The Rocky Road to Revenge Read online

  Contents

  * * *

  1 Out of the Sky

  2 The Talk of the Town

  3 Tombstone Trail

  4 An Alien Debate

  5 Visitors

  6 The Black Elk

  7 Terror at Ten Thousand Feet

  8 Thin Air

  9 Take Me with You

  10 The Drifter

  11 Cheyenne Mountain

  12 Abduction Number Three

  13 Missing Time

  14 Finding Answers

  15 Danger Underground

  1 Out of the Sky

  * * *

  The iron horseshoe twirled wildly through the air, then landed on the ground with a thump.

  “I think the idea is to get the shoe in the box of sand, not the next county,” Frank Hardy told his brother, Joe.

  Joe walked over to retrieve his two misfired horseshoes. “Hey, give me a break,” he said. “I have to get used to this altitude.”

  Earlier that afternoon Joe and Frank had arrived high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Now majestic peaks soared upward in every direction, their shapes darkening with the setting sun.

  “No fighting, boys,” Terry Taylor called out. With her sun-streaked brown hair and deeply tanned skin, Terry looked as if she spent more time outdoors than in.

  Terry was one of Joe and Frank’s friends from Bay port High. She was spending the summer working at Silver Crest, a small resort village, and had invited the Hardys to come visit for a week. The resort specialized in rafting, fishing, and biking expeditions. Terry was one of the rafting guides, and she also helped out with the general running of the place.

  “Ah, breathe that air,” Frank said as he lined up his next shot. “It’s so fresh at this altitude.”

  “Stop stalling and shoot,” Joe said with mock impatience.

  Frank took careful aim with the horseshoe, his eyes fixed on the iron bar rising out of the box of sand. At eighteen, Frank was tall, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. He had a sharp, methodical mind that he applied to everything he did, whether it was schoolwork, catching villains, or playing a game of horseshoes.

  Frank sent the horseshoe sailing through the air. It hit the iron bar with a clang and rested up against it.

  “A leaner,” Frank said. “That gives me three more points. Which means I win the game twenty-one to, uh . . . three.”

  “Congratulations,” Joe said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Blond-haired Joe was a year younger and an inch shorter than Frank. He didn’t enjoy being beaten by his brother at anything. Joe was also intelligent, but more often than not his actions were guided by his emotions rather than his brain.

  Frank and Joe handed their horseshoes to a man and his young son, who were waiting to play. The Hardys walked with Terry to a two-story wooden building that looked like something out of the Old West. A hanging sign announced that it was the Silver Crest HQ. Terry said that this was the resort’s headquarters, with a check-in area, mess hall, supply shop, offices, and dorm rooms for the employees.

  Terry waved to three women who were sitting in comfortable chairs on the front porch.

  “Those women are sisters from Texas,” she said to Frank and Joe. “They’ve been coming here since they were girls.”

  “And those two,” Terry said, pointing to a man and a woman rocking in a swing suspended between two trees, “are a stockbroker and his wife. They’re newlyweds from New York City. They’re here on their honeymoon.”

  Joe knew Colorado was one of the great vacation spots, drawing people from all over the world with its beautiful scenery and year-round recreational opportunities.

  “Is everyone having a good time?” a man said as he stepped out of the HQ. He was a big man in his forties with reddish hair and a beard. He wore a denim jacket and cowboy boots, and sported a turquoise ring on his little finger.

  “Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Joe said.

  “This is Clay Robinson,” Terry said. “He’s the owner of Silver Crest. Mr. Robinson, these are the friends I was telling you about, Frank and Joe Hardy.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Robinson said, giving each boy a hearty handshake.

  “Same here,” Frank replied.

  Robinson stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave a loud whistle. A white, medium-size dog trotted over. She looked up at Robinson with eager brown eyes.

  “Meet my dog, Stella,” Robinson said proudly.

  “What kind is she?” Joe asked. He knelt to pet the dog’s sleek white coat.

