The Spy That Never Lies Read online

  Danger in the Streets

  “Look at this mess,” Joe said, kicking at a piece of paper that had blown onto the sidewalk. The street was littered with colorful flyers.

  Jake picked up a flyer, held it up, and read, “‘Take Back Our Streets.’ Hmmph.”

  “Looks like the councilwoman’s people don’t know how to pick up after themselves,” Frank said.

  The group reached the corner and was waiting for the walk signal.

  When the light changed the sound of a racing car engine shattered the stillness of the night air.

  Joe looked up just in time to see a red sport utility vehicle with no headlights on speeding straight at them.

  “Look out!” he cried.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A MINSTREL PAPERBACK Original

  A Minstrel Book published by

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 2000 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Front cover illustration by Jeff Walker

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce

  this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue

  of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-671-04760-4

  First Minstrel Books printing September 2000

  THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  THE HARDY BOYS, A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  ISBN: 978-1-4424-7228-0 (ebook)

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Take Back Our Streets

  Chapter 2: A Near Miss

  Chapter 3: Online On Campus

  Chapter 4: Wrongly Condemned

  Chapter 5: Harsh Realities

  Chapter 6: Who’s Chasing Whom?

  Chapter 7: The Eye of the Beholder

  Chapter 8: Urgent Mystery

  Chapter 9: Suspects List

  Chapter 10: Jake’s Secret

  Chapter 11: Vanessa’s Secret

  Chapter 12: Wolf in Kings’ Clothing

  Chapter 13: The Securitech Heist

  Chapter 14: Fall Guys

  Chapter 15: Caught On Camera

  Chapter 16: Smile!

  1 Take Back Our Streets

  “Move along, you kids,” the police officer said. His tone wasn’t the friendliest as he looked straight at Frank and Joe Hardy and their friend Jamal Hawkins. The three teens were standing outside Java John’s, a coffee shop in downtown Bayport.

  Seventeen-year-old Joe, the younger of the brothers, bristled a bit, his blue eyes flashing. “We aren’t doing anything wrong,” Joe protested. “We’re just standing here.”

  “We’re waiting for some friends,” Jamal put in.

  “Well, wait somewhere else,” the officer said. “We’ve got a march coming through here soon, and we don’t want any trouble.”

  “What kind of a march, Officer Sullivan?” Frank Hardy asked. He had read the police officer’s name from his name tag.

  “Councilwoman Hamilton’s Take Back Our Streets march and rally. Don’t you kids read the papers?”

  Thinking about it, Frank did remember seeing a story about the rally in the Bayport Times. The councilwoman was on a crusade against crime and had planned this march to publicize it.

  “I didn’t know that we’d lost the streets,” Jamal said, a smile creasing his handsome face.

  Officer Sullivan scowled. “Just move along, wiseguy,” he said. “We’ve had enough trouble with you teens lately.”

  Frank could see both Joe and Jamal clench their teeth at the implication. Eighteen-year-old Frank quickly stepped in front of his brother and their friend.

  “Come on, guys,” he said, gently nudging them backward. “We can wait inside the coffee shop.”

  Joe and Jamal nodded, and the three of them headed for the door. The officer turned and walked away down the street.

  “Must be going to annoy someone else,” Joe muttered.

  “Chill, Joe,” Frank said. “He was just doing his job.”

  “I’m with Joe,” Jamal said. “I don’t think his job is to hassle us.”

  “I don’t think he was worried about us,” Frank said, “not in particular anyway. There has been a lot of trouble with teen vandalism in this part of town lately.” He stepped inside Java John’s.

  “I know that,” Joe said, following his older brother inside. “But the police shouldn’t be razzing us just because of some other teens.”

  Jamal, right behind Joe, shrugged. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, I guess.” He motioned to a table near the big window facing the street. “We should be able to spot Jake and Vanessa from there. They should be here any minute.”

