A standing ovation for .1, max2013 and two guests who took the time to review. I really love you guys. I just want to request the Guests to please write their names so that I may thank them by name.

Now here is the second chapter. Please. . . . . please . . . . please READ and REVIEW! I swear that getting good reviews pays off all the efforts that an author puts into his writing.

Happy Reading! (and 'Lenient' Reviewing! – although I won't mind criticism as well.) =D

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the Hardy Boys. If I did, I would be driving a Rolls-Royce, flying in a Gulfstream and sitting in a mansion, counting my millions. (What a great daydream...!)

CHAPTER II

An (Artificial) Threat

"SO WHAT do you think of him, Joe?" Frank asked his brother as they came back in the living room.

"He's an eccentric, but very shrewd, I'd say!" Joe chuckled.

A glance at the clock told them that nearly two hours had gone by since Mrs. Hardy had gone for shopping. Frank and Joe sat down at the kitchen table and discussed the case until they heard a car climbing up the driveway, half an hour later. They went out and saw Mrs. Hardy taking bags of grocery from the family station wagon.

"Hi Mom!" Joe greeted her.

Laura Hardy, a pretty, attractive woman, gave her sons a quick kiss, and helped them carry the bags of grocery inside.

"What took you so long, Mom?" Frank asked, putting the bags of grocery on the kitchen table.

Mrs. Hardy explained that she had met an old friend in the supermarket and her friend had insisted that she accompany her for lunch. The boys told their mother about Campbell's visit and his offer to them for coming to the park and investigating the thefts of the embryos.

"Please be careful boys," she pleaded. Although she became worried whenever her sons or husband accepted a new case, she tried to hide her worry and concern. She had also trained herself to stay calm when Mr. Hardy had retired from the New York City Police Department and moved to the small, sea-side town of Bayport to start a private detective agency. When Frank and Joe had followed in their father's footsteps, she had become more concerned for their safety but she had confidence in their resources, abilities and presence of mind.

The boys were enjoying cookies and milk in the kitchen when they were startled by a sound like a gunshot, but they relaxed as the sound was followed by a series of backfires.

"That's Chet Morton in his jalopy!" Frank grinned.

Frank and Joe were referring to their best friend who lived on a large farm on the outskirts of Bayport, with his parents and sister. Rotund, chubby and moonfaced, Chet was easy-going and fond of eating.

Joe looked out the window and laughed.

"He's got the whole gang with him!"

The doorbell rang and Chet Morton came in, followed by Biff Hooper, Tony Prito and Phil Cohen. Biff Hooper was a six-foot, broad-shouldered athlete whose hobby was amateur boxing. Tony Prito was an olive-complexioned, handsome and good-natured boy. Phil Cohen was a slight, good-natured youth and an A-student at Bayport High.

"Hiya, guys," Biff said lazily. "I think the ride in Chet's jalopy dislocated my shoulder!" he groaned.

Chet grinned good-naturedly. "Why do you guys want to ride with me in the first place?"

"We never learn!" Phil quipped.

The Hardys laughed, and then invited the boys in the kitchen. Aunt Gertrude was there now and was removing a cake from the oven. Chet, upon seeing the cake, rolled his eyes and smacked his lips.

"Mmph!" Aunt Gertrude exclaimed, "Chet Morton, this cake is for tonight's dessert!"

Then, seeing the look on the stout boy's face, she said, "Oh, well, you can have those brownies that I baked today."

The Hardys and their friends doubled over with laughter at the happy and satisfied look which crossed Chet's face.

While munching on the brownies, Frank and Joe told their friends about Campbell's visit and his offer to them for coming to Cretaceous Kingdom.

"Hmph!" Gertrude Hardy sniffed, for she had learnt about Campbell's visit from Mrs. Hardy. "When will you boys learn? No good will come of this!" she exclaimed, "I don't want you going to that park! It is dangerous enough with the wild animals there, and when there are criminals on the loose, it becomes even dangerous!"

"Oh come on, Aunty!" Frank said with a grin.

"Aren't you guys afraid?" Chet asked with his mouth full. "That park can be dangerous for good ole Chet Morton!"

"I don't think the dinosaurs would harm you Chet, they'd be afraid of you!" Tony needled.

