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

"Ummmmffff . . . ggmmmrnmrrrrrr . . . nnnuuuhhhh . . ."

The pistol poked harder into his ribs.

"I won't tell you again, boy!"

"Ummmmffff . . . mmmmmdddd . . . mmmmssssstttt . . ."

The man beside him laughed again. "He's a regular stubborn case just like his dad, isn't he, Fred? High and mighty, too, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Maybe we better quiet him down, Walt," the other man said from the front seat.

"Only if we must. I don't much take to carting around a sleeping fat one like him."

"Might be best, though. It's a long trip home. We want him all nice and neat when we brace the big man."

The man beside Jupiter laughed once more. "I can hardly wait to see Sir Roger's face when we tell him we've got young Ian and he better change his tune fast."

Under the bag, Jupiter slowly sat back in the car seat.

Sir Roger? Ian? Suddenly he realized what had happened--these men thought he was someone else! Someone whose father was an important man! It wasn't a kidnapping for money--it was some kind of blackmail. To make this Sir Roger, whoever he was, do something these men wanted him to do. But they had made a mistake. They had kidnapped the wrong boy! He tried to tell them.

"Ummmmfffff . . . ! Msssstttttkkkk . . . nnnnnoooo . . ."

This time the man beside him didn't poke the pistol or tell him to be quiet. The Mercedes seemed to speed up as it reached level ground below the mountains. It turned sharply, wheels squealing, and the force of the turn pushed Jupiter against the corner of the seat. Then he heard the sirens! Police cars! The wailing grew louder. Under the bag Jupiter held his breath. They would save him! . . . The sirens began to fade away behind, and were gone.

"That was a near thing!" the man beside him exclaimed.

"You think they were after us?" the driver said.

"Had to be. They were heading for the mountains. How the devil did they learn about us so fast?"

Jupiter knew at once--the telephone in the Rolls-Royce. His friends had alerted the police immediately. But the kidnappers had escaped. How would the police find him now? He had to tell the kidnappers that they had made a terrible mistake!

"Something went wrong, Walt," the driver said grimly. "Nothing else better go wrong. I won't be caught."

Under the dark bag Jupiter felt suddenly cold. Some. thing else had already gone wrong! The men had taken the wrong boy, but they didn't know that yet. Jupe couldn't tell them with the gag in his mouth. And did he want them to know their mistake after all? What would they do if they knew?

They wanted some boy named Ian as a weapon against his father, so Ian would be safe with them. But would Jupiter Jones be safe?



A police car and a sheriff's car roared down the dirt road and skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust. Chief Reynolds and the county sheriff ran up to Worthington and the boys beside the gleaming Rolls-Royce.

"Did you see them?" Bob cried.

"Did you stop them?" Pete added.

Chief Reynolds shook his head. "We blocked the highway at the first crossroad, and then came straight on here. But we didn't pass them, and they didn't come to the roadblock."