Free Fright Wave by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

you come all the way back here?" Frank asked. "Why not just head for the nearest police station?"
    Doyle snorted. "Because he was the police. He flashed an FBI badge at me before he started asking questions."
    "FBI?" Joe echoed. "What did he look like?"
    The pilot shrugged his shoulders. "He looked like a fed."
    "That's it?" Frank prodded. "No distinguishing marks?"
    "Oh, yeah," Doyle said. "He had a scar over his left eye. Do you know him?"
    "We ran into him once before," Joe replied.
    "I have a bad feeling we'll tangle with him again before this is over," Frank said grimly.
    He glanced around the inside of the helicopter. Other than the bullet hole in the windshield, there were no signs of damage. "Will this thing still fly?" he asked.
    Doyle chuckled. "I got here, didn't I?"
    "Just barely," Frank noted. 'The tail rotor controls are kind of stiff," Doyle admitted. "He must have hit one of the cables. But it's nothing I can't handle."
    Frank turned to his brother. "Get Jade. We're leaving now. We've got to get back to Honolulu right away."
    "Right," Joe said. "No wonder those goons were right behind us every step of the way. Every time you called Dad, that FBI agent tipped them off."
    "If they knew where to find us," Frank added, "how long do you think it will take them to track down Jade's father?"
    ***
    As the helicopter flew across the water, Joe told Jade what they had pieced together.
    "Who was my father hiding from?" she asked. "What did he do?"
    "We don't know," Joe said. "But a safe bet would be that it has something to do with the mob and the FBI - and it happened a long time ago."
    "You mean before we moved to Hawaii," Jade said.
    Joe nodded. "The government might even have relocated you as part of the witness protection program."
    "It doesn't make any sense!" she protested. "Why now - after fifteen years? You can't tell me they've been looking for us all this time!"
    "It does sound kind of farfetched, doesn't it?" Joe admitted. "But maybe they weren't looking at all. Maybe they just stumbled across you by accident."
    Jade's shoulders slumped. "It's all my fault."
    Joe reached out and took her hand. "You were only two when it happened - whatever it was. How could it be your fault?"
    "The magazine article," she said. "No wonder my father was so upset."
    "You had no way of knowing," Joe assured her.
    She turned and looked at him. "What do we do now?"
    "We fly to Waikiki," Joe explained, "and grab your father out of the hotel before anybody else finds out he's there."
    "And then?" she asked.
    Joe cleared his throat. "We're still working on that part."
    "How do you know we're not already too late?" she pressed.
    Joe didn't answer right away. He looked into her green eyes. "We don't," he finally said. "But we've got to try, right?"
    The sun had set, and a full moon sparkled on the water. The only other source of light lay straight ahead. "That's Honolulu," Doyle announced. "I'll take her down over Waikiki Beach. But you're going to have to jump the last couple of feet - I can't risk landing more than once on that skid I busted back on Kauai."
    "After we jump," Frank said, "you better get out of here. I don't know what we'll run into, and I don't want you to get stuck in the middle again."
    The pilot grinned. "I like the fireworks. They make me feel alive, but I don't think I'll be much help in this crippled chopper. We're coming up on the beach now. Get ready to bail out."
    The helicopter hovered a few feet above the sand. Joe pushed the back door open and jumped down. Jade stood in the opening. Joe reached out, and she jumped into his arms.
    Frank watched to make sure they were all right. Then he turned to the pilot. "I don't know how to thank you for all you've done," he said.
    "I'd send you a bill," Doyle replied, "but I don't have your address. Now, get out of here so I can go find some paying customers."
    Frank opened the door and climbed out. The wind from the rotor blades whipped his hair around, and he had to