newsstand. They found an isolated grouping of chairs and sat down to read.
Soon they were engrossed in their magazines. There was a rustle in the chair next to Frank but the boy did not look up. He was turning a page when a gruff voice said:
âHello, brats!â
Startled, Frank discovered Mug sitting beside him! A quick glance revealed that Joe was flanked by Baby Face. Joe started to move, but Frank waved him back, realizing that if Mug and Baby Face were confronting them in the open, the two thugs must have a pretty good trick up their sleeves.
âThatâs good thinkinâ,â Mug said. âYou guys donât want to make a scene here.â
âYeah,â Baby Face gloated. âGet up nice and quiet and take a little walk to our car.â
âWhy?â Frankâs voice was cool.
âOne, so your old man with his dopey dyed hair and his fake tattoo wonât get hurtâand two, so your fat buddy stays just as healthy as when you dropped him off at Seamenâs Haven.â
âYou see,â Mug said with a sardonic smile, âour men are holding both of them. If anything happens to us, or if we donât come back with you two, then nobodyâll see Daddy and Fatso again!â
CHAPTER XV
Tattling Tattoos
âNow, I want you to walk real slow and calm between me and Baby Face. Remember, any funny business and youâll be responsible for what happens.â Mug stood up. âCome on.â
Frank and Joe left their chairs and began walking with Mug and Baby Face toward the exit.
âYouâre going to pay for this,â Joe said through clenched teeth.
âWrong!â Mug answered. âWeâre going to get paid for this.â
âThatâs for certain,â Frank said. âBut not the way you expect.â
âShut up!â Mug growled. âYou guys have been a pain in the neck long enough and I donât want to hear no more out of you.â
The two thugs directed the boys through the parking lot to a large green sedan. Baby Face opened the door in the rear and told Frank to get in. Baby Face followed the dark-haired youth, then ordered Joe to enter.
Mug went around the other side of the car and slid in behind the wheel. The big man lit a cigarette and stared idly out the window, smoking, as Baby Face quickly bound Frankâs and Joeâs wrists and ankles with stout rope.
âOn the floor!â he said when he had finished. âQuick, move!â He pushed the boys down and threw a blanket over them. âOkay, Mug. Letâs go!â
The car started off with Frank and Joe cramped, hot, and uncomfortable. âWe really botched this one,â Joe whispered. âWe should have slugged it out with them right in the terminal.â
âYou know we couldnât, Joe.â
âI guess youâre right. But what if it was just a ruse? What if Dad and Chet are really all right?â
A shoe slammed down on Frankâs back. âShut up, you punks!â Baby Face grumbled.
âAw, let âem talk,â Mug said. âIt ainât gonna hurt nothinâ. Besides, they wonât be talkinâ much longer!â
Baby Face seemed to find this statement hilarious. His laughter sounded like a high-pitched whinny.
âFrank,â Joe said desperately, âif we donât think of something quick, weâre going to end up on the bottom of a river!â
From the sounds of traffic, Frank guessed they were on an expressway. Mug drove at a steady speed for some ten minutes.
âThereâs the turnoff on the right,â Baby Face said.
The car veered and a few moments later the sound of heavy traffic had been left behind. âThat country roadâs only two miles from here, Mug,â Baby Face directed. âWatch for an old scarred oak tree.â
Frank and Joe had scraped their wrists raw trying to loosen their bonds, but to no avail.
âHere we are,â Mug announced.
Quintin Jardine
N Taylor
Kendra Elliot
Anita Brookner
H. Paul Jeffers
Lucy V. Morgan
L.A. Cotton, Jenny Siegel
Shelia Dansby Harvey
Peter Helton
Margaret Peterson Haddix