Part 12 (1/2)
”You don't know how to run the yacht!” Tad cried frantically.
”Oh, stop your chatter!” Hanleigh shouted. ”I won't wreck it! Do you think I'd take a chance with my own skin?”
Again the two prisoners pounded and kicked at the door. ”You got no right to hold us!” Ike yelled.
Hanleigh paid no attention.
Joe came to a sudden decision. ”I must hold Hanleigh here until the others get back!”
The young sleuth stood up resolutely and called out, ”So you're trespa.s.sing again, Mr Hanleigh!”
The man gave a start. Upon seeing Joe, his face contorted in rage. ”You meddling spy!” he shouted. ”I'm not trespa.s.sing. I came after my own property! Get out of my way!”
Joe walked up to Hanleigh and asked calmly, ”Did you lose a notebook? One that has John Sparewell's name inside?”
Again Hanleigh started guiltily. ”I don't know anything about a notebook,” he replied sullenly. ”I came for my wallet. I lost it last time I was here. You probably found it, and you'd better turn it over or I'll have the law on you!”
”Did the message in code tell you to come looking for something valuable on Cabin Island?” Joe persisted.
Hanleigh swung his fist. Joe ducked and b.u.t.ted the man hard in the chest. With a grunt Hanleigh staggered back against the cabin.
”You're a sc.r.a.pper, eh?” he panted.
”Anything you start, I'll finish,” Joe said. He watched the man warily, but Hanleigh only gave an ugly smile. ”I'll fix you later,” he said softly. ”No use hanging around now.”
He turned and plunged down the hill. Joe followed, keeping an eye on him. At the dock Hanleigh untied the Hawk and sped for the inlet.
”Too bad I couldn't hold him here,” Joe thought. Then he remembered Ike and Tad in the woodshed, and grinned. ”But I still have his buddies!”
He headed quickly up the hill towards the cliff. At the top Joe looked down, but could see no sign of the Hawk. ”Hanleigh made good time,” he said to himself, then the young detective's thoughts returned to the cl.u.s.ter of stones he wanted to investigate.
When Joe reached the spot, he quickly circled the tall rocks and spotted a narrow opening between two of them. He stepped through and found himself on a small patch of rocky ground, damp with melted snow. He knelt and felt the stones. They were warm! From several crevices arose wisps of smoke.
”Somebody has built a fire below,” he murmured. ”Clever! n.o.body'd ever notice the smoke.”
The thin streams drifting to the top disappeared in the wind.
The next moment Joe heard a noise and a soft laugh behind him. For an instant he froze. Hanleigh! Too late the boy flung himself sideways. A hard blow landed on the back of his head. He sank into darkness!
When Joe regained consciousness, he was first aware of the intense cold and of a throbbing sensation in the back of his head. His aching eyes saw a low roof of snow above him. Then he realized his wrists and ankles were tightly bound.
”Hanleigh!” Joe thought. ”Where is he?”
The big man was nowhere in sight. Joe struggled to free himself, but every movements tightened the stout cords.
”Boy, what a mess!” Joe muttered in disgust. ”I'll just have to wait until Frank and the others come back.”
He noticed that his feet and hands were growing numb, but managed to wiggle his toes and fingers. ”I'll have a swell case of frostbite if they don't show up soon.”
At that moment Frank, Chet, and Biff were streaking towards the inlet in the Seagull. Suddenly Chet pointed. ”Look!”
Out of the narrow channel sped an ice-yacht with a lone occupant at the tiller.
”Hanleigh!” Frank exclaimed. ”I wonder what happened to Ike and Tad!” A chill went through him. ”And what about Joe?”
”Let's go after Hanleigh!” Biff cried out.
Frank shook his head. ”We should get to the island p.r.o.nto. Something's fishy about this whole business.
Joe may be in danger.”
In a short time their craft was tied up, and the three boys hurried straight up the slope to the cabin.
Frank threw open the door. ”Joe!” he called anxiously. ”Hey, Joe!”
There was no answer.
”Listen!” Chet exclaimed. Loud bangings and scufflings could be heard.
”Joe might be locked in the attic!” Biff said. They all rushed into the kitchen, then paused in confusion.
”Not the attic,” Frank said. ”Those sounds are coming from the woodshed!”
The others followed as he dashed outside and unbolted the door of the lean-to. ”Joe-” he began, then stopped abruptly as Ike and Tad half stumbled into the open.
”What are you two doing here?” Biff demanded in amazement.
”Where's Joe?” Chet asked.
”Joe?” Tad snapped. ”Where's Hanleigh? And the Hawk?”
”Yeah!” Ike put in. ”That guy's a dirty doublecrosser. He tricked us into this icebox and locked us up.
”Right now Hanleigh's taking off in your boat,” Frank told them, then added sternly, ”Never mind about him. What happened to my brother?”
”Don't look at us - we never saw him!” Tad replied. ”We thought you were all away from the island.”
”After Hanleigh trapped us in that shed, we don't know what he did,” Ike added, whining. ”We just kept banging and yelling.”
”Maybe you'll be more careful what kind of people you take up with after this,” Chet said. ”And think twice about causing boat accidents, too.”
”Aw, cut the lecture, fatso,” Ike sneered.
Frank turned to Biff and Chet. ”I'm going to find Joe. Something's happened to him. You take those two inside, and don't let them go. I want to question them later.”
”You think Joe is in danger?” Chet asked fearfully.