Chapter V

Randi threw Andrea's front door open, gasping for air. "Kitty, she-- she's been kidnapped!"

"What?" Aaron yelled from his room. "Kidnapped!"

"Yes! I followed her into an alley. When I turned down it, a man was jumping over the wall. He had Kitty in his arms and she was out cold. I looked over the fence and got the license plate number of the get away car. I ran back here to tell you."

"Rest while I call the police." Andrea moved to the phone and was about to pick it up when Randi stopped her.

"Wait! Before you call the police read this." Randi handed Tabby a piece of paper from which she read,

We have your friend. Don't call the police or you'll

never see them again. Warn the others as well.

"It's signed 'The Hyena' at the bottom. I want to try and figure out who wrote it and who the car belongs to." Randi sighed. "We need to find Kitty and bring her back safely."

The girl detective disappeared into one of the back rooms and wasn't seen for eight weeks. What she was doing or when she ate was a mystery, though the group saw her a few times wandering around the house; she ignored all questions directed at her. Randi worked from every angle of the mystery for weeks on end. Just when they thought she had disappeared too, the group saw her. It was June 4th, two months after Kitty was kidnapped.

"Scott come with me; we have an errand to run." Randi and Scott walked to South Street, in the poorer part of town. They stopped in front of a dilapidated old house; some of the windows were boarded up, shingles were falling off, and the lawn was in disrepair. As the pair approached the door, someone watched them. Randi ordered Scott to go around back and watch the door, then knocked. No one answered, but someone did scream. Randi found the door unlocked and raced upstairs. She searched every room, but there was no sign of anyone in any of the rooms except one. There were footprints, in the dust on the carpet, that led into the closet. Randi searched the closet and found a secret panel. As she looked down the dark stairs, a hand pushed her and Randi fell down the stairs a little way. The door closed as she stood up.

"Let me out!" she screamed. As she pounded on the door, Randi soon found one of her hands was stuck fast. When she placed her other hand next to it, that one got stuck as well. "Help! Help me!" she yelled. Randi felt a shock go through her body as she called for help. "Oh no, this is bad. Scott! Help me!" The shocks were coming once every minute and were getting worse. Scott had to find her soon.

"Randi, are you there?" Scott called. His voice was faint but Randi could hear him.

"Scott! Help me! I'm stuck behind the wall in the closet." Again Scott called to Randi and his voice was near. "There has to be a latch or button or something to open the door. Hurry and find a way to get me out." she explained as another shock coursed through her thin frame. Three more shocked her before the wall opened and she fell into Scott's open arms. When he had opened the door, Scott had turned the electricity off. Scott massaged Randi's hands until circulation flowed through them again and the shock had worn off.

"That was a close call. I'm glad I found you when I did." Scott said.

When Randi could stand again, she suggested that they search downstairs. Scott agreed as he headed for the door. "That's not what I meant. I meant down the secret stairs. There is obviously something or someone that our enemies don't want us to see."

Randi and Scott took their flashlights that they had pocketed and crept down the dark stairs. As they came to the bottom they heard voices; there were two men and a girl. Scott recognized all of them automatically as Sharky, his pal, and Kitty. Kitty was there but Scott and Randi had no idea how many people were really in there.

They listened carefully to the conversation taking place. Apparently Kitty was kidnapped to get at Randi and Andrea. Though she knew nothing of their 'plans' she was still taken hostage.

"Randi and Scott will find me; I saw them upstairs!" Kitty said loud but weakly. Her captors had been doing something to her.

"Those two? Ha! I locked one at the top of the steps with the electricity on and I stuffed the other in the dead closet." Sharky proclaimed; this statement caused Randi to look at Scott, who closed his eyes. "If the they live they won't find you here. We'll be long gone to El Seao and if they do catch on we'll go to another town." That was enough for Randi and Scott. They were gone in a flash, running back to Andrea's house to tell the others. If they would have listened some more, they would have heard that Kitty wouldn't be going to El Seao for another nine to ten weeks.

Together Scott and Randi tried to tell the others what had happened. Eventually they got the message across and relayed the urgency to go after her.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aaron asked, walking out of his bedroom. His arm was completely healed and ready to travel. "Kitty's out there in some kind of danger and we have to do something about it. I'm not going to wait around while she's harmed. So if we're going, let's go!"