Thanks so much for the reviews! :D

Amal, I'm a Joe-ette through and through and I love Frank in the big brother role so I'm not sure I'll be able to help you get your 'Frank fix'. BUT I can highly recommend a story on this site that might help: Pandora by Dawn FD. Don't let the summary fool you, it IS a Frank story and it is AWESOME!!! :-) The follow up to that story, Boosting, is on the Hardy Detective Agency site, though I'm not sure if Dawn has posted it here yet. Anyway, yup if you're in need of a Frank-fix, Pandora is the story for you! ;-)

Thank you to all who are reading. :-)

Triple Jeopardy

Chapter 9

Frank stared at the blood-red smear on his fingertip, still not wanting to admit what it meant. Looking past his finger to the ground illuminated by the light, he now saw obvious signs of a struggle. Trampled grass and displaced dirt confirmed what he had not wanted to see – Joe had been ambushed.

Straightening up, Frank pushed his swirling emotions aside and focused on the clues he had – the trampled grass, the marks and indentations in the dirt and the trail of blood. Methodically following the drops of blood, they led Frank to a stand of trees several yards to the left of Joe's car. Playing his flashlight along the ground, Frank saw what looked like a piece of wood sticking out of the underbrush. Crouching down for a closer look, he saw it was actually the handle of a bat and it hadn't been there very long.

Grasping the end of the bat, Frank gently pulled it out of the tangle of overgrown grass and weeds. Shining the light along the bat, his eyes grew wide at what he saw. When he got to the very end of the bat, he gasped out loud. Pulling it in for a closer look, Frank felt sick to his stomach. The end of the bat was stained red, with several blonde hairs now embedded in the drying blood.

Carrying the bat, Frank retraced his steps back to Joe's car and bent down to examine the trampled grass more closely. Shining his light under the car, he saw Joe's flashlight lying in the dirt. Reaching out, he grabbed the light and pulled it out, shoving it in his back pocket. Standing up, he followed the trail left by Joe's captors as they had obviously dragged him through the dirt and across the open field.

As he approached a wooded area, Frank saw the trail led off to the right ending at a small opening in the trees. Walking closer, Frank found it was actually the entrance to another wider dirt trail. Scrutinizing the ground in front of him, Frank cursed when he made out the tire tracks of three separate ATV's.

"Damn!" Frank swore under his breath, his anger growing as he realized Joe had been attacked and abducted while he had been sitting in his car, hidden in the shadows of the entrance to the dirt road. While Frank had been waiting for Joe to emerge out of the woods, his captors had taken Joe and disappeared into the woods.

Knowing there was nothing he could do alone in the unfamiliar woods in the dark, Frank swiftly returned to Joe's car, stopping long enough to make sure it was locked and continued on to his own car. Emerging from the dirt road, Frank broke into a jog towards his car, now wanting to get home as quickly as possible.

His mind was whirling with worry for his brother, his parents and the knowledge he still had no idea who – or what – he was up against. Knowing he needed Sam's help, Frank yanked his car door open and slid into the driver's seat. Placing the bat on the floor in such a way so as not to disturb the evidence, Frank then tossed the envelope on the seat next to him. As he turned to reach for his seat belt Frank froze, just now seeing the paper tucked under the windshield wiper.

Climbing halfway out of the car, Frank reached forward and grabbed the paper, settling back into the seat. Turning on the overhead light he carefully unfolded the paper, holding it by the very edges. Reading the handwritten message, his chest tightened.

"We now have your entire family. Go home and wait for further instructions. – Johann Jarrell."

Frank re-read the message, his breath catching in his throat as the implication hit him.

'Entire family? Callie?! Vanessa!'

Starting the car, Frank pulled onto the road, flooring the gas pedal. With one hand on the steering wheel, Frank used the other to dial his cell phone. Calling his home number, Frank was momentarily relieved when the call was picked up on the second ring. His raw nerves imploded as he listened to the phone company's pre-recorded message.

"We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please hang up and try your call again later."

Now paralyzed with fear, Frank pressed redial several times, continually getting the same devastating message. Finally throwing the phone against the door in frustration, Frank pressed down on the gas pedal even harder, willing the car to go faster.

As he raced back to Bayport Frank wasn't sure which was going faster, the speedometer on his car or the pounding of his heart. Breaking every speed limit, Frank arrived back in Bayport in record time. Racing through the suburban streets of his neighborhood, Frank came to a screeching halt in front of his house.

"Oh, God! No!" he cried out staring at the flashing lights of the police cars blocking the street and the ambulance parked in his driveway.