One False Step

by Franklin W. Dixon

  Frank was sure Serge was talking about the helicopter. Somehow he had to find out from Joe if Mario and his officers were anywhere nearby

  “Okay, okay, so we didn’t fool you,” Frank said. He tried to sit up, but once again, Serge’s powerful foot shoved him back to the roof. The tiny pieces of gravel felt sharp against his skin. “We just wanted to be a part of the circus. We didn’t mean any harm. At school, we’re members of the gymnastics team, and we thought we’d be big men on campus if we actually walked the ropes with you guys. We had no idea you were into this. If you’ll just let us go, we won’t talk.”

  “Oh, so the great Hardy boys won’t talk if we let them go,” Serge said with a snarl. “We’re not stupid.”

  “They know all about us, Frank,” Joe said.

  “Your brother’s right, Frank,” Piet said. “We know all about you.”

  “What do you know?” Frank said.

  Serge grinned menacingly. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” he said, “and I think you’ll be really surprised, too.”

  “You’ll never get away with this,” Joe said. “The Philadelphia police know where you are.”

  “Of course they do,” Serge said, “but they’ll never make it to the roof in time. The baron’s friends won’t let them. We’re masters at creating diversions, and you’re witnessing one of the biggest diversions we’ve ever pulled off.”

  Who are the baron’s ‘friends’? Joe thought.

  “What do you mean?” Frank asked.

  “When the baron and his friends found out that things hadn’t gone according to plan, he told us to put a few smoke bombs in strategic places while you were in the apartment across the street,” Serge said. “This entire building has been shut down. If you’re expecting the Philadelphia police department to rescue you in time, then you’re out of luck.”

  “Serge is right,” Piet said. He gave a laugh that chilled Joe to the bone. “We’ve got big plans for the Hardy boys.”

  A noise across the roof made Serge take his foot off Frank’s back.

  “Do you see the helicopter, Piet?” Serge called.

  “No,” Piet said.

  “Well, it was here once, but the police helicopters must have radioed the pilot to stay clear of the building,” Serge said. “He’s probably waiting until he can slip in unnoticed from a different direction.”

  “I wish he’d hurry up,” Piet said. “This is taking too long.” He quickly wiped his brow.

  Suddenly Joe had hope. He had seen a crack in Piet’s act. Underneath, the man was scared. Joe could use that against him.

  “You’ll never get off this roof alive, Piet,” Joe whispered to him.

  “Stop talking now,” Piet whispered back. “You’re the one who needs to worry.”

  “What’s going on over there?” Serge called from the edge of the roof.

  “Nothing,” Piet shouted back.

  Good—it’s working, Joe thought. Piet could just as easily have told Serge what he had said, but the fact that he chose not to meant he was leaving his options open. He was keeping secrets. If Joe could put more chinks in the man’s armor, he might be able to save himself and Frank.

  Frank suddenly heard the noise of banging on metal. It sounded as though it was coming from the door that allowed access to the roof. He needed to signal Joe that it was time for action. “Well, Joe, I guess these guys have beaten us after all,” he shouted. “We should have been smarter than to think we could outwit them.”

  Across the roof, Joe heard Frank’s words loud and clear, and he knew exactly what they meant. They had used them many times before to disarm their captors and to take them off guard for just enough time so the Hardy boys could act.

  “You’re right, Frank,” Joe shouted back. “What were we thinking?”

  “You weren’t thinking,” Serge said. “That’s the problem.”

  “No, here’s the problem,” Frank said as he grabbed hold of Serge’s legs and pulled him down to the roof.

  At the same time, Joe grabbed Piet from behind and pinned him against one of the air conditioning ducts. Piet was initially taken by surprise, so Joe had the upper hand for the first few minutes of the struggle, but soon Piet’s superior strength began to make the difference. Still, Joe thought, if he could just keep Piet down long enough for Mario and his men to break down the door to the roof, he’d win.

