6:30pm Hardy Residence-
The Hardy house was quiet as Vanessa helped Joe into the living room and into a seat.
Dropping her laptop bag into a nearby chair, she stood over him. "Where are your first aid supplies?"
Joe was focusing on avoiding the throbbing pain that his leg was producing, but he eventually pointed upstairs. "Middle room on the left is a bathroom. Mom keeps the supplies up there."
He cringed as he noticed Vanessa scowl at him. "Don't move. I'll be back down in a few minutes with a change of clothes and first aid, and for heavens sakes, will you call your dad?"
Joe breathed a thankful sigh of relief as Vanessa turned and headed for the stairs, not waiting for his answer. It had taken some doing to convince her that he intended to leave the hospital on his own for Vanessa to go out and bring in a wheelchair to his room. After wrapping himself up in a blanket and double talking the guards, she wheeled Joe off of the hospital floor and into a nearby elevator, which had taken them to the ground floor without further incident.
The ride over to his house had been made in tense silence, and he wondered at first if he had made a big mistake.
--
Chief Collig and Fenton Hardy pulled up outside of Richard Jamison's house. The sun had already set, and the place was already bathed in darkness.
"You do realize that they are probably gone from here," Chief Collig admonished. Despite his words, the police chief had turned off the car and drawn his firearm.
Fenton was lost in thought and in a myriad of emotions. On their way there, his wife had called to tell him that Joe had left the hospital to follow a lead. Since then, he had tried more than once to reach Joe through his cell phone, only for it to go straight to voice mail. "If I know Frank, he would have left a clue," he replied absently, "I just wish my sons were not so headstrong sometimes."
"Face it, Fenton," Chief Collig stated. "Your boys take after you, plain and simple, despite how it may scare you to death."
Fenton Hardy nodded grimly. "It does, my friend, more than you know in fact. Okay, let's get in there and check things out."
They got out of the car and quickly approached the house. Ezra entered first with his gun drawn. Fenton quickly followed in behind him. For the next few minutes, they stuck close together checking each room in the house until they determined that no one was in the house.
--
Vanessa returned downstairs to Joe, with her hands overflowing with bandages and a change of clothes. "Your mom must anticipate your bouts of stubbornness. I found enough bandages to cover a mummy and then some."
Joe put up his hands in protest. "Hey, those aren't all for me. When all of this is over, you should ask Frank about the time we tried doing a stakeout in a tree, and then you will see what those bandages are truly for."
She watched as Joe carefully shrugged out of the blanket that had been hiding the fact that he was dressed in his hospital gown still. He thought for a moment before looking at her apologetically. "Turn around, will ya? This is hard enough as is."
Vanessa turned away from him, smiling at his apparent embarrassment. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but tease him. "Even a tough guy like you still gets embarrassed, how cute."
She was rewarded with a groan from Joe. Vanessa decided to turn around but Joe stopped her quickly. "I'm not done yet."
--
After Ezra and Fenton had checked Richard Jamison's house and declared that it was all clear, they set to the task of looking for signs that anyone had been there.
After about ten minutes of searching, Fenton made his way to the bathroom on the first floor. It was a small affair with only a toilet and sink, but it was the items that he had found in the floor that excited him the most. "Chief!"
Chief Collig appeared at the door to the bathroom moments later. "What did you find?"
Fenton leaned down and pointed to a discarded fast food bag and a length of rope. "Someone's been in here recently."
"That may be, Fenton, but that doesn't get us any closer to where Frank and Ansem may be now," Chief Collig protested.
Fenton stood up and looked around. Everything else seemed to be unremarkable, which didn't sit well with him. If Frank were in here long enough, he would have given them some sort of message.
Chief Collig stepped in and made a move to lift the top off of the tank of the toilet to look inside.
Fenton looked at him in some surprise when he started grinning from ear to ear. "What did you find?"
As a reply, Chief Collig presented him with the lid from the tank, turned upwards. "Your son is quite the resourceful one."
In crude lettering made by what looked like toothpaste, the two men could make out the words harbor and warehouse.
--
Ten minutes later, Vanessa turned around to find that Joe had managed to dress himself in a loose black t-shirt and black jogging pants, but the exertion was apparent on his face. A fine sheen of sweat covered his brow, and more than once Joe seemed unsteady.
She watched him nervously as he carefully worked on his leg, using the bandages to wrap around and support his left leg. "I don't like this."
Joe's gaze swung over to her. That was the twentieth time in as many hours that she had said that, most of them done on the way there. Torn between irritation and worry, he brought up a hand and caressed her cheek. "I know this guy, Vanessa. He will go even crazier if the police or law enforcement follow him. That's why Frank and I went undercover in the first place to get this guy. I can't rest until I know Frank is safe, and then we will call in the good guys."