  “Part terrier, part retriever, and all heart,” Robinson said with a chuckle.

  “This sure is a great place you’ve got here,” Frank told Robinson.

  “Why, thank you,” Robinson said. “And it’s about to get even better.”

  “How do you mean?” Frank asked.

  “Come on, I’ll show you,” Robinson said. Frank, Joe, and Stella followed Robinson across the Silver Crest grounds. Terry remained at the HQ. They passed a picnic area, a volleyball court, tennis courts, and a cluster of log cabins where the guests stayed.

  “This whole area for about fifty square miles is known as Moondance Pass,” Robinson said as they walked. “It’s got some of the most beautiful scenery in the state and some of the best ski slopes you could ever break a leg on. Right now there’re only a few small resorts, like this one, around here. But I’m about to bring the world to Moondance Pass on a large scale.”

  Robinson stopped at the edge of the grounds. A construction site stood a quarter mile away, at a lower elevation. Frank could see a large, half-finished structure surrounded by trucks, tractors, and about a dozen construction workers. The construction area was illuminated by several large spotlights.

  “I’m in the process of building a hotel and condominium complex there,” Robinson said. “It’ll be a first-class establishment. I’m calling it the Golden Dream. See,” he said, pointing to a huge mountain behind the site, “it’s right at the base of the mountain. You’ll be able to ski practically to your front door.”

  “When do you expect it to be ready?” Frank asked.

  “I’m hoping to have a portion of it open by ski season,” Robinson said. “As you can see, I’ve got crews working into the night. The whole complex should be ready by next summer, and if that goes well, I’ve got plenty of room to expand.”

  “The Golden Dream ought to be a gold mine for you,” Joe said. “I’m surprised no one has built something like it around here before.”

  Joe noticed that Robinson was looking at the construction site with the pride a father reserves for admiring his child.

  “Well, it hasn’t been easy,” Robinson said. “There was resistance from the locals. But when Clay Robinson gets it into his head to do something, by golly, he does it. Always remember that, boys. Stick to your guns, no matter what.”

  “Good advice,” Frank commented.

  Stella began rubbing her head against Joe’s leg. “Come on, I’ll race you back to the HQ,” Joe told the dog.

  Joe took off with Stella galloping beside him. Joe was breathing hard by the time he reached the HQ, but Stella looked as if she was just getting warmed up.

  “That’s it for now,” Joe said. “I’m supposed to be on vacation, you know.” Joe sat on the ground to catch his breath, and Stella lay faithfully beside him.

  Joe spent a few moments watching the night settle in. The sky was darkening into a canvas of deep black, against which the stars glittered like tiny diamonds. The night was so clear that Joe could make out pearly textures in the nearly full moon.

  “Yeah, this is the life,” Joe said to Stella. Everything was still except for a slight breeze in the trees and the three women from T
exas chatting on the porch. Joe zipped up his jacket. The mountain air had turned chilly, but Joe was thinking it might be nice to sleep outside under the stars.

  Just then Stella jumped up and began to run back and forth, barking loudly. Joe recognized it as the kind of bark a dog makes when a stranger sets foot on its property.

  “What is it, girl?” Joe asked. He noticed the dog was looking at the sky. Joe glanced up. Then he sprang to his feet, his blue eyes greeted by an amazing sight.

  A vaporous cloudlike formation hovered in the sky. It was not a cloud. The shape of the formation shifted, now almost billowing like a sheet blowing in the wind. And most striking of all, the thing glowed a dark shade of orange. The color reminded Joe of a Halloween pumpkin.

  Joe saw Frank and Robinson approaching as Terry stepped outside. “Hey, guys, take a look at this!” Joe called out.

  All three looked up. Joe saw the shock on their faces. Other resort guests had gathered and were also looking up at the sky in amazement.

  “Wow!” Terry exclaimed. “This is incredible!”

  “You can say that again,” Frank said.

