The Hardy Bros: Secrets of the Lighthouse by Ann ♪ ~ Chapter 19

Secrets of the Lighthouse

Chapter 19

   Joe then heard a noise that wasn’t quite in keeping with the sounds from the storm now raging. Glancing around, he jumped as the door to outside burst open in the wind. He watched for a moment as the door swung on its hinge, with the wind and rain invading the room via the open portal. Joe’s eyes swept the entrance, wondering how the door could have come open like that.

  Considering that there wasn’t a hurricane or anything to create a vacuum effect that would cause the door to open and then close, Joe had no doubt this was not just a result of the wind.

   Maybe someone came while we were in the tunnel and cavern, Joe thought, moving closer to the door that was still hitting against the wall from the wind coming in. Another loud clap of thunder sounded. Possibly whoever it was had something to do with the so-called haunting, Joe surmised, edging closer. He reached out to grab hold of the swinging door, when all of a sudden a forceful shove between his shoulder blades catapulted him out the door. He tripped on the ledge of the door and tried to regain his balance before hitting the railing directly across from him.

   Joe recovered quickly from the sneak attack and turned to face his assailant, his hands and arms raised in a fighting stance. The rain was coming down hard; Joe blinked trying to see. A large shape was in front of him, and Joe sent a quick jab coming from his side up to the other man’s face. His punch connected but didn’t seem to slow the attacker down. Lightning lit up the sky and Joe could clearly see who he was fighting. He didn’t recognize him, as he had never seen him before, because if he had, he would never forget such a merciless expression. Joe didn’t know where this dude came from, but he now doubted it had anything to do with the lighthouse. Then again, he could be wrong.

   Joe sensed that this was not a rare fight that was going to be resolved by talking, but he did hope to throw his opponent off by speaking to him. “Who are you?” he yelled, ducking the blow that would have stunned him if it had connected. He planned to turn the fight around, so he wasn’t just responding in defense. He would need to force his attacker to switch to defensive tactics in an attempt to counteract Joe’s punches, which would hopefully turn the tide.

   His opponent ignored Joe’s question, but that didn’t stop him from trying again, “Are you lost?” That question got a slight, extremely slight, reaction in the form of a bellow of anger and something else. Joe had no idea why this crazy was coming after him, but he knew he had to stop him. He also knew it was not going to be easy, but it was essential. The situation had less than perfect fighting conditions with the storm right on top of them, wind howling, the rain pelting down, while struggling with this whack job on a walkway near the top of a large lighthouse. Definitely far from ideal. The dude was also overwhelmingly strong.

   “If you just want to get out of the storm, that’s okay, you can.” Joe reached into his pocket where he had stuck his phone. If he could let his brother know something was wrong, warn him…could he possibly shortcut text while grappling with whoever this jerk was? Very little time had actually elapsed since Joe had discovered the open door.

   Another jag of lightning burst across the night sky, the boom of thunder closer than before. Joe and his attacker continued to fight on the slick walkway, with Joe trying to send a preset text for help. As he moved out of the way of another punch, Joe slipped slightly. Glancing behind the assailant as he recovered his footing, he could see that they had moved back in front of the still open door. Joe was thankful it hadn’t gotten closed. If he could trip the man and throw him off-balance, then perhaps he could turn this fight around.

   Joe’s plan was a good one and it almost worked, but not quite. As he attempted to enact it, he stopped a punch coming right for his left shoulder with his right hand. He started to twist the other man’s arm, but his opponent’s other hand reached up and started to squeeze his neck. Letting go of the bad guy’s fist, Joe frantically reached to pull the man’s fingers from around his throat.

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   After Joe had headed up the stairs, Frank had continued to read in Bradford Wilson’s journal. The failed keeper’s affinity for bragging was obvious by the many entries full of the details of his activities. It listed the names of his cohorts and more. Frank knew that Lloyds of London and other companies would appreciate finally learning what had happened to some of their insured cargo. Better late than never, Frank thought. He read a bit and made some notes. Glancing at his watch he was surprised at the time.

   Setting the book aside, he got up and stretched his tall frame. He frowned, wondering if Joe had gotten through to Zoeth or not. The feeling of apprehension was back, and it didn’t have anything to do with the storm that had been in full force since before Frank and Joe had gotten back up from the tunnel.

   Frank grabbed a flashlight and started off to find Joe. He was suddenly very anxious to make sure his baby brother was okay. As he quickly moved up the spiral steps, lightning danced swiftly across the sky, which was followed by a tremendous crash of thunder that sounded with such ferocity it seemed like the tower itself jumped. Frank felt the need to get to his brother, more so with every second. He didn’t feel like he could get there fast enough.

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   Back in Bayport at the Morton farm, in her bedroom, Iola frowned and stopped reading. She turned off her MP3 player. Moving slightly on the comfortable window seat, she pulled the curtain aside and looked out, noting that nothing seemed amiss. Her brother Chet had gotten home from his date with his girlfriend a short time ago and her parents were watching a movie.

   She looked over the yard where earlier that day she had helped Chet work on another of his hobbies, which was attempting to fly a radio controlled plane that he had built by himself. It was quite a plane and he was proud of it. Iola hoped it would fly for him; he had worked so hard on it.

   The night sky was clear, completely free of any threatening clouds that would attempt to change anything. Yet something was bothering her, and she had a deep, growing feeling that it had something to do with Joe. Looking up into the sky, she began to pray with all her soul.

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