151 The Rocky Road To Revenge by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

9 Take Me with You

* * *

“We have to check this out,” Terry said. She darted from the room, followed by Joe and Stella.

Frank stayed behind, his thoughts turned to Alastair Sykes. If Sykes had kidnapped Robinson to make it look like an alien abduction, maybe he had just tampered with the electricity to heighten the impression that aliens were nearby.

Frank ran down to the lobby and discovered that the lights were still working there. He went to the check-in desk. He found Sykes’s number in a phone book and called the number. After two rings, Sykes answered.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Sykes,” Frank spoke into the phone. “This is Frank Hardy. My brother and I came by your place earlier today.”

“Yes, I remember,” Sykes said.

If Sykes was at home, Frank realized, he couldn’t have tampered with the electricity. Still, Sykes could have hired someone to do it for him.

Frank decided to feel the man out. “All of a sudden,” Frank told Sykes, “some of the electricity at the place where I’m staying is going hay wire.”

“Really,” Sykes said with great interest. “Supposedly that’s a common occurrence when Visitors are in the vicinity. Many abductees claim that right before they get abducted their lights flicker or their ear engines temporarily die. Some experts speculate that the aliens radiate an electromagnetic field that interferes with the power sources. I should come investigate. Where are you?”

“I’m at the Silver Crest resort,” Frank said.

“Wait . . . where?” Sykes said. “I thought I just saw . . .”

Sykes sounded distracted now, as if he had seen something unusual.

“Mr. Sykes, are you there?” Frank said.

“Yes, I’m—I’m here,” Sykes said, his voice trembling with alarm. “Uh, Frank, I have to go.”

“Are you all right?” Frank asked.

“I think so,” Sykes said, “but . . . I really . . . have to go. Good-bye.”

Frank heard a click at the other end of the line. He redialed the phone number, but after a few rings an answering machine picked up. “You have reached Alastair—”

Frank hung up the phone. Several people had now come downstairs, puzzled by the power outage on the second floor. Frank ran outside and found Terry, Joe, Stella, and Chris, whom Terry introduced as the resort’s handyman, in a storage shed that adjoined the HQ. As Terry held a flashlight, Chris studied an electrical feed box.

“What happened?” Frank asked.

“Loose cable,” Chris replied as he studied the wires.

“How could that have happened?” Frank said.

“It could have just happened on its own,” Chris said, working with a screwdriver. “Or someone could have fiddled with it. But I don’t see why.”

“Gould a strong electromagnetic field have disturbed the cable?” Joe asked.

“Well, I suppose so,” Chris said.

“Joe,” Frank said urgently, “do you still have the keys to the Jeep?”

Joe looked confused. “Sure. Why?”

Frank took Joe’s arm. “We need to take a drive to Sykes’s house. Come on.”

As Frank and Joe headed for the Jeep, Frank reported his conversation with Sykes. “I’ll drive,” Frank said as he hopped into the driver’s seat.

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