Fenton had warned them repeatedly that this could easily be a trap, and although Frank and Joe had to concede he had a point, it was too big a lure for them to disregard. "And after all," Joe had argued. "if we don’t follow up on it, we’ll probably never find out what’s going on!"

They had decided to rent motorcycles for their trip to North Lake Tahoe, for the car rental agency’s restrictions had been clear: they weren’t allowed to drive that rental car; they were too young! Frank had scowled darkly, and Joe had ground his molars together in frustration, but Fenton laid down the law – no car.

Megan and Vanessa had both agreed that this wasn’t a trip they should accompany the boys on, even if they’d been using the car. It presaged danger, and neither Frank nor Joe was willing to risk their girlfriends’ safety. It was a long trip to the Mount Rose Highway; they had to go north of Incline Village, and the journey would be tiring on the motorbikes. So Vanessa and Megan decided to stay in Stateline and find things to do together, while awaiting the boys’ return.

Frank hung up the phone, and turned to Joe. "Bikes are ready and waiting for us, and we’re set to go. Let’s say our goodbyes and take off; we don’t have any time to waste." He stood up, picked up his camcorder from the table, and walked to the door.

"You aren’t going to take that along are you?" Joe queried. "What if something happened to it?"

"No, I’m not taking it; I’m going to leave it with Megan." Frank replied. "She’ll take good care of it." He stepped across the hotel corridor and tapped on his parents’ door.

Laura smiled when she opened the door and saw her sons standing there. "Ready to go?" she asked. Her blue eyes were concerned, but she was attempting to conceal how she felt about this chase into the mountains. "Come on in and tell Dad goodbye." She stopped, considering the impact of her words. "That sounded awfully…final…didn’t it?"

"Aw, Mom, it’ll be okay," Joe hugged her tightly. "We’ll just zip up there and get our information and be right back. No worries, right?"

"Right," she said, hugging him in return.

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Frank was asking now. Fenton was on the bed, sitting up against the headboard with several pillows buffering his back.

"Much better," Fenton assured him. "My back’s a nice shade of blue, and I’m stiff – I’m going to take it easy yet this morning, but I’ll be okay."

"And I’m going to make sure he behaves himself and rests." Laura put in, smiling mischievously at her husband. "The most energetic thing he’s going to do is maybe – maybe – try a swim in the pool, or maybe soak in the hot tub."

Fenton rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I’m being pampered and babied to death." he complained.

There was a soft knock on the door, and when Joe opened it, he found Vanessa and Megan standing on the threshold. "Hey, babe!" he greeted Vanessa, and ushered them both inside. He wrapped his arm about his girlfriend and kissed her cheek.

"We didn’t mean to interrupt anything—" Megan said hesitantly, but both Laura and Fenton shook their heads, reassuring her that the arrival hadn’t interrupted a thing.

"In fact, honey, I wanted to leave this with you." Frank removed the camera strap from about his neck, and handed Megan the little device. "I don’t want to carry it with me."

"I’ll take good care of it for you," she promised him.

"I know you will." He smiled down into her aqua-blue eyes. "We should be back some time this afternoon."

Joe gave Vanessa another kiss, hugged his mother, and patted his father’s shoulder carefully, trying not to jostle him. "See you later!"

"Be careful," Laura said, as she always did. "And don’t drive those motorcycles like maniacs, please."

"You got it, Mom." Frank took his turn bidding people goodbye, finishing with Megan wrapped in his secure embrace. "See you this afternoon, Baby."

He and Joe departed, heading for the motorcycle rental kiosk and their mysterious, unknown informant.

The girls chuckled too. "Right after breakfast," Vanessa assured her. "We knew everyone was eating in the rooms this morning, so we’ve got stuff waiting, right now. We just came over to tell Frank and Joe goodbye."

"All right, hurry and eat before it gets cold," Laura told them. "Ours should be here soon, and I’ll knock on your door when I’m ready to leave."

"Sure, honey," He smiled at her. "It’ll be safe here. Have fun shopping, later. Don’t buy out the town of Stateline."

"I won’t." Megan turned and headed for the door. "Behave yourself." she added daringly over her shoulder, and made a speedy exit, leaving Laura and Fenton laughing behind her.

