DERAILED!

  Frank, Joe, and Phil raced through the crowds. They made it to the contest hall in less than five minutes. But when they walked inside, something was definitely not right.

  “Hey, guys,” Joe said. “What’s up?”

  Everyone turned to stare at Phil. As they backed away from the table, the boys gasped. A huge chunk of the Zooming Zombie Coaster was missing!

  CONTENTS

  1 BUCCANEER BULLIES

  2 WINNERS—AND LOSERS!

  3 COASTER SHOCKER

  4 STICKS AND GROANS

  5 WHEN … WHAT … WHO?

  6 FUN HOUSE FRIGHT

  7 THRILL-PARK CHASE

  8 BIG BLUE CLUE

  9 PIZZAS, POPSICLES—PROOF!

  10 THE WINNER IS …

  Hardy Boys Comic Strip

  The Great Coaster Caper

  1

  Buccaneer Bullies

  Eight-year-old Joe Hardy gulped as the cage door snapped shut. It wasn’t the cage of a snarling tiger or a wild gorilla. It was worse—much worse! Joe was locked inside the Tarantula, the scariest, most extreme ride at the thrill park!

  “What am I doing here?” Joe shouted. He had always avoided the Tarantula like cooties.

  Joe’s nine-year-old brother, Frank, sat across from him inside the cage. “You’re not wimping out, are you, Joe?” Frank asked with a smirk.

  Joe gripped the safety bar so tightly he thought his knuckles would crack! “No way!” he squeaked. “Bring it!”

  Joe’s stomach dropped as the cage lifted off the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut. This was it … until he felt the steely black cage jerk to a stop.

  Did the ride break down? Joe wondered hopefully.

  No such luck. In a flash the cage began spinning until everything around Joe was one big dizzying blur!

  “Whoooaaaaaa!” Joe cried through rattling teeth.

  “Hold on, bro!” Frank laughed. “We’re going to flip!”

  Flip? “Why did I let you talk me into this ride, Frank Hardy?” Joe yelled. “I must have been craaaaaaazy—”

  “Joe? Joe?” Frank’s voice cut in. “Joe, wake up!”

  Joe’s eyes snapped open. He turned his head to see Frank hanging upside down—from his top bunk, not inside a cage!

  With a sigh Joe let his head fall back on his pillow. The terrifying Tarantula ride was only a dream. Or nightmare!

  “That must have been some dream,” Frank said, flipping down to the floor. “What was it about?”

  Joe kept his mouth shut. He had been scared of the Tarantula ride at the Thrill Kingdom amusement park since he was a really little kid. Frank would just tease him like he did all the time.

  “Um … I had this dream about zombies, Frank!” Joe said, climbing out of bed. “Seven-foot zombies chasing me all through Bayport.”

  “Zombies, huh?” Frank said. “You don’t think it had something do with Phil’s Zooming Zombie Coaster? And the contest today?”

  Joe smiled at the thought of the contest at Thrill Kingdom. It was a cool contest just for kids. The rules were to design and build a miniature thrill ride. Not only would the winner get free ride passes for the rest of the summer—his or her ride would replace the old fun house, Buccaneer Cove!

  “Phil has got to win first prize,” Frank said. He pulled a neatly folded polo shirt from his dresser drawer. “It’s totally sweet!”

  “Because we helped,” Joe said. He grabbed a wrinkled T-shirt draped over a chair. “You helped Phil glue Popsicle sticks to make the tracks. And I ate the Popsicles.”

  To prove it, Joe stuck out his tongue. Even though he had brushed his teeth after eating the last pop the night before, his tongue was still streaked with the colors of Freezy Fruity. Joe was totally sick of Freezy Fruity pops, but not of his cool tie-dyed tongue.

  Frank and Joe got dressed, stepping over sports gear, comic books, video games, and sneakers.

  Not only did Frank and Joe share a room, they also shared the tree house their father had built for them in the woods behind their house. Besides being a great place to chill, it was also the brothers’ secret detective headquarters. When Frank and Joe weren’t playing softball, hanging out at the arcade, or doing their homework, they were solving mysteries all over the town of Bayport!

  Though Frank and Joe were awesome detectives, sometimes they needed their dad’s help. Fenton Hardy was a private investigator, so he knew a thing or two about cracking cases.

