Read Online Castle Fear by Franklin W. Dixon - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
Ads: Link
said. "You know, if Hawkins had him, he could force Jillian to go through with that scam of his. Do the job or he'll hurt Jed."
"That could work, sure," Frank conceded.
"Hawkins may have his troops at Beswick," Joe said.
"There's the dapper gent with the blackjack, the guy with the broken nose - and probably lots of others who'll play rough." Frank frowned.
"The violence is getting worse and worse. We've gone from warning shots and threatening notes to beatings and car bombs." Joe's face was grim. "If the timing had been a little different, Karen and I would have been blown up tonight."
"I don't think so," his brother said.
"Hey, that car was totaled," Joe protested. "Anybody sitting in it - "
"That's my point, Joe. You weren't in it. These guys seem pretty efficient. They wouldn't set a bomb to go off at random, just hoping you'd be in the car at the time."
Karen leaned forward, resting her palm on her knee. "You're saying that the explosion was meant simply as another warning?"
"I'd guess that one of Hawkins's boys was watching. When he spotted you heading for the car, he detonated the bomb electronically from a safe distance."
"Risky," Joe objected. "They couldn't be sure that a fender wouldn't crack my skull - or the engine block wouldn't break Karen's neck."
"Ouch," she said, rubbing her neck.
"Oh, they're not saints, Joe. But they basically only wanted to scare us. If somebody got killed, well, that was too bad. But it wouldn't stop them from going ahead with their plans."
"Wait a second," Joe said. "To plant a bomb in the car, they had to know where Karen and I were having dinner."
"I've been thinking about that." Frank was poker-faced. "They had to have somebody shadowing you."
"I usually spot tails."
"Well, you didn't this time - we'll all need to be especially careful."
Joe drummed the fingers of his left hand on the seat, looking again out of the window of the onrushing train.
After a few seconds of silence, Karen burst out, "There's another way they could have known. Why not mention it?"
"What?" Joe looked uncomfortable.
"I could have phoned them from the restaurant," she said. "After all, I did leave the table to visit the restroom."
"Hey," said Joe, "we all trust each other."
"Does Frank trust me?"
Frank met her stare. "Yes, Karen. I didn't bring up the possibility, because I do trust you. Okay?"
"I guess so."
After a few minutes of silence, Joe shifted in his seat. "Do they have a dining car on this train?"
"I'd think so," Karen said.
"Let's go find it. I need a soda - something to drink. We won't be in Beswick for nearly three hours, and nothing will be open by then."
"Not interested." Frank picked up the material on Emily Cornwall.
"Karen?"
"Not yet, Joe. After nearly getting blown up, I just want to sit back and take it easy."
"Well, I think I'll go foraging for supplies." Joe hesitated for a second in the doorway. "Can I bring anything back?"
Both Frank and Karen shook their heads.
"Then I'll see you in a while." Joe slid the door open and stepped into the corridor of the swaying train.
He'd gotten through two cars when his path was blocked by a little old lady carrying a covered basket. She was standing by a door that led out into the night in an otherwise empty stretch of corridor.
The train was passing through a less-settled section of countryside. The fog was thinning, but there wasn't much to see outside the glass window in the door. Joe saw only dark fields and an occasional distant light.
"Thank goodness!" The elderly woman's voice had a strange quavering tone as she called to Joe. "Could you help me, young man?"
"What's the problem, ma'am?"
"These silly spectacles. Could you hold my hamper for a moment?"
"Sure, I'd be glad to." Joe took the basket, which turned out to be unexpectedly heavy.
"Thank you so much." The woman removed her rimless glasses and pulled a tissue from her pocket. She breathed on the lenses, bending over to do the job carefully. All Joe
"That could work, sure," Frank conceded.
"Hawkins may have his troops at Beswick," Joe said.
"There's the dapper gent with the blackjack, the guy with the broken nose - and probably lots of others who'll play rough." Frank frowned.
"The violence is getting worse and worse. We've gone from warning shots and threatening notes to beatings and car bombs." Joe's face was grim. "If the timing had been a little different, Karen and I would have been blown up tonight."
"I don't think so," his brother said.
"Hey, that car was totaled," Joe protested. "Anybody sitting in it - "
"That's my point, Joe. You weren't in it. These guys seem pretty efficient. They wouldn't set a bomb to go off at random, just hoping you'd be in the car at the time."
Karen leaned forward, resting her palm on her knee. "You're saying that the explosion was meant simply as another warning?"
"I'd guess that one of Hawkins's boys was watching. When he spotted you heading for the car, he detonated the bomb electronically from a safe distance."
"Risky," Joe objected. "They couldn't be sure that a fender wouldn't crack my skull - or the engine block wouldn't break Karen's neck."
"Ouch," she said, rubbing her neck.
"Oh, they're not saints, Joe. But they basically only wanted to scare us. If somebody got killed, well, that was too bad. But it wouldn't stop them from going ahead with their plans."
"Wait a second," Joe said. "To plant a bomb in the car, they had to know where Karen and I were having dinner."
"I've been thinking about that." Frank was poker-faced. "They had to have somebody shadowing you."
"I usually spot tails."
"Well, you didn't this time - we'll all need to be especially careful."
Joe drummed the fingers of his left hand on the seat, looking again out of the window of the onrushing train.
After a few seconds of silence, Karen burst out, "There's another way they could have known. Why not mention it?"
"What?" Joe looked uncomfortable.
"I could have phoned them from the restaurant," she said. "After all, I did leave the table to visit the restroom."
"Hey," said Joe, "we all trust each other."
"Does Frank trust me?"
Frank met her stare. "Yes, Karen. I didn't bring up the possibility, because I do trust you. Okay?"
"I guess so."
After a few minutes of silence, Joe shifted in his seat. "Do they have a dining car on this train?"
"I'd think so," Karen said.
"Let's go find it. I need a soda - something to drink. We won't be in Beswick for nearly three hours, and nothing will be open by then."
"Not interested." Frank picked up the material on Emily Cornwall.
"Karen?"
"Not yet, Joe. After nearly getting blown up, I just want to sit back and take it easy."
"Well, I think I'll go foraging for supplies." Joe hesitated for a second in the doorway. "Can I bring anything back?"
Both Frank and Karen shook their heads.
"Then I'll see you in a while." Joe slid the door open and stepped into the corridor of the swaying train.
He'd gotten through two cars when his path was blocked by a little old lady carrying a covered basket. She was standing by a door that led out into the night in an otherwise empty stretch of corridor.
The train was passing through a less-settled section of countryside. The fog was thinning, but there wasn't much to see outside the glass window in the door. Joe saw only dark fields and an occasional distant light.
"Thank goodness!" The elderly woman's voice had a strange quavering tone as she called to Joe. "Could you help me, young man?"
"What's the problem, ma'am?"
"These silly spectacles. Could you hold my hamper for a moment?"
"Sure, I'd be glad to." Joe took the basket, which turned out to be unexpectedly heavy.
"Thank you so much." The woman removed her rimless glasses and pulled a tissue from her pocket. She breathed on the lenses, bending over to do the job carefully. All Joe
Similar Books
