Stakeouts, Fenton thought are not all they are cracked up to be

Author's note: I'm back! This chapter has actually been written for a while. It was the next chapter I was having trouble with, and I had a few real-world interruptions. And so, enjoy. If you're only interested in the robbery, skip to the next chapter 

Disclaimer: Don't own Fenton or Laura

Stakeouts, Fenton thought are not all they are cracked up to be. He had been outside the Bayport Savings Bank for a week in various disguises trying to spot anyone linked to Camarazzi.

He was currently dressed as a bum. His pants were ripped and torn and had several prominent paint stains. The writing had long since faded on his grey hooded sweatshirt. Skillful use of makeup added some lines and shadows to his face, making him appear 20 years older. But, even if he had not taken all those precautions, almost none of his friends from the NYPD would have recognized him now. He sat on the sidewalk with a cup in front of him and looked down for about half of the time. Every time he looked up, he made it a point to mumble incoherently. Once in a great while, he would point his finger in a random direction and shout.

The advantage of this ridiculous behavior was that people stayed as far away from him as possible, giving him a clear view of the entrance to the bank. Long ago, he had perfected the skill of looking out of the corner of his eye, giving him a decent view of all of his surroundings. The bank would now get busy around lunch hour, and he needed to pay especially close attention.

He noticed the VW Bug enter the parking lot next to the bank entrance. Momentarily forgetting his cover, he stared openmouthed as Laura (not Joie!) emerged from the passenger seat carrying a purse. She held hands with the black-haired man who got out of the driver's seat and as she walked into the bank. She had not even bothered with a disguise and matched the picture of her he had received perfectly. Besides, he would know that purposeful, yet feminine, walk anywhere.

He decided that it would be worth the risk to get closer to the car to see the license plate number. Mumbling to himself, he got up and staggered to the side of the sidewalk and clumsily made his way toward the parking lot.

Five minutes later, Laura and her partner emerged from the bank. Fenton glared at them from a distance as Laura gave him a long kiss before he got back into the car and drove off. Laura then walked down a side street and Fenton cautiously followed her. She ate a sandwich as she leisurely walked along the bustling street of Bayport and entered the park. She walked over to the fountain in the middle of the park, took off her shoes and submerged her feet in the water.

Two minutes later a second man arrived. This man was older, about 35. He was wearing casual jeans, but had an unmistakable watchful air about him. He did not put his feet in the fountain, but sat on the edge and ran his hand through the water. Fenton could tell that their conversation was intense and decided it was worth a small risk to get closer.

"- Beth can stay with some old friends of mine in Utah," Laura was saying. "They think I work as a secretary. I'll let them know to expect her within the week."

"Thank you," the man said gratefully. "Once that is settled, I can get out of here. I'll pick her up and disappear."

"I wish I could," said Laura softly. "But there is no way I can leave right now."

"Why don't you?"

"I'm almost ready, but Thomas isn't. Even after what he did, I still can't imagine life without him."

"He sold you out, Laura. I wouldn't even do that to my ex-wife. He did that to his girlfriend."

Refusing to meet Jim's eyes, Laura went on "Eric has promoted me and I now will get 10 of all the proceeds. I'm in too deep anyway."

"The last person he promoted ended up dead within six months. He was a good friend of mine."

Laura's shock was reflected in her eyes and she took her feet out of the pool and quickly put on her shoes. "We opened savings deposit box number 111," Laura mumbled.

"Here's the paperwork," she added, shoving a folder into Jim's hand and putting her purse back over her shoulder.

Jim's eyes followed her as she walked out of the park without saying goodbye to him. He knew that he had shaken her, but he wasn't sorry. If she wanted to ruin her life by hanging around with idiots, she needed to do it with her eyes open. He stood up from the edge of the fountain and stretched. Now with Beth out of the way–

Why was that bum following Laura? Did this creep think that he could try to rob her? Jim started to warn her but paused. The bum was already in the park when he arrived and was close enough to hear their conversation. Even now, he was walking on the other side of the street from her and staying back far enough for Laura not to notice him. Jim put on a burst of speed and turned on to a nearby street. As he made his way through Bayport's side streets, he hoped that he would be able to find out who this was.

Jim emerged from a side street and quickly sat down at the nearest bench, pretending he was waiting for the bus. He took a hat out of his pocket and pulled it on low over his head to make sure he wasn't recognized and looked out from under the brim.

On the other side of the street, Laura was walking on his right. He looked to his left for the pursuer. The mysterious person was now walking upright and had gotten rid of the sweatshirt. He now looked like a painter on the way home from work, except he didn't have a paintbrush sticking out of his pocket. Jim's eyes traveled to his face and he was able to see that the "bum", who he was now sure was an undercover cop, was a lot younger than he had thought. He raised his head for a closer look and recognized Fenton Hardy.

