The Last Laugh Read Online Free Page B

a few minutes they were back to the place where they'd blocked the alley.
    Joe and Frank began examining the ground around them, while Chet stood nervously scanning the area.
    "You don't think those crooks are still around, do you, Frank?" Chet asked.
    Frank looked up from the dirt. "Afraid they'll come back?"
    Chet nodded sheepishly. "A little. I don't mind helping you guys catch regular crooks, but fighting people with superhuman strength gives me the creeps."
    Joe stood behind Frank, a scornful expression on his face. "Nobody's got superstrength, Chet! The Human Dreadnought is just a guy in a costume."
    "But you saw him. He picked up our car and rolled it down the hill!" Chet sputtered.
    "Joe's right," Frank stated flatly. "Nobody's strong enough to pick up a car with three people in it."
    Frank waved Chet over to where he was kneeling and pointed to a pair of deep parallel furrows in the dirt.
    "What do you think these are?" Frank asked.
    "Tracks of some kind, maybe from something heavy," Chet guessed.
    "Like what, Chet?" Frank prompted.
    Chet shrugged. "How should I know? You're the detective, not me."
    "Maybe those marks were made by whatever the Dreadnought was carrying when he got out of the van," Frank suggested.
    "Which was probably a hydraulic jack. That's what he used to tip our car over," Joe added, "not superstrength."
    Chet nodded dubiously. "I guess that makes sense. But why go to the trouble of faking superstrength? I don't get it."
    Frank was quiet for a moment. "That's just one of the things we'll have to figure out."
    Frank picked himself off the ground. "I've seen enough," he said as he dusted off his hands. "Let's swing by Kaner's home. Maybe we can find out something about what happened to Kaner before the kidnappers' trail gets too cold."
    The trio got back into the battered sedan and Joe drove back to Lake Baca Drive, with the car clanking and squealing every inch of the way. When they arrived, Joe noted that the police cars parked before the Kaner home had been joined by several plain black sedans.
    "They look like FBI cars," Joe guessed.
    "How can you tell?" Chet asked.
    "They're unmarked sedans. Standard FBI issue," said Joe.
    "We might as well go back to the hotel now, Joe," Frank added. "I doubt we'll get to talk to Mrs. Kaner tonight."
    "Yeah, the cops and FBI will keep her tied up for hours," Joe agreed.
    The battered car protested loudly anytime Joe drove over thirty miles an hour, but he managed to coax it back to the rental agency without stopping. They decided not to tell the truth about what had happened to the car - who'd believe their story about the Dreadnought, anyway. The story they did tell convinced the manager to rent them another car after they filled out an accident report with the police.
    Frank felt tired and discouraged as Joe pulled into the parking garage. They went upstairs, stopping only to pick up some soda and a few pretzels and chips at the snack bar in the lobby. Up in the Hardys' room, Joe sat on his bed while Chet flopped on Frank's bed. Frank took the straight-backed chair that stood in front of the small desk.
    Pulling out a notebook and pen from his shoulder bag, Frank asked, "Chet, if this gang keeps impersonating Terrific Comics supervillains, what are some other characters we might run up against?"
    Joe rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Frank, will you give this comic-book stuff a rest? I didn't think you actually believed we were up against real supervillains."
    "I don't," Frank answered. "But it never hurts to have an idea of a criminal's possible methods."
    Chet chewed a potato chip thoughtfully before answering. "Well, the Human Dreadnought is Terrific Comics' main villain, and Flame Fiend pops up a lot. They've got a character called Peregrine, too. He's a flying villain from the Green Cyclone comic. He's got a lot of advanced weaponry and a spaceplane," Chet explained.
    Frank nodded, scribbling notes, then motioned for Chet to continue. Chet had finished the