Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on the story. From this point forward, I will be posting a chapter every two-three days (so Thursday will be the next one) as long as people continue to read it. Although I certainly don't write for the reviews (I just had a story I wanted to tell), the people who have commented make a difference to me and inspire me to want to continue to devise and write new stories. So-- thanks again!

"Fire and Ice"-- Chapter 10

"How can you stand it?" Vanessa queried angrily, unable to stop herself from fuming. She and Callie were finally back at Vanessa's apartment, sitting in the living room. Outside, despite the August weather and the fact that two police officers were dutifully assigned to watch the girls from a distance, there remained an unmistakable chill in the air.

Sighing, Callie sat back on the sofa and raised her hands to her temples, rubbing them. She looked at Vanessa pleadingly, hoping that she'd take the hint and drop it, but Vanessa just continued on, building momentum as she went along.

"Cal! I mean, come on! What are you going to do? Will you talk to Frank as soon as he gets home? I think you should call him, now!"

Callie opened her mouth to respond, but shut it immediately as she noticed that Vanessa had no intention of actually having her answer these rhetorical, she now knew, questions. Resigned, Callie crossed her arms and let Vanessa go on, hoping only that she'd just about reached the end of her tirade. Unfortunately, after a few more moments of listening, Callie realized that there was no end in sight.

"You know, Cal, I know what Joe said to you. And I mean yes, he does make some sense. But even I can't believe that Frank didn't tell you about any of this! You must be furious! Never mind—I'm furious FOR you!" Vanessa raised her arms in exasperation to emphasize her point. "And—if this was Joe, and he did this to me, you can be sure that I'd--"

"That you'd WHAT?!" Callie finally interjected, looking visibly upset. "What, Vanessa?! I'm curious, " she went on, meeting her friend's eyes, "as to how exactly you'd handle this situation if everything was reversed and it was YOUR fiancé, and not mine, who apparently had some sort of history with someone else and you found out only months before the wedding. What if Joe was in love..." Callie practically choked on the word," With Iola?" Where did that come from?! The minute she sputtered her old friend's name, Callie knew she had crossed a line and immediately stopped.

Vanessa, shocked, stared at Callie for a moment, unsure of what to say, to do. Her breath caught.

"I… I don't know…" she managed. The idea was so foreign to her that she could barely comprehend it. At the same time, Callie had struck a nerve. She knew that Joe loved her deeply, but she also knew that he had been in love with Iola Morton in his past as well. Deep down, she had always feared that she could never live up to the memory Joe had of Iola, and, although Joe had never given her any reason to doubt the sincerity and the depth of the love that he had for her, a little voice within her had always doubted if she could replace Iola. Callie had inadvertently shaken her at the core with her words.

"I'm sorry," Callie responded almost immediately to the look of … fear?… in Vanessa's eyes. She reached out to her friend and took her hand. Slowly, Vanessa squeezed Callie's hand back.

Callie went on. "I really am sorry," she replied with a soft sigh. "Iola is gone. I guess… it's this time of year again, when she died, and I can't help but to think of her, especially since bad things always seem to happen around this time every year. And look—Mandy's… gone… and Charlotte is badly hurt…" Callie's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to find the words to convey her emotions. "And we're the obvious target of another attack. Plus, Frank's being… I don't know." Despite everything, Callie found she couldn't say anything bad about Frank. It hurt her too deeply to think he could have betrayed her. She simply didn't know WHAT to think anymore.

Vanessa, seeing Callie's pain, quickly pushed her own fears to the back of her mind, and blurted out, "I'd punch him!"

"Huh?!" Callie was taken aback, having no idea what Vanessa was talking about.

Vanessa managed a small smile. "You asked what I'd do if I found out that Joe was in love with someone else. You know what I'd do? I'd punch him—hard—and use all my Tae Bo moves until he was sorry he messed with me!"

Despite herself, Callie smiled at the visual. "And you know what I'd do?" Callie wiped at her eyes and laughed. "You know what I'd do if I found out Frank loved Nancy?"

"What?" Now Vanessa smiled.

"I'd find a virus to infect Frank's computer long enough for him to realize that he's a big dork and is spending way too much time in cyberspace trying to fix it and not enough time with the REAL love of his life. And then I'd wait for him to crawl back to me. And then…" Callie spoke with animation. "I'd…"

"Dump HIM!" Vanessa finished.

Both girls smiled at the ridiculous images they had painted.

"Thanks, Van," Callie managed. "I needed to NOT think about everything. I'm so upset and so tired and… well, scared,…". Callie paused, then went on, "And I can't shake this feeling that I'm being watched, you know?" She swallowed hard.

