Fright Wave

by Franklin W. Dixon

  "FBI?" Joe echoed. "What did he look like?"

  The pilot shrugged his shoulders. "He looked like a fed."

  "That's it?" Frank prodded. "No distinguishing marks?"

  "Oh, yeah," Doyle said. "He had a scar over his left eye. Do you know him?"

  "We ran into him once before," Joe replied.

  "I have a bad feeling we'll tangle with him again before this is over," Frank said grimly.

  He glanced around the inside of the helicopter. Other than the bullet hole in the windshield, there were no signs of damage. "Will this thing still fly?" he asked.

  Doyle chuckled. "I got here, didn't I?"

  "Just barely," Frank noted. 'The tail rotor controls are kind of stiff," Doyle admitted. "He must have hit one of the cables. But it's nothing I can't handle."

  Frank turned to his brother. "Get Jade. We're leaving now. We've got to get back to Honolulu right away."

  "Right," Joe said. "No wonder those goons were right behind us every step of the way. Every time you called Dad, that FBI agent tipped them off."

  "If they knew where to find us," Frank added, "how long do you think it will take them to track down Jade's father?"

  ***

  As the helicopter flew across the water, Joe told Jade what they had pieced together.

  "Who was my father hiding from?" she asked. "What did he do?"

  "We don't know," Joe said. "But a safe bet would be that it has something to do with the mob and the FBI - and it happened a long time ago."

  "You mean before we moved to Hawaii," Jade said.

  Joe nodded. "The government might even have relocated you as part of the witness protection program."

  "It doesn't make any sense!" she protested. "Why now - after fifteen years? You can't tell me they've been looking for us all this time!"

  "It does sound kind of farfetched, doesn't it?" Joe admitted. "But maybe they weren't looking at all. Maybe they just stumbled across you by accident."

  Jade's shoulders slumped. "It's all my fault."

  Joe reached out and took her hand. "You were only two when it happened - whatever it was. How could it be your fault?"

  "The magazine article," she said. "No wonder my father was so upset."

  "You had no way of knowing," Joe assured her.

  She turned and looked at him. "What do we do now?"

  "We fly to Waikiki," Joe explained, "and grab your father out of the hotel before anybody else finds out he's there."

  "And then?" she asked.

  Joe cleared his throat. "We're still working on that part."

  "How do you know we're not already too late?" she pressed.

  Joe didn't answer right away. He looked into her green eyes. "We don't," he finally said. "But we've got to try, right?"

  The sun had set, and a full moon sparkled on the water. The only other source of light lay straight ahead. "That's Honolulu," Doyle announced. "I'll take her down over Waikiki Beach. But you're going to have to jump the last couple of feet - I can't risk landing more than once on that skid I busted back on Kauai."

  "After we jump," Frank said, "you better get out of here. I don't know what we'll run into, and I don't want you to get stuck in the middle again."

  The pilot grinned. "I like the fireworks. They make me feel alive, but I don't think I'll be much help in this crippled chopper. We're coming up on the beach now. Get ready to bail out."

  The helicopter hovered a few feet above the sand. Joe pushed the back door open and jumped down. Jade stood in the opening. Joe reached out, and she jumped into his arms.

  Frank watched to make sure they were all right. Then he turned to the pilot. "I don't know how to thank you for all you've done," he said.

  "I'd send you a bill," Doyle replied, "but I don't have your address. Now, get out of here so I can go find some paying customers."

  Frank opened the door and climbed out. The wind from the rotor blades whipped his hair around, and he had to shield his eyes from the blowing sand that pelted him. He flashed a thumbs-up gesture to the pilot, and the machine lifted off. Frank ran up the beach to join his brother.

  Frank led the way back to the hotel through the beach entrance. When he walked into the hotel suite, the first thing he saw was his father sitting at the writing desk.

  When Fenton Hardy saw his son standing in the doorway, he said, "I thought you were still on Maui. Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming back here?"

  "It's a long story," Frank said.

  "A very long story," Joe chimed in.

