One False Step

by Franklin W. Dixon

  As they propped Piet up against a wall, Joe glanced over and saw that Frank’s back was to them. He hoped that his brother was trying to reach Mario and tell him where they were so that he and his officers would be able to catch the acrobats in the act of robbing the apartment.

  Serge did what he could to make Piet comfortable, then looked around for Frank. Joe was glad that Frank had evidently finished with his directions and was walking toward them.

  At first Frank had been grateful for what had happened to Piet, but when he landed he’d felt the wire jar loose and fall through his pants to the roof. The adhesive hadn’t held. In the darkness he couldn’t see where it had landed, and he knew he could only spend so much time looking for it or Serge would get suspicious. Now how will Mario know where we are? he wondered. How would this affect the operation?

  Just as Frank reached them, Serge mimed that he wanted Joe to go pick up a black bag that lay where Piet had fallen.

  Joe remembered seeing it when he landed, but it hadn’t registered that it was something that Piet had been carrying. He hurried across the roof, picked up the black canvas bag—which was heavier than it looked—then took it back over to Serge.

  Serge opened the bag, felt around, then nodded that everything was okay.

  Good, Joe thought. It was important that the operation not be abandoned.

  Frank felt the same way, but somehow he had to figure out a way to contact Mario. He wasn’t exactly sure what was in the black bag, but he was sure it had something to do with how the acrobats made it across to the apartment being robbed. With Piet out of commission, that meant that Serge would be the only one to do the job, but that would still work. Even if Mario and his officers only caught one thief in the act, that would be enough, especially since Serge would probably implicate the others. Piet was in no condition to do anything to them, Frank decided, even if he and Joe contacted Mario in front of him.

  Serge picked up the black canvas bag and motioned for Frank and Joe to follow him to the edge of the roof.

  When they got there, Serge pointed to a balcony across the street, mimed that that was the apartment they were going to rob, then opened the canvas bag.

  The Hardy boys were stunned by what happened next.

  Serge pulled out what looked liked a small shoulder-held missile launcher. He quickly aimed it toward the balcony, pushed a button, and with a whoosh sound, a grappling hook and rope shot across to the target. The hook grabbed the metal railing and held fast.

  Next, Serge attached the launcher to a metal pipe coming from the roof. He pushed another button and the rope tightened.

  What happened next stunned the Hardy Boys. Serge mimed that it was Frank and Joe who were going to walk the wire.

  Frank mimed that he and Joe were anchors and that Serge should walk the wire. Serge shook his head.

  Joe thought quickly. With all the training they had gotten yesterday, he thought that he and Frank could do it, but just the thought that this rope was now probably fifty or more stories off the ground—instead of just a few feet—sent chills through him. But he had little choice. He mimed to Serge that they would do it.

  Frank had already decided that there was no way out, so he was glad that Joe was okay with it. If they were going to catch these crooks, they couldn’t abandon the operation now. Thanks to years of training by their father, he and Joe both had nerves of steel when it came to things like this, so he was sure they could pull it off. In fact, a plan was already beginning to form in his head. When they reached the apartment, they’d call Mario.

  Serge handed Joe a piece of paper and a small red clip. There was enough light on the top of the building that Joe could tell that the paper showed how to disarm the apartment’s security system. From what Joe could tell, there was a small circuitry box on the balcony doors. All they had to do was attach the red clip, and that would somehow confuse the system. Joe was amazed at how hightech this operation was.

  Serge motioned for them to hurry.

  Frank looked at Joe, nodded, then stepped out onto the high-wire. Joe was right behind him. Slowly, they felt their way. There was no wind tonight, for which they were thankful. One of the real acrobats might have been able to adjust to that, but neither Frank nor Joe was sure they could have.

  When he was a few feet from the edge of the building, Frank felt a sense of euphoria. He had grown up with the belief that he and his brother could accomplish anything they attempted, and he had to agree that walking a high-wire from one skyscraper to another in downtown Philadelphia at night was one of the most daring things he had ever done. What also pushed him along was the thought that once they reached the balcony, disarmed the security system, and entered the apartment, he could use the telephone there to call Mario.

  When Frank finally reached the balcony, he jumped off the rope onto the deck. Joe was right behind him. Frank told Joe about losing the radio.

  “I knew you had lost something,” Joe said. He took a deep breath. “Well, we’re here, and I’m ready for this operation to end, so let’s override this security system and call Mario.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Frank agreed.

  They headed toward the doors that would take them into the apartment.

  Suddenly, Joe stopped. “Uh-oh, we’ve got problems,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?” Frank asked.

  Joe showed him the sheet of paper that Serge had given him. “This plan is for a different security system, Frank,” Joe said. He looked closely at the small label on the door. “The owners installed a new security system today!”

  “That means if we try to break in, an alarm will sound, and we’ll be caught,” Frank said.

  “Exactly,” Joe said. “Serge and Piet will see what’s happening, and they’ll escape. If they’re not on the roof for Mario and his officers to find, it’ll just be our word against theirs, and we’ll be back where we started.”

  Just then Frank looked up to see Mario’s face staring at him through the French doors.

