Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
"It's a gun!" Tessa screamed. Silverware and saucers fell on the floor as Callie and Joe leapt up from the booth. Both lunged at the man with lightning-quick speed.
The man let out a frightened squawk as Callie reached him first, barreling headfirst into his stomach. He tumbled backward into a loaded tray of dirty plates, which flew across the room.
Joe immediately jumped on top of him and pinned his arms down as the man struggled desperately to protect his face. His glasses lay half on the floor, still dangling from one ear.
"Help! Help!" he cried in a high-pitched whine.
Callie bent down and pulled open his jacket to reach inside his inner pocket.
She looked down at the silver object in her hand. It was small, flat, and rectangular, with a clasp on one side.
"Are you crazy?" the man said. "It's not worth that much! Take it if you want it so badly."
Callie flipped the clasp. The top of the object sprang open. Inside, stacked neatly, was a pile of business cards. She read the top one:
SIMON LESTERMAN COMPANY
Talent Agency Film, TV, Commercials
Phone: 555-STAR
New York Bayport
Callie and Joe looked at each other numbly. Then Joe hopped off the man, his face quickly turning red with embarrassment. "We - we're so sorry, sir. Please forgive us. We thought you were a — a murderer."
The man sat up, his face puckered with anger and confusion. Long, thin strands of black hair hung down around his collar. "Murderer? Are you out of your — " As he put the silver case back in his jacket pocket, he stopped. He glanced down at his hand. Slowly he pulled the case back out. A trace of a smirk began to form on his face.
"I see—" he said slowly. "You thought my card case was a gun!" A low chuckle began to form in his throat. Nervously, Callie and Joe laughed along with him.
One by one, everyone at the table joined in laughing, as a confused busboy rushed over to clean up the damage.
"What a team, huh?" Joe said, catching his breath. "Let's check out that busboy — I think he has a bazooka!"
The busboy scrambled into the kitchen and Callie and Joe sank into their seats.
"You see, sir, Tessa Carpenter is with us," Frank explained to the man, "and there are so many — "
"Kooks after her," the man said with a toothy grin. "I understand I've been reading the papers. Ordinarily I'd press charges, but these are special circumstances." He pulled his card case out again. "As a matter of fact, Tessa is the person I want to see."
He held out a card to her. "My name's Simon Lesterman. Talent agent. I represent Tyrone Grant. To be blunt, you're hot, Tessa. I mean that in a commercial sense. Just look at the way those people flocked after you. You've got the looks, the charm, the exotic background. You could make it big in films or TV."
Tessa looked at him with disbelief. "Is that why you interrupted our dinner? You just want to use my fame to make yourself a little money, don't you?"
"You wouldn't do badly yourself, sweetheart."
"Sweetheart?" Tessa fumed.
Lesterman shook his head with admiration and said, "Look at that. You're even gorgeous when you're mad!"
"Get him out of here!" Tessa muttered to Frank.
"All right, sir," Frank said. "We're all very tired now. Sorry for the confusion, but I think it's best Tessa's left alone now, okay?"
"Sure thing, young man," Lesterman said. Then he turned back to Tessa. "In case you want to talk, my number's on the card."
Smoothing his hair back into place, he walked out of the restaurant.
"Imagine the nerve of him," Tessa snapped. 'Trying to leech onto me like that." She looked scornfully at Joe and Callie. "Thanks for saving - my life from that dangerous murderer. I haven't laughed that hard since before this whole thing started."
Callie bit back the angry retort that was on the tip of her tongue. Tessa Carpenter made her furious. Tessa had been the one to shout "It's a gun!" even though Joe and she had been the ones to tackle Lesterman. And despite Tessa's big show of disgust at Lesterman's offer, Callie could see a glimmer in her eyes. The excited glimmer of someone who had just been flattered. She could easily tell that Tessa was thinking about TV fame.
Tessa put Lesterman's card in her pocketbook and looked around the room. "Check, please!" she called out to their waitress.
Frank leaned forward, finally able to ask a question that had been nagging at him. "Tessa, when you left the house today, did you know where the dagger was?" "Of course," Tessa answered. "In the parlor." Frank and Joe looked at each other. Dr. Lansdale and Harley exchanged a worried glance. "Uh — I think we have a new problem here," Joe added. "What now?" Tessa said. "The dagger is missing, and so is Ruppenthal." Callie's eyes widened, and Tessa gasped. "This gets worse and worse!" Tessa said, burying her head in her hands. "Do you think he took it?"
