At the last possible second, Joe reached out and pulled C. J. back. She regained her footing just as the subway pulled into the station. The figure had disappeared by now. She looked up at the brothers.

"What was that about," C. J. asked, "I don’t think it was the welcome party, do you?"

"He sure wasn’t very welcoming, was he," Frank said, "I think we’re just getting closer to solving this case. Let’s get aboard. We’re about to leave."

The three climbed in and presented their tickets. Finding seats wasn’t too hard and soon they were on their way.

Vicki stopped when the footsteps stopped outside the door. She listened carefully to the two voices outside, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. The door opened then, "I’ll take care of it," a voice said, "Don’t worry about it."

The man from earlier walked in then and spotted the broken chair. He walked over to her, "Keep working on it," he said, "You’ll be out of here in no time. Don’t worry. Everything’s under control." Then the man left before Vicki could ask any questions. She continued her work, wondering who the man could be and why he was helping her out.

"What was going on in there," Vicki heard the other man ask.

"Nothing," the man replied, "Everything is taken care of. Don’t worry. I’ll be guarding the door all night."

When Frank, Joe, and C. J. reached Austin, they didn’t bother to immediately find a hotel. There were big chances that they would be leaving soon.

"What I’m wondering is how they know we’re here," Frank said, "They’ve known our every movement since the beginning. And who is helping us?"

"I don’t know," C. J. answered, "but I have an idea that we are getting close to the answer. I think we’ll solve this soon." Just then, C. J’s cell phone rang. Suspecting that it was Mr. Silver, she picked it up.

"Is this C. J. Summers," an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes it is," she answered, "What do you need?"

"Your friend is safe," the voice replied, "and she will stay that way for the time being."

"Who is this," C. J. asked, "What do you mean?"

You need to act fast. I didn’t dare leave a paper behind, but you need to catch the next train to Midland."

"Wait a minute," C. J. started to say but was cut off. An angry voice was heard through the phone.

"How could you let this happen," the new voice said, "She tried to escape. I thought you said it was taken care of."

"It won’t happen again," the voice replied, "I promise nothing will stop this plan." The other person moved off and the phone was picked back up.

"Listen, I don’t have much time," he continued, "Just get down here soon. I will try to make sure everything works out. Please, just come." The line went dead.

"What was that about," Joe asked the second she hung up.

"Someone who said that we should catch the next train to Midland. I think we should go. I don’t know what to do from there."

"Then we’re going," Frank said, "This guy, whoever he is, is trying to make sure we find the people responsible for this. I say we follow his advice."

"Let’s go," C. J. said, "We can be in Midland by this afternoon and see what happens from there."

Minutes earlier, Mr. Silver had been waiting around the house for another call. None had come since earlier that evening, but he had to take action soon. Becky hadn’t left the house since she had returned and Mrs. Silver had been waiting upstairs for any word herself.

The family had barely left the house all day. By now everyone in Sport had heard and had decided to give them some time alone. Mr. Silver raced for the phone when it rang. He listened carefully to the instructions on the phone and hung up. Mrs. Silver was standing beside him in an instant.

"What did they say," she asked, "What do they want?"

"I need to fly down to Midland," Mr. Silver said, "They have a deal to make with me. I’m leaving as soon as I can."

"Where are you going," Becky asked, coming down the stairs. Her messy blonde hair proved that she hadn’t been sleeping lately. No one was being his or her usual self, "You can’t leave now."

"I have to," Mr. Silver insisted, "I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise. Now, I need to go to the office and pick up some papers."

"You aren’t thinking of giving them those papers were you," Mrs. Silver asked, "If they did, you can’t. Those are what we need to solve this case."

"I have no choice," he said, "Either I bring the papers and the money, or we never see her again."