  11 A Change of Plans

  * * *

  Quickly, Mario unlocked the French doors, and the Hardy boys slipped inside the dark apartment removing their masks.

  Joe could barely make out Bill and some other uniformed officers just beyond him.

  “Are you boys all right?” Mario said.

  Frank thought it was strange that Mario hadn’t asked why he and Joe were on the balcony instead of the other acrobats, but he nodded, then explained everything that had happened since they left the stadium. “But how did you know where to find us? It was so noisy in the helicopter that I thought it would be impossible for you to hear anything I said, and then when we jumped onto the roof, I lost the radio, and I never did locate it.”

  “My officers on the ground had you in sight all the way,” Mario said.

  “Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Joe said.

  But Frank wasn’t so sure. Something wasn’t adding up.

  “The alarm system isn’t the one on the piece of paper Serge gave us,” Joe said. “We knew that if we tried to break in, an alarm would sound.”

  “We didn’t want that to happen,” Frank added, “because we were sure it would alert Serge and Piet, and they’d escape.”

  Mario nodded. “Good thinking,” he said.

  “What now?” Bill asked Mario.

  Mario looked at Frank and Joe. “Uh, were you planning to walk the rope back across and tell the acrobats what the problem was?” he said.

  “Well, that’s what we were planning to do before you showed up,” Joe said, “but I’m not quite sure I like the idea of tempting fate a second time.”

  “I can understand that, I really can, boys,” Mario said, “but would you be willing to do it to help bring this case to a close?”

  Frank looked over at Joe. “This isn’t the first dangerous situation we’ve ever been in, so let’s do it,” he said. He turned back to Mario. “We’re committed to solving this case, so we’ll do whatever is neces
sary to catch the thieves.”

  “They may not believe you,” Mario said.

  “We’re prepared for that,” Frank said. “In my head I’m already trying to figure out how to mime our story.”

  “I just thought of something,” Joe said. “We never did talk about what happens after they’ve robbed the apartment.”

  “They probably hoist the loot in a helicopter,” Frank said.

  “That makes sense,” Joe said.

  “What’s the plan now, Mario?” Frank asked. “Serge and Piet aren’t doing anything on that roof except maybe trespassing, so how are we going to work this?”

  “If you can take your time walking the rope, that’ll give me and my officers enough lead time to make it over to the roof of that building,” Mario said.

  “I have a night vision camera in the van. If we can get pictures of you two miming the break-in, with reactions from the acrobats,” Bill said, “then that, along with your testimony, might be enough to get a conviction.”

  Mario looked at Frank and Joe. “It’s weak, I know, but at the moment, since we’re dealing with the troupe that can’t talk, it’s about all we can do.”

  “Okay. We’ll do our best,” Joe said.

  Frank nodded. “We’ll make sure that what they mime will look to a jury like they’re talking about breaking into an apartment.”

  With Joe in the lead, the Hardy boys left the dark apartment and headed back to where the grappling hook was attached to the metal railing.

  “I’m really impressed at how easily Mario and his officers found just the right apartment, Joe,” Frank said. “They’re either really good or really lucky.”

  “I know,” Joe said. He looked over toward the roof. “I don’t see either Serge or Piet, but maybe they’re just in the shadows. Anyway, they probably wouldn’t be hanging over the sides of the building while we were robbing the apartment, because people might notice them.”

  “Right,” Frank said. “They probably have a pretty good idea of how long this takes, and they could just be resting until they think it’s time for us to come back.”

  Joe looked over at his brother. “I just thought of something else, Frank,” he said. “How are we going to get off that roof?”

  “Well, I really do think that loose rope hanging from the balcony yesterday was just a backup plan,” Frank said. He scanned the skies. “I’d say they normally escape the same way they arrived, by helicopter, although I don’t see one hovering around. It probably hasn’t been long enough.”

  “Well, I’m going to start miming my story now,” Joe said. He leaned over the railing and started shrugging, to indicate that there was a problem and that he and Frank didn’t know what to do.

  Frank joined him. He mimed trying to break into the apartment, suddenly stopping and covering his ears to keep from hearing a loud alarm.

  “I think we’ve killed all the time we can, so I guess we should start across,” Joe said. He put one foot on the metal railing, then lifted the rest of his body until both feet were together. Slowly, he began to stand up. He tentatively put one foot on the rope, and felt its tension. “It’s still tight. We can do this.”

  Inch by inch, Joe made his way along the rope and away from the edge of the apartment building. This is totally nuts! he thought.

  Behind him, Frank waited until Joe was several feet away and over the street before he got on the rope. If I make it across, Frank thought, I never want to see another high-wire act!

  Frank had just reached the edge of the building when he thought he saw Mario getting into a car below. Neither Bill nor any of the other officers were in sight. They must have parked in a less conspicuous spot than the front of the building, Frank thought. That made sense. They were probably going to take a roundabout way to reach the building he and Joe were now heading to. Frank hoped they reached it in time. He didn’t know how long they could mime to Serge and Piet what happened without the helicopter returning to take them away—if that was how they escaped.