  “Frank, Joe!” Mrs. Hardy called up the staircase. “Phil and his dad will be here soon. What do you guys want for breakfast? Eggs? Waffles?”

  “Anything but Freezy Fruity pops,” Joe joked.

  It wasn’t long before Frank and Joe were sitting in the backseat of the Cohen family car, headed for Thrill Kingdom. Phil sat in the middle, his Zooming Zombie Coaster model on his lap. Each boy wore a badge around his neck that would admit him into Thrill Kingdom for the contest.

  “I brought some marbles to roll down the tracks,” Phil said. “To demonstrate the direction the cars would go in.”

  “Wow!” Frank said, impressed. “Now I know you’re going to win, Phil.”

  “If you win,” Joe said slowly, “I mean when you win …”

  “The answer is yes!” Phil sighed. “You guys will get my extra ride passes—I’ve told you a million times!”

  Joe grinned from ear to ear. “Well, if that’s the case,” he said, “I’m going to ride every ride in the park!”

  “As in … the Tarantula?” Frank asked.

  Joe felt his blood freeze.

  “Here’s a challenge,” Frank told Joe. “If Phil’s Zooming Zombie Coaster wins, you’ll brave the Tarantula—once and for all!”

  “You’re still too scared to ride the Tarantula?” Phil asked Joe. “No way!”

  “I love that Tarantula!” Mr. Cohen said as he drove the car. “If it weren’t for my migraine headaches, I’d ride it every week!”

  “Everybody rides the Tarantula, Joe,” Frank declared. “Aunt Gertrude even rode the Tarantula last summer!”

  Joe felt his cheeks burn. Their aunt had not only rode the Tarantula, she’d raised both arms above her head and yelled, “Woo-hoooo!”

  “Okay, okay!” Joe blurted out. “Deal!”

  The brothers reached over Phil’s Zooming Zombie Coaster to fist bump.

  “What have you got to lose, Joe?” Phil chuckled. “Besides your lunch!”

  “Ha-ha,” Joe muttered. Maybe Phil wouldn’t win. But he wanted Phil to win. And he definitely wanted those free passes to the park!

  Mr. Cohen drove up to the Thrill Kingdom gate. Frank and Joe helped lift Phil’s coaster out of the car. Phil stretched his neck to peer over the Popsicle-stick tracks.

  “Are you sure you don’t need help carrying your coaster, Phil?” Mr. Cohen asked.

  “No thanks, Dad,” Phil said. “I’ve got Frank and Joe to help.”

  Joe flexed an arm muscle. “And we’re strong like bulls, Mr. Cohen!” he said with a grin.

  Mr. Cohen wished Phil luck before driving away. The boys flashed their badges at the booth, then walked through the gate. Thrill Kingdom was packed with people enjoying the rides, games, and food.

  Joe tried not to look at the Tarantula as they made their way to the contest hall. But as he aimed his eyes straight ahead, he saw something just as creepy: three beefy-looking pirates waving swords and charging straight toward them!

  “Avast!” the biggest pirate shouted. “Ye bilge-sucking scalawags!”

  2

  Winners—and Losers!

  Frank, Joe, and Phil stopped in their tracks as the pirates charged over.

  “My allowance is in my back pocket!” Phil blurted out to the pirates towering over them. “But don’t take my Zooming Zombie Coaster!”

  The three pirates lifted their eye patches to study Phil’s ride model.

  “Awesome coaster, dude,” the red-haired pirate with freckles said. “I’ll bet it’s for that lame contest.”

  “What’s so lame about it?” Frank demanded.

  “Duh!” the pirate with the skull and crossbones tattoo said. “The winning ride replaces Buccaneer Cove.”

  Frank studied the swords. They were plastic, not steel. And the pirates’ tattoos looked stuck on. As Frank looked closer he saw that the pirates were no older than nineteen!

  “Buccaneer Cove is neat,” Joe admitted. “I like that spinning barrel we have to run through, and the trick mirrors.”

  Then Joe nodded at Phil’s Zooming Zombie Coaster and said, “But you’re looking at the ride that’s about to take its place. The Zooming Zombie Coaster!”

  Phil jabbed Joe with his elbow, but it was too late. The pirates were already glaring at Phil’s ride model.

  “Um … nothing personal, maties!” Phil told the pirates. “But we’ve got to ship off now!”

