[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
reason to thwart Holly's good intentions. He had seen Emmett Strand do that
too often in the past few years, on
114
those rare occasions when he had visited Emmett in his home.
Emmett Strand was always contradicting Holly, always making her feel as if
nothing
.she could do were good enough. There was no malice in what he did, just
awkwardness.
He had left Holly's upbringing to his wife. Turned into a single parent, he
had no idea of what to do, and he was too proud a man to ask.
Was it-any wonder that Holly Strand had run away from home?
Fenton Hardy wondered at the change in Holly since her return to Bayport.
Surly and short tempered before leaving, she' had become sweet and contrite,
anxious to help. Be shook his head. People, in his experience, did not change
their natures so quickly.
.
Holly entered the room, carrying a tea tray with a silver teapot and a china
cup on it.
Next to the cup was a: little silver spoon, a sugar bowl, and several slices
of lemon.
Fenton poured himself a cup of tea and squeezed a lemon into it.
"Can I talk to you?" Holly asked. "About Frank?"
Fenton Hardy looked at her over the rim of his cup as he sipped. No one was
supposed to know that Frank was alive. "Go ahead," he said.
Holly bowed her head and giggled in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I know you
think something has happened to Frank, but. . . somehow I
115
feel he's okay. I can. . . I don't know. . . I just know he's out there.
"What I wanted to 'know is-" She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Is he
serious about Callie?"
"Callie Shaw?" Fenton Hardy chuckled. "I don't really know. He sees her pretty
exclu-
Page 46
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
sively." He gulped down more tea to hide his amusement.
The smile faded from Holly's lips, and she cast her eyes to the floor. "Oh. I
guess there's no room for me in his life, then."
"I wouldn't give up too quickly," Fenton replied, stifling a chuckle. "Frank
has always been a little shy around girls. I've always suspected he stayed
with Callie because she was safe. Now, you take Joe.
He's a real ladies' man . . .
His head spun suddenly. The room seemed to wave past him. "Now, you take Joe.
. :'
he said again, but the words turned to gum in his mouth. His fingers grew
numb, and the cup slid from them. It fell to the floor but bounced instead of
breaking, and warm liquid ran from it onto the rug.
The rug rose up and slammed him in the face. He rolled onto his back. "Help
me," he tried to say, but his mouth wouldn't move properly. Holly stood over
him, studying him.
Her warm smile had vanished, replaced by a cold glower.
Then darkness swam over him, and he remembered nothing else.
116
Holly squatted and picked up the fallen teacup. As the Rajah had instructed,
she wiped the cup clean of knockout drops.
She walked up the stairs to her father's study. He was sleeping at his desk,
where she had left him. She picked his teacup off the floor and wiped it
clean, too.
"Can you hear me, Daddy?" she asked. With eyes closed, he nodded his head
slightly.
His lips twitched as if he were trying to talk, but no words came out.
"Tell me the control codes to the vault, Daddy," she said.
Emmett Strand mumbled and rolled his head onto his shoulder.
"Daddy!" she snapped. "This is important She lifted his hand and put a pen in
it, then rested it on a piece of paper on the desk. Write it down, Daddy."
Without waking, he began to write.
The desk phone rang. Holly snatched it from its cradle, worried that the noise
would wake her father. To her relief, he continued writing. At the sound of
the voice on the other end of the line, she snapped to attention. "Yes, I gave
him the truth serum, just as you said. He's writing now." Her father's hand
slid off the table.
She picked up the paper and read it over the phone.
***
117
"What do you mean, the Rajah's in Bayport?" the chief asked Frank. "We've been
watching the roads since the first bus rolled in."
"When I left Joe and Holly at the train yard, I began walking back to
Bayport," Frank said. "It was a long walk, but I didn't have any other choice.
If I had hitched a ride or hopped another train, I would have been caught. So
I walked.
"I was just getting to the Bayport town limits when I was nearly spotted by a
passing car. There was a ditch by the side of the road and I jumped into it.
Imagine my surprise when I recognized the people in the car."
"The Rajah?" Chet asked.
Frank laughed. "Good guess, Einstein. That was a few hours before his
followers came rolling into town."
