Fright Wave (9 page)

***

The next time Joe woke up it was because the sun was shining in his eyes. He sat up and squinted out the window. It looked like it was going to be another perfect day in paradise. Then he remembered they had an appointment, and suddenly the sun didn't seem so warm and bright anymore.

Al Kealoha was fast asleep in another chair. Frank was curled up on the couch, eyes shut tight. Joe shook his brother's shoulder. "Come on," he said. He grabbed Frank's wrist and checked the watch strapped to it. "It's six-thirty. We've got to roll."

The bedroom door swung open, and Jade shuffled out. "What's going on?" she asked.

Joe looked over at her. He didn't have the heart to tell her, but he didn't have the stomach to lie either. "Just give us a few more hours," he said. "Then I'll explain everything. Okay?"

She frowned. "Do I have any choice?"

"Not really," Frank mumbled as he got up from the couch. He picked up the modified remote control and the radar detector and grabbed a roll of black electrical tape off the workbench.

"Just a few more hours," Joe repeated as they headed out the door.

"Where are you going without a car?" Jade called out.

Joe gave her a sheepish grin and held up a set of car keys.

"How'd you get those?" she demanded.

"I kind of borrowed them from your purse while you were sleeping," he told her.

As the Hardys drove away in the jeep, Joe watched Jade in the rear-view mirror. She was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips. She looked beautiful. He hoped he'd get a chance to see her again. Reluctantly he shifted his gaze to the road ahead. They had a job to do, but first he had to make sure they got there in one piece.

He glanced at his brother sitting in the passenger seat next to him. "What do you think Gordon will do when he finds out we didn't bring Jade?"

"That's my problem," Frank said. He was busy wrapping electrical tape around the garage door remote control. "He's not even going to see you."

Frank wound the tape tightly over the wide button, making sure it was pressed down firmly. He kept the tape clear of the front end of the unit so it wouldn't interfere with the signal. After he was satisfied that the tape would prevent the button from popping up, he tore a few more long strips off the roll. He stuck them on the remote control unit, but he didn't wind them around it. Instead he left them dangling down like long, black spider legs.

"There's the entrance to the park," Joe said. "Are you ready?"

Frank switched on the radar detector and aimed the remote control unit at it. The red light glowed and the numbers crawled upward. He checked his watch. It was seven-fifteen. "Ready as I'll ever be," he answered grimly.

Joe drove into the empty parking lot. "There's only one thing wrong with this plan," he said.

Frank nodded. "We don't know where Gordon will park." He looked around the parking lot. On one side, it was bordered by a small, open field. On the other, there were bushes and trees crowding in close to the pavement.

Frank pointed toward the bushes. "Park over on that side."

Joe backed into a space, and they got out of the jeep. Joe walked over to the bushes. "These will give me plenty of cover - if Gordon parks on this side, too."

Frank shook his head. "Gordon won't park here. He's cautious. He'll suspect a trap." Frank gestured toward the field. "He'll pull in over there."

"But there's no place to hide over there," Joe protested.

"Sure there is," Frank replied. He pointed at a large garbage can, sitting alone in the clearing. "Right there."

Joe glanced at his brother. "Why do I always let you come up with the plans?" he muttered.

"You don't have to get in it," Frank said. "Just crouch down behind it. And don't forget this." He handed Joe the remote control wrapped in electrical tape.

Joe had barely gotten into position when a black van rolled into the parking lot. Frank checked his watch again. It was only seven-thirty. Gordon had shown up early, too.

Frank leaned against the hood of the jeep and waited. The van paused in the entrance, and then slowly angled over to the far side of the lot, next to the clearing. A faint smile passed over Frank's lips.

Pete Gordon stepped out of the van. He glanced over at Frank. Then he turned around slowly, surveying the entire area. Finally his cold gaze returned to the jeep. He took a few steps forward to get a better look. "Where's your brother?" he asked.

Joe watched the rogue FBI agent step away from the van. It was time to make his move. He edged out from behind the garbage can and darted over to the van.

Frank kept his eyes on Gordon. "He couldn't make it," he said coolly. "He had other plans."

Gordon came closer. "Where's the girl?"

Frank shrugged. "She couldn't make it, either."

Joe slid under the side of the van and slapped the remote control unit onto its underside, using the long strips of tape to hold it in place. Then he quietly sneaked back to his hiding spot.

"You just signed Kevin Roberts's death warrant," Gordon growled.

Frank looked him right in the eye. "I don't think so. If you wanted to kill him, he'd be dead already."

The agent glared at him. "I'll give you two hours to change your mind. If you're not back here with the girl by then, the old man dies."

