from his lookout on the walkway. "We've got 'em on the run!"
Inside the lantern gallery, Leonard and Jean worked at top speed to keep Alfie in fireworks ammunition. Leonard was in charge of lighting the fuses and handing the candles on to Jean. She acted as the supply line and dashed from Leonard to Alfie with each sputtering explosive.
"Here you are, Alfie," she panted. "Fire away!"
She waited a second on the walkway to watch the spectacular star-burst that followed Alfie's well-aimed pitch, then rushed back inside. "Leonard!" she screamed. "
Watch out
!"
Leonard was staring in horror at the roman candle in his hand. The lighted fuse was burning much too fast and its glowing tip snaked along at lightning speed toward the explosive charge.
"Throw it!" Jean screamed.
As she and Leonard ran for cover, the released candle exploded in a hissing blast of light. Smoke filled the small room and sparks fell like fiery raindrops.
On the walkway, Alfie whirled around. "Jean! Leonard! You okay?" he shouted.
"The room's on fire," Jean shouted back.
Alfie took a deep breath and dove inside. His eyes smarted in the smoke-filled air, which was now turning an ugly dull pink. Jean was swatting at the flames with her jacket, and Leonard was hopping up and down like a jack-in-the-box, stamping out curls of flame that glowed on the floor.
Then, in one stinging, tear-filled glance, Alfie saw the most dreadful sight of all — dark letters showing clearly in the light of the flames that flared and crept along the sides of a wooden box: DYNAMITE. Then he remembered Keiths words: "Dynamite? Oh, you must mean my
fireworks
."
Alfie tore off his T-shirt and began batting at the flames. "Let's get this fire out!" he shouted, "or there's going to be plenty more fireworks —
plenty
."
Noah Baxter lifted his face from the sand. He saw the pinkish glow in the lantern gallery. "Keith!" he exclaimed. "Get up! We've got to get out of here."
Keith Raynor looked up. "It's on fire!" he exclaimed, horrified. "Noah — the dynamite! We've got to get those kids out of there!" He sprang to his feet and ran toward the lighthouse.
Noah raced behind him. He leaped into the Volkswagen. "Come on!" he shouted. "This is our one chance!"
Keith shouted back. "You put the dynamite up there. Those kids could be killed!"
"I'm not staying," Noah yelled back, starting the engine.
"I'm no murderer," Keith yelled. "I've got to let those kids out."
"Be the hero," Noah screamed after Keith. "I'm leaving." He swung the Volkswagen down the drive.
Too late! Sheriff Wyndham's patrol car, siren sounding and red warning light revolving, swung off the road into the drive.
Noah stopped and got out of the little car, hands raised over his head.
Sheriff Wyndham climbed out of the patrol car and ran up the driveway. "What's the idea?" he said angrily. "You know fireworks are illegal in this county."
Noah Baxter's jaw dropped. He was so sure he was about to be arrested that now he couldn't believe his ears. "I just — "
There was a sudden hissing, swishing sound above them. Both Noah and the Sheriff rushed out of range of the exploding stars and almost ran into the headlights of Marsha Booth's car, which came to a screeching stop.
Above them, the flames suddenly shot out from the lantern gallery. "What's going on?" Marsha Booth asked anxiously.
"You can't pin this on me," Noah Baxter said nervously. "I'm no killer."
Sheriff Wyndham and Marsha Booth stared at him in amazement. "Can't pin
what
on you?" the Sheriff asked. "What are you talking about?"
Noah squirmed. "The kids. Keith. They're up there."
"No!" Marsha Booth cried. She started forward. But as the Sheriff pulled her back, Keith, Jean, Alfie, Leonard, and Watson, came racing out of the lighthouse.
"Run!" Keith screamed. "
Run
! The dynamite! It's about to go!"
Like rabbits, seven people and one small dog bounded across the drive and down the road. As they flung themselves to the ground, there was an
Inside the lantern gallery, Leonard and Jean worked at top speed to keep Alfie in fireworks ammunition. Leonard was in charge of lighting the fuses and handing the candles on to Jean. She acted as the supply line and dashed from Leonard to Alfie with each sputtering explosive.
"Here you are, Alfie," she panted. "Fire away!"
She waited a second on the walkway to watch the spectacular star-burst that followed Alfie's well-aimed pitch, then rushed back inside. "Leonard!" she screamed. "
Watch out
!"
Leonard was staring in horror at the roman candle in his hand. The lighted fuse was burning much too fast and its glowing tip snaked along at lightning speed toward the explosive charge.
"Throw it!" Jean screamed.
As she and Leonard ran for cover, the released candle exploded in a hissing blast of light. Smoke filled the small room and sparks fell like fiery raindrops.
On the walkway, Alfie whirled around. "Jean! Leonard! You okay?" he shouted.
"The room's on fire," Jean shouted back.
Alfie took a deep breath and dove inside. His eyes smarted in the smoke-filled air, which was now turning an ugly dull pink. Jean was swatting at the flames with her jacket, and Leonard was hopping up and down like a jack-in-the-box, stamping out curls of flame that glowed on the floor.
Then, in one stinging, tear-filled glance, Alfie saw the most dreadful sight of all — dark letters showing clearly in the light of the flames that flared and crept along the sides of a wooden box: DYNAMITE. Then he remembered Keiths words: "Dynamite? Oh, you must mean my
fireworks
."
Alfie tore off his T-shirt and began batting at the flames. "Let's get this fire out!" he shouted, "or there's going to be plenty more fireworks —
plenty
."
Noah Baxter lifted his face from the sand. He saw the pinkish glow in the lantern gallery. "Keith!" he exclaimed. "Get up! We've got to get out of here."
Keith Raynor looked up. "It's on fire!" he exclaimed, horrified. "Noah — the dynamite! We've got to get those kids out of there!" He sprang to his feet and ran toward the lighthouse.
Noah raced behind him. He leaped into the Volkswagen. "Come on!" he shouted. "This is our one chance!"
Keith shouted back. "You put the dynamite up there. Those kids could be killed!"
"I'm not staying," Noah yelled back, starting the engine.
"I'm no murderer," Keith yelled. "I've got to let those kids out."
"Be the hero," Noah screamed after Keith. "I'm leaving." He swung the Volkswagen down the drive.
Too late! Sheriff Wyndham's patrol car, siren sounding and red warning light revolving, swung off the road into the drive.
Noah stopped and got out of the little car, hands raised over his head.
Sheriff Wyndham climbed out of the patrol car and ran up the driveway. "What's the idea?" he said angrily. "You know fireworks are illegal in this county."
Noah Baxter's jaw dropped. He was so sure he was about to be arrested that now he couldn't believe his ears. "I just — "
There was a sudden hissing, swishing sound above them. Both Noah and the Sheriff rushed out of range of the exploding stars and almost ran into the headlights of Marsha Booth's car, which came to a screeching stop.
Above them, the flames suddenly shot out from the lantern gallery. "What's going on?" Marsha Booth asked anxiously.
"You can't pin this on me," Noah Baxter said nervously. "I'm no killer."
Sheriff Wyndham and Marsha Booth stared at him in amazement. "Can't pin
what
on you?" the Sheriff asked. "What are you talking about?"
Noah squirmed. "The kids. Keith. They're up there."
"No!" Marsha Booth cried. She started forward. But as the Sheriff pulled her back, Keith, Jean, Alfie, Leonard, and Watson, came racing out of the lighthouse.
"Run!" Keith screamed. "
Run
! The dynamite! It's about to go!"
Like rabbits, seven people and one small dog bounded across the drive and down the road. As they flung themselves to the ground, there was an
Similar Books
