LIGHTNING-QUICK reflexes took over. Without thinking, he flung his cup at the masked man. Citrus punch flew between the eye slits of his ski mask.
"Arrgghhh!" the man cried, temporarily blinded. As he drew his hands to his face, Frank and Joe took off.
Halfway across the courtyard, Frank stopped short. "Wait a minute, Joe," he said.
"What are you doing?" Joe demanded. "Let's get to Mansfield before this guy makes Swiss cheese out of us!"
"No. Come here!" Frank pulled his brother into the middle of the courtyard, toward the statue of George Howe Chartwell. They ducked behind the pedestal of the statue just as the masked man came out behind the back of Van Cott Hall.
In the darkness Frank and Joe could only see his silhouette, but they could tell that he was looking for them. They couldn't tell who he was when he took off his ski mask and trotted off toward Mansfield Hall.
"Just as I thought," said Frank. "He knows where I live. We can't go back there now. Who knows? He may even have a key!"
"You've got a point," Joe said. "But what's our next step?"
"Follow me." Frank led Joe back into Van Cott Hall. The party was just then starting to break up. Dozens of students milled around in the dorm's large front foyer. Frank and Joe plunged into the crowd.
"How can you think of partying at a time like this?" asked Joe, baffled.
"Just stay with me," Frank answered. "This is perfect; the foyer is too crowded for the guard to pay attention to us."
Frank kept an eye on the guard as more and more students filed into the foyer from the party. Then, as soon as the guard turned his back to talk to someone, Frank and Joe darted up the stairs toward the rooms.
"This is a girls' dorm," explained Frank. "They don't allow male visitors this late. That's why we had to sneak."
"Hmm, I suppose you're used to this sort of thing by now," said Joe slyly as they walked down the second-floor hallway. Frank gave Joe a playful slap on the head and walked up to room 21.
He rapped softly on the door. There was no answer. Then he knocked a little louder.
"Who is it?" called a voice from inside.
"It's me, Sarah — Frank."
Sarah opened the door with a look of astonishment on her face. "How did you get up here?" she asked. Then she saw Joe. "Who's he?"
"Sarah, this is my brother, Joe." He grinned. "Don't mind the blond roots."
Joe turned red as he shook Sarah's hand, embarrassed. "It's supposed to wash out," he mumbled.
"Come on in," Sarah said, with concern in her voice. "My roommates are still at the dance. I was just doing some homework. Is something wrong?"
"It's a long story!" said Frank. "Can we use your phone?"
"Of course. You're not in danger, are you, Frank?"
"If you consider being chased by an armed wacko through the campus 'danger,' yes!" said Joe.
Sarah looked fearful as Frank made his call. "Hello, Dad? You've got to get over here, I think we've got the computer thieves—in action! It's Ives Hall, room C-forty-two. Got it? ... As soon as you can get here—with police! We're heading over there right now! 'Bye!"
"Can you be on call in case we need you for anything, Sarah?" Frank asked. "We're on the brink of breaking this!"
"You know you can," she answered. "But why don't you wait till your father gets here?"
"Too long," said Joe. "The thieves may be done by that time. We should only need him for the clean-up."
With that, Frank and Joe ran down the stairs, sneaked back into the foyer crowd, and walked out the front door.
They looked all around the courtyard. There were no suspicious shadows. They tiptoed around to the back of Van Cott. No one was there.
Then, as fast as they could, they ran past Mansfield to its neighboring dorm, Ives Hall.
Ives was spooky looking, with tall, gabled roofs and narrow windows. Its deep red brick had become almost black with age, and there was a creaky wooden porch along the front of the building.
"This looks like a haunted house," said Joe. "And what are we going to tell this
"Arrgghhh!" the man cried, temporarily blinded. As he drew his hands to his face, Frank and Joe took off.
Halfway across the courtyard, Frank stopped short. "Wait a minute, Joe," he said.
"What are you doing?" Joe demanded. "Let's get to Mansfield before this guy makes Swiss cheese out of us!"
"No. Come here!" Frank pulled his brother into the middle of the courtyard, toward the statue of George Howe Chartwell. They ducked behind the pedestal of the statue just as the masked man came out behind the back of Van Cott Hall.
In the darkness Frank and Joe could only see his silhouette, but they could tell that he was looking for them. They couldn't tell who he was when he took off his ski mask and trotted off toward Mansfield Hall.
"Just as I thought," said Frank. "He knows where I live. We can't go back there now. Who knows? He may even have a key!"
"You've got a point," Joe said. "But what's our next step?"
"Follow me." Frank led Joe back into Van Cott Hall. The party was just then starting to break up. Dozens of students milled around in the dorm's large front foyer. Frank and Joe plunged into the crowd.
"How can you think of partying at a time like this?" asked Joe, baffled.
"Just stay with me," Frank answered. "This is perfect; the foyer is too crowded for the guard to pay attention to us."
Frank kept an eye on the guard as more and more students filed into the foyer from the party. Then, as soon as the guard turned his back to talk to someone, Frank and Joe darted up the stairs toward the rooms.
"This is a girls' dorm," explained Frank. "They don't allow male visitors this late. That's why we had to sneak."
"Hmm, I suppose you're used to this sort of thing by now," said Joe slyly as they walked down the second-floor hallway. Frank gave Joe a playful slap on the head and walked up to room 21.
He rapped softly on the door. There was no answer. Then he knocked a little louder.
"Who is it?" called a voice from inside.
"It's me, Sarah — Frank."
Sarah opened the door with a look of astonishment on her face. "How did you get up here?" she asked. Then she saw Joe. "Who's he?"
"Sarah, this is my brother, Joe." He grinned. "Don't mind the blond roots."
Joe turned red as he shook Sarah's hand, embarrassed. "It's supposed to wash out," he mumbled.
"Come on in," Sarah said, with concern in her voice. "My roommates are still at the dance. I was just doing some homework. Is something wrong?"
"It's a long story!" said Frank. "Can we use your phone?"
"Of course. You're not in danger, are you, Frank?"
"If you consider being chased by an armed wacko through the campus 'danger,' yes!" said Joe.
Sarah looked fearful as Frank made his call. "Hello, Dad? You've got to get over here, I think we've got the computer thieves—in action! It's Ives Hall, room C-forty-two. Got it? ... As soon as you can get here—with police! We're heading over there right now! 'Bye!"
"Can you be on call in case we need you for anything, Sarah?" Frank asked. "We're on the brink of breaking this!"
"You know you can," she answered. "But why don't you wait till your father gets here?"
"Too long," said Joe. "The thieves may be done by that time. We should only need him for the clean-up."
With that, Frank and Joe ran down the stairs, sneaked back into the foyer crowd, and walked out the front door.
They looked all around the courtyard. There were no suspicious shadows. They tiptoed around to the back of Van Cott. No one was there.
Then, as fast as they could, they ran past Mansfield to its neighboring dorm, Ives Hall.
Ives was spooky looking, with tall, gabled roofs and narrow windows. Its deep red brick had become almost black with age, and there was a creaky wooden porch along the front of the building.
"This looks like a haunted house," said Joe. "And what are we going to tell this
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