  “In all my days,” one of the women from Texas said, “I swear I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Joe realized that Stella’s barking had stopped. He saw that Robinson was kneeling beside the dog, calming her with even strokes. Robinson and Stella were both watching the glow.

  Joe looked up at the sky again. The orange formation was moving across the sky, but it was too far away for Joe to determine its speed. Then he noticed something hovering in the center of the formation. It was a tiny spot of intense white light.

  The Japanese man called to the others. “Could this be what you call a spy airplane?”

  “If that’s an airplane,” one of the Texas women called, “I’ll eat a plate of my horse’s hay. There’re no airplanes like that anywhere I’ve seen.”

  “Perhaps it’s the aurora borealis,” the stockbroker suggested. “You know, those lights that flash in the sky.”

  “I’ve never heard of the northern lights being visible around here,” Robinson pointed out.

  “Well, it sure has to be something!” Frank said.

  Joe Hardy had seen a lot of bizarre things in his seventeen years, but nothing quite like this. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” he told the others, “but I think we’re witnessing a genuine UFO.”

  2 The Talk of the Town

  * * *

  As everyone watched, the strange orange formation grew dimmer and dimmer. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.

  Now there was only the black night sky, the stars, and the moon. Joe noticed that the others were still observing the sky in hushed wonder.

  “Where in tarnation did it go?” one of the Texas women asked. “And what in tarnation was it?”

  Terry turned to her boss. “Mr. Robinson, what do you think?”

  As he ran a hand along his dog’s back, Robinson seemed lost in thought. Then he gave a chuckle and said, “Oh, it was mighty strange. I’ll admit that. But I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for it.”

  “I agree,” Frank said.

  Joe turned to Frank. “What’s your explanation?”

  “It could have been a comet or a meteor,” Frank said.

  “That might explain the orange formation,” Joe argued, “but I could swear I saw an intense white light moving inside it.”

  Frank gave a doubtful look. “And I’ll bet you also think it’s being flown by little green creatures from another planet.”

  “Hey,” Joe told his brother, “it’s not impossible!”

  “I saw the white light, too,” the stockbroker said.

  “Well, it could have been what’s known as earthlight,” Frank said. “I did a huge report on it in school. I know that earthlights are often mistaken for UFOs.”

  “I guess,” Joe said, but he was unconvinced. He felt there had to be something more to this phenomenon.

  Everyone spent a few minutes discussing the orange glow. Then Clay Robinson gave Stella a pat and stood up.

  “Listen,” he told Frank and Joe, “I need to drive into Coalville to sign some papers for my lawyer. It has to do with the construction contracts, I’m going to meet him at his house. Maybe you boys would like a quick look at the town.”

  “That sounds great,” Frank said.

  “Why don’t you join us, Terry?” Robinson asked.

  “Fine with me,” Terry said.

  Robinson, the Hardys, and Terry piled into Robinson’s maroon Jeep, and soon they were winding along Highway 134. Sitting up front, Frank looked out the window at the shadowy shapes of mountains looming in the distance.

  “There are two towns in Moondance Pass,” Robinson said as he steered around a curve. “Coalville is the larger, and then there’s Parnassa a bit farther down the highway. Times have been hard around here since coal mining disappeared, but I’m hoping the Golden Dream will create a lot of jobs.”

  Frank saw a biker zoom around the side of the Jeep and swerve dangerously close in front of it. “Hey, watch it,” Frank called out the window.

  “Hang on!” Robinson called. The Jeep jolted as Robinson slammed on the brakes. Another biker immediately swerved in front of the Jeep and stayed just as close as the first.

  Frank could see the two bikers in the headlights. They were two young women wearing helmets and biking shorts. The bikers now rode just in front of the Jeep, apparently in no hurry to clear the way. Robinson honked angrily, and the two bikers zoomed ahead, their red taillights getting smaller in the distance.

  “They should be more careful,” Frank said.

