A/n: Frankly finally gets his head out of you know where...
Chapter Nine
The drive to the Police station was short and silent. Sam was not yet ready to let Frank off the hook, but wasn't going to complain that he had finally managed to get his act together. Frank spent the entire time staring at the photographs that he had taken back from the Police Chief. Sam politely ignored the fat tears that fell from Frank's eyes on to the images of Joe in various stages of agony. The final photograph showed his brother unconscious and bleeding profusely from numerous lash marks across
his back and chest. But by the time Sam pulled in to the Visitor Parking lot of the Bayport Police station, Franks eyes were dry and a steely resolve had come over him. They were met at the main reception desk by Officer Herndon, the young man who had first arrived at the scene earlier in the day. He led them into a conference room that had already been set up as the home base of the investigation into Joe's kidnapping.
The next several hours were spent with everyone being brought up to speed on Mario Vincente. The original investigation had led Fenton, Sam and Frank into New Jersey and the City, so the local constabulary were unaware of his dealings.
Like many old school Mafioso types, Vincente shunned drugs but was not shy about every other vice out there, to include prostitution, gambling, and rum running. His interests also included that age old custom of paying 'protection money' and the 'suggestion' that only certain vendors be used for supplies and services. He was ruthless, slow to anger and people on both sides of the law were terrified of him. Vincente was the undisputed King of the East Coast and garnered a lot of respect out in Vegas as well. He had his own personal moral code. He did not allow his men to rape or assault women. He treated his own wife like a Queen and made sure his daughters married men who would do the same. He refused to use the younger children of his enemies as pawns. But if they grew up and followed in their father's footsteps, all bets were off. As Joe was finding out the hard way.
That peeved Frank no end. Joe was still in Japan when the case had come their way. Hell, he himself had only been a full fledged PI about 8 months. Joe had had no dealings with Vincente at all so should have been off limits according to the Crime Lord's personal code.
"Not necessarily, Frank." Sam responded. "We know the internal alarm was tripped. My guess is, Joe heard it, went downstairs to investigate, assuming that back up was en route. So he disrupts the break in, probably engages in a little hand to hand and gets overpowered. Something made the Perps decide to take him as opposed to leaving him there.. or flat out killing him."
"Also we now know that the link from our system to 911 was severed, which means no back up was forthcoming. And knowing Joe he never called to confirm." Sam shook his head in exasperation. There were a few grim chuckles from the older, more seasoned officers seated around the table. Most had been on the force for years and were well aware of Joe Hardy's antics and penchant for attracting trouble.
"Okay then what DO we have?" asked Officer Herndon.
"We know that they are close, and not in Jersey. Maybe the City but that is doubtful." Frank spoke up for the first time.
Herndon was confused. "How do we know that?"
"The time stamps on the photographs. They are for roughly a 90 minute period that commenced at 0430 ish. The alarm tripped at 0213. That means it was less than 2 hours between the time Joe was taken and they began.." Frank choked a little as the words wouldn't come. He visibly shook himself before continuing. "Also we know that at 0730, when I arrived at the office, there was no envelope. It was delivered sometime between then and 1000 when Dad arrived."
Sam took up the narrative. "Vincente owns a lot of property within a reasonable commuting distance. We can eliminate some locations outright. Some are empty lots, others are commercial; storefronts, that sort of thing. Too much traffic. What we are probably looking for is an office or warehouse, maybe secluded or unused."
"So you need us to canvass all the remaining locations, is that it?" Herndon asked.
"That about sums it up, yeah. Frank and I will head back to the office in the meantime. Look but do not engage. Anything that seems out of place, call it in. Vincente may be civilized and urbane on the surface, but his people are not and have no problems killing cops. So be careful."
The meeting broke up then and everyone went their separate ways. Sam and Frank got back in Sam's car and started for the office downtown. Luckily it was only a few streets away so neither man felt the need to break the awkward silence. Frank preceded Sam into the building's cozy foyer but stopped short as he reached the office door. Taped very neatly with a torn piece of the yellow crime scene tape that criss crossed the doorway was an envelope addressed to Fenton. This was one was fatter and was of the type used to mail fragile items with the bubble wrap. He couldn't bring himself to grab it. But Sam did not hesitate. He unlocked the door, and stepped through the tape into the airy reception area. Nothing had been touched here by the kidnappers, so it was minimally disturbed.
Sam emptied the envelope of its' contents. First thing that fell out was Joe's wallet and keys. Everything was intact, including all the money he had. Second was a mini recordable disc, the kind you used in digital movie cameras. And third, which had to be pulled out, was a single sheet of paper also addressed to Fenton. Sam unfolded the note and read it aloud.