"Impossible!" Chief Collig muttered. "Joe described the Rajah's Rolls-Royce
perfectly. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
reason to thwart Holly's good intentions. He had seen Emmett Strand do that
too often in the past few years, on
114
those rare occasions when he had visited Emmett in his home.
Emmett Strand was always contradicting Holly, always making her feel as if
nothing
.she could do were good enough. There was no malice in what he did, just
awkwardness.
He had left Holly's upbringing to his wife. Turned into a single parent, he
had no idea of what to do, and he was too proud a man to ask.
Was it-any wonder that Holly Strand had run away from home?
Fenton Hardy wondered at the change in Holly since her return to Bayport.
Surly and short tempered before leaving, she' had become sweet and contrite,
anxious to help. Be shook his head. People, in his experience, did not change
their natures so quickly.
.
Holly entered the room, carrying a tea tray with a silver teapot and a china
cup on it.
Next to the cup was a: little silver spoon, a sugar bowl, and several slices
of lemon.
Fenton poured himself a cup of tea and squeezed a lemon into it.
"Can I talk to you?" Holly asked. "About Frank?"
Fenton Hardy looked at her over the rim of his cup as he sipped. No one was
supposed to know that Frank was alive. "Go ahead," he said.
Holly bowed her head and giggled in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I know you
think something has happened to Frank, but. . . somehow I
115
feel he's okay. I can. . . I don't know. . . I just know he's out there.
"What I wanted to 'know is-" She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Is he
serious about Callie?"
"Callie Shaw?" Fenton Hardy chuckled. "I don't really know. He sees her pretty
exclu-
Page 46
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
sively." He gulped down more tea to hide his amusement.
The smile faded from Holly's lips, and she cast her eyes to the floor. "Oh. I
guess there's no room for me in his life, then."
"I wouldn't give up too quickly," Fenton replied, stifling a chuckle. "Frank
has always been a little shy around girls. I've always suspected he stayed
with Callie because she was safe. Now, you take Joe.
He's a real ladies' man . . .
His head spun suddenly. The room seemed to wave past him. "Now, you take Joe.
. :'
he said again, but the words turned to gum in his mouth. His fingers grew
numb, and the cup slid from them. It fell to the floor but bounced instead of
breaking, and warm liquid ran from it onto the rug.
The rug rose up and slammed him in the face. He rolled onto his back. "Help
me," he tried to say, but his mouth wouldn't move properly. Holly stood over
him, studying him.
Her warm smile had vanished, replaced by a cold glower.
Then darkness swam over him, and he remembered nothing else.
116
Holly squatted and picked up the fallen teacup. As the Rajah had instructed,
she wiped the cup clean of knockout drops.
She walked up the stairs to her father's study. He was sleeping at his desk,
where she had left him. She picked his teacup off the floor and wiped it
clean, too.
"Can you hear me, Daddy?" she asked. With eyes closed, he nodded his head
slightly.
His lips twitched as if he were trying to talk, but no words came out.
"Tell me the control codes to the vault, Daddy," she said.
Emmett Strand mumbled and rolled his head onto his shoulder.
"Daddy!" she snapped. "This is important She lifted his hand and put a pen in
it, then rested it on a piece of paper on the desk. Write it down, Daddy."
Without waking, he began to write.
The desk phone rang. Holly snatched it from its cradle, worried that the noise
would wake her father. To her relief, he continued writing. At the sound of
the voice on the other end of the line, she snapped to attention. "Yes, I gave
him the truth serum, just as you said. He's writing now." Her father's hand
slid off the table.
She picked up the paper and read it over the phone.
***
117
"What do you mean, the Rajah's in Bayport?" the chief asked Frank. "We've been
watching the roads since the first bus rolled in."
"When I left Joe and Holly at the train yard, I began walking back to
Bayport," Frank said. "It was a long walk, but I didn't have any other choice.
If I had hitched a ride or hopped another train, I would have been caught. So
I walked.
"I was just getting to the Bayport town limits when I was nearly spotted by a
passing car. There was a ditch by the side of the road and I jumped into it.
Imagine my surprise when I recognized the people in the car."
"The Rajah?" Chet asked.
Frank laughed. "Good guess, Einstein. That was a few hours before his
followers came rolling into town."
"Impossible!" Chief Collig muttered. "Joe described the Rajah's Rolls-Royce
perfectly. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]