  “No, they were just doing that to annoy me,” Robinson said as he continued down the highway. “That was Bev and Myra, two employees I had a problem with recently.”

  “What happened?” Joe asked from the backseat.

  There was scorn in Robinson’s voice. “I hired them last spring to work at Silver Crest. They did all sorts of things, just like Terry, but their specialty was taking guests on mountain bike expeditions. They were good guides, but they had an attitude problem from the start. Then two weeks ago I discovered they had stolen some things from my office. I fired them, of course, and now they have a grudge against me.”

  “They’re not the nicest girls in the world,” Terry said from her seat next to Joe.

  “We get a lot of drifters like them,” Robinson said. “Young folks who just like living in the mountains and doing odd jobs to get by. They’re not ambitious, but most of them don’t cause trouble the way those two do.”

  Before long the highway turned into the main street of a town. “Welcome to Coalville,” Robinson announced. “Population: Not very big.” Joe looked out the window to see a sleepy-looking downtown area. None of the buildings rose more than three stories, and a few of the older ones had the feel of a bygone mining town.

  Robinson stopped in front of a general store that looked about a hundred years old. A wooden sign read, The Black Elk.

  “I’ll drop you here,” Robinson said. “First I’m going to fill up with gas, and then I’m going for the papers. My lawyer, Jim Wilkins, lives over on Waring Road.”

  Robinson looked at his watch. “It’s nine o’clock now. I should be back soon. How about I pick you up right here at nine forty-five?”

  “That sounds good,” Frank said as he, Joe, and Terry climbed out of the Jeep. “That’ll give us some time to walk around.”

  Frank saw a group of people gathered in front of the store. By their gestures toward the sky, he could tell they were talking about the mysterious orange phenomenon.

  An older man was standing near the group, leaning against a timber post. Terry took the Hardys over. “I’d like you to meet Max Jagowitz,” she said. “He owns the Black Elk, and he’s lived in Moondance Pass all his life.”

  “All seventy-seven years,” Jagowitz said as he vigorously shook hands with Frank.

  Frank studied the man. He
looked a good fifteen years younger than seventy-seven. Wearing a hunting jacket and baseball cap, the man seemed a model of good health.

  “I’ve lived here all my life all right,” Jagowitz said in a gravelly voice. “But that man who dropped you off—Robinson—he’s about to ruin the place for my next seventy-seven years.”

  “Did you see that orange light?” Terry asked quickly. Frank could tell that she was eager to change the subject.

  “Sure did,” Max answered. “That’s what all these people are yapping about. Some of them think it was a crazy ship from outer space.”

  Joe smiled. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s time I got home or my wife will be calling the police,” Jagowitz replied with a chuckle. “Evening, all.” He tipped his baseball cap, then walked to a beat-up car parked down the street.

  Frank noticed a man pass Jagowitz and walk in their direction. “Who’s this guy?” Frank asked Terry.

  “Oh, he’s the local eccentric,” Terry said. “His name is Sykes. The reason he’s so excited is—”

  “Good evening,” the man said as he hurried over to the group. “My name is Alastair Sykes. Did you folks happen to witness the celestial phenomenon a little while ago?”

  Sykes was tall and unusually slender with wispy hair. But his most striking features, Joe thought, were his intense eyes, magnified by thick glasses.

  “Yes, we saw it,” Joe answered.

  “Well, I’m a scientist who specializes in extraterrestrial communication,” Sykes said. “And I have good reason to believe that glow was emanating from a space vehicle.”

  “So that was a UFO we saw?” Joe asked.

  “So far no one I’ve spoken to has been able to identify the phenomenon,” Sykes said, “so, yes, at the moment it is a UFO. Now I’ve got some forms here and I wonder if you could each fill one out. You just write down what you saw and then your name, address, and phone number.”

  “Why do you want these?” Frank asked.

  “To verify the sighting,” Sykes said. He pulled some pens and papers from a leather briefcase. “I’m collecting as many eyewitness reports as I can.”