Line of Fire Read Free Page B

over to the federal center?" Frank asked.
    Barbara stared. "How did you — ?"
    "I should have guessed. It makes sense, now that I've seen this," Frank tapped the scrapbook. "Denny's been collecting everything he can get his hands on about the Crowell fire. He just turned eighteen. That means he can finally get access to government files. I'll bet he wrote letters months in advance, setting up those visits. And whatever he saw — "
    Frank abruptly cut himself off and got up from the desk. "I can see Denny coming back. Don't tell him you told us, okay?"
    "Are you kidding?" Barbara said. "If he found out, he'd kill me."
    "I'd hate to put it that way," Frank said, heading downstairs.«
    As they reached the first floor, the phone began to ring. Callie picked it up. "Just wait a second," she said as Denny came in the front door.
    Callie held out the phone. "For you."
    Denny took it, listened for a moment, then began to shout. "You're not going to scare me off, and you can tell that to your boss. People besides me are starting to ask for a grand jury investigation. And I can prove — "
    He stared at the phone for a second, listening, then yelled, "You'll do what? You slimy — "
    White-faced, he smashed the handset down on its cradle.
    "That was the guy who shot at me. He described it all. Told me I should forget about my stupid accusations."
    Joe nodded. "That's when you began shouting, I guess."
    "I'm more interested in what he said to make you shut up," Frank said.
    "He told me I might not be the only one to get hurt if I keep on going," Denny said. "Asked if I wasn't alone enough in the world as it was."
    Callie sucked in her breath.
    "Sounds like a really nice guy," Joe said quietly.
    "I don't care — " Denny began. 'Well, you'd better start caring," Frank cut off. "You're in a game where the other side plays dirty, and you can't win all by yourself."
    "So I should put myself in your hands, the way my mom let Crowell take over our lives?" Denny was about to go on when a loud creaking bounded outside.
    "Old board on the porch," Denny whispered as he homed in on the sound. He moved the target pistol up easily, like a natural extension of his body.
    Joe slipped silently to the side of the door and reached out to grasp the doorknob. Frank herded the girls to the other side, out of the line of fire.
    Then Joe threw the door open, revealing a tall figure in a police uniform, about to knock on the door.
    The man caught sight of Denny, yelled, "What the — ?" and went into a crouch.
    With one hand he grabbed the door and pulled it closed again. While his other hand streaked for the gun in his holster.

Chapter 4
    "Hold it!" Frank Hardy yelled at the top of his lungs. He leapt on Denny, wrestling his gun upward. "Joe, open the door slowly. Con Riley's out there!"
    The door swung open again, this time revealing Patrolman Con Riley and his partner, both in firing positions.
    "Get away from him, Frank," Con called out. Con Riley was the Hardys' closest friend on the force. And there he was, aiming a gun at Frank.
    "Take it easy," Frank said. "It's not what it looks like."
    Denny let go of his gun, and Frank stepped back, holding it out butt-first.
    Con Riley came through the door. He hadn't put his gun away. "I get a report of somebody engaged in some illegal shooting at this address. With a ray gun, no less. Why am I not surprised to find the Hardys involved in this? Someone want to tell me what's going on around here?" he asked.
    "Somebody tried to kill us!" Denny exclaimed. "And he just called, making more threats."
    Slowly Riley looked around the room, and finally holstered his pistol. "Okay, Frank, how about you filling me in — without getting excited about it?"
    Frank reported what had happened out in the backyard, with Joe filling him in on the search through the woods.
    Riley's eyes narrowed. "You found nothing, you say? No spent shells?"
    Joe shrugged. "Nothing there. Either he was using a revolver, or he cleaned up after