"I don't know if I could even find her in two hours," Frank replied. "My brother took off with her. I don't know where they are."

"Six hours, then," Gordon hissed. "No more. Tell the girl. Let her decide."

He spun around and strode back to the van. He opened the door and paused. He was looking at the open field. Had he seen something? Frank couldn't tell.

Suddenly Gordon whirled around and pointed a gun right at Frank. There was a fat silencer on the end of the barrel. One side of Gordon's mouth curled up in a menacing sneer. "Sorry, kid," he called out. "I just can't trust you."

***

Back at Al Kealoha's house, Jade was sitting on the front steps, waiting for them. Her elbows were on her knees, her chin resting in her hands. Joe had hoped to keep her out of danger, but now they needed her help to save her father.

Joe got out of the jeep and walked up to her. He reached down, took her hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Come on," he said. "Let's go get your father."

Jade looked into his eyes. "Really?" she said hopefully. "You know where he is?"

Joe nodded silently.

"Let's talk about it inside," Frank said. "We're going to need Al's help, too - and anybody else's."

After Frank and Joe laid out their plan, Al got out a map of Kailua. "It's not going to be easy," he said, pointing to the cove where the mansion was located. "There's a small beach - but it's cut off by cliffs on both sides. We'll have to hit the water about a half mile away and paddle the rest of the way."

"Won't they see us coming?" Jade asked.

"That's why we need as many surfers as we can get," Frank answered.

Joe smiled. "We're just a bunch of surf punks looking for a good beach for a party."

The big Hawaiian ran his hand through his dark, curly hair. "Kind of short notice. How much time do we have?"

Frank checked his watch. "Three hours at the outside."

Kealoha frowned. "Almost everybody's up on the north shore. That's a long drive. The only person in town today is Connie. This is one of the days she works as a waitress."

Jade shook her head. "I don't want to drag Connie into this."

"You don't have any choice," a voice called out.

Frank whirled and saw Connie Lo standing in the doorway. "How did you know we were here?" he asked.

Connie shrugged. "I didn't. Nick told me everything last night. I wanted to help, and I figured Al would, too. Looks like I figured right."

Joe didn't give Jade a chance to argue. "And you're just in time for a little surprise beach party," he said to Connie. "Come on in. We were just about to get out the paper hats and the noisemakers."

***

On a lonely stretch of windswept beach, they unloaded five surfboards from Jade's jeep and Connie's car. Joe glanced over at Frank and grinned.

Frank shot him a look. "What are you smirking about?"

"I was just thinking," Joe said, his grin widening.

"None of those old beach movies was ever anything like this."

"Yeah," Frank replied. "The stars never did any real surfing."

"Just follow my lead," Jade said, "and don't try anything fancy."

"You mean I don't get to hang ten?" Joe said in mock disappointment.

"Get with the program," Connie said. "Nobody does that anymore."

They waded out into the water and paddled the surfboards out past a rocky point. On the other side of the point, Joe spotted the mansion nestled in the small cove. He let out a sigh of relief - the beach was deserted. There wasn't a guard or video camera in sight.

Jade paddled over next to him. "Ready to ride your first wave?" she asked.

"Sure," Joe said. "Do we get to shoot the tube?"

"You don't even get to do a bottom turn," she answered. "Just wait for the wave and ride it straight in. I'll be right next to you all the way."

Joe could see Frank between the other two surfers. He guessed his brother was probably getting the same instructions.

"Get ready," Jade said. She pointed the board toward the shore. Joe did the same. He glanced over at her. She was intently watching the ocean behind them. "When I give the word," she said, "start paddling like crazy."

Joe could feel the water swelling up under the surfboard.

"Now!" Jade shouted. Her hands splashed into the water, and she shot ahead of him.

Joe felt the building wave rolling in beneath him. He suddenly realized that it was going to roll right on by him unless he got moving. He put on a burst of speed, his arms windmilling through the water. He managed to catch up with Jade just as she stopped paddling.

The next moment she was on her feet. "Come on," she urged. "This is it!"

The wave was just starting to crest as Joe tried to stand. He almost lost his balance, his arms waving around crazily. But then he remembered what Jade had said on that first day. Get the feet of it, he reminded himself. He stopped trying to fight the surfboard. He loosened up and let his body flow with it. He was surfing.

His growing smile of satisfaction froze on his lips when he looked toward shore, though. A man ran out of the mansion toward the beach. In one hand he had what looked like a walkie-talkie.

If he had any doubts about what the guy held in his other hand, they were shattered by the sharp crack of gunfire.