  "Well, I dug up quite a story of my own," Fenton replied. He looked at Jade. "I got most of it from your father."

  "Does it have anything to do with the witness protection program?" she asked.

  Fenton looked surprised. "He told me you didn't know anything about it."

  "She didn't," Joe said. "We just put it all together today."

  "But we don't have any of the details," Frank added. "How about filling in the gaps for us?"

  "Sixteen years ago," Fenton began, "an undercover FBI agent penetrated the heart of a West Coast mob bookmaking and loan-sharking operation. They took bets on anything and everything. They'd even lend you the money to bet with."

  "Then break your legs if you couldn't pay them back," Joe said.

  His father nodded. "Something like that. Anyway, this undercover agent broke the whole case wide open. His testimony sent the ringleader, Thomas Catlin, to prison. Catlin swore he'd get revenge.

  "But criminals make threats like that all the time," he continued. "Nobody took it seriously until a bomb demolished the agent's house. The agent was in a nearby park with his daughter when it happened. The only person in the house was his wife."

  "My mother," Jade whispered.

  "I'm afraid so," Fenton replied. "She was killed instantly. After that, you and your father got new identities and moved to Hawaii to start a new life. It should have ended there. But two years ago Catlin got out of prison and took up where he left off. About a year ago he started expanding his operation into the islands."

  "Wait a minute," Frank cut in. "Jade's father couldn't have known that."

  "He didn't," Fenton said. "Until I told him. That's why he came to me - the Bureau told him I was his contact. That's the real reason I'm in Hawaii. Catlin imported some heavy talent from New York. I've busted a couple of them before, and I know how they work. So I was brought in as an adviser."

  He turned to his sons. "All this is strictly classified information. Top secret."

  "I'm afraid it's not much of a secret anymore," Joe replied.

  "What do you mean?" his father asked.

  "He means somebody inside the FBI is working for Catlin," Frank said. "Every time I called to let you know where we were, a couple of trained gorillas homed in on us."

  Fenton Hardy frowned. "The only person I told was Pete Gordon, the special agent I've been working with."

  "I don't suppose this Gordon guy has a scar over his left eye," Joe said.

  "Yes," Fenton replied. "How did you know?"

  "Because a friend of ours saw him on Maui late this afternoon, trying to track Jade down," Frank explained.

  All the color drained out of Fenton's face, and he slumped back in his chair. "Then it looks like we've got a very serious situation," he said gravely. "Gordon was supposed to be out setting up a safe house this afternoon - a place for Jade and her father to stay awhile."

  "So we'll just get them out of here now," Joe said.

  "Where is my father?" Jade asked. "He's all right, isn't he?"

  Fenton Hardy raised his eyes slowly to meet hers. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know. Gordon picked him up an hour ago."

  Chapter 12

  "We've got to get Jade out of here," Frank said. "They could be back looking for her here. This is the most logical place for us to bring her."

  Jade slumped down in a chair. "Why would they want me?" she asked glumly» staring at the floor. "They got what they wanted - my father."
>
  "I'm not so sure about that," Frank answered. "They could have grabbed him anytime. Why now?"

  Joe thought about it for a minute. "Because they couldn't get Jade."

  Frank nodded. "All this time they've been trying to get her, not him."

  Jade looked up. "But why?"

  "I don't have the answer to that one," Frank said. "But I think I may know someone who does."

  He turned to his father. "Are the police still holding Nick Hawk?"

  Fenton shook his head. "They didn't have any solid evidence. After we found out about Kevin Roberts's connection to Catlin, that shifted the attention away from Hawk."

  Joe glanced at his brother. "I don't get it. Do you think Hawk is mixed up with Catlin?"

  "Think about it," Frank said. "Catlin's a kingpin of bookies and loan sharks - and Nick Hawk has some heavy gambling debts."

  "Let's go find out what he knows," Joe said, glancing over at Jade. "Do you know where Nick lives?"

  She nodded slowly. "I'll take you there."

  Joe put his hand on her shoulder. "No, it's too dangerous. We'll have to find a safe place for you to stay before we go after Hawk."

