Edge of Destruction Read Online Free Page A

shipment in a couple of days ago. Kajimaki doesn't have brand recognition."
    "So why did this guy buy it?" asked Frank. "To tell the truth, he didn't actually buy it. I offered to toss it in free when he was trying to decide if he wanted to buy a video camera-also on special sale, incidentally. Maybe you'd like to take a look at one. I'll make you a deal you won't believe. "
    Frank pretended to consider. He looked at Joe, as if asking an opinion. Joe shrugged. "I'm not so sure," he said. "You think we can trust this guy?"
    Frank turned back to the salesman. "Look, don't worry about my friend here. It's not that I don't trust you, but maybe you could tell me who this other person was who bought the tape. Maybe you even have his name on a credit card receipt. That way I could get in touch with him. I could check out if he's happy with it." "No luck," the salesman said. "The guy paid in cash for the whole thing. Some people do it that way. Crisp hundred-dollar bills. I don't ask where they get them."
    "Actually, I buy things the same way," said Frank. "In fact, most of my crowd does." He knew he had to try to squeeze out the last bit of information fast, before the salesman began to get suspicious. "Actually, this guy might be somebody I know. A real big spender a video freak, too. He told me he was going to buy some new equipment. Was he a tall, skinny guy with red hair?"
    "No," said the salesman. "This guy was tall all right, but he must have weighed three hundred pounds. Plus, he was bald and had a black beard. A little weird looking, you might say, but easy to remember."
    "Guess it wasn't Tim," said Frank, quickly mentioning a name. "Too bad there's no way I could find out who he is, or be able to contact him. Look, if he ever comes in again, maybe you could get more information about him and call me. I can give you a phone number."
    "Yeah, right," said the salesman, his interest fading as his hopes for a sale dimmed. Then suddenly his eyes brightened. "Hey, what a break!" Frank and Joe wheeled around to see where he was looking. Filling the doorway was the mountain of a man that the salesman had just described.
    Before they could make a move, the salesman was out from behind his counter and past them to greet the customer.
    "Hello, sir!" he said. "Glad to see you again. Hope you were happy with that great Kajimaki tape you got. As a matter of fact, these two young men are interested in buying some. Maybe you could tell them - "
    He didn't get to finish his sentence. The big, bald, bearded man pivoted instantly and vanished from the doorway.
    The salesman turned toward the Hardy boys. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into - "
    But he didn't get to finish that sentence either. Frank and Joe tore past him, desperate to get to the sidewalk before the big man disappeared down the street.
    "Hey, wait!" the salesman shouted after them from the store doorway. "I'll give you a deal you can't - " But by that time they were almost out of hearing range. They had spotted the big man racing into Grand Central Station and were running after him, weaving through swarms of pedestrians who constantly held them back. But they did manage to make it into the station shopping arcade just in time to see the man going down a flight of marble stairs.
    "Let's go” Joe said, leading the way.
    At the top of the stairs, Frank saw a sign: To Trains.
    "Quick," he said to Joe, who needed no urging. "He's going to leave town." When they reached the next level down, they saw the man darting into the farthest entrance way in a line of tunnels that led to the different train platforms.
    "Let's hope his train isn't pulling away right now," said Joe as they ran after him. They got to the entrance, dashed through, and saw nothing. There was no train on either of the tracks. In front of them, under dim electric light, the long concrete platform stretched empty into the distance. .
    Joe clenched his teeth angrily. "He got away!" "But where?" said