It was dinnertime at the academy and Joe, Jeff, Ken and Steve were huddled together at one of the tables. Feeling a bit paranoid for some reason, Joe had looked under the table and chairs, ignoring the raised eyebrows of some students and the sniggers of others while he searched for anything that could be construed as an electronic listening device before his friends arrived.
"What were you doing?" Jeff asked curiously. Joe raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I saw you crawling out from under the table when I came in," he explained.
Joe shrugged sheepishly. "Just looking around," he said without elaborating. "Did you talk to any of the other students?" he asked.
"Yes," Ken said. "No one wanted to come here. But get this...they either got in trouble with the law or one or more of their parents is in some kind of service."
"What?" Jeff demanded clarification.
"Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, police, district attorney, FBI, that sort of thing," Ken explained.
"And the ones who got into trouble?" Joe asked. "What kind?"
"Different stuff," Ken answered. "But they all got caught after eluding the cops on more than one occasion."
"I got pretty much the same responses from the people I talked with," Jeff put in.
"Ditto," agreed Steve. "Sounds too strange to be a coincidence."
"What about the teachers?" asked Joe. "Any of you know any background?" All three boys shook their heads.
"I guess it's time to check out the personnel files," Joe said.
"Not possible," said Steve, frowning at Joe. "There's no way to get into the office without Goodman or the Dean around. And if we get caught out of our rooms after hours we'll get into trouble with a capital T!"
"What about the computer?" asked Joe. "We could..." he broke off as Jeff shook his head.
"No can do," Jeff told him. "The school computers all have some sort of spy ware."
"Not to mention firewalls," put in Ken.
"So the office it has to be," stated Joe.
"You're off your rocker!" hissed Jeff.
"I'll go in," Joe said reasonably. "I just need you three to keep Goodman and the dean occupied for about thirty minutes."
"Too risky," Steve bucked at the plan.
"Come on," Jeff tried to cajole him. "I'm with Joe. This isn't your normal everyday boarding school. Don't you want to find out the real scoop on this place?"
"I guess so," Steve replied a bit reluctantly. He eyed Joe warily. "When do you want to go in?"
"No time like the present," answered Joe, leaning in closer to tell his friends his plan.
"Frank. Son. Are you all right?" Fenton demanded as he gripped Frank's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Frank slowly. He winced slightly as he moved his right arm. "I think I'm going to have a nasty bruise, though."
"That's the least of our worries, I'm afraid," Fenton remarked as he watched the Taurus come to a stop next to them.
Two men exited the Taurus and two more the blue truck whose rear-end was dented from the impact. "Out of the car," ordered one of the men. He was the same height as Frank with green eyes and curly dark brown hair. His heavily jeweled hand held a '38 that was pointed at Fenton's head through the open window.
Fenton waited until his door was pulled open before unbuckling and getting out of the car. Frank undid his safety belt and slid across the seat to exit on his dad's side. Both Hardys raised their hands in the air as the man waved his gun at them and motioned for them to step aside.
Fenton took slow steps, casting frequent glances at Frank to make sure he could safely hobble along with him. Once they were several feet away from the car, two of the men got in and searched it. When they got back out, they had Frank's backpack and all the papers that had been in the glove compartment.
"Bobby, Jimmy," said the guy who still held his weapon steady of the Hardys. "You take the kid. We'll bring the old man."
"No!" objected Fenton, only to be quieted by a fist to his solar plexus.
"Relax, old man," he was ordered. "You are both going to the same place. I just figure you will be easier to handle if you're alone."
"What are you after?" demanded Frank.
"The whereabouts of your brother," was the reply. "After you tell us where he is and we confirm his location, you will both be free to go."
"Never," Frank declared calmly, his eyes meeting his captors in defense.
"Oh, I think we can change your mind," the man said with an evil smile. "And if not yours, your father's."
"What were you doing?" Jeff asked curiously. Joe raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I saw you crawling out from under the table when I came in," he explained.
Joe shrugged sheepishly. "Just looking around," he said without elaborating. "Did you talk to any of the other students?" he asked.
"Yes," Ken said. "No one wanted to come here. But get this...they either got in trouble with the law or one or more of their parents is in some kind of service."
"What?" Jeff demanded clarification.
"Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, police, district attorney, FBI, that sort of thing," Ken explained.
"And the ones who got into trouble?" Joe asked. "What kind?"
"Different stuff," Ken answered. "But they all got caught after eluding the cops on more than one occasion."
"I got pretty much the same responses from the people I talked with," Jeff put in.
"Ditto," agreed Steve. "Sounds too strange to be a coincidence."
"What about the teachers?" asked Joe. "Any of you know any background?" All three boys shook their heads.
"I guess it's time to check out the personnel files," Joe said.
"Not possible," said Steve, frowning at Joe. "There's no way to get into the office without Goodman or the Dean around. And if we get caught out of our rooms after hours we'll get into trouble with a capital T!"
"What about the computer?" asked Joe. "We could..." he broke off as Jeff shook his head.
"No can do," Jeff told him. "The school computers all have some sort of spy ware."
"Not to mention firewalls," put in Ken.
"So the office it has to be," stated Joe.
"You're off your rocker!" hissed Jeff.
"I'll go in," Joe said reasonably. "I just need you three to keep Goodman and the dean occupied for about thirty minutes."
"Too risky," Steve bucked at the plan.
"Come on," Jeff tried to cajole him. "I'm with Joe. This isn't your normal everyday boarding school. Don't you want to find out the real scoop on this place?"
"I guess so," Steve replied a bit reluctantly. He eyed Joe warily. "When do you want to go in?"
"No time like the present," answered Joe, leaning in closer to tell his friends his plan.
"Frank. Son. Are you all right?" Fenton demanded as he gripped Frank's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Frank slowly. He winced slightly as he moved his right arm. "I think I'm going to have a nasty bruise, though."
"That's the least of our worries, I'm afraid," Fenton remarked as he watched the Taurus come to a stop next to them.
Two men exited the Taurus and two more the blue truck whose rear-end was dented from the impact. "Out of the car," ordered one of the men. He was the same height as Frank with green eyes and curly dark brown hair. His heavily jeweled hand held a '38 that was pointed at Fenton's head through the open window.
Fenton waited until his door was pulled open before unbuckling and getting out of the car. Frank undid his safety belt and slid across the seat to exit on his dad's side. Both Hardys raised their hands in the air as the man waved his gun at them and motioned for them to step aside.
Fenton took slow steps, casting frequent glances at Frank to make sure he could safely hobble along with him. Once they were several feet away from the car, two of the men got in and searched it. When they got back out, they had Frank's backpack and all the papers that had been in the glove compartment.
"Bobby, Jimmy," said the guy who still held his weapon steady of the Hardys. "You take the kid. We'll bring the old man."
"No!" objected Fenton, only to be quieted by a fist to his solar plexus.
"Relax, old man," he was ordered. "You are both going to the same place. I just figure you will be easier to handle if you're alone."
"What are you after?" demanded Frank.
"The whereabouts of your brother," was the reply. "After you tell us where he is and we confirm his location, you will both be free to go."
"Never," Frank declared calmly, his eyes meeting his captors in defense.
"Oh, I think we can change your mind," the man said with an evil smile. "And if not yours, your father's."