  “Not so fast!” The biggest pirate shoved his fake but still-sharp sword in front of the boys.

  “Sign this first,” the red-haired pirate said, holding out a clipboard. “It’s a petition to save Buccaneer Cove.”

  “If we get enough people to sign,” the pirate with the tattoo said, “we’ll save Buccaneer Cove—and our jobs.”

  Frank, Joe, and Phil traded glances. The contest was to replace Buccaneer Cove, not save it. Signing the petition wouldn’t make sense!

  Thinking fast, Frank said, “We can’t. We’re only eight and nine, so we need our parents’ permission to sign anything.”

  �
��Or maybe,” the biggest pirate said, staring down at Phil’s Zooming Zombie Coaster, “you just want to win!”

  Frank and Joe stared up at the pirates. They knew they weren’t real pirates. Just real creepy.

  “Um—fair winds, me hearties!” Joe said quickly.

  With that, Joe, Frank, and Phil scooted around the pirates and into the crowd.

  “Whoa!” Frank said, not looking back. “I might miss Buccaneer Cove when it’s gone. But I sure won’t miss those pirates.”

  The brothers and Phil didn’t have far to go to the contest hall. It was a red-brick building with a yellow roof and lots of windows. Inside, a big room was decorated with silver and gold balloons. Two long tables were set up for the ride models. Another smaller table held awesome-looking cupcakes!

  A tall woman wearing khaki pants and a white blouse smiled as she walked over. “Hi, guys,” she said. “I’m Nina Milton, the contest director. You can start setting up your ride model on one of the tables.”

  “Then can we have a cupcake?” Joe asked. He felt Frank nudge him with his elbow and quickly added, “Please?”

  “Sure!” Nina smiled. “Help yourselves.”

  After carefully setting the Zooming Zombie Coaster down, the boys grabbed chocolate-and-peanut-butter cupcakes. Frank and Phil finished theirs in a few bites. Joe was still licking away at his as they checked out the other ride models.

  The boys recognized some kids from school. Dana Philips had built a miniature carousel with dinosaurs instead of horses. Kevin Singh had modeled a silver space shuttle inside a diorama of outer space. Keisha Cromley from Joe’s third-grade class had built a miniature fun house.

  “A fun house?” Joe whispered to Frank. “Why does she think they would replace Buccaneer Cove with another fun house?”

  Suddenly Frank spotted someone from his fourth-grade class. It was Daisy Zamora. Daisy was setting up her ride model next to Phil’s. She wore a bright yellow T-shirt that read IN IT TO WIN IT!

  “Everybody here wants to win,” Joe said.

  “Not as much as Daisy Zamora!” Frank said, lowering his voice so she wouldn’t hear. “She’s supercompetitive.”

  “Hey, Frank!” Daisy called, waving them over. “Check out my spinning pizza ride.”

  She gave the plastic pizza on a stick a whack. The boys grinned as it began spinning around and around.

  “Hey,” Phil said, “don’t your mom and dad own the Leaning Tower of Pizza parlor on Water Street?”

  “Does this answer your question?” Daisy said.

  She held up her wrist to show a red rubber bracelet. Stamped around it were the words LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA. “We also run a pizza stand right here in the park.”

  “Neat!” Joe said. “I’ll bet you get to ride all the rides for free!”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. “I may get free pizza and garlic knots,” she said. “But I have to buy ride tickets just like everybody else.”

  Daisy began spinning the pizza harder and much faster. “That’s why I have to win this contest,” she said. “And I’ll do anything to win. Anything!?”

  The Hardys and Phil traded glances. Daisy Zamora meant business.

  Suddenly two smaller kids barged past Joe to the table.

  “Out of our way, out of our way!” one of them demanded.

  Joe almost dropped his chocolate-and-peanut-butter cupcake. They looked exactly alike—identical twins!

  “What are you doing here, Matty and Scotty?” Daisy asked, annoyed. “You’re supposed to be at the pizza stand with Mom and Dad.”

  “We want to help you with the contest!” Matty said. His small blue backpack bounced as he jumped up and down. “Can we? Can we? Huuuuh?”

  “Matty can spin the pizza!” Scotty added. “And I’ll make sure nobody eats it!”