Laura sat down on the edge of the bed. "You’re sure you’ll be all right by yourself?"

"Laura, for heaven’s sake, of course I’ll be all right!" Fenton gave her a look that was a combination of humor and exasperation. "What I’d really like to do is go back and talk to Cameron Jacobs . I want answers from him."

"You couldn’t get me to go back there for all the tea in China!" Laura snapped. "In fact, if I see him at all today, I intend on turning around and going somewhere else, immediately! I still haven’t forgiven him for those…" she shuddered expressively. "…advances."

"You’re not likely to run into him in boutiques and stores," her husband soothed her. "You and the girls just go and have a good time, okay? I’m going to try to do at least something productive while you’re gone…I’m going to make a few phone calls to some people I know. I’m still not convinced that there isn’t a Mafia family on the loose in the area. Maybe one of my Federal or state contacts knows something."

"Fenton, you really need to take it easy." Laura chewed her lip in concern. "I didn’t like the way your back looked this morning."

"I’ll be careful, honey…"

"Maybe I should take you over to the hospital, just in case—"

"Laura!" He laughed, wincing as the movement jarred his back. "I am not going to go to the hospital! I’ll be fine, and I promise I’ll take it easy!"

She looked unconvinced, but kissed him anyway.

*****

The ladies started at Caesars, worked their way north for awhile, then turned and went back on the other side of the street, checking out each and every shop or kiosk or boutique that looked even slightly intriguing. Laura looked more than she bought, but did succumb to the temptation of a few more shirts and a new pair of sunglasses, as well as gifts to take back home to friends in Bayport.

Vanessa was into buying things, today – she carried a list of friends with her, and was determined to find each and every person on that list some sort of token from Lake Tahoe. Trying to keep in mind that everything had to fit back into her suitcases, or else be mailed home to Bayport, she was attempting to find small items, or things that could be rolled up and stuffed in corners. In a large shop devoted to tee-shirts of all sorts, she found what she vowed was a perfect gift for Joe. The picture on the front showed a cartoon bear, lounging on the grass near a riverbank, watching other bears industriously fishing in the water. On his stomach was a fish, and another lay in the grass nearby. Beneath the picture were the words: Work fascinates me. I could sit and watch it for hours.

Megan, to her delight, found more glass bells similar to the one she had bought at Heavenly, and purchased some with different inscriptions on them, to create a collection. She hadn’t yet decided whether she was buying them for herself, or to give to her mother, Carolyn, but she knew she wanted to take them home in any case.

As they stepped out of one store, Laura halted on the threshold, causing the girls to nearly bowl her over. Coming down the street toward them was the familiar – and unwelcome – figure of Cameron Jacobs! Laura turned sharply and hurried away from him, tugging Vanessa and Megan along with her.

"What’s – why are we running?" Vanessa asked, but Laura didn’t reply, just walked faster. Megan glanced back and shrugged at Vanessa. The only person that seemed to be going in their direction at the moment was a tall, good-looking blonde man; why Laura wanted to avoid him, Megan didn’t know, but it was evident that this was her goal.

But Cameron Jacobs had spotted Laura, and his long legs made catching up to her a slight task. He reached them, and put a hand on Laura’s arm to halt her progress.

"Laura! How very delightful to see you again! You’re looking stunning today – of course, I’m sure you always look wonderful, but you look especially stunning today." Jacobs said, his smooth voice seeming to flow over them like thick cream.

Laura raised her eyes to the cool green ones laughing down at her. Damn him, he’s enjoying this! He wants to make me uncomfortable! "How do you do, Mr. Jacobs." she said frostily, and let her eyes turn hard as rock chips.

"And not only do you look marvelous, but you’re accompanied by two extremely lovely young ladies – and who might you two be?" Cameron Jacobs looked inquisitively from Megan to Vanessa.

"Mr. Jacobs, please excuse us, but we are extremely busy," Laura said, without introducing the girls. "We have more shopping to do."

"How’s your…husband today?" Jacobs queried, seemingly ignoring the slight.

"He’s recovering; he’s resting in our hotel room, and he’ll be expecting us back soon." Laura said shortly.

"Could I persuade you three gorgeous creatures to join me for lunch, perhaps?" he invited. "Anywhere you would like to eat – anywhere at all."

