work here," Johnson said. "You're trespassing!"
"You're right, Mr. Johnson," Frank agreed, hoping for inspiration. "We sneaked in on a dare. We always wanted to see what a real lum-bermill looked Hke."
"Well, you certainly have," Johnson snapped, obviously still furious. "You kids can't wander onto private property with dangerous machinery and then expect to be protected by the law. I want you off my property at once!"
Johnson glanced around, then snapped his long fingers at a pair of beefy workers. "Get them out of here," he ordered. "But confiscate those hard hats and goggles first. And, boys, if 1 ever see you on my property again, I'll call the sheriff before I come out to hear your lame excuses!"
As Frank and Joe were marched out of the sawmill, they looked everywhere for Gallic. She was nowhere in sight. Frank hoped she had escaped while the crew had been distracted.
As they walked, Frank recognized several faces from the Sportsman's Pool Hall and the
Deadfall
crowd at the Horizon fire. Then he noticed someone more surprising. "Look over there," he said to Joe.
"Freddy Zackarias," Joe said, following Frank's gaze. "I thought he was just fired from Horizon."
"Well, he got a job here pretty quick," Frank said. "Maybe too quick."
"Shut up, you two," their guard growled, giving Frank a shake. "You can talk all you want when you get out of here."
When they reached the front gate, the guards demanded the borrowed equipment back. Frank and Joe handed over the hard hats and goggles happily.
"And stay out!" the first guard added as the boys walked through the gate. Frank turned and gave the guard a thumbs-up sign.
"All right," he said to his brother as they walked down the road to their jeep. "Now we figure out how to rescue Callie."
"No need," a voice called out.
Frank peered past a lumber truck to their jeep. Callie was sitting in the backseat, smiling out at him.
"Callie! How'd you get here?" Frank asked.
"You guys provided the perfect distraction," she said. "As soon as I saw you were okay, I slipped inside the office when no one was looking. I had a couple of minutes all to myself."
"Did you find anything?" Joe asked as the boys climbed into the jeep.
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILES
''Yeah/' she said. '4 did. In fact, 1 think it tells us what Uncle Stan wouldn't tell about Buster."
''Oh, yeah?" Frank backed the jeep out. "Don't keep us in suspense."
As Frank steered the jeep down the mountain road, out of sight of Johnson Lumber, Callie passed a sheaf of papers up to Frank and Joe.
"What's this?" Joe asked, examining the top page.
"A plan," said Callie, grinning like the Cheshire cat, "to completely reorganize a logging operation, including new equipment designed to cut new-growth timber—"
"New-growth timber?" Frank asked.
"Most mills are designed to cut tall, old trees, like Douglas firs," Callie explained briefly. "But they're the ones that the Greens want to save most. The loggers say it costs too much to have their equipment redesigned to cut up smaller trunks—or new growth—from replanted land," she went on. "But this plan describes a way to work it so everyone's happy—especially the Forest Service."
"The Forest Service?" Frank perked up, meeting Callie's gaze in the rearview mirror. "You mean this is a plan to win the Forest Service contract."
"Exactly," Callie said excitedly. "It has specifications on the new equipment and how long it would take to pay for itself—assuming that the company wins the contract. And it describes
Deadfall
how to leave pockets of undisturbed forest with no added cost. And it tells how the mill can replace the trees it cuts down by getting the federal government to provide seedlings and planting expertise for free. And if the mill is willing to replant, the Forest Service guys are super-happy. So happy, in fact, they would probably agree to award an exclusive contract to all their forest land to the company that can offer these guarantees."
*'Buster's and
"You're right, Mr. Johnson," Frank agreed, hoping for inspiration. "We sneaked in on a dare. We always wanted to see what a real lum-bermill looked Hke."
"Well, you certainly have," Johnson snapped, obviously still furious. "You kids can't wander onto private property with dangerous machinery and then expect to be protected by the law. I want you off my property at once!"
Johnson glanced around, then snapped his long fingers at a pair of beefy workers. "Get them out of here," he ordered. "But confiscate those hard hats and goggles first. And, boys, if 1 ever see you on my property again, I'll call the sheriff before I come out to hear your lame excuses!"
As Frank and Joe were marched out of the sawmill, they looked everywhere for Gallic. She was nowhere in sight. Frank hoped she had escaped while the crew had been distracted.
As they walked, Frank recognized several faces from the Sportsman's Pool Hall and the
Deadfall
crowd at the Horizon fire. Then he noticed someone more surprising. "Look over there," he said to Joe.
"Freddy Zackarias," Joe said, following Frank's gaze. "I thought he was just fired from Horizon."
"Well, he got a job here pretty quick," Frank said. "Maybe too quick."
"Shut up, you two," their guard growled, giving Frank a shake. "You can talk all you want when you get out of here."
When they reached the front gate, the guards demanded the borrowed equipment back. Frank and Joe handed over the hard hats and goggles happily.
"And stay out!" the first guard added as the boys walked through the gate. Frank turned and gave the guard a thumbs-up sign.
"All right," he said to his brother as they walked down the road to their jeep. "Now we figure out how to rescue Callie."
"No need," a voice called out.
Frank peered past a lumber truck to their jeep. Callie was sitting in the backseat, smiling out at him.
"Callie! How'd you get here?" Frank asked.
"You guys provided the perfect distraction," she said. "As soon as I saw you were okay, I slipped inside the office when no one was looking. I had a couple of minutes all to myself."
"Did you find anything?" Joe asked as the boys climbed into the jeep.
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILES
''Yeah/' she said. '4 did. In fact, 1 think it tells us what Uncle Stan wouldn't tell about Buster."
''Oh, yeah?" Frank backed the jeep out. "Don't keep us in suspense."
As Frank steered the jeep down the mountain road, out of sight of Johnson Lumber, Callie passed a sheaf of papers up to Frank and Joe.
"What's this?" Joe asked, examining the top page.
"A plan," said Callie, grinning like the Cheshire cat, "to completely reorganize a logging operation, including new equipment designed to cut new-growth timber—"
"New-growth timber?" Frank asked.
"Most mills are designed to cut tall, old trees, like Douglas firs," Callie explained briefly. "But they're the ones that the Greens want to save most. The loggers say it costs too much to have their equipment redesigned to cut up smaller trunks—or new growth—from replanted land," she went on. "But this plan describes a way to work it so everyone's happy—especially the Forest Service."
"The Forest Service?" Frank perked up, meeting Callie's gaze in the rearview mirror. "You mean this is a plan to win the Forest Service contract."
"Exactly," Callie said excitedly. "It has specifications on the new equipment and how long it would take to pay for itself—assuming that the company wins the contract. And it describes
Deadfall
how to leave pockets of undisturbed forest with no added cost. And it tells how the mill can replace the trees it cuts down by getting the federal government to provide seedlings and planting expertise for free. And if the mill is willing to replant, the Forest Service guys are super-happy. So happy, in fact, they would probably agree to award an exclusive contract to all their forest land to the company that can offer these guarantees."
*'Buster's and
Similar Books
