asked. "Okay. But why him?"
Frank met Callie's eyes in the rearview mirror. "I think your uncle's hiding something," he said carefully. "He was too nervous after the questioning last night. And he won't even tell us why he was meeting with Buster."
"I'm sure it was nothing important—" Callie began.
Joe interrupted, "Frank's right. And Walter Ecks was one of the people who Stan said knew about his negotiations with Owens. Ecks is as good a guy to start with as any."
Frank could see that Callie was probably curi-
Deadfall
ous about what her uncle was cooking up with Owens about Horizon Lumber. He hoped it wasn't something she'd regret learning.
"Walter lives on Stoner Mountain, just above town." After they drove down Stan's mountain awhile, Callie said, 'Turn left. There's a shortcut right around this bend. We don't have to go all the way down into town."
Frank gunned the engine, shifted into the lowest gear, and turned left up the mountain. He grinned at Callie in the rearview mirror as they rounded a sharp bend in the winding road.
'Trank!" Joe yelled.
''What?"
"Look out! Look up ahead!"
Frank stared straight out the windshield. Up ahead, a yellow bulldozer was bearing down on the jeep. And it was moving at top speed!
Chapter
'*Turn!" Joe shouted. He stared helplessly at the bulldozer, its gleaming blade raised and pointed right at the jeep's windshield.
*'What do you think I'm doing?" Frank frantically spun the wheel, just managing to squeeze past the 'dozer. But, to Joe's horror, the jeep slid off the edge of the narrow dirt road.
Callie screamed as the jeep plunged down the mountainside. Like the ball in a pinball game the car bounced from tree to tree, blazing a path through the undergrowth straight to the bottom.
Just when Joe was sure they'd crash and burn, the jeep slammed to a halt, wedged between a boulder and a tree.
For a moment the Hardys and Callie sat surrounded by the silence and caught their breath. Joe finally broke the spell.
Deadfall
"What was that?'' he demanded, turning in his seat as though he thought the bulldozer might be pursuing them.
But the road wasn't visible above them and no sound broke the silence. Joe could have almost imagined the entire smash-up.
"Is everyone okay?" Joe asked Frank and Cal-lie. They nodded that they were unhurt.
"Then let's unbuckle our seatbelts and get out quick before this thing starts rolhng again," Frank said. "You first, Callie."
Callie stumbled out, followed by Joe and Frank, and all three scrambled back up the cliff.
"Well? Was that deliberate?" Callie ventured as the road came into view. The bulldozer was still there, pulled half off the road. As they drew nearer, Joe could see that the driver was gone.
"Maybe," Frank said. "The blade was lifted like he wanted to just sweep us over the edge. And it did a good job of hiding his face so we couldn't identify him."
"But how could he know we were coming?" Joe leaned against the bulldozer to catch his breath.
"Maybe someone's following us," Frank suggested. "Remember last night—those logs that happened to fall right when we were getting in our car?"
"Did you guys notice," Callie asked, pointing at the door, "that it has a Horizon Lumber logo?"
Joe and Frank had already seen the orange-and-purple mark. "That's the second time in two
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILES
days someone's used Horizon's equipment against us," Joe said. ''Seems like someone from Horizon sure wants to scare us away."
Then he noticed that Frank was staring at the ground. "What's up?" he asked his older brother.
''Bootprints." Frank pointed at the dirt by the side of the road near the driver's seat. "My camera's still in the jeep. I'm going to climb down and get it. Sheriff Ferris will need to see some shots of this."
"Are they the same prints you found by Buster's truck?" Callie asked as Frank went off to get the camera.
"There's no way to know," Joe answered. "Both prints were made by hobnailed boots. They look
Frank met Callie's eyes in the rearview mirror. "I think your uncle's hiding something," he said carefully. "He was too nervous after the questioning last night. And he won't even tell us why he was meeting with Buster."
"I'm sure it was nothing important—" Callie began.
Joe interrupted, "Frank's right. And Walter Ecks was one of the people who Stan said knew about his negotiations with Owens. Ecks is as good a guy to start with as any."
Frank could see that Callie was probably curi-
Deadfall
ous about what her uncle was cooking up with Owens about Horizon Lumber. He hoped it wasn't something she'd regret learning.
"Walter lives on Stoner Mountain, just above town." After they drove down Stan's mountain awhile, Callie said, 'Turn left. There's a shortcut right around this bend. We don't have to go all the way down into town."
Frank gunned the engine, shifted into the lowest gear, and turned left up the mountain. He grinned at Callie in the rearview mirror as they rounded a sharp bend in the winding road.
'Trank!" Joe yelled.
''What?"
"Look out! Look up ahead!"
Frank stared straight out the windshield. Up ahead, a yellow bulldozer was bearing down on the jeep. And it was moving at top speed!
Chapter
'*Turn!" Joe shouted. He stared helplessly at the bulldozer, its gleaming blade raised and pointed right at the jeep's windshield.
*'What do you think I'm doing?" Frank frantically spun the wheel, just managing to squeeze past the 'dozer. But, to Joe's horror, the jeep slid off the edge of the narrow dirt road.
Callie screamed as the jeep plunged down the mountainside. Like the ball in a pinball game the car bounced from tree to tree, blazing a path through the undergrowth straight to the bottom.
Just when Joe was sure they'd crash and burn, the jeep slammed to a halt, wedged between a boulder and a tree.
For a moment the Hardys and Callie sat surrounded by the silence and caught their breath. Joe finally broke the spell.
Deadfall
"What was that?'' he demanded, turning in his seat as though he thought the bulldozer might be pursuing them.
But the road wasn't visible above them and no sound broke the silence. Joe could have almost imagined the entire smash-up.
"Is everyone okay?" Joe asked Frank and Cal-lie. They nodded that they were unhurt.
"Then let's unbuckle our seatbelts and get out quick before this thing starts rolhng again," Frank said. "You first, Callie."
Callie stumbled out, followed by Joe and Frank, and all three scrambled back up the cliff.
"Well? Was that deliberate?" Callie ventured as the road came into view. The bulldozer was still there, pulled half off the road. As they drew nearer, Joe could see that the driver was gone.
"Maybe," Frank said. "The blade was lifted like he wanted to just sweep us over the edge. And it did a good job of hiding his face so we couldn't identify him."
"But how could he know we were coming?" Joe leaned against the bulldozer to catch his breath.
"Maybe someone's following us," Frank suggested. "Remember last night—those logs that happened to fall right when we were getting in our car?"
"Did you guys notice," Callie asked, pointing at the door, "that it has a Horizon Lumber logo?"
Joe and Frank had already seen the orange-and-purple mark. "That's the second time in two
THE HARDY BOYS CA5EFILES
days someone's used Horizon's equipment against us," Joe said. ''Seems like someone from Horizon sure wants to scare us away."
Then he noticed that Frank was staring at the ground. "What's up?" he asked his older brother.
''Bootprints." Frank pointed at the dirt by the side of the road near the driver's seat. "My camera's still in the jeep. I'm going to climb down and get it. Sheriff Ferris will need to see some shots of this."
"Are they the same prints you found by Buster's truck?" Callie asked as Frank went off to get the camera.
"There's no way to know," Joe answered. "Both prints were made by hobnailed boots. They look
Similar Books
Cop by Her Side (The Mysteries of Angel Butte)
Janice Kay Johnson - Cop by Her Side (The Mysteries of Angel Butte)
