The Secret of the Soldier's Gold Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    Frank, noticing that Joe had decreased his pace, turned and looked behind them. “I wonder where they are,” he said.
    Now the two of them were jogging at a more leisurely pace.
    â€œI don’t know,” Joe said. “They might be following us on a parallel street.”
    â€œOr they might not be following us at all,” Frank said. Now he was just walking fast.
    â€œDo you think we overreacted a bit?” Joe asked.
    Frank shrugged. “They seemed pretty spooky to me,” he said. “I didn’t believe that story about being in a play for one minute.”
    â€œMe neither,” Joe said. “They must belong to one of those fascist organizations that Inspector Oliveira was talking about.”
    â€œOf course, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d do something to us, Joe,” Frank said. “They might save their fights for their fellow citizens.”
    They walked the rest of the way to the tram station. The tram that would take them from Belém to Lisbon proper was arriving just as they got there.
    Once back at the hotel, Frank and Joe headed up to their room, which was across the hall from their parents’ room. Joe telephoned them to let them know they were back.
    â€œYou’re just in time for dinner,” Mr. Hardy said. “We’ll meet you two in the lobby in ten minutes. Tonight we’re going to eat in the hotel.”
    â€œSounds good,” Joe said.
    Joe reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the map that Frau Rilke had drawn for them. “We should put this in the hotel’s safe,” he said. “I don’t want to chance losing it.”
    â€œYeah—good idea,” Frank agreed. “For a minute there, I thought one of the de Feira brothers might tackle us and try to steal the map.”
    Frank and Joe took turns washing up and then headed down to the hotel lobby.
    Joe handed the map to one of the desk clerks. “This is an important document,” he said. “I’d like to put it in the hotel safe, please.”
    â€œYes, sir,” the clerk said. He put the map inside a brown envelope and wrote their room number on it. “It will be very safe, sir,” he added with a smile.
    â€œThank you,” Joe said.
    He and Frank strolled around the lobby and looked in the shops while they waited for their parents.
    One shop in particular had some cool-looking Portuguese shoes, which they thought Callie and Iola would like.
    â€œWe should get something for Catarina, too,” Joe said. “I wonder what she’d like.”
    Frank shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll find something.”
    Just then Mr. and Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude stepped off the elevator and walked toward Frank and Joe.
    â€œThere are three restaurants in this hotel,” Mr. Hardy said. “Your mother and Aunt Gertrude want to eat at Picanha.”
    â€œWe’re game for anything,” Frank said.
    â€œWell,” Aunt Gertrude said, “they only serve picanha. ”
    Frank and Joe looked at each other.
    â€œOkay, I give up,” Joe said. “What is picanha ?”
    â€œIt’s a special Portuguese dish,” Mrs. Hardy said. “Rump steak served with salad, rice, and beans.”
    â€œWell, that sounds good. I could really eat anything,” Joe said. “Let’s go for it.”
    When they got to the restaurant, their waiter took them right to a table. Since picanha was the only dish the restaurant served, they didn’t need to order, and in a short time their meal arrived.
    â€œGreat choice!” Frank exclaimed after a few bites. “Delicious.”
    Everyone agreed.
    Although Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were used to Frank and Joe’s involvement in dangerous projects, Frank and Joe had decided on the way back to the hotel to not volunteer any specific information about what had happened. They didn’t want their parents to be too alarmed.
    When Mr. Hardy