The search party returned to camp, carrying their fallen comrade. "What happened?" Wolfe demanded, his voice deceptively calm as he glared at the corpse.
"Joe Hardy," was the reply. "We followed his trail but he doubled back and attacked Stark."
"And where is Hardy?" Wolfe asked, sliding his gaze from the dead man to Reggie Afton.
"He got away," Afton admitted. "I've already given the order for an extensive search to begin. The men are preparing now."
"Find him," Wolfe ordered. "And do not return to camp without him."
"Yes, Sir," Afton said, saluting. A movement which caused his muscles to ripple.
Joe hid in a tree and waited until the men below had given up and picked up the dead man. He watched them leave, heading in a north-west direction. He sat, silent, for almost two hours observing the area around him. When he spied no movement save for the occasional small game scurrying by, he climbed down and went in search of a safe place to take shelter for the night.
As he made his way through the forest, careful to leave as little of a trail as possible, he wondered how much time he had before a full scale search party would be launched by the Assassins. He smiled grimly, realizing one was probably already under way in Bayport. Joe would bet money Frank had asked their friends to keep an eye on him.
Joe slowed down, his eyes narrowing as he spied a small opening among some rocks ahead. He made his way over, picking up a couple of rocks from the ground as he drew closer. He stopped a few feet from the opening and tossed one of the rocks inside, prepared to run if necessary. No sound emanated from within nor did any animal make it's way out. Joe waited two minutes then tossed another rock. After another minute, one more rock went inside followed by two more in rapid succession. Still, the area remained quiet.
Joe went to the opening and dropped to a crouching position to peer inside. Too dark to actually see anything, he withdrew the penlight from his pocket, grateful the Assassins had been too pre-occupied with leaving when he had been captured to search and take his light and pocketknife. He turned the light on and looked in the entrance.
It was a small cave...not big enough to stand up in...but there was enough room to sit upright and stretch out in a prone position. He shone the light on the floor of the cave. There were no droppings on the floor....at least, none large enough to belong to a mountain lion or other large animal. Joe knew there were wolves in the area but they kept together in packs and this cave was too small.
He would have to make some sort of cover for the entrance. It wouldn't do to have an enemy surprise him while he slept. Tired and sore, he knew he had better get busy. Now that the Assassins knew he was still alive, they would be crawling all over the place.
Wolfe returned to the room which held Frank and Gray with two men to accompany him. Each man held something not entirely visible to the occupants of the room. Wolfe opened the door and saw the two prisoners sitting on the floor. "I see you have realized there is no way out," Wolfe gloated, entering.
When neither said a word, he devoted his attention to Frank. "Are you ready to talk?" he asked.
"I want to see my brother," Frank said, his brown eyes meeting Wolfe's.
"No," Wolfe refused. "You tell me what I want to know, then I will let you see him one last time."
Frank shook his head stubbornly. "I don't believe you have him," Frank stated, standing up. "You probably took his necklace at the festival."
Wolfe laughed. "Well, Mr. Hardy. It seems you have called my bluff," he said as the Gray Man also arose. "You're half right. I don't have your brother. Anymore. But the chain wasn't taken at the festival. You see, unlike yourself and your associate here, Joe wasn't buckled up in the helicopter." Wolfe took delight in the growing horror he saw on Frank's face. "The chain was what I managed to grasp as he fell from the copter."
"No!" rasped Frank, his face ashen. "You're lying!"
"Not this time," Wolfe assured him. "It was a joke really. We knew he didn't like to fly so we were giving him a ride to remember. Unfortunately, our pilot rocked a little too hard and he slid out."
"He's lying," the Gray Man told Frank, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If that were true they would have gone after the body and used his clothes or...or something to convince you they had him."
"Oh, we did go look for his body," Wolfe informed them. "Only, something got to it before we did. There wasn't anything left but blood and bones." He gave this information time to sink in before continuing. "So you see, I couldn't possibly continue my bluff about your brother.
"However, I do need your cooperation. My orders were to capture Joe Hardy but since that is out of the question, I must attempt to appease my superiors with information which at least one, but probably both of you know. I admit, I am desperate."
"You'll get nothing out of us," Gray declared. Frank gave a slight nod, too in shock to say anything.
"Oh, I think you might change your minds," Wolfe said. "Eventually." He held out a hand and motioned for the two men to come forth. They did so, shaking the jars and starting to open them as they neared.
"Tell me, gentlemen, have you been down south lately? They have a common insect whose bite is not only painful but, in quantity, can be fatal." With these words, he backed away as the two men removed the lids and threw the contents of the jars on the two prisoners. In seconds, Frank and the Gray Man were covered with fire ants.
