Highway Robbery Read Online Free Page A

The scarred wooden desk was stacked high with papers and folders that almost hid the phone. Maps tacked to the walls had routes drawn across them in felt-tip pen. The only other wall decoration was a calendar with a color photograph of a flashy customized truck.
    "Who was that?" Tony asked his uncle.
    "Aah." Matt waved a hand in disgust. "Lou Gerard. The union's new business agent for the local our people belong to. Forget about him."
    He looked curiously at the Hardys.
    Tony quickly jumped in. "Uncle Matt, this is Frank and Joe Hardy, the ones Mike told you about last night."
    Matt sat back in his desk chair, his eyes still on Frank and Joe. "When Mike said something about detectives, he didn't mention you were kids. I don't know - "
    "Uncle Matt," Tony said, "trust me. These two really get around. They may be young, but they aren't helpless. Go ahead, give them a try."
    Matt shrugged. "How old are you two?"
    "I'm eighteen," Frank answered, "and Joe is seventeen."
    "Okay. Joe, legally you have to be eighteen to even start learning big rigs. I guess we can say you're an apprentice mechanic. Frank, you're too young to actually drive a rig, but you can be a driver's helper. You'll work with Pat Mulvaney, our top driver, until Mike gets back."
    There was a knock at Matt's door, and a second later a man came in with a sheaf of papers. He had sandy hair and freckles, and several pens stuck out of a plastic pocket protector in his shirt.
    "Frank, Joe, this is Felix Kinney," said Matt. "Frank and Joe are starting to work here, Felix. Felix is our numbers man - in charge of billing, schedules, bookkeeping."
    Felix smiled and then said softly, "What there is of it these days, what with - "
    "All right, Felix," Matt cut in gruffly. "Leave the papers and get back to work. And ask Pat to come in here."
    After Felix had gone, Matt tilted his chair back against the wall behind him. "All right. What can I tell you?"
    "Just fill us in on what's been going down," said Joe.
    Matt nodded. "There have been three hijackings, all of Ultratech equipment. Every time the truck was completely cleaned out. On the first heist, I brought in the sheriff and my insurance paid Ultratech for the loss. The second time I was worried about how my insurance people would react, so I kept quiet and paid for the loss myself."
    "What about this one?" Frank asked.
    Matt sighed and shook his head. "I'll be able to cover this one, too - barely. But if there's another one - I don't know. It would just finish us. Some of my men are already talking about finding new jobs, before these are shot out from under them."
    "This man Mickey Vane - " Frank began.
    Matt glared up at him. "How do you know about him?" he demanded.
    "We were at the hospital with Mike last night, when that deputy arrived," said Joe.
    "Well, I can't tell you much," Matt said. "I hired him two years back, before I found out he had a record. If he'd told me about it up front, I might have kept him, but since he lied, I let him go as soon as I found out. I hadn't heard of him again till last night."
    "Did MacReedy tell you that stolen Ultratech products were being sold out of the place where Vane's body was found?" Joe asked.
    Matt's eyes widened. "No, he didn't. Unless - maybe he suspects I had something to do with it, but that's crazy!" His jaw clenched.
    "Let that go for now," said Frank. "What's the problem between you and this man Lou Gerard?"
    Matt's face took on a stony look. "Nothing. Forget about him. That's private business."
    Frank shot Matt a probing look. "We can do our job only if you level with us."
    Matt said nothing.
    After an awkward silence, Tony said, "Well, I've got to get to work. I'll catch a bus outside. See you, guys, Uncle Matt."
    "Tony!" Matt called out. "I'm trusting you not to tell your mother and father about any of this. There's no point in worrying them. Right?"
    "If you say so, Uncle Matt," answered Tony, but he seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea.
    Just after Tony