Inside the car, shadows struggled.
“Kelly’s fighting him. Trying to stop him.”
Even as Pete spoke, the passenger door of the Rolls flew open and Kelly sprawled onto the street.
The Rolls-Royce raced away.
Kelly jumped up right in the path of the Fiero. Pete skidded to a stop. He leaned out.
“We’ll catch him, Kelly!”
Kelly pulled the passenger door open and tumbled over Ty into the narrow backseat.
“Not without me you don’t,” she snapped, and smiled breathlessly at them.
Pete grinned at her.
“Hang on, then,” he said. “This is going to be a dynamite ride.”
Pete caught up with the battered Rolls in less than three blocks. Even Ty was pale as Pete drove like a madman, following the great silver machine through every twist and turn it tried to make.
Together the two cars raced through the dark streets.
The Rolls plunged across a vacant lot, dodged among the pillars under the freeway, drove down the railroad tracks. It couldn’t shake Pete. It turned the wrong way up one-way streets, tried to outrun them on the straight beachfront boulevard.
There was no escape from Pete’s determination.
Finally Hatch made a last desperate attempt to reach the freeway. The entrance was a sharp left turn under an overhead bridge. For one instant it seemed that the fleeing chop-shop operator would make it.
Then Pete cut the Fiero in front of the Rolls as it slowed for the final sharp turn into the entrance. Hatch swerved around the Fiero, hung on the edge of the entrance, skidded sideways into the massive concrete freeway support, and came to a steaming, shuddering stop.
Ty was out of the Fiero in an instant. He ripped open the Rolls-Royce’s door and dragged Jake Hatch out by the collar. He hustled the dazed Hatch into the backseat of the Fiero and sat on him.
“I guess Hatch knows now who’s got the hottest wheels,” Ty said.
Kelly looked admiringly at Pete. He grinned at Ty and drove back to the garage.
When they arrived, everyone was out front. Tiburon and the Piranhas stood off to the right, waiting. The prisoners were guarded by Bob. Pete added the still dazed Jack Hatch to the prisoners.
“Anyone call the police?” Ty asked.
Bob nodded, “Jupe said he was going to.”
Pete looked around. “Hey, where is Jupe?”
A terrible moan came from inside the garage. Jupiter stood among the litter of smashed cars. He was staring at the demolished remains of something they couldn’t recognize. Then Bob guessed what it was.
“It’s your new Honda?”
The little blue and white car was a total wreck! Hatch had smashed into it again and again.
“No wheels.” Jupiter groaned. “And now I’m broke, too!”
The others comforted their despairing leader as best they could. Ty promised he’d help Jupe get an even better car.
“There’ll be some insurance money,” Ty said. “And we’ll think of something to make extra cash.” He smiled. “Hey, did you call the cops, Jupe?”
Jupiter sighed. “When I saw my car, I forgot.”
Then he managed a weak smile. “Well, at least we got the chop-shop ring, and cleared you, Ty!”
Police cars suddenly appeared at both ends of the street Officers jumped out with guns drawn and ran toward the guys and their prisoners. In the lead were Detective Cole and Sergeant Maxim.
“Hey,” Ty said. “That Sergeant Maxim thinks he finally caught me red-handed, guys!”
And with a big grin, Ty raised his hands in mock surrender. The Three Investigators just laughed.
