Frank parked a block away from the address the Gray Man had given him. "Be careful," he warned Biff and Chet. "If anyone is here we need them alive."
"Easier said than done with the cyanide pills," growled Chet.
"We'll just get'em from behind," Biff said, his blue eyes hard.
"They'll most likely be armed too," Frank added. He wanted to get whatever information he could but losing a friend in the process was not acceptable.
Biff put a comforting hand on Frank's shoulder. "Easy, pal," he said. "We'll be careful and we'll find Joe." Chet nodded his agreement.
Frank only wished finding Joe would be as easy to do as it was to say. He got out of the car. "Biff, you approach from the west and Chet, you take the east. I'll cut through the yard across the street and approach from the back. Keep low," he cautioned. "If there are too many people there, back off. This is not a suicide mission."
"Got'cha," agreed Chet and Biff before moving away.
Frank reached the rear of the house and looked around. He saw Biff near an oak tree to the left and Chet by the neighbor's fence on the right but no other sign of life was evident. Frank slowly made his way to the back porch and peered in the window. There were dirty dishes in the sink but no noise emanated from within. He motioned for Biff to move in and check the side of the house. Three minutes later Biff peeked around the corner of the house and shook his head at Frank. Next, it was Chet's turn. Again, nothing. They moved to the front of the house. No one was home.
"Let's check it out," Biff suggested, reaching for the knob on the front door. "Got your lock pick kit?" he asked Frank.
"Wait!" Frank hissed. Biff stopped just short of turning the knob. "It could be booby-trapped," Frank explained.
Paling, Biff dropped his hand and stepped away from the door. "So, how do we get in?" he asked.
"An upstairs window," Frank decided after looking around. "Stay here," he instructed heading over to the tree closest to the house. "I'll check the door and open it if it's safe."
Biff and Chet watched Frank climb the oak tree and then jump the four feet to the roof. He carefully made his way to the small attic window and opened it. Fifteen minutes later, Frank opened the front door.
"Took you long enough," Chet complained as he and Biff entered.
"The door was rigged to blow," Frank said. "So is the back door and all the windows on the first floor. I didn't check the upstairs windows."
Chet paled. "How did you get the door open?"
"I disconnected the trigger from the knob," answered Frank. "But be careful and don't go near any windows."
The three boys split up and searched every nook and cranny of every room. "I found something!" Chet hollered excitedly almost an hour later. He had been searching the living room and found a key buried in the sofa.
Frank and Biff ran to the living room to see what Chet had discovered. "What does it go to?" Biff asked as Frank took the key and examined it.
"A locker," Frank guessed after looking it over. "Like the kind at the bus or train station."
"Or one of the old style lockers at the airport," Chet added, frowning. "It will take forever to find which locker it fits."
"If it even fits one in Bayport," agreed Frank with a deep sigh. "And it's one of those that you aren't allowed to get duplicated."
"I know someone who will," Biff inserted, grinning. "Jerry Gilroy. He has a job working at Bayport Building Supply. If we keep his boss busy, I'm sure he'll help us out."
"Great!" Frank said, perking up. He knew Biff was right. Jerry was a friend of his and Joe's who had helped them out on a case or two. "But let's finish searching here first," he continued. "We're not going to get a second chance at this place."
Three hours later, they left the house with the key Chet had found being their only lead. Frank drove over to Biff's. "Chet, can you call the gang together?" Frank asked. "Have everyone meet at your place as soon as possible. Biff and I will get the keys made," he added, checking his watch. "The place doesn't close for another twenty minutes."
"What about the house?" Chet asked Frank. "What if someone tries to break in or something?"
"I'm going to call the police with an anonymous tip," Frank assured him. "I'll use a pay phone when I fill up for gas. If I don't stay on for long it can't be traced."
Frank and Biff arrived at the Morton farm about an hour later. They had reached the supply store minutes before they closed and Jerry had managed to make four duplicates before being forced to shut down.
When Frank entered the barn where everyone had gathered, Callie ran over to Frank and gave him a quick hug. "Any word on Joe yet?"
Frank looked over at Chet. "I thought you should be the one to tell everyone," Chet said with a glance at Vanessa.
"Tell us what?" Vanessa demanded, catching the non-verbal exchange between Chet and Frank. "It's about Joe, I know that much. Who took him?"
"The Assassins," Frank answered, his voice as haggard as his face. After reporting Joe's abduction to the police, he and his father had spent all night calling and checking files to see if someone had been released recently and come after Joe. When they went to the police station earlier that morning, Collig had gone over every crime in the vicinity that might have resulted in someone taking Joe out of fear Fenton Hardy would go after them. They had worked through lunch and while they were working, someone had called and reported the abduction vehicle had been stolen. Collig had immediately had the owner interrogated, afraid the Hardys might get a bit violent in their distress and then followed up on a search of Marquiese' residence before informing the Hardys. It had been almost forty-eight hours since he had been to bed and he was beginning to show the strain.
"We have to find the locker this key fits," Frank said, holding up the key Chet had found. "We had a couple of extras made," he continued. "Chet, you, Callie and Vanessa tackle the bus station. Phil, you and Biff can check the train station and Tony and I will hit the airport."
"No," Callie objected. "You're exhausted. If you don't get some rest it won't matter what we find. You won't be able to process it."
"She's right," Tony agreed. "You go home and get some rest. Chet and Vanessa can handle the bus station and Callie and I will cover the airport."
"But..." Frank tried to object but was overruled by everyone present.
