“Really barreling along!” Tom thought. “If you’re in such a hurry, the road’s yours, pal.”
He pulled over sharply, motioning the truck to pass. Instead, to Tom’s surprise, it closed in straight behind him. The next moment, Tom saw a port open below the truck’s hood and a strange-looking device pop out on a springlike steel cable.
It clamped magnetically to Tom’s rear bumper! His car was caught like a fish on a line!
A MAGNETIC KIDNAPING 89
Tom stepped on the accelerator, trying to pull free. The truck at once swerved off the road, steering around a utility pole. As the cable tautened, there was a sickening screech of metal and the sports car was brought to a crashing halt!
Tom’s head slammed against the side window. With a groan, the young inventor blacked out.
CHAPTER X
TELEPHONE CODE
AS HE regained consciousness, Tom’s eyes fluttered open. Sparks of pain shot through his head. A groan escaped his lips.
“Oo-o! What hit me?” Tom wondered.
He was lying on a sofa in a strange room. Someone was seated nearby, watching him. Tom tried to move his limbs and sit up. Then he discovered that his wrists and ankles were tied with sash cord.
“Better lie still, sonny boy,” a gruff voice advised. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
The man who had spoken got up from his chair and came over to the sofa.
He was of medium height, very muscular looking, with cold, glittering eyes.
Rolled-up shirt sleeves revealed his powerful, hairy arms.
“Where am I?” Tom asked, suddenly remembering the events on the road before he blacked out. “And what’s this all about?”
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