Darkness Falls (6 page)

“Joe!” Frank yelled again. The slope was steep, but using handholds in the jutting rock, Frank was able to make his own way down. By the time he got there, Joe was stirring. He was alive, at least. Frank lifted Joe out of his
tangle and laid him down on his back in the grass.

“Oooohh,” Joe groaned. “Everything hurts. Frank, is that you?”

“It's me, Joe,” Frank said, kneeling beside him. “Do you think you broke anything?” Joe had a deep gash on his forearm and a big bruise on his cheek.

“I don't think so. You know I didn't just fall, someone tried to kill me! They put out a leg and tripped me,” Joe said, wincing. “I slowed my fall by grabbing that branch up there.” He pointed up to where a brush grew straight out of the side of the embankment. Then he raised himself to his elbows. “Rats!” he muttered, “I can't stand the idea that someone got away with our film! Do you realize this could be the end of the exploded planet theory? It makes me sick even to think about it!”

“I know how you feel, but there's not much we can do about it now. Come on, let me help you. We've got to get you back up to the observatory.”

“Is my face totally swollen?” Joe asked, worried.

“You got a bad bruise,” Frank told him. “That gash on your arm is pretty nasty, too. Let's get you back topside.”

It took a while for them to scramble back
up the embankment, with Joe groaning all the way that his whole body ached. “We'll get you a hot bath back at the hotel,” Frank told him.

“We're supposed to call Mom and Dad tomorrow morning and tell them how things went,” Joe said anxiously. “They're not going to like it that we've gotten into so much trouble.”

“The news of Ebersol's murder is going to be on TV and in all the papers,” Frank replied. “There's no way to keep them in the dark. But if it makes you happy, we won't say anything about this little accident.”

“Accident! I told you, somebody tripped me,” Joe cried, stopping on the footpath as they neared the observatory compound.

“I heard you, and I do believe you,” Frank said. “So I guess whoever stole our film is even willing to kill to keep it—which makes me wonder about Tim Wheeler. He couldn't have tripped you—he's in police custody.”

“That's true!” Joe said, realizing that Frank was right. “Come on, let's go tell that police captain. He's waiting to interview us anyway.”

Captain Kanekahana was not impressed with the Hardys' story. “Look, guys,” he told them. “I'll tell you now what I didn't mention when I first met you: I've heard of you and your father. You've got great reputations, and I've
got all the respect in the world for you. But I've got to be frank—I don't see any possible connection between the Ebersol murder and what just happened on the path. I've got a pretty good murder suspect already in custody.”

“How can you say that?” Joe asked as a paramedic applied a butterfly bandage to the gash on his forearm. “We told you about the van attempting to run us down. That couldn't have been Wheeler either!”

“True,” the captain admitted. “But it could have been a case of bad brakes. As for the theft of your film, I can think of lots of reasons for someone to steal it.”

“Such as?” Frank asked.

“Such as the fact that this mountaintop is full of scientists who would love to present that film as the product of their own research. And there are a fair number of media people up here, too. One of them could have taken it to back up a scoop about the discovery of the missing planet or to add an original angle on Ebersol's murder. Hey, someone could even have snatched the film as a souvenir.”

“We should have thought of those possibilities,” Frank admitted.

“Hold on a minute, Captain,” Joe said, sounding annoyed. “Whoever stole that film wanted to keep it badly enough to risk killing
me. That doesn't sound like a souvenir hunter to me—or a reporter trying to get a scoop.”

Kanekahana frowned. “It's entirely possible that the ‘leg' you tripped over was really a branch or vine, Joe.”

“No way,” Joe insisted. “Whatever tripped me was thick, Captain. As thick as a human leg.”

“One of the paramedics told us that Michele was missing,” Frank said, trying to get some useful information. “Have you found her yet?”

“She just wandered away for a few minutes,” the captain said. “After she refused a sedative, she said she wanted to be by herself—which is totally understandable to me. The woman just lost her husband.”

“But she was missing at the same time that someone tripped me,” Joe reasoned.

“Please, I have enough trouble right now without searching for more,” the captain said with an impatient sigh. “Right now I've got a murder case on my hands. My plan is to get a confession from Wheeler by tonight, and once that's wrapped up, I'll help you find your film.”

Joe started to protest, but Frank put a hand on his shoulder. “Forget it, Joe,” he said. “It's no use. The captain's mind is made up, and nothing we can say is going to change it.”

“That's right,” Kanekahana said, nodding and smiling. “And I advise you boys to stay
out of trouble. Come by the station in the morning and sign your statements about the theft. I promise we'll be on it the minute I get Wheeler squared away. Take it easy, okay? Everything is in capable hands, so you two can relax and enjoy your vacation in Hawaii.”

Outside again, Joe turned to Frank and asked, “What do we do now?”

Instead of answering, Frank motioned for Joe to follow him. He led his brother back inside the aluminized tent. There he felt inside the camera and pulled out the roll of film. “Just as I thought!” he said excitedly. “The thief missed our last roll of film—the one that was left in the camera!”

“All right!” Joe said. “Maybe our luck is turning.”

“We'd better hope it turns,” Frank said, “before it runs out altogether.”

By the time Frank and Joe got back to their hotel, it was past nine 'clock, and the stars were out. The hotel pool was still open, and since it had a whirlpool attached to it, Frank and Joe decided that a swim and a soak would be better for Joe's aches and pains than a hot bath. Putting the roll of film in the small refrigerator in their second-floor room, they changed into bathing suits and went downstairs.

As they sat in the whirlpool, Joe said, “I
don't think a lot of that police captain. He seems awfully arrogant to me.”

