"I agree, it has to be." Winslow said. "It’s the painting which was featured in a newspaper article, just this morning-"

"The Martyrdom of Elisa?" Frank cut in. "I read that article too….Are you going to have Brookshire arrested now?" he asked then.

"No, not yet." Winslow replied. "Brookshire is no forger, and neither is Leroy Crigger. We’re going to wait for a while, and keep the place staked out - and put an unmarked tail on Sgt. Fogle."

"Won’t he spot a tail, even it if is unmarked?" Frank fretted. "He’d know the officers, wouldn’t he?"

"Doubtful," the Chief replied. "Internal Affairs is doing it; Fogle’s not likely to recognize an officer out of that division."

Thanking the chief for his time, Frank concluded the conversation and returned to the customer waiting area. He poured himself another cup of coffee and picked up a magazine.

Back at the recording studio, Joe and his classmates were celebrating the successful completion of their CD recording. Donovan’s "That’s a wrap!" had elicited whoops of delight and loud applause from the students, and Mr. Freemont was beaming all over his face.

"You can pick up your copies of the CD tomorrow," Donovan told them. "Any time between one o’clock and eight will be okay. There’ll be someone in the business office all the time, during those hours."

Laughing and chattering, the class exited the recording studio and got back onto their bus. A few moments’ conversation between Freemont and the driver resulted in their being taken to Bearcat Bob’s, a local café, for lunch. Joe ate with Perry Nichols, both of them ordering BLT’s, Pepsi, and king-sized fries.

Lunch was quick, and soon the students found themselves back on the bus, taking a short drive to the Aquarium. Upon their arrival, they were informed by the docent who was to guide them through the attraction, that this was the second-largest ‘surround’ aquarium in the United States!

Excited about seeing all the exotic specimens in the aquarium, the students clustered about their guide, listening avidly as she talked about the marine life they were seeing. As the tour progressed, Rich Sutton unobtrusively made his way close to Joe’s side.

"Have you decided what you’re going to do later this afternoon, when we have some free time?" he asked casually, as they paused in front of a display case of beautifully marked zebra fish.

"No," Joe admitted. "what about you?"

"I’ve seen a couple of things I’d like to check out." Sutton answered. "There’s a carnival - and something that looks really fun: it’s a place called Wheels. It’s a mini-amusement park, with bumper cars, and Go-Karts!"

"That does sound fun." Joe nodded agreement. "Frank and I might do that before dinner. Thanks for the suggestion, Rich!"

"Sure…what do you like best here, Joe?" Rich changed the subject. "I think I like the sharks best of all!" He grinned teasingly, and voiced the familiar theme from Jaws in a menacing tone.

"The mantas, definitely!" Joe pointed to the graceful creatures flapping past the window glass.

"Nah, the squid’s cool!" Perry Nichols chimed in.

Amy Farragut poked her head around Perry’s shoulder to add to the debate. "The zebra fish are the most beautiful!" she averred.

"Nope, scorpion fish…"

"No way, the moray eels!"

Various opinions echoed through the glass-walled enclosure. Despite the heated discussion, no clear winner was named; however, the whole class agreed that the Aquarium was a wonderful place to visit! They talked animatedly about it the whole way back to the hotel.

Arriving at the room he and Frank shared, Joe found his brother waiting for him with ill-concealed impatience.

"This has been an awful day!" The elder boy stated gloomily. "Just wait till you hear!"

Dismissing thoughts of the Aquarium and the CD cutting, Joe sat down and prepared himself to listen. His blue eyes widened, first with surprise at Frank’s description of the scrapbook found in Sgt. Fogle’s house; and then with dismay, when he heard of the attack on his brother.

"You’re sure you’re okay?" he demanded, even though Frank was obviously unharmed. "I knew you shouldn’t be doing that by yourself!"

"How would it have helped for you to be there?" Frank asked practically. "Just two targets instead of one. I’m fine; the van’s the thing taking all the abuse!" He chuckled grimly. "Dad’s gonna have a cow when that credit card bill arrives next month!"

"Insurance will cover it….Then what happened?" Joe demanded, callously dismissing the van’s woes and his father’s reaction.

"I called the police station," Frank continued. "And talked to Chief Winslow." He went on, telling Joe of the painting discovered during the search of Bradley Brookshire’s home.

"Speaking of the police, guess who showed up at the recording studio?" Joe said then. "None other than our friendly police-officer-on-the-double-cross, Sgt. Fogle! He’s invited us to have dinner with him tonight, can you believe that?" He grinned. "At a place called ‘Franklin’s’, no less!"

Frank snorted derisively, then looked thoughtful. "Dinner with him?" Frank sounded dubious. "Well, I guess he can’t pull anything in a restaurant - with both of us there. And we might get some new information from him."

"We still have a couple of hours to kill." Joe said. "Rich Sutton told me about a mini-amusement park called Wheels. Go-Karts and bumper cars - sounds like fun. Want to go?"

"Sure." Frank agreed. "Sounds great!" He stood up, reaching for his jacket, and the two boys left their room.

"Do you know where Wheels is located?" Frank asked him as they walked through the lobby on their way to the van.

"Yes, Rich gave me directions." Joe replied. As he spoke, he noticed Rich Sutton himself, sprawled lazily in one of the large chairs, and waved, but didn’t stop to speak.

Rich watched the Hardys as they exited the hotel. He had overheard Frank’s question and Joe’s reply. He rose to his feet and went to one of the pay phones in the lobby. Pulling Sgt. Fogle’s card from his pocket, Rich dialed the number, and when the police officer answered, he dutifully recited the Hardys’ destination.

"Should I follow them there?" he asked then.

"No, that’s not a good idea." Fogle told him. "I’ll make sure the boys are safe; don’t worry about it. Thanks for the info, Rich." There was a click as he disconnected the call.

Rich hung up the receiver. Despite Fogle’s words, he thoughtfully considered going to Wheels himself. I’m not following them! he thought to himself virtuously. I’m going there myself; that’s not the same as tailing them!

Deciding that going to Wheels by himself sounded like a lonely proposition, Rich Sutton went to the front desk, picked up a house phone, and asked to be connected to Perry Nichols’ room.

Wheels was everything Rich had said it was. Frank and Joe exchanged approving glances as they signed up for the Go-Karts; this looked like lots of fun! They donned the issued safety helmets, and were each assigned one of the karts; soon they were easing the little vehicles out onto the curving track.

Only a few minutes later, a surprise arrived in the form of Perry Nichols and Rich Sutton. Frank and Joe greeted them with pleasure, and it didn’t take long before the four teens were creating their own private race, skillfully weaving in and out between the other Go-Karts on the track.

Fifteen minutes into the fun, another kart appeared, merging into the traffic from the side lines. The driver was dressed all in black, and was wearing a mask, but neither Frank nor Joe noticed this new arrival; they were concentrating on their own karts and the track. The masked driver blended into the crowd, moving past one vehicle after another, until he finally gained a place next to Frank’s Go-Kart. Once there, he matched speeds with the elder Hardy boy, maintaining his position as they neared a sharp curve in the track.