Free The Chase for the Mystery Twister by Franklin W. Dixon

down.”
    â€œTrue,” Bixby said, “but he has a cellular phone.”
    â€œHow do you know?” Joe said quickly.
    â€œI . . . because he used it once when he was in my office,” Bixby replied. He opened the door to his waiting room, which Joe noticed was packed.
    â€œWhere can I find you if I need to talk to you?” Bixby asked.
    â€œWe’ll be at the Parlette farm, helping with the barn raising,” Frank replied.
    Outside Bixby’s office building, Frank found Phil waiting to pick him up. “The president of the bank wasn’t too keen on delaying the purchase of Kanner’s farm,” Phil said. “Kanner’s selling it dirt cheap, and he’s afraid Kanner will just find another buyer.”
    â€œI had better luck with Mr. Bixby,” Frank told his friend. “He’s sending a team of insurance investigators to the Kanner farm. And as long as he withholds that insurance check, Kanner’s going to have to stick around.”
    â€¢Â Â â€¢Â Â â€¢
    When Frank and Phil arrived at the Parlette farm, they found Joe red-faced and dripping with sweat, helping to hoist up the first wall of the new barn. “Next time,” Joe said, grunting, “I’ll go to the air-conditioned office, and you can do the barn raising.”
    When the wall was in place, Joe took a break, and the two brothers filled each other in on what they had discovered.
    â€œWhy would Gill pay Jed with cash?” Phil wondered.
    â€œMaybe he didn’t want any record of it,” Frank said.
    â€œOr he didn’t want Jed to know where the payment came from,” Joe added. “I think we need to take a closer look at Gill’s insurance office and see how he was running his business.”
    â€œAnd maybe Phil and I can try to track down Hal Kanner,” Frank said.
    â€œI don’t think we’ll have to,” Phil said. “He’s coming this way, and he looks like he’s on the warpath.”
    Joe and Frank turned to see Hal Kanner moving toward them. “You have a lot of nerve bad-mouthing me all over town!” he yelled.
    People began to move in around them to see what the row was about.
    â€œWhat’s the problem here, Mr. Kanner?” Snowdon asked.
    â€œThese kids have been telling the bank not to buy my property,” Kanner said.
    â€œWhy are you in such a hurry to sell it?” Joe countered. “So that you can leave town before anyone finds you out?”
    â€œWell, boy, maybe if a tornado had destroyed your home and everything you treasured, you’d understand why I want to leave!” Kanner shot back.
    â€œEverything you treasured?” Joe said angrily. “You mean your phony Ming vase and forged paintings?”
    â€œI have papers proving they’re all authentic,” Kanner insisted.
    â€œI’m sure that’s all part of your scam,” Joe went on. “You’ve probably been planning it for months.”
    Frank put a hand on his brother’s arm. “Cool it, Joe.”
    â€œJoe, think about what you’re saying,” Snowdon warned. “How could Mr. Kanner know in advance that a twister was going to destroy his house? It’s impossible.”
    The crowd murmured. “Snowdon’s right,” one man said.
    â€œWho are these kids? Does anyone know them?” another asked.
    Frank could see that they were losing credibility. “We were only trying to clear up a few questions.”
    â€œLike how I could call my insurance company if my lines had been torn down?” Kanner asked. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it up for them to see. “Ever hear of a cellular phone?”
    â€œI guess we were wrong, Mr. Kanner,” Frank said. “I’m sorry if we’ve upset you.”
    Joe turned to his brother, unable to believe his ears. “He could have bought that phone five minutes ago!”
    â€œChill out,