CHAPTER XVII

Rembrandt's Confession

No doubt about it. The writing on the two pieces of paper was identical.

"Oh! That-that terrible man!" Aunt Gertrude wailed. "To think we were living under the same roof with a criminal!"

"Well, he's gone now," Mrs. Hardy said. "He probably was scared that Cousin Elmer would arrive."

"We've got to find him," Frank declared. "He may well have the key to our mystery."

The next morning, after doing some chores around the house, the boys started to Solo's Super Carnival in Newton. If the heat was off, Boko might have gone to his old haunts. If they were lucky, the young detectives might actually nab him, or at least learn something about his whereabouts.

The miles whizzed away beneath the purring wheels and the fresh morning air filled Frank and

137

138 Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

Joe with a sense of well-being. But when they rounded a bend in the road, a garish billboard broke the spell. It read:

NEW, SPECTACULAR WHALE SIDE SHOW!

At Solo's Super Carnival

See with your own eyes

The world's greatest

rarity

The lettering was in an inverted pyramid and painted at each side was a colorful whale spouting a great white plume of water.

"So it was Solo himself who got the whale!" Joe said indignantly.

"I can't believe it," Frank said. "No one but an absolute moron would steal practically the only stuffed whale in the world and then put it on display just a few miles from the scene of the crime."

As Frank guided the car skillfully over the rolling countryside, Joe wondered aloud whether Boko's action had anything to do with their buddies' whale.

"We'll know soon," Frank said. "There's Newton up ahead."

The tents and fluttering pennants came into sight, close to the edge of town. Cars were already trickling into the dusty parking lot. The Hardys found a place close to the entrance and locked their convertible.

Rembrandt's Confession 139

A familiar figure greeted them at the ticket booth. "Hi, Frank. Hi, Joe," said Knocker Felsen. "How're you doin?"

"Pretty well," Frank answered. "And you?"

"Not bad. Listen, you guys, why don't you go right on in? Free, I mean, to make up for what happened the first time. I guess I was just plain jealous and I wasn't thinkin' straight."

"Thanks, Knocker." There was a thin trace of sarcasm in Joe's voice. "Your change of heart have anything to do with the whale?"

Knocker looked blank as Frank went on, "And how about Boko. When did he come back?"

"Boko? What do you mean? I ain't seen him in a long time. He ain't been around here, if that's what you mean." Knocker studied the serious expressions on the Hardys' faces and a smile came to his lips. "Oh, the whale? Is that what's eatin' you?" He broke into a laugh. "You haven't seen our new side show yet. Go ahead. First midway to your left."

"What did you make of Knocker?" Joe asked as they headed toward the whale side show.

"If he's hiding something he's sure putting on a great act," Frank replied.

The Hardys paid their money and entered the huge tent. "Hey, what's this?" Joe asked with surprise.

A variety of mounted fish were positioned along the walls-sailfish, tuna, groupers, a few sharks,

140 Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

and several other multicolored specimens. On a long board in the center of the tent was a stuffed dolphin, much the worse for wear. And over the dolphin was a hastily lettered, single word: Whale.

"What a con job that is!" Joe groaned.

"You're right," Frank said. "But no one can accuse the carnival of fraud because from a technical scientific point of view the dolphin actually is a toothed whale."

"Boy, that's stretching a point mighty thin!" Joe declared as they left the tent.

"To say the least, but that still leaves us minus one Blue Whale and one Ivory Idol."

The boys went to talk to Sid Solo. He was happy to see them again, but had heard nothing further about Boko. Still under the impression-as was most everyone else-that the Hardys knew where the missing whale was, Solo congratulated them on their sleuthing abilities. He readily granted permission to talk to his employees about Boko.

Frank and Joe questioned the carnival people for nearly three hours, speaking a few minutes with them between acts and during coffee breaks. No one told them anything they had not heard before. One of the last they queried was Rembrandt the Tattooed Man. When Frank asked him if there was anything he wanted to add to his

Rembrandt's Confession 141

earlier statements, Rembrandt stared silently at his feet. He would not raise his eyes to meet Frank's.

"Rembrandt," Frank pressed, "there is something more, isn't there?"

Rembrandt bobbed his head. "I ... I ... don't know how to say it. I . . ."

Frank laid a comforting hand on the tattooed shoulder. "It's all right," he said. Take your time and tell us in your own words."

Rembrandt shook his head. "I was frightened, that's why I didn't speak up before. It's not easy for a man to admit he's a coward."

"Frightened of what?" Joe asked.

"It's a gang, I think."

"Why would they want to hurt you?" Frank pressed on.

Rembrandt swallowed deeply, then said, "Boko was one of them. I overheard a telephone call he made. There was something valuable hidden in that whale your friends found. So far as I could tell, Boko's gang had stolen whatever it was a long time ago and was now trying to sell it."

"But then why did Boko disappear?" Frank asked.

"He was going to double-cross his gang. Some private detective was going to pay him for information. Well, the gang found out and came looking for Boko. He took off. Me, I was too scared to

142 Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

let on that I knew anything at all. I'm sorry, fellows."

"It's all right," Frank said. "We understand."

"I know I should have spoken up earlier, but I hope you can still do something with the information."

"We can," Joe said. "Your information helps us to fit some of the scattered pieces of this puzzle into place. It explains why Boko was arguing over the phone about money."

The Hardys tried to cheer the tattooed man, but when they left, Rembrandt was still glum. The boys went to a phone and called the Bayport Airport and asked that the Hardy plane be made ready for flight. Then they called Chet and told him they were going to have another crack at finding the missing whale. They asked him to stop by their house, pick up their binoculars, and meet them at the airport.

They were only five miles out of Newton when the music program they were listening to was interrupted by an announcer.

"News bulletin," the crisp voice of the newscaster said. "Learning that Frank and Joe Hardy returned to Bayport late yesterday, a reporter from this station went to their home to obtain a follow-up statement concerning Biff Hooper and Tony Prito's stolen whale. At the Hardy home our man spoke to Chet Morton, close friend of the

Rembrandt's Confession 143

young sleuths. Contradicting earlier reports, Morton said that the brothers had not yet located the whale. In fact, they were going to make another search by air this very afternoon. Neither Frank nor Joe Hardy was available for comment. We now return you to our regular program."

"Oh, that's just great!" Joe fumed. "Now they know we've been bluffing all along. That little announcement might just have blown the case!"

Frank pressed down on the accelerator and stepped up their speed to the legal maximum. "We're not through yet. Those crooks are going to redouble their efforts to find the whale, but as of now they're no closer than we are. We've got to beat them to the punch."

They arrived at the airport, parked the car, and found Chet waiting for them next to the blue-and-white, single-engine plane. He still carried his little black case, and looked terribly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, fellows," he murmured.

"Ye cats, Chet!" Joe said. "Whatever made you spill the beans like that?"

"I didn't-I mean not actually. It was that tricky reporter. He started firing questions at me like a machine gun. I got confused, started to hem and haw, and zingo! He put two and two together and went dashing away. I couldn't stop him."

"Well," Frank said, "no use crying about it. Let's get into the air and start working!"

144 Mystery of the Whale Tattoo

The boys climbed into the Hardys' plane, fastened their seat belts, and warmed up the engine. Obtaining clearance from the tower, Frank taxied down the runway. The light plane gained speed and was almost at the point where Frank would pull back on the wheel and ease the craft up. But suddenly the plane slewed violently to the left and ground-looped.