Joe took off in the direction the men had come from the previous day taking care to tread softly and leave as little evidence as possible he was about.
It took him most of the morning but he finally located the Assassin's stronghold. It was a flat stone building taking up roughly an acre of space. No windows were visible but Joe could clearly see a multitude of operatives along the perimeter. Joe stayed in the forage, ducking as he saw three of the men lift binoculars to their eyes almost simultaneously and sweep the area. Joe was willing to bet there was another guy on the side of the building he couldn't see doing the same thing.
When they lowered their binoculars, Joe lifted his. He counted a minimum of eighteen Assassins and six all-terrain vehicles. To the right of those were nine trail bikes. Incredible odds but he had no choice. Frank was somewhere in that building and he was going to get him out even if he had to do it alone!
Joe frowned thoughtfully. His first mission was to take out some of the opposition. But how? Oh, he could probably acquire a weapon and kill a few but he had been brought up to believe all life was precious. Hmm...maybe if he just disabled them. A few well-placed traps might injure them to the point they could no longer pose a threat. Or maybe, he could trap one and take him prisoner. Maybe learn something.
Joe thought briefly of the talkie he had taken from the Assassin by the lake but he realized they knew he had it and could feed him false information. Or worse, if he turned it on, there was always the chance it could become a homing device. No, that was useless. For now, anyway.
Joe lowered the binoculars and leaned back against a tree. This was going to be harder than he had thought, not to mention take a long time. He ran a hand through his blond hair, wondering if anyone had missed him yet.
Callie finished her book and laid it down. Glancing at the clock she thought about calling Joe. Frank had been gone for almost eight hours now and she was sure Joe must be bored out of his skull. Unless he was in trouble. But what excuse could she use to call and check up on him?
Trying to think of something, her eyes landed on the sweater Frank had left about two weeks ago when there had been an unseasonable cold spell and he had dropped by for the evening. Okay, so it was a lame excuse and Joe would probably see right through her but Joe was smart enough to know Frank wouldn't have left him alone without asking their friends to check up on him.
Callie picked up the sweater and went downstairs, "I'm going to run Frank's sweater over," she said, holding it up for her parents to see as she went through the living room toward the front door.
"Don't be too late," Mr. Shaw said, not looking up from the paper he was reading.
"I won't," Callie promised, smiling as she realized her parents didn't know of Frank's absence.
It took only fifteen minutes to reach the Hardys'. She saw the van was gone and wondered where Joe could have gone. Oh well, might as well leave the sweater and a note for Joe to call me, she thought.
She took a tablet out of her glove compartment and a pen from the side of the door and jotted a note. She got out of the car, leaving the sweater because she was afraid someone might steal it from the porch and went up to the front door. She was about to push it under the door when she noticed it wasn't all the way shut.
Her Spidey sense tingling, she pulled out her cell phone as she returned to her car and called Biff Hooper, the six foot two, blond and beefy eighteen year old who played football for Bayport High School with Joe. He only lived a couple of blocks away.
Biff answered the phone and was instantly alert as he heard the fear in Callie's voice before she had done more than say hello.
"What's wrong?" Biff demanded.
"I'm at the Hardys'," Callie told him. "I came to check on Joe but when I got here the van was gone."
"He's probably at Mr. Pizza," Biff said soothingly.
"Maybe," she agreed. "But when I started to leave a note for Joe to call me, the door moved. It wasn't locked. It wasn't even closed all the way."
"Where are you?" Biff asked.
"In my car out front," she answered.
"Keep the doors locked," Biff ordered. "I'll be there in a flash."
True to his word, Biff arrived, panting, a few minutes later. It had been quicker to navigate the fences and backyards than pull his van out of the garage and chance hitting a red light and traffic. Biff rapped lightly on Callie's window. "Any movement?" he asked as she rolled it down.
"No," was the reply.
"Stay here while I go in and check it out," Biff told her. "If I'm not back out in five minutes, call the police."
Callie bit her bottom lip and nodded. She would have preferred going in with Biff but she was wise enough to accept the wisdom of his command.
Biff pushed the front door open and waited for a few seconds. He went inside, being very quiet and listening for any sound as he searched the first floor and then the second. Seeing nothing out of place, Biff returned to the porch where Callie joined him.
