C. J. dialed the number on the back of the paper and listened for a minute. After she finished asking her questions, she quickly hung up, "Got it," she said, "There’s a subway going to Austin with this exact schedule. Do you think we’ll find another clue there?"

"I don’t know about you," Joe said, "but I have a feeling that we don’t have much longer to go. How many places can she be hidden?"

"In Texas," Frank asked, "Just about anywhere. I have to agree though. We must be getting close. When do we leave?"

"On the first ride we can get," C. J. answered, "Let’s stay here for the night and leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Why," Joe asked, "Why not leave now?" Both brothers looked at her strangely.

"Because all the rides are for tomorrow afternoon," C. J. explained, "We can’t leave any sooner than that. Besides, I want to be around here in case something else comes up or we get a call."

They stayed the night at a hotel and checked out in the morning. No calls had come since then, so C. J. was surprised when her cell phone went off later on. She punched the talk button and recognized Mr. Silver’s voice on the other end.

"Any word," she immediately asked when he spoke up, "Any at all?"

"Yeah," Mr. Silver said, "Yesterday, the tow truck came and pulled Vicki’s car out of the ditch. You wouldn’t guess what they found."

"What," C. J. asked, not liking the tone of his voice, "What did they find?" She got no answer, "Mr. Silver?"

"I’m sorry C. J," he finally said, "but you aren’t going to like this at all."

"Just tell me," C. J. replied, more worried about her friend than before, "It can’t be that bad…can it?"

"I’m afraid it is," Mr. Silver answered, "They found her cell phone under the car. It seems that Vicki left a message on it. We’re guessing that it was before the accident."

"You mean she had a chance to leave a message," C. J. asked, "How do you think she did it?"

"I really have no idea," he said.

"What did the message say," C. J. said, dreading the answer immediately.

"I can’t tell you exactly what it said," Mr. Silver said, "but it mentioned you, Frank, and Joe…Hardy and Clark. And one more thing, we found her necklace lying beside it."

"You mean the one Joe Clark gave her," C. J. asked, "And the one she never takes off?"

"I’m afraid it is," Mr. Silver answered, "I’d better clear the line. Bye."

"Thank you," C. J. said, "Well, we’re about to head off on another lead. Please tell me if anything else happens." She hung up and turned to the boys, determination shining in her eyes, "Come on. We’re going to Austin."

Vicki winced as the chair slammed into the hard concrete surface, breaking the wooden slats that had kept her arms as far apart as possible. Now, she had to reach her knife. It was in the back pocket of her jeans. Only then did she remember that it was gone. Someone must have searched her and found it. It was the one thing she kept with her during the summertime.

"Man," Vicki said out loud to herself, "They just had to find that, didn’t they? It was the only thing I could have used." Then she remembered something else. Earlier a man had come in. He hadn’t said much, but he had dropped something on the floor, just within her reach.

She glanced on the floor for it. Something shined in the dim light and she squinted to see what it was. The faint outline of a file came into view, the perfect tool for sawing through ropes, even if it was a little slow. Vicki wondered though, whether he had dropped it intentionally and if so, if she should trust him.

She reached out and brought a shoe down on the object and tried sliding it towards herself. Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hall and stopped in front of the door.

C. J. led the way to the subway, hoping that Frank and Joe were keeping up with her. When she found a subway leading to Austin, she dug into her purse for money and handed it to the man behind the booth. Frank and Joe did likewise. Then they all hurried down the way; it would be leaving soon.

The three didn’t even notice as a dark figure moved in the shadows behind them or that it was watching their every move. The figure moved forward cautiously.

C. J. motioned for the guys to hurry. The subway was going to arrive any minute now. The brothers rushed up. The tracks now rumbled with the rhythm of the subway. Lights came into view down the long and dark tunnel.

Before either teenager could stop it, a black-clad figure rushed out between two pillars and walked up behind C. J. Then, without warning, he reached forward and gave her a push. She was going to be directly in the subway’s path!