Castle Fear (11 page)

"That's what you think." Joe dashed down to a seemingly solid wall, hit one of the stones, and heaved. With a grating shriek the whole wall moved, revealing a secret doorway.

Joe stepped aside, shining his flashlight into the dark hole beyond. "Watch it - there are steps right through here."

The others piled through the doorway, then Joe followed. They could hear heavy footsteps coming closer - Limehouse was back on his feet.

Joe put his shoulder to the secret door. "We've got to get this shut, and fast."

Frank added his shoulder as well.

Limehouse appeared in the corridor, still waving his ax.

"Push!" Joe urged.

Jed joined them, and the heavy door began to close. They got it shut, and a hidden lock engaged with a solid clunk.

They were just in time - Limehouse had arrived at the door, bashing at it furiously.

The sound was dull and muffled through the door, and soon it faded as Jed, Jillian, Frank, and Joe made their way through the dark tunnel. The smell of damp earth was strong. Somewhere unseen water was dripping on rock.

Joe was again leading the procession, lighting the passageway ahead. "This part of the tunnel is only about a mile long, according to the map." He shone his compact flashlight around. "But it seems a lot longer in the dark."

"Sure does," Jed agreed. "We - Ouch!" He tripped over something on the rocky floor, stumbling against one of the timbers that shored up the tunnel roof. On hands and knees, he looked back at whatever had tripped him. "Shine the light over this way, Joe," he requested. "I - I'm hoping this is just a prop."

Helping the actor to his feet, Joe swept his beam around the floor. "Nope, that looks like a real human skull," he said.

"Brrrrr." Jed stared at the ancient yellow bone. "Think he was trying to get in or out?"

"It doesn't matter now," Frank said. "We'd better keep moving."

Joe moved again to the head of the parade. "Do you know that guy with the lopsided nose?"

"Hawkins calls him Limehouse."

"He must be the same one who took those shots at us at the beginning of this business."

Jillian was walking with Jed. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Jed shook his head. "Nope. Just fouled up my favorite pair of pants."

After a moment Joe announced, "Okay, folks. Looks like we've reached the end of the line."

The beam from his flashlight danced on a rounded section of stone wall. To Frank it looked like the inside of a well.

"Where will this thing let us out?" he asked as his brother aimed the flashlight at a wooden trapdoor over their heads.

"Outside the castle wall, up near a stretch of woods." Joe grinned. "When they were really using this thing, I guess the woods were bigger and hid it better."

Frank reached up. The ceiling was low enough that he could get a grip on the metal latch handle that locked the trapdoor. "If this is out in the open, it may not be a secret anymore. Limehouse may have it staked out."

He tried to turn the handle.

"C'mon, Frank, we don't have all day," Joe urged.

Frank grunted. "Seems to be stuck."

"Here, I'll give you a hand." Joe caught hold of the ancient, rusty handle, gritting his teeth and straining.

The handle resisted for a moment, seemed to give, and then, with a metallic twang, broke off.

Both Hardys tumbled to the ground, the useless handle clanging on the rocky floor.

Jed had already taken their place, shoving frantically at the door. "Still jammed," he announced.

Jillian, in the rear of the group, suddenly gasped. "I hear something," she said, "down at the other end of the tunnel. Footsteps - coming this way."

Joe picked up the now-useless door latch. "Great," he said. "Up the creek - without a handle."

Both Hardys jumped to their feet to attack the jammed trap door.

Joe pulled out his pocket knife and wedged it into the crack between the door and its frame. He strained against the latch, trying to lever the trapped tongue free.

No good. He began whacking at the knife with the broken latch handle. There was still resistance, but he thought the knife was beginning to move.

Frank grabbed a handy rock and rapped sharply at the door. Maybe the vibration would dislodge any rust stuck in the latch itself.

After a desperate couple of seconds, Joe suddenly yelled, "It's giving!" One more shot with his trusty handle and the latch gave. Jed and Frank shoved, and with a considerable creak, the door opened upward. A large rectangle of blue afternoon sky showed in the low ceiling of the tunnel.

"Give me a leg up," Joe said.

Frank boosted his brother while Joe scrambled desperately for a hold in the grass above.

He hauled himself through the trapdoor. Then, kneeling on the edge, Joe leaned back in. "Get Jillian up here next."

Jed lifted the girl up by her waist, and she perched on Frank's shoulders to boost herself out of the opening.

Heavy footsteps echoed behind them in the darkness of the underground passageway.

Frank boosted Jed up next, and then Joe and the actor pulled Frank out.

"We'd better head for the woods," Joe said, pointing. "There's a road just beyond there where we could - "

"Trouble," Frank cut in, his eyes on the castle behind them.

Through one of the gaps in the tumbledown gray stone wall they could see Hawkins and two more of his goons. Rowland had climbed one of the solid sections of the battlement and was pointing down, directing his pals toward the escapees.

"Well, Limehouse raised the alarm - and now we're spotted," Frank said.

"I picked up a couple of guns on the way in."

Joe looked around uneasily. There was no cover nearby, nowhere they could make a stand. "I don't think they'll help us stand off a whole gang in the open."

Hawkins and his six men now had their weapons out and were climbing the rubble mounds on the other side of the castle walls.

"So," Frank said, "we've got a choice of being shot or surrendering."

Nigel Hawkins was the first to burst through the opening in the wall. "Where is she?" he demanded when he saw Joe. "What have you done with Emily Cornwall?"

A wild cry from Jillian rang out over whatever else Hawkins was going to say. "Jed, look!" she cried, grabbing his arm and pointing toward the woods beyond them.

"Hey, it's just like the movies," the actor said, laughing. "The cops arrive in the nick of time."

Coming down into the field were three uniformed police officers, and three more in plain clothes.

Face pale, Hawkins stared at the oncoming police. His carefully constructed suave mask was shattered by sheer rage. "You young fool, you've wrecked it all." He raised his gun, taking careful aim at Joe.

Frank flung the old iron handle still in his hand straight at Hawkins's gun. At the same time Joe crouched low and charged at Hawkins.

The gun went off, with one shot that went high. Joe launched himself at Hawkins, catching him in a flying tackle.

Hawkins tumbled backward into the wall of the castle. His second shot went straight up into the air.

Joe chopped at Hawkins's wrist, knocking the gun out of his hand. Frank caught the gun as Jed came up from behind Joe and delivered a punch to Hawkins's jaw.

The head crook bounced back to the wall and sank down in an unconscious sprawl.

His gang, realizing that the police were coming in for the kill, was scattering across the courtyard, heading for the cars.

Jed, with a satisfied grin, rubbed his knuckles. "See, Hardy? I really do all my own stunts."

Jillian, laughing, came up and hugged him.

Joe slumped against the wall and looked over at his brother. "Here come the police," he said. "Do you want to explain things, or should I?"