"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 111 - Three-Ring Terror" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)

"You'll have to ask him,"" Justine retorted, stamping the ground with her foot. "But you'd better give the ball back to me," she insisted, holding her hand out. "I'm supposed to meet Carl in ten minutes in the animal room."
"Let's go find Nash," Frank said to his brother. "We can ask him ourselves what's going on."
"I know one thing," Joe said. "He's in this up to his neck."
While Joe's attention was on his brother, Justine grabbed the ball from his hands. "That's mine," she said, pulling her hands away when Joe reached to get it back. With that, she headed off at a brisk walk in the direction of the animal room.
Joe followed a distance behind with Frank beside him. "We can't let Nash get that ball," Joe said. "There's probably another message inside."
Frank reached up to scratch under his wig. "We're going to have to nab Nash before he can get his hands on it."
Joe kept his eyes on Justine in front of them. They were walking toward the animal room. He wanted to make sure Justine didn't pass the ball to Nash before he and Frank could stop her.
"I think Justine knows we're following her," Frank whispered to Joe. "Maybe I'm wrong and she's not involved in whatever's going on between Nash and Rosen. Maybe she's not worried we're following her because she has nothing to hide."
"But then why did Rosen pick her to pass the ball to Nash?" Joe whispered back.
"I don't know," Frank admitted, as he steered clear of an animal trainer leading a seal on a leash. The smell of animals was overpowering now. The Hardys saw Justine enter the huge room.
"Nash trusts her," Frank said. "Maybe that's enough explanation. Nash must have told Rosen to expect Justine. Why else would the guy have passed the ball to her?"
They looked into the room and saw Carl Nash. The trapeze student was standing by a lion's cage, and he had a big smile on his face.
"Justine," he drawled, opening his arms. "I've been waiting for you."
Justine ran up to him, handed him the ball, and the two embraced. Nash lifted his head to say something to Justine. Then he spotted Frank and Joe, and his smile faded. Even in their clown disguises, Nash must have known who they were.
"Hey, you guys," Nash said nervously. "Great getup." He forced a smile and pushed Justine away. Joe noticed that Nash glanced hastily off to the side. Unless he was wrong, the trapeze student was looking for an escape route.
"Nice to see you, too, Carl," Frank said. "We found Justine waiting in the hall by clown alley. She said you two were meeting up."
"Oh?" Nash gave Justine a questioning look.
"These guys asked me all kinds of questions about the man who gave me that ball," Justine told Nash. "I said if they wanted answers, they should ask you. I told them I was just doing you a favor."
The glare that Nash gave Justine was unmistakable. Joe could tell that he was trying to control his anger. Then his face relaxed and he gave Justine a smile.
"Thanks, hon," Nash said. "I know I can always count on you." He leaned against the lion's cage and continued to smile at Justine. The lion inside the cage stood up and let out a small roar. Nash glanced at the lion and casually backed away from the cage.
Then, with a lightning movement, Nash dashed past Frank and Joe, in the direction of the doorway. Frank reacted swiftly, sticking out his leg to trip Nash. The trapeze student went flying to the ground in front of the lion's cage. This time, the lion let out an even louder roar. As Nash fell, the ball flew out of his hands into the air.
Joe watched in horror as the juggler's ball flew through the bars and landed right in the lion's cage.
Chapter 13
Into the Lion’s Den
While Joe's eyes were still on the ball that was lying inside the lion's cage, Nash jumped ,up and delivered a sharp blow to his jaw.
Joe sank to his knees, dizzy from the punch. The polka dots on his costume swam in front of his eyes. He held his head for a moment, and heard Frank call out his name.
"Get up, Joe!" Frank cried. ''Help me out."
Joe opened his eyes to see Frank wrestling with Nash on the sawdust-covered floor. Nash was on top and had Frank pinned. The circus performance had started, and there was no one else in the area to stop the fight.
Joe raced over to Frank and pulled Nash off his brother. Then he drew back his fist and hit Nash hard in the stomach. Nash bent over, holding his middle, then slowly sank to the floor beside the lion's cage.
Justine rushed over and fell on her knees in front of him. Nash used her support to stand up. The trapeze student stood rubbing his chin. "You guys are good," he said, nodding thoughtfully at Frank and Joe. "Too good, in fact."
With that, Nash lashed out at Joe, punching him in the face. As Joe went down, Nash karate-kicked Frank in the stomach, and Frank fell in a heap next to Joe.
Joe tried to stand up, but Nash's second punch had made his ears ring. His wig had gotten knocked off and was lying on the ground next to him. Finally, Joe's head stopped throbbing, and he was able to get to his feet.
Frank got to his feet slowly. His costume was covered with sawdust, his wig was sideways on his head, and he was clutching his stomach. Justine hurried over to him and asked him if he was okay. Frank nodded, his pain making it difficult to speak.
"Did you see which way he went?" Joe asked Justine. Justine shook her head silently and swallowed a few times.
"He's gone by now," Frank said, looking toward the doorway. "And if I'm right, he's not coming back either," he added in disgust.
Joe nodded. "He's probably running off right now with his buddy, Ralph Rosen."
"I'm telling you, you've got it all wrong," Justine insisted. "I know Carl Nash, and he's no criminal."
"So why'd he take us out like that?" Joe asked. "Innocent people don't just go around punching out other guys. Come on, Justine. Carl Nash is involved in something dishonest and dangerous. Why don't you tell us .what it is?"
Frank shot his brother a warning look, as if to remind him to go easy on the girl. Justine gave Joe a steely, look. "I've told you everything I know. I'm going to find ah animal trainer to get that ball out of there," she said, pointing to the lion's cage, where the lion had started sniffing at the ball that had landed there. "Then you'll see that there's nothing suspicious going on."
"You're saying that's just an ordinary juggler's ball Rosen wanted your friend Carl to have?" Joe asked.
Justine glared at Joe and turned to speak to Frank. "I'll be back." With that, she strode out of the room.
Frank turned to his brother and made a face. "You sure do have a way with women," he said sarcastically. "Nice work, Joe."
Joe kicked at the sawdust on the ground with his foot. Frank was right. He had been a little harsh with Justine, but only because he was getting frustrated by all the dead ends. "She's got to know something," Joe insisted. "Nash is a close buddy of hers. He sent her to get the ball from Rosen, then tried to take off when we showed up."
"But Justine stayed behind after Nash finally left," Frank reminded his brother. "She didn't take off with him."
Joe realized Frank had a point. "You really think she doesn't know anything?"
"I don't know," Frank said. He rubbed his sore stomach. "She doesn't seem to."
"But her initials are on the list," Joe insisted.
"So are Georgianne Unger's," Frank said.
Joe looked inside the lion's cage. The lion had started nibbling at the ball. "All this is speculation until we find out if there's another message in that ball," Joe said. "And if there is, we've got to get it before that big cat does."
The lion yawned and shook his mane. Then he put his paws on the ball and started biting at it in earnest. Frank grabbed a whip that was hanging on a hook attached to the cage. Then he stepped near to the cage.