Hostages of Hate by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online Page B

In one fluid movement, she was up and running.
    "Hey, wait!" called the guard. He took a couple of steps forward. But Pia only ran faster.
    "Hey!"
    "What's going on?" The kids in the room were all looking around now.
    The guard just shrugged. "I don't know." He tapped a note in his hand. "The dean just told me to deliver this to her."
    But Frank and Joe hardly paid any attention. They were pushing their way through the crowd, already in hot pursuit.

Chapter 9
    TRACKING PIA MORRISON wasn't easy. For one thing, she had a lead on the Hardys as she left the student union and darted across the campus. For another, it was Friday evening, and the streets of Georgetown were beginning to fill.
    "Where did all these people come from?" Joe muttered as more and more people clogged the streets. In seconds he passed some students, two guys in suits with briefcases, a family of tourists, and eight suburban teenagers obviously looking for action.
    One of the teenagers jostled Joe back, shouting, "Hey, watch where you're going!" He hooked Joe's arm, swinging him around.
    Pia moved like a running back through the opponent's defensive line, zipping easily through momentary openings in the crowds.
    Things weren't so easy for the Hardys. They were bigger, so their efforts to make a path usually earned them dirty looks from jostled pedestrians.
    Frank's chest tightened as he watched his one hope for saving Callie slip away. His frustration mounted as Pia disappeared into the crowd. He wanted to slam his way through that uncaring herd and catch that girl.
    Save it for the bad guys, Frank told himself. Desperately, he rose up on his toes to scan the jammed sidewalk. Then he saw her — Pia was crossing the street. "Come on!"
    Crossing in the middle of the block wasn't easy. The traffic was bumper to bumper. But Frank and Joe finally found a space they could squeeze through, and then they had to work their way through the crowd on the opposite sidewalk.
    It was slow torture, pushing against the mob. Everyone seemed to be ambling, looking in the windows of the shops along the street. And, of course, the local hangouts had heavy foot traffic in front of them, too. Everything had slowed to a crawl.
    The Hardys finally reached the corner and glanced around. Pia wasn't in the crowd. Finally, Frank noticed a dark figure legging it down a side street. "There!"
    Off the main drag, they made better time. Joe held out an arm to stop Frank from charging headlong. "Better not make too much noise," he said. "We don't want her turning around to see people running after her."
    They moved at a jog, keeping Pia in sight and slowly drawing closer. She led them through a beautiful neighborhood, with rows of old colonial townhouses. The sidewalks were made of blocks of slate, old-fashioned and uneven—perfect for tripping a running pursuer.
    After three blocks, Pia turned a corner. Frank and Joe broke into a cautious run. They reached the cross street and saw Pia enter a townhouse in the middle of the block.
    A moment later, they were standing in front of the house. Three buzzers stood by the door, one for each floor of the building. The middle one read, "O. Morrison."
    Joe whistled. "Pretty nice for a plain college student," he said.
    "Maybe Daddy's paying for it," Frank suggested. His voice grew grim. "Or maybe ANWO." He jabbed at Pia's button. "She ought to be upstairs by now. Get ready with your magic accent."
    A frightened voice came over the intercom system. "Yes?"
    "You are Pia, yes?" said Joe, sounding equally nervous. "You do not know us. But we have a message. You must help us."
    Seconds ticked slowly by until the voice on the other side finally said, "A - all right. Come up."
    The buzzer sounded, and they headed up the stairs. A door on the second floor swung open, and Pia stood outlined in the light, checking them out. Frank noticed that she kept her right hand out of sight behind the door frame.
    As they came level with her, the Hardys finally got their