Street Spies by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

charged down the center lane. Just beyond Joe was the exit. The van would have to slow down for the right turn that would take it out onto the street.
    As the vehicle surged past him, Joe saw the brake lights come on. Hit 'em low, he thought. That's what his football coach always said. He lunged for the back bumper, catching it with both hands.
    As the van skidded around the turn, Joe slammed the transmitter onto the bumper. It clamped fast. Joe released his grip. The van's springs crashed against their stops as the vehicle cleared the exit and disappeared into the street.
    Bugging the van was enough for now. With Gus injured, they'd have to let the gunmen go for the time being. They could pick up the trail later after Gus was in the hospital.
    Painfully, Joe picked himself up. His jeans were dusty and badly scuffed where he'd been dragged. The left arm of his field jacket was ripped and he'd lost a considerable patch of skin on his elbow. Other than that, he didn't feel much worse than he felt after a tough scrimmage.
    There was a pay phone near the garage entrance. Joe ran for it and dialed the emergency number.
    By the time Joe returned to the second floor, Frank had pulled off his turtleneck sweater and was covering Gus with it. "Is he going to make it?" Joe asked worriedly.
    "I don't know," Frank said. "He's unconscious. He's in shock and probably has head injuries." He motioned quickly. "Give me your field jacket. About all I can do here is keep him warm."
    Joe pulled off his jacket and tossed it to Frank. He covered Gus with Joe's jacket and checked the pulse in his neck again. It was weak and rapid, and his breathing was shallow and fluttery.
    The minutes dragged by while Frank and Joe crouched there, watching the injured man. If Gus died without revealing his contact at World-Wide, they might never get to the bottom of this case.
    The Hardys heard the wail of a siren on the street below, then footsteps racing up the stairs.
    Two white-jacketed paramedics rounded the landing. They were lugging a first-aid case and a metal gurney.
    The paramedics worked on Gus briefly. One of them turned to Frank and Joe, stethoscope in hand.
    "This is going to be touch and go," he said. "There may be spinal damage. We slid a backboard under him, but we need your help in loading him. He's got to be perfectly level."
    Frank nodded. The four of them knelt beside Gus.
    "Ready? On three," the medic said. "One, two, three."
    Smoothly, they lifted Gus's motionless body onto the gurney's soft white pad. Quickly, the medics strapped him in. They each grabbed a corner of the metal stretcher and carried Gus down the stairs. On the ground floor, the medics unfolded the undercarriage and wheels and pushed Gus to the waiting ambulance.
    "You're welcome to come along," the medic said as they hoisted the gurney through the open back doors and slid it inside.
    "Thanks," Frank said. There was a chance — a slim one, but a chance—that Gus might come to and reveal the name of his attacker. Besides, if the assailant found out Gus was still alive, he might try to finish the job. He and Joe climbed in and swung the doors shut behind them. The siren wailed and they were off.
    "Ooh." Gus gave a soft moan. Frank was instantly attentive.
    "Who did this?" Frank asked urgently. "Who was it, Gus?"
    Gus's eyelids fluttered. "Oh, it's you, Doc." He coughed painfully, and his chest heaved. Then his eyes flew wide open. Frank nodded in answer to his unspoken question. "That's right," he said. "I've been on the case from the start. If I were you, I'd talk. We're on the same side now."
    "It was a setup," Gus wheezed. "Chung was ... waiting for me." His eyes fluttered closed again.
    "Who's Chung?" Joe demanded. But he got no response. Gus had lapsed into unconsciousness again.
    The ambulance pulled up to the emergency room doors. As the Hardys swung the back doors open, several orderlies dashed up, unloaded Gus, and pushed him into the emergency room. The brothers