photographs and hurriedly unclipping it. He handed the magnifying glass to Joe, then climbed down from the stool and strode over to the filing cabinet in the corner, where he'd left extra prints from the earlier printing session.
Frank grabbed one of the earlier photographs and brought it over beside the new one. "Compare them," he said to his brother, barely able to control the excitement in his voice.
Slowly and deliberately, Joe peered through the glass at first one photograph, then the other. He turned to his brother and said with a gleam in his eyes, "I think you did it, Frank.
"See," Joe explained to Callie and Ronnie, "there are three hobnails missing in a little triangle down on this side." He pointed to the boot-print in the newer photo. Then he moved the magnifying glass over to the older print. "And
Deadfall
here it is again. Three missing nails in exactly the same place."
''Frank!" Callie looked up from the magnifying glass, her face alight with excitement. "You really did it! Now if we can find the boot to match these prints. Uncle Stan's practically free!"
Chapter
13
Frank and Joe gathered up the photographs and stacked them into piles.
"I have a feehng we'll find those boots on Rafe Collins's feet." Joe handed his stack to Frank.
''You might have some trouble persuading him to take them off/' Callie pointed out.
"Collins did the dirty work for Johnson, and Johnson may not have been fooled by our act at the mill," Joe pointed out. "He might have sent Collins after us already."
"We need to get Uncle Stan's advice. He knows these people best," Callie said. "Besides, I want to ask him why he kept his plan with Owens a secret."
Joe turned to Ronnie, who was standing, silently taking everything in. "You really think Bo
Deadfall
Johnson's responsible for Owens's death?" she demanded excitedly.
Frank held up a hand to stop her. *'Remember that interview. Well, if you're quiet, you get it. If you tell, you don't."
She held the back door open for them, and they sneaked back out into the cool afternoon air.
Stan Shaw gave a low whistle as he looked over Frank's stack of photos in his kitchen less than half an hour later. "These are great pictures, Frank," Stan said. ''And it's a good thing. They might save me."
"The trouble is, we still have to find this boot to prove who committed both crimes," Frank said excitedly.
"Rafe Collins isn't the type who'll let us examine his footwear," Joe pointed out wryly. "And we're practically positive that Collins is our
guy."
"My suggestion, then, is to give these photographs to the sheriff," Stan said. "He could have Collins brought in for questioning and impound his logging boots as evidence."
"We will," Callie assured him. "But first we need to do a few things to make our case as foolproof as possible."
"Like what?" Stan asked, accepting a tuna sandwich that Joe had made.
"Like ask you why you refused to tell us about the Forest Service plan you had worked
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILES
out with Buster Owens," Frank said, taking a sandwich and joining Stan and Callie at the table.
Stan's gaze switched to Callie.
"We found a copy of the plan," she explained nervously. "In Bo Johnson's office."
Stan slammed down his sandwich. "You were in Johnson's office? You could have been killed!"
"We had to go. Uncle Stan!" Callie protested. "You wouldn't tell us what you and Owens were meeting about. And it did turn out to be important!"
Stan stared at his niece for a moment. Then his gaze dropped to the table. "I should have told you. The only reason Buster was willing to change over to conservation-friendly equipment was to put Johnson out of business. Actually that was all right with us because all along, Johnson has violated just about every environmentally supportive law on the books. He really would shave these mountains clean and leave nothing but stumps. Buster wasn't much better at first, but at least he was willing to try—especially if it hurt Johnson.
Frank grabbed one of the earlier photographs and brought it over beside the new one. "Compare them," he said to his brother, barely able to control the excitement in his voice.
Slowly and deliberately, Joe peered through the glass at first one photograph, then the other. He turned to his brother and said with a gleam in his eyes, "I think you did it, Frank.
"See," Joe explained to Callie and Ronnie, "there are three hobnails missing in a little triangle down on this side." He pointed to the boot-print in the newer photo. Then he moved the magnifying glass over to the older print. "And
Deadfall
here it is again. Three missing nails in exactly the same place."
''Frank!" Callie looked up from the magnifying glass, her face alight with excitement. "You really did it! Now if we can find the boot to match these prints. Uncle Stan's practically free!"
Chapter
13
Frank and Joe gathered up the photographs and stacked them into piles.
"I have a feehng we'll find those boots on Rafe Collins's feet." Joe handed his stack to Frank.
''You might have some trouble persuading him to take them off/' Callie pointed out.
"Collins did the dirty work for Johnson, and Johnson may not have been fooled by our act at the mill," Joe pointed out. "He might have sent Collins after us already."
"We need to get Uncle Stan's advice. He knows these people best," Callie said. "Besides, I want to ask him why he kept his plan with Owens a secret."
Joe turned to Ronnie, who was standing, silently taking everything in. "You really think Bo
Deadfall
Johnson's responsible for Owens's death?" she demanded excitedly.
Frank held up a hand to stop her. *'Remember that interview. Well, if you're quiet, you get it. If you tell, you don't."
She held the back door open for them, and they sneaked back out into the cool afternoon air.
Stan Shaw gave a low whistle as he looked over Frank's stack of photos in his kitchen less than half an hour later. "These are great pictures, Frank," Stan said. ''And it's a good thing. They might save me."
"The trouble is, we still have to find this boot to prove who committed both crimes," Frank said excitedly.
"Rafe Collins isn't the type who'll let us examine his footwear," Joe pointed out wryly. "And we're practically positive that Collins is our
guy."
"My suggestion, then, is to give these photographs to the sheriff," Stan said. "He could have Collins brought in for questioning and impound his logging boots as evidence."
"We will," Callie assured him. "But first we need to do a few things to make our case as foolproof as possible."
"Like what?" Stan asked, accepting a tuna sandwich that Joe had made.
"Like ask you why you refused to tell us about the Forest Service plan you had worked
THE HARDY BOYS CASEFILES
out with Buster Owens," Frank said, taking a sandwich and joining Stan and Callie at the table.
Stan's gaze switched to Callie.
"We found a copy of the plan," she explained nervously. "In Bo Johnson's office."
Stan slammed down his sandwich. "You were in Johnson's office? You could have been killed!"
"We had to go. Uncle Stan!" Callie protested. "You wouldn't tell us what you and Owens were meeting about. And it did turn out to be important!"
Stan stared at his niece for a moment. Then his gaze dropped to the table. "I should have told you. The only reason Buster was willing to change over to conservation-friendly equipment was to put Johnson out of business. Actually that was all right with us because all along, Johnson has violated just about every environmentally supportive law on the books. He really would shave these mountains clean and leave nothing but stumps. Buster wasn't much better at first, but at least he was willing to try—especially if it hurt Johnson.
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