CHAPTER IV
Cryptic Message
"bleeker must have left the warning here!" Joe exclaimed.
"That's for sure," Frank agreed. "And it's no idle threat. Besides, I have a hunch Dad wasn't taken to South Africa. Otherwise, Hexton wouldn't be so determined to keep us off the trail."
The Hardys were more eager than ever to get their investigation under way. Upon arriving home, they examined the playbill which listed the cities on the magician's tour.
"According to this list," Frank observed, "Hex-ton is scheduled to appear at the Tivoli Theater in Darville tomorrow."
Joe paged through the atlas and pinpointed the location of the city. "Here's Darville. It's about four hundred miles from here."
The boys telephoned Jack Wayne, pilot of Mr. 25
26 The Secret Agent on Flight 101
Hardy's twin-engine plane, and arranged to fly to Darville the following day. Frank and Joe had private pilot licenses, but thought it wise to have Jack along. "He's a tough man in a fight," Joe said.
When they invited Chet, he eagerly accepted. "I'll meet you at the field."
The next morning Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude nervously prepared breakfast for the young detectives.
"Now don't do anything foolish," their mother cautioned. "This Hexton fellow sounds terribly dangerous to me."
"I fear the worst!" Aunt Gertrude said, shaking her head. "Detective work involves taking too many chances. No good will come of this. I can feel it in my bones."
"Don't worry about us," Joe assured them. "Hexton might be a clever magician, but we have a few tricks of our own."
After receiving more admonitions at the doorway, the boys drove to the airport. Jack Wayne, the tanned, lean-faced pilot, was waiting for them at the plane. Chet came puffing up a few moments later. Soon they were airborne and streaking toward Darville. Two hours later they circled it and set down.
Frank rented a car and they drove directly to the theater where Hexton was scheduled to appear. As they approached the Tivoli, the boys
Cryptic Message 27
were amazed to see a man standing on a tall ladder against the marquee, removing the big black letters which spelled out the magician's name.
Frank pulled up in front of the theater, and Joe called out, "What's going on? Hexton's first show is scheduled for tonight!"
The man on the ladder shrugged. "I only follow orders. Sorry."
He pointed to the box-office window. A cancellation notice was spread across a large poster advertising the show.
"Let's have a talk with the theater manager," Frank suggested. He parked and they hastened to a door marked "Manager L. Sardella." Joe rapped loudly.
"Come in!"
When the four entered, a small, thin man with a waxed mustache removed his feet from a desk and glowered. "Yes?"
"Mr. Sardella, where is Hexton?" Joe asked tensely.
The man arose and eyed them sharply. "You want refunds?"
"No. We're private detectives," Chet said importantly. "Where is he?"
"Hexton? That's what I'd like to know. The skunk! I'll spend the rest of the day giving refunds on my advance ticket sale, and still have no show tonight."
"Why didn't he come?" Frank asked.
28 The Secret Agent on Flight 101
"Search me. He phoned long-distance. Gave no reasons. I'll sue him!"
Sardella said that the magician had mentioned he was canceling the remainder of his tour with the exception of one last performance.
"Where?" Frank asked.
"Some little place called Granton. Don't ask me what state, because I don't know. Said they pushed up the date to tonight to accommodate him. Accommodation-bah!"
The Hardys and their friends thanked the manager and hurried back to the car. They returned to the airport and hastened to the operations room to consult a large aeronautical chart mounted on the wall.
"Here's Granton," the pilot said, pointing. He quickly plotted a course. "It's a little bit more than a thousand miles from here."
"Good grief!" Chet exclaimed. "We'll never get there in time."
Frank glanced at his watch. "We ought to be able to make the trip in under seven hours, wouldn't you say, Jack?"
The pilot manipulated a small flight computer, which he had taken from a jacket pocket. "With the present winds, I'd say we could do it in seven hours easily."
"If we take off right now," Frank said, "we can be in Granton before Hexton's show ends."
"I'm game, fellows," Chet piped up, "if you'll
Cryptic Message 29
let me get some chow for the trip." He trotted toward the airport cafeteria and returned a few minutes later with a bag of sandwiches and milk.
Soon the four companions were in the air, speeding toward Granton. They set down late that evening at an airport thirty miles from the town, rented a car, and started off. Fortunately, the speed limit was generous. Also, Granton had only one theater, which Frank found easily.
It was nearly time for the show to end. Frank parked the car across the street from the lighted marquee.
Joe walked down an alley to the rear and reported that there was only one other exit besides the front. "It's on the side."
"Keep a sharp lookout for Hexton and his men after the performance," Frank instructed the others. "Also, remember that they mustn't spot us or our chance to follow them might fail."
Twenty minutes later the show ended and people spilled out through the doors. Presently a green sedan drove up in front of the theater.
"Look!" Joe said in a loud whisper. "The driver is Stony Bleeker!"
Four men appeared from the alley exit. "There's Hexton!" Chet whispered.
"And Vordo with two short men!" Frank observed.
"They look like twins!" Joe exclaimed.
"I'll bet that's how Hexton works the vanish-
30 The Secret Agent on Flight 101
ing bit," said Chet. "One twin disappears in the box and the other appears from the wings! From the audience, who could tell they weren't the same man?"
