Deadfall Read Online Free
Author: Franklin W Dixon
Tags: Detective and Mystery Stories, Hardy Boys (Fictitious characters)
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brow. When he took it down it was black from soot and sweat. '"Vd better get those supplies. You don't mind, do you?" he asked Stan as he edged past him to the truck.
Stan, Callie, and the Hardys watched helplessly as the sheriff leaned inside.
He froze. Behind him, Stan coughed.
'*Stan,'' the sheriff said gravely, straightening up. "What's this dynamite doing in here?"
"I—1—1 don't know. Sheriff. I've never seen it b-before," Stan stammered, turning pale.
'*Someone must have planted it on him," Callie defended her uncle. 'They're trying to get him blamed for this fire."
The sheriff stepped away from the car, all of a sudden very professional and serious. 'There are half a dozen sticks missing. Why?"
''He told you he doesn't know!" Joe broke in. "Anyway, you don't know that the fire was started by dynamite, do you?"
The sheriff shook his head. "1 radioed the county seat for a couple of fire investigators. 1 admit I don't know much about fires, but I do know that this got started too fast and too loud to be anything natural. My guess is that an explosive of some kind had to be used. Also, the longer this mill's closed, the longer your trees stay up, right, Stan?"
Joe turned to Stan, wondering why he didn't speak up in his own defense. The conservationist had turned an unhealthy shade of gray and seemed to be too stunned to speak.
Deadfall
"How about if my brother and I take the first-aid supplies to the volunteers while you talk to Mr. Shaw?" Frank said, breaking the awkward silence.
''Good idea," the sheriff said, shooing them away.
'Tm staying," Callie insisted. ''I know my uncle Stan couldn't have had anything to do with this."
'Tine." Joe lifted the heavy first-aid kit out while Frank grabbed some blankets. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
As soon as they were out of earshot, Joe said to his brother, "Okay, what gives? You were so eager to get away from there I could practically smell the rubber burning on your hiking boots."
"I might be wrong," Frank said as they hurried toward the group of injured people, "but Stan Shaw seems like a straightforward guy to me. If he says he doesn't know how that dynamite got in his truck, he doesn't. That means somebody planted it on him."
"But why didn't he even try to defend himself?" Joe asked. "He practically surrendered to the sheriff before the guy even suspected anything!"
"He must have panicked," Frank replied. "I mean, think about it. You live in a town where no one really likes you, and you're caught at an explosion with a bunch of dynamite. He must already be figuring how he'll come up with bail."
"But if he didn't do it—" Joe said.
THE HARDY BOYS CASERLES
"Whoever did planted that dynamite in the last half hour," Frank interrupted. ''Now the faster we start tracking down who did it, the better our chances are."
''But who would do a thing like that?" Joe demanded. "Were they out to get Buster, or did he just happen to get caught in the blast?"
"Finding that out," Frank answered, "is how we pay for those pancakes you ate. Here's the first-aid kit you asked for," Frank said to a volunteer standing with the injured. "We have blankets, too. Is there anything else you want or need?"
"We didn't ask for anything." A busy woman glanced up from where she was bandaging a young man's arm. "We used the supplies from the fire truck. 1 think everybody's just about taken care of now."
"But the sheriff said ..." Joe's voice trailed off. He was puzzled.
"If anyone shows up with a case of soda, though, you can bring that right on over," the woman joked, turning back to her patient.
"Frank, what's that all about?" Joe asked as soon as the brothers had moved a short distance from the crowd. "Someone asked us and the sheriff for first-aid supplies nobody needed?"
"Yeah, somebody who wanted that dynamite to be found in Stan's truck," Frank replied. "I'll bet it was the same somebody who planted it there."
Deadfall
"So you think someone's trying to
brow. When he took it down it was black from soot and sweat. '"Vd better get those supplies. You don't mind, do you?" he asked Stan as he edged past him to the truck.
Stan, Callie, and the Hardys watched helplessly as the sheriff leaned inside.
He froze. Behind him, Stan coughed.
'*Stan,'' the sheriff said gravely, straightening up. "What's this dynamite doing in here?"
"I—1—1 don't know. Sheriff. I've never seen it b-before," Stan stammered, turning pale.
'*Someone must have planted it on him," Callie defended her uncle. 'They're trying to get him blamed for this fire."
The sheriff stepped away from the car, all of a sudden very professional and serious. 'There are half a dozen sticks missing. Why?"
''He told you he doesn't know!" Joe broke in. "Anyway, you don't know that the fire was started by dynamite, do you?"
The sheriff shook his head. "1 radioed the county seat for a couple of fire investigators. 1 admit I don't know much about fires, but I do know that this got started too fast and too loud to be anything natural. My guess is that an explosive of some kind had to be used. Also, the longer this mill's closed, the longer your trees stay up, right, Stan?"
Joe turned to Stan, wondering why he didn't speak up in his own defense. The conservationist had turned an unhealthy shade of gray and seemed to be too stunned to speak.
Deadfall
"How about if my brother and I take the first-aid supplies to the volunteers while you talk to Mr. Shaw?" Frank said, breaking the awkward silence.
''Good idea," the sheriff said, shooing them away.
'Tm staying," Callie insisted. ''I know my uncle Stan couldn't have had anything to do with this."
'Tine." Joe lifted the heavy first-aid kit out while Frank grabbed some blankets. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
As soon as they were out of earshot, Joe said to his brother, "Okay, what gives? You were so eager to get away from there I could practically smell the rubber burning on your hiking boots."
"I might be wrong," Frank said as they hurried toward the group of injured people, "but Stan Shaw seems like a straightforward guy to me. If he says he doesn't know how that dynamite got in his truck, he doesn't. That means somebody planted it on him."
"But why didn't he even try to defend himself?" Joe asked. "He practically surrendered to the sheriff before the guy even suspected anything!"
"He must have panicked," Frank replied. "I mean, think about it. You live in a town where no one really likes you, and you're caught at an explosion with a bunch of dynamite. He must already be figuring how he'll come up with bail."
"But if he didn't do it—" Joe said.
THE HARDY BOYS CASERLES
"Whoever did planted that dynamite in the last half hour," Frank interrupted. ''Now the faster we start tracking down who did it, the better our chances are."
''But who would do a thing like that?" Joe demanded. "Were they out to get Buster, or did he just happen to get caught in the blast?"
"Finding that out," Frank answered, "is how we pay for those pancakes you ate. Here's the first-aid kit you asked for," Frank said to a volunteer standing with the injured. "We have blankets, too. Is there anything else you want or need?"
"We didn't ask for anything." A busy woman glanced up from where she was bandaging a young man's arm. "We used the supplies from the fire truck. 1 think everybody's just about taken care of now."
"But the sheriff said ..." Joe's voice trailed off. He was puzzled.
"If anyone shows up with a case of soda, though, you can bring that right on over," the woman joked, turning back to her patient.
"Frank, what's that all about?" Joe asked as soon as the brothers had moved a short distance from the crowd. "Someone asked us and the sheriff for first-aid supplies nobody needed?"
"Yeah, somebody who wanted that dynamite to be found in Stan's truck," Frank replied. "I'll bet it was the same somebody who planted it there."
Deadfall
"So you think someone's trying to
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