Road to Heaven
Chapter Six
Joe had decided that something was seriously wrong upstairs. He kept struggling with the tape but to no avail. He paused, his eyes widening in fear as the basement door opened. A penlight clicked on and Joe could hear someone coming down the stairs. The light landed on him and froze for a fraction of a second as a familiar voice whispered, "Joe."
Frank rushed over to his brother and pulled out a pocket knife, cutting the tape from Joe's wrists. As he cut, he quietly told Joe about the dead man upstairs and the two men searching the place.
After Joe's wrists were free, Frank set to work getting the tape off Joe's ankles while Joe removed the tape from his mouth. "They're probably looking for the half a million dollars in the briefcase Kenny took from the guy he killed," he told Frank.
Frank finished hacking the tape and folded his pocket knife, putting it back into his pocket. He helped Joe to stand. "We'd better get out of here and call the police," Frank said. He turned to walk back tot he steps leaving Joe to follow but Joe's ankles had been immobile too long and when he started to follow Frank, fell instead. Frank turned in time to catch Joe before he fell to the floor.
"Sorry," Joe whispered.
"It's okay," Frank replied, easing Joe back into a sitting position. He began rubbing Joe's left leg vigourously to get his circulation back to normal while Joe started rubbing his right leg, although at a slower pace. "Where is the briefcase?" Frank asked.
"I don't know," Joe admitted. "He left it in the car while he brought me down to the basement." Joe stood up, testing his legs. "Let's go," he said, wincing a little as the pins and needles did their dirty work, returning his circulation to full force.
Frank went first, pausing at the basement door to listen for the prowlers. Hearing nothing, he eased the door open and cautiously, the two boys made their way out of hte house and across the street. Frank opened the Hoopers front door and they went inside. They must have made some noise because Mr. Hooper came into the living room dressed in his pajamas and wearing slippers.
"Joe!" he said, his eyes widening in delight. "You're okay."
"Yeah," Joe said, grinning as Frank picked up the phone and called the police.
Mr. Hooper listened to Frank's side of the conversation quietly. "Kenny's dead?" he asked, after Frank had hung up. Frank nodded. "I can't believe it," he said, taking Joe's shoulder and squeezing it. "He just didn't seem like the kind of person who would kill someone and kidnap an innocent boy."
"Apparently his son meant everything to him," Joe siad compassionately. "He planned on killing the four men he blamed for Craig's death then he was going to let me go. He knew I would tell the cops but he didn't care."
"So who were the two men who killed Kenny?" Mr. Hooper asked.
Frank shrugged. "Could be the other two men Kenny was after or whoever Testerman worked for."
"Testerman?" Joe asked. Frank told Joe what he had learned from Con.
The police arrived across the street and it didn't take long to realize the killers had departed. The entire neighborhood had woken up and some were peering out the windows while the braver ones had come outside to their porches to watch the scene.
Frank thanked the Hoopers for their help then he and Joe went outside to speak with Chief Collig, leaving the Hoopers peering out their living room window.
Ezra Collig, Bayport's tall, graying Chief of Police looked at the Hardys as they approached. "Are you all right?" he asked Joe.
"I'm fine," Joe assurred him. "Do you know who killed Kenny?" he asked.
"Wallace killed two men and kidnaped you, yet you seem sad he's dead," Chief Collig said in puzzlement, looking at Joe with concern.
"I felt sorry for him," Joe admitted. "He may have held me hostage but he was nice about it."
At this, even Frank frowned at him. "What exactly happened?" he asked. "And where did you get those clothes?"
"Wait," Chief Collig ordered. "Let's do this some place more private, like the station," he suggested, inclinging his head slightly at tthe people who were wactching and listening.
Chief Collig left Detective Lt. Stevenson in charge of the crime scene and climbed into his police cruiser with Frank beside him and Joe in the back. At headquarters, Chief Collig had someone come in his office to take Joe's statement. Joe told them everything that had happened since he had left the soda shop.
"Well, that's two murders solved and one wide open," Chief Collig said after Joe had finished. "Frank, you said you saw two silhouettes. Did you by any chance get a look at the men when you were rescuing Joe?"
"Sorry," Frank apologized. "After I saw Kenny's body, all I could think about was getting to Joe before they did," he explained. "But they were definitely guys I saw through the shade. One was large with long hair and a long beard and the other had short hair. I'd say the one with the beard was about six foot two inches, maybe two hundred and twenty pounds while the short-haired one was six foot four and roughly one hundred and eight pounds."
Chief Collig shook his head. It always amazed him how much information Frank could gather in a glance. "I want you two to be careful," he told them. "You may not have gotten a clear look at them but the may have gotten one of you."
Frank called a cab and soon there was a happy reunion between Joe and his mother. Joe had to tell her about his ordeal over a midnight snack of sandwiches and lemonade, after which they all went to bed.
The next morning, Joe was up bright and early. He had a diffulcult time sleeping because he kept thinking about Kenny. Too early still to wake up Frank or his mom, he decided to change the oil in the van. He went down the stairs and out through the kitchen. Opening the garage, he walked inside and grabbed several bottles of oil off one of the shelves. Then he picked up a pan and placed it on the ground beside the van. Deciding he might need a flashlight since sunrise had just began, he opened the door of the van and scrounged around until he found one.
Stepping back, he closed the van's door and, pulling a tool chest close, he lay down on the ground and scooted under the van. He flipped on the flashlight and aimed it in the direction he needed. His eyes went wide with shock as he saw a miniature timer counting down!
