The Jungle Pyramid Read Online Free PDF

too late—”
    â€œExactly what happened?” Frank asked.
    â€œThat man ran out of the Animal Chamber. I became suspicious and checked. I found that the glass in one of the display cases had been cut open. A figurine was missing. I alerted Orlov and took off after the thief.”
    â€œWas anyone else in the room at the time?” Frank queried.
    â€œNo. Mr. Orlov had gone to his office. Oh, just before the robbery a tall blond man came out of the room and buried his cigarette butt in the bucket of sand in the hallway. I appreciated that because we don’t want a fire in the museum. The man went upstairs. In a moment the thief appeared. Obviously he waited until he was alone in the room, then stole the figurine.”
    The boys found Orlov in the Animal Chamber in front of a display case. A piece of glass had been cut out neatly, and the figurine of the rearing horse that Frank had admired was missing.
    The Russian was extremely agitated. He demanded to know what had become of the thief.
    â€œHe got away, Mr. Orlov,” the guard replied. “Jumped into a taxi.”
    Orlov began wringing his hands. “Americans! You cannot trust them. I never should have brought the gold here. Our government will be very angry!”
    â€œMaybe we can help you recover the piece,” Frank offered. “We have been doing some detective work. Unfortunately, the thief seems to have left no clue.”
    â€œI don’t know about that,” Chet spoke up. “While you were staring after that taxi, I picked this up from the sidewalk. Maybe the guy dropped it!”
    He held up a telegram. The others crowded around and read the message.
    PEDRO ZEMOG. TAKE CONSIGNMENT TO ZURICH. A.P.

CHAPTER V
    The Bulging Briefcase
    Â 
    Â 
    Â 
    Â 
    CHET grinned with a self-satisfied expression as the others read the telegram. “The Hardys aren’t the only detectives around here.” He chortled.
    Joe scratched his head. “But what does the message mean?”
    â€œSearch me,” Chet replied.
    Frank turned to the Russian curator. “Mr. Orlov, does the name Pedro Zemog suggest anything to you?”
    â€œNothing!” Orlov answered. “Nothing!”
    â€œWhat about A.P.?”
    â€œNothing.”
    The Hardys wondered about the briefcase Zemog had been carrying. Had he opened it in the museum and slipped the figurine inside?
    â€œI saw nothing!” Orlov said.
    The guard added, “The thief did not open his briefcase when I saw him. As a matter of fact, he acted as if it were made of solid gold, and he held it very tightly.”
    â€œYour police had better do something about getting my ancient horse back!” Orlov exclaimed impatiently. “This theft could be a serious matter between our two countries.”
    â€œYes,” Frank agreed. “You’ll have to report it right away. But perhaps we can help you. Mr. Zemog is headed for Zurich according to this telegram. We’re planning to go there ourselves. Mr. Orlov, would you like us to try to find the thief?”
    Orlov stared at him. “You—but who are you?”
    Frank introduced himself, Joe, and Chet and told Orlov about his father’s work.
    The Russian became interested. “You are going to Zurich? Good. I will let you pursue the case in Switzerland.”
    Joe had a sudden thought. “What about the tall blond man? If he’s still upstairs, he might be able to tell us something about the thief.”
    Orlov gave the boys permission to search the building. They rushed upstairs, but could not find anyone who fitted the blond man’s description. They returned and reported their failure.
    â€œHe must have left by this time,” Orlov said. “Too bad we did not think of looking for him sooner.”
    â€œMaybe the guy didn’t know anything was wrong and simply strolled out after he looked at the exhibition,” the guard added.
    Frank and Joe promised Orlov they