Secret of the Red Arrow by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online

the police?” he demanded, in a not-exactly-grateful tone.
    The door behind him swung open another inch, and I could see Neanderthal standing there. He was okay! He had a black eye and he looked—well—uncomfortable, but he was still standing.
    Frank nodded. “Yes, sir. Neander—Neal asked for ourhelp with his problem, and we saw that someone had broken into his room. I called the police right away.”
    Neal’s father let out a snort and walked away. So much for gratitude , I thought.
    Actually, I realized as I scanned the room, nobody looked exactly happy to see us. Least of all Officer Olaf, who was standing next to his new partner—a rookie—and frowning at us.
    “Neal here seems to think you overreacted,” Officer Olaf said, tapping the tip of his pen against his notebook. “He says what you witnessed was some sort of football team prank. Right, Neal?”
    We turned to face Neal, who was wearing a fleecy blue robe with flannel pants and looked supremely uncomfortable. “That’s right,” he said, but he wasn’t quite meeting my eyes—or Frank’s. He was looking past us, at the wall behind our heads. He made a face and shrugged. “It was a joke. You know, no big deal. The guys took off when they heard the police. They were really freaked.”
    Frank looked at Officer Olaf. “And you didn’t chase them?”
    Olaf glared at him. “Your friend here seems to think no crime was committed,” he says. “The window was open. His friends snuck in to play a prank.”
    Instinctively, I turned to Sharelle. She was looking at her big brother, concerned, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes either (or Frank’s). I glanced at my brother, who looked just as confused as I felt. What was going on here?
    Frank cleared his throat. “Well, gosh, we’re sorry to waste everyone’s time,” he said, staring daggers at Neanderthal. “We sure could’ve sworn we witnessed a violent assault on Neal that was broadcast over the Internet. But maybe we were misinterpreting.”
    Neanderthal still wouldn’t look at Frank. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at the carpet.
    I had an idea. “Hey, Neal, I think I left my phone in your room when we were here earlier,” I said. “You wouldn’t mind taking us back there so I can grab it? Maybe you can explain what happened, too.”
    Officer Olaf sighed deeply and shoved his notebook at his rookie partner. “Gosh!” he said, clearly mocking us. “Oh, golly gee! We’re the Hardy Boys, and we sure are sorry to waste the taxpayers’ time and money.” He stomped toward us and paused to glare at my brother, then me. “Typical,” he muttered, shaking his head. “When are you two going to learn to mind your own business?”
    He stomped past us, out the door. His rookie partner looked befuddled, then smiled nervously at everyone and followed him. “Um, good night. Sorry to barge in on you all.”
    Neanderthal nodded at Frank and started walking down the hall toward his room. We both followed. Behind us, Neanderthal’s parents looked at each other, shrugged, and started turning off the lights.
    Once we were back in Neanderthal’s room, I closed thedoor behind us. “You want to explain to us what the heck just happened?”
    Neanderthal sighed. He moved around his bed, picking a pair of socks up off his floor and throwing them into his hamper. “I’m sorry you guys misunderstood,” he said quietly.
    “Misunderstood?” said Frank. He stepped forward. “Neal, come on. We agreed to help you, and you just made fools of us.” He paused and looked around the room. “Where’s the camera? Or did they take it back?”
    Neanderthal didn’t answer. He was rubbing his shoulder thoughtfully. His eyes kept going to this one spot on the floor.
    “Are you hurt?” I asked. He wasn’t obviously bleeding or anything, but Jay and Conan might have done all kinds of damage before the police showed up.
    Neal shook his head. “I told you,” he said. “It was just a joke. No big