Chapter Six
Joe had decided that something was seriously wrong upstairs. He kept struggling with the tape but to no avail. He paused, his eyes widening in fear as the basement door opened. A penlight clicked on and Joe could hear someone coming down the stairs. The light landed on him and froze for a fraction of a second as a familiar voice whispered, "Joe."
Frank rushed over to his brother and pulled out a pocket knife, cutting the tape from Joe's wrists. As he cut, he quietly told Joe about the dead man upstairs and the two men searching the place.
After Joe's wrists were free, Frank set to work getting the tape off Joe's ankles while Joe removed the tape from his mouth. "They're probably looking for the half a million dollars in the briefcase Kenny took from the guy he killed," he told Frank.
Frank finished hacking the tape and folded his pocket knife, putting it back into his pocket. He helped Joe to stand. "We'd better get out of here and call the police," Frank said. He turned to walk back tot he steps leaving Joe to follow but Joe's ankles had been immobile too long and when he started to follow Frank, fell instead. Frank turned in time to catch Joe before he fell to the floor.
"Sorry," Joe whispered.
"It's okay," Frank replied, easing Joe back into a sitting position. He began rubbing Joe's left leg vigourously to get his circulation back to normal while Joe started rubbing his right leg, although at a slower pace. "Where is the briefcase?" Frank asked.
"I don't know," Joe admitted. "He left it in the car while he brought me down to the basement." Joe stood up, testing his legs. "Let's go," he said, wincing a little as the pins and needles did their dirty work, returning his circulation to full force.
Frank went first, pausing at the basement door to listen for the prowlers. Hearing nothing, he eased the door open and cautiously, the two boys made their way out of hte house and across the street. Frank opened the Hoopers front door and they went inside. They must have made some noise because Mr. Hooper came into the living room dressed in his pajamas and wearing slippers.
"Joe!" he said, his eyes widening in delight. "You're okay."
"Yeah," Joe said, grinning as Frank picked up the phone and called the police.
Mr. Hooper listened to Frank's side of the conversation quietly. "Kenny's dead?" he asked, after Frank had hung up. Frank nodded. "I can't believe it," he said, taking Joe's shoulder and squeezing it. "He just didn't seem like the kind of person who would kill someone and kidnap an innocent boy."
"Apparently his son meant everything to him," Joe siad compassionately. "He planned on killing the four men he blamed for Craig's death then he was going to let me go. He knew I would tell the cops but he didn't care."
"So who were the two men who killed Kenny?" Mr. Hooper asked.
Frank shrugged. "Could be the other two men Kenny was after or whoever Testerman worked for."
"Testerman?" Joe asked. Frank told Joe what he had learned from Con.
The police arrived across the street and it didn't take long to realize the killers had departed. The entire neighborhood had woken up and some were peering out the windows while the braver ones had come outside to their porches to watch the scene.
Frank thanked the Hoopers for their help then he and Joe went outside to speak with Chief Collig, leaving the Hoopers peering out their living room window.
Ezra Collig, Bayport's tall, graying Chief of Police looked at the Hardys as they approached. "Are you all right?" he asked Joe.
"I'm fine," Joe assurred him. "Do you know who killed Kenny?" he asked.
"Wallace killed two men and kidnaped you, yet you seem sad he's dead," Chief Collig said in puzzlement, looking at Joe with concern.
"I felt sorry for him," Joe admitted. "He may have held me hostage but he was nice about it."
At this, even Frank frowned at him. "What exactly happened?" he asked. "And where did you get those clothes?"
"Wait," Chief Collig ordered. "Let's do this some place more private, like the station," he suggested, inclinging his head slightly at tthe people who were wactching and listening.
Chief Collig left Detective Lt. Stevenson in charge of the crime scene and climbed into his police cruiser with Frank beside him and Joe in the back. At headquarters, Chief Collig had someone come in his office to take Joe's statement. Joe told them everything that had happened since he had left the soda shop.
"Well, that's two murders solved and one wide open," Chief Collig said after Joe had finished. "Frank, you said you saw two silhouettes. Did you by any chance get a look at the men when you were rescuing Joe?"
"Sorry," Frank apologized. "After I saw Kenny's body, all I could think about was getting to Joe before they did," he explained. "But they were definitely guys I saw through the shade. One was large with long hair and a long beard and the other had short hair. I'd say the one with the beard was about six foot two inches, maybe two hundred and twenty pounds while the short-haired one was six foot four and roughly one hundred and eight pounds."
Chief Collig shook his head. It always amazed him how much information Frank could gather in a glance. "I want you two to be careful," he told them. "You may not have gotten a clear look at them but the may have gotten one of you."
Frank called a cab and soon there was a happy reunion between Joe and his mother. Joe had to tell her about his ordeal over a midnight snack of sandwiches and lemonade, after which they all went to bed.
The next morning, Joe was up bright and early. He had a diffulcult time sleeping because he kept thinking about Kenny. Too early still to wake up Frank or his mom, he decided to change the oil in the van. He went down the stairs and out through the kitchen. Opening the garage, he walked inside and grabbed several bottles of oil off one of the shelves. Then he picked up a pan and placed it on the ground beside the van. Deciding he might need a flashlight since sunrise had just began, he opened the door of the van and scrounged around until he found one.
Stepping back, he closed the van's door and, pulling a tool chest close, he lay down on the ground and scooted under the van. He flipped on the flashlight and aimed it in the direction he needed. His eyes went wide with shock as he saw a miniature timer counting down!