  The Hardys nodded their agreement, and all three sat down. When the waitress came, they all ordered coffee.

  “How long have you known Jake Martins, Jamal?” Frank asked.

  “Just over a year,” Jamal replied. “He did some computer work for my dad’s company last summer and continued working some after school started. We hung out and got to be friends. He’s a freshman at the Bayport Institute of Technology.”

  “That’s just down the street, isn’t it?” Joe said as their coffees arrived.

  Jamal nodded and took a sip of his drink. “Yeah. It’s not too far. That’s why we chose this spot to meet. Jake doesn’t have a car—he walks everywhere.”

  “Fitness nut?” Frank asked.

  Jamal laughed. “Far from it. Just strapped for cash, like most college students.”

  “And you think he’s in trouble?” Joe asked.

  “I wouldn’t say trouble,” Jamal said, “but there’s definitely something funny going on with him. He quit his job with my dad’s company and took a new one. He’s canceled out on me a couple of times when we were supposed to do stuff together—like go to a computer game convention—without any good reason.”

  “Maybe he’s just busy,” Joe said.

  “That’s what I thought at first, since he’s a freshman in college. But that’s not the only thing. He’s gotten moody and withdrawn. He doesn’t look well, either. His parents moved out of town before the semester started, so . . .”

  Joe nodded. “You think he doesn’t have anyone to talk to.”

  “It’s not just that,” Jamal said. “He doesn’t seem to want to talk to anyone. Jake won’t tell me or anybody else what’s going on. My dad checked with his parents and they think everything’s okay. But I’m worried about him. I thought maybe you guys could help me find out what’s bugging him.”

  Joe leaned back in his chair. “How the mighty have fallen,” he said. “From top-flight detectives to advice givers for lonely college students.”

  Frank chuckled. “This Vanessa you mentioned,” he said to Jamal, “who is she? How does Jake know her?”

  “Her name is Vanessa Robinson,” Jamal said. “The two of them work together, and I think they’re in some of the same classes at BIT. I saw her at one of the college volleyball games, but we never got a chance to talk. Jake mentioned that he knew her. I told him that I wanted to meet her and asked him to bring her along this evening. It was the only way I could think of to lure him out of his apartment.”

  “So, she’s just a smoke screen for us to meet Jake?” Frank asked.

  Joe laughed. “Frank, I’ve seen this girl. She used
to compete in a volleyball league against Iola.” Iola Morton was Joe’s girlfriend. “I suspect there’s more to Jamal’s story than he’s letting on.”

  Jamal’s chestnut brown face reddened a bit. “Okay,” he said, “I admit I want to meet her. But I’m really concerned about Jake, too.”

  Frank smiled. “So you decided to kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Why not?” Jamal asked, shrugging. “There’s no law against a guy meeting a new girl while helping out a friend.”

  Frank and Joe chuckled. Then something outside the window caught Joe’s eye.

  “Isn’t that Vince Morelli?” Frank asked, indicating one of two guys walking past the coffee shop.

  “Yeah,” Jamal said. “And that’s Jay Stone with him. What are they up to?”

  Morelli was tall and built like a prize fighter; Stone was shorter and rail thin. Both teens had the word Kings painted in red and yellow letters on the backs of their black leather jackets. They glanced around suspiciously as they walked.

  “Up to no good, if I know anything about the two of them,” Joe said. “They’re the ones the councilwoman should be cracking down on, not us. Maybe we should follow them, see what’s going on.”

  “No time, Joe,” Jamal replied. “Here are Jake and Vanessa now.” He stood and waved to the pair as they entered the coffee shop. “Hey, Jake! Over here!”

  The Hardys sized up the two people coming toward them. Jake Martins was a bit shorter than Jamal, and nowhere near as athletic looking. He had scraggly brown hair and a bit of a beard on his chin, and was wearing torn blue jeans and a BIT T-shirt. He was pale and looked worn out, but he waved back to Jamal with some enthusiasm.

