"Do you think one of the principals or even the superintendent could be behind these attacks?" asked Frank, watching his father's face closely. He had considered the possibility but had refrained from pushing the issue until Braun Enterprises had been ruled out. Too, although Joe had been around, he was a bit naive and wanted to believe in people. That was one of the reasons Frank was so protective of his younger brother. Even after all he had experienced, Joe still had that spark of innocence lurking in his eyes. A spark that Frank refused to allow anyone to extinguish.
"It is a possibility I wouldn't rule out just yet," Fenton acknowledged, watching his eldest son, still in the disguise he had worn to work, smother a yawn. Fenton had heard Frank enter the house and had asked him to join him in his office to discuss the case. He had informed Frank about his findings at Mr. Pizza. The description had fit no one Frank had seen at Braun. "I'm going to see what I can dig up on everyone involved, including Dr. Vaughn and your principal. You keep looking into Braun Enterprises."
"You don't really think Principal Dylan is involved, do you?" Frank asked in surprise. Dylan was the last person he would have suspected.
"It's best to check out everyone," Fenton told his son. "That way, there won't be any surprises down the line." He suppressed a smile as Frank fought off another yawn. "Why don't you head on to bed?" he suggested. "You're dead on your feet."
"I'm going," said Frank agreeing with the suggestion and standing up. "But if Joe isn't home in," he paused and glanced at his watch. Joe had been gone twenty minutes already. "In another hour and a half, wake me up."
"I will," Fenton promised.
"Joe!" Principal Dylan called Joe over when he and Tony exited the locker room. "Can I see you for a minute?" he requested when Joe looked his way.
Joe hurried over to the principal's side. "It occurred to me that you and your brother might want to see the entry requirements that were dispatched to the competing schools," Dylan said, setting his briefcase on a bleacher and opening it.
"Nice," Joe commented appreciatively. The briefcase was black leather with a golden combination lock. The handle was thick and had the look of snakeskin.
"Isn't it?" Dylan agreed, smiling. "Mr. Matthews gave one to each of the principals."
"Was that part of the deal Dr. Vaughn made with Braun Enterprises?" inquired Joe.
"No," Dylan denied. "As a matter of fact, I spoke with Dr. Vaughn and informed him of your's and your brother's investigation. He gave me a photocopy of the contract between the Board of Education and Braun Enterprises for you to peruse."
"Excellent!" Joe asserted, giving the principal a wide smile.
Dylan pulled out two sets of papers and handed them to Joe. "Perhaps you could tell me why Nick was leaving instead of practicing?" he asked Joe, closing the briefcase again.
"I'm afraid he got spooked and quit," Joe admitted. "He found out someone tried to poison me and..."
"Poison you?" thundered Dylan, shocked. "When did this happen? Are you sure you are all right?"
"Last night," Joe informed him. "Mom was going to talk to Coach Anderson about my missing practice today but Dr. Bates said I could practice on a limited schedule until Wednesday and after that I might be able to go back to it full time."
Principal Dylan looked shaken. "I had no idea," he said. "Well, obviously, some or I wouldn't have called you boys in on this in the first place," he amended. "But," he broke off and shook his head. "Perhaps our school should pull out of this competition," he suggested.
"Can you do that?" asked Joe curiously. "What about the competition?"
"Any school can decide not to compete," Dylan informed him. "It's in the contract. As a matter of fact, Dr. Vaughn told me earlier this afternoon that Southport High has decided to withdraw. Their principal thought it wasn't worth having the students hurt and I am inclined to agree."
"No," Joe asserted, shaking his head. "I'll talk to Emily and get her to quit," Joe continued before his principal could voice an objection. "But if you pull the school out of this we may never find out who is behind the attacks and sabotage."
"Emily is competitive," Dylan said. "You might not have such an easy time convincing her to quit."
"Actually, Nick, Emily and I came to an agreement about the winnings," Joe said. "It doesn't matter who actually wins the tournament because we will all win." He explained about the way they had planned to divvy up the prize.
"That is an excellent idea!" Dylan congratulated him. "But you will be careful?"
"Like I have choice?" Joe asked with a rueful grin. "Frank is making sure I'm watched non-stop during practice. The only time I am going to be alone today is on my way from the car to the house when I get home. Tony is going to follow me home and once there, Frank won't let me out of his sight until he goes to work tomorrow."
"Work?" Dylan asked.
"Frank got a job at Braun Enterprises," Joe informed him.
"But won't you be left unguarded while Frank is away?" Dylan inquired in a worried tone.
"We have a state of the art alarm system," Joe told him. "And if I do leave home, I will call one of the guys to accompany me," he promised, seeing Principal Dylan was not being reassured about Joe's safety.
"Hardy!" Coach Anderson's voice split the air.
Joe grimaced. "I better hop to," he said. "The coach wasn't too pleased with my only getting to practice for an hour twice a day."