  There was a knock at the door. Frank's eyes narrowed. He put a finger to his lips and stepped silently to the door. He peered through the tiny peephole. He wasn't surprised by what he saw. He could clearly see the scar over the man's left eye. He tiptoed back to the others.

  "It's Gordon," he whispered.

  There was another knock on the door, this time sounding harder, more insistent.

  Joe's eyes darted around the room. They stopped at the balcony overlooking the ocean.

  "There's only one other way out of here," he said in a low voice.

  Fenton Hardy looked at the balcony. "Go for it," he said. "I'll try to buy you some time."

  Joe glanced at Frank. His brother nodded. Joe took Jade's hand and led her out onto the balcony. He gripped the railing and looked over the edge. There was another balcony on the next floor down. But a misstep of a few inches would send him plummeting twenty-five floors to the ground. He took a deep breath and climbed over the railing.

  He eased himself down until he was hanging from the bottom of the railing. His toes just barely touched the railing of the balcony below. But he couldn't get a solid footing.

  The knock on the door changed to pounding. "Just a second!" Fenton Hardy called out. "I was in the shower! I'll be right there!" He had wet his hair in the sink and was now slicking it back.

  Joe pumped his legs and started to sway back and forth. He let go of the railing as he swung in toward the lower balcony. Both his feet landed solidly on the cement floor.

  Jade followed Joe. He grabbed her around the waist as she dangled from the railing, and pulled her safely in.

  Above them, Frank glanced back at his father. "Go ahead," Fenton urged him. "As long as Gordon doesn't think I suspect anything, I'll be all right."

  Frank grasped the railing with both hands and vaulted into the air. He swung over and down and dropped onto the balcony below.

  There was no one else there. Joe and Jade were gone. The sliding glass door that led into the dark hotel room was open, but all the lights were out. Frank poked his head inside. "Joe?" he whispered. "Where are you?"

  Someone grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him through the doorway. "Gotcha!" a voice said. It was Joe.

  "What's the big idea?" Frank replied. He could barely make out his brother's features in the dim light.

  Joe held something up. The moonlight filtering into the room glinted off the surface. It was a heavy, glass ashtray. "If anybody but you had come through that door, they would've gotten it."

  "Well, let's get out of here," Frank said, moving toward the front door. He peered around in the gloom. "Where's Jade?"

  "Right behind you," came the reply.

  Frank whirled around. Jade was standing behind him, a table lamp in her hands.

  Frank chuckled softly.

  "What's so funny?" Jade asked.

  "I was just thinking," Frank answered. "Most couples wait at least a week to start throwing furniture around."

  Jade glanced at Joe. "Just ignore him," Joe said. "He was born with a crippling handicap - no sense of humor." He poked his brother in the ribs with the ashtray. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

  ***

  They drove away from the hotel in Jade's faded green jeep. Joe tried to persuade her to give him the keys. He didn't want her to be there when they questioned Nick Hawk, but she wouldn't budge. She insisted on driving. "It's my car, and it's my life," she stated flatly. "You never would have found his house without me," she added as she pulled over to the curb.

  "We'll take it from here," Frank said. "Which house is it?"

  "The white bungalow with the palm tree in the yard," she replied.

  Joe looked around. In the dark, all the houses looked like white bungalows with palm trees in the yard. But only one of them had a half-dozen surfboards lined up on the front porch.

  Jade started to get out of the jeep. Joe pushed her back down gently but firmly. "No," he said. "This is as far as you go. If there's any trouble, you take off as fast as this bucket of bolts will go. Understand?"

  She looked up at him. "Joe, I'm responsible. If anything happens to my father ... " Her voice trailed off.

  "Getting yourself hurt isn't going to help your father," Joe pointed out.

  "And standing around talking isn't going to help much, either," Frank cut in. "Take a look over there."

  In the harsh glow of the porch light, Joe saw a tanned figure with long blond hair. He had a suitcase in one hand and a backpack slung over his shoulder. It was Nick Hawk.

  "Looks like Nick's going on a long trip," Frank noted. "And just before the big competition, too."