  The young woman with him was tall, thin, and moved with the easy grace of an athlete. Over her red dress she was wearing a black satin jacket with the word Securitech printed on the breast pocket. She had deep brown skin and short black hair. Her dark eyes sparkled as she smiled at the group.

  Jamal and the Hardys stood up as Jake and Vanessa approached the table. “Hey, Jake, good to see you,” Jamal greeted his friend. Then he turned to the young woman and extended his hand. “You must be Vanessa. I’m Jamal Hawkins, and these are my friends Frank and Joe Hardy. Frank’s the brunette, Joe’s the blond.”

  “Vanessa Robinson,” she said, shaking Jamal’s hand, then Joe’s, and finally Frank’s. “Pleased to meet you all. Jake’s told me quite a bit about you, Jamal.”

  “Not too much, I hope,” Jamal said, smiling.

  While Jamal flagged the waitress so that the newcomers could order, Jake shook hands with the Hardys. “Pleased to meet you,” he said. “Jacob Martins. My friends call me Jake.” Frank and Joe both noticed that although his greeting was warm, his hand was clammy.

  “Did you walk here?” Joe asked.

  “Sure,” Jake said. “It’s not that far, and besides, I don’t own a car.”

  “You’d think he’d be in better shape,” Vanessa said jokingly, “considering he walks everywhere.”

  “Hey,” Jake said, “not everyone is a born athlete, like you and Jamal.” He turned to the Hardys and asked, “Are you two into sports?”

  “Some football,” Joe said.

  “Some baseball,” Frank added.

  Jamal laughed. “Don’t let the two of them fool you, Jake,” he said. “Both of them have natural talent.”

  Jake leaned back in his chair. “Looks like I’m the only intellectual in the group, then,” he said kiddingly.

  The waitress returned with Jake’s and Vanessa’s orders, and the conversation paused a moment as the five teens sipped their coffees. Through the window they could see a huge group of people moving rapidly down the street.

  “What’s that about?” Vanessa asked.

  “Must be the Take Back Our Streets march and rally,” Joe said. “What a crowd.”

  “I didn’t know any of our streets were missing,” Vanessa quipped.

  Jamal laughed. “That’s what I said, too.”

  “Looks like a pretty big deal,” Frank said, craning his neck to get a better view. “I see a bunch of TV cameras. Councilwoman Hamilton sure knows how to draw a crowd.”

  “She’s been riding our boss at work pretty hard, too,” Jake said.

  “Oh, yeah? Where do you work, Jake?” Joe asked.

  “Vanessa and I both work at Securitech. It’s the high-tech surveillance company working on the college’s and the city’s new security system.”

  “Is that the company that’s been installing cameras on light poles all around town?” Frank asked.

  “That’s it,” Vanessa said. “We’ve been”—she hesitated a moment before continuing—“working with the city on it.”

  The Hardys noticed that both Vanessa and Jake seemed a bit uncomfortable about discussing their jobs. Jamal noticed it, too. “Is there some kind of trouble at work?” he asked.

  Jake shook his head. “No. Nothing. It’s just that what we’re doing is pretty secret. We’re not supposed to talk about it.”

  “There’s a big announcement on campus tomorrow for the media, if you want to find out about it,” Vanessa said. “A lot of us who worked on the project will be there.”

  “We’ll come. No school tomorrow,” Jamal said.

  Jake put his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his curly brown hair. “Oh, man,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten about that press conference. I’ve got to get going. I still have a lot of work to do tonight.” He put some money on the table for the bill, then jumped up.

  “I’ve got stuff to do, too,” Vanessa said, getting up. “It was nice meeting all of you.”

  Jamal and the Hardys got to their feet. “Hey, I could give you a lift home, if you like,” Jamal said to Vanessa.

  “Great,” Vanessa said. “I’m in a dorm on campus.”