  Frank had Serge in a headlock, and the two of them were rolling around on the roof. Frank tried to keep his face free of the sharp rocks, but he felt as though all of the skin was being scraped off his hands and his arms.

  Joe had his back pressed against Piet to pin him to the air conditioning duct. His heels were anchored against a metal pipe, and he was pushing with all his might, but he was quickly losing the battle. The banging against the roof door was getting louder, and Joe was just sure that Mario and his officers would break through any minute. If he could just hold on a little longer. . . .

  Suddenly Frank saw the helicopter slowly descending toward the roof. As the wind from the blades began whipping up the small rocks on the roof, one struck him in the eye, causing a natural reflex to cover it with his hand. Just as he did, Serge took advantage to gain the upper hand. He managed to yank Frank up and get one of his powerful arms around Frank’s neck. Frank tried to struggle, but it was useless, and his left eye was gushing tears.

  The pilot lowered a rope from the hovering craft, and Serge tied it under Frank’s arms. He gave the pilot the signal to pull Frank into the craft.

  Joe watched as his brother was slowly pulled into the hovering helicopter. With Serge now free to help Piet, Joe knew that all was lost. “Okay, okay,” he said. He quickly stood up and raised his hands. Joe could still hear the banging on the roof door, but he knew now that he and Frank would be long gone when Mario and his officers finally broke through.

  13 Betrayed!

  * * *

  Joe was right. As he was being pulled into the helicopter, the metal door to the roof burst open, and Mario and his officers charged through. But they were too late. The pilot of the helicopter banked sharply, and they were instantly heading away.

  Serge shoved Joe down between the rear seats where Frank was already lying. “Don’t try anything else,” he said. “If you do, I’m going to push you out.”

  “Just a couple of minutes more, and Mario would have made it,” Frank managed to whisper to his brother. “We had them, Joe, but when the wind from the helicopter blades whipped up those pebbles, it was like buckshot on my skin.”

  “I know,” Joe whispered back. “I wonder where they’re taking us.”

  “I hope it’s back to the stadium,” Frank said. “At least we might have a chance if they do.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Frank,” Joe whispered. “I’m glad they didn’t have time to do that to me,” he said, looking at the way Frank was tied. “They had to get me into the helicopter and get off the roof.”

  That might be the only advantage they had, Joe thought. If there were some way he could shift his weight enough, then he could untie Frank. Serge and Piet were having a heated conversation with the pilot. They weren’t paying attention to Frank and Joe.

  Perfect, Joe thought. Before he would be able to do anything, though, he needed to shift his body so he could get some circulation back into his arms. He brought his legs up against his stomach until he was able to use them as a lever to turn his torso. He could feel the blood slowly returning to his extremities.

  “What’s going on back there?” Serge demanded. He was leaning over his seat, looking at the Hardy boys.

  “Nothing. One of my feet was asleep. I just moved it, that’s all,” Joe said. He suddenly decided he’d try something. “I want to sit up.”

  “Then sit up,” Serge said.

  Frank thought he detected disgust in the man’s voice. Something had happened in the last few minutes, he was sure. He wondered if it had to do with the conversation that he and the pilot had just had.
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  Joe struggled to right himself, and was finally able to grab the back of his seat and pull himself into it. The rope used to pull him into the helicopter was still around his waist, so he undid it and tossed it behind his seat. He hadn’t expected any help from either Serge or Piet, but he had to admit that he was puzzled when he realized they weren’t watching him. It was almost as if they didn’t care about the Hardy boys any longer.

  Now that Joe was free, he set about untying Frank. Serge had done more than just tie the rope around Frank’s waist so he could be pulled into the helicopter. Frank’s feet and hands were tied too. Still, Joe managed to free his brother by working carefully with the knots.

  Finally, both Hardy boys were upright in their seats and ready to find out their fate.

  Frank was sure he could see boat traffic below. They were over water. Where were they headed? Just then Joe felt the helicopter bank, and he knew they were starting to descend. Within minutes, they had landed.