  "Those bags look kind of heavy," Joe said. "Let's give him a hand." He walked quickly across the street, Frank following.

  Frank put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Slow down. Stay cool. He doesn't know who we are. We can take him by surprise."

  Nick Hawk was throwing the suitcase and the backpack into the trunk of his car when Frank and Joe strolled up behind him. "Going on a trip?" Frank asked casually.

  Hawk spun around. There was a switchblade in his hand. Frank could see that he was wound up tight. The blond surfer sized up the two brothers. "You guys don't work for Catlin," he said mostly to himself. "And you sure aren't cops. Who are you? What do you want?"

  "We want some answers," Joe snapped. "And we don't have time to play around. So if you're going to use that blade, make your move now. I'd love an excuse to break your arm."

  Hawk's arm dropped to his side. "I can't take much more of this," he said wearily. "You're the two guys that have been hanging around with Jade, aren't you?"

  Frank nodded.

  "I saw you once and Connie told me about you," the blond surfer continued.

  "You mentioned the name Catlin earlier," Frank said. "Do you know Thomas Catlin?"

  "Not personally," Hawk replied. "He controls half the bookies on the island, and I owe money to most of them."

  "So that means you were in debt to Catlin," Joe said.

  Hawk nodded. "He sent one of his trained gorillas to tell me I could pay off the debt with one little job. All I had to do was make sure Jade didn't compete at the Banzai Pipeline."

  "So you tried to kill her just to pay off a gangster?" Joe burst out.

  The surfer shook his head. "I just wanted to scare her off. I'd never kill her."

  "The runaway surfboard at Waikiki and the shooting at Waimea," Frank said. "That was you, right?"

  Nick Hawk stared at the ground. "I was desperate. These guys play rough, and they play for keeps. But after I found out I almost shot Connie, I just couldn't go through with it. So I sent word to Catlin that I would find some other way to pay him back."

  "Now you're leaving town before his goons come knocking on your door," Joe said.

  Hawk looked at him. "I got a phone
call a little while ago. It was Thomas Catlin himself. He told me the debt wouldn't be paid until Jade was dead - or I was."

  "Did he say anything else?" Frank prodded. "Anything about Kevin Roberts?"

  "Jade's father?" Hawk replied. He shook his head. "No, nothing about him. But he did say something weird."

  "What was that?" Frank asked.

  "Catlin said his daughter had been waiting a long time for this, but Catlin doesn't have any kids."

  Joe looked at the surfer. "So what are you going to do now? Run away?"

  Nick Hawk shook his head slowly. "I was - but I guess I owe Jade more than that. Maybe it's time I told the police what really went down."

  "Not yet," Frank said. "Not until Jade and her father are safe."

  ***

  "What did Nick say?" Jade asked when Frank and Joe got back to the jeep. "Anything that'll help?"

  "We don't know yet," Joe answered vaguely. He didn't think it would help Jade to hear proof of Catlin's grisly intentions. "We still don't have all the pieces."

  Frank yawned in the backseat. "We're not going to find any of them tonight. We need to [find a place to get a few hours' sleep."

  "We can go to Al Kealoha's house," Jade suggested. "I know we can trust him."

  "Sounds good to me," Joe said. "Let's go."

  "Stop at the gas station up ahead on the right," Frank said. "I want to call the hotel and make sure Dad's all right."

  The telephone rang a few times before someone answered. "Hotel operator," a voice said.

  "Give me room twenty-five-fifteen, please," Frank said.

  "One moment," came the reply.

  There was a strange clicking and humming on the line. Frank didn't know if it was a problem with the pay phone or the hotel switchboard. Finally, he heard his father's voice. "Hello?" Fenton said. "Who is this?"

  "It's me," Frank said.

  "Frank?" Fenton replied. "Are you all right?"

  "Everybody's fine," Frank assured him. "We're going - "

  "Don't tell me where you are or where you're going," his father cut in. "There may be a tap on this line."

  As soon as Frank hung up, the pay phone rang. He stared at it for a moment. It kept ringing. He picked it up.