Spiral
By: Aubrie1234
"Look at this, brother." A newspaper was thrown at the other's feet, "They finally found our 2-for-1." He glanced down at the paper, uninterested.
"And they're going to search, but they won't find us." he muttered, going back to reading. The other laughed, juggling the knives in his gloved hands easily.
"Like h**l they won't! When do you think we should make our next move?"
"Remember, we've got to be unpredictable." the man looked up, a glint in his eyes as he wickedly smiled, "And they best way to do that right now is tonight." A knife was thrown to him, where he caught it easily.
"Who should we do this time?"
"How about the new girl, Shandra?"
"Too predicable. How about someone older?"
"Not as fun. Prostitutes?"
"Then we'd seem too similar to Jack the Ripper." The two sat in silence, one juggling knives while the other fingered the one in his hand.
"Why not a man this time?" asked the reader, Completely unprecedented and unpredictable." The juggler grinned again.
"I'll agree to that. Who do suggest?"
"Carl Flanders. Young, but rich."
"Eh. I was more along the lines of drunken b*****ds who date w***es."
"Give up that d**n grudge on Jerkins already." snapped the reader.
"It was right after our last act. What if we had been caught?" Reader hummed in response.
"He was probably too drunk to remember it, and he could have done him in if that happened. Anyway, it's got to be one or the other. We don't want a pattern, remember?"
"Unless we make tonight another 2-for-1 and don't do another for a while. I love watching this town cower."
"Alright then. Let's give this place another taste of our havoc." The two then got up and left. The paper's headline still blared big and loud:
BAYBORT BUTCHERS 2-FOR-1!
WHERE, WHO, AND WHEN WILL THEY STRIKE NEXT?
HARDYS ON THE CASE!
"I feel like we're stuck with two Jack the Rippers." Chet whimpered. He was at home with his sister, reading the newspaper in their bedroom. With the unpredictable attacks in the past two weeks, almost no one has dared venture out from their homes, not even to work. It all started with the murder of a young woman in the port district, then escalated from there. So far, there were no connections, no warnings except for letters sent to the papers. The way it always mentioned 'us,' many thought that there was more than one serial killer. But who was so sick to terrorize the town?
"I hope Joe and Frank are okay, especially dealing with these people." Iola added, "They've attacked both night and day, mostly women, but who's to say they won't attack a man next? And they never take anything! It's just so weird."
"Well, remember how Frank mentioned that the attacks might be for attention, especially to them?" Chet said, "That some of their enemies may be doing this to draw them out?"
"Then why do it when they've gotten on the case?"
"Maybe they plan to catch them in an ambush."
"I hope not. Anyway, I want to call the others right quick, make sure they're okay." Iola got up and walked to the next room. Chet continued reading until he heard his sister gasp.
"No way, another one?! When will they stop?! At least he wasn't close to you, Callie. Thanks, and I'm glad you're okay. Bye."
"What was that about?" Chet asked uneasily when Iola walked back in.
"Another 2-for-1. Carl Flanders was killed, along with Tom Jerkins."
"You mean the guy who used to date Callie and the town drunk?"
"The same." Iola nodded, "You know, this last attack seemed to hit a bit close, if you think about it. Until Flanders dumped Callie, Frank wasn't able to make a move. And Jerkins punched Joe while the guys were passing by a bar the other night."
"Do you think Joe's grudge with Jerkins and the bad blood between Frank and Flanders might have something to do with it?" Chet asked. Iola nodded again.
"This adds to my theory about enemies of Frank and Joe."
"But if it did, then wouldn't they try to attack people close to the Hardys, people they're friends with or go to school with?"
"Yeah, but that's a big connection. They connect to the Hardys in some way. So, do you think the others might be connected?" Chet thought back.
"The first victim was Shirley D'Arc, one of the new exchange students. She was flirting with all of the boys in the school except Frank and Joe, which didn't bother Frank so much as Joe, but it did sting a bit."
"Then Dian Michaelson, who worked at the grocery store the boys always go to."
"Virginia Donnels, who worked at the pool everyone went to and was there when Joe and Frank dealt with Brian a while back."
"Fiona Holly, who was always trying to get Joe to date her instead of me."
"Sissi Smith, who was in the same environment club as Frank."
"Tammy Othello, who was in the rock-climbing club with Joe."
"Cinder Chambers, who hated the brothers and was a bully to them since we were kids."
"And finally the Thompson sisters, Audrey and Amanda. They were both cheerleaders for the football team."
"I was right, they all had some connection with Frank and Joe!" Iola said, "I have to tell the others and warn the brothers! If they know this, then maybe they'll be able to protect the next person who might be attacked."
