the line for you.â
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a gun, and pointed it directly at Joe.
8 Narrow Escape
----
Joe stared at the gun-wielding man in surprise. âWe can explain what weâre doing here.â He glanced desperately at his brother. âIsnât that right, Frank?â
âRight,â Frank said. âWe were, um, looking for Mr. Whalen. We wanted to talk to him for a minute.â
âWell, Mr. Whalen doesnât want to talk to you,â the man said in a menacing tone. âAnd he doesnât much like people hanging around his house and looking in his windows, either. Youâd better come up with a better explanation of what youâre doing here or youâre going to be in big, big trouble.â
âWeâre trying to find out what happened toClarence Kellerman,â Steve said, still sitting on the limb of the tree.
âYeah,â Debbie said. âAnd we think Mr. Whalen had something to do with it. Heâd better have some good answers himself or heâs going to be the one whoâs in trouble.â
There was a noise from the corner of the house. The Hardys turned to see Ted Whalen walking around the corner. The tall, broad-shouldered man was with him. Whalenâs jaw fell when he saw the four teenagers clustered around the tree.
âNot you kids again!â he said angrily. âDonât you ever give up? I told you that I never wanted to see the four of you againâand I meant it.â
Steve leaped out of the tree and, with a thump, landed on the ground. âWhat are you covering up, Whalen?â he said. âWhere do you have Clarence Kellerman stashed away?â
âWhat in the world are you talking about?â Whalen snapped.
Frank took a deep breath. âWhat Steve is trying to say is that weâd like to question you about Clarence Kellermanâs disappearance.â
âOne thing weâd like to know, Mr. Whalenââ Joe began.
âIâll handle the questions, Hardy,â Steve interrupted. âWhat did you do to Clarence, Whalen? Did you want him out of the way because he didnât fit your plans for the station?â
âYouâre way out of line,â Whalen said hotly, pointing a finger at Steve. âI had nothing whatsoeverto do with Clarence Kellermanâs disappearance. And if I wanted him out of the way, Iâd simply give him a pink slip. I run the stationâor have you forgotten that?â
âThen why do you keep guys with guns around you?â Debbie asked. âDo you need mobsters to help you run the station?â
âThese men happen to be my personal bodyguards,â Whalen replied. âIâve kept them by my side whenever Iâve left the station for the past three weeks.â
âAnd why does a station manager need bodyguards?â Steve asked. âTo do his dirty work for him?â
âWBPT news has been running a hard-hitting series of stories on organized crime in the Bayport area,â Whalen said. âMy life has been threatened several times. I wonât be intimidated by those whoâd like to stand in the way of the truth, but Iâd be foolish to risk my life. So I keep a guard around me. Not that itâs any of your business.â
Joe looked at his brother. âActually, thatâs a pretty reasonable answer,â he said. âWe heard you talking about that crime series back at the station.â
Frank nodded. âMaybe weâve been mistaken. Sorry we bothered you, Mr. Whalen.â
âHey, Iâve got lots more questions,â Debbie protested.
âYeah, so do I,â Steve said.
âWrite them down and send them to Mr. Whalen in a letter,â Frank said, grabbing Steve by the armand pulling him toward the van. âWeâve got better things to do than hang around here.â
âI donât want you kids coming near my house anymore, do you hear me?â
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes