floor: 9, 8, 7 ... Suddenly on six Frank reached out and pressed the number 5 on the panel. "Oops," he said. "Almost forgot to press our floor!"
"What are you — " Joe began, but Frank shot him a silencing glance.
The door whooshed open on the fifth floor, and Frank stepped out, pulling Joe with him. As Frank set a fast pace down the hallway, they heard the sound of the elevator closing behind them.
"What was that all about?" Joe demanded.
"Shhh!" Frank whispered. "Just look for the stairs!"
Joe wasn't sure what Frank was getting at, but he knew better than to doubt his brother's judgment when it came to quick thinking. He turned around, looking for an exit sign, and immediately saw that they weren't the only ones in the hallway.
Behind them, racing forward, were the two men from the elevator.
A few steps ahead of Joe, Frank rounded a corner. "Here it is!" he shouted.
The brothers shot through the door marked Exit A and scuttled down the cement stairs. The chunk-chunk-chunk of their footsteps was answered by heavier footsteps above them. Taking two steps at a time, Frank and Joe raced past the fourth-, third-, and second-floor landings. From the second floor to the ground level was a stairway, flanked by a smooth metal banister, twice as long as the others. Below them was the door to the lobby.
"There's only one way to do this," said Joe, hiking himself up onto the banister.
"Go for it!" Frank replied. "I'll hop on after you!"
With a loud whoop the Hardy brothers slid down to the first floor. When they got to the bottom, Joe hopped off and rammed his shoulder against the metal exit door.
Whomp! The sound of the impact echoed through the stairwell.
Joe grunted in pain and staggered back. He tried to push again, but the door wouldn't budge. "What's going on here?"
He stood back from the door to examine it. "Uh - oh," Frank muttered.
In the dim light they could read a large metal sign that was screwed into the door. Its red letters said No Re-entry on This Floor. Go to 2.
A new sound—that of clomping feet—grew loud behind them. They were trapped.
Chapter 9
FRANK AND JOE swung around and looked up. The bare light bulb on the second-floor landing created two broad silhouettes as the two men ran down the stairs.
Joe tensed his body and looked at his brother. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go for it!"
Together, Frank and Joe leapt up at the men's legs.
"Hey, wait!" one of them cried out. He tried to climb back up the stairs, but it was too late. Joe's arms locked around his knees, and the two of them tumbled to the ground-floor landing.
"Stop!" the man said as Joe pinned him to the ground in a wrestling hold.
With a muted whomp, Frank and the other man landed on the floor next to them. "What are you guys doing?" Frank's adversary protested. "We didn't do anything to you!"
Joe's fist was poised in the air. "That's right," the man beneath him said. "And don't think we couldn't mess you up if we wanted to!"
"Who are you?" Joe demanded.
"We work for Norman Fleckman," the man said. "He told us to find you and bring you to his office. Peacefully."
Joe was baffled. "How did he know we were here?"
"And why didn't you tell us about yourselves before?" Frank added.
"He overheard you saying you'd go to Spears's office," came the answer. "So we came up and staked out the elevator."
Frank and Joe got up and brushed themselves off. "What do you think, Frank?" Joe asked.
"I think we should meet this Fleckman character," Frank answered, picking up the envelope of financial records. He turned back to the two men. "All right, guys, take us to your leader."
Joe exhaled loudly, pacing back and forth on the cool gray carpet of the reception area. He and Frank had just discovered a suspect to get the police investigation moving in a new direction— and get their aunt Gertrude out of jail. But they were stuck in a high-rise tomb, waiting.
From behind a long desk a young man looked up and said, "Mr. Fleckman should
"What are you — " Joe began, but Frank shot him a silencing glance.
The door whooshed open on the fifth floor, and Frank stepped out, pulling Joe with him. As Frank set a fast pace down the hallway, they heard the sound of the elevator closing behind them.
"What was that all about?" Joe demanded.
"Shhh!" Frank whispered. "Just look for the stairs!"
Joe wasn't sure what Frank was getting at, but he knew better than to doubt his brother's judgment when it came to quick thinking. He turned around, looking for an exit sign, and immediately saw that they weren't the only ones in the hallway.
Behind them, racing forward, were the two men from the elevator.
A few steps ahead of Joe, Frank rounded a corner. "Here it is!" he shouted.
The brothers shot through the door marked Exit A and scuttled down the cement stairs. The chunk-chunk-chunk of their footsteps was answered by heavier footsteps above them. Taking two steps at a time, Frank and Joe raced past the fourth-, third-, and second-floor landings. From the second floor to the ground level was a stairway, flanked by a smooth metal banister, twice as long as the others. Below them was the door to the lobby.
"There's only one way to do this," said Joe, hiking himself up onto the banister.
"Go for it!" Frank replied. "I'll hop on after you!"
With a loud whoop the Hardy brothers slid down to the first floor. When they got to the bottom, Joe hopped off and rammed his shoulder against the metal exit door.
Whomp! The sound of the impact echoed through the stairwell.
Joe grunted in pain and staggered back. He tried to push again, but the door wouldn't budge. "What's going on here?"
He stood back from the door to examine it. "Uh - oh," Frank muttered.
In the dim light they could read a large metal sign that was screwed into the door. Its red letters said No Re-entry on This Floor. Go to 2.
A new sound—that of clomping feet—grew loud behind them. They were trapped.
Chapter 9
FRANK AND JOE swung around and looked up. The bare light bulb on the second-floor landing created two broad silhouettes as the two men ran down the stairs.
Joe tensed his body and looked at his brother. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go for it!"
Together, Frank and Joe leapt up at the men's legs.
"Hey, wait!" one of them cried out. He tried to climb back up the stairs, but it was too late. Joe's arms locked around his knees, and the two of them tumbled to the ground-floor landing.
"Stop!" the man said as Joe pinned him to the ground in a wrestling hold.
With a muted whomp, Frank and the other man landed on the floor next to them. "What are you guys doing?" Frank's adversary protested. "We didn't do anything to you!"
Joe's fist was poised in the air. "That's right," the man beneath him said. "And don't think we couldn't mess you up if we wanted to!"
"Who are you?" Joe demanded.
"We work for Norman Fleckman," the man said. "He told us to find you and bring you to his office. Peacefully."
Joe was baffled. "How did he know we were here?"
"And why didn't you tell us about yourselves before?" Frank added.
"He overheard you saying you'd go to Spears's office," came the answer. "So we came up and staked out the elevator."
Frank and Joe got up and brushed themselves off. "What do you think, Frank?" Joe asked.
"I think we should meet this Fleckman character," Frank answered, picking up the envelope of financial records. He turned back to the two men. "All right, guys, take us to your leader."
Joe exhaled loudly, pacing back and forth on the cool gray carpet of the reception area. He and Frank had just discovered a suspect to get the police investigation moving in a new direction— and get their aunt Gertrude out of jail. But they were stuck in a high-rise tomb, waiting.
From behind a long desk a young man looked up and said, "Mr. Fleckman should
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