  Joe knew that Frank was behind him, but he was concentrating on maintaining his balance. On the walk over he had been relaxed, because he knew that all he and Joe had to do was to make sure that Mario and his officers would be waiting for them. But now Joe was wondering what lay ahead. Suddenly his concentration was broken by the sound of sirens in the street below. Joe stopped walking. Slowly, he looked down. Several vehicles with flashing lights were racing past.

  Frank stopped walking within seconds after Joe had. He also looked down to see what was happening. The vehicles were now close enough that he recognized two fire engines, three ambulances, and five squad cars. This doesn’t look good, he thought. When the vehicles stopped in front of the building they were heading toward, Frank decided it looked even worse.

  Joe made a quick decision. Even though they were closer to the building they had just come from, they had to do what they could to stop the Aérocirque crime spree. He resumed walking toward where he hoped Serge and Piet were waiting. Joe could only hope that the confusion on the street wouldn’t delay Mario and his officers. If he and Frank hurried, they might get to the acrobats in time, mime their story, and trust that Mario would get it on film.

  Way to go, Joe, Frank thought as he watched Joe pick up his pace across the rope. If they were going to bring everyone associated with this crime spree to justice, there was no turning back.

  Just then a police helicopter swooped dangerously close to the Hardy boys, causing enough air turbulence that both Frank and Joe lost their balance.

  Joe managed to fall on his seat, where he balanced for a couple of seconds, then straddled the rope—but Frank was frantically hanging on by his hands.

  “Frank!” Joe called when he saw the precarious situation his brother was in. “Let me help!”

  “No, no! I’m okay!” Frank shouted. “If you can’t stand up, then just slide along to the edge of the building. I’ve got enough grip with these gloves that I can manage to swing my way there.”

  Quickly, Joe pulled himself toward the other building. It was actually not as difficult to balance this way as it was walking.

  Frank’s only concern was that when he started swinging toward the building, it would unbalance his brother—so he just hung by his hands until he decided Joe was far enough along that there would be no problem. Frank was thankful for all of the hours of gymnastics practice. His arms were strong, so he knew he could make it. When he looked up once, he saw that Joe had reached the edge of the building. And he was happy to see that Serge was there to lend him a helping hand.

  Just a few more feet, Frank thought, and then we’ll go into our act. We’ll make sure that whatever Serge mimes, it’ll be easy to tell that we were all here tonight to rob that apartment.

  12 Prisoners

  * * *

  Now Joe could see Serge and Piet. It was as if they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Both of them were standing together at the edge of the roof with their hands outstretched. Below him, the activity in the street seemed to be picking up. Joe wasn’t sure if it was that or if something else was making him nervous, but he was glad that he only had a few more feet to go before he was safely across the rope.

  Something’s not right, Frank thought as he watched Joe nearing the end of the rope. It was just a feeling, but he had had this feeling before, and he knew to trust his instincts.

  Just then another helicopter swooped by. It all happened so fast that Frank didn’t get a good look at it; it was all he could do to hang on to the rope. Still, he had seen enough of it in his peripheral vision to know that it wasn’t a police helicopter. Frank felt a prickling on his skin. If it was the Aérocirque helicopter, he and Joe would really have to work fast to make sure they gave Mario and his officers what they needed before they swooped in and arrested the two acrobats.

  Up ahead, Joe had reached the end of the rope and was taking Serge’s hand, but then Frank saw something he couldn’t quite understand. Serge seemed to jerk Joe off the rope, and wit
hin seconds all three had disappeared from sight. Did something happen on the roof? Frank wondered. Had one of the acrobats spotted Mario and his officers? Had they pulled Joe down for his protection?

  Slowly, Frank slid his hands along the rope. Now another helicopter swooped overhead—or was it the one he had just seen? Frank had always prided himself on being able to stay focused, but now, with the wind disturbance the helicopter had created, the confusion on the street below, and his wondering what was actually happening on the roof, Frank felt himself starting to spiral out of control. He stopped for a split second, just long enough to take two quick deep breaths to calm himself, then he began sliding his hands along the rope again. Unlike their first walk, on their way to the apartment, the trip back seemed endless. If the rope had been covered in tar, Frank decided, it would have been easier to maneuver.

  Soon Frank was only inches from the end of the rope. Suddenly, Serge rose before him. His hand was stretched out toward Frank.

  “Hurry, Frank,” Serge said. “We don’t have much time.”

  Frank grabbed Serge’s hand. “I’m hurrying. It’s kind of—”

  Two things happened simultaneously. Frank realized that Serge was talking just as Serge yanked him off the rope. He landed with a thud on the graveled roof of the building. When Frank tried to move, Serge’s powerful foot kept him pinned down.

  “You can talk,” Frank managed to say.

  “Of course we can talk,” Piet said. Frank hadn’t seen the man, but he knew from the direction of his voice that he was just a few feet away. “You don’t really think the baron went around Europe looking for acrobats who were hearing and speech impaired, do you? It was just part of the act—and it worked, too.”

  “Where’s my brother?” Frank demanded.

  “I’m here, Frank,” Joe said.

  “Yes, yes, we’re all here now,” Serge said, “and in a few minutes, we’re all going to be gone once again.”