The Bombay Boomerang Read Online Free PDF Page B

Beret never left the airport after talking to you, Jack.”
    â€œSure. They sneaked around here, baited the trap with that bogus message from L. Marks, and knocked us out,” Joe added.
    â€œThey must have been pretty sure you’d fall for it,” Jack went on. “Who’s L. Marks, anyhow?”
    â€œAn alias Dad used,” Frank explained.
    â€œWell, that’s how I found you,” Jack said.
    â€œThe desk clerk told me that you were paged by Marks, who asked you to meet him in the repair shop.”
    â€œOne thing is certain,” Frank said. “They know about Dad. His cover is blown. We must alert him right away!”
    â€œBut we have no way of contacting him,” Joe pointed out. “We’d better get on with the Washington assignment and hope for the best.”
    The boys discovered that their jackets were missing. A search of the repair shop failed to turn them up.
    â€œWe’re minus our wallets, money, and driver’s licenses,” Joe lamented.
    â€œWe’ll have to call Chief Collig,” Frank said.
    They all went to the administration building, where they telephoned police headquarters.
    Collig took down the details. He promised to have his men comb Bayport for the thugs who had knocked the boys out.
    â€œMeanwhile, what do we do for money?” Frank asked after he had hung up.
    Jack Wayne came to the rescue. “Don’t worry about financing your expedition to the Pentagon. I’ll loan you the money. And there are a couple of jackets in my locker that you can borrow.”
    Wayne cashed a check, then the three boarded the plane. Receiving the green light from the control tower, Jack gave her the gun, zoomed down the runway, and lifted the nose into a perfect take-off. Smoothly the aircraft gained altitude. The pilot locked the automatic controls.
    They flew over Baltimore. Frank and Joe looked down at the Maryland city, wondering whether their father was still there.
    Their speculations came to a halt as Jack brought the plane down to a smooth landing at the Washington airport. While he stood by, the Hardys hailed a taxi and rode to the Pentagon.
    A naval officer escorted them to Admiral Rodgers’ office. A model warship stood on a bookcase. A multicolored map of the Pacific hung on the wall behind the desk.
    The admiral was in uniform with a row of service stripes on his sleeve. He had fought in many battles on the high seas without flinching. But now he looked worried!
    He asked the Hardys to tell him all they knew. Joe gave a rapid account of his attempt to put through a call to New York City, only to find that he had dialed incorrectly and had reached an office in the Pentagon.
    Frank related the sound of scuffling, the call for help, and the reference to the Super S data. “And then,” he added, “there were those mysterious words about the Bombay Boomerang!”
    Admiral Rodgers listened with a grave expression. “You’ve stumbled into a real-life drama here at the Pentagon,” he said. “Happened down the hall in the office of Commander Wenn, who’s been directing secret research on our latest missile systems.”
    â€œWas he the one who answered our call?” Joe asked.
    â€œYes. He was still on the line when the intruders appeared. Luckily he had a split second in which to press a button underneath the edge of his desk. This triggered a tape recorder in a false bottom of one drawer. We’ve got a tape of everything that was said, including what you heard.”
    â€œWhat happened then?” Frank inquired.
    â€œSomeone bashed the commander over the head, knocking him out. They ransacked his office. Looked as if a tornado hit it. Drawers overturned, locks broken, files rifled, official documents strewn around like confetti!”
    â€œWow!” Frank exclaimed.
    â€œThe worst part is that they found what they were looking for. You heard Commander Wenn’s shout about the