Disclaimer: Characters within do not belong to me, but to the Stratemeyer Syndicate and Simon & Schuster. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Updated quickly again!! Thanks so much for the continued interest. As for all the cliffhangers, I'm just following the style of the series. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger;) Enjoy!
****
Bay of Peril
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
The first thing Frank was aware of was the rock and roll of waves underneath his body. Lying on his side, he could smell salt and mildew as his cheek was pressed against wet wood. Although his head throbbed like an entire steel drum band, he forced his eyes open, but all he saw was a few coils of weathered rope. With a groan, he tried to sit up. Unfortunately, he found, it wasn't to be that easy. His hands were tied in front of him, and his feet were bound together as well.
"Frank?" He heard Nancy's worried whisper and arched his body until he could see her. She was lying a few feet away in a similar position.
"Are you okay?" he asked, struggling with the ropes on his hands.
Nancy looked like she was about to answer, then she abruptly closed her mouth. A moment later, a man appeared over Frank. His hair was dark, graying at the temples and slicked back like a clichéd gangster. "I see you both decided to come around. That's good…this was going to be more difficult if you didn't."
"Who are you?" Frank demanded.
"I'd be less worried about who I am, and more worried about where you are." The man grabbed the ropes restraining Frank and hauled him up into a sitting position. He immediately looked around them. They were on a boat, a fishing boat of some sort. And although it was midnight black, he could still tell that they were surrounded by water.
"We're on the Bay," Nancy said softly.
"Very good, Miss Freeman. Excuse me…Miss Drew" The man yanked on Nancy's ropes next, propping her up next to Frank against the inside of the hull. "Yes, we know who you really are. We've known for some time."
"We?" she asked.
The man chuckled. "There's always a 'we,' isn't there?"
Frank glared up at their captor. "What do you want with us?"
"You're young. I'll forgive you for that tired line. You kids learn too much from the movies these days." The man snapped his fingers and another man appeared with a white bucket, smudged with bloody fingerprints. "I'm sure you know exactly why you're here."
"Are you the son of a bitch who shot my friend?"
The man frowned. "Tsk, tsk. Your friend accepted the possibility of consequences; is it my fault that I was charged with carrying them out?"
"The consequences of doing what?" Frank asked.
"We don't really need to get into all of that now." He nodded at the other man who moved to the edge of the boat. With a metal ladle, the man began rapidly throwing a nauseating mixture of blood and fish heads over the side.
Nancy cleared her throat. "If not now, when?"
"That is a very good point." The grey-haired man folded his arms. "But it's not written anywhere that the bad guy *has* to give the good guys his motives when he's about to…take care of them."
"Call it common courtesy," Frank spat out.
He shook his head. "I don't think so. Jerry, that should be enough. We don't want to attract too much attention. At least not of the human variety."
Frank glanced at Nancy; she'd already figured out given the horrified look on her face. "You're starting a chum slick."
"Very good. Someone's been watching the Discovery Channel." The man took in a deep breath of salt air. "Did you know that a shark can sense one part blood in a million parts of water?" He looked back at them, a broad smile on his face. "I hope you both can swim. Fast."
****
"Joe Hardy?" The nurse manning the surgery floor looked around the waiting room until she spotted the only two people in it, Joe and Sarah. "Joe Hardy, there's a phone call for you."
It took him a minute to peel Sarah off of his shoulder, but after he'd succeeded, he walked to the nurses' station to take the call. "Joe Hardy here."
"Joe, it's George."
"Hey, thought you were supposed to be sleeping."
"Couldn't. Any word on Patrick?"
Joe sighed. "Nothing yet."
"Oh, well, let me know when you know." George cleared her throat. "Anyways, I was really calling to ask…is Nancy there?"
"Nope, she ran out 'bout an hour, hour and a half ago."
"Really? Because she's not back yet, and I was just wondering…"
Winking at the nurse, Joe leaned against the counter. "I really wouldn't worry about her. She and Frank had some kind of spat; he took off after her. I figure they're probably deep into a make-up session, and with any luck on my brother's side, a make-out session."
He could almost see George rolling her eyes. "Gotcha. I won't wait up for her then." She paused. "Are you okay?"
"I'm hanging in there."
"Good. Keep on hanging, and try to get some sleep. Night, Joe."
"Night George." He handed the nurse the phone with another wink. Old habits died hard.
"Frank or Joe Hardy?"
This time it was a doctor in rumpled scrubs who called his name. "That's me!" He ran over to the swinging doors the surgeon stood in front of; Sarah stood up on shaky knees. "I'm Joe, Joe Hardy."
"Mr. Hardy," the doctor addressed him in a tired, but pleased voice. "Your friend is out of surgery. He's in recovery and he wants to talk to you."
****
Nancy licked her lips and immediately regretted it. The wind was so cold as it whipped across the water, she could practically feel her mouth chapping. Next to her, she could sense Frank discreetly struggling with his ropes. He didn't seem to be making much headway. As for her own ropes, whoever had tied them was obviously a professional. They weren't about to budge.