"You can kid me all you want, but I'm not going!" Chet retorted.

"So what do you think guys?" Joe asked.

"I'm game!" Biff said.

"Me too!" Tony replied.

"Count me in as well!" Phil put in.

The boys turned to Chet expectantly.

"Well, I guess, I'll…," Chet stammered, then continued, "It'll be lonely here without you all, so…, well, I'll join you!"

"That's the spirit!" the boys chorused

The Hardys' pals promised that they will let them know if their parents approved of their trip or not. Later that evening, all four boys called to tell that their parents had allowed them to go.

"Say, Frank," Joe said during dinner, "So much has happened here since Dad left. What do you say we tell him about it and ask his opinion?"

"Sure thing," Frank replied, "We'll warm up the set tonight."

Frank was referring to the radio communications equipment the boys had installed in their laboratory over their garage. Their equipment included a powerful VHF/UHF radio transmitter and receiver, with a range of 2000 miles and linked to the radio sets in all their cars, their sleek and powerful motorboat, the Sleuth and also to the hand-held radio sets owned by their father and his operative, Sam Radley.

After dinner, the boys went up to their lab which also had a powerful computer with an Internet connection and database records of all the criminals which the Hardys had captured. Advanced scientific equipment and chemicals were also there, as was the alarm system and a screen connected to the CCTV cameras installed in the Hardys' grounds. After they had warmed up the set, Frank beamed out the Hardys' special code-call. They got a response almost immediately.

"FH here," Fenton Hardy's voice crackled from the boys' headsets.

"Elm Street here," Frank spoke into his mike.

"How's everything, Dad?" Joe asked.

"Everything's fine here, son," Mr. Hardy replied. "I am returning tomorrow, I'll let you know the details then."

"Okay Dad!" Frank and Joe chorused.

"What time will you arrive, Dad?" Frank asked.

Mr. Hardy told his sons that he would arrive at the Bayport Airport at 12 PM. "Be sure to pick me up!" he chuckled.

"We will Dad, don't worry!"

"Is everything all right at home, son?" Fenton Hardy asked

"Yes Dad, everything's fine here until now. We'll tell you about Campbell's visit tomorrow!"

"Well, I guess I can wait until then, although I'm not sure that I can!" Mr. Hardy laughed.

"We can't wait, too!" Frank and Joe grinned.

The boys said good night and signed off. After turning off the radio set, Joe buzzed the main house on the intercom and told his mother about their father's message after which the boys sat down to discuss the mystery. Later, Frank turned on the computer and read the extensive and detailed research report on dinosaurs which had been prepared by the Department of Paleontology of the Bayport University and the American Museum of Natural History. He found out that most of the fossils of dinosaurs have been found in barren and desert areas, blanketed by layers of sand and rock for more than 65 million years. The Cretaceous Kingdom case had sparked his interest in the subject and he wanted to get as much knowledge about the topic as he could. Joe, never the one to read, had taken the boys' digital camera and was going through the photos that he had taken at a recent beach party.

BOOM! The sound of an explosion made the boys jump.

"Did you hear that?" Frank exclaimed. "Come on!"

The boys ran to the house. The TV was turned on in the living room, but there was no sign of the two women. Both boys could smell an acrid odor coming from the kitchen. They hurried in the kitchen and a charred, blackened mass lying on the floor amid shards of broken glass. Aunt Gertrude was standing in one corner, with Mrs. Hardy next to her, fear evident on their faces.

Aunt Gertrude snorted. "That . . . that thing could have killed me!"

Joe shook his head after he and Frank had examined the charred remains on the floor. "Nothing to worry about, Aunty. It was a fake bomb. All noise and no damage."

The boys then went outside and searched the grounds for fifteen minutes but found no clue about the person who had thrown the bomb.

"He probably hid in the bushes and jumped over the fence and ran away after throwing that bomb," Frank suggested

Joe nodded. "We'd better turn on the alarm system for the night."

Discouraged, the boys went back into the kitchen; Aunt Gertrude and Mrs. Hardy had left. The boys examined the remains of the fake bomb and were surprised to find a folded piece of paper among them. The young Hardys were highly angered when they read the notation on the paper.