“All better?” Rich asked me, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Better as I’m going to get,” I confirmed. “But you should see the other guy!”
Rich chuckled, and together we walked out to the parking lot and climbed into his car.
“Any news from Frank or Officer Donnelly?” I asked.
Rich shook his head. “Not a peep,” he replied. “And Officer Donnelly’s not the type to hesitate to ask for backup, so I’m guessing it was a quiet night.”
A quiet night. I sighed, thinking that over, as we drove through the town and into the park. A quiet night was a good thing, of course—it meant my brother was fine and healthy and hopefully even well-rested. But it was bad, too, in a way. It meant we weren’t any closer to solving this case. And Farley was dead, and who knew what else the murderer was capable of?
Our only hope, I guessed, was that Justin would remember more as the days wore on.
A few minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot about a mile from our campsite. Rich parked, and I heaved myself out of the car with a grimace.
“Does it hurt?” asked Rich, looking at my bandaged shoulder with concern. “Will you be able to hike to the campsite?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just a little sore.” I tried to look tough. “I’ve felt worse.” Which was true, by the way. Working for ATAC isn’t always a walk in the park.
We walked slowly down the trail to our campsite, listening for . . . well, anything unusual, I suppose. But all I heard was the cheeping of birds and the occasional scuttering of small animals along the forest floor. It was still early, and I knew much of the wildlife would be sleeping off a night of foraging for food. Including, I supposed, the bear that attacked me. I just hoped he was sleeping it off somewhere far, far away.
When we reached the site, we were greeted by silence. Rich smirked at me. “Just like I thought,” he said. “They’re probably catching up on their shut-eye, now the sun’s up.”
I smiled. I sure hoped Frank was getting some sleep after the week we’d had. Our tent hadn’t exactly been a haven of relaxation and peace.
But when we stepped closer to the campsite, I could sense that something was wrong. The tent was still standing, but it seemed to list to the side. And as I sped up, running closer, I realized that our stuff was out of the tent and strewn all around the site. Our sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, books . . . everything had been disturbed, maybe even searched!
“Frank!” I called, instinctively worried for my brother. “Frank!”
But there was no answer.
Rich came running up behind me, his expression darkening as he took in the ransacked tent. “Oh, brother,” he muttered, looking from the half-deflated tent to our bedding and clothes, which had been trampled by someone’s muddy footsteps. “Frank!” he called, turning to the woods and raising his voice. “Kurt! Where are you?”
I took off then, unable to keep still. I ran to the river and looked left and right, but I didn’t see any sign of Frank or Officer Donnelly. Then I turned around and looked at the woods. The sun was hitting them at an angle, so they looked gloomy and dark—darker than the rest of the park. I felt my heart speed up. When I had chased the mysterious black-clad figure out of our campsite, he had run through the woods.
Glancing at Rich, who was on his knees, looking into the tent, I gestured toward the trees. “I’m heading in there,” I said.
Rich nodded and got to his feet. “Don’t go alone. Not now. Let me follow you.”
So I walked slowly toward the woods, Rich close on my heels. It was darker inside, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust. When they did, I looked around—and gasped.
Behind me, Rich cried out. “Kurt!”
It was Officer Donnelly—lying facedown in the mud.
Rich scrambled to kneel on the ground. He rolled the officer over and held his ear against his friend’s mud-covered face. “He’s breathing,” he said. “But very slowly. I think he’s been drugged.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. Drugged.
As if someone had needed him out of the way.
As though someone couldn’t let him witness what was about to happen . . .
To Frank.
My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything else. I could feel adrenaline rushing through my veins, making me tense and edgy. Without another word to Rich, I ran farther into the woods, screaming, “Frank! FRANK!”
But there was no answer, no response at all. Finally I stumbled to a stop. I glanced back at Rich, who was watching me with sympathy.
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. Slowly, afraid of what I might find, I walked back to the tent and forced myself to look at the ground in front of the entrance. I knew what would be written there before I saw it, but the letters still drove my heart up into my throat.
L-O-S-T.
My brother had been taken.
#1 Extreme Danger
#2 Running on Fumes
#3 Boardwalk Bust
#4 Thrill Ride
#5 Rocky Road
#6 Burned
#7 Operation: Survival
#8 Top Ten Ways to Die
#9 Martial Law
#10 Blown Away
#11 Hurricane Joe
#12 Trouble in Paradise
#13 The Mummy’s Curse
#14 Hazed
#15 Death and Diamonds
#16 Bayport Buccaneers
#17 Murder at the Mall
#18 Pushed
#19 Foul Play
#20 Feeding Frenzy
#21 Comic Con Artist
Super Mystery #1: Wanted
Super Mystery #2: Kidnapped at the Casino
#22 Deprivation House
#23 House Arrest
Haunted: Special Ghost Stories Edition
#24 Murder House
#25 Double Trouble
#26 Double Down
#27 Double Deception
#28 Galaxy X
#29 X-plosion!
#30 The X-Factor
#31 Killer Mission
#32 Private Killer
#33 Killer Connections
Available from Simon & Schuster
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin paperback edition May 2010
Copyright © 2009 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
HARDY BOYS UNDERCOVER BROTHERS and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Designed by Sammy Yuen Jr.
The text of this book was set in Aldine 401 BT.
Library of Congress Control Number 2010921648
ISBN 978-1-4424-0262-1
ISBN 978-1-4424-0263-8 (eBook)
er: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
The Children of the Lost Page 12
