Chapter 1
She couldn't stop shaking. Even though her mind felt numb, her body wasn't. She clasped her hands together to try and stop the tremors as she stared out the window of the 747. The lights on the ground seemed to be getting closer. Could this really be happening? She couldn't process the thought. Couldn't allow herself to believe her long nightmare was finally coming to an end.
She felt a light touch on her arm, and almost jumped out of her skin. The female FBI agent on her right apologized. "I'm sorry. I just wondered if you needed anything. Water, maybe?"
The girl slowly shook her head 'no', unable to form any actual words. Everything had happened so fast. She'd been removed from the place she'd called home for the past four years, and hustled onto an airplane that took off in what had seemed like a matter of minutes to her.
The wheels of the plane bumped as they touched down on the runway. They taxied for a few moments and came to a stop.
A tinny voice sounded over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the United States of America and John F Kennedy International airport in New York City."
Iola Morton burst into tears.
OOOoooOOO
Joe Hardy whistled as he got out of his car in front of his parent's home. He'd felt a sense of peace over the past week that he hadn't felt in years. He couldn't explain why, he just knew that things were different somehow. His interpretation had been that he finally needed to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Vanessa Bender. They'd started dating about a year after he'd lost his first love, Iola Morton, to a terrorist bombing. Joe shook his head as he started for the front porch. The year following her death had been the worst of his life. He wasn't sure he'd ever get over her. He still didn't think he had, but he knew now that he could move forward.
Vanessa had been very patient. She'd stayed by his side and helped him learn to live...and love…again. Joe knew she wanted to make their relationship permanent more than anything, but he'd never quite felt ready to take that final step. This year though, he'd graduated from Bayport University and began working with his dad, Fenton Hardy, and his brother, Frank, in their detective agency. He and Vanessa were renting a condo in town, and Joe knew that, although Vanessa never brought it up, she thought their getting engaged was the next logical step. As of three days ago, Joe thought so, too. He'd stopped at the jeweler downtown and finally started looking at engagement rings.
He wanted to float the idea past his parents and his brother Frank first though. Not that he thought they would object. They all loved Vanessa just as much as he did.
So he was glad when his dad had called him a few minutes ago and asked him to stop by the house. He didn't give him a reason for it, but Joe figured it had something to do with the missing person case they'd just wrapped up. He was never very good at filling out all the paperwork correctly. But since this saved him the trouble of calling everyone together himself, he wouldn't mind the reprimand. This time.
He entered his childhood home, still whistling, but stopped short when he saw his parents, his brother Frank, and Frank's girlfriend, Callie Shaw, sitting in the living room. Eight eyes focused on him the moment he entered the room. Callie's eyes were red as if she'd been crying.
"What's going on?" Joe asked warily.
Fenton approached him and rested his hand on his shoulder. "Son, you need to sit down. We have some news."
Joe shook off his father's arm. "No. Tell me. What is it? Is it Vanessa? Has something happened to Vanessa?" He reached for his phone, hurriedly checking for a call or text from his girlfriend.
"It's not Vanessa, Joe," Frank spoke up.
Joe saw Frank glance around the room and catch his father's nod.
"It's Iola," Frank continued.
"Iola?"
"She's alive, Joe. And she's coming home."
OOOoooOOO
Iola looked around nervously as the agents escorted her down the jet way and through the crowded terminal.
The female agent smiled at her. "You're safe, Iola. Our intelligence reports say they don't even know you're gone yet. Besides, once your story hits the media, they won't be able to touch you."
Iola froze. If that's what these agents thought, then they knew nothing about her abductors. "What makes you think that?"
The male agent spoke up. "They don't want bad publicity. The king will be very reluctant to engender bad feelings toward his country when he depends on tourism."
"He mostly depends on oil," Iola said. "And he doesn't need good publicity to export that."
"We'll continue to monitor your situation very closely." The female agent put her arm around Iola's shoulders. "You just need to go home and live your life. We've got your back, Iola. I promise."
Iola's eyes filled with tears. Live her life? She didn't even know what that meant anymore.
The agents steered her down an empty corridor, stopping in front of a non-descript, gray door. The female agent hugged her. "Your family is waiting for you. Go have the happy reunion you deserve."
Iola paused. She couldn't control the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. Was her family really here? Her family who thought she'd been dead all this time? Her emotions overwhelmed her, and she couldn't seem to move.
The female agent smiled at her. "Everything is going to be fine. You don't have to be afraid anymore, Iola."
The agent swung open the door, and gave Iola a gentle push inside, where she was immediately enveloped by her parents and her brother Chet. Happy tears and exclamations echoed throughout the room as Iola was welcomed home by those who loved her best, after four long years.
OOOoooOOO
Joe's mind was reeling. He couldn't even comprehend what his brother had said. Iola alive? How? Joe had watched her car explode right in front of him. She couldn't have survived. He carried a lump of melted metal in his pocket that had once been his key chain to prove it.