"Joe Hardy," was the reply. "We followed his trail but he doubled back and attacked Stark."
"And where is Hardy?" Wolfe asked, sliding his gaze from the dead man to Reggie Afton.
"He got away," Afton admitted. "I've already given the order for an extensive search to begin. The men are preparing now."
"Find him," Wolfe ordered. "And do not return to camp without him."
"Yes, Sir," Afton said, saluting. A movement which caused his muscles to ripple.
Joe hid in a tree and waited until the men below had given up and picked up the dead man. He watched them leave, heading in a north-west direction. He sat, silent, for almost two hours observing the area around him. When he spied no movement save for the occasional small game scurrying by, he climbed down and went in search of a safe place to take shelter for the night.
As he made his way through the forest, careful to leave as little of a trail as possible, he wondered how much time he had before a full scale search party would be launched by the Assassins. He smiled grimly, realizing one was probably already under way in Bayport. Joe would bet money Frank had asked their friends to keep an eye on him.
Joe slowed down, his eyes narrowing as he spied a small opening among some rocks ahead. He made his way over, picking up a couple of rocks from the ground as he drew closer. He stopped a few feet from the opening and tossed one of the rocks inside, prepared to run if necessary. No sound emanated from within nor did any animal make it's way out. Joe waited two minutes then tossed another rock. After another minute, one more rock went inside followed by two more in rapid succession. Still, the area remained quiet.
Joe went to the opening and dropped to a crouching position to peer inside. Too dark to actually see anything, he withdrew the penlight from his pocket, grateful the Assassins had been too pre-occupied with leaving when he had been captured to search and take his light and pocketknife. He turned the light on and looked in the entrance.
It was a small cave...not big enough to stand up in...but there was enough room to sit upright and stretch out in a prone position. He shone the light on the floor of the cave. There were no droppings on the floor....at least, none large enough to belong to a mountain lion or other large animal. Joe knew there were wolves in the area but they kept together in packs and this cave was too small.
He would have to make some sort of cover for the entrance. It wouldn't do to have an enemy surprise him while he slept. Tired and sore, he knew he had better get busy. Now that the Assassins knew he was still alive, they would be crawling all over the place.
Wolfe returned to the room which held Frank and Gray with two men to accompany him. Each man held something not entirely visible to the occupants of the room. Wolfe opened the door and saw the two prisoners sitting on the floor. "I see you have realized there is no way out," Wolfe gloated, entering.
When neither said a word, he devoted his attention to Frank. "Are you ready to talk?" he asked.
"I want to see my brother," Frank said, his brown eyes meeting Wolfe's.
"No," Wolfe refused. "You tell me what I want to know, then I will let you see him one last time."
Frank shook his head stubbornly. "I don't believe you have him," Frank stated, standing up. "You probably took his necklace at the festival."
Wolfe laughed. "Well, Mr. Hardy. It seems you have called my bluff," he said as the Gray Man also arose. "You're half right. I don't have your brother. Anymore. But the chain wasn't taken at the festival. You see, unlike yourself and your associate here, Joe wasn't buckled up in the helicopter." Wolfe took delight in the growing horror he saw on Frank's face. "The chain was what I managed to grasp as he fell from the copter."
"No!" rasped Frank, his face ashen. "You're lying!"
"Not this time," Wolfe assured him. "It was a joke really. We knew he didn't like to fly so we were giving him a ride to remember. Unfortunately, our pilot rocked a little too hard and he slid out."
"He's lying," the Gray Man told Frank, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If that were true they would have gone after the body and used his clothes or...or something to convince you they had him."
"Oh, we did go look for his body," Wolfe informed them. "Only, something got to it before we did. There wasn't anything left but blood and bones." He gave this information time to sink in before continuing. "So you see, I couldn't possibly continue my bluff about your brother.
"However, I do need your cooperation. My orders were to capture Joe Hardy but since that is out of the question, I must attempt to appease my superiors with information which at least one, but probably both of you know. I admit, I am desperate."
"You'll get nothing out of us," Gray declared. Frank gave a slight nod, too in shock to say anything.
"Oh, I think you might change your minds," Wolfe said. "Eventually." He held out a hand and motioned for the two men to come forth. They did so, shaking the jars and starting to open them as they neared.
"Tell me, gentlemen, have you been down south lately? They have a common insect whose bite is not only painful but, in quantity, can be fatal." With these words, he backed away as the two men removed the lids and threw the contents of the jars on the two prisoners. In seconds, Frank and the Gray Man were covered with fire ants.