The Hardy Bros: Secrets of the Lighthouse by Ann ♪ ~ Chapter 1

Secrets of the Lighthouse

Chapter 1

   “Now!” yelled Fenton Hardy. He had just entered the dockside office, undercover as one of the guards. The elusive leader of a criminal organization stared at Fenton in shock as the private investigator leveled his gun at him. Some of Bayport’s finest soon rushed into the office.

   “What’s going on?” the crime gang boss demanded. He moved to erase his files but was stopped by another Hardy.

   While Fenton had distracted him with the yell and appearance with a weapon, Frank had also entered the office microseconds later from a side entrance. They knew the crime leader would want to erase all evidence and with the computer not connected there wasn’t a way to hack it from outside to obtain the files contained on it.

   With that in mind, Frank was there to grab it and take it out of the crook’s reach, which he did.

   A short time later outside, Frank watched as the arresting officer brought out the criminal whom he, his brother, his dad, mom, Aunt Gertrude, his girlfriend Callie, Joe’s girlfriend Iola, her brother Chet, friends Phil, Biff, Tony, police officer Con Riley, and Chief Collig all had done their best to stop. Despite the risks, their quest for justice had been successful. The gang leader who’d been spreading terror wherever and whenever he was hired had finally been caught. The Hardys and everyone who’d helped had gone to much effort and utilized much patience in their endeavor to stop the gang’s activities.

   The wind picked up and Frank tightened his arm protectively around Callie, who was standing beside him as he felt her shiver. It had been a very tough case with times that looked the gang leader would evade anyone getting enough evidence for a solid case. The Hardys and everyone who’d been a part of stopping the bad ones had no intention of giving up.

   The eldest Hardy brother felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over at his dad, Fenton, who’d come up on his other side. They shared a look that said they were thankful the bad guy was caught, but that it wasn’t quite over yet. Not everyone was back safe.

   As the rain intermingled with the blue and red flashing lights, the gang leader, Richard Colbert, guilty of a growing list of crimes, was taken to a waiting and ready patrol car. He had to go by Frank, Callie, and Fenton on the way there. The police officers kept a good hold on him and didn’t let him get close, but he still sneered at three of the brave ones responsible for stopping him. Having made quite a profit by hiring out for corporate murder, theft, and extortion, Colbert didn’t like anyone putting an end to that.

   “You think you won? I’ve got a lot of bought and paid for lawyers. This doesn’t change anything.” Cold, flat eyes regarded the father and son and Callie. “Well, about me anyway.” Colbert gave a humorless laugh. “I think you would call one of my talents…..multi-tasking.”

   They were at the police cruiser at this point and Con Riley had also stepped over from where he’d been talking to Chief Collig.

   “Get in there and leave these good folks alone,” Con ordered him.

   Colbert sneered and continued with words that held much more than one would suspect. “Too late.”

   The words repeated in Frank’s mind. ‘Too late’? ‘Multi-tasking.’ “Wait!” Frank took a few steps and demanded, “What do you mean? What have you set up?”

   More of that humorless laughter sounded. Frank’s anger and frustration of not knowing what the jerk had done threatened to boil over. He had to remain calm, but his instinct told him Joe was in trouble. Very bad trouble.

   “Not a good night for flying, and I don’t mean the fog,” the crook taunted Frank, who tried not to let the fear he felt show, because that’s what the jerk was looking for.

   That comment ignited a scare that refused to be extinguished immediately. Had Colbert somehow found out that Joe and Iola were flying back from Canada? They’d picked up some important evidence from a private investigator located just above the Niagara Falls area. The brothers had talked on the phone before Colbert had been arrested. Joe and Iola were scheduled to fly back in a single engine plane after he got off the phone with Frank. Unless they’d gotten delayed, they were in the air right then.

   “What did you do?” Frank clenched his fists.

   “Me? I was right here. I couldn’t have have gotten to where your brother and his girlfriend were taking off. Perhaps someone else could have, though.” Colbert’s face was filled with anger.

