Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew and I make no money from this.

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Chapter 7 Truce & Tenacity

Nancy watched Frank shove his phone into his pocket, his handsome face set in a grim expression. Knowing the brothers, she figured Joe was being difficult.

"Is everything alright?"

"Joe's on a crusade now, so I guess that remains to be seen. Hopefully Vanessa can keep him from blowing it with the sheriff like he did with Rich."

"I really think Joe's learned his lesson," Nancy said with certainty.

"About spouting off in front of the suspect, yes. About antagonizing the local authorities…" Frank shrugged.

"You need to let it go, hon. Joe will be fine. Leaning over to pick up the map, Nancy carefully folded it so the area where they would be hiking was facing out. "Now where do you want to start?"

Scanning the woods above them, Frank said, "I think you're right, we'll have better luck picking up her trail sign closer to the ridge. In fact, our best bet is to look on the other side of the logging road. Rescue personnel had no reason to go over there, so sign should be limited to our girl… assuming she was alone when she headed toward that gorge."

"You don't really think she was alone, though, do you?" Nancy asked.

"No," Frank said, frowning. "And I'm pretty sure Joe doesn't, either."

"Well, I'm inclined to think you're both right, because I find it hard to believe she would have just run over that ledge unless there was an immediate threat," Nancy said. "This clearing is plenty wide enough for her to have spotted the edge and stopped before going over."

Frank shrugged and started retracing their steps back up to the ridge. Nancy fell into step beside him.

"Maybe, maybe not," he said. "Depends on when she went over."

"You and Joe followed her to Champion's place in the middle of the afternoon."

"But if she holed up somewhere until dusk and then got spooked… you know how twilight can play tricks on your eyes." Frank raised his eyebrows and cast a sidelong look at her. "Just playing devil's advocate here, because I know Rich is going to."

"Your reasoning is sound as always, Hardy," Nancy said with a slight smile as she picked up her pace to move ahead of him. "But for one thing, if she holed up, why not hole up for the night instead of chancing a move across treacherous terrain in the dark? That's a stretch no matter how you look at it."

She was relieved to see the amused lift to Frank's mouth when he caught up to her.

"And your counter-arguments are indisputable as always… Hardy," he said, grabbing her hand as they broke out of the wooded area near the top of the ridge.

The sun shone down on the marsh, but it was eerily quiet.

Frank glanced around. "Guess the chopper spooked all the wildlife. The silence seems almost too… profound now."

"It is a little creepy," Nancy agreed.

As they crested the ridge, noise from the part of the crew that was working on stowing equipment at the truck reached them. They exchanged greetings and stopped to chat with them for a few minutes. Craig introduced Nancy and Frank not only to the rescue personnel but also to the sheriff's deputies who had apparently been tasked with monitoring what they were doing.

While the rescue crew set back to work stowing their gear, Frank and Nancy spoke further with Craig and the deputies, gathered at the back of Craig's red Jeep Wrangler. Frank provided an account of their hike to Champion's cabin the day before. Then he explained Rich's request, wrapping up with a brief description of their plan.

"So we know that she had to cross somewhere along here. I plan to scout down this stretch of logging road and see if I can find any sign of where she came out of the forest. Has anyone been over to the other side of the road for any reason that you know of?"

"Don' think so. Nobody had any reason ta go over there," said the deputy who had introduced himself as Bill Omara. "You see anybody over there, Nic?"

Omara was a hefty five foot eight, with swarthy, oversized features that included huge, brown, cow eyes and a fleshy, pugilist's nose. His partner, Nicci Cordova, was a petite five-foot-three-inch woman. Her short brown hair, pale complexion, and pixie-like face were a stark contrast to her colleague.

"No, Billy, all the action was on the north side of the track," Nicci said. "No one had any reason to go over there."

"Good," Frank said with a nod. "Hopefully that means that any sign of our victim's exit from the forest hasn't been disturbed."

"I thought you said she was a thief?" Bill said.

Frank gave Bill a hard look. "But she's the one that had to be rescued. Until we know the whole story I don't think the girl deserves to be labeled anything other than a victim."