“I know,” Frank agreed, tapping his fingers on his leg. “And awfully anxious for a quick arrest, too. I'd hate to be Tim Wheeler tonight.”

“But, Frank,” Joe said, “if the murderer isn't Wheeler, who is it?”

Frank thought hard. “I don't know. But I'll tell you one thing. I thought it was interesting that Michele Ebersol was missing at the same time our film was stolen. And when you think about it, she was alone out there during the eclipse, right outside Ebersol's tent. Why didn't she see anyone go in or out?”

“Are you saying she killed her own husband?” Joe asked, incredulous.

“It's been known to happen, Joe,” Frank commented. “Hey, are you as hungry as I am? We forgot all about dinner.”

“Famished,” Joe said, lifting himself out of the whirlpool. “Boy, I feel a lot better. Let's go get some grub!”

The brothers went back to their room to change, then headed out onto the main commercial boulevard. There they found a crowded fish restaurant, The Tradewinds, and squeezed into a corner table.

After a dinner of
mahi mahi,
a local fish delicacy, and
poi,
a native Hawaiian staple, the
brothers headed back to their hotel room for a good night's sleep.

“I'm ready to collapse,” Frank confessed.

“Me, too,” Joe agreed. “It's been quite a day.” He fished out the key and unlocked the door to their room. “Hey, Frank, do you think—”

Joe froze in the doorway, Frank right behind him, staring into the darkness of their room. Inside, he could just make out what had made Joe stop short.

It was the figure of a man!

“There's a killer on the loose,” said a voice in the darkness. “Take my word for it, you're the next victims.”

B
OTH BOYS BRACED
for an attack. Joe clenched his fists, and Frank went into a deep karate horse stance. Reaching over, Joe quickly flicked on the light.

“Wheeler!” he gasped. The reporter stood facing them, his face white. He held his hands up in front of him. At least he's unarmed, Joe thought.

“What are you doing here?” Frank wanted to know. He relaxed his aggressive stance, but only slightly. “How did you get out of police custody?”

“I came here to tell you the truth,” Wheeler said. “I didn't kill Ebersol. You've got to believe me. Please, I need your help!”

“If you didn't, who did?” Joe broke in.

“How should I know?” Wheeler insisted. “But I'll tell you what I do know—whoever did it is desperate enough to kill anyone who gets in the way, including you.”

“You still haven't answered my questions,” Frank pointed out.

“My film company bailed me out,” Wheeler explained. “But not before that police captain grilled me for two hours. He wasn't even going to take me before a judge for a bail hearing, except that I had no criminal record, there was no physical evidence to connect me to the murder—”

“What about the knife in your hand?” Joe challenged him. “That seems pretty physical to me.”

“I told you, I picked it up off the floor. It was a stupid thing to do. But there was no blood on the rest of me. If I'd killed him, I'd have been covered with it. Even the police captain could see that. He didn't want to let me go, I could tell. For all I know he's probably got someone following me.”

“Why did you come here, then?” Frank asked.

“Yeah,” Joe echoed. “You say you have no criminal record, but I'd say this looks like breaking and entering.”

“Come on, Joe. I
had
to talk to you,”
Wheeler said. “You two are detectives. You've got to figure out who really killed Ebersol!”

“Suppose we do help you,” Frank said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. “If we agree, you've got to start by telling us everything you know.”

“About what?” Wheeler asked.

“About Ebersol, and his wife, and staff, anything that might shed light on why he was murdered,” Frank explained.

Wheeler let out a deep sigh. “For starters, you might be interested to know that I saw Ebersol last night.”

“What?” Joe asked. “But when he left us, he and his wife were headed for their beach house to meet with some benefactors. It was already pretty late, too. Were you there?”

“No,” Wheeler replied. “I met him at the lounge in my hotel—the Paradiso, a few blocks up Kailua strip. It was about eleven-thirty, I think.”

“Did you talk to him?” Frank asked.

“Did I ever!” Wheeler gave a mirthless little laugh. “I poked so many holes in his exploded planet theory it ended up like a sieve. And the funny thing is, once I got going, he didn't argue with me. It was as if he didn't know his own work! Either that or his mind was a million miles away.”

“Why would a man leave his beautiful wife
to hang out in a hotel lounge at eleven o'clock at night?” Frank wondered out loud.

“Maybe they had a fight?” Wheeler suggested.

“Tell us about Michele, Tim,” Joe said. “What's she really like?”

“That's tough,” Wheeler said, frowning. “She's the type of person who will be sweet as pie one minute and stab you in the back the next.”

“Did you say ‘stab in the back'?” Frank said, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn't mean it literally,” Wheeler protested. “The thought of Michele murdering anyone is absurd. Which isn't to say she doesn't have her downside. She can be extremely ambitious, ruthless even—especially when it comes to money. That girl loves money and the things it can buy. Of course, she's pretty fond of power and prestige, too.”

Wheeler shook his head sadly, a pained expression on his face.

“Do you think she killed him?” Frank asked bluntly.

“I can't bring myself to believe it,” the writer said with a shiver. “But I suppose she could have. Think about the way it's all going to wind up—Michele will take over Ebersol's research, probably get to run the foundation, and inherit all his book royalties while I'm doing prison time!”

Frank and Joe looked at each other dubiously. Could Wheeler be telling the truth? Joe wondered. Or was he just making it up about Michele to throw suspicion on someone other than himself?

“All right, Wheeler,” Frank said. “We'll look into all this. In the meantime I suggest you stay right where the police can see you. When we find something out, we'll come to you.”