Danger in the Extreme by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online Page B

said.
    Joe shrugged. “Jim Edwards sends me into the hay bales twice. Frank almost falls from the ice wall. Something’s going on, and I think we need to do some serious investigating.”
    â€œIf I could get a look at that rope, it might tell us something,” Frank said.
    â€œAnd Vale’s finances,” Joe said. “We should see how deep in the hole he really is.”
    The teens finished eating in silence. When theywere done, Neal asked if they would go watch him practice some jumps.
    â€œSounds great,” Joe said.
    They started to get up, but Agent DuBelle made them wait about fifteen minutes while she had other agents check out the snowboard area.
    â€œSee?” Neal said. “It’s a big drag.”
    At last they were allowed to walk over to the soccer field next to the stadium.
    The jump tower rose from the middle of the snowy field. Built of wood and steel rails, the tower rose nearly forty feet from the ground. The ramp swooped down from the top like a big letter J . A huge mound of snow sloped away from the lip of the ramp, providing a perfect landing zone.
    A little hut at the top of the tower allowed jumpers who were waiting for their turns to hang out and stay warm.
    While Neal put on his boots, they watched other snowboarders practice their jumps.
    A jumper in a tasseled cap appeared at the door of the jump hut.
    â€œYou guys gotta watch this dude,” Neal said. “That’s Twist Winiki. He’s the boss.”
    The rider got himself square, then let go of the handrails. He turned from side to side to control his speed, then straightened out as he approached the end of the ramp.
    He held his arms out at his sides, then tuckedthem close to his body as he took off. He rose high into the air, spinning like a majorette’s baton.
    He completed three backflips with three full twists, then landed perfectly.
    Neal whistled and cheered.
    â€œCan you beat that?” Joe asked.
    â€œI’ll try,” Neal said, marching off with his board under his arm.
    A minute or two later it was Neal’s turn. He pushed himself out of the hut and centered his board on the ramp.
    â€œQuad-quad!” Frank shouted, calling for the almost impossible quadruple flip with a quadruple twist.
    Neal dismissed him with a laugh and a wave of his hand. Letting go of the railings, he tore down the ramp.
    Neal zoomed off the ramp into a front flip. When he completed the flip, he was still going higher into the air. At the highest point, he went into a half-twist, then did two back flips and another half-twist on the way down.
    He nailed the landing and raised his arms over his head.
    â€œRadical!” Joe shouted.
    â€œWow!” Jamal agreed. “He’s got talent.”
    Neal hurried over and glided to a stop, his face flushed with excitement. “Like it?”
    Frank held out his forearm, and Neal bashed hisinto it. “A front half, double back half,” Frank said. “That’s a medal jump for sure.”
    â€œThanks, man.”
    Neal was about to climb the ladder for another jump when a murmur went through the crowd of spectators.
    Neal’s eyebrows shot up. “Something going on?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Frank said.
    They watched as people started running across the field and over to the stadium parking lot.
    â€œWhat’s up?” Joe asked, grabbing at someone’s arm. The person didn’t answer.
    The teens, surrounded by the Secret Service agents, went with the crowd.
    When they got to the parking lot, Frank looked up. Instantly he stopped in his tracks.
    Joe almost bumped into him. “What in the world—” He followed Frank’s gaze up to the rim of the stadium.
    There, on the narrow railing around the upper deck, stood three figures.
    â€œNo way!” Joe said. It was hard to make them out from that distance, but the three people were definitely Sammy Fear, Amanda Mollica, and Rick Salazar. “How