"Thank you for the offer, but no." Laura stated with finality. "I prefer to eat with my husband." She emphasized the last word clearly.

"But surely he’ll need to rest; perhaps he isn’t even going to have lunch. I would be so very delighted to have you join me—" This time, Cameron Jacobs wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer!

"Laura, I’m, like, sorry to interrupt, but, like, we really need to get going, you know?!" Vanessa tapped Laura on the shoulder impatiently, making her voice as whiny and Valley-Girl-ish as she knew how. "We’ve got, like, so many places to go to yet, and I haven’t got, like, half my list done, and…"

"Yes, of course, dear. We’ll go right now." Laura let Vanessa pull her away; once the three were out of Cameron Jacobs’ immediate vicinity, they sped down the sidewalk, with Megan and Laura stretching to match Vanessa’s long-legged stride. "Thanks, Vanessa!" Laura hissed, chuckling, as they walked.

"What was that all about?" Megan demanded, once they were well away. "That guy had a lot of nerve – doesn’t he know you’re married?…well, of course he does, he asked about Mr. Hardy—"

"That’s Cameron Jacobs, the man who owns the Grand Tahoe Resort." Laura explained. "The place where Fenton got hurt yesterday. He seems to have a…fixation…about me, for some reason."

"Lot of nerve…" Megan grumbled again. "…but he’s right, you know – you do look stunning!" she added, giggling.

Laura blushed. "Thank you, honey. Well, I’m not going to let it ruin our shopping trip. Let’s try this store…."

They had nearly worked their way back to Caesars by lunchtime. Deciding to stop for lunch and then proceed down the street in the other direction following, the three went into a small restaurant which didn’t look too crowded, and settled themselves comfortably in a cushioned booth, where they could spread their packages out along the curved, padded seats.

As they were scanning the menu and talking softly about what to choose, they could hear two women in an adjoining booth chatting. Laura glanced idly at them, and noticed they were wearing uniforms that designated them as workers at the Grand Tahoe Resort! Suddenly curious, she began listening intently to their conversation.

"It’s so sad about Evan, isn’t it?" One of the women commented. "He had so much going for him at one point – and now it’s all gone, and he’s dead."

"Things were never right with Evan since Emily committed suicide." her companion answered. "And to think that they were supposed to get married this weekend. Instead, there’ll be another funeral."

Laura looked up, and met the interested stares of Megan and Vanessa, who had started listening too.

"No one mentioned that the man killed the other day -- Evan Reed – was engaged, or that his fiancée committed suicide." Vanessa whispered.

"Do you think that might be important?" Megan asked quietly, and Laura nodded.

"I think it’s at the very least an interesting thing to know, and it might be important, yes. I’ll have to mention it to Fenton"

"I wonder if Emily really committed suicide." Vanessa said. She had spoken softly, but evidently she was overheard, for the waitress in the adjoining booth turned and replied to her query.

"Yes, she left a note. And she took a whole bottle of painkillers, something like 30 tablets."

"Why in the world would she have done something like that?" Laura asked, shocked. "She evidently had everything going for her – engaged to be married, a good job…?"

The two girls from the Grand Tahoe looked at each other uncertainly for a few moments before speaking. Finally, one answered. "She didn’t have the good job – she’d been fired right before. Mr. Jacobs accused her of theft – but Emily never stole anything in her life! I’m sure of that!"

Laura’s eyes lit up at that. This plot is getting thicker by the minute! she thought.

The two waitresses from the Grand Tahoe finished their meal and left; Laura, Megan and Vanessa ordered and ate their lunch. They decided not to continue shopping after all; instead they wanted to return to their hotel and share the news they’d gleaned with Fenton.

When they arrived in their hallway, however, they were startled to see one of the maids hovering in the corridor beside her cart, a frightened expresssion on her face. When Laura asked what was troubling her, she pointed wordlessly at the partially-opened door to a room – Frank’s and Joe’s room!

Trembling with anxiety over what she might find, Laura pushed the door further open, and halted in the doorway, aghast. The place had been systematically taken apart!

*****

Frank and Joe wheeled their rented motorcycles into the street and mounted them, pausing to fasten their helmets securely before taking off into the early-morning tourist traffic snaking through Stateline. Since they were heading for the Mount Rose Highway, and knew they’d be facing cold winds as they rode, both boys were dressed warmly…too warmly for Stateline, but they knew they’d need the extra protection later.