The magician and his assistants got into the car and sped off. Frank and his companions followed at a safe distance. Several blocks farther on, the green car passed a high wall surrounding a garden back of a hotel, then pulled around the corner and stopped in front of the Granton Inn. The men got out and entered, while a doorman drove the car into the hotel's underground garage.
Frank parked a short distance from the entrance. "Let's stay out here and see what happens," he said. "We'll take turns keeping watch. Good thing there are no exits except to this street or the garden." The foursome settled down for a long vigil.
As they waited, Joe noticed that Chet seemed preoccupied. His stout friend was staring at something high on the side of the hotel.
"What are you looking at?" Joe asked.
"That window up there near the top. The room light is going on and off."
The young sleuths watched the light for a time before noticing that it was following a definite pattern.
"Dit-dit-dit dah-dah-dah dit-dit-dit," mumbled Frank in tempo with the light.
Cryptic Message 31
"An SOS!" Joe cried. "In Morse code!"
"No doubt about it!" Frank exclaimed. "Maybe it's from Dad! He could be a prisoner in Hexton's room!"
Throwing caution to the winds, the Hardys dashed into the hotel. Chet and Jack Wayne remained in the car to watch the exit. The desk clerk was startled when the boys rushed in.
"Which is the Incredible Hexton's room?" Frank asked.
The man automatically answered, "He's in Suite 924. What are your names? I'll announce you."
"Never mind," Joe said.
"But I have to announce all visitors," the clerk insisted. "It's a hotel rule."
As he scooped up the house phone, Frank and Joe darted into an elevator. They burned with impatience while the car rose slowly. When it reached the ninth floor, the boys hopped out and rushed to Hexton's suite. To their surprise, the door was partly open. On it hung a sign: DO NOT DISTURB.
"Careful!" Frank warned. "It might be a trap."
Cautiously they entered and hurriedly glanced into each of the rooms of the suite.
"Nobody here!" Joe declared.
"They were warned by the desk clerk's call," Frank said. "Let's go after them! They must have escaped by a stairway."
32 The Secret Agent on Flight 101
The boys ran along the corridor toward an exit sign and bounded down the staircase. Reaching the lobby, they asked the clerk if he had seen Hexton or his assistants pass through.
"I've seen no one," was the response. "What's this all about?"
"No time to tell you now," Frank said. "How do we get to the underground garage?"
"By the elevator or the back stairs," the clerk answered.
"Quick! Outside!" Frank shouted to Joe. "Maybe we can cut them off!"
They raced from the hotel and headed for the driveway leading to the underground garage. Just then the green sedan roared out.
"Watch it!" Joe yelled. They fell backward as the speeding car grazed their jackets. Scrambling to their feet, the boys ran for their own car. It was gone!
"Chet and Jack must have recognized Hexton," Frank surmised, "and followed him."
He and Joe hurried back to the hotel to search the magician's rooms for clues.
"Come here!" Frank called softly to Joe as he opened the door to an adjoining bedroom. "This is where the SOS was sent from!" The electrical plug to a lamp was only part way in the wall outlet.
"The signal must have been sent by manipulating the plug," Frank said.
Cryptic Message 33
"What's that?" Joe exclaimed, pointing to something written near the base of the wall. The pair bent down to examine the faint scribbling. It read:
441810682300 Am all right-
"That's Dad's writing!" Joe exclaimed. "He was trying to tell us something!"
"The 'Am all right' is clear enough," Frank remarked as he carefully studied the writing. "But the numerals-what do you make of them?"
Joe rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Nothing-yet. But I'll bet they're mighty important."
Frank took a notebook from his pocket and jotted down the cryptic message. The boys then went downstairs and walked out of the hotel just as Chet and Jack Wayne drove up.
"We chased 'em!" Chet said.
"Any luck?" Frank asked.
"No! Only their license number. Lost 'em in traffic," Jack answered.
"But," Chet continued eagerly, "we did get close enough to see that there were six men in the car."
Frank nodded. "I'm sure the sixth was Dad!"
After phoning a description and the license number of the green car to the police, Jack and the boys decided to return to the theater.
"Hexton must have left his stage equipment behind," Frank said. "Perhaps he gave instructions where he wanted it sent."
34 The Secret Agent on Flight 101
At the theater a local truck was parked near the side entrance.
"Maybe it's waiting to pick up the gear," Joe said.
"Let's ask some questions," Frank suggested.
Chet and Jack Wayne were instructed to keep an eye on the truck while the Hardys went inside. They confronted the theater manager just as he was locking his office, and asked him where Hex-ton's equipment was to be taken.
"As far as I know," the man replied, "Hexton made arrangements to have it stored in a local warehouse."
"Did he leave anyone behind to dismantle and pack the stuff?" Frank inquired.
"Yes-a man I never saw before. Said he had just arrived in town this morning," the manager replied. "Hexton took his four regular assistants with him."
A shout came from the street and the boys rushed outside.
Chet's face was flushed with excitement. "A man forced Jack into the truck and drove off! He had a gun!" Chet pointed down the street. "There they go!"
Frank and Joe caught a glimpse of the vehicle as it rounded a corner several blocks away. They grabbed Chet's arms and dashed for their carl