Stall for time, every instinct told her. The longer they could keep their captors talking, the longer they had to figure a way out of the situation. "So, you know who I am. You've always known. How?"
"Your reputation precedes you, Miss Drew. We knew who you were the second we cared enough to take a look at you." The man looked over the side of the boat. "Jerry, a few more scoops, if you please. We want as many players as possible in this game."
"Is that what this is to you? A game?" Frank gritted his teeth. "Save yourself the trouble. We barely know anything and we can't prove any of it."
"You're both a liability. My job is to remove any problems, no matter how insignificant they might be."
Nancy shook her head. "He's right. I have no real proof that connects Ossi Industries, Curacao and your…employers."
"But the fact that you can even make an unproven connection between the three makes you a problem, Miss Drew." He bent down and started undoing the ropes around Nancy's ankles. "Try to kick me, and I won't bother making your death look like a tragic accident."
Behind his back, Frank kept struggling with his ropes. They felt a bit looser, but nowhere near loose enough for him to break free. "Leave her alone."
The man chuckled. "Let me guess? Puppy love?" He threw the rope aside. "Get up."
Nancy rose to her feet, stumbling slightly as she regained her balance while trying to compensate for the rocking boat. "You might be able to get rid of us, but the police are on the case at Curacao now. It won't take them long to make the same conclusions we have."
"Especially with a body and a seriously wounded man," Frank added. "Just how does Patrick fit into all of this?"
"Patrick?" He pretended to think. "Oh yeah, him." The man shrugged. "He needed a sponsor. We needed an errand boy. He's been very helpful."
"You used him to carry out your dirty work." Frank's voice shook with anger. "You used him and threw him away."
"Let's not be emotional." The man grabbed Nancy's arm which was still bound in front of her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Frank's eye twitched. "You're hurting her."
Their captor shook his head, laughing. "To the side of the boat, if you don't mind." Nancy hesitated. "Now." He yanked her over to where he wanted her. "Time to take the plunge, Miss Drew."
"Is this how you killed Jonathan Brumby?" There was no reply. Nancy looked down at the black waters of the Bay. "You won't get away with this." Despite her best efforts, the words wobbled just a bit.
"If it makes you happy to believe that." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol. "Jump. It's not an option."
Standing her ground, Nancy looked back at Frank. His body jerked as he fought the ropes. His eyes locked with hers. After a moment, Nancy turned back around. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the man pushed her over the edge.
"No!!!" Frank yelled. "Nancy!!!"
There was no answer to his cry. Nothing but a splash.
****
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Updated quickly again!! Thanks so much for the continued interest. As for all the cliffhangers, I'm just following the style of the series. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger;) Enjoy!
****
Bay of Peril
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
The first thing Frank was aware of was the rock and roll of waves underneath his body. Lying on his side, he could smell salt and mildew as his cheek was pressed against wet wood. Although his head throbbed like an entire steel drum band, he forced his eyes open, but all he saw was a few coils of weathered rope. With a groan, he tried to sit up. Unfortunately, he found, it wasn't to be that easy. His hands were tied in front of him, and his feet were bound together as well.
"Frank?" He heard Nancy's worried whisper and arched his body until he could see her. She was lying a few feet away in a similar position.
"Are you okay?" he asked, struggling with the ropes on his hands.
Nancy looked like she was about to answer, then she abruptly closed her mouth. A moment later, a man appeared over Frank. His hair was dark, graying at the temples and slicked back like a clichéd gangster. "I see you both decided to come around. That's good…this was going to be more difficult if you didn't."
"Who are you?" Frank demanded.
"I'd be less worried about who I am, and more worried about where you are." The man grabbed the ropes restraining Frank and hauled him up into a sitting position. He immediately looked around them. They were on a boat, a fishing boat of some sort. And although it was midnight black, he could still tell that they were surrounded by water.
"We're on the Bay," Nancy said softly.
"Very good, Miss Freeman. Excuse me…Miss Drew" The man yanked on Nancy's ropes next, propping her up next to Frank against the inside of the hull. "Yes, we know who you really are. We've known for some time."
"We?" she asked.
The man chuckled. "There's always a 'we,' isn't there?"
Frank glared up at their captor. "What do you want with us?"
"You're young. I'll forgive you for that tired line. You kids learn too much from the movies these days." The man snapped his fingers and another man appeared with a white bucket, smudged with bloody fingerprints. "I'm sure you know exactly why you're here."
"Are you the son of a bitch who shot my friend?"
The man frowned. "Tsk, tsk. Your friend accepted the possibility of consequences; is it my fault that I was charged with carrying them out?"
"The consequences of doing what?" Frank asked.
"We don't really need to get into all of that now." He nodded at the other man who moved to the edge of the boat. With a metal ladle, the man began rapidly throwing a nauseating mixture of blood and fish heads over the side.
Nancy cleared her throat. "If not now, when?"
"That is a very good point." The grey-haired man folded his arms. "But it's not written anywhere that the bad guy *has* to give the good guys his motives when he's about to…take care of them."
