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Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
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striking snake, clamping on to Joe's wrist. "Don't touch it," he said.
Joe twisted in surprise and dropped his little instant camera into the opening. "Okay," he said. "Could I at least take a picture?"
He snatched up the instant camera and stepped back to snap the coffin, its strange inhabitant, and the bizarre opening with its mysterious cargo.
"Now don't move," he said playfully, his finger going for the shutter release. But he never took the picture.
"Hey, guys."
Joe turned at the sound of running feet.
Shauna was peering down the shadowy loading bay, trying to find them.
"Over here," Frank said.
She froze when she got close enough to see what they were bending over. Shauna stared for a second, then pulled herself together. "We've got to get out of here," she said.
Frank glanced toward the door. "They're back?"
Shauna nodded. "With reinforcements, it looks like. There's another set of lights behind the van's. And they're both driving like maniacs."
Frank slapped down the little door in the dummy's chest, then closed the top of the coffin.
He turned to pick up the wooden lid for the crate, then shook his head. "We don't have time to hide our tracks. Let's just get out."
The three of them turned and were dashing for the loading docks just as squealing brakes and angry horns announced the arrival of Singh and his men.
Chapter 12
FRANK, JOE, AND Shauna jumped from the loading dock down to the bay, where they'd be less likely to be seen.
Crouched down, they made their way toward the edge of the building. The sooner they put a brick wall between themselves and the uproar going on behind them, the better.
Leaning against the wall, Frank could hear Singh yelling and screaming at the warehouse manager. The poor manager, of course, couldn't understand the mix-up. At least six other voices joined in the shouting.
Then the voices split up, accompanied by lots of banging and crashing. "Sounds like they've decided to search the place," Frank said. "Let's get out of here while they're still busy."
With the warehouse behind them, they tried to figure an escape route. To their right was the harbor itself, to their left the bluffs that cut the dock off from the rest of the city. At the top of the bluffs was a heavily traveled street. But getting there wouldn't be easy. The wide-open spaces around the warehouse would make them easy targets even in the dark.
In the near distance rose a redbrick warehouse, with the name "Collins" in white letters over the well-lit door. In between them and the brick warehouse were a couple of old freight cars on a railroad siding. That was it for cover. They'd be as exposed as a bug on a clean tablecloth if they made a run for it. But it was their only choice.
The yelling inside the warehouse went up another notch. "They must have found the coffin," Joe said.
Frank started out for one of the freight cars. "Come on! They'll be looking for us in a minute. We have to be out of direct sight by then."
By the time they'd darted behind the first freight car, they could hear a car engine turn over. "I don't know how you expect us to outrun a car," Shauna said.
Frank didn't answer. He was calculating their chances of making it to the next piece of cover.
About thirty feet on was an old piece of machinery that had been blocked by the freight car. The question was, could they reach it before the searchers got that far in their car?
He looked at Joe, who shrugged. "Let's go for it."
They took off, Joe in the lead, Shauna following, Frank bringing up the rear. About halfway to their goal, they heard the whine of an engine and the screech of tires.
A compact car was zooming up directly at them.
"You guys keep going," Frank said. "I'll try to get them off your backs."
Joe knew what Frank was up to. He took Shauna's hand, leading her in a wild dash to the far side of the rusted machinery.
Frank ran for the near side, staying out in the open. He'd seen what he wanted in the headlight beams — a
Joe twisted in surprise and dropped his little instant camera into the opening. "Okay," he said. "Could I at least take a picture?"
He snatched up the instant camera and stepped back to snap the coffin, its strange inhabitant, and the bizarre opening with its mysterious cargo.
"Now don't move," he said playfully, his finger going for the shutter release. But he never took the picture.
"Hey, guys."
Joe turned at the sound of running feet.
Shauna was peering down the shadowy loading bay, trying to find them.
"Over here," Frank said.
She froze when she got close enough to see what they were bending over. Shauna stared for a second, then pulled herself together. "We've got to get out of here," she said.
Frank glanced toward the door. "They're back?"
Shauna nodded. "With reinforcements, it looks like. There's another set of lights behind the van's. And they're both driving like maniacs."
Frank slapped down the little door in the dummy's chest, then closed the top of the coffin.
He turned to pick up the wooden lid for the crate, then shook his head. "We don't have time to hide our tracks. Let's just get out."
The three of them turned and were dashing for the loading docks just as squealing brakes and angry horns announced the arrival of Singh and his men.
Chapter 12
FRANK, JOE, AND Shauna jumped from the loading dock down to the bay, where they'd be less likely to be seen.
Crouched down, they made their way toward the edge of the building. The sooner they put a brick wall between themselves and the uproar going on behind them, the better.
Leaning against the wall, Frank could hear Singh yelling and screaming at the warehouse manager. The poor manager, of course, couldn't understand the mix-up. At least six other voices joined in the shouting.
Then the voices split up, accompanied by lots of banging and crashing. "Sounds like they've decided to search the place," Frank said. "Let's get out of here while they're still busy."
With the warehouse behind them, they tried to figure an escape route. To their right was the harbor itself, to their left the bluffs that cut the dock off from the rest of the city. At the top of the bluffs was a heavily traveled street. But getting there wouldn't be easy. The wide-open spaces around the warehouse would make them easy targets even in the dark.
In the near distance rose a redbrick warehouse, with the name "Collins" in white letters over the well-lit door. In between them and the brick warehouse were a couple of old freight cars on a railroad siding. That was it for cover. They'd be as exposed as a bug on a clean tablecloth if they made a run for it. But it was their only choice.
The yelling inside the warehouse went up another notch. "They must have found the coffin," Joe said.
Frank started out for one of the freight cars. "Come on! They'll be looking for us in a minute. We have to be out of direct sight by then."
By the time they'd darted behind the first freight car, they could hear a car engine turn over. "I don't know how you expect us to outrun a car," Shauna said.
Frank didn't answer. He was calculating their chances of making it to the next piece of cover.
About thirty feet on was an old piece of machinery that had been blocked by the freight car. The question was, could they reach it before the searchers got that far in their car?
He looked at Joe, who shrugged. "Let's go for it."
They took off, Joe in the lead, Shauna following, Frank bringing up the rear. About halfway to their goal, they heard the whine of an engine and the screech of tires.
A compact car was zooming up directly at them.
"You guys keep going," Frank said. "I'll try to get them off your backs."
Joe knew what Frank was up to. He took Shauna's hand, leading her in a wild dash to the far side of the rusted machinery.
Frank ran for the near side, staying out in the open. He'd seen what he wanted in the headlight beams — a
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