"Don't forget the police." Chet added, where she nodded and ran to the phone.
Every time the attacks get closer to home, so when will one of us, Frank's and Joe's closest friends, be next?
ATTACKS CLOSE TO HOME!
VICTIMS HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH HARDYS!
"Seems we've been more predictable than we thought." Reader narrowed his eyes.
"It was Iola who spread the word on this, wasn't she?" Juggler shrugged.
"If you want to kill her, fine with me. I don't really care for her."
"Maybe we should stem off the killings for a while, give them a sense of relief."
"Do you want to write the letter this time, or should I?"
"You do it. I need to find a way for us to get out of this place and not seem suspicious." Juggler ran a gloved finger along the edge of a knife.
"And when we come back," Juggler grinned, "we can get back to our jobs." Reader smiled.
"I can't wait, can you?"
"Nope, brother of mine. And, thinking ahead, who should we target when we get back?"
"Targeting Iola would be our best bet, but she may have the police guarding her after this, so let's target someone else. Another man, perhaps." Juggler nodded.
"...When do you think they'll figure it out? We've given them enough hints." Reader glanced up from his book.
"If we're lucky, they won't."
"Nothing lasts forever, though."
"I wonder what the looks on their faces will be like."
"Probably dumbfounded as we get hauled off to the insane asylum." Juggler tossed a knife into the air, easily catching it again, "How long do you want to stave off another killing?"
"About a week, possibly longer, depending on what we do." Reader had already pulled out his laptop and was looking into the news headlines, a few of which were covering the Bayport Butchers' similarities to Jack the Ripper. They were getting increasing fame, and it was making them uneasy. They didn't want to get too famous, after all. Egos were what partially brought down their enemies, and it could do the same to them. Except, they strangely did want to get caught sometime. They guessed it was what was left of their sanity, and they didn't mind. They could stage a way to get out of the asylum easily, they knew.
NEW NOTE FROM THE BUTCHERS!
HAVE THEY LEFT FOR GOOD?
WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?
WILL THERE BE MORE DEATH IN THE STREETS?
Callie shivered at the headlines. She didn't want to know where they had gone, only if they had been caught and safely put away. She didn't care that much for Carl, but when he had died, old feelings had crept up again. But that wasn't her only problem.
She wasn't sure if the others had noticed, but the Hardy Boys didn't actually seem all that concerned on the Bayport Butchers. They acted like they did, and it was pretty good acting, but when you've been friends with them as long as she had, you notice a few things.
But now that the letter had come out in the papers, many were hoping it was true so they could rest and try to get back to their lives. The brothers were even thinking of taking a new case, which was set in India, they mentioned. But why wish to leave so quickly, especially after the killings? Was it possible...?
No, they couldn't be! They were detectives, they would never do such a thing! ...Would they? Frank had mentioned once that the best of minds could sometimes lose everything and still be great. So could it apply to himself and Joe? She grabbed the phone, dialing their number.
"Hello?"
"Frank! What do you think about the newspapers, what they're saying? Do you think the criminals are really gone?"
"Only time will tell, Callie. You sound worked up, though. Is something wrong?"
"No, just worried about this, is all."
"Alright..." He didn't sound that convinced, but let it drop, "Anyway, Callie, Joe's calling me, so I've got to go. See you?"
"Yeah, bye." She hung up, but wasn't sure if he had made up an excuse or not.
"Iola's not the only one making connections any more." Juggler glanced up from the map he had been viewing as Reader entered the room, "Callie's getting too close for comfort."
"About time you wanted to kill off the b***h." Juggler snorted, "But we can't do anything about her until our vacation is over." Reader shot out his hand to grab one of Juggler's flying knives, stabbing it into the map fiercely, eyes narrowed.
"She's suspicious, and that's not good for us if we want this spree to continue once we get back." Juggler leaned back in his chair.
"So what do you want me to do? Give her some flowers?" he barked out a laugh.
"Poison her. Not enough to kill her, we can deal with her once we get back, but it'll be so out of the ordinary for the Butchers they may not think we did it."
"I like that idea. You can count on me, brother."
"Just do it, and soon. We need to convince her not to be suspicious of us, just in case we need to kill her." Juggler nodded, grinning.
"Don't worry, I've got it."
YOUNG WOMAN POISONED!
WORK OF THE BUTCHERS OR SOMEONE ELSE?
"If you ask me, the Butchers did this." Tony growled as he, the Hardys, the Mortons, Jerry, and Biff waited to hear on Callie's condition.
"But this isn't like anything they've done." Joe argued, "Why would they switch tactics so strangely?"
"To cover their tracks, possibly." Jerry said, "I'm starting to think we may have an informant here that's giving the Butchers info."
