Hardy Boys Casefiles 11 Brother Against Brother (ORIGINAL)

Chapter 9

Frank Hardy had just circled his way through the woods so he would come out behind the cabin.

It was dead ahead, masked only by a few trees. He had just started for it, when he heard a twig snap nearby. To his strained nerves, the sound was as loud as a gunshot. Frank froze behind a tree. Twigs didn't break by themselves. They snapped when somethingâ€"or someoneâ€"stepped on them.

Then came the explosion!

It blasted Frank like a rag doll, tossing him off his feet and back against the trunk of a tree.

Later he groggily opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the blast. He must have - been knocked out. The question was, for how long? He rubbed the back of his skull. His whole body was sore, covered with pine needles and debris from the explosion, He lay still, checking his arms, legs, and ribs for broken bones.

At last, he hobbled to his feet. Everything was quiet, except for the wind moving through the treetops.

He steadied himself, then moved ahead. Reaching the clearing, he saw that the cabin had been totally destroyed. Little remained but some shattered timber and stone, some bent and charred tin cansâ€"and no signs of life.

"Too late â€" just a few minutes too late," Frank said to himself, not having heard the Jeep pull away. "I came so close to catching up with Joe, and now he's gone. No one could have survived this."

His hands were clenched so tightly, his fingernails dug into the flesh of his palms.

***

Joe led a shocked Rita back to the Jeep, which sat on the top of a hill. Below, smoke still hovered over the area where the cabin had been.

She tried to pull free, and he had to restrain her.

"I can't leave him there!" she said, her voice shaken.

"He's gone," Joe said roughly. "Dead, just like Iola," he added under his breath.

But Rita heard. "Who's she?"

Joe lowered his eyes. "A girl I loved. She was - killed in a car bombing." He helped Rita into the Jeep. Then he got behind the wheel. "I couldn't help her. But I can help you, Rita," he said quietly. "I can get you out of here, to safety."

She covered her face with her hands and began to sob. Her body heaved with each surge of grief. Joe leaned over and took her in his arms.

"We can't stay here," he told her gently. "Whoever set that explosion probably saw us leave and will come looking for us."

Afraid to make any noise, Joe released the brake and clutch, so the Jeep would roll silently down the hill. As it gained some speed, Joe nudged the brake pedal so it wouldn't go too fast.

He glanced at Rita. Her head was thrown back, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Joe steered the Jeep around some curves as it descended the hill. Reaching a flat stretch of road, Joe pushed in the clutch, threw the Jeep into second, and allowed the engine to drop-start and ignite.

Rita gained control of herself, taking deep breaths and wiping her eyes.

"There are some things you should know," she said in a choked voice.

"A whole lot of things, I bet."

She sighed. "It's true. Well, you know that Uncle Delbert is â€" was my father."

"Why all the secrecy?" Joe asked.

"Because there was a contract out on his life, that's why," Rita explained.