we just better go along with him—for a while, anyway."
"Biff Hooper belongs to this Circle, too?"
"Don't blame Biff. I was the one who kept at him to join with me," Jeanne said. "He wasn't very happy about it. But then I pretty much told him if he didn't join, I'd quit dating him." She shook her head again. "He told me a lot about the famous Hardy brothers."
"So when you got scared," said Joe, "you decided to see if you could get Frank and me to expose the group."
"I was hoping you'd find me—and, well, maybe we could work out a way for everybody to put a stop to the Circle without any of us getting hurt."
"Sure, let the Hardys work out a way for everybody to avoid the consequences of what they'd done." He shook his head, frowning at her.
Very quietly the girl began to cry. "I guess I'm not exactly a perfect person," she said, sniffling. "My mother says I'm spoiled rotten, but then she doesn't like me much."
Joe went over and patted her on the shoulder. "Okay, Jeanne, okay," he said. "Now, why did they kidnap you?"
She rubbed tears from her cheek with the heel of her hand. "Somebody must have found out I'd contacted you."
"How'd they find out?"
"I don't know, but for the dare at the Hickerson Mansion last night, I was teamed up with Kevin," she said. "He probably suspected I'd called you when you and Frank showed up there."
"Yeah, but kidnapping is serious. It's risking a long prison sentence - just because you may have talked to us."
Jeanne was silent for a while, thinking. "One of the guys who grabbed me said something about my having to be away for just two days or so."
"You mean they didn't kidnap you for ransom?"
She shook her head. "He said they'd let me go in a couple of days—if I behaved myself and didn't make trouble."
Joe said, "Is the Circle planning something important during the next two days?"
"Not that I know of."
"Yet they want you out of the way, where you can't tell anybody about them." Joe rubbed a thumb knuckle across his chin. "The people who brought you here—were they members of the Circle?"
"I don't think so. They were older, bigger men. They had to be at least thirty," she answered. "I'm not sure what they looked like, since they were wearing ski masks."
"Something's going to go down, something important." Joe frowned in thought. "It feels like the Circle is just a cover for it." He looked at Jeanne. "Do the members of the Circle talk about future plans? Have you heard anything strange?"
Jeanne shrugged, then paused for a second. "Does the name Gramatkee mean anything to you?" she asked. "While they were driving us here, I was tied up and gagged in the truck. I heard one of the men say something like, 'Now let's hope we can just take care of the Gramatkee job.' " She looked hopefully over at Joe.
"I don't know the name," he said, "but I think I know who's behind all this. I suspect this whole business is tied in with Kevin's brother."
"I don't understand."
"I'll explain later," he promised. "But right now we have to concentrate on finding a way out of — "
The harsh click of the heavy bolt on the metal door cut him off. The lock rattled, then the door groaned outward.
A lean, tan man in his late twenties stepped into the room. He had short-cropped, sun-bleached blond hair and wore dark jeans and a dark pullover sweater. In his gloved left hand he held a 9-millimeter Beretta pistol.
"Curt Branders," said Joe, recognizing the man from photographs he'd seen in his father's files.
Branders smiled thinly. "I'm a bit disappointed in you, Joe," he said. "Didn't you suspect that I might have a bug in here to listen in on your conversation?"
"I didn't," admitted Joe. "I guess it took me too long to realize that this whole deal is a lot bigger than a bunch of dumb practical jokes."
Branders leaned in the doorway, letting the pistol dangle from his hand. "I'd like to suggest a deal," he said in a cool voice. "If you remain here quietly and don't make waves, you'll be released
"Biff Hooper belongs to this Circle, too?"
"Don't blame Biff. I was the one who kept at him to join with me," Jeanne said. "He wasn't very happy about it. But then I pretty much told him if he didn't join, I'd quit dating him." She shook her head again. "He told me a lot about the famous Hardy brothers."
"So when you got scared," said Joe, "you decided to see if you could get Frank and me to expose the group."
"I was hoping you'd find me—and, well, maybe we could work out a way for everybody to put a stop to the Circle without any of us getting hurt."
"Sure, let the Hardys work out a way for everybody to avoid the consequences of what they'd done." He shook his head, frowning at her.
Very quietly the girl began to cry. "I guess I'm not exactly a perfect person," she said, sniffling. "My mother says I'm spoiled rotten, but then she doesn't like me much."
Joe went over and patted her on the shoulder. "Okay, Jeanne, okay," he said. "Now, why did they kidnap you?"
She rubbed tears from her cheek with the heel of her hand. "Somebody must have found out I'd contacted you."
"How'd they find out?"
"I don't know, but for the dare at the Hickerson Mansion last night, I was teamed up with Kevin," she said. "He probably suspected I'd called you when you and Frank showed up there."
"Yeah, but kidnapping is serious. It's risking a long prison sentence - just because you may have talked to us."
Jeanne was silent for a while, thinking. "One of the guys who grabbed me said something about my having to be away for just two days or so."
"You mean they didn't kidnap you for ransom?"
She shook her head. "He said they'd let me go in a couple of days—if I behaved myself and didn't make trouble."
Joe said, "Is the Circle planning something important during the next two days?"
"Not that I know of."
"Yet they want you out of the way, where you can't tell anybody about them." Joe rubbed a thumb knuckle across his chin. "The people who brought you here—were they members of the Circle?"
"I don't think so. They were older, bigger men. They had to be at least thirty," she answered. "I'm not sure what they looked like, since they were wearing ski masks."
"Something's going to go down, something important." Joe frowned in thought. "It feels like the Circle is just a cover for it." He looked at Jeanne. "Do the members of the Circle talk about future plans? Have you heard anything strange?"
Jeanne shrugged, then paused for a second. "Does the name Gramatkee mean anything to you?" she asked. "While they were driving us here, I was tied up and gagged in the truck. I heard one of the men say something like, 'Now let's hope we can just take care of the Gramatkee job.' " She looked hopefully over at Joe.
"I don't know the name," he said, "but I think I know who's behind all this. I suspect this whole business is tied in with Kevin's brother."
"I don't understand."
"I'll explain later," he promised. "But right now we have to concentrate on finding a way out of — "
The harsh click of the heavy bolt on the metal door cut him off. The lock rattled, then the door groaned outward.
A lean, tan man in his late twenties stepped into the room. He had short-cropped, sun-bleached blond hair and wore dark jeans and a dark pullover sweater. In his gloved left hand he held a 9-millimeter Beretta pistol.
"Curt Branders," said Joe, recognizing the man from photographs he'd seen in his father's files.
Branders smiled thinly. "I'm a bit disappointed in you, Joe," he said. "Didn't you suspect that I might have a bug in here to listen in on your conversation?"
"I didn't," admitted Joe. "I guess it took me too long to realize that this whole deal is a lot bigger than a bunch of dumb practical jokes."
Branders leaned in the doorway, letting the pistol dangle from his hand. "I'd like to suggest a deal," he said in a cool voice. "If you remain here quietly and don't make waves, you'll be released
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