High-Speed Showdown by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

9 Racing the Clock

* * *

The flames billowed up from Adelita’s engine compartment, topped by a growing column of black smoke. For one moment Joe was too startled to react. Then he lunged forward and grabbed Sleuth’s fire extinguisher from its bracket on the forward bulkhead.

“Pull alongside!” he shouted to Frank. As the distance between the two boats narrowed, Joe shifted the extinguisher to his left hand and picked up a boat hook. The instant he was close enough for the long pole to reach, he hooked the other boat’s gunwale, pulled the two craft closer together, and leaped across the foaming gap onto the deck of the racing boat.

Miguel had already managed to unlatch the cover of the engine compartment. He used a long-handled wrench to raise it a few inches, while Dennis sprayed foam through the opening. Joe pointed the horn of his extinguisher at the opening, too, and pressed the thumb lever. The hiss of the two extinguishers was even louder than the angry rumble of the fire. The color of the smoke shifted to white, and suddenly the flames vanished.

Joe and Dennis continued to spray the engines with foam for another thirty seconds or so. Then, as if on signal, they both stopped at the same moment. The only sound was the slap of the waves on the side of the boat and the muffled putt-putt from Sleuth’s idling motor.

“Whew!” Dennis said, wiping his forehead. “That was nasty. Thanks for your help, Joe.”

“I think we skip the time trials,” Miguel observed.

“I think you’re right,” Dennis said in a choked voice.

Joe asked, “Does that mean you’re out of the race?”

Dennis shrugged and continued to stare down at the engines. “It depends on how much damage was done. If we can get the engines back in shape fast enough, we can still run in one of the elimination heats tomorrow and get a spot that way.”

“What happened?” Joe continued.

“I’d like to know the answer to that one myself,” Dennis replied. “You think you guys could give us a tow back to the dock?”

Joe swallowed. He was ready to try, and he knew Frank would be, too. But taking a forty-foot boat under tow in a crowded harbor was no job for casual boaters. Luckily, before he had to answer Dennis’s request, a tugboat approached. Its captain had seen the smoke and offered to help. Miguel scrambled up to Adelita’s bow, caught the towline, and fastened it securely to the bow cleat. Then he raised his clasped hands over his head to signal to the tugboat crew that the tow was securely attached.

The note of the other boat’s powerful diesels rose in pitch. The thick rope came dripping out of the water and straightened out. For a long moment, nothing seemed to happen. Joe realized that the line must be stretching. Would it hold? Then Adelita started to move.

Joe looked around. Frank was following at a safe distance. He caught Joe’s glance and waved. Now that the emergency was past, Joe began to wonder.

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