  Frank put some more money on the table to cover their bill and tip.

  “Where are you headed, Jake?” Joe asked. “Want a lift?”

  “I could use one, thanks,” Jake said. “I’ve got a place off campus. They ran out of dorm space before I got my housing application in.”

  “That’s our Jake,” Vanessa said. “He’d forget his head if it weren’t nailed to his shoulders.”

  “It’s not the best place,” Jake said defensively, “but at least it’s cheap.”

  With Jamal leading the way, they exited Java John’s. “I’m parked just around the block,” he said.

  “We’re that way, too,” Frank added. It had gotten dark while they were inside, and the street was pretty much deserted now. In the distance they could hear the rally still going strong.

  “Look at this mess,” Joe said, kicking at a piece of paper that had blown onto the sidewalk. The street was littered with colorful flyers.

  Jake picked up a flyer, held it up, and read, “‘Take Back Our Streets.’ Hmmph.”

  “Looks like the councilwoman’s people don’t know how to pick up after themselves,” Frank said.

  “Maybe we should start a new campaign—Clean Up Our Streets,” Jamal suggested.

  The group reached the corner and was waiting for the walk signal.

  When the light changed the sound of a racing car engine shattered the stillness of the night air.

  Joe looked up just in time to see a red sport utility vehicle with no headlights on speeding straight at them.

  “Look out!” he cried.

  2 A Near Miss

  At the last second the SUV swerved away and came racing parallel to the curb, its brakes squealing loudly.

  Vanessa and Jamal, who had just stepped off the curb, jumped back up to avoid being hit.

  The window on the driver’s side of the car slid down, and someone yelled, “Take back this!” A large object in a brown paper bag sailed out the open window. Joe and Frank ducked, but Jake wasn’t as fast as the brothers.

  The package hit him square in the forehead. He dropped the flyer he had been looking at and fell to his knees, his forehead bleeding from a
one-inch gash. Joe and Frank ripped open the bag and saw that it contained a six-pack of empty soda bottles.

  While Frank went to help Jake, Joe chased after the car. “Come back here!” the younger Hardy yelled as the car zoomed into the night. He ran behind it for two blocks but finally had to give up.

  When Joe returned to the group, he found that Frank had already bandaged Jake’s head with a handkerchief. Vanessa and Jamal hovered around their friend, looking concerned.

  “You really should go to the hospital,” Frank said to Jake. “A head wound like this can be worse than it looks.”

  Jake shook his head groggily. “No. I can’t,” he said. “I don’t have time. I’ve got a paper to do, and . . .” He trailed off, and Frank had to support him for a moment.

  Frank exchanged a worried glance with his brother. Clearly they both thought Jake should go to the hospital, but if he didn’t want to go, they couldn’t force him. Frank said, “Get anything on that car, Joe?”

  “Nothing,” Joe responded, shaking his head. “Just a red SUV like a million others. I couldn’t see past the tinted windows, and the license plate was covered with mud.”

  “A sure sign of troublemakers,” Frank said, somewhat exasperated.

  “The only identifying mark I saw on the car was a Chaos Rules bumper sticker,” Joe finished.

  “You think the owner is an anarchist?” Vanessa asked.

  “Maybe just a video game enthusiast,” Frank said. “We worked on a case about the Chaos video game series a while back.”

  “The bumper sticker doesn’t give us much to go on either way,” Joe said.

  “Maybe the councilwoman is right,” Vanessa said. “Maybe this city is having a crime problem.”

  “We’ll find out tomorrow, I guess,” Jamal said. “She’s going to be at the press conference, isn’t she?”

  Vanessa smiled at him. “You did read a paper once, didn’t you?” she said jokingly. She turned from Jamal to her friend. “How are you feeling, Jake?”

  “I’ve been better,” Jake said.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Frank asked.

  “No,” Jake said. “Home will be fine. I’ve got a paper to finish for Firestein’s computer programming class.”