Free The Demolition Mission by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

Saurion,” Chet said. “But he says he’ll never be ready in time for tomorrow night.”
    â€œOh, yes, he will,” Joe said. He bit into his hot dog, then turned and entered the building. Joe was smiling when he entered Building A. He foundFelix Stock going over some paperwork at his desk, and Joe thought he looked pretty glum.
    â€œYour prototype is parked in a tunnel under these buildings,” Joe said, getting right to the point.
    Stock stared at him for a moment as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You found it?” he said finally. “But how . . . where?”
    â€œIt’s a long story,” Frank said, coming up behind Joe. Hurriedly Frank told the engineer about the helmeted man and where the prototype was hidden.
    Joe dodged out of the way as a now-smiling Felix Stock raced outside. The Hardys hurried after the engineer.
    A few moments later Stock was standing in the basement room gazing at the Saurion, a happy expression on his face. “Thanks, guys,” he said warmly, turning to Frank and Joe. “You really came through for me.”
    When they got back up to the ground, Frank attached chains to the tractor that would pull the Saurion out of the tunnel.
    â€œIt’ll take all night,” Stock said, sitting at the wheel of the tractor, “but I’ll have the prototype ready for that race.”
    â€œI’ve got to get to the derby,” Joe said.
    â€œGood luck,” Frank said. His brother waved and jogged toward the derby’s infield compound.
    Frank glanced at his watch again. Callie was probably here by now, he thought. He and Chetturned their attention to helping Stock pull the Saurion out of the underground tunnel and up the ramp. Fifteen minutes later Stock was raising the Saurion upon a hydraulic lift in Building A.
    â€œWhy did you decide to build the Saurion here?” Frank asked Stock.
    â€œI might be a fairly good engineer,” Stock explained, “but I put all my money into designing the car itself. I did a lot of research and hired consultants. When it came time to actually build one, there wasn’t much money left. Curt offered to let me use his property here in return for a share of any profits the Saurion earns.”
    â€œNo money went to Curt up front?” Frank asked.
    â€œNot a cent. Like I said, I couldn’t have done that anyway,” Stock went on. “Every dime I’ve got is in the PEST system. Even if the Saurion doesn’t sell, I think the PEST technology could be worth a few bucks.” He smiled, then whispered confidentially, “And I’m the only one who knows the secret circuitry!”
    â€œWhat about Marvin Tarpley?” Frank asked. “Dwaine Rusk told me Tarpley knows the circuitry.”
    â€œYeah,” Stock said, “Tarpley may have figured it out, but he’d have no means to apply it. He’d need a financial backer if he wanted to use my design.”
    â€œDo you think Tarpley would try to sell the design?”
    â€œWell, I guess I never thought about that,” Stock said, frowning.
    â€œWhere is Tarpley, anyway?” Frank asked.
    â€œI heard he quit the derby,” Stock said, “and he hasn’t showed up around here in a few days. If he doesn’t get in touch with me soon, I’m afraid he’s out of a job.”
    â€œDoes Tarpley have any contractual rights to the Saurion?” Frank asked.
    â€œNope, only Kiser,” Stock replied.
    â€œDoes Kiser stand to make money only from the car or from the PEST system, too?”
    â€œI told Curt the deal was for the Saurion only,” Felix Stock replied evenly.
    â€œBut isn’t the PEST system an integral part of the car?” Frank wanted to know.
    â€œYou sound just like those lawyers,” Felix Stock said, frowning. “I say it isn’t, but one lawyer I talked to claims it’s standard equipment.”
    â€œI’d