# Con Riley — The Secret of the Old Mill character guide

> Con Riley in The Secret of the Old Mill by Franklin W. Dixon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Riley, Officer Riley, Mr. Riley

**First appearance:** 0013-xiv-con-riley-guards-a-package

## Snapshot

Bayport's pie-fed, self-satisfied beat cop, forever annoyed that the Hardy boys keep solving the cases he'd have cracked himself given just a little more time.

## Who they are

Officer Riley patrols Main Street with a full stomach and a fuller sense of his own importance, viewing the Hardy pack as meddling nuisances who never respect the dignity of his badge. Yet he's vain enough to be flattered into talking — a well-placed 'Lieutenant' from Chet and he'll happily spill what the force knows about the counterfeiter Blum. That mix of resentment and vanity makes him both an obstacle and an unwitting source as the boys circle the case.

## Relationships

### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/chet_morton)

_friendship_

Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys.

### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/chet_morton)

_friendship_

Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys.

### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/chet_morton)

_friendship_

Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys.

## In the story

### [Paul Blum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xiii-paul-blum)

Assists Chief Collig in arresting Paul Blum.

### [XIV: Con Riley Guards a Package](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xiv-con-riley-guards-a-package)

Officer Riley is the central figure, initially content and flattered by the boys, then humiliated by Chet's alarm clock prank.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/con_riley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters