The Unsolved Case –by Rae Prite
Chapter 6
At the same time that Frank and Joe were getting reacquainted with their little sister their father was getting acquainted with a cab driver.
Fenton, for the past hour, had waited as patiently as can be expected; considering he had had a 20 minute delay on the tarmac…with no air, or drinks. Now patience is a virtue, but no one, no matter how angelic they may seem, can go their whole life without losing it every once in a while. And, well…let's just say that Fenton lost it just a tad…I'll let you use your own imagination on this one.
It had been one of those weeks for Mr. Hardy, so here he sat in the back of a taxi, after many tries and failures in a pointless effort of trying to reach Frank, Laura, or Joe. He'd also tried the house, and then remembered that the phone lines were down due to a recent storm. His mind raced with worries about his family as one horrific scenario after another came to him. Your mind is prone to do that when you're a detective.
'What could be keeping them? I only just talked to Joe three hours ago! If anything happens to them I-I'll…' He left the thought unfinished for the moment, unable to let his mind wander in that direction. His thoughts had been too depressing as it was lately.
When the cab pulled in front of the house at last, the investigator felt relieved at seeing lights on and shadows inside. Quickly paying the driver and grabbing his bag, Fenton hurried up the walkway. He fumbled with his keys a second then inserted them and turned the lock.
When he pushed open the door, Fenton immediately heard voices and laughter. Three were familiar, but one wasn't. Let's see…Laura's laugh, definitely; Joe's loud voice; and Frank's reserved one… but who's the fourth person? The detective silently ticked off in his mind the recognizable voices as they were heard, however he couldn't find a memory match to the last.
It was sweet and feminine sounding. Not too loud like Joe's sometimes was, nor very reserved like Frank's –a perfect balance. It also had a melodic tune that suggested a hidden talent for music, which only the most trained and experienced ears could hear.
Having both, Fenton heard tune almost instantly. You really shouldn't be even a little surprised at this. After all, we are talking about The Fenton Hardy here. But being a former NYPD, and now a world-renowned detective, he heard something else there too. Something most people never did hear, and certainly something Beth hoped no one ever could.
But Fenton heard it- a slight hesitation before every sentence, a stutter here and there, and a quiet tone of uncertainty. To most this meant nothing, and they would automatically dismiss it…but to the man standing in the shadows, it meant so much. It revealed a history of being pushed down, of being thought of as useless, not having one's own thoughts appreciated or heard. It showed a lifetime of not having the courage to speak-up, being told what to do, and not possessing the strength to just say no.
The detective quietly made a mental note of this while putting down his bag, and hanging his coat in the hall closet.
"How'd you find out where we live?" Joe asked excitedly.
"I found an address and your dad's name in the box Tim had. So I cross referenced both on the web and it showed me the location from a satellite photo, and gave me all kinds of information on him." The girl answered.
The discussion quieted for a moment, and as it did Fenton's mind kicked into high gear. Tim? Who in the world's Tim? The only Tim I knew was the partner I had on the force right before we moved out of the city. Nice guy, but not a very good officer- a rookie really. Always getting into trouble with the chief, mostly for gambling, drinking too much, and for cutting too many corners. But that can't possibly be whom they're talking about! Last time I heard he'd moved to south Queens. Became a mechanic I think. Something about inheriting a niece…or was it a nephew?
"What's Tim do for a living anyway?" Frank queried curiously.
"It's always been different stuff. Before I was born, he was a police officer but he got thrown off the force for reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice. Now he's a mechanic in a garage near his apartment in south Queens." Fenton suddenly felt his jaw hit the floor.