"Wh-what?" he managed.
"Sit down," Fenton ordered, gesturing to the nearest armchair.
Joe plopped down heavily and stared at his father, unable to say another word.
Laura stepped behind Joe, and rested her hands on his shoulders.
"As it turns out, the explosion was a ruse, Joe. Iola was nowhere near the car when it went up in flames," Fenton began.
"Dad, I saw her," Joe interrupted.
"You saw what they wanted you to see." Fenton leaned down. "Think about it, Joe. Did you actually see Iola next to the car?"
Joe paused. Iola had been so mad at him that day for flirting with another girl in the mall that she'd stormed off. He'd spotted her in the parking garage, heading for the car, but when he called her name, she'd only picked up speed. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't been near the vehicle when it exploded. He'd seen the explosion, since the flames shot fifty feet into the air, but he hadn't been close enough to know if Iola had reached the car yet.
"No, I didn't." Joe's voice was a harsh whisper. "But, Dad, she was gone. She had to have been right there."
Fenton shook his head.
Joe didn't know what to think now. He looked around the room. Callie was sobbing quietly. She seemed completely overwhelmed by this news.
His mother was behind him, trying to be a rock, but Joe could feel her hands trembling on his shoulders. It was like another bomb had gone off in the middle of their lives. But Joe had to know the truth. If Iola hadn't been killed, then why couldn't he find her that day?
"Then where was she?"
"She was grabbed by Al-Rousasa and dragged to another part of the garage," Fenton explained. "The explosion was triggered by remote control when you were close enough to see it, but not be killed by it. They wanted you to think that Iola was dead, but she was very much alive."
"I don't understand."
"The whole terrorism thing was a ruse," Fenton continued. "That's what they wanted you to believe was going on, because it was an easy and acceptable explanation. And kidnapping her at a political rally was the perfect foil. It sent the investigators on a wild goose chase in the wrong direction."
"But Al-Rousasa…"Joe trailed off.
"Was a mercenary for hire," Fenton said.
"For whom?"
"For the king of the island nation of Rei Ta Viti."
Now Joe was really confused. He'd never even heard of this place. And why the hell would their king want Iola?
Frank spoke up from his position next to Callie on the sofa. "Joe, you know Iola's father is an international banker."
Joe nodded.
"Well, this king has agents who work with Mr. Morton on his behalf. Apparently, somewhere in the sacred scripture of this island kingdom, there is a verse that talks about a violet-eyed woman becoming their queen. It's a prophecy." Frank sighed. "So when the agents for the king met in Mr. Morton's office, and saw the photos he had of Iola on his desk…"
"No," Joe said. "That's asinine. This is the twenty-first century. Nobody is kidnapped based on something as stupid as their eye color."
"That depends on whether or not you're a megalomaniac," Frank continued. "And on whether or not your people worship you as a god."
Joe was trying to order all this information in his head. "So, you're saying that because of a photo in Mr. Morton's office, this guy arranged for some huge scheme to have Iola kidnapped, make it look like a terrorist plot, and try to kill us in the process as well?"
"You and Frank complicated things by getting involved," Fenton explained. "Without you two pursuing it, the whole thing would have looked like a simple assassination plot against a political candidate who was threatening to crack down on terrorism."
"So how was this discovered?" Joe asked.
"Our government agents eventually unraveled the whole thing. Then they had to plan a way to infiltrate Rei Ta Viti, and kidnap Iola back," Fenton said. "They accomplished that a few days ago. Iola was taken to a location in Europe and debriefed, and she should be arriving back in the States at any moment. The Mortons are waiting at JFK to meet her."
"Why didn't the feds tell us she hadn't been killed?" Joe's heart was tightening at the thought. Iola had been alive and well and he hadn't gone to find her.
"Top secret," Fenton said. "It was a very sensitive situation. The king has very important friends in the world. His country sits on a huge oil reserve, and he has almost unlimited money and power."
Joe was stunned. His emotions were running the gamut, and he didn't know how to process everything he was feeling. But one thought surfaced above the rest.
Iola was coming home to him.
A/N: Going in a bit of a different direction from my usual series (which I will get back to). I needed a burst of inspiration to get writing again, and taking on the Casefiles story line that has bothered me the most seemed like a great place to start. I do want to warn any readers who may be looking for a traditional mystery/action story that this isn't it. There is a mystery in this plot, but it is secondary, and won't really take off until near the end. This story is all about the feels. And it's Joe and Iola's tale. With Vanessa coming in a strong second. If I continue on with this series, I'll hit the mysteries hard, but this one focuses on relationships, and what to do when life throws you the biggest curve ball ever. Also, a huge thanks to my beta, Kenna, without whom this story would have never seen the light of day...or been half as readable. Oh, and the island nation of Rei Ta Viti, and its king, are total fiction. Thanks for reading! :)
