Read Online Brother Against Brother by Franklin W. Dixon - Free Book Online Page A

had survived and that gave him a temporary edge over the man.
    "Some edge." Frank snorted. "No flashlight. No map. No car. But I'll have the advantage of surprise if I can run fast enough to catch up with him," he said ironically.
    The killer hadn't even bothered coming down for a closer look. He'd just assumed that the rockslide had done Frank in.
    Frank wished he hadn't dropped the flashlight because the darkness made for a slow climb. Only the dimmest starlight penetrated the deep ravine.
    Carefully, Frank stepped across the still-shifting boulders, which now filled the canyon floor. "This could have been my grave," he muttered. Another climb up the opposite wall brought him to the deserted road above.
    He started walking down the road. In his mind he recreated the map he had left in the car. As far as he could remember, the road got narrower and more winding, until it curved around a flat stretch of private land.
    Concluding that he could save time by cutting across the land, Frank ducked under barbed wire and set off across a patch of grassy flatland. It was relatively easy for him to find his way.
    About halfway across, he heard something large stirring nearby. The rising moon threw light on the scene. He laughed to find himself in the midst of a herd of cows. Apparently he was crossing private grazing land.
    Quietly he moved past the herd, trying not to disturb the beasts. Up ahead he saw some lights. A ranch house? No, the lights were moving. A car. His calculations had been right! By going crosscountry he had saved himself miles of walking.
    Frank broke into a trot, then a run, trying to reach the road before the car passed. He ducked under another barbed wire fence and hid himself in some tall grass by the roadside.
    The car approached, its headlights on bright. Frank squinted, so the glare wouldn't destroy his night vision. The car was almost on top of him before he recognized it. It was his own rental car!
    Frank strained to see the driver, wanting to be able to identify the hit man. The face behind the wheel was revealed by the moonlight — his brother!
    "Hey!" Frank shouted, getting to his feet and running into the road. "Stop! Joe! Stop! Stop!"
    The car's brakes screeched as the wheels locked. It slowed to a stop.
    "Joe! It's me, Frank!" he called, running toward the car.
    The car did a three-point turn and slowly returned to Frank like a lumbering beast. Frank was engulfed by the headlights. The car stopped, but the engine was left to idle.
    Joe warily got out and planted his feet. Instinctively he rose to a defensive position. The face approaching him looked familiar.
    Joe tended, trying to place the face of the stranger walking toward him. He knew he had seen it often—but where? Those confusing dreams flashed again. The dark-haired guy who struggled against him. That grim face, aiming a gun!
    "I was afraid you'd gotten away from me—that I'd never catch up with you," Frank said, smiling.
    That was all Joe needed to hear. He rushed like a charging bull, tackling his enemy before he could pull his gun. Both of them went spilling into a dry gully off the road.
    Joe rode his enemy down, keeping him on the bottom as they slid, choking in the dust. Maybe he'd be able to overpower this hit man, bring him in to justice. . . .
    But when they jolted to the bottom, Frank Hardy managed to twist free. "What are you doing?" he yelled. "Don't you — "
    His words were cut off when Joe threw a handful of dust into his face. Frank clawed at his eyes, and Joe tackled him again.
    Joe knocked his blinded adversary flat. As long as he couldn't draw a weapon, they could fight on fairly even terms.
    But even blinded, this guy was dangerous. Before Joe could pin his arms, his enemy lashed out with a karate blow and knocked Joe flat.
    Joe shook his head once quickly, as another flash of memory came to him. He remembered another blow like that, one that knocked him out as he had tried to run to the burning car where Iola was