Free Witness to Murder by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

He couldn't really want the law to stop them. But Joe decided that the tall man must have figured that if their action got Cutter's men off their tail, he was all for it.
    "Hang on," he said to Annie. He needn't have bothered. She was clutching the door in a death grip.
    Joe braked and took the off ramp at a speed that sent the van careening dangerously. Without stopping, he made a right-hand turn that led eventually onto the main street of a small town. The small car fell behind.
    The streets of the town were brightly lit but devoid of people. One all-night gas station was closed up tight. But they were in luck. A policeman sat in his patrol car in the parking lot of a local cafe. Probably he had been dozing or listening to his radio, but he came to life when Joe shot by.
    Light swirling, siren screaming, he pulled out after the van. Gratefully Joe pulled up to the curb, flipping a switch to roll the window shields down. He'd take the ticket gladly. He was happy, though, that Frank had been driving in New York City. Both the Hardys' driving records were getting badly tarnished by this case.
    "Tell him you want to go to the station. Say you have an incident to report. And don't try getting away — either of you," their passenger growled.
    Before Joe could react to the stranger's surprising behavior, the policeman was at his window.
    "Out for a little drive, are you?" he asked as Joe rolled his window down and handed him his license.
    "Sir, I can explain. There was an incident on the highway that I need to report. A car tried to run us off the road. My friend here and I felt we were in danger."
    "Please help us," Annie added in a voice that was filled with terror.
    The officer looked at Joe's license, then handed it back slowly. "All right. But this had better be good. Third street, turn left, second building on the right, back entrance. I'll be right behind you, so don't try any funny stuff."
    "No, sir," said Joe, and groaned with relief after the officer turned away. He'd tried all the funny stuff he knew earlier.
    "Very good, Joe. You sounded very much like a law-abiding citizen. And our friends have stopped following us."
    Right, Joe thought, and the first person to be reported to the police will be you. If he played his cards right, they'd be rid of both opponents in a couple of minutes. But Joe wondered why the tall man was being so cooperative. Why was he going along to the station? Didn't he know Joe would turn him in?
    The station was empty except for one dispatcher and one clerk, a woman in uniform at the front desk. Joe and Annie headed for the desk, followed by the police officer and the tall man.
    The tall man had pocketed his gun as they got out of the car and seemed to have forgotten that he and Annie were there. After Joe arrived at the front desk with Annie, he noticed that their kidnapper had stopped the officer to talk with him in private. After a brief conversation, the two headed down the corridor and into a room. The door quickly closed behind them.
    "Miss," Joe said to the officer at the desk. "That man in there with the patrolman, he's armed and has been holding us captive."
    She looked at Joe as if he were hallucinating but picked up the phone and punched in an extension.
    "I see. Thank you," she said after reporting jloe's accusation and listening a moment. "You're to wait here," she instructed Joe and Annie. "Sit down anywhere. It'll be a few minutes."
    Joe felt as if he were being left out, and he felt he had every right to know what was happening. Also he discovered he was exhausted. He'd give anything to wake up and discover he'd been dreaming the whole incident. He followed Annie to a group of chairs, but instead of sitting down, he headed past them toward the closed door where the officer and the tall man had disappeared.
    "Sir, I'll have to ask you to be seated." The policewoman's sharp voice stopped Joe. "But — "
    "Those are my orders. I suggest you comply."
    Joe sat and crossed his legs at