"Tough," Dylan said, frowning. "Your well-being is more important than any trophy the school would get. I will have a word with him."
"That's not necessary," Joe told him. "Coach barks but I don't think he bites."
An hour later, Joe fell to his feet from the balancing beam and headed to the locker room. After showering and changing, Joe caught Emily as she was on her way to the girl's locker room. The coach had decided she had practiced enough for the afternoon as well.
She wasn't too happy with bowing out of the competition but she did agree after Joe promised her that if he won she and Nick would still be treated as equals in the win.
"You do realize you have just made yourself a bigger target, don't you?" asked Tony, scowling after Emily moved away.
"What was I supposed to do?" demanded Joe. "Dylan was going to pull us out of the competition."
"Hey!" Phil shouted, running up to Joe and Tony in the parking lot.
"Where have you been?" asked Tony.
"I followed Nick home," explained Phil. "I know he quit but the bad guys don't know it."
"Yet, anyway," Joe corrected him.
Tony told Phil about Joe getting Emily to bow out of the competition. Phil shook his head. "Frank's going to blow his lid."
"No, he won't," Joe replied. "Now we only have one person to take care of at this school: me. It will be much easier."
"You do have a point," Phil admitted. "Especially since I will be your shadow when Frank isn't around."
"You don't have to do that," Joe said.
"I know," Phil said. "But I want too. Let me call my folks and I'll go home with you."
"No need," Joe said. "Frank is there. He doesn't have to go back to East Bridge until tomorrow afternoon. If you want to come over about one, that would be great?"
"I'll be there," Phil promised.
"Let's go," Tony said, rushing Joe along. "I need to get to Mr. Pizza. My shift starts in thirty minutes."
"Go ahead," Joe told him. "I'm going straight home. I'll be fine."
"And I will follow him to make sure he gets there," Phil said.
"Okay," Tony agreed. "But be careful," he told Joe, his voice holding a warning. He knew how easily Joe got into trouble without even trying.
"I will," Joe promised laughing. "I will."
Joe went to his mother's car and climbed in. He waited until Phil got in his red jeep before starting the motor. The two boys left the school and headed toward the other side of town. Joe made the left at the first traffic light and frowned when he heard an unfamiliar sound emanate from the car. He turned right at the second light and heard it again. He decided to pull over and check it out before going any further but the next safe place to pull off the road was almost a mile ahead down Bayview Hill.
Since the car hadn't made the sound before and it obviously wasn't the brakes, Joe didn't think anything about continuing to the next stopping place. He slowed down to thirty-five miles an hour just before he reached the crest of the hill. Joe turned the wheel to go into the curve at the top of the hill but the car kept on its path. Any second now and he would go off the road and crash into the concrete wall!
"It is a possibility I wouldn't rule out just yet," Fenton acknowledged, watching his eldest son, still in the disguise he had worn to work, smother a yawn. Fenton had heard Frank enter the house and had asked him to join him in his office to discuss the case. He had informed Frank about his findings at Mr. Pizza. The description had fit no one Frank had seen at Braun. "I'm going to see what I can dig up on everyone involved, including Dr. Vaughn and your principal. You keep looking into Braun Enterprises."
"You don't really think Principal Dylan is involved, do you?" Frank asked in surprise. Dylan was the last person he would have suspected.
"It's best to check out everyone," Fenton told his son. "That way, there won't be any surprises down the line." He suppressed a smile as Frank fought off another yawn. "Why don't you head on to bed?" he suggested. "You're dead on your feet."
"I'm going," said Frank agreeing with the suggestion and standing up. "But if Joe isn't home in," he paused and glanced at his watch. Joe had been gone twenty minutes already. "In another hour and a half, wake me up."
"I will," Fenton promised.
"Joe!" Principal Dylan called Joe over when he and Tony exited the locker room. "Can I see you for a minute?" he requested when Joe looked his way.
Joe hurried over to the principal's side. "It occurred to me that you and your brother might want to see the entry requirements that were dispatched to the competing schools," Dylan said, setting his briefcase on a bleacher and opening it.
"Nice," Joe commented appreciatively. The briefcase was black leather with a golden combination lock. The handle was thick and had the look of snakeskin.
"Isn't it?" Dylan agreed, smiling. "Mr. Matthews gave one to each of the principals."
"Was that part of the deal Dr. Vaughn made with Braun Enterprises?" inquired Joe.
"No," Dylan denied. "As a matter of fact, I spoke with Dr. Vaughn and informed him of your's and your brother's investigation. He gave me a photocopy of the contract between the Board of Education and Braun Enterprises for you to peruse."
"Excellent!" Joe asserted, giving the principal a wide smile.
Dylan pulled out two sets of papers and handed them to Joe. "Perhaps you could tell me why Nick was leaving instead of practicing?" he asked Joe, closing the briefcase again.
"I'm afraid he got spooked and quit," Joe admitted. "He found out someone tried to poison me and..."