Frank had on long khaki pants and a dark green sweatshirt over a tee-shirt. Joe had chosen blue jeans, topped by a tee-shirt and a windbreaker. On his shirt was a cartoon of two bears walking away from a campsite, and the caption read: If it’s Tourist Season, why can’t we hunt them?

"These are a lot like our bikes at home," Joe commented, as he settled himself more comfortably on the seat.

"Mmmm," Frank replied absently, as he studied the map he’d gotten from the motorbike rental shop.

"Wish I had the Aztek here; that would have been perfect for this run into the mountains." Joe continued making conversation.

"Mmm-hmmm," Frank looked up, finally, and held out the map. "Here’s where we’re going, see?" He pointed, and Joe looked, and nodded.

"Let’s go," the younger Hardy said, and kicked down on the starter.

Their trip was a pleasant one to the north part of the lake, riding along Highway 50. They had seen it before, of course, coming from Reno in the car, but riding the motorcycles made it much more up close and personal.

Joe was amused by the multitude of casinos and the increased number of tourists at these northern resorts; he hadn’t realized until then just how quiet Stateline was in comparison! He commented on this to Frank, who agreed.

"I guess Mom and Dad wanted peace and quiet, huh?" Joe shouted over the roar of the cycles’ engines.

"Maybe they wanted it – but that’s not exactly what they got!" Frank shouted back.

The two enjoyed the view of the lake off to their left, and the surrounding mountains, but as they neared the junction with Highway 28, they both were feeling a little nervous. They were taking risks, and they knew it…just what might they find, when they reached the rendezvous point?

Highway 28 took them to Incline Village. They throttled down to go through the town, then found the turnoff to Highway 431 and headed northeast, directed by signs reading "To Mount Rose Ski Resort," and "Reno/Sparks." They had anticipated rough riding by this point, and were relieved to find the road was smooth and easy to traverse. There were occasional signs warning them to "Watch For Falling Rocks," or "Watch For Rocks on Road." Joe laughed when he first spotted the signs.

"Are the rocks going to do tricks, or something?" he yelled to Frank, pointing out the sign.

Frank laughed. "I doubt it!"

They continued on up the mountain, climbing higher and higher in elevation now, as they headed for the pass. Frank kept watching the mile markers. They passed the ski resort, closed now, in mid-August. Five miles more…and there was the access highway!

They slowed the bikes to a stop and surveyed the terrain.

"It looks awfully rocky and hilly," Joe observed grimly. "Think these bikes can handle it?"

"Yeah…." Frank was chewing the corner of his lip, thoughtfully. "If we take it slow, we should be okay."

"What if it’s a trap?" Joe murmured. "It feels like a trap."

Frank glanced at him. "You want to wait here? The guy’s expecting me, after all, not necessarily us."

"Right, like I’d let you walk in there alone! What do you take me for?" Joe expostulated.

Frank sighed and chuckled at the same time. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

Joe pondered the question a few moments, staring at the road ahead of him. Finally he spoke: "Let’s go in together – but keep both eyes peeled."

"Okay, I’m good with that. Let’s go." Frank kicked the starter and led the way.

They went along the road the designated ¾ mile, and halted, looking around carefully. They took off their helmets, so that nothing would obscure vision or hearing, and waited several minutes…but there seemed to be nothing and no one anywhere in the vicinity.

"A wild goose chase!" Joe snapped, slamming his hand down on the handlebars of his cycle. "We’ve come all this way for nothing!"

"Maybe…"

"I’m going to go in just a little further." Joe announced, and revved his motor. "Maybe we’ve not gone far enough."

He headed slowly up the road, while Frank waited where he was, but before Joe had gone very far, he slammed to a halt, for the air had suddenly been shattered by the sound of wild gunfire!

Only seconds later, it seemed, a hail of rocks and gravel was pouring down on him, as the mountainside appeared to be crumbling and sliding into the roadway. Joe tried to turn his cycle and flee, but the wheels slipped in the loose stones, and he felt the bike falling – falling sideways….and Joe Hardy’s world disappeared in a torrent of dust and rocks and dirt.... And then faded to black.