"We're not sure," Frank said. "But don't worry, we'll find it."
"This dagger has caused me so much pain," Tessa moaned. "I'm sick of the whole situation — as soon as you get the stupid thing back, I'm going to auction it off!" She stood up from the table and walked toward the door.
Dr. Lansdale paid the bill, and they all went out to the cars.
"Please, won't you all come home with me?" Tessa pleaded. "I feel so keyed up and scared."
"I'll drive you," Harley said, putting an arm around her. He led her to the Lamborghini. "One of you can take my car."
They left the diner together — Frank in the van, Callie in her car, Harley and Tessa in the Lamborghini, and Joe and Dr. Lansdale in Harley's car.
The Lamborghini led the way—slowly, cautiously.
"All of a sudden Harley's a model driver," Frank said to himself.
Suddenly Harley's brake lights flashed. "What's he doing now?" Frank asked. "Oh, stopping for gas."
The Lamborghini slowed down and made a right turn into a gas station. The other three cars pulled over beside the curb.
Harley drove up right behind a white station wagon full of boxes and suitcases. With his back to the Lamborghini, a man was gassing up the station wagon. When he finished, he held the hose in one hand and fumbled around in his pockets with the other. Out came a set of keys and a matchbook—but no money. The man scratched his head, then opened his front door.
Honk! "Come on, move it up, will you?" Harley shouted. Annoyed, the man turned around.
"Hey, hold your hor — "
The face was instantly familiar.
Ruppenthal.
Immediately six doors slammed as everyone got out of a door.
"Stand back!" Ruppenthal screamed, a look of blind panic covering his face.
"Hello, Mr. Ruppenthal," Frank said. "You know, you're just the guy we want to see — "
"I'm warning you, don't take another step — anybody!" Ruppenthal said, holding the gas nozzle as if it were a gun. He looked at Tessa with savage eyes. "You couldn't give me a chance, could you? You couldn't at least wait until the day ended!"
Overcome with his own fury, Ruppenthal took two steps toward the Lamborghini and pressed the handle on the nozzle. A stream of clear gasoline splashed all over the car's hood. He squirted a trail of it along the ground up to his own car door.
Tessa and Harley shielded themselves and ducked away. "What are you doing, you fool?" Harley asked.
"We'll see who's the fool," Ruppenthal replied, dropping the hose onto the ground. He reached into his pocket and took out the book of matches. "All my life I've worked hard, lived by the rules. But you've changed me, Tessa Carpenter. You've turned me into a monster — a monster as ruthless as you are."
With a frantic ripping motion, he lit a match and held it poised over the gas-soaked car.
"Murderers!" Ruppenthal snarled, as Harley and Tessa backed away. "Now toss me the keys to your cars — all of you — or I'll blow you sky-high!"
"Has he lost his mind?" Callie whispered to Frank.
"I don't know," answered Frank. "But I don't think I want to ask him just now."
Quickly, Frank, Harley, Callie, and Joe reached into the cars, pulled out the keys, and tossed them onto the ground in front of Ruppenthal.
"Yeouch!" Ruppenthal cried as the match burned to his fingers. He threw it away from the car—and Joe sprinted toward him.
But instantly Ruppenthal lit another. "Back off," Ruppenthal said, with a maniacal grin. "It's not so easy. Thought I'd be a pushover, didn't you? Now, turn your backs."
Slowly, everyone obeyed him. Still holding the lit match, Ruppenthal climbed into his car. "Count to ten thousand, backward—and let me hear it!"
As they all started to mumble, Ruppenthal blew out the match and sped off, his tires screaming.
As soon as he heard that, Frank ran to the open door of the van. He jumped into the front seat and reached for a cigarette lighter next to the steering wheel. He pushed it in three times and then turned it twice to the right. With a jangling sound, a set of keys popped out.
He revved up the engine. "Callie, do you have extra keys?"
She shook her head no. "But my mom will bring me a set."
"Good. Drive everyone home. I'm going to get Ruppenthal."