"Poison you?" thundered Dylan, shocked. "When did this happen? Are you sure you are all right?"
"Last night," Joe informed him. "Mom was going to talk to Coach Anderson about my missing practice today but Dr. Bates said I could practice on a limited schedule until Wednesday and after that I might be able to go back to it full time."
Principal Dylan looked shaken. "I had no idea," he said. "Well, obviously, some or I wouldn't have called you boys in on this in the first place," he amended. "But," he broke off and shook his head. "Perhaps our school should pull out of this competition," he suggested.
"Can you do that?" asked Joe curiously. "What about the competition?"
"Any school can decide not to compete," Dylan informed him. "It's in the contract. As a matter of fact, Dr. Vaughn told me earlier this afternoon that Southport High has decided to withdraw. Their principal thought it wasn't worth having the students hurt and I am inclined to agree."
"No," Joe asserted, shaking his head. "I'll talk to Emily and get her to quit," Joe continued before his principal could voice an objection. "But if you pull the school out of this we may never find out who is behind the attacks and sabotage."
"Emily is competitive," Dylan said. "You might not have such an easy time convincing her to quit."
"Actually, Nick, Emily and I came to an agreement about the winnings," Joe said. "It doesn't matter who actually wins the tournament because we will all win." He explained about the way they had planned to divvy up the prize.
"That is an excellent idea!" Dylan congratulated him. "But you will be careful?"
"Like I have choice?" Joe asked with a rueful grin. "Frank is making sure I'm watched non-stop during practice. The only time I am going to be alone today is on my way from the car to the house when I get home. Tony is going to follow me home and once there, Frank won't let me out of his sight until he goes to work tomorrow."
"Work?" Dylan asked.
"Frank got a job at Braun Enterprises," Joe informed him.
"But won't you be left unguarded while Frank is away?" Dylan inquired in a worried tone.
"We have a state of the art alarm system," Joe told him. "And if I do leave home, I will call one of the guys to accompany me," he promised, seeing Principal Dylan was not being reassured about Joe's safety.
"Hardy!" Coach Anderson's voice split the air.
Joe grimaced. "I better hop to," he said. "The coach wasn't too pleased with my only getting to practice for an hour twice a day."
"Tough," Dylan said, frowning. "Your well-being is more important than any trophy the school would get. I will have a word with him."
"That's not necessary," Joe told him. "Coach barks but I don't think he bites."
An hour later, Joe fell to his feet from the balancing beam and headed to the locker room. After showering and changing, Joe caught Emily as she was on her way to the girl's locker room. The coach had decided she had practiced enough for the afternoon as well.
She wasn't too happy with bowing out of the competition but she did agree after Joe promised her that if he won she and Nick would still be treated as equals in the win.
"You do realize you have just made yourself a bigger target, don't you?" asked Tony, scowling after Emily moved away.
"What was I supposed to do?" demanded Joe. "Dylan was going to pull us out of the competition."
"Hey!" Phil shouted, running up to Joe and Tony in the parking lot.
"Where have you been?" asked Tony.
"I followed Nick home," explained Phil. "I know he quit but the bad guys don't know it."
"Yet, anyway," Joe corrected him.
Tony told Phil about Joe getting Emily to bow out of the competition. Phil shook his head. "Frank's going to blow his lid."
"No, he won't," Joe replied. "Now we only have one person to take care of at this school: me. It will be much easier."
"You do have a point," Phil admitted. "Especially since I will be your shadow when Frank isn't around."
"You don't have to do that," Joe said.
"I know," Phil said. "But I want too. Let me call my folks and I'll go home with you."
"No need," Joe said. "Frank is there. He doesn't have to go back to East Bridge until tomorrow afternoon. If you want to come over about one, that would be great?"
"I'll be there," Phil promised.
"Let's go," Tony said, rushing Joe along. "I need to get to Mr. Pizza. My shift starts in thirty minutes."
"Go ahead," Joe told him. "I'm going straight home. I'll be fine."
"And I will follow him to make sure he gets there," Phil said.
"Okay," Tony agreed. "But be careful," he told Joe, his voice holding a warning. He knew how easily Joe got into trouble without even trying.
"I will," Joe promised laughing. "I will."
Joe went to his mother's car and climbed in. He waited until Phil got in his red jeep before starting the motor. The two boys left the school and headed toward the other side of town. Joe made the left at the first traffic light and frowned when he heard an unfamiliar sound emanate from the car. He turned right at the second light and heard it again. He decided to pull over and check it out before going any further but the next safe place to pull off the road was almost a mile ahead down Bayview Hill.
Since the car hadn't made the sound before and it obviously wasn't the brakes, Joe didn't think anything about continuing to the next stopping place. He slowed down to thirty-five miles an hour just before he reached the crest of the hill. Joe turned the wheel to go into the curve at the top of the hill but the car kept on its path. Any second now and he would go off the road and crash into the concrete wall!