"Besides," Phil said, grinning. "I've got some good news. I think," he qualified his statement.
"We'll just get'em from behind," Biff said, his blue eyes hard.
"They'll most likely be armed too," Frank added. He wanted to get whatever information he could but losing a friend in the process was not acceptable.
Biff put a comforting hand on Frank's shoulder. "Easy, pal," he said. "We'll be careful and we'll find Joe." Chet nodded his agreement.
Frank only wished finding Joe would be as easy to do as it was to say. He got out of the car. "Biff, you approach from the west and Chet, you take the east. I'll cut through the yard across the street and approach from the back. Keep low," he cautioned. "If there are too many people there, back off. This is not a suicide mission."
"Got'cha," agreed Chet and Biff before moving away.
Frank reached the rear of the house and looked around. He saw Biff near an oak tree to the left and Chet by the neighbor's fence on the right but no other sign of life was evident. Frank slowly made his way to the back porch and peered in the window. There were dirty dishes in the sink but no noise emanated from within. He motioned for Biff to move in and check the side of the house. Three minutes later Biff peeked around the corner of the house and shook his head at Frank. Next, it was Chet's turn. Again, nothing. They moved to the front of the house. No one was home.
"Let's check it out," Biff suggested, reaching for the knob on the front door. "Got your lock pick kit?" he asked Frank.
"Wait!" Frank hissed. Biff stopped just short of turning the knob. "It could be booby-trapped," Frank explained.
Paling, Biff dropped his hand and stepped away from the door. "So, how do we get in?" he asked.
"An upstairs window," Frank decided after looking around. "Stay here," he instructed heading over to the tree closest to the house. "I'll check the door and open it if it's safe."
Biff and Chet watched Frank climb the oak tree and then jump the four feet to the roof. He carefully made his way to the small attic window and opened it. Fifteen minutes later, Frank opened the front door.
"Took you long enough," Chet complained as he and Biff entered.
"The door was rigged to blow," Frank said. "So is the back door and all the windows on the first floor. I didn't check the upstairs windows."
Chet paled. "How did you get the door open?"
"I disconnected the trigger from the knob," answered Frank. "But be careful and don't go near any windows."
The three boys split up and searched every nook and cranny of every room. "I found something!" Chet hollered excitedly almost an hour later. He had been searching the living room and found a key buried in the sofa.
Frank and Biff ran to the living room to see what Chet had discovered. "What does it go to?" Biff asked as Frank took the key and examined it.
"A locker," Frank guessed after looking it over. "Like the kind at the bus or train station."
"Or one of the old style lockers at the airport," Chet added, frowning. "It will take forever to find which locker it fits."
"If it even fits one in Bayport," agreed Frank with a deep sigh. "And it's one of those that you aren't allowed to get duplicated."
"I know someone who will," Biff inserted, grinning. "Jerry Gilroy. He has a job working at Bayport Building Supply. If we keep his boss busy, I'm sure he'll help us out."
"Great!" Frank said, perking up. He knew Biff was right. Jerry was a friend of his and Joe's who had helped them out on a case or two. "But let's finish searching here first," he continued. "We're not going to get a second chance at this place."
Three hours later, they left the house with the key Chet had found being their only lead. Frank drove over to Biff's. "Chet, can you call the gang together?" Frank asked. "Have everyone meet at your place as soon as possible. Biff and I will get the keys made," he added, checking his watch. "The place doesn't close for another twenty minutes."
"What about the house?" Chet asked Frank. "What if someone tries to break in or something?"
"I'm going to call the police with an anonymous tip," Frank assured him. "I'll use a pay phone when I fill up for gas. If I don't stay on for long it can't be traced."
Frank and Biff arrived at the Morton farm about an hour later. They had reached the supply store minutes before they closed and Jerry had managed to make four duplicates before being forced to shut down.
When Frank entered the barn where everyone had gathered, Callie ran over to Frank and gave him a quick hug. "Any word on Joe yet?"
Frank looked over at Chet. "I thought you should be the one to tell everyone," Chet said with a glance at Vanessa.
"Tell us what?" Vanessa demanded, catching the non-verbal exchange between Chet and Frank. "It's about Joe, I know that much. Who took him?"
"The Assassins," Frank answered, his voice as haggard as his face. After reporting Joe's abduction to the police, he and his father had spent all night calling and checking files to see if someone had been released recently and come after Joe. When they went to the police station earlier that morning, Collig had gone over every crime in the vicinity that might have resulted in someone taking Joe out of fear Fenton Hardy would go after them. They had worked through lunch and while they were working, someone had called and reported the abduction vehicle had been stolen. Collig had immediately had the owner interrogated, afraid the Hardys might get a bit violent in their distress and then followed up on a search of Marquiese' residence before informing the Hardys. It had been almost forty-eight hours since he had been to bed and he was beginning to show the strain.
"We have to find the locker this key fits," Frank said, holding up the key Chet had found. "We had a couple of extras made," he continued. "Chet, you, Callie and Vanessa tackle the bus station. Phil, you and Biff can check the train station and Tony and I will hit the airport."
"No," Callie objected. "You're exhausted. If you don't get some rest it won't matter what we find. You won't be able to process it."
"She's right," Tony agreed. "You go home and get some rest. Chet and Vanessa can handle the bus station and Callie and I will cover the airport."
"But..." Frank tried to object but was overruled by everyone present.
"Besides," Phil said, grinning. "I've got some good news. I think," he qualified his statement.