did he do with the loot?' 'That's what I'm coming to. It was not until Jackley
knew he was at the point of death that he did confess to the Tower affair.
Then he said, 'Yes, I took the stuff-but I didn't dare try selling any of it right
away, so I hid it. You can get all the stuff back easily. It's in the old tower-'
'That was all he said. Jackley lost consciousness then and never regained
it.'
'When did Smuff get there?' Joe asked eagerly.
'Not until after Jackley had gone into a coma,' Mr. Hardy replied. 'We
both sat by his bed, hoping the man would awaken, but he died within an
hour. Just where Jackley hid the loot in the old tower, he was never able to
say.'
'Does Smuff know what Jackley said?'
'No.'
'If the loot's hidden in the old Applegate tower, we'll find it in no time!'
Frank exclaimed.
'Tower Mansion has two towers-the old and the new,' Joe reminded him.
'We'll search the old tower first.'
'The story seems likely enough,' Mr. Hardy remarked. 'Jackley would gain
nothing by lying about it on his deathbed. He probably became panicky after
he committed the robbery and hid in the old tower until he was able to get
away safely. No doubt he decided to hide the stuff there and take a chance on
coming back for it some time after the affair had blown over.'
Joe nodded. 'That was why Jackley couldn't be traced through the jewels
and the bonds. They were never disposed of-they've been lying in the old
tower all this time!'
'I tried to get him to tell me in just what part of the tower the loot was
hidden,' Mr. Hardy continued, 'but he died before he could say any more.'
'Too bad,' said Frank. 'But it shouldn't be hard to find the loot, now that
we have a general idea where it is. Probably Jackley didn't hide it very
carefully. Since the old tower has been unoccupied for a long time, the stuff
would be safe there from snoopers.'
Joe jumped up from his chair. 'I think we ought to get busy and go search
the old tower right away. Oh, boy! Maybe we can hand old Mr. Applegate his
jewels and bonds this afternoon and clear Mr. Robinson! Let's go!'
'I'll leave it to you boys to make the search,' said Mr. Hardy with a smile.
'Then you can have the satisfaction of turning over the stolen property to
Mr. Applegate. I guess you can get along without me in this case from now
on.'
'We wouldn't have got very far if it hadn't been for you,' Frank declared.
'And I wouldn't have got very far if it hadn't been for you, so we're even.'
Mr. Hardy's smile broadened. 'Well, good luck to you.'
As the boys started from the study, Frank said, 'Thanks, Dad. I only hope
the Applegates don't throw us out when we ask to be allowed to look around
inside the old tower.'
'Just tell them,' his father advised, 'that you have a pretty good clue to
where the bonds and jewels are hidden and they'll let you search.'
Joe grinned. 'Frank, we'll have that thousand-dollar reward before the day
is over!'
The brothers raced from the house, confident that they were about to solve
the Tower Treasure mystery.
CHAPTER XV
The Tower Search
WHEN the Hardy boys reached Tower Mansion at four o'clock the door was
opened by Hurd Apple-gate himself. The tall, stooped gentleman peered at
them through his thick-lensed glasses. In one hand he held a sheet of stamps.
'Yes?' he said, seemingly annoyed at being disturbed.
'You remember us, don't you?' Frank asked politely. 'We're Mr. Hardy's
sons.'
'Fenton Hardy, the detective? Oh, yes. Well, what do you want?'
'We'd like to look through the old tower, if you don't mind. We have a clue
about the robbery.'
'What kind of clue?'
'We have evidence that leads us to believe the jewels and bonds were hidden
by the thief in the old tower.'
'Oh! You have evidence, have you?' The elderly man peered at the boys
closely. 'It's that rascal Robinson, I'll warrant, who gave it to you. He hid the
stuff, and now he's suggesting where you might find it, just to clear himself.'
Frank and Joe had not considered the affair in this light, and they gazed at
Mr. Applegate in consternation. At last Joe spoke up.
'Mr. Robinson has nothing to do with this,' he said. 'The real thief was
found. He said the loot was hidden in the old tower. If you will just let us take
a look around, we'll find it for you.'
'Who was the real thief?'
'We'd rather not tell you, sir, until we find the stolen property, then we'll
reveal the whole story.'
Mr. Applegate took off his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. He
stared at the boys suspiciously for a few moments. Then he called out:
'Adelia!'
From the dim interior of the hallway a high feminine voice answered.
'What do you want?'
'Come here a minute.'
There was a rustle of skirts, and Adelia Applegate appeared. A faded blond
woman of thin features, she was dressed in a fashion of fifteen years before,
in which every color of the spectrum fought for supremacy.
'What's the matter?' she demanded. 'I can't sit down to do a bit of sewing
without you interrupting me, Hurd.'
'These boys want to look through the old tower.'
'What for? Up to some mischief?'
Frank and Joe feared she would not give her consent. Frank said quietly,
'We're doing some work for our dad, the detective Fenton Hardy.'
'They think they can find the bonds and jewels in the tower,' Hurd
Applegate explained.
'Oh, they do, do they?' the woman said icily. 'And what would the bonds
and jewels be doing in the old tower?'
'We have evidence that they were hidden there after the robbery,' Frank
told her.
Miss Applegate viewed the boys with obvious suspicion. 'As if any thief
