door, he heard Freed's voice from the alley. "Where do you think you're going, punk? We're not done yet!"
Quickly Joe started the car and put it in gear. As he drove by the mouth of the alley, Freed lunged forward and almost grabbed hold of the door. Joe sped away, watching the powerful form grow small in his rear-view mirror. Good thing he didn't grab that door, he thought to himself, or he'd probably have torn it off.
***
Later that evening, when Frank came home from his date, he eyed the scrapes on his brother's face and whistled.
"Did you and Trish have a little disagreement?" Frank asked, not cracking a smile.
Joe shook his head. "Trish had a heavy date to watch film being edited. That girl has a one-track mind, so I dropped her at the hotel. Then, as I was leaving, Sam Freed grabbed me. He's the one I had the disagreement with."
Frank looked thoughtful. "It looks like you're still in one piece. How did he look?"
Joe said, "I was lucky. I slowed him down long enough to get away. It would take a lot to stop him. Funny thing, though" - Joe rubbed his arm and winced - "I can't figure out if Freed was just going after me on his own, or if maybe he was told to scare me off."
Frank replied, "I don't know. Maybe he's still sore about the coffee. Maybe he's interested in Trish himself and doesn't want you hanging around her. Seems like he just took a serious dislike to you."
Joe felt his ribs to see if he had suffered any injury. "I don't know why. I'm such a nice, friendly guy." Joe frowned. "Seriously, though, the coffee business was just an accident. It wasn't enough to start a war over."
"You planning on telling anyone about what happened tonight?" Frank asked.
"No way," exclaimed Joe. "Let it ride. We don't want the police all over the studio, making everybody uptight. No one'd ever talk to us."
"Right you are," agreed Frank. "Maybe tomorrow, we - "
The doorbell rang, cutting him off, and almost instantly it rang again.
"Pretty late for callers," Joe said.
"Maybe it's your buddy Freed." Frank winked at his brother.
As the Hardys went to the front door, the doorbell rang a third time, a long, insistent ring. Frank opened the door, and Andrea Stuart swept in and began to pace back and forth like a tiger in a cage.
"They'll never get away with it!" she said angrily. "We'll sue that department for every last cent!"
"Won't you come in," Frank asked dryly.
"Where's your father?" demanded the manager. "I have to see him. Now."
"Why? What's so important?" Joe asked.
She glared at him.
"I'll get him right away," Frank assured her. "Meanwhile, please sit down."
She ignored Frank and continued pacing.
Frank and Fenton appeared a moment later.
"What is it, Andrea?" asked the detective.
"Your brilliant local police just arrested Jim. He's down at headquarters now. I'll have that chief's badge for this! I'll have the best lawyers in the country here in the morning, and we'll sue the city for . . . defamation of character and false arrest and - "
"All right, Andrea, settle down," Fenton said quietly. "Let's have the facts. They arrested Jim? For murder?"
"Of course for murder! Those stupid, bumbling - "
"Something new must have come up," said Joe. "They wouldn't just arrest him for no reason."
Andrea wheeled around and nailed Joe with a long, hard look. But Fenton spoke first.
"There's no point in standing around here. Let's go downtown and find out exactly what is going on. Frank? Joe? Coming?"
"Right with you," replied Frank.
They reached the main police building shortly before midnight and asked to see whoever was in charge of the Fairburn murder. A minute later Chief Collig strode into the room.
"Good evening, Mr. Hardy."
"Chief, I didn't expect to see you down here at this hour."
"When we break a major case, it always gets my personal attention. You're here about developments in the Fairburn matter?" He barely nodded to Frank and Joe. They knew that he considered their interest in past police
Quickly Joe started the car and put it in gear. As he drove by the mouth of the alley, Freed lunged forward and almost grabbed hold of the door. Joe sped away, watching the powerful form grow small in his rear-view mirror. Good thing he didn't grab that door, he thought to himself, or he'd probably have torn it off.
***
Later that evening, when Frank came home from his date, he eyed the scrapes on his brother's face and whistled.
"Did you and Trish have a little disagreement?" Frank asked, not cracking a smile.
Joe shook his head. "Trish had a heavy date to watch film being edited. That girl has a one-track mind, so I dropped her at the hotel. Then, as I was leaving, Sam Freed grabbed me. He's the one I had the disagreement with."
Frank looked thoughtful. "It looks like you're still in one piece. How did he look?"
Joe said, "I was lucky. I slowed him down long enough to get away. It would take a lot to stop him. Funny thing, though" - Joe rubbed his arm and winced - "I can't figure out if Freed was just going after me on his own, or if maybe he was told to scare me off."
Frank replied, "I don't know. Maybe he's still sore about the coffee. Maybe he's interested in Trish himself and doesn't want you hanging around her. Seems like he just took a serious dislike to you."
Joe felt his ribs to see if he had suffered any injury. "I don't know why. I'm such a nice, friendly guy." Joe frowned. "Seriously, though, the coffee business was just an accident. It wasn't enough to start a war over."
"You planning on telling anyone about what happened tonight?" Frank asked.
"No way," exclaimed Joe. "Let it ride. We don't want the police all over the studio, making everybody uptight. No one'd ever talk to us."
"Right you are," agreed Frank. "Maybe tomorrow, we - "
The doorbell rang, cutting him off, and almost instantly it rang again.
"Pretty late for callers," Joe said.
"Maybe it's your buddy Freed." Frank winked at his brother.
As the Hardys went to the front door, the doorbell rang a third time, a long, insistent ring. Frank opened the door, and Andrea Stuart swept in and began to pace back and forth like a tiger in a cage.
"They'll never get away with it!" she said angrily. "We'll sue that department for every last cent!"
"Won't you come in," Frank asked dryly.
"Where's your father?" demanded the manager. "I have to see him. Now."
"Why? What's so important?" Joe asked.
She glared at him.
"I'll get him right away," Frank assured her. "Meanwhile, please sit down."
She ignored Frank and continued pacing.
Frank and Fenton appeared a moment later.
"What is it, Andrea?" asked the detective.
"Your brilliant local police just arrested Jim. He's down at headquarters now. I'll have that chief's badge for this! I'll have the best lawyers in the country here in the morning, and we'll sue the city for . . . defamation of character and false arrest and - "
"All right, Andrea, settle down," Fenton said quietly. "Let's have the facts. They arrested Jim? For murder?"
"Of course for murder! Those stupid, bumbling - "
"Something new must have come up," said Joe. "They wouldn't just arrest him for no reason."
Andrea wheeled around and nailed Joe with a long, hard look. But Fenton spoke first.
"There's no point in standing around here. Let's go downtown and find out exactly what is going on. Frank? Joe? Coming?"
"Right with you," replied Frank.
They reached the main police building shortly before midnight and asked to see whoever was in charge of the Fairburn murder. A minute later Chief Collig strode into the room.
"Good evening, Mr. Hardy."
"Chief, I didn't expect to see you down here at this hour."
"When we break a major case, it always gets my personal attention. You're here about developments in the Fairburn matter?" He barely nodded to Frank and Joe. They knew that he considered their interest in past police
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