He then noticed that Vanessa's gaze traveled to the cell phone sitting on top of the table that was near him. He had taken it out of his pocket to check the messages. Joe wasn't about to tell her that there were ten, most of which were from his father. "Dad needs time to check out Richard's house. There might be something important there."
Vanessa shook her head in frustration. "I didn't know you could be so stubborn. You are lucky that I love you, Joe Hardy, else wise I would have called your father long before this."
Sighing, Joe thought for a moment, and then reached over to grab the cell phone. At her quizzical expression, he retorted. "Don't think I am giving in. I just want to check on them."
He quickly cycled through his speed dial, choosing the one number he knew by heart.
--
Chief Collig wanted to get one of his people on the search for the warehouse quickly, so he and Fenton had quickly left the house to get back to their car when Fenton heard the cell phone in his pocket.
Eyes wide, he grabbed it out of his jacket and checked the caller id. Joe.
Flipping the phone open, it took him more than a moment to form a coherent thought. Relief filled emotion reverberated through his voice. "Joe am I ever relieved to hear from you, but I swear if you ever scare your mother like that again-"
He was cut off by Joe's apologetic words. "Dad, I'm sorry, but I am not going to sit back and do nothing while Ansem has Frank. I just wanted to check in with you and see if you or Chief Collig found anything at Richard's house."
Fenton paused, debating whether to tell his son how much he knew before finally deciding on full disclosure. "I have a feeling you know more about this than we do. Frank left two words in the bathroom here: harbor and warehouse. Do you know what he means?"
He heard a sharp in take of breath from the other end of the line, and Fenton knew that he had his answer. "Joe-"
"Dad, Vanessa was doing a records search of Ansem when she uncovered a piece of land that he happens to own that is at Bayport Harbor. There is a warehouse on that land. I was going to go ahead and scope it out. We have to get out there before the sale starts at ten tonight if we want any chance of getting a drop on them."
Fenton counted to ten. He admired his sons' fierce loyalty as brothers, but dealing with their stubborn streaks proved to be too much at times. "Joe, please. Chief Collig told me what you boys had to get this guy in the first place. We don't even know where Frank is, and you are hurt. I don't want to lose you."
There was a moment of silence before Joe rattled off the address that he had alluded to earlier. "This guy won't wait for you to find him dad, that's why I have to get a head start. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just get there as soon as you can with backup."
And with that, the connection with his son terminated. Fenton swore softly as he pocketed his cell phone and turned to his friend. "Ezra, I know where they are – or at the very least where they will be. Let's get to the station fast. We are going to need all of the help we can get."
--
8pm – Richard Jamison's Car, Bayport Harbor
Frank lay in the back floorboard of Richard Jamison's car, his hands bound behind him and his feet bound tightly.
Earlier that afternoon, he had offered no protest as Ansem forced him outside and into Richard's car under gunpoint. Ansem had then forced Frank to tie up his own feet, and when he was satisfied with the job, moved in to tie the teen's hands tightly behind his back and forced him to the back floorboard of the car.
While Ansem had gotten behind the drivers seat and started the car to wherever their destination was to be, Frank had stayed in a cramped position, all the while working on his bonds that he had used on his feet. He had figured that Ansem hadn't tied up too many people before, so he had deliberately left himself some slack in the ropes.
Opportunities had come twice when Ansem had stopped the car – Frank couldn't tell where they were either time. Both times Ansem had warned Frank that he was in an isolated area and that shouting wouldn't help him.
If that's the way he wanted to play his mind games, then fine. Frank chose to focus on the rope binding his feet. If he could get his legs free, then things would be different by the time they reached the warehouse, but even with the slack that he had left himself in the ropes, Frank had found it slow and tedious work.
On the final part of the drive, Frank noticed the daylight surrounding them starting to fade. He didn't have a good view of the rear windows from his vantage point, but judging by the fading daylight, time was running out. His suspicions were soon confirmed when he felt the car stop once again.
"Well, well, eight o'clock and all is well," Ansem gloated as he took the keys out of the ignition and turned to Frank. "You see, the early start was needed after all – just had to make sure a few special guests came to bid on you. I want top dollar for my prey after all."
Frank stared at him in icy silence. After all of the manipulation, he wasn't going to give the man the satisfaction of playing with his game.
Ansem scowled. "Spoilsport." He opened his car door and made a move to get out, but then stopped. "I have things to do in the warehouse to prepare. You won't go anywhere, right?"
Frank watched as the man sneered, then slammed the driver's shut. In the distance he could hear quick footsteps echo away from the car.
If there was a time to move, now was it. Frank checked his progress on the bonds at his feet and found that there was one last knot to work around. He would have to bend and flex like never before if he had any hope of getting his feet free.
He quickly set to work.
--
Many apologies, a cold laid me and my muse up for a while. Hopefully this makes up for it, and if my pacing is not telling me bald faced lies – there's only one chapter left. :) See you next time.