The Search of the Tower
When the Hardy boys reached Tower Mansion that morning the door was answered by Hurd Applegate himself. The tall, stooped gentleman peered at them through his thick-lensed glasses. In one hand he held a sheet of stamps, for it was his custom to devote the mornings to his collection.
“Yes?” he said testily, for he was annoyed at being disturbed. “What do you boys want here at this hour of day?”
“You remember us, don’t you?” asked Frank politely. “We’re Mr. Hardy’s sons.”
“Fenton Hardy, the detective? Are you his boys?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, what do you want?”
“We’d like to take a look through the old tower, if you don’t mind. We’ve got a new clue about the robbery you had here a while ago.”
“Want to look through the old tower? Of all the impudence! What do you want to look through the tower for? And what has that got to do with the robbery?”
“We have evidence that leads us to believe the jewels and bonds were hidden in the tower by the thief.”
“Oh! You have evidence, have you?” The old man peered at them very closely. “It’s that rascal Robinson, I’ll warrant. He hid the stuff there, and now he’s put you up to going and finding it, just to clear himself.”
The Hardy boys had not considered the affair in this light, and they gazed at Mr. Applegate in consternation. At last Joe found his tongue.
“ Mr. Robinson isn’t mixed up in this at all,” he said. “The real thief was found. He said the stuff was hidden in the old tower. If you will just let us take a look around, we’ll find it for you.”
“Who was the real thief, then?”
“We can’t tell you just now, sir. Wait till we find the stolen goods and we’ll tell you the whole story.”
Mr. Applegate took off his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. He glared at the boys suspiciously for a few moments. Then he called out:
“Adelia!”
A high cracked voice from the dim regions of the hallway answered.
“What d’you want?”
“We have evidence that they were hidden there after the robbery,” replied Frank.