"I know," Vanessa answered. In truth, she shared Callie's uncertainty, but refused to vocalize it, as if speaking the words would substantiate her fears. Shaking it off, she flung herself back on the sofa next to her friend and gave Callie a quick hug. Closing her eyes, Vanessa allowed herself to be comforted by the fact that Joe and Frank seemed to be about to receive news about a break in the case. Plus, she was in a safe apartment, had police protection, and would be awaiting the arrival of Joe. Rationalizing that she would probably be okay, at least for the time being, Vanessa turned to Callie and opened her eyes.

"Cal?" Vanessa questioned.

"Hmmm?"

"Nancy would be no match for my Tae Bo moves, you know."

With a small chuckle, Callie shook her head at Vanessa's silliness and silently thanked her for being such a wonderful friend and support system.

She did not know that soon she would need all of the support she could get.

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Joe Hardy tapped his fingers impatiently on the dashboard and glanced sidelong at his brother in the driver's seat. Clenching his teeth, he tried, and failed, to concentrate on waiting and, instead, found his thoughts wandering to the plethora of information that they had just received from the Chief. Now, hours later, he was sitting in his car staking out a house that potentially held the monster who'd attacked Mandy and Charlotte and who had wreaked havoc on all of their lives. If it were up to him, he'd storm into that house, right now, by himself, and show the …man… what real violence was all about.

As if on cue, he heard his brother's voice interrupting his thoughts. "Joe? Calm down," Frank stated in a soft and even voice, never once letting his eyes leave the house upon which they were focused.

"How can you expect me to calm down?" Joe blurted out, more forcefully than he had intended to. Not only were his thoughts whirling as he tried to make sense of all the information he'd received, but Frank wasn't exactly on his list of favorite people at the moment, after having inadvertently put him in his own rather dangerous predicament with his girlfriend and future sister in law. That, Joe knew, was a situation he would address with his brother, but not now. He needed plenty of time to think of how he could shake some sense into Frank.

"Because if you want results," Frank answered evenly, "then you have to follow the rules."

Sighing in exasperation, Joe slammed his hand down on the seat. "Aren't you the least bit anxious to get this guy?! I don't understand you at all sometimes!" Joe knew he was being irrational, but Frank's calm demeanor, combined with his earlier behavior and the stress of the case, was seriously beginning to get to him. It was only when Joe turned to his brother and noticed how firmly he was clutching the steering wheel, and how he never moved his eyes from the house, that he stopped. Frank was every bit as eager to get this guy as he was, but he was handling his fury in his own way, as he always did.

"You know I am, Joe. Anxious, that is. And as far as not understanding your brother, welcome to my world."

Joe bit his lip. He knew that fighting with Frank right now wouldn't help anyone. "Fine," he responded.

"Fine," Frank answered. Then, snapping himself into the present, Frank shook his head and looked around. "Do you see Nancy?" he asked.

If Joe was about to be calm, THAT response sent him reeling. "FRANK!" He yelled, causing Frank to jump from his seat a bit in surprise. "You've got to be kidding me right now! We're here and all you can think about is Nancy?! What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"What are YOU yelling about?!" Frank shot back, genuinely shocked. "Collig is in the first car. There are three more police cruisers around the property, ready to go. I was just wondering who Nancy ended up with. After all," Frank went on, "We asked HER to get in on this case. It's only fair that not only can the police help if there's trouble, but that we can, too. What's your problem?" Frank finally turned so he was facing his brother.

Seeing the sense in Frank's argument, Joe let it go. Still, when Frank mentioned Nancy, a tightening in his gut caused almost an averse physical reaction. Still, he knew he could force himself to deal with the whole Nancy/ Frank issue later and deal with the present case now.

"Okay," Joe muttered, barely able to look at his brother.

"I don't understand," Frank began, but was immediately cut off with Joe's "Let it go." For a minute, the brothers started at each other, waiting for a move in this game of chess.

Finally, it was Frank who spoke. "I don't know what's going on with you, Joe. But whatever it is, I don't want to deal with it right now. Let's just review what we know and make sure that we're on the same page."

Resigned, Joe acquiesced. He hated this methodical review of details that was Frank's modus operandi, but, at the same time, he respected it. On most occasions, Frank's ability to solve a case was a direct result of his talent for listening, reviewing, and understanding even the smallest detail. Plus, this case was personal to him. He wasn't going to mess up justice and let this guy get away on a technicality because he failed to follow procedure. Still, he knew he would get justice in his own right anyway. "Go ahead," Joe finally answered his brother.