"But who would want to make a deal with them?" Biff shivered.
"Money or even the promise of not being killed." Frank said, "It's not uncommon."
"But if this is the work of someone else, why did they do it and where are the Butchers?" Iola asked.
"Maybe they want to lull us into a false sense of security before they strike again!" Chet fretted.
"Or maybe they've gotten tired of this place and are moving on to another city or town." Joe said, "We have to take everything into account."
"And we're going to have to put our next case on hold, at least until we know Callie will be fine." Frank added.
"Already? Aren't you afraid the Butchers will come back?" Biff asked.
"Maybe, but it's not like we can chase them when we have nothing to go on. And we have no idea of when they left, so we don't know how far they could be."
"You two don't usually give up this easily." Tony said.
"We're not." Joe assured, "But we're backed up on cases and with the Butchers gone, we can finally work on some. Assuming they won't be back, of course."
"I don't like the idea of you guys leaving with those serial killers on the loose." Jerry crossed his arms, "Remember, everyone who they killed had connections to you. Are you sure going on another case is a good idea?"
"If they follow us and leave Bayport alone, that's just a bonus, isn't it?" Joe shrugged.
"But what if they target your family next?" Iola asked. The brothers shared a glance.
"We'll try to work on what we can from home on these cases. But I hope we don't have to leave, in case you guys are right." Frank ran a had through his hair, "I just hope Callie's okay..."
"Manipulation is a pretty good skill so far. Along with lures, weapons, seduction-"
"We may still be staying here, but we need to hold off on the killings until they think they're secure. When that happens..."
"We'll strike, like wolves in sheep's clothing." The Butchers shared a smile and grin.
"Can't let our skills get rusty, though. And I'd rather have living things to practice on, not dummies." Juggler handed Reader one of his knives, juggling the others one-handed.
"Then what do you suggest?" Reader took the knife, tilting it so it would catch the light.
"I want something that will scream, that shows a ton of fear."
"A horse?"
"Fearful and scream-y, but not what I was thinking of."
"We can't attack people, and getting an animal from a zoo would make them on high alert."
"You sure about that?" Juggler caught all his knives easily, "Again, it's out of the ordinary for the Butchers, and also doesn't go with poisoning Callie."
"We can't risk it, unless you want to make the attacks seem animalistic."
"That just takes the fun out of it, no one knowing it was you."
"But it works." Juggler nodded, conceding to that, than began to throw his knives at a dart board. Taped to the board was a simple picture of the Hardy brothers, their family, and their friends. The knives hit Frank and Joe repeatedly, never touching the rest of the picture. Flicking his knife over his shoulder, Reader hit Callie head-on. They were deadly with any weapon, best at knives, especially Juggler.
"Nice, hitting Callie." Reader ignored him. It was silent for a time, the only sound was the knives hitting the board. Suddenly, Reader grinned and snapped his book closed.
"Why not something a little more macabre? Give a few people some...gifts." This piqued Juggler's interest.
"What are you suggesting?"
"Maybe give some witches bat wings, hang some lionfish around..."
"That's even stranger than before, but I like it. Especially the bat part."
STRANGE 'GIFTS' LEFT ALL OVER BAYPORT!
FROM THE BUTCHERS OR SOMEONE ELSE AGAIN?
Again and again they came up with strange ideas, deviating everyone from their trail. Weeks passed before people were relaxed about the Butchers and the Hardy brothers chased after who was leaving the 'gifts.' Then came the thing that horrified them the most. A note posted in the front page of the paper, with this headline:
REAL BUTCHERS NOTE OR FAKE?
SAYS THEY WERE NEVER REALLY GONE.
The words chilled everyone that read them. That meant that they had still been behind everything. Smart, clever socio-/psychopaths... Not the best people you want terrorizing your town. However, a few certain people were starting to feel like they knew who the Butchers were.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Frank and Joe really don't care about the Butchers case." Callie said. They had met up at Chet's and Iola's place, staying in his barn as the Hardys were out investigating. She was much better after being poisoned and had made a swift recovery.
"Yeah, that's the feeling I've been getting, too." Tony agreed.
"Even I have to agree with that." Jerry said.
"But what I want to know is why?" Biff said, "You don't think they could actually be-?"
"No, it's impossible for them to do that!" Chet shook his head vigorously, "They're detectives and we've seen how good they are!"
"But even the greatest of people can fall sometimes." Iola said sadly, also afraid of what they were implying.
"Only one way to find out." Callie said, "We keep watch on them."
As night fell, they made plans to watch Frank and Joe, starting with their house. Surprisingly, they left, Frank locking the door, and went to their van. Jerry, not being as well known to the Hardys as their other friends, followed them in his car. They traveled down the highway, took some back roads, and took other strange roads, probably trying to lose them, cementing that the brothers were acting suspicious.
