The Mark of the Blue Tattoo by Franklin W. Dixon

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

9 Rumble at the Diner

* * *

The gang split up as it approached the Hardys’ van. Gus and Dino headed toward Joe. The other two moved toward Frank, swinging their bats as they came.

“No ski masks this time,” Joe murmured.

“I guess they don’t care if we see their faces,” Frank replied. “They’re probably not planning to leave us in any shape to testify.”

“We’d better make a preemptive strike,” Joe said. “Look scared. We want to make them overconfident.”

“Looking scared shouldn’t be hard,” Frank said grimly. “If you think it’ll help, I’ll look totally paralyzed with fear!”

Joe kept his eye on Gus and Dino. Moving slowly, he reached over and grasped the door handle. Frank was doing the same on his side.

The gang was almost even with the front of the van. An evil grin spread across Gus’s face. He drew his arm back to smash Joe’s window with the chain.

“One,” Joe muttered out of the side of his mouth, “two, three!”

Joe swung the door open. It slammed into Gus’s chest. He staggered backward and crashed into Dino, who dropped his tire iron with a clatter.

As he reached to turn on the ignition, Joe glanced at Frank. One of the boys on his side had dropped his bat and was holding his hand to his forehead. Frank had a grip on the other guy’s bat. He jerked the bat toward him, then, as his opponent tried to pull it back, gave it a hard shove. The small end of the bat caught the boy in the pit of the stomach. He yelled and doubled over.

Joe twisted the key in the ignition. With a throaty rumble, the engine came to life. Gus was on his feet again. He raised his chain for another swing. Joe shifted into reverse and hit the accelerator. The van lurched back a dozen feet, out of reach of the four startled hoods. Joe hit the brakes and flicked on the headlights, then the two quarter-million-candlepower driving lights mounted on the front bumper.

Gus, Dino, and their two buddies raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding glare. Joe shifted to low and leaned on the horn as he accelerated. The four Starz jumped out of the way. Something banged against the side of the van as the Hardys sped past. Moments later they were on the street, out of danger.

“Whew!” Joe said. “Next time we run into them, I’d like the odds to be a little more even.”

“Joe, we’ve got to go back!” Frank said urgently. “Callie’s car just turned into the diner’s parking lot. She doesn’t know those creeps are there.”

Joe slammed on the brakes and swung the wheel hard to the left. The van lurched into a tight U-turn. The tires squealed loudly. For one sickening moment, Joe was sure the van was going to roll over. Then it leveled off. He aimed the nose at the entrance to the parking lot.

The potent driving lamps lit up the shadowy parking lot, washing out the pink and green from the neon sign.

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