Nicci put a hand on Frank's arm. "I hope you don't mind, Frank, but Sheriff Simpson told us to stick close to you to see what you found. Given the circumstances, he wants us to be on the front lines of any investigative work, though we're all well aware of your and your brother's reputation as investigators."

Frank shrugged, the only hint at embarrassment the red tint to his ears. "It doesn't bother me in the least. Do you have any tracking experience?"

"A little, but I'm probably a novice compared to you," Nicci said with a warm smile. "It should be informative to watch an expert at work."

Frank was already scanning the edge of the trees back along the logging road. He responded to Nicci without even looking at her.

"I'm no expert. Come on, let's start in this direction…"

Nancy interjected, "Frank, I don't think we should have a whole army of people traipsing along the south forest margin or we could obscure any sign you might find. Do you want to go ahead with Nicci and the rest of us will wait here?"

The regret evident on her husband's face when he turned back to look at her made Nancy smile. There was a time when she might have been jealous of Nicci's flirtatious manner toward him, but no longer.

"I suppose you're right, sweetheart," Frank said. Dipping his head, he gave her a firm kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, though. If we find anything I'll come back to get you."

Reaching up, Nancy slipped a hand behind his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. Then she flashed him a teasing smile.

"I was hoping you'd come back to get me whether you found anything or not."

He chuckled. "You know I wouldn't abandon you on our honeymoon."

"This is more mystery than you promised me, hon," Nancy said with a laugh. She sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, Frank headed down the logging road the way they had come in, moving toward the forest edge with Nicci tagging closely along.

Bill lifted a hand to his inattentive partner. "Yeah, Nic, I'll jus' wait here for ya."

"I'm curious to see what Frank's able to find," Craig said, foot propped up on the rack attached to the back of his Wrangler as he peered after Frank and Nic. "But I think you're right, Nancy. Wouldn't do to have too many people wandering around over there."

Taking a seat on the rack, Bill caused the entire back end of the jeep to sink noticeably. He looked up at Nancy curiously as she turned to face the two men at the back of the vehicle.

"You two're on yer honeymoon, eh? How the hell'd ya get roped into this?"

Nancy shrugged and gave the large man a grin.

"Just lucky, I guess."

HHH

Joe had just finished giving his account of yesterday's events to the sheriff, who stood from the old wooden office chair behind his large oak desk. He glanced briefly at Rich, who leaned in the corner of the office, expression closed and unrevealing. Joe suspected Rich would disagree with some of what he had said. But the Security chief was too politic to say so right now.

Sheriff Simpson was fifty-something, tall and wiry, with thinning, colorless hair and a sharp, hawkish face. Though friendly enough upon their arrival and introduction, Joe figured he'd be predisposed to doubt Joe's interpretation of the facts. He knew Rich had likely provided his own slant to the story already.

The sheriff crossed his arms as he walked around the desk, staring studiously at the floor until he leaned in front of Joe and pinned him with a serious look.

"Mr. Hardy, I hope you understand that it isn't that I don't believe what you're sayin'… or believe that you believe it, at least." Simpson's twang pegged him as a transplanted southerner. "But Mack Champion's family has lived in these parts for nigh on two hundred years and we can't be makin' wild accusations."

Joe sighed. He had made a mistake, and he'd willingly own up to it if they'd just give his theory a fair shake.

"Listen, I know I shouldn't have spouted off like that to Champion yesterday," Joe said.

He chanced a glance back at Rich, who pushed off the wall and stepped forward. "You're dang right you shouldn't have."

Launching to his feet, Joe turned to face Rich. "I said I'm sorry. I made a mistake. That does not invalidate the theory and if you write Champion off as a potential suspect in this inquiry then you're making a mistake, too."

"Now, now, Mr. Hardy," the sheriff's calm voice was appeasing. "I don' think that anyone is suggesting we write Champion off. But you gotta understand that we need to tread softly in this situation and make sure we got our ducks in a row afore we start layin' blame. We don't rightly know what even happened out there, yet."