Just what are they doing? Tony thought, riding with Jerry as they followed the brothers. Suddenly, Jerry turned the car off onto another abandoned road and turned it off. Tony was about to ask when he saw Jerry bring out some binoculars. He may not have been as close to the Hardys as the others were, but he had still learned a thing or two about being a detective.
Tony took the binoculars and gazed through them. With the van colored black, it nearly blended in with its dark surroundings; the only thing that helped him keep track were its head and tail lights. Eventually, it began to slow down and stop just half a mile or so short of the old Thompson Manor. Like the other giant, old manors around Bayport, it was rich and lovely, nestled deep in the woods, but wasn't as well known. On assumption, Tony guessed they had parked the van for the night and were making the rest of the trip to the mansion on foot.
"Looks like they're heading to the Thompson place."
"I thought they might." And appeared a walkie-talkie. Time to find out what the brothers were up to. They only hoped it wasn't a trap...
Iola shivered at the creepiness of the place. Another reason why Thompson Manor wasn't as well known was because it was spooky and creepy, plain and simple. That, and because it was located in the woods near the highway, a bit far off from Bayport. And it was also nighttime. That made it worse, if possible, along with their suspicions.
Nodding to the others, Callie opened the front door. It creaked open, but surprisingly, the lights were on. Or, unsurprisingly, really. Cautiously, the stepped inside. They were impressed to find that not one floorboard creaked. In fact, every piece of the floor looked new. Had the brothers refurbished the place somehow? They began ascending the stairs, which also didn't creak. At the top, when Callie looked back to see how high up they were, she did a double take.
Iola was missing. She had come in with them, hadn't she? Unless... An uneasy feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach. It was seeming more and more likely that their suspicions were correct. She only hoped Iola wasn't dead, and wondered who was next.
They fell like silent flies. First Iola, then Chet, Jerry, Biff, Tony... Why was she left last? And where were the brothers? A small part of her wanted to believe that the two were innocent, that this was a trap they had been caught in, but her rational side knew that wasn't the case.
She knew hiding in a closet wasn't the best way to hide from murderers in the house, but after finding everyone disappearing, she hid in the hope they wouldn't find her.
Straining her ears, she heard the almost unnoticeable sound of footsteps. They were so soft on the wood that she wasn't sure if she was hearing it or not. That was proven right when she saw a shadow fall over the closet, blocking the light coming in underneath. She held her breath and waited. Her heart sounded like it was beating much too loudly, like it would give her away. And in a way, she was right.
The knob turned and the door opened swiftly, but there was no one there. Where had the person from before gone? Unless they were hiding nearby, ready to ambush her... But if she just stayed there with the door open, she would be as good as dead. Glancing around as she poked her head out, she grabbed the knob, planning to pull the door closed. However, when it didn't move, she knew that either it was stuck or someone was keeping it from closing.
Then the quiet footsteps came again, this time behind her. Before she could turn her head, everything exploded in pain and went black.
"Look, I think she's coming to."
"Then give her some room and hide those things!"
"Why? They've found out our secret, so why hide it?"
"You could at least try to keep an image, little brother..." Those voices... They sounded so familiar... And her head hurt. A lot.
Blinking open her eyes, she found herself in a chair, her wrists and ankles handcuffed to the furniture. Glancing around, Callie found she wasn't alone. Her friends were there, and they seemed to all be staring at the same thing, looking as white as sheets. Following their gazes, she found herself slipping into an expected shock.
There they were. The Hardy boys, sitting simply on the couch. Frank was reading a book calmly, which beside him Joe was juggling three sharp knives one-handed. Sitting in between them were a ring of keys, probably for the handcuffs.
"Well, the gang's all together now." Joe gave a feral grin, one that didn't seem to fit on his angelic face. Frank snapped his book closed, looking up with a smile that seemed much more sinister than it should. On the cover of the book were some simple, disturbing words:
Getting Away With Murder
By: Frank Hardy
"Like it?" Frank stood, twirling the book between his fingers, "I wrote this myself, you know. Been writing it for a while now."
"...Why?" Biff was the first to get his voice back.
"Why? Why did we fall so far when we were the greatest? Why did we turn against Dad's principles?" Joe asked, adding a few more knives to his act, juggling with both hands now.
"You want to know why we did this?" Frank added, "We did this because of an accident, one we'll tell you right now before you die..."
...Another Insane!Hardys fic, except it isn't just Frank this time. *Nervous laugh* I hope you like it, and there will be more chapters! As for the Thompson Manor/Mansion, I created it for this story.