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around, and raced after them.
    Chet sped down an alley and turned right at the cross street before the other car came in sight behind them. Then he swung left into another alley. He continued this winding course for some blocks until he was sure they had shaken their pursuers.
    â€œNow what?” he asked. “Back to the hotel?”
    â€œMay as well,” Frank said.
    Chet continued on for a few minutes, then pulled over to the curb. “Which way is it?”
    â€œAre you lost? Vern inquired.
    â€œNo, but I think the car is!” he joked, relieving the tension.
    The four boys laughed and then looked carefully in all directions. Chet’s winding course had confused everyone.
    â€œI think it’s that way,” Joe said, pointing.
    Chet started up again, but after a few minutes, they realized they were driving deeper and deeper into Old Chinatown. The streets became narrow and buildings on both sides pushed right up to the sidewalks.
    Glancing into the rearview mirror, Chet suddenly said. “Uh-oh.”
    The others turned around to look. A block behind them, the hoods had just turned a corner. Apparently, they had been randomly cruising side streets in search of the boys and had finally sighted them.
    Chet turned right, then swung left into an alley, attempting the same zigzag maneuver as before. But the other car was too close behind this time. It followed wherever the boys went.
    As they sped along one of the narrow streets, Chet sighed. “Hey, here’s a whole block of Chinese restaurants. ”
    â€œWant to stop for a snack?” Vern inquired sarcastically. Chet did not reply.
    They went past a sign reading ROAD CONSTRUC TION AHEAD, and the pavement suddenly became slick with mud spewed up from a drainage ditch being dug to their right. On their left, a flimsy wooden guard rail edged a sheer twenty-foot drop into a rocky ditch.
    The pursuing car put on a burst of speed and began to come up alongside the boys.
    â€œThey’re going to run you into the ditch, Chet!” Frank cautioned. “Give them a driving lesson.”
    Chet nodded and suddenly slammed on his brakes. He let the green sedan shoot past, then swung left, and gently prodded their opponents’ bumper. Accelerating, he nudged the hoods’ car forward and sideways so that they, instead of the boys, nosed over toward the ditch.
    Finally, the green sedan came to a halt with its radiator buried in the mudbank. Chet swung back to the right in order to straighten his wheel. Just then he hit a patch of mud, skidded, and headed directly for the guard rail with the twenty-foot vertical drop beyond!

7 The Stakeout
    Chet turned the front wheels into the direction of the skid. The car veered sidewise, but straightened out just as the left rear fender scraped the guard rail. Gritting his teeth, Chet fought for control, and was finally able to drive onto the right side of the road.
    â€œWhew!” Vern muttered. “Was everybody as scared as I was?”
    â€œI wasn’t scared at all,” Chet said, his voice shaking. “I’ve got nerves of steel.” Then, exhausted, he slumped behind the wheel, resting his head against the window. Frank twisted in his seat to see what happened to the green sedan. Big Harry and Red Sluice were angrily trying to push the car out of the ditch, but the harder they struggled the more embedded the vehicle became.
    All four boys chuckled smugly, but not wanting to push their luck, they drove quickly back to the hotel, where they decided to phone Fenton Hardy in Bayport.
    Frank dialed and Gertrude Hardy answered.
    â€œAre you all right?” she asked anxiously. “We heard on TV about that terrible hijacking.”
    â€œWe’re all fine, Aunt Gertrude. Is Dad there?”
    â€œNo, he’s gone away. He said it was a secret mission. You’re to leave word where you can be reached, and he’ll get in touch with you. ”
    Frank gave her the