Sinister Paradise by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

the cop asked. The name tag above his silver badge read “Pukui.”
    â€œNobody hurt,” Nancy reported. “Just a little shaken up.”
    Hands on his gun belt, Officer Pukui asked, “What happened here?”
    â€œA TNT excavation charge went off,” the flagger said, gesturing at the smoking trench. “Good thing the work crew was on break.” He glanced at Nancy. “Didn’t you see the sign? Why didn’t you turn off your radio?”
    â€œMy radio wasn’t on,” Nancy replied.
    â€œIt must’ve been. The charge can’t go off by itself!”
    â€œAre you certain of that?” asked Officer Pukui.
    â€œPositive!” The flagger lifted the brim of his safety helmet. “The charge was armed with a radio detonator. If someone comes too close with an FM radio, the signal can set it off.”
    Officer Pukui sat behind the steering wheel and turned the ignition key. The engine purred to life. “She’s right. The radio wasn’t on,” he told the flagger. He turned to Nancy. “Did you leave anything in the trunk? A transistor radio from the beach, maybe?”
    â€œThis is a rental car. We haven’t even opened the trunk!” Nancy replied.
    The cop switched off the ignition. “I’m goingto try something.” He lifted his walkie-talkie from his gun belt and turned it on. Static crackled harshly. His thumb turned the dial. All at once, a pulsing squeal burst out of the speaker. “Something in this car is broadcasting at seventeen hundred and sixty-eight megahertz. That’s what set off the TNT,” the officer said grimly.
    â€œNed, Bess—help me look,” ordered Nancy.
    â€œGot it!” Ned announced after a minute of searching the underside of the seats. He withdrew his hand to show them a small electronic device. The unit was the size of a cigarette case. A tiny operating light on its side glowed green.
    â€œMay I?” Nancy took the unit and examined it closely. Two inscriptions were stamped into the black vinyl—one in Japanese, the other in English. The English phrase read “Higashi Electronics, Ltd.—Osaka.”
    â€œWhat is it?” asked Bess.
    â€œA radio transceiver—a bug,” Officer Pukui said, taking it from Nancy. “Higashi specializes in this miniature stuff. This baby can probably transmit fifty miles.”
    Fifty miles, Nancy mused. That would cover all of Oahu!
    â€œI sure hope this wasn’t someone’s idea of a joke,” the cop said. “Letting you drive around with a live transceiver under your seat. That explosive charge could have killed you and a whole lot of innocent bystanders.”
    Satisfied that Nancy and her friends were notat fault, Officer Pukui took their statements and gave them the transceiver. They continued on their way after Nancy had disabled the bug.
    As they drove through downtown Honolulu, Ned said, “Nancy, do you think that was done on purpose? Did somebody try to get us blown up?”
    Nancy shook her head. “I doubt it. For one thing, they had no way of knowing we would drive by any construction site, let alone that one. No, somebody decided to eavesdrop on us.”
    â€œWhen do you think it was planted?” asked Bess.
    â€œProbably last night. Anybody could have walked by our car in the Ala Wai lot, opened the door, and stuck that thing under the seat.”
    Ned cast her a curious sidelong look. “Do you think it might have been someone from the Malihini Corporation?”
    â€œCould be. Or it could just as easily have been the moon-faced man. Or somebody else.” Nancy let out a deep sigh. “All we really know is, someone is awfully interested in what we talk about! Let’s go pick up George.”
    Her face was grim. Someone was hunting them—that was certain. Some faceless, ruthless enemy was tracking them back and forth across the island.
    And Nancy hadn’t the