Joe's shoulders slumped and he looked down at Vanessa, who had remained very quiet after relating her small part of the story. She gave him an encouraging smile and then stood. There was a firm set to her jaw as she turned to face Simpson and Rich.

"Gentlemen, I've been sitting here listening for the last hour, and I fully agree that Joe jumped the gun, which he has a tendency to do," she said, giving Joe a reproving little smile. "However, I think the important thing to keep in mind here is that there is a little girl who is in the hospital fighting for her life and given the facts that we currently have I believe that it is likely that there is something more than simple thievery going on here. All my husband is trying to do is make sure that the interests of that little girl are not going to be pushed aside in deference to some man who just happens to have a lot of money and influence."

Sheriff Simpson and Rich Haschalk glanced at each other, eyes tight with embarrassment. Joe felt a satisfied smirk curve his lips and turned to stare at his wife who was not only the most beautiful woman on earth, but also the most amazing. The quelling look Van gave him wiped the smirk off his face. She was right, it was time to try to mend the fence he had ripped a hole in with his blatant accusation of Champion yesterday.

It was Sheriff Simpson who broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, ma'am, I certainly can't argue with ya there. We need ta figger out how that little girl ended up over that cliff. And trust me, ma'am, if'n Mack Champion had anything to do with it, he will be brought to justice. But like I said, we gotta be able to prove it."

"Of course," Vanessa said with a nod. "I just want to know that Mr. Champion's position in this community doesn't make him above the law."

"Exactly!" Joe said, then turned to Rich. "I really am sorry about yesterday, Rich. My mouth gets ahead of my brain at times."

Rich pressed his lips together and considered Joe for several seconds. Then he held out his hand.

"Truth is, Champion rubbed me the wrong way too, so I understand. Just, let's try to be more careful in the future."

"You got it," Joe said, giving him a conciliatory smile as he shook the offered hand.

"Good," Van said. "If that's settled, I'd really like to go to the hospital and find out how she is. Do you think that would be possible, Rich?"

Rich's expression softened as he gave Van a consenting nod. "Since we don't know who she is, I'm not sure how much information the medical staff will be willing to share. But we can head over to Glens Falls and find out."

"Just see my deputies when you get there," Simpson said. "I sent Lewis and Bottoms to see if they could get a statement. I'll let them know you're comin'."

Van fixed the sheriff with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Sheriff. I really think that little girl is going to need some friendly faces around her when she wakes up. This whole thing is just so horrible."

The sheriff gripped Van's hand gently and gave her an affable smile.

"Certainly can't hurt, ma'am. Thank ya much for your help. And trust me, we'll be a'talkin' to Mack Champion about this. You can be sure o' that."

Joe took the sheriff's hand in turn. "Good luck, Sheriff. I hope you're able to figure out what happened. If you need anything else from us, Rich knows where to find us."

"We'll be in touch, Mr. Hardy. Thanks, again, for your help."

"You're welcome."

HHH

Van wrinkled her nose as they entered the emergency room. No matter how many times she walked into a hospital, the antiseptic smell and whitewashed, bland surroundings turned her stomach. Though she had spent little time as a patient, since she had met Joe she'd spent plenty of time as a visitor. It never got any easier.

The thought of that poor girl in a place like this, badly injured and all alone, absolutely tore at Vanessa's heart. Since her first glimpse of the frail-looking child in the rescue litter, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

Gripping Joe's arm, Van said, "I hope they let us in to see her. She has to be so frightened."

Joe patted her hand. "She may not even be awake, babe. That was quite a fall. You need to be prepared for the worst."

"But I'm hoping for the best," Vanessa said in determination.

Rich walked up to the desk. "Hello. I was wondering where we could find the rescue from Champion Ridge?"

The harried nurse behind the counter snapped, "If you're from the press –"

"No, ma'am, I'm with law enforcement. Sheriff Simpson told me to see Deputies Bottoms and Lewis?"

"Oh, well, in that case… they've moved Baby Doe to the PICU on the fourth floor. I believe the deputies are up there now."

