Free Castle Fear by Franklin W. Dixon

fuzzily.
    "Joe's not in the dining car. I don't think he's on the train."
    Frank licked his lips and blinked. His eyes finally focused, and he recognized Karen. Her words still hadn't penetrated. "What do you mean?" he asked.
    "Joe is gone."
    Rising to his feet, Frank rubbed the back of his neck. "I must have dozed off," he admitted. "Joe's in the dining car."
    "No, he's not." Karen was shaking with tension. "I checked with the dining car, and Joe never made it there. Nobody's seen him. He's not in any of the compartments."
    "Take it easy, Karen. I'll go take a look around." Still feeling a little drowsy, Frank got to his feet. "Maybe he just stepped into a washroom."
    "He didn't. I had the conductor check them all out." She was pacing around the compartment. "We'll have to stop the train."
    Now Frank headed for the door. "Wait on that. I'll go hunt for some trace of Joe and ask a few questions."
    Karen's voice was high. "They either threw Joe off the moving train or bundled him off at one of the stops. He could be - "
    Frank cut her off. "Sit down. Wait for me here. Don't panic."
    He left the compartment. Fifteen minutes later he returned, looking worried.
    "You didn't find him, did you?"
    "There's no sign of Joe on this train." Frank sat down quietly opposite the nervous girl. "Nobody saw him talking to anyone. Nobody saw anyone grabbing him, and nobody saw Joe get off the train at any of the stations."
    Karen was back on her feet again. "Joe could be lying by the tracks, all broken and bloody, somewhere back there." She flung an arm at the darkness outside. "Or they've got him tied up in a car somewhere. Face it, Frank. We've got to stop the train."
    "That won't do much good."
    She stared at Frank in disbelief. "But he's your brother! He may be in big trouble!"
    "Listen, please. If Joe was grabbed and taken off this train, it has to be Hawkins's men who did the job."
    "I know! That's why we have to stop the train and hurry back!"
    "Why?" Frank asked bluntly. "The odds are they're taking him to Beswick. And that's where we're heading."
    "They might just murder him and bury him in the woods."
    "So far they haven't killed anybody. Smart thieves don't go around murdering people - it gets the police too annoyed with them."
    Frank took a deep breath, still trying to get his brains to work. "What we have to do is get to Beswick and find Hawkins's hideout, his base of operations. Joe will be there."
    "Aren't you worried about him?" Karen demanded.
    Frank's head snapped around. "Of course I'm worried. But Joe knows how to take care of himself. I'm betting he can handle whatever situation he's in." He was on his feet, too, pacing the small compartment. "Halting the train and searching all the tracks and stations for thirty or forty miles back will take up time we don't have."
    "I hope you're right," Karen said, folding her arms.
    Frank nodded, his face grim. "I hope so, too."
    ***
    Joe stayed where he was for a moment or two, taking stock of his situation. Although he was sore and battered, nothing important seemed broken or seriously hurt. He got up on his hands and knees, pushed, and stood up.
    As far as he could tell, he was standing beside a narrow country road. The shadowy outlines of trees and hedges were all he could make out in the dark fields. Far off in the night glowed a few tiny lights that might be farmhouses or cottages.
    His stiff muscles protested as he forced himself into movement. Looks like I have a hike ahead of me, he thought.
    Joe thrust his hands into his pockets and started trudging along the road. The chilly night breeze was against him. He'd banged his left knee while rolling downhill. It twinged with every limping step he took.
    Joe had no idea where he was, but he figured the road had to lead somewhere. At some point he'd encounter an outpost of civilization - a town, a village, a railroad station.
    "Wish I'd gotten that drink. Cross-country walking is thirsty work," he muttered.
    The road didn't seem very