"The breakfast dishes are in the kitchen sink but everything else, except Joe's room of course, is in order," Biff told her. "Maybe Joe just forgot to lock up when he left."
"That doesn't sound like Joe," Callie said, frowning. "And after what happened this weekend..."
"Tell you what," Biff began. "We'll call around and see if anyone has seen him. I'll even stay here until he gets back."
"And if he doesn't?" she asked, worried.
"If he's not back by nine, and no one has seen him, then we'll call the police," Biff promised.
"Okay," Callie agreed. The two went inside and while Callie called Chet and Phil, Biff put in a call to Mr. Pizza where Tony Prito was working and called a few other friends from school.
When all replies came back negative, Biff was as worried as Callie. "Should we call the hospitals?" Callie asked a bit hesitantly.
Biff thought it over then shook his head. "No, let's give Joe until tonight before we go that route. He may be doing something for Sam Radley," he suggested, naming an associate of Fenton Hardy's whom Frank and Joe did leg work for on occasion.
"Call and see," Callie suggested.
Biff picked up the address book by the phone and looked up the number. Callie punched the number in on her cell phone as Biff read it out. After the third ring, the Radley's answering machine picked up. Callie left a short message saying she was looking for Joe before hanging up.
"If anything has happened to Joe, Frank will kill me," Callie moaned. "I was supposed to keep an eye on him."
"He's not going to kill you," Biff said soothingly. "Frank didn't expect us to keep an eye on Joe twenty four seven. Besides, Joe could be following up a lead to the kidnapping attempt."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Callie confessed.
Callie left shortly after that and Biff called home to let his parent's know he would be spending the night with Joe. When nine o'clock rolled around and Joe hadn't returned, Biff called Callie and asked her to meet him at the police station.
They arrived at the station around nine thirty and spoke to the sergeant at the desk. "Sergeant Riley," Callie greeted him, relived to find that the man doing time at the front desk was a close friend of the Hardys. "Joe's missing," she said without preamble.
"I know," responded Con Riley, his brown eyes serious.
"How do you know?" demanded Biff.
"Because his van was found abandoned on Scarsdale Road about two hours ago," Con informed the two.
It took him most of the morning but he finally located the Assassin's stronghold. It was a flat stone building taking up roughly an acre of space. No windows were visible but Joe could clearly see a multitude of operatives along the perimeter. Joe stayed in the forage, ducking as he saw three of the men lift binoculars to their eyes almost simultaneously and sweep the area. Joe was willing to bet there was another guy on the side of the building he couldn't see doing the same thing.
When they lowered their binoculars, Joe lifted his. He counted a minimum of eighteen Assassins and six all-terrain vehicles. To the right of those were nine trail bikes. Incredible odds but he had no choice. Frank was somewhere in that building and he was going to get him out even if he had to do it alone!
Joe frowned thoughtfully. His first mission was to take out some of the opposition. But how? Oh, he could probably acquire a weapon and kill a few but he had been brought up to believe all life was precious. Hmm...maybe if he just disabled them. A few well-placed traps might injure them to the point they could no longer pose a threat. Or maybe, he could trap one and take him prisoner. Maybe learn something.
Joe thought briefly of the talkie he had taken from the Assassin by the lake but he realized they knew he had it and could feed him false information. Or worse, if he turned it on, there was always the chance it could become a homing device. No, that was useless. For now, anyway.
Joe lowered the binoculars and leaned back against a tree. This was going to be harder than he had thought, not to mention take a long time. He ran a hand through his blond hair, wondering if anyone had missed him yet.
Callie finished her book and laid it down. Glancing at the clock she thought about calling Joe. Frank had been gone for almost eight hours now and she was sure Joe must be bored out of his skull. Unless he was in trouble. But what excuse could she use to call and check up on him?
Trying to think of something, her eyes landed on the sweater Frank had left about two weeks ago when there had been an unseasonable cold spell and he had dropped by for the evening. Okay, so it was a lame excuse and Joe would probably see right through her but Joe was smart enough to know Frank wouldn't have left him alone without asking their friends to check up on him.
Callie picked up the sweater and went downstairs, "I'm going to run Frank's sweater over," she said, holding it up for her parents to see as she went through the living room toward the front door.
"Don't be too late," Mr. Shaw said, not looking up from the paper he was reading.
"I won't," Callie promised, smiling as she realized her parents didn't know of Frank's absence.
It took only fifteen minutes to reach the Hardys'. She saw the van was gone and wondered where Joe could have gone. Oh well, might as well leave the sweater and a note for Joe to call me, she thought.
She took a tablet out of her glove compartment and a pen from the side of the door and jotted a note. She got out of the car, leaving the sweater because she was afraid someone might steal it from the porch and went up to the front door. She was about to push it under the door when she noticed it wasn't all the way shut.
Her Spidey sense tingling, she pulled out her cell phone as she returned to her car and called Biff Hooper, the six foot two, blond and beefy eighteen year old who played football for Bayport High School with Joe. He only lived a couple of blocks away.
Biff answered the phone and was instantly alert as he heard the fear in Callie's voice before she had done more than say hello.
"What's wrong?" Biff demanded.
"I'm at the Hardys'," Callie told him. "I came to check on Joe but when I got here the van was gone."
"He's probably at Mr. Pizza," Biff said soothingly.
"Maybe," she agreed. "But when I started to leave a note for Joe to call me, the door moved. It wasn't locked. It wasn't even closed all the way."
"Where are you?" Biff asked.
"In my car out front," she answered.
"Keep the doors locked," Biff ordered. "I'll be there in a flash."
True to his word, Biff arrived, panting, a few minutes later. It had been quicker to navigate the fences and backyards than pull his van out of the garage and chance hitting a red light and traffic. Biff rapped lightly on Callie's window. "Any movement?" he asked as she rolled it down.
"No," was the reply.
"Stay here while I go in and check it out," Biff told her. "If I'm not back out in five minutes, call the police."
Callie bit her bottom lip and nodded. She would have preferred going in with Biff but she was wise enough to accept the wisdom of his command.
Biff pushed the front door open and waited for a few seconds. He went inside, being very quiet and listening for any sound as he searched the first floor and then the second. Seeing nothing out of place, Biff returned to the porch where Callie joined him.
"The breakfast dishes are in the kitchen sink but everything else, except Joe's room of course, is in order," Biff told her. "Maybe Joe just forgot to lock up when he left."
"That doesn't sound like Joe," Callie said, frowning. "And after what happened this weekend..."
"Tell you what," Biff began. "We'll call around and see if anyone has seen him. I'll even stay here until he gets back."
"And if he doesn't?" she asked, worried.
"If he's not back by nine, and no one has seen him, then we'll call the police," Biff promised.
"Okay," Callie agreed. The two went inside and while Callie called Chet and Phil, Biff put in a call to Mr. Pizza where Tony Prito was working and called a few other friends from school.
When all replies came back negative, Biff was as worried as Callie. "Should we call the hospitals?" Callie asked a bit hesitantly.
Biff thought it over then shook his head. "No, let's give Joe until tonight before we go that route. He may be doing something for Sam Radley," he suggested, naming an associate of Fenton Hardy's whom Frank and Joe did leg work for on occasion.
"Call and see," Callie suggested.
Biff picked up the address book by the phone and looked up the number. Callie punched the number in on her cell phone as Biff read it out. After the third ring, the Radley's answering machine picked up. Callie left a short message saying she was looking for Joe before hanging up.
"If anything has happened to Joe, Frank will kill me," Callie moaned. "I was supposed to keep an eye on him."
"He's not going to kill you," Biff said soothingly. "Frank didn't expect us to keep an eye on Joe twenty four seven. Besides, Joe could be following up a lead to the kidnapping attempt."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Callie confessed.
Callie left shortly after that and Biff called home to let his parent's know he would be spending the night with Joe. When nine o'clock rolled around and Joe hadn't returned, Biff called Callie and asked her to meet him at the police station.
They arrived at the station around nine thirty and spoke to the sergeant at the desk. "Sergeant Riley," Callie greeted him, relived to find that the man doing time at the front desk was a close friend of the Hardys. "Joe's missing," she said without preamble.
"I know," responded Con Riley, his brown eyes serious.
"How do you know?" demanded Biff.
"Because his van was found abandoned on Scarsdale Road about two hours ago," Con informed the two.