Unlike the rest of the Camarazzi gang, Jim had grown up in New York City. His brother had been arrested by Fenton four years ago. Even though Luke hated cops, he had a certain respect for Fenton.

We had it planned out brilliantly. Everything was done perfectly down to the last detail. Until Fenton found us. We eventually set a trap for him, and he knowingly walked into it with very little backup and got away. The guy has guts.

The guy has guts. For Luke, that was the highest compliment he could give anyone, cop or no. Although he should hate Fenton for putting his brother away, he knew Luke would not want him to. Jim kept watching Fenton and his jaw dropped. Fenton was looking at Laura the way he had looked at his ex-wife before the marriage went south.

Fenton Hardy is in love with one of the most talented thieves I've ever known. I don't think they were only talking about color hues in Philadelphia. Well, none of my business. Besides, he was late for a meeting.

Ten minutes later he approached the current Camarazzi hideout in an isolated house on the outskirts of Bayport. Schooling his expressions to perfect stillness, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside. The drab hall had a single lamp on the table with a cracked oval mirror above it.

Walking down the hall, he stopped outside the kitchen and heard voices as he was about to open the door.

"We'll get rid of her. After we're in the bank, I'll get the safe deposit box then send her away to get the cash to make it look like a standard robbery. I'll take the safe deposit box and leave. When the cops come, she'll be the only one left in the bank."

Jim was stunned. Thomas was talking about Laura? Was he out of his mind?

"That won't be enough." Jim had always hated Eric's nasal voice. Since he now hated the man, the sound of the voice filled him with a rage which he quickly suppressed. "Once she's in prison, I'll arrange for her disposal".

"If you insist, Dad. After all, she betrayed me with that Fenton Hardy." Stinking coward! Jim yelled silently. Can't you see that your Dad just wants the money for himself and doesn't care about you! Although Jim had long wondered what Laura ever saw in the man, this was extreme.

Their voices faded as they moved into the next room. Jim laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Luke never would have let him get messed up with this crowd. In their day, you didn't sell fellow thieves out to the cops or the boss and did not mess with families. Luke he sighed. You warned me to stay with what I could handle. Luke, who had told him to always be an honorable thief… Jim had his own moral code, and deliberate violence against a partner-in-crime was not part of it. But, judging from Laura's reaction when he had tried to warn her earlier, he didn't think she'd believe him now. Gritting his teeth and not believing what he was about to do, he opened the door again and left as silently as he had entered.

"Fenton," he greeted the man who stood in front of him in the line at the local subway shop two hours later. "You're surprisingly easy to track down."

Fenton spun around and eyed Jim warily. "Do I know you?" he asked, realizing a second later that this was the person who had met with Laura earlier that day. He was thankful that they were in a public place and looked around for the exits.

"You should," Jim said. "You put my brother away four years ago."

"Well, I'm not going to say I'm sorry," said Fenton reasserting himself.

He'll do, Jim thought and steered Fenton toward a table. "When you are following someone, make sure nobody is following you. Also, your part-time secretary forwards all your office mail to the post office next door."

"Thanks for the tip," said Fenton coloring slightly. That's the great thing about PI work, he thought. The entire police department doesn't know when you make a dumb mistake. "I doubt you chased me down to tell me how to catch you."

"I'm here on behalf of the woman I met with earlier," he said staring straight at Fenton and was rewarded when Fenton averted his gaze.

"Don't worry. She has no idea that I'm here or that you're in love with her." A brief flash of emotion showed in Fenton's eyes before they became cold and hard.

"Leave her out of this," he said leaning across the table until he was inches from Jim's nose.

"Relax man. She'd be dead now if her idiot boyfriend knew for sure. I'm leaving this gang as soon as I can. Eric Camarazzi threatened my daughter which is an absolute no-no."

"B-Boyfriend?" Fenton sputtered and leaned back. His mind returned to the man he had seen Laura with earlier that day.

'Yeah, she's going out with Eric's son, Thomas Camarazzi."

Jim enjoyed seeing Fenton reduced to a stunned silence. Payback for Luke, he thought and relished the moment as the thought cheered him immensely. But Fenton was now speaking.

" Why are you here?" he asked, displaying the "Fenton Hardy look" that compelled a response. Jim now understood why Luke respected Fenton so much.

"Thomas and Eric are planning on letting her take the fall for the next job. After that, they are going to arrange for her to die in prison." Jim's serious look convinced Fenton that this was the truth. "I may have my own flaws, but I draw the line at certain things. As you heard from our conversation earlier," he flashed a humorless grin, "she's not going to believe me if I raise the subject again."

"He's going out with her, and he's going to let someone kill her? That's cold."

"The guy is borderline insane," Jim replied. "Only reason he's allowed in at all is because of his father. She's changed since Philadelphia. We've