   Frank’s brain sorted through all that could mean. When they’d captured Colbert at the dock office, he’d been talking on his now-in-police-hands phone. Multi-tasking. Setting something up. Or confirming something had been completed, like sabotaging a plane. Either the gang leader was just trying to worry them, or Joe and Iola were in danger. Frank was pretty sure it was the latter, considering flight was his brother and Iola’s current mode of transportation.

************

   “Nice night for ducks,” Joe commented as he peered through the windshield. “Or Canadian geese.”

   “You sure you don’t want to pilot?” Iola asked.

   “You’re doing fine.” Joe smiled at his girlfriend as she looked over at him. He was impressed with how adept she was at flying and how quickly she’d learned.

   “I enjoy it, but I have to admit, I’ll be glad to land. This weather is making me nervous, I guess. Besides getting that evidence to the right people.”

   “No worries. You’re a pro. But if it starts stressing you too much, I’ll take it whenever you say.” Joe made a show of leaning back in his comfy seat and looking utterly relaxed and unconcerned. A few seconds later, though, he told her, “I’m really worried about one thing, though.”

   “What’s that?”

   “Something’s that been hitting my gut for a while now.” He paused and didn’t explain.

   “What, Joe?” Iola had thought he was teasing but now she started to wonder with how serious he sounded.

   “Hunger.”

   “Don’t scare me like that!” Iola mock-scolded him. “There’re some snacks in the bag. Save yourself.”

   “Right! We didn’t eat them all.” Joe stretched around the seat and got the bag Iola referred to. A few seconds later Iola heard him say in a shocked tone, “There aren’t any in the bag!”

   “What!?!”

   Joe chuckled as he sat back against the seat. “I took them out of the bag.” He held out his hands where the snacks were stacked up.

   “What am I going to do with you?” asked Iola in sort-of-pretend exasperation.

   “There’s only one thing you can do.” Joe smiled at her. He waited just a moment before saying, “Love me.”

   “You know I do or I’d be sending you out there to wing-walk!” Iola stated. “Might do it anyway!”

   Joe looked out the window at the wing of the powerful and comfortable Beechcraft plane they were in. “Glad you’re not. Looks slippery. And maybe cold. Yep, I think it’s probably pretty cold out there.”

   “Then behave yourself. If you know how.” Even while Iola was talking with Joe, she’d been careful to keep watch for any signs of trouble. They were currently flying on automatic flight control system, also known as AFCS or autopilot. The avionics suite, that included it, was giving them the info they needed and keeping things steady. Details about the engine, fuel, vector, rate of speed, airplane position, terrain and weather all were on display in clear high resolution visuals. Everything appeared fine.

   They ate the snacks and drank some bottled water as they got closer to lower New York. They kept watch on the weather, but as yet there had only been a quiet rain. Visibility wasn’t too bad, wind slight without problem and everything concerning the plane was working. So far. They’d already gotten past some thick cloud cover earlier with no problem.

   “My battery’s out on my sat phone, but I know it was charged,” Joe noted. The brothers often carried satellite phones that would give them greater range and reliability than any phone dealing with a cell tower. They never could be positive when they might need something like that during a case. Joe had wanted to call his brother and see how things were going, after giving Frank plenty of time, knowing that they had been about to nab Colbert. It was difficult not knowing how it’d gone, and Joe kept a silent prayer going. He felt that they’d gotten Colbert. “Frank’s always reminding me to make sure the batteries are charged.”

   Joe opened the sat phone and stared. Someone had taken the batteries. When?

   Iola had been listening to her boyfriend, but as she double-checked various displays of the avionics suite that processed numerous aspects of the flight, she was noticing that not all of the electronics appeared to be functioning right the way they had been. Then the weather satellite flashed and went out. Then the navigation display in the avionics started showing what had to be incorrect data.

   “Joe,” Iola said in a very calm voice. “I think something is wrong with the plane. Very wrong.”

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