"Okay," Frank began, again looking at the house in front of them. "So far, we have three victims. The first, Leslie, was attacked by three men. Van, Cal, Mandy and Charlotte witnessed the perpetrators running from the crime scene. Only one of the three stopped, threatened the girls, and left. That was a…" Frank paused, hating the image it conjured, "gang rape, and there was DNA collected at the scene."

Joe also could barely stomach the image, but continued the recap. "Then Mandy was attacked and… Killed…" Joe shook his head at the image and sighed, hating that he had been unable to stop this madman before now. Slowly, he went on. "However, in that case, it appears to be a lone assailant responsible for the rape and murder. In Charlotte's case," he continued, "she got away, but, again, there was one perp. And, in the last two cases, there was no DNA evidence. It looks like the guy used protection and did a fine job … cleaning up… after himself."

Frank continued, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "We KNOW, from the girls, that the guy had blue-ice blue- eyes. He's gotten more brazen in his attacks, actually going to Charlotte's office." Joe winced, knowing that Vanessa also worked there. Frank noted the response, but continued. "Clearly, it's a case of revenge against the girls for witnessing the initial attack. But why? And why only one guy now instead of three?"

"I don't know, but we're here now," Joe replied, thoughts wandering again.

At the police station, the Chief had informed Nancy, Frank and Joe about a major break in the case. The DNA taken from Leslie Smith had come back and there had been a positive match to two people in the system. One, a Roger Timms, had escaped from prison several years earlier and was at large. The other, a Jim Dee, had a minor record from his teen years for theft but had otherwise led a relatively inconspicuous adulthood. In fact, he was a citizen of Edison, a neighboring town to Bayport, and it was here that they found themselves, along with several other patrol officers, staking out his house. An investigation of his job came up empty, but while other officers frantically searched the surrounding areas, the Hardys and several officers, along with the Chief, had pulled up and searched Dee's home to no avail. Now, they waited in hiding for his potential return hoping for, though not expecting, any action, while the police continued to put out an APB for Dee's arrest. The town was on edge.

Suddenly, in the distance, two officers waved frantically and sirens started blaring.

Glancing at each other momentarily, the Hardys started to open their car doors, but were blocked from advancing by another patrol car in their path. Two officers emerged and immediately got in their way.

"Move!" Joe shouted at one officer, trying to push his way forward.

"Sorry," the officer replied apologetically, "But the Chief said you couldn't go forward—you're unarmed. You know that."

Frank tried helplessly to look over the patrol car while Joe continued to argue, in a futile attempt, with the officers.

Within a matter of minutes, it didn't matter anyway. Chief Collig, along with another officer, approached them as sirens continued blaring around.

"Frank, Joe," The Chief spoke in a serious, if annoyed, tone. "You know you're only here because of your father's relationship with the force and, although I've always respected you both, you are far too involved with this case to be objective, and I do NOT want you here any longer. You and your friend Nancy, who has also been restricted from what's happening, are to go back to the station to help, if you MUST." The Chief sighed and then continued. "If you want to help, you know I agreed to let you as a favor to your father. But this case is getting too dangerous."

"Whatever!" Joe snapped angrily. He wasn't in the mood for politics. "What happened?" He motioned to the officers in the distance.

Knowing he had no choice but to reveal what he knew, Collig replied, "We, the officers still searching the premises on foot, found a body which we have just identified as that of Roger Timms."

"What?!" Frank and Joe asked in unison.

"You mean that … the rapist and murderer… one of them... is DEAD?! That doesn't make any sense!" Frank's mind started whirling as he uttered the question.

"No, Frank, it doesn't," Collig quickly agreed. "But…"

At that exact moment, to add to the confusion, Collig's radio went off. Before he could continue his statement, Collig took the handset and spoke into it, responding to his page.

"3720—Over," he responded.

"Chief?"

Collig sighed. You'd think after all of their training, the new officers would know that the purpose of codes was to keep identities and information a SECRET from the outsiders who may have access to police lines and scanners. Angrily, he responded, "What?! This better be good. AND USE YOUR CODES!"

"Uhh-- sorry. Chief—"

Collig muttered a choice phrase under his breath as Joe and Frank listened.

"Dee, Jim… suspect at large, apprehended going westbound on 280."

Incredulous, Collig and the Hardys stared at the radio. Around them, other officers who had access to the lines, froze.

"That's right, Chief. Uh-- 3720.

We got him….."