'Mr Hardy. You know what I want. The name of the traitor in my midst. Your son was foolish enough to get in the way of my employees. He has paid dearly for that mistake. The longer I wait, the worse it will be for him. I enclose a little reminder of just exactly how seriously I take this. I trust you will consider the life of young Joe to be worth more than your reputation as a trustworthy PI. After all, you are an honorable man. Family is so important, don't you think? I will be waiting.'
It was signed simply "Vincente"
Frank's face was ashen. He knew, as did Sam, what was on that disc. And neither man wanted to watch it although they knew they had to. There could be a clue as to Joe's whereabouts on it. Sam placed a hand on Frank's shoulder. "I can do this alone. You don't need to watch."
Frank vehemently shook his head. "No. I have to see. I promised Mom I'd bring him home."
Sam kept his misgivings to himself. He wasn't entirely convinced Frank could handle what was on that disc. Hell he wasn't sure he could. Both boys were like his own sons. But he was well aware that a vital clue to Joe's whereabouts might be on that disc and no mater how painful it was going to be to watch it, he knew it was nothing compared to the pain that Joe endured, and was most likely still enduring.
Frank went and grabbed their own video recorder and hooked it up to the computer so they could watch it on the monitor. Sam inserted the disc, not bothering to worry about fingerprints . Not only did they know who was responsible already, they also knew that there would be no incrimination evidence left behind. At best they could hope the CSI team could extract background noises or enhance the images. But that would come later. First they would watch it alone. Sam gave Frank a concerned look before he asked " Are you sure about this?"
Frank grimly said "Just play it."
The video started innocuously enough. Joe was shackled to chains suspended from the ceiling. He was bare chested and both men winced at the strain his arms were obviously under as he twisted around. The light was dim so much of the time Joe's face was in shadow. Frank gasped in horror when another figure stepped into the camera's angle "Is that..a cat o'nine tails?" he choked out in disbelief.
Sam shuddered at the look of calm deliberation on the face of the man wielding the ancient torture device. That was worse than any rage or inhuman glee that could have appeared. Like Vincente, Dominic Mazzola was cold and calculating, which made him supremely dangerous when it came to inflicting pain. His brother Luigi, whom Sam assumed was the one behind the camera, was equally to be feared. They enjoyed their work, but never took too much pleasure in it. They knew exactly what each of their victim's limits were and skirted the edge of going beyond it with finely tuned precision.
The first lash whistled through the air and Frank gasped in unison with his brother on screen. By the time the third blow was struck, Joe was screaming and Frank ran to the bathroom where he was violently ill. Sam paused the disc and stood in the doorway as Frank lost the contents of his stomach. Sam was also feeling queasy but forced himself to remain standing.
It took several minutes for the heaving to stop. Sam went out to the fridge and returned with a bottle of water, offering it silently to the pale figure slumped on the floor resting a flushed forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet. Frank reached a shaking hand up and took the bottle gasping out a hoarse "Thanks" before taking a swig. He also accepted the proffered hand that helped him stand up straight.
Frank turned a grey face to his father's oldest friend and said "We have to finish watching it." Sam gripped Frank's arm in silent support and led him back to the desk. This time, he muted the sound before pressing the play button. It was going to be bad enough watching. Having to listen was too much to ask right now. He'd just make sure to have the sound techs note everything later.
The disc recorded the entire session, all 90 minutes. By the time it was over, Sam was beside himself with rage and resolve. Frank was dangerously close to catatonic until Sam touched his shoulder. Like his Father, Frank was slow to anger but had just as violent a temper as any male in his family. It exploded now, causing Sam to take a step back to avoid the wildly swinging arm. "FRANK!" he shouted, grabbing the hysterical man by both upper arms and giving a strong shake. " Pull yourself together! You have to focus. You can't help Joe if you go off the deep end." It was Joe's name that broke through his incoherent rage and allowed Frank to take a deep shuddering breath and calm down.
Frank was suddenly exhausted both mentally and physically. He staggered over to the chair and collapsed into it, burying his face in his hands and letting the sobs come, heedless of anything or anyone else. Sam let him cry it out, and unashamedly let his own tears fall. He wasn't sure if Frank truly understood the gravity of the situation, but Sam was all too aware that the minute that disc had been recorded, Joe's fate had been sealed. There was no way that Vincente would let Joe live, not even if they did provide the name he so politely requested. It was how the man operated. He owed Fenton a loss of his own to compensate for those years in prison and what better way than to deprive him of a beloved son? Joe's last and only hope lay with his brother and himself. If they were unable to discover where he was being held captive, and within the next 24 hours, Fenton would wake up in the hospital minus one child. Sam was not about to let that happen. And he sure as hell was not going to face Laura Hardy without anything other than the news that her fair haired youngest was safe.
