The Secret of the Old Mill Read Online Free Page A

three-some streaked across the street—but it was too late. The stocky man was lost to sight. The Hardys raced down the next two blocks, peering in every direction, but to no avail.
    Disappointed, Frank and Joe went back to Chet, who had stopped to catch his breath.
    â€œWe lost him,” Joe reported tersely.
    Frank’s eyes narrowed. “I have a hunch that man who passed the bogus twenty-dollar bill to Chet knew it was counterfeit. That last-second dash for the train was just a gimmick to make a fast getaway. But his showing up here in Bayport a couple hours after he took the train out of town is mighty peculiar.”
    Joe and Chet agreed. “He probably got off in Bridgeport,” Frank went on. “That’s the nearest big town.”
    As the boys walked back toward the Scientific Specialties Store, they speculated about the source of the supply of bogus money.
    â€œMaybe it’s Bridgeport,” Frank said. “That could be one of the reasons he took the train there—to get a new supply, or palm off more.”
    â€œYou mean they might actually make the stuff there?” Chet asked.
    Frank shrugged. “Could be,” he said. “I hope no more counterfeit bills are passed in Bayport.”
    â€œThere probably will be,” Chet said ruefully, “if this town is full of easy marks like me.”
    â€œLet’s keep a sharp lookout for that fake-money passer from now on,” Joe said, “and other clues to the counterfeit ring.”
    â€œWho knows,” Chet put in, “it could turn out to be your next case.”
    As soon as Mr. Reed had been paid, the boys drove to Bayport Police Headquarters. Chet decided to take his microscope into headquarters and show it to Chief Ezra Collig. The keen-eyed, robust officer was an old friend of Fenton Hardy and his sons. Many times the four had cooperated on cases.
    â€œSit down,” the chief said cordially. “I can see that you boys have something special on your minds. Another mystery?”
    He leaned forward expectantly in his chair.
    â€œIt’s possible, Chief,” replied Frank as he handed over the counterfeit bill. Quickly the Hardys explained what had happened, then voiced their suspicions of the man who had just eluded them.
    â€œHave there been any other reports of people receiving fake bills?” Joe asked the officer.
    Chief Collig nodded. “Chet’s not the first to be fooled,” he replied. “Since the Secret Service alerted us to watch for these twenty-dollar bills, we’ve had nearly a dozen complaints. But we’ve instructed the people involved not to talk about it.”
    â€œWhy?” Chet asked curiously.
    â€œIt’s part of our strategy. We hope to trap at least some of the gang by lulling them into a feeling of false security.”
    The boys learned that Chet’s description of the stocky stranger tallied with what the police had on file.
    â€œHe’s a slippery one,” the chief added. “It sounds to me as if the man wears a different outfit each time he shoves a bill.”
    â€œShoves?” echoed Chet.
    â€œA shover—or passer—is a professional term for people who pass counterfeit money,” Chief Collig explained. He rubbed the bogus bill between his fingers. “This is a clever forgery,” he said. “Let’s see what it looks like under your microscope, Chet.”
    It took just a minute to rig and focus the microscope. Then, under Chief Collig’s directions, the boys scrutinized the faults in the bill.
    â€œLook at the serial number,” the chief pointed out. “That’s the large, colored group of numbers that appears on the upper right and lower left portions of the bill.”
    As the boys peered at the number, Chief Collig made some quick calculations on his desk pad. “Divide the serial number by six,” he went on, “and in this case, the remainder is two.”
    When