093-The Serpent's Tooth Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:13:31+00:00

Chapter 9

A Terrible Surprise

"Down!" Frank yelled, diving beneath the van and scooping up the keys in the same motion. A third dart thunked against the van as he slid under the vehicle to come up on the passenger's side. In a moment he had the door unlocked. He ducked inside and slid over to the driver's seat.

"Watch it!" he called to Joe and Phil. "I'm going to start the engine and turn on the headlights." The van's finely tuned engine fired on the first crank, and Frank threw the transmission into reverse, turned on the lights, and backed the van around. The lights punched holes in the blanket of darkness, and Frank caught a quick glimpse of a figure ducking into some hedges.

"There he is!" Joe exclaimed, sprinting after the figure. "Come on! He's getting away!"

"Wait, Joe!" Frank called, but his brother was already disappearing into the foliage. Frank leapt from the van, and he and Phil charged after Joe and the mysterious attacker.

The chase ended at a dark side street. Even over the rumble of thunder Frank and Phil could hear the powerful growl of a high-performance engine.

They panted to a halt next to Joe and watched a shadowy car, its headlights off, flee into the darkness. Before it rolled out of sight, lightning flashed, illuminating the vehicle for a split second. "It's the red sports car!" Joe exclaimed.

There was no hope of catching the escaping automobile. Dejected, they trudged back to the van. Before they arrived, the storm broke and rain started to fall. Frank quickly slid into the driver's seat and rolled up the window. As he did he felt something sharp at his back.

Switching on the interior car light and twisting around, he inspected the seat. Stuck into the leather was a large, ominous-looking dart with a long, thin tube and a needlelike end.

"A tranquilizer dart!" Phil exclaimed as Frank showed his companions what he'd found. "I've seen them at the zoo. They use them to knock out large animals so they can work on them safely."

"I wonder what this one is loaded with," Joe said.

"Whatever it is," Phil said softly, "I'll bet we don't want any! I know it's late, but let's call Dr. Hagen. She'll know what's in that dart, and I'd like to know how Dr. Michaels is doing, too. The antivenin must be here by now."

They checked in with Fenton Hardy, called the medical center, then drove off into the rain.

"Someone obviously wants to scare us," said Frank. "We're getting too close, and there's something," - he shook his head angrily - "something nagging at the back of my mind. If only I could figure out what it is."

The medical center loomed in front of them, and Frank parked the van. Dr. Hagen was waiting for them. "I'm afraid I'm losing him," she said quietly as the boys followed her to her office. Dark shadows ringed her eyes.

Phil looked alarmed. "Didn't the antivenin work?" he asked.

Dr. Hagen closed her eyes. "The antivenin still hasn't arrived.

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