  “We’re going to get in that panel truck over there,” Serge said. “Don’t try anything. If it hadn’t been for the baron’s daughter, you’d already be at the bottom of the Atlantic.”

  Frank shuddered. He realized now that they had actually flown out of Philadelphia, across New Jersey, and over the Atlantic, but that evidently Elisabeth had radioed the pilot at the last minute to bring the Hardy boys back. He couldn’t imagine why, but he was glad. He was sure that Serge and Piet would have enjoyed shoving them out of the helicopter into the ocean below.

  “I’ve already untied my brother,” Joe said brazenly. “I thought that would make it faster for us after we landed.” Serge gave him a funny look but didn’t say anything.

  The Hardy boys followed Serge and Piet out of the helicopter and then ran, bent over to avoid the whirling blades, toward the panel truck.

  There were a couple of men waiting for them in the back, but they said nothing as Serge and Piet and the Hardy boys jumped inside. When they were all in, one of the men shut the sliding door, and they were enveloped in total darkness.

  The panel truck sped away, leaving Frank to wonder where in the world they were headed. They had escaped a watery death by moments, so he didn’t believe they had been saved only to die some other way, but with criminals like the Aérocirque gang, no one could be sure of anything.

  Joe could tell from the speed and from the way the panel truck was riding that they were now on an expressway. Where they were headed, though, he could only guess.

  Frank figured they had been in the panel truck for about thirty minutes when they exited the expressway, stopped, then slowly made their way along surface streets. Then the vehicle dipped down as though they were headed into a tunnel of some kind. Once again he had a strange feeling in his stomach, as though maybe they had been saved from the ocean only to be subjected to something even more horrendous.

  Joe had just shifted a little so he could lean over and whisper to Frank when the panel truck finally stopped. One of the men said, “We’re going to blindfold you and tie your hands now, so don’t try anything.”

  “Okay,” Frank said.

  “Okay,” Joe repeated.

  This wasn’t the time to try to escape, Frank decided. What he was hoping was that their captors would lock him and Joe together in a room somewhere so they could make plans.

  Once the Hardy boys were blindfolded, the sliding side door of the panel truck opened. Someone took hold of each of their arms and led them across cement.

  Joe could smell exhaust fumes. They must be in an underground parking garage, he decided.

  Frank heard a dinging sound, and he knew that they were standing in front of an elevator. He was proven right when he recognized the sound of elevator doors whooshing open.

  For some reason, Joe thought, elevators smell the same all over the world, and after the doors close, you feel as though you’re in a soundproof room.

  From the rapid ascent, Frank was sure that this was a private elevator that only stopped at the top floors of the building. He wondered what kind of building they were in. Was it the headquarters of some company, or was it one of the high-rise apartment buildings in downtown Philadelphia? It occurred to him that they might soon be involved in another robbery.

  When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Joe felt a hand on his back push him out. Once again someone grabbed his arm and led him through wherever they were.

  Frank knew they were standing in front of a door and that someone was using a key. In his mind he wondered if they were about to meet someone even higher up than the baron.

  When the door opened, the Hardy boys were pushed inside.

  “Take off your blindfolds,” a man said.

  Joe was stunned. He recognized the voice. The last thing he wanted was to take off his blindfold and look at the person standing before them.

  Frank slowly removed his blindfold and blinked. As his eyes focused, he said, “Why did you do it, Mario?”

  Mario Zettarella gave him a steely stare. “For the money,” he said. “Why else do people break the law?” He shook his head. “Yesterday, I told the baron that he had to cut me in on his operation or I’d send him to prison. When he agreed, I knew I had to find a way to get rid of you two, because you were getting too close to the truth.”

  Yesterday? Frank thought. That means this whole operation today was a setup!

  Joe angrily removed his blindfold. “You’re sworn to uphold the law!” he shouted at Mario.

