wants that contract, too."
Ecks shrugged. "If you ask me, girl, you three are looking in the wrong place for answers. This death's got nothing to do with that plan. If I were you, I'd go back over to the scene of the crime and check for clues. Isn't that the way it works in detective novels?" he added. "The criminal returns to the scene of the crime?"
Joe started to answer, but just then Walter's bloodhound jumped to its feet, pointed its nose toward the road, and started barking.
"Now, what set that fool dog off?" Ecks wondered as the bloodhound raced for the edge of the yard. "Must be a rabbit."
The Hardys, Callie, and Walter Ecks peered in the direction the bloodhound was running. "Hope it's not a skunk," Ecks added.
Suddenly Joe saw a flash of movement in the
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILE5
branches of a tall fir tree on the edge of the woods. ''Hey—there's somebody out there!" he shouted, setting off toward the forest. "Maybe it's someone spying!"
"There he goes!" Frank called from behind him. Joe glimpsed a figure in camouflage clothes leaping down from the trees and running off into the forest. "Come on!" he called to the others.
"Be careful!" Callie shouted as she and Frank took off after Joe. "He might have a gun!"
Joe ran as fast as he could after the fleeing figure. He leapt over fallen trees and small boulders, hoping the low ferns and tree stumps wouldn't trip him up as he closed in on the man.
Finally, Joe could hear the heavy tread and ragged breathing of the camouflaged man about twenty yards ahead. Forcing himself through the undergrowth, he tried to run faster. Behind him, Frank and Callie crashed along the path he had beaten down.
Then, suddenly, Joe could no longer hear the footsteps and panting of his quarry. Before he could think about where the man might have gone, he heard something heavy drop to the ground behind him.
"Where'd you—" he cried out, spinning to face his enemy.
But he failed to make it all the way around. Something heavy and hard smashed down on the back of his head, and Joe tumbled headfirst onto a carpet of leaves.
Chopter
8
"Joe! Are you all right?" Frank plunged toward his brother. Joe lay half hidden behind an enormous tree trunk.
*'0h," Joe groaned, struggling to sit up as Frank knelt at his side. ''What happened? My head is killing me."
"It looks like our spy has a violent streak," Frank said, inspecting the back of Joe's head. "Fortunately, he didn't have time to do much damage. It looks like just a bump. The swelling will probably go down in a couple of hours."
"That's easy for you to say." Joe rubbed his head gingerly. "It's going to seem like a couple of months to me."
"I say we go back to Walter Ecks's place," Callie said as she joined them. "Whoever that creep was, he's long gone by now. And we need to get some ice on that bump."
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILES
"Fine by me." Frank helped his brother up. "Did you get a look at the guy before he brained you, Joe?"
"Not his face," Joe answered. "Just a bit of his sleeve, which was a camouflage shirt. And 1 had the impression he was about average height. Not quite as tall as me."
"Do you think it could have been Vance Galen?" Calhe asked as they made their way back down the path to Ecks's cabin. "We saw him wearing camouflage."
"Plenty of guys must wear camouflage around here," Frank said. "So we can't be sure who it was. Besides, we saw the guy yesterday at the newspaper office. He didn't act like we were the enemy then."
"Yeah, but that was before he saw us talking to Buster's foreman," Callie pointed out. "Maybe he thinks we've hooked up with the bad guys."
"Maybe whoever bonked Joe doesn't think anything—maybe he was just trying to get away," Frank reasoned.
When they rejoined Walter Ecks and the older man had brought out ice to reduce the swelling on Joe's head, Walter agreed with Callie.
"There are only half a dozen cabins in this area," he said. "Galen's is the closest. Of course, that doesn't mean
Ecks shrugged. "If you ask me, girl, you three are looking in the wrong place for answers. This death's got nothing to do with that plan. If I were you, I'd go back over to the scene of the crime and check for clues. Isn't that the way it works in detective novels?" he added. "The criminal returns to the scene of the crime?"
Joe started to answer, but just then Walter's bloodhound jumped to its feet, pointed its nose toward the road, and started barking.
"Now, what set that fool dog off?" Ecks wondered as the bloodhound raced for the edge of the yard. "Must be a rabbit."
The Hardys, Callie, and Walter Ecks peered in the direction the bloodhound was running. "Hope it's not a skunk," Ecks added.
Suddenly Joe saw a flash of movement in the
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILE5
branches of a tall fir tree on the edge of the woods. ''Hey—there's somebody out there!" he shouted, setting off toward the forest. "Maybe it's someone spying!"
"There he goes!" Frank called from behind him. Joe glimpsed a figure in camouflage clothes leaping down from the trees and running off into the forest. "Come on!" he called to the others.
"Be careful!" Callie shouted as she and Frank took off after Joe. "He might have a gun!"
Joe ran as fast as he could after the fleeing figure. He leapt over fallen trees and small boulders, hoping the low ferns and tree stumps wouldn't trip him up as he closed in on the man.
Finally, Joe could hear the heavy tread and ragged breathing of the camouflaged man about twenty yards ahead. Forcing himself through the undergrowth, he tried to run faster. Behind him, Frank and Callie crashed along the path he had beaten down.
Then, suddenly, Joe could no longer hear the footsteps and panting of his quarry. Before he could think about where the man might have gone, he heard something heavy drop to the ground behind him.
"Where'd you—" he cried out, spinning to face his enemy.
But he failed to make it all the way around. Something heavy and hard smashed down on the back of his head, and Joe tumbled headfirst onto a carpet of leaves.
Chopter
8
"Joe! Are you all right?" Frank plunged toward his brother. Joe lay half hidden behind an enormous tree trunk.
*'0h," Joe groaned, struggling to sit up as Frank knelt at his side. ''What happened? My head is killing me."
"It looks like our spy has a violent streak," Frank said, inspecting the back of Joe's head. "Fortunately, he didn't have time to do much damage. It looks like just a bump. The swelling will probably go down in a couple of hours."
"That's easy for you to say." Joe rubbed his head gingerly. "It's going to seem like a couple of months to me."
"I say we go back to Walter Ecks's place," Callie said as she joined them. "Whoever that creep was, he's long gone by now. And we need to get some ice on that bump."
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILES
"Fine by me." Frank helped his brother up. "Did you get a look at the guy before he brained you, Joe?"
"Not his face," Joe answered. "Just a bit of his sleeve, which was a camouflage shirt. And 1 had the impression he was about average height. Not quite as tall as me."
"Do you think it could have been Vance Galen?" Calhe asked as they made their way back down the path to Ecks's cabin. "We saw him wearing camouflage."
"Plenty of guys must wear camouflage around here," Frank said. "So we can't be sure who it was. Besides, we saw the guy yesterday at the newspaper office. He didn't act like we were the enemy then."
"Yeah, but that was before he saw us talking to Buster's foreman," Callie pointed out. "Maybe he thinks we've hooked up with the bad guys."
"Maybe whoever bonked Joe doesn't think anything—maybe he was just trying to get away," Frank reasoned.
When they rejoined Walter Ecks and the older man had brought out ice to reduce the swelling on Joe's head, Walter agreed with Callie.
"There are only half a dozen cabins in this area," he said. "Galen's is the closest. Of course, that doesn't mean
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