Eventually, Frank got his act together and straightened up and looked Sam in the eye. His face was still blotchy with tears and his eyes red rimmed, but they were clear now, free of rage or despair. In a calm voice that was only slightly tinged with pain he asked "What do we do now? The only one who knew the name of the mole was Dad and he's in no shape to be asking questions of right now."
"I'm not sure." Sam admitted. At the time he had been fine with Fenton keeping certain aspects of the case to himself, but now he desperately wished he had a bargaining chip to negotiate for Joe. He knew without a doubt that even if it meant he'd never be able to work as a PI again, Fenton would give up his informant in half a heartbeat to save his son. He also knew that it would literally kill his partner if they couldn't save Joe.
"Look, it's late. We are both exhausted and can't think straight right now let alone do any good. Let's get some sleep and tackle this in the morning." Sam forestalled the protest that was about to spring from Frank's lips. "We can't do anything until this disc is analyzed. I'll drop it off at the Station. The tech guys will work on it while we get some rest."
Sam ejected the disc and replaced it back in the envelope it was delivered in as well as the letter. He'd drop both items off before heading home himself. "Can I drop you off at your place?" Frank shook his head.
"I...I want to stay upstairs tonight." Frank's voice still held that tremor of pain but Sam let it pass without comment. He reached over and took Frank's shoulders in hand, forcing the younger man to look up. "Get some rest. You need to be 100% if you are going to save your brother." He knew enough to not spout off platitudes like 'he'll be fine' when it was so blatantly obvious that Joe was anything but. Frank nodded silently but Sam didn't buy the meek act for a second. Of course he was being pretty hypocritical himself as he was certain he'd get no rest either. With a final squeeze of shoulders, Sam was out the door and on the way to the Precinct where he dropped off the disc to Officer Herndon with the request that they pull out all the stops and get that thing analyzed immediately. Herndon reiterated Con Reilly's earlier promise that the entire department was at the beck and call of Hardy and Sons. Sam thanked the young Officer and went on his way.
Frank, meanwhile, used Joe's keys and went upstairs to his younger brother's apartment. He needed to surround himself with reminders of his blond sibling. Even though it was after 7 pm, he called Dr Suitland's office and left a message that he was going to have to cancel his next several appointments. He'd explain in the morning when he was certain the receptionist Mary would be calling to get the reason why. He puttered around the apartment, still surprised even after 2 years at the neatness and order that Joe brought back with him from his time in the Navy. It was a far cry from the sloppy disorganized chaos he endured growing up sharing a bathroom. It was almost alien how uncluttered the place was. So alien in fact that Frank couldn't stand to be there one more minute. He took off, grabbing Joe's keys and picking his brother's SUV out in the dim light of the parking lot. He drove on automatic and was not even remotely shocked to find himself at the cliffs. Joe was right. The sounds of the waves did help. They were soothing and at the same time reflected the turmoil of emotions boiling up inside. Despite his earlier assumption he would get no rest, he fell asleep to the sounds of the crashing water and slept through the night leaned up against the boulder that Joe had so often used himself. It was barely dawn when his cell jangled in his pocket. It was Sam calling to say that he had heard from Herndon and the disc had been analyzed.
"I need to take a shower and change but I'll meet you at the station in an hour?" Frank asked. Sam acknowledged the timetable and said he'd bring the bagels. Frank immediately got into the SUV and drove back to his brother's apartment where he took a 5 minute shower before changing into some clothes that he kept on a spare rod in the closet for emergencies. Before he took off again, he called his mother to inform her they had some new information and to inquire how his father was doing. Laura had evidently calmed down as she was her usual self and issued no more ultimatums although she did beg her eldest to be careful. Frank assured her that every precaution was being taken and promised to call if he got more news. In no time he was back at the Station and asked att he desk where he would find Herndon and the others. He was directed to the same meeting room that had been used the night before.
Sam was already there as were most of the same faces from last night. Con Reilly again took the lead.
"Well I used up the entire month's worth of overtime budget but it was worth it. My guys in the lab were able to discern several distinct background noises that led to the railroad tracks. Cross referencing train schedules with the time stamp on the disc we have it narrowed down to the outskirts of town by the old foundry. Vincente owns 3 buildings within a 5 mile radius. One we can eliminate outright, the junkyard. It's open to the public and does fairly steady business. Legitimate business in fact. So he won't risk that by allowing illicit activity on the property; as far as we can tell not even stolen cars end up there. That leaves two." Con walked over the large map of the area that had been pinned to the wall. There were two push pins indicating the prospective targets. With a purple Sharpie he circled the first. "This is the most likely place and where we will survey first. 3 story building, no windows on the first 2 floors, which are given over to storage and warehouse space. The third floor is offices for one of Vincente's dummy companies." Putting down the purple Sharpie he replaced it with a bright blue one and circled the other push pin. "Less likely is this one. It is, or was, a factory that produced some whatsit or other. This one is only 2 floors but it is also mostly one giant room with only a few offices taking up half the second story. As far as we can tell by business records it is currently dark. We'll hit both at the same time. Any questions?"