Vanessa felt her heart constrict at the moniker used to refer to an unknown victim. She had hoped that by now they would have identified the girl from her fingerprints or something.

"They still don't know who she is?" Van hissed at Joe. "Why not?"

"It takes time to run prints, babe. And given her age, she may not be in the system anywhere. One thing for sure, she's probably still unconscious – otherwise they'd know her name."

Sighing, Van murmured, "We have to get up to see her, Joe. She needs to hear some friendly voices."

"She's still unconscious, Van…"

"You know that even unconscious people respond to voices. Please, Joe. I really need to see her."

Rich was motioning them to follow. Joe led Van toward the elevator the security chief was holding.

"Hopefully we'll be able to make that happen."

Upstairs, Rich led them out of the elevator and directly across the hall to a nurses' station situated just outside of a large glassed-in area.

"Can I help you?"

The attractive, middle-aged nurse standing behind the counter had a very caring face, and Vanessa stepped forward before Rich could speak. Her name tag identified her as Stephanie Fredrickson, RN.

"There was a little girl rescued from a gorge near Champion Ridge. How is she doing?"

Stephanie gave Van a kindly smile but shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to share information about a patient with non-family."

"But you don't even know who her family is," Vanessa said. "I just want to sit with her and let her know that someone is here that cares. Don't you have volunteers that help out with patient care? I could be one of them…"

"Well, miss…"

"Vanessa, Vanessa Bender –"

"Hardy, babe. Vanessa Hardy," Joe said with a soft smile.

"Oh, I'll get used to that eventually," Vanessa said. "Yes, Vanessa Hardy."

"Well, Vanessa, the patient unit group has an office right down the hall where you can fill out the application packet. Tell them that Steph sent you and asked that they expedite the background check. That's what takes the most time."

Van smiled at the nurse. "Thank you so much, Stephanie. I really appreciate it. I just don't think I could sleep tonight if I don't see with my own two eyes that that little girl is ok."

Rushing in the direction that Stephanie had indicated, Vanessa didn't even notice that Joe stayed behind.

HHH

Rich chuckled. "That young lady can be a little single-minded."

"Tell me about it," Joe said.

"Newlyweds?" Steph asked, looking at Joe.

He smiled. "Yes. In fact, we're on our honeymoon."

"And spending it embroiled in a mystery. You Hardys sure do live up to your reputation," Rich said. "Steph, have you seen the deputies that came in with the girl?"

"They just left," Steph said. "Baby Doe isn't capable of giving a statement right now and likely won't be for several days. Dr. Liu is consulting with specialists at the children's hospital as we speak. I can tell you that her condition is very serious."

Rich gave a frustrated grunt. "That figures."

Glancing around the PICU entry, Joe asked, "Is this a secured ward?"

"Well, to an extent. Only two visitors per patient are allowed into the room at any time. That said, there are always exceptions…" The phone rang, and Steph smiled apologetically. "I have to take this."

Turning as the nurse answered the phone, Joe looked at Rich. "I don't want to sound paranoid, but…"

Joe hesitated to voice his concern. He wasn't sure how much credence the Security chief was giving his theory and he hated to strain their tenuous truce with another accusation.

"You're worried that someone might come to finish the job," Rich murmured.

Pursing his lips, Joe nodded. "Paranoid, right?"

Rich gave him a tight smile. "Sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing. I'll call the sheriff and talk to him about setting a protection detail as a precaution."

"Thanks, Rich." Joe motioned down the hallway. "I'm going to see if I can help Van out getting through that background check. Otherwise she's going to be impossible to live with."

"I'll put in a good word for you. So will Sheriff Simpson, I'm sure."

"Thank you."

HHH

A/N: Thanks to Jabba1, SC15 and liferscover2118 who managed to catch the bonus chapter yesterday and review. You really have no idea what it means to me when you take the time to leave those little notes

I am afraid I will be unable to post until Friday next week because I will be traveling on business. I apologize in advance for breaking my promise of posting every three days. Hopefully the bonus chapter this weekend makes up for the posting schedule delay!