  “No one is going to eat a plastic pizza!” Daisy snapped. “And I told you—you’re too young for this contest. You’re both six, and you have to be eight!”

  Scotty tapped his chin as he thought. His eyes lit up as he said, “If you add our ages together, we’re ten!”

  “Twelve!” Matty whispered to his twin.

  “Nice try,” Daisy said with a smirk. “Go find another contest!”

  Pouting, the twins backed away from the table. But when they looked at Phil’s ride model, their eyes lit up again.

  “What’s that?” Scotty gasped.

  “It’s my Zooming Zombie Coaster,” Phil answered. “It’s made out of hundreds of Freezy Fruity Popsicle sticks.”

  The twins traded smiles. As they whirled around to leave, Matty’s backpack hit Joe in the stomach. Before Joe could complain, the twins were out the door.

  “Little brothers,” Daisy sighed. “I can’t think of bigger pests.”

  “I can!” Frank whispered. “Look who just walked in.”

  “Who?” Joe asked. He followed Frank’s gaze and groaned. Walking into the contest hall like he owned the place was Bayport’s biggest bully, Adam Ackerman!

  Following Adam were his buds Tony Riccio and Seth Darnell. Adam was shouting orders to them as they lugged a silver coaster model to one of the tables.

  Joe took a slow lick of the frosting on his cupcake as he eyed Adam’s coaster. Where had he seen that thing before?

  “Hey, Cohen,” Adam shouted when he saw Phil. “My coaster wipes the floor with yours any day!”

  Suddenly Joe remembered where he’d seen the coaster. “Hey, Adam,” he called, “isn’t that from the build-it-yourself kit? You know, the one at Toys 4 Us?”

  In a flash Adam was in Joe’s face. He grabbed Joe by the front of his T-shirt and lifted him right off his feet.

  “Keep your mouth shut, Hardy!” Adam growled. “Or you’ll be sorry!”

  3

  Coaster Shocker

  Let him go, Adam!” Frank shouted.

  “You heard him,” Joe squeaked, clutching his cupcake.

  Tony, Seth, and more kids ran over. So did Nina Milton. “What on earth is going on here?” she demanded.

  Adam let go of Joe. He plopped onto the floor.

  “We were just fighting over the last cupcake,” Adam mumbled. He pointed to Joe’s cupcake, now splattered on the floor. “No big deal.”

  “Doubtful,” Nina said. She frowned as she pointed at the snack table. “There are still plenty of cupcakes left.”

  “Joe and I were wondering if Adam’s coaster came from a kit,” Frank said. He flashed Adam a glare. “No big deal.”

  “Adam?” Nina asked. “Is your model from a kit?”

  “No way!” Adam declared. He pointed a finger at Frank and Joe. “They’re just playing detective again!”

  Joe was about to argue—until Tony blurted out, “But it is from a kit, Adam. It took me all weekend to build it, remember?”

  Adam clapped his hand over Tony’s mouth, but it was too late.

  “So the cat’s out of the bag!” Frank said.

  “You mean the coaster’s out of the box!” Joe added.

  “What difference does it make where it came from?” Adam snapped, his face red. “It’s an awesome coaster!”

  Nina shook her head. “Adam, I’m afraid you’re disqualified from the contest,” she said.

  “What?” Adam cried.

  “Return your badges, please,” Nina said, holding out her hand. “Then leave the contest hall with your coaster.”

  Adam, Tony, and Seth grumbled as they handed their badges to Nina. After Nina walked away, Adam turned to Frank. “I told you not to open your big mouth!” he growled.

  “You told Joe, not me,” Frank said, staring Adam down. “So why don’t you take your bogus coaster—and roll!”

  “Come on, Adam,” Seth said. “You don’t need this dumb contest.”

  Adam shot the Hardys one last glare before following his friends.

  “I know that look,” Frank whispered. “It’s the Adam Ackerman look of revenge.”

  “Great,” Joe muttered. Now he had two things to worry about: the Tarantula ride—and Adam Ackerman!

  It was twelve thirty when all the ride models were set up. Nina raised her hands for attention, then made an announcement: “The contest is at five o’clock. Until then you can ride any of the rides in the park for free.”

  “Cool!” Joe cheered with the others.

  The contestants had to be back at two o’clock to have their pictures taken for the Bayport News, and again at four thirty to prepare for the big contest.