One of the officers spoke up. Neither Frank nor Sam recognized him. "What about that note? Why not bargain for time by giving the guy what he wants?"
Sam shook his head. "Even if we wanted to, we can't. The only one who knows is Fenton and he's still sedated. And it isn't like Vincente bothered to give us his cell phone number so we could make an offer." Sam's tone grew sarcastic. "There was no way in hell that giving up the information would have made a difference. He is going to let Joe die no matter what we do. Which is why we have to get there first."
There were grim faces all around the table at that announcement. Everyone knew the stakes. And everyone vowed that Joe Hardy would not die this day.
Frank had been silent this whole time, rarely even raising his head to look at anyone. He was still badly shaken over the images he had seen the night before and was eternally grateful Con saw no reason to replay the disc at the meeting. He spent most of the meeting lost in his own thoughts. His outburst the night before echoed in the back of his mind, vaguely reminding him of the incident at the mine shaft a couple of months earlier. He was in danger of losing it completely. His mother's accusation and Sam equally disapproving demeanor had jolted him out of his self pity, but he still had a long way to go. And he finally admitted to himself that he could not recover without Joe's help.
(Hang on, baby brother) he thought to himself, using a term of endearment he hadn't used in ten years. (I'm coming. Just hang on a little while longer.) Frank was brought back to the here and now by Con's final words. "So we will gear up and head out to the targets. I want every one ready in 2 hours to move." There was a general scratching of chairs across the tiled floor as everyone stood up and began to gather their notes. Frank didn't move and it wasn't until everyone else had left that Sam and Con both resumed their seats and waited for him to say something.
"I know I haven't been much help..." he began.
"That's understandable, Frank." Con replied kindly.
Frank shook his head. "No, I screwed up in more ways than I can count. But I want you to know you can count on me being rational going forward. I just want my brother safe. I don't give a damn about anything else. That includes bringing in Vincente or the Mazzolas. Hope that's okay with you."
Sam and Con exchanged a look. The unspoken conversation lasted about ten seconds before Sam nodded and said "Joe is the priority. Nothing will jeopardize that. We can get them some other time."
Frank gave each man a grateful look in turn before standing up himself and saying "I am going to call Mom, let her know what's up." and he left the room to find a quiet corner to make his call.
The next two hours both flew by and dragged. In addition to his mother, Frank had also called all their mutual friends to ask that they stop by the hospital to give Laura any support or help she needed. To a man their boyhood friends did not hesitate. Tony promised enough food to feed the entire Cardiac Care Unit, while Biff and Phil said they'd take care of the house and office. Chet was already out the door headed towards the hospital to sit with Laura before he finished talking to Frank. They all wished him luck in finding Joe and begged for updates as soon as possible.
It was a grim group of Police officers in full tactical gear that met in the garage by the two SWAT vans that would take each team to their respective assignments. Sam and Frank were also in bullet proof vests and carried their own weapons. Con gave last minute instructions to Officer Herndon, who was leading the assault on the old factory before getting in his cruiser with Sam and Frank and ordering his driver to head out.
It was about a 45 minute drive and each man spent it lost in their own thoughts. When they arrived, Frank knew they were in the right place. It was that gut feeling he would always get in situations like this. Joe's gut feelings seemed to center around whether or not a person was trustworthy, but Frank's was always about the location being right or wrong. And Frank's gut was working over time. "This is the place" he breathed softly, hand gripped so tightly around his drawn gun it was white. Neither Sam nor Con deigned to express skepticism over his certainty. Too many years spent witnessing that eerie connection the two brothers had with each other.
Con sent one of the SWAT team members to scope out a higher vantage point, while also directing the rest to block the entrances to the building. "Sam, Frank, you're with me until we get confirmation."
Both men nodded and crouched behind a large dumpster that was located near the rear entrance. They waited for what seemed an eternity to Frank before the crackle of Con's radio alerted them. "Chief. Definitely both Mazzola brothers. No sign of Vincente. I get one more heat signature on the lower level. No visual confirmation but the profile indicates he's suspended."
Frank knew that meant whoever that was, they were hanging, just like the video had shown Joe to be. "Let's go" He ground out through his teeth.
Sam placed a firm hand on Frank's arm. "Not yet. Let the rest get into position." Frank glared at him but for the first time in a long while kept his temper in check. He turned to Con and waited for the Chief to give the word.
It took another 7 minutes before everyone else had confirmed they were ready. By then Frank was about ready to jump out of his skin and was already on the move by the time Con gave the 'Go' order.
A/n: What, you expected the cavalry to ride over the hill already? Still needs more angsty bits from Joe.