Terror at High Tide by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online Page A

pressed the accelerator. The Jeep lurched forward.
    A crowd of tourists was crossing the street at the crosswalk in front of him. Joe gritted his teeth in frustration.
    â€œChill out, Joe,” Frank said. “You don’t want to mow people down just to get Ferrier.”
    â€œI know, I know,” Joe said. “I just don’t want to lose that bozo.”
    Finally all the pedestrians made it across the street, and Joe was able to move forward again. But by the time he reached Oak Street, there was no sign of Ferrier anywhere. Cruising up the street, Joe craned his head from side to side. It was as though Ferrier had disappeared into thin air. Joe brought the Jeep to a stop in a parking space. “Now what?” he asked.
    â€œYou could start by letting me know what this is all about,” Callie said.
    Frank quickly told Callie about the events of the morning, starting with George Geovanis’s disappearance. After he finished, Callie stared at Alicia in amazement. “Your father’s been kidnapped?”
    Alicia nodded gravely. “We haven’t heard from the kidnapper yet, but we’re assuming that’swhat happened. There’s no other explanation for Dad to be gone so long.”
    Callie frowned. “He could have been in an accident, Alicia.”
    â€œBut what about the dune buggy driver, and Dad’s phone call to me?” Alicia pointed out. “Someone wants Frank and Joe off the trail.”
    â€œBut I can’t believe the driver of that dune buggy was Mr. Ferrier,” Callie protested. “He may be loud and obnoxious sometimes, but he wouldn’t kidnap anyone, or run anyone off the road.”
    Joe laughed in disbelief. “A regular guy, huh? All of us saw Ferrier get into the same car that tried to run us off the road. There couldn’t be more of those lobster paint jobs on the island.”
    Callie shrugged. “There could be.” She paused, then added, “But what’s Mr. Ferrier’s motive?”
    â€œHas your dad ever argued with Jonah Ferrier?” Frank asked Alicia. “Do they get along?”
    Alicia looked thoughtful. “They barely know each other, but they seem to get along. Jonah’s the type who’s friendly to everyone.”
    â€œCan you think of any reason why he’d want to trash the museum?” Frank asked.
    â€œNo,” Alicia replied. “But Jonah does have a reputation for being a prankster. He’s been known to pull pranks to get publicity around newspaper subscription time.” She frowned for amoment. “I know this sounds far-fetched, but could he be hiding my father just to get a hot story?”
    Joe’s jaw dropped. “You think he’s that desperate for a story? What kind of pranks has he pulled?”
    â€œLast year he let loose a herd of pigs at a meeting in the town hall,” Alicia said. “He got some good stories out of that one, and apparently subscriptions went up.”
    â€œMaybe he also cooked up the balloon hoax,” Joe mused, “if it is a hoax.”
    â€œI don’t know, guys,” Frank said, shaking his head. “It does sound far-fetched to think that he’s doing all this just to beef up newspaper subscriptions. Kidnapping isn’t a prank, either. It’s a really serious crime.”
    â€œMr. Ferrier would have to keep his identity secret from Mr. Geovanis,” Callie said, “or he’d be caught and sent to jail. Do you really think he’d go to all that trouble just for the newspaper?”
    â€œProbably not,” Frank said. “Still, I think the guy’s definitely worth watching. Even if Ferrier doesn’t have an obvious motive, Mr. Geovanis was last seen at his house, we got the phone call right there, and he does have that painted-up dune buggy. That’s a lot of circumstantial evidence.”
    A bright blue vehicle stopped at the crossroads up ahead. It was the dune buggy with