"Call it common courtesy," Frank spat out.
He shook his head. "I don't think so. Jerry, that should be enough. We don't want to attract too much attention. At least not of the human variety."
Frank glanced at Nancy; she'd already figured out given the horrified look on her face. "You're starting a chum slick."
"Very good. Someone's been watching the Discovery Channel." The man took in a deep breath of salt air. "Did you know that a shark can sense one part blood in a million parts of water?" He looked back at them, a broad smile on his face. "I hope you both can swim. Fast."
****
"Joe Hardy?" The nurse manning the surgery floor looked around the waiting room until she spotted the only two people in it, Joe and Sarah. "Joe Hardy, there's a phone call for you."
It took him a minute to peel Sarah off of his shoulder, but after he'd succeeded, he walked to the nurses' station to take the call. "Joe Hardy here."
"Joe, it's George."
"Hey, thought you were supposed to be sleeping."
"Couldn't. Any word on Patrick?"
Joe sighed. "Nothing yet."
"Oh, well, let me know when you know." George cleared her throat. "Anyways, I was really calling to ask…is Nancy there?"
"Nope, she ran out 'bout an hour, hour and a half ago."
"Really? Because she's not back yet, and I was just wondering…"
Winking at the nurse, Joe leaned against the counter. "I really wouldn't worry about her. She and Frank had some kind of spat; he took off after her. I figure they're probably deep into a make-up session, and with any luck on my brother's side, a make-out session."
He could almost see George rolling her eyes. "Gotcha. I won't wait up for her then." She paused. "Are you okay?"
"I'm hanging in there."
"Good. Keep on hanging, and try to get some sleep. Night, Joe."
"Night George." He handed the nurse the phone with another wink. Old habits died hard.
"Frank or Joe Hardy?"
This time it was a doctor in rumpled scrubs who called his name. "That's me!" He ran over to the swinging doors the surgeon stood in front of; Sarah stood up on shaky knees. "I'm Joe, Joe Hardy."
"Mr. Hardy," the doctor addressed him in a tired, but pleased voice. "Your friend is out of surgery. He's in recovery and he wants to talk to you."
****
Nancy licked her lips and immediately regretted it. The wind was so cold as it whipped across the water, she could practically feel her mouth chapping. Next to her, she could sense Frank discreetly struggling with his ropes. He didn't seem to be making much headway. As for her own ropes, whoever had tied them was obviously a professional. They weren't about to budge.
Stall for time, every instinct told her. The longer they could keep their captors talking, the longer they had to figure a way out of the situation. "So, you know who I am. You've always known. How?"
"Your reputation precedes you, Miss Drew. We knew who you were the second we cared enough to take a look at you." The man looked over the side of the boat. "Jerry, a few more scoops, if you please. We want as many players as possible in this game."
"Is that what this is to you? A game?" Frank gritted his teeth. "Save yourself the trouble. We barely know anything and we can't prove any of it."
"You're both a liability. My job is to remove any problems, no matter how insignificant they might be."
Nancy shook her head. "He's right. I have no real proof that connects Ossi Industries, Curacao and your…employers."
"But the fact that you can even make an unproven connection between the three makes you a problem, Miss Drew." He bent down and started undoing the ropes around Nancy's ankles. "Try to kick me, and I won't bother making your death look like a tragic accident."
Behind his back, Frank kept struggling with his ropes. They felt a bit looser, but nowhere near loose enough for him to break free. "Leave her alone."
The man chuckled. "Let me guess? Puppy love?" He threw the rope aside. "Get up."
Nancy rose to her feet, stumbling slightly as she regained her balance while trying to compensate for the rocking boat. "You might be able to get rid of us, but the police are on the case at Curacao now. It won't take them long to make the same conclusions we have."
"Especially with a body and a seriously wounded man," Frank added. "Just how does Patrick fit into all of this?"
"Patrick?" He pretended to think. "Oh yeah, him." The man shrugged. "He needed a sponsor. We needed an errand boy. He's been very helpful."
"You used him to carry out your dirty work." Frank's voice shook with anger. "You used him and threw him away."
"Let's not be emotional." The man grabbed Nancy's arm which was still bound in front of her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Frank's eye twitched. "You're hurting her."
Their captor shook his head, laughing. "To the side of the boat, if you don't mind." Nancy hesitated. "Now." He yanked her over to where he wanted her. "Time to take the plunge, Miss Drew."
"Is this how you killed Jonathan Brumby?" There was no reply. Nancy looked down at the black waters of the Bay. "You won't get away with this." Despite her best efforts, the words wobbled just a bit.
"If it makes you happy to believe that." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol. "Jump. It's not an option."
Standing her ground, Nancy looked back at Frank. His body jerked as he fought the ropes. His eyes locked with hers. After a moment, Nancy turned back around. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the man pushed her over the edge.
"No!!!" Frank yelled. "Nancy!!!"
There was no answer to his cry. Nothing but a splash.
****
To Be Continued