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"Oooof" Frank leaned out of the chair and delivered a quick chop to the back of the
neck.
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Frank's karate teacher would have given a deep bow to the blow. Karl dropped to the
floor as if felled by an ax.
Joe didn't waste time admiring his brother's skill. He quickly used his own skills,
smashing into the little man with a football block that sent the cop sprawling. As soon as
the man was on the ground, Joe's foot landed against his chin in a powerful kick.
Meanwhile, Denise had stopped looking weak and scared with a speed that made it
clear it had all been an act. As the cop beside her pulled out his gun to go after Frank and
Joe, she grabbed his gun arm and twisted it behind him. A moment later the snub-nosed
revolver was in her hand with the barrel pressed against the side of the cop's head.
It all took less than a minute.
"Hey, neat work," Joe said to Frank. "You had me fooled for a second. I thought for
sure you were caving in."
"I had to make it convincing. I had to wait as long as I could before I did my folding
act," said Frank. "Of course, the closer I got to getting the shock, the easier it was to act
scared."
"It did the trick, anyway," said Joe. "Now get these cuffs off me, and we'll get out of
here."
Frank removed a ring of keys from the pocket of the unconscious little man. He had to
try several of them before he found a key that snapped open Joe's handcuffs.
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"Bring the cuffs over here," ordered Denise, who had forced her former guard to lie
face-down on the floor. Expertly she handcuffed his hands behind him, then used his belt
to tie his ankles together.
"We don't have to bother gagging him," she said. "As that little cop so thoughtfully
informed us, this room is soundproof. It will take them quite a while to attract attention."
"Yeah, especially since Karl and the little guy are both out like lights. They look like
they'll stay that way for a long time," added Joe. "Hey, Frank, you really connected with
that monster."
"I put everything I had into the chop," said Frank. "I think it would have smashed a
brick a foot thick. Maybe I should check to see how the guy is."
"No time for that," said Denise. "We have to worry about ourselves. Let's get out of
here."
She led them from the room, and Frank used one of the keys on the ring to lock the
door after they left. Then he and Joe followed Denise down a corridor to another steel
door. Denise swung open the door, and they entered.
Frank and Joe froze. Waiting for them was a woman in a police uniform, complete
with a pistol butt sticking prominently out of its holster.
But Denise didn't even raise the gun in her hand. "Boys, meet Marcelle," she said.
"She's a friend-she works for the same organization I do."
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Frank and Joe exchanged quick looks. The Gray Man's suspicions had been right.
Reynard and Company did have agents within the Surete itself.
"She managed to inform me in my cell that she would be on duty this shift," said
Denise. "Now if you two will turn your eyes away for a moment, Marcelle and I will do a
quick striptease."
Frank and Joe turned around obediently and waited until they heard Denise say, "You
can look now."
Denise modeled the police uniform she was wearing. "Not a bad fit," she said. "And
the style is really quite good. The government got a famous designer to create it when
they started admitting a large number of women into the force. "
"Unfortunately, they'll take the loss out of my salary," said Marcelle as Denise tied her
up securely. "They are not very understanding about things like this."
"Don't worry, your bonus from the boss will more than make up for it," said Denise.
"And for this discomfort as well," she added, gagging Marcelle with a kerchief.
Denise took out her pistol and pointed it at the boys. "Come on," she said. "I am
marching you two crooks out of here."
"What if someone tries to stop us?" asked Frank.
"This pistol is fully loaded, and I know how to
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use it," Denise replied. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that. Shooting a policeman isn't
very smart. It's the one thing that the law will never forgive under any circumstances."
The Hardys held their breath as they came to the front desk, but the guards were in the
middle of an intense card game. They did little more than glance up as Denise, her gun
drawn, herded Frank and Joe out onto the street.
"And these police are supposed to be the best in France," said Denise scornfully as they
stood under the glow of a streetlight. Night had come and a misty summer rain was
falling. "Now you see why it is so easy to work outside the law."
"Where do we go from here?" asked Frank.
"And how do we get there?" asked Joe. "We can't exactly hail a taxi."
You can't even use the Metro," said Denise. "You can't afford it. Or have you
forgotten?"
"That's right!" exclaimed Frank, clapping a hand to his forehead. "Our money! The
wallets! The cops have everything!"
"A hundred and fifty thousand bucks," groaned Joe.
"I'm glad you are beginning to understand the situation you are in," said Denise. "You
are now without money, and I suspect that you'll owe a very big explanation to whoever
is financing you.
"Look, you've got to help us," said Frank.
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"Can you take us into that building again--maybe we can get the money back," said Joe.
"And maybe I am crazy, but I don't think so, replied Denise.
"I've heard people say the French are heartless," commented Frank.
"Not heartless-merely practical," said Denise. "But maybe we can find a practical way
to get you out of this tight spot."
"Get us out of it, and we'll do anything you want in return," promised Frank.
"The first thing I'll do is get you out of this neighborhood," said Denise. She walked to
a small red car parked a few hundred feet away. "It's Marcelle's. She told me where it was
and gave me the key."
Denise slid into the driver's seat and motioned for Frank and Joe to get in the back.
They drove in silence for a half hour while the Hardys looked out the mist-beaded
windows at the blurred black shapes of buildings and the streaky lights of neon signs as
they traveled through Paris. Finally, Denise parked the car and got out. Frank and Joe
followed her as she began walking briskly.
"My apartment is twenty blocks away," she said. "I didn't want to park too close. The
police will search the immediate area where the car is found. "
They walked the twenty blocks in fifteen minutes. Frank and Joe noticed that the
buildings
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they passed were more and more elegant. The building that Denise lived in was truly
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