the covers was a forgery, but which one - the one that got burned or the one Rockwitz had? Could it be that Johns had sold Rockwitz some fakes? If so, maybe Rockwitz was involved in the kidnappings. Or maybe Rockwitz was working with Harry Saul. But what about Kaner and Parente? Where did they fit in? Frank shook his head. One thing was sure - they needed more information.
"We're up against a gang of pros, Joe," Frank commented. "But like Dad always says, 'To catch crooks, you've just got to outthink them.' " Turning to Chet, he asked, "Is there anyone else from Johns's staff that we can talk to?"
"Dewey Strong," Chet replied. "He's been on Johns's staff longer than anybody."
"You mean that artist we saw this morning?" Frank asked. He frowned, remembering how Strong had given them the cold shoulder. "He wasn't exactly eager to talk to us."
"We've got to give it another try," Joe insisted. "We don't have any choice. Come on. Let's head back to the dealers' room."
When the boys returned to the table where Strong had been earlier, he wasn't there. When Frank and Joe asked about him, they were told Strong had left.
Joe frowned, then turned to Chet. "Do you know where Strong lives?" he asked.
"No, but I bet Tom does."
Chet and the Hardys found Tom in another corner of the dealers' room, sorting through a stack of Golden Age artwork.
"What's up, fellas?" Tom inquired as he saw the boys approaching.
"We need Dewey Strong's address," Joe told him.
"Sure." Tom bent over, zipped up his portfolio case, and picked it up. "I'll take you there," he told them.
"Great," said Joe.
***
Twenty minutes later Joe rounded the corner of the street that Dewey Strong lived on. Tom pointed out a five-story brick apartment building at the end of the street. Behind it was a fifteen-story steel-and-glass monolith that dwarfed Strong's building.
Joe came to a halt in front of the apartment building, and the four boys hopped out and headed for the entrance. The front door of the building was unlocked and the lobby was empty, so Frank, Joe, Chet, and Tom simply got on the elevator and rode to Strong's fifth-floor apartment.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Joe saw that one of the apartment doors had been kicked in, just like the doors in the other kidnappings.
He sprinted down the hall and into the apartment, which was a shambles. All the furniture was overturned, and the floor was littered with books, broken glass, and the scattered pieces of a chess set. The TV was hissing on a dead channel, and a framed comic-book cover hung at a crazy angle on the wall, its glass smashed in a jigsaw puzzle of cracks. He felt a sick sensation of dread in the pit of his stomach as he scanned the room.
Joe's attention was drawn to something in the center of the wall: a note pinned to the wall with a steel ninja star.
"That's just like the ninja stars Whip Scorpion uses," Joe heard Chet say behind him.
Joe reached for the star to pull it from the wall, but a hand clamped around his arm, stopping him.
"Don't touch it, Joe. You'll smudge the prints," Frank insisted.
Pulling out a handkerchief, Joe wrapped it around the star and pulled it from the wall. He carefully set the star down, then opened the envelope, using his handkerchief. The note inside was in word-processor printing on plain white paper, like the first ransom note, Joe recalled.
We want $100,000 for Strong. If all ransoms are not paid by midnight tomorrow, he will die with Kaner and Johns.
Whip Scorpion.
As he finished reading, Joe heard a crashing thump overhead. He shouted, "Someone's on the roof!"
Joe ran out into the hall and headed for the red exit sign at the end of the hall. He ran up the wide, twisting stairwell to the roof, hearing Frank a few steps behind him.
Joe threw open the door to the roof with a loud bang, startling two people climbing up the corner of the adjoining building. They were about eight feet off the roof of Strong's building. Joe recognized one of them as
"We're up against a gang of pros, Joe," Frank commented. "But like Dad always says, 'To catch crooks, you've just got to outthink them.' " Turning to Chet, he asked, "Is there anyone else from Johns's staff that we can talk to?"
"Dewey Strong," Chet replied. "He's been on Johns's staff longer than anybody."
"You mean that artist we saw this morning?" Frank asked. He frowned, remembering how Strong had given them the cold shoulder. "He wasn't exactly eager to talk to us."
"We've got to give it another try," Joe insisted. "We don't have any choice. Come on. Let's head back to the dealers' room."
When the boys returned to the table where Strong had been earlier, he wasn't there. When Frank and Joe asked about him, they were told Strong had left.
Joe frowned, then turned to Chet. "Do you know where Strong lives?" he asked.
"No, but I bet Tom does."
Chet and the Hardys found Tom in another corner of the dealers' room, sorting through a stack of Golden Age artwork.
"What's up, fellas?" Tom inquired as he saw the boys approaching.
"We need Dewey Strong's address," Joe told him.
"Sure." Tom bent over, zipped up his portfolio case, and picked it up. "I'll take you there," he told them.
"Great," said Joe.
***
Twenty minutes later Joe rounded the corner of the street that Dewey Strong lived on. Tom pointed out a five-story brick apartment building at the end of the street. Behind it was a fifteen-story steel-and-glass monolith that dwarfed Strong's building.
Joe came to a halt in front of the apartment building, and the four boys hopped out and headed for the entrance. The front door of the building was unlocked and the lobby was empty, so Frank, Joe, Chet, and Tom simply got on the elevator and rode to Strong's fifth-floor apartment.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Joe saw that one of the apartment doors had been kicked in, just like the doors in the other kidnappings.
He sprinted down the hall and into the apartment, which was a shambles. All the furniture was overturned, and the floor was littered with books, broken glass, and the scattered pieces of a chess set. The TV was hissing on a dead channel, and a framed comic-book cover hung at a crazy angle on the wall, its glass smashed in a jigsaw puzzle of cracks. He felt a sick sensation of dread in the pit of his stomach as he scanned the room.
Joe's attention was drawn to something in the center of the wall: a note pinned to the wall with a steel ninja star.
"That's just like the ninja stars Whip Scorpion uses," Joe heard Chet say behind him.
Joe reached for the star to pull it from the wall, but a hand clamped around his arm, stopping him.
"Don't touch it, Joe. You'll smudge the prints," Frank insisted.
Pulling out a handkerchief, Joe wrapped it around the star and pulled it from the wall. He carefully set the star down, then opened the envelope, using his handkerchief. The note inside was in word-processor printing on plain white paper, like the first ransom note, Joe recalled.
We want $100,000 for Strong. If all ransoms are not paid by midnight tomorrow, he will die with Kaner and Johns.
Whip Scorpion.
As he finished reading, Joe heard a crashing thump overhead. He shouted, "Someone's on the roof!"
Joe ran out into the hall and headed for the red exit sign at the end of the hall. He ran up the wide, twisting stairwell to the roof, hearing Frank a few steps behind him.
Joe threw open the door to the roof with a loud bang, startling two people climbing up the corner of the adjoining building. They were about eight feet off the roof of Strong's building. Joe recognized one of them as
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