  Mario snorted. “Don’t give me platitudes,” he said. “People don’t respect the police. We can’t make a decent living.”

  “Our father trusted you,” Frank said.

  “Well, that’s too bad,” Mario said. He shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for Elisabeth, you two would be at the bottom of the Atlantic, but she managed to convince her father to countermand my orders, and now—well, here you are, and I have to figure out another way to deal with you.”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Joe said sarcastically.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sure I will,” Mario said. “This will be the final case for the Hardy boys.” He stood up. “I’ve got some other business to take care of. Enjoy your last few hours.”

  14 Escape!

  * * *

  “Greed,” Joe said after Mario was gone. “It’s all about greed.” He shook his head in disgust. “We could sit here all day and analyze the reasons why Mario really did this, Frank, but we’d better focus on finding a way out of here,” he said. “We probably don’t have long. I’m sure Mario is just trying to figure out some way to get rid of us that won’t tie him to the crime.”

  “It’s Elisabeth who puzzles me. For some reason, she convinced the pilot to fly us here,” Frank said. “I wonder why.”

  Joe walked over to the window and looked out. “Frank! Come here!”

  Frank joined Joe at the window. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Does any of this look familiar?” Joe said.

  Frank looked at the buildings across the street, then he said, “Joe! We’re in Elisabeth’s apartment building!”

  “I think we’re probably in her apartment” Joe said. “I remember smelling something familiar when we got here, and I think it was her perfume.”

  “It’s all right! My father wants me to talk to them!”

  A girl’s voice had come from the other side of the door, and the Hardy boys immediately recognized it as Elisabeth’s. There was a click, and the door opened. Elisabeth stood there, a scowl on her face. Behind her was a burly guard. “Don’t worry. They’re not going anywhere,” Elisabeth said. “I just want to find out what they know.”

  At that, Elisabeth stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. She immediately put a finger to her lips, letting Frank and Joe know that they shouldn’t say anything. It also told them that maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to escape.

  “Well, well, I guess the mighty Hardy boys have met their match,” Elisabeth said melodramatical
ly, and loud enough for the guard to hear her.

  But Frank could see in Elisabeth’s eyes that she didn’t mean a word of it.

  When she got to Frank and Joe, she whispered, “I’m sorry, and I’m going to help you get out of here, but it’s not going to be easy.”

  “Did you really radio the pilot to bring us back here?” Joe asked.

  Elisabeth nodded. “Nobody was supposed to get hurt. It was only about robbing people’s apartments,” she said. “Not murder!”

  “If you help us escape, Elisabeth, well make sure the police know what you did,” Joe said, encouraging her. She was clearly their last hope. “It’ll make a difference.”

  Elisabeth shook her head. “This just all got out of hand,” she said. Now there were tears in her eyes.

  “How did Mario get involved?” Frank asked.

  “He’s shrewd. He’s very shrewd,” Elisabeth said. “He suspected Aérocirque after the first robbery in New York, so he watched us carefully here in Philadelphia, and late yesterday he told my father what he wanted.”

  “Blackmail,” Joe said.

  Elisabeth nodded.

  “Is everything all right in there?” the guard called.

  “Yes, yes, it’s fine,” Elisabeth shouted back, in a tough, angry voice. “I’m getting what I need for my father. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Under her breath, she added, “We need to hurry.”

  “Just tell us how we can get out, and we’ll do it,” Joe said. He hesitated. “Why don’t you come with us? When they find out what you’ve done, there’s no telling what they’ll do to you.”

  “I’ve got this all planned out. They’ll never guess that I had anything to do with it,” Elisabeth said. “You’re going to walk a rope to the building across the street.”

  Frank and Joe looked at each other.

  “Are you serious?” Joe said. “That’s your plan?”

  “You did it once, and there’s no reason why you can’t do it again,” Elisabeth said. “It’s the only way out. There are guards everywhere, but they’ll never suspect this.”