He slammed the van into gear, made a noisy U-turn, and roared off into the street.
Looking left and right, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the white station wagon.
Suddenly Frank noticed something in the passenger-side mirror. A person—hanging on to the door for dear life.
He slowed down and stopped in the middle of the road. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted.
Tessa's face popped into the window. "That was so exciting! I have always wanted to try that!"
"What, ride holding on to a van going sixty miles an hour?"
Tessa nodded, grinning.
"You must like to put your life in danger!" Frank shook his head. "Come on, get in — we're wasting time!"
She plopped into the front seat and Frank resumed the chase. He went to the end of the street, where it branched off to the center of town. He drove in the opposite direction, toward the parkway entrance. There he saw a line of cars, waiting to get on.
None of them was the white station wagon.
"We've lost him," said Frank. "He could be anywhere by now."
He spun back through the streets of Bayport, again seeing no sign of Ruppenthal. Dejected, he headed back toward the Carpenter mansion.'
"That was fantastic, Frank! I felt like I was in a movie!"
"Yeah," said Frank dryly "with one exception. Most movies have happy endings."
"Don't worry, maybe he's on his way to flee the country—and good riddance!"
"Tessa, what was he saying about 'waiting till the end of the day'?"
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, how bizarre! Imagine him calling me a murderer! I think this whole thing has cracked the poor man's mind!"
Soon they were climbing up the driveway to the mansion. Frank flicked the ignition off sharply as he parked the van.
"Easy, Frank," said Tessa in a soothing voice. "I think you need to relax a bit."
"Uh — okay! Let's go inside and wait for the others!" Frank said and quickly slid out the door.
Tessa followed him into the mansion. He went straight into the sitting room and paced around.
"Well!" he said. "I have to admit, nothing seems to fit in this case. If Ruppenthal took the dagger, then — "
Tessa sidled up next to Frank and gently put her finger on his lips. "Shh," she whispered.. "Let's forget about the case for a moment, okay?"
Frank took her hand and led her to the couch. Together they sat down. "I'm sorry, Tessa, I don't mean to hurt your feelings—but you know that Callie is my girlfriend. We're very happy together. This — what you're doing is not right."
"How can you say that, Frank? You're not married to her!"
"Tessa, don't you feel funny about all this? I mean, betraying Harley behind his back — "
Tessa looked shocked and hurt. "Harley has meant nothing to me — absolutely nothing, from the instant I met you, Frank. I can't help it!" For the first time, she moved her eyes away from Frank. "I — I love you."
Frank sank back in the couch. He watched the glistening outline of a tear form in Tessa's eye.
"I don't know what to say," he whispered.
Tessa wiped her eyes and sat up straight, a brave smile etched across her face. "Well," she said, "that's that, I guess." She fanned herself with her right hand and looked at the window.
"Imagine that," she continued. "We've been sitting here the whole time with the window shut. This room sure could use some air."
"Yes! Good idea!" Frank stood up and reached over Tessa for the front window behind the sofa. He gave a yank, but the window held fast. "Must be locked or something."
Tessa looked up from beneath him. "Oh, there's a special pin you have to pull. Here, let me help you." She reached up toward the center of the window as Frank continued to struggle.
The pin was just beyond her reach. She stood-up, the back of her head practically brushing against Frank's face. There was a moment of tense stillness as Tessa tried to move the pin. Then, with a sudden movement, Tessa spun around and planted a kiss on Frank's lips.
At that exact instant the room was lit by the headlights of an oncoming car.
Frank and Tessa sprang away from each other. The sounds of slamming car doors burst the silence.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" "Harley," Tessa muttered. "Perfect timing." "Frank, is that you?"
"And Callie," Frank moaned. "We're both in luck."
The front door crashed open as Harley, Callie, and Joe entered the mansion. They had dropped the doctor off at home.
Harley's hulking form loomed in the doorway. Behind him stood Callie with a confused expression on her face. "You got what you wanted, didn't you, Tessa?" Harley shouted. "I've been in this with you all the way, risking my neck — "
"Harley, don't!" Tessa said. "And now you think you can just toss me away like an old piece of clothing that you grew tired of!" Harley rushed forward, glaring at her with blazing eyes. "I've had enough," he growled. Then a deep laugh slowly welled up from within him.