Free The Number File by Franklin W. Dixon

that she's about a sixty-four-footer."
    "We must be headed to the U.S. mainland, though," Joe figured.
    "Quite right, boys! ' Mickey had opened the door just in time to catch Joe's remark. "But you won't see the mainland again. We have a scientific project in mind for you. You're going to get a firsthand look at how things—and people — disappear in the Bermuda Triangle!" Mickey let out a sinister laugh as he gave the brothers time to understand what he meant.
    Joe hated Croaker, but he liked Mickey even less. He slowly started to move away from Frank. Maybe while Mickey's attention was centered on one of the brothers, the other could somehow overcome him.
    A revolver appeared in Mickey's hand. "You keep moving like that," he said to Joe, "and you're never going to hear the end of my story."
    Joe froze while Mickey continued. "You've caused us a lot of trouble. We even had to send a diver down to fetch your camera from that MG, in case you happened to get a picture of the boat. And we got a bonus — the life preserver! I didn't even know that was missing."
    He grinned at them nastily. "Too bad you didn't hold on to it. You'd find it handy where you're going. Before we rendezvous tomorrow with some friends, we're dumping you overboard. This time we'll know there's no chance you'll show up again. And without any bodies, the police can't be sure of a crime." His laugh echoed off the bare walls. "And the final joke is that we'll buy a couple of thousand dollars' worth of merchandise in your names with your credit cards before anybody even knows you're missing!"
    He looked crazed as he backed out of the room and stopped suddenly in the doorway. "I almost forgot. They say bad things happen in threes. Well, tomorrow by this time there'll be three of you sharing an ocean grave."
    The sound of the slamming door echoed throughout the room until it was finally muted by the sound of rushing water outside the bulkhead. Joe and Frank looked at each other without speaking. There was one light in the dim room — a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling attached to a long cord plugged into the far wall. There wasn't much they could use to escape and overcome their captors.
    Frank was the first to break the silence. "Who do you suppose the other person is?"
    Joe's face was tight. "Think about it. Who else do we know who's working on this case?
    Montague!"
    As if on cue, the door opened again, and someone was shoved into the room. "Company!" a voice yelled out. Frank and Joe watched as the person stumbled into the light.
    "Alicia!" they shouted simultaneously. Joe rushed up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Her eyes were red, her face pale, but she didn't seem to be hurt. "Did they — "
    "I'm fine," she interrupted. Her smile assured the brothers that she was okay.
    "What happened? How did you get here?" Frank asked.
    "After you left, I started wondering about the phone line. At first I thought maybe it had been cut to trap us in the house. Then I wondered if Kruger's plan was to get both of you out of the house.
    "You couldn't go very fast on those bikes. I decided to follow you in the car in case you needed to get away quickly. Dad said he'd wait at home in case something happened and we missed one another.
    "I practically rammed into that black BMW you had told me about, and then I saw your bikes. But I didn't see either of you. I tried to turn around, but before I could get out of there, the passenger door swung open, and this big guy turned off the ignition key and grabbed me.
    "They forced me into their car and asked me a lot of questions. I didn't say anything, so then they took me with them. They questioned me topside, and when I wouldn't tell them anything again, they brought me down here."
    "I'm glad to see you, but I'm unhappy that you're here," Joe burst out. "Does that make any sense?"
    Alicia grinned. "I understand."
    "They didn't try any rough stuff?" Frank asked in a soft, concerned voice.
    "No — they didn't even