Since I won't be able to post tommorow, I have today. Enjoy, and please review -- and vote in the forum poll deciding which I should post next!!

"Frank's been gone for four hours," Fenton said to Chief Collig as he called him. "Has he stopped by there?"

"No, he sure hasn't, Fenton, I'm sorry. Listen, I want you to know that Mark Troy posted a bond, okay? I know I told Frank, but I wanted to make sure you knew."

"I had heard that. Why did they let him post bail at all?"

"They didn't think he could come up with that much money. Neither did I. We'll have to see where he's getting all this money from – and see if we can press other charges."

"Sounds good," Fenton said. "Okay, thanks for calling."

"I'll send someone over to guard Joe's door just in case Mark tries anything," Collig replied. "How's Laura?"

"Just flew off to visit Gertrude's aunt," Fenton replied. "Which is a good thing – I think Joe was feeling a little tense around her."

"You're probbably right. If you need anything, let me know. Con'll be over in awhile."

"Thanks, Collig. Fenton out."

Line

Six hours missing

"Frank is missing?" Callie demanded, glaring angrily at Phil, as if for some reason it was his fault. "When? How? Do you have any proof?"

"He's been missing for six hours," Phil said as he dropped on the couch. "They don't know if he was kidnapped yet, as there have been no ransom demands, but everyone's assuming so."

Chan shook his head. Only in the Hardy family could someone be missing for 6 hours and someone would assume that they'd been kidnapped. "Who do they think it is?" he asked, both repulsed and curious.

"They don't think it's Mark Troy. Fenton recently arrested someone in the UN case he worked on, and he thinks that's who did it. He found his fingerprint in the house," Phil said. He had talked to Joe awhile ago. Frank and Phil had a deal: If Frank was ever gone and Joe was in trouble, Phil would be his next guardian. He knew he'd have to go over to the hospital soon.

"Wow," Chet said in disbelief. "The poor Hardy family! How's Laura?"

"She actually left to visit Aunt Bessie," Phil replied. Personally, he was secretly glad. He liked Laura, but the woman worried way too much.

"Wow, I'm surprised she left without saying goodbye to Frank," Vanessa said, shocked.

"She had a plane to catch. Fenton made her get on it. I think he suspected Frank was missing, and didn't want to tell her."

Chan sighed. He felt like this was all his fault. He should've kept his mouth shut. If he had, Frank Hardy never would have been kidnapped. "So we've got Frank kidnapped by someone who he arrested, and Joe in the hospital. What happens next?"

Chet laughed. "You know what's funny? Not that anything's funny, mind you, but this is so ironic. Normally, it's Joe who's missing, and Frank who's in the hospital. That poor kid has been kidnapped more times than I can remember."

Line

Frank awoke when he felt himself being pulled out of the car, but he chose to pretend to stay unconscious, so he could get a better grip on where he was. So far, it seemed he was in a remote place. "Wake up," he heard someone say, and a bucket of water was dumped on his head.

So much for pretending to be asleep. He opened his eyes, still not making any noise, not even a protest of anger.

"Good, you're up," the coach replied. "And not making a sound. I like that. Anyway, here's the deal. I'm going to go back to Bayport. My wife, Jenny, has been sleeping this whole time. I know this because I drugged her. But anyway, I'm going to say that I was at home, and she will verify that. My friend, Roger – that's not his real name – is going to look after you. You will be locked in a closet, and let out twice a day. You can try and escape all you want, but it won't work."

Frank oofed as Mark threw him on the ground. He wanted to scream and let the world know where he was. But, of course, he couldn't--otherwise the coach would kill Joe. "What do you want with me?" he whispered, even though he was sure he already knew.

Ignoring him. Mark ripped the duct tape off of Frank's hands. "You'll be here until I decide exactly what to do with you. I'll probably lay low until the trial, then take off. Can't afford to be put in jail, no sir. If Joe and the others promise not to testify and all charges are dropped, I'll let you go," he promised. But if they don't, I'll come back, and I'll either kill your or you'll be my prisoner forever. Doesn't that sound fun?" he smiled. "I could make you a great football player – under a new name," he said. "We could be father-son, and I'd be so proud of my only child."

Later

"It wasn't the man from the UN. He has made no telephone calls since he was arrested, he had no plan in motion."

"But we got his fingerprint," Fenton protested to Chief Collig. "That doesn't just happen!"

"I know we have his fingerprint, but it was a 9.6 percent match – room for margin error," Chief Collig explained, "so yes, we thought it was him, but it could have been anyone else. We're running it back through the data base now."

"Has anyone contacted Mark yet? He could be involved. I wouldn't put it past him," Fenton growled, still angry at himself for not believing Joe.

"Yes, we had a man on Mark first thing," Chief Collig replied, "and his wife said he was home the whole six hours. Wife's clean as a rock, so he's got a solid alibi."

"This is not good," Fenton stated. "I want to find who has Frank and I'm going to kill him brutally. Sorry, Collig, I didn't mean that like it sounded. It's just that Joe needs Frank right now badly, and he vanished. Joe's not going to want to testify with him gone, and if Joe won't testify, none of the other kids will."

Collig let out a long breath. "I'm not saying I'm a hundred present positive of Mark's alibi. I don't think he's lying, but I don't think he's being all that honest, either," he said, "so I'll be keeping a close eye on him."