"Arden, William - The Three Investigators 28 - The Mystery of the Deadly Double" - читать интересную книгу автора (Arden William)

"Get the bags, Fred."

Jupiter breathed a little more easily. He was safe for the moment. He glanced quickly around. They were at the side of another dirt road, deep among live oaks and thick chaparral, close to the mountains. Nothing was familiar or unfamiliar. They could be anywhere in the back country within a hundred miles of Rocky Beach!

"All right, boy, move," the driver said. "That way."

He was a taller and thinner man than Walt, with dark hair and small eyes sunk deep in weather creases, but he had the same deep sunburn. Apparently both men came from a country where the sun was fierce and constant.

They walked on the grass alongside the road for no more than fifty yards, and turned straight towards the mountains. Jupiter could see no path--only the dense, almost impenetrable brush.

"You go first, Fred, set the pace." Walt said. "You've got the bags."

The driver nodded set the bags down and pulled aside a thick bush to reveal the entry to a narrow trail. He pushed the two bags through and vanished into the chaparral.

"You next, boy," Walt ordered.

Jupiter searched for the right bush, pulled it aside, and started through. The tough chaparral suddenly slipped out of his grasp. He threw up his hands to protect his face from the thorny branches, jumped back and flopped sprawling outside the entrance to the hidden trail. Walt grabbed him and hauled him up, pushing him ahead through the chaparral with a curse.

"Watch that, boy, I might get nervous!"

Jupiter gulped, and hurried along the narrow trail. Walt was close behind with his pistol. The tangled brush closed again, leaving no sign of the hidden path.

Hurrying after the driver, Jupiter failed to see a treacherous root, caught his foot, and sprawled on the ground. He lay panting for a moment, but managed to scramble up before Walt reached him.

The two kidnappers walked rapidly through the dense brush as if they had been there before and knew just where they were going. Jupiter tried to keep pace on the barely visible path, but stumbled and fell twice more before he was pushed out into a narrow box canyon deep in the shadow of the mountains.

A small stone cabin stood close under the towering cliff walls of the canyon. The kidnappers unlocked the cabin door, shoved Jupiter inside, and closed the door.

Alone in the cabin, Jupiter heard the door lock behind him.



At police headquarters, Bob, Pete, Uncle Titus, and Aunt Mathilda sat on a bench against the wall.

"If only we'd taken our emergency signals," Pete moaned.

"They're being repaired, remember?" Bob said. "But Jupe will think of some way to get in touch with us, Second."

Aunt Mathilda glared at the sheriff and Chief Reynolds.

"Are we going to sit around here all day?" she demanded. "Those kidnappers aren't going to just walk in and give up!"

Chief Reynolds shook his head. "We have every area of the town and county covered, Mrs Jones, and chasing shadows won't help. In a kidnapping all efforts must be co-ordinated.

"Every police department in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona has been alerted," the sheriff added. "The FBI has been contacted, and so have the Mexican authorities. The licence number of the Mercedes is on the teletype to all the police, and to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

"A team of laboratory experts has gone back to the scene of the abduction to search again," Chief Reynolds said. "We can't do more until we have a lead."

"Then there's nothing to stop you from going out and doing some work yourselves!" Aunt Mathilda declared.