The Dead Season by Franklin W. Dixon Read Free Book Online Page A

then he heard gunshots.
    It sounded as if they came from the direction of that old boathouse.
    He grabbed a poncho from a peg on the wall beside the door and raced to the boathouse through the drenching rain.
    ***
    Joe stood on the dock beside the entrance to the boathouse, but he didn't go in even though he was soaking wet and getting wetter.
    There was no doubt in his mind that he had heard gunshots, and he wanted to check out the boathouse before he made a move.
    He knew that if he stood in the doorway he'd be a perfect target, so he kept out of sight.
    "What are you going to do?" asked Heather behind him.
    Joe motioned for her to be quiet and then gestured to her to wait where she was.
    Clearly she didn't like the idea, but she nodded that she understood.
    With the storm raging around him, Joe said a silent prayer and, staying to the side, cautiously slipped inside the boathouse.
    The only light came from the flashes of lightning that were now increasing in number.
    He crouched down in a corner of the old building, and the next flash of light showed him that there, in the center of the boathouse, lay a body.
    With the help of another flash of lightning, Joe made out that it was Randolph Tyler.
    Another flash and he saw that Tyler had been shot in the head and was dead.
    Behind him, amid the sounds of the storm, Joe heard what he thought were voices. Were they arguing?
    A huge thunderclap rocked the building!
    "Heather!" shouted Joe.
    There was no response. In that same instant the Ghost Gunman appeared in the doorway and smashed a gun against the side of Joe's head. Joe was momentarily stunned, dropped to his knees, and found himself in several inches of water.
    The storm had raised the tide and was flooding the old building.
    The Ghost Gunman dashed into the dark recesses of the boathouse.
    Joe could hear his footsteps as he sloshed across the ancient wooden floor.
    Summoning all his strength, Joe rose to his feet.
    "Heather!" he shouted. "Get help. Randolph Tyler's dead. I'm going after the gunman."
    ***
    Frank raced down the hill toward the boathouse and met Heather coming the other way.
    "Hurry!" she cried. "Randolph Tyler's been murdered, and Joe is chasing the killer!"
    The storm seemed to have weakened a bit, but Frank suspected it was only a brief pause, that it was the eye of the storm and the worst was yet to come.
    He knew he had to hurry and pushed himself to hurry even more.
    Huge waves were washing into the entrance of the boathouse.
    "Joe!" cried Frank. His voice seemed small in the huge space, which was rapidly filling up with water.
    There was no answer.
    Frank took one look at the rising water and decided he had no choice. He had to go in.
    Once inside, he saw Tyler's body, now beginning to bob and float in the pulsing waves.
    Again Frank had no choice.
    He knew he'd have to search for Joe after he saw to it that the body was safe.
    Frank slowly dragged Tyler's body out of the boathouse and found a relatively dry spot for it on the side of the building. Here, at least, it would not be washed out to sea.
    Frank's only hope now was that the same could be said of his brother.
    He ran around to the entrance of the boathouse. It was completely covered in water now.
    Still, he had to go in.
    He had to find Joe.
    The going was incredibly difficult. The water was freezing, and his arms and legs were getting stiff in the cold.
    He pushed through one step only to be pulled back toward the entrance when each wave receded.
    And each new wave brought more water into the building, raising the level so it was now almost up to Frank's shoulders.
    He had no idea how long it took, but he was finally at the back of the boathouse.
    There was nothing but a blank wooden wall. There was no sign of Joe and no sign of the Ghost Gunman.
    But Heather had seen them both go in, and the only way out was the way Frank had come in.
    Where could they be?
    Before Frank could consider that more carefully, he had another problem to deal