A Will to Survive Read Online Free Page A

unfortunate misunderstanding. Carl, that is Joe Hardy, a new intern. Joe, Carl is our caretaker. He is in charge of the upkeep of the house and grounds. As you can see, he takes his job very seriously.”
    â€œYeah, I can see that,” Joe said. To himself, he wondered if Carl’s duties always involved lurking around the house at three in the morning.
    â€œAll right, everyone,” Tanya continued. “The excitement is over. Please return to your rooms. We have much to do tomorrow.”
    Joe shot Tanya a quick, imploring glance. She noticed and understood.
    â€œJoe, Frank,” she said, as the others started drifting upstairs. “Will you stay for a moment? I need to speak to you. Carl, you may go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    After an unfriendly look at Joe, Carl left the Hardys alone with Tanya.
    In a low voice, Joe said, “I did hear something down here. It sounded like furniture being shifted around. I’d like to know what it was.”
    â€œSo would I,” Tanya agreed. “Will you and Frank see what you can discover? I’ll wait here, in case anyone else returns and wonders what you’re doing.”
    â€œWe weren’t in this room during our look around earlier,” Frank told her. “Can you tell us if anything catches your attention? Don’t work at noticing, just let your eyes and your mind roam.”
    â€œVery well.” Tanya walked to the center of the room and slowly turned, letting her gaze move from one corner of the room to another. Finally she said, “The elk. I don’t think its head always pointed exactly in that direction.”
    Frank followed the direction of her eyes. The stuffed elk was hard to miss. It was mounted on a solid platform painted to look like grass. Its head was raised, as if listening for danger. Its antlers reached almost to the ceiling.
    Frank and Joe crossed the room. Joe peered down at the floor. “Look, Frank,” he said excitedly. “Those scratches are fresh!”
    A series of parallel scratches showed yellowish on the dark polished floorboards. Frank estimated that the scratches were a bit under a foot long. It looked as if someone had shoved the front of the elk’s stand over, pivoting it on the rear part.
    â€œGive me a hand,” Frank said. He and Joe knelt down to push the elk’s platform. There was a teethgritting screech as the metal scraped across the wooden floor. They stopped at once.
    â€œThat’s the sound I heard earlier,” Joe said. “So somebody moved the elk . . . but why?”
    The two detectives studied the placement of the elk. “The only reason I can come up with,” Frank said slowly, “is to get to the wall behind the exhibit. I wonder . . .”
    With his knuckles, Frank tapped on the carved wooden paneling. He started as high as he could reach and slowly moved down toward the floor. When he got to chest level, the sound changed.
    â€œIt must be hollow behind this spot!” Frank exclaimed. He felt the borders of the panel with his fingertips. Was that a crack? He tried to get his thumbnail into it. There was a faint click. The panel swung outward. Behind it, built into the wall, was a cabinet with two shelves. Eagerly Frank leaned forward to peer inside. All he saw was a furry layer of dust and a few dead flies.
    â€œWe’re too late,” Joe said bitterly. “If only I’d gotten here a couple of minutes sooner!”
    Frank took a closer look at the shelves. “Give yourself a break,” he said. “Getting here sooner wouldn’t have helped. Nothing’s disturbed this dust for a long time.”
    Glancing over his shoulder at Tanya, Frank asked, “Did you know this compartment was here?”
    Tanya shook her head. “This one, no. But itdoesn’t surprise me. The house has many secret doors and stairways. There is a compartment like that in my office I use to store