“I’ll have a ship from our Mediterranean fleet dispatched to the scene at once,” Hopkins said.
After arranging to meet Ames in Monte Carlo, Tom signed off. Twenty minutes later a U.S. Navy jet fighter flew over and waggled its wings. In another hour, a destroyer from Villefranche reached the scene. Tom spoke to her skipper, then took off in the Sea Hound, leaving the destroyer to tow the Naiad to port.
As soon as he landed at Monte Carlo, Tom found a taxi and sped to Monaco Police Headquarters, which was humming with activity. The chief of police exclaimed in relief at sight of the young inventor and clutched Tom’s hand fervently.
“Thank heavens you are safe, monsieur! We should never have forgiven ourselves if anything had happened to the great Tom Swift!”
His expression changed when Tom reported that Bud was still missing and that Vaxilis and his crew had vanished. “We, too, have bad news, Monsieur Swift.
We searched the vault at the villa
VANISHED EVIDENCE 149
as soon as we received your tip. But, alas, we could find neither the Delian Apollo nor any other stolen art masterpieces.”
Tom was dismayed. “Vaxilis must have radiotelephoned his villa as soon as I escaped!”
“Out-to warn them. No doubt he learned about the butler at the same time, and ordered his henchmen to remove all incriminating evidence.”
The police chief added that the butler was in critical condition at the hospital.
“Vaxilis possessed three cars,” the chief went on. “The butler smashed up one, and the other two have been found parked outside a hangar where Vaxilis maintained a private helicopter. Needless to say, the helicopter is gone.”