do that. Bring 'em into the house."

The Hardy boys realized that their plight was serious. Although their actions had been the result of curiosity, there was no doubt that they had been trespa.s.sing. If Vilnoff should lay charges against them they would be in a bad fix.

The chauffeur and his companion, who seemed to be the gardener of the estate, hustled their young captives unceremoniously through a side door into a bare little room. There the driver stood guard while the other fellow went in search of Vilnoff.

As they were waiting, Joe scrutinized the chauffeur 39.

closely. He recollected his face clearly. This was indeed the man who had driven the car that had forced the Hardy boys off the road outside of Spurtown that afternoon. The boy decided he was a reckless individual.

A few minutes later Vilnoff appeared, clad in slippers and dressing gown. When he recognized the Hardy boys he turned threateningly toward his servants.

"What nonsense is this?" he snapped. "These boys are not burglars."

"Well, chief, we caught 'em prowlin' around the house," mumbled the chauffeur, "and you gave orders we was to tackle anybody actin' suspicious like, so-----"

Vilnoff silenced him with an impatient gesture.

"I am very sorry," he told Frank and Joe. "My men, they have make the mistake. You will please to accept my pardon, yes?"

He ordered the servants out of the room. Then he said, "I know you are not burglars, of course. And yet maybe there is some explanation. Perhaps you will tell me- what what were you were you doing on the grounds of my home?"

The Hardy boys did not reply to the question.

"You lost somet'ing, perhaps, when you were here a little while ago?" suggested Vilnoff.

"You came back to look for it, yes? Ah well, come back in de daytime. You may find it then."

And so, bowing and smiling politely, he ushered them to the door, apologized again on behalf of his servants, and let them out.

"You will come and see me again?" said Vilnoff. "I promise that you will not be treated like burglars a second time."

The Hardy boys went down the walk in silence. After a while Frank spoke up.

"We were mighty lucky to get out of that jam as easily as we did."

"I'll say so. I thought we were going to be turned over to the police. Vilnoff seems to be a pretty good scout."

"We didn't fool him," Frank said. "He was just a little too polite and agreeable to suit me.

He knew perfectly well that we were spying on his house, but he just didn't want to do anything about it."

"You think he knew?"

"All the evidence was against us, and yet he went out of his way to make up an explanation for us."

"But why?"

"I suppose he didn't want to start any trouble. Maybe he didn't want the police called in.

There's another thing that occurred to me tonight, Joe. When Dad asked him where he was yesterday afternoon he had a perfect alibi to the effect that he was at the football game and that I was sitting right by him and could substantiate the fact."

"It was true, wasn't it?"

"Sure, but I believe he sat beside me deliberately, thinking that he would be questioned later on."

"There may be something to that," admitted Joe thoughtfully. "He's a queer fellow, that Vilnoff. Did you notice how much he blinks, and then raises his right hand in the air every little while?"

"Nervousness, probably. Oh, well, if he's leaving the country in a day or so we won't have to worry about him."

4!.

"By the way," Joe remarked, tugging at something in his pocket, "I didn't show you what I found near Vilnofrs house tonight just before we had to run away. I saw this lying on the ground and s.n.a.t.c.hed it up as I took to my heels."

"What is it?" asked his brother curiously.

They halted under a street light. Frank stared at the object Joe held out for his inspection.

It looked like a small human hand. On second glance Frank saw that it was merely a model in clay.

"A clay hand I" he exclaimed. "What in the world can it mean?"

CHAPTER V.

THE MISSING TRUCK.

"while you boys were out gallivanting last night," Aunt Gertrude informed her nephews next morning, "a young man called to see you."

"Did he leave his name?" asked Joe.

"He did," the good lady replied with marked disapproval in her glance. "It seems he was one of those gambling friends of yours. It's bad enough going to horse-races without making friends with every Tom, d.i.c.k and Harry around the place. At least that's my my opinion. Not that opinion. Not that it counts for anything around this house."

"Was he Tom or d.i.c.k?" asked Frank.

"Or Harry?" Joe inquired innocently.

Aunt Gertrude glared at them.

"He said his name was Ivan. One of those jockey persons, I believe."

The Hardy boys were interested.

"Ivan, eh!" said Frank. "I wonder why he wanted to see us?"

"Perhaps he has had some news about Tofnotch" Tofnotch" Joe suggested. Joe suggested.

"He had a message for you," Aunt Gertrude said. "I told him, of course, that I would be very glad to hear what he had to say and that I would tell you about it when you came in. But he was very rude. Said he would come back this morning and give you the message himself."

Frank and Joe waited all morning in the hope that Ivan would show up, but the jockey did not appear.

"If he had something so important for us to hear, he should have been here by this time,"

said Frank during lunch.

"Maybe he's been in an accident. I suggest that we go over to Spurtown this afternoon and Took him up. After all, we don't want to waste the whole day. I'd like to do a little more sleuthing along that old road."

"That's right. We'll take the car and run over to Spurtown."

When they got the auto out they discovered engine trouble, which necessitated their taking the roadster to the corner garage for repairs. The mechanic who investigated the trouble told them that the work could not be completed until late that afternoon.

"In that case we'll have to go to Spurtown by bus," said Frank.

When they arrived at the race-track, they asked among the jockeys about Ivan, but apparently he had not been seen in the vicinity since the previous day. Further inquiries revealed the fact that Topnotch Topnotch was still missing, and that the mystery surrounding the was still missing, and that the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the race-horse remained as deep as ever.

"I hope Ivan hasn't been kidnapped too," Joe remarked. "It seems queer that he didn't come to see us this morning as he said he would."

The boys got a lift from a friendly motorist who drove them as far as the crossroads.

Then they set out 44 on foot to follow the old trail they had investigated the previous afternoon. Before they had gone very far, however, Frank suggested that they might save time by taking a short-cut through a field beside the road.

"If we cross the field we'll come out somewhere near the spot where we had to leave the car last night," he stated.

"Anything that saves walking will suit me," Joe answered, promptly beginning to climb the wooden fence. Then suddenly he was held fast.

"Good gos.h.!.+ Barbed wire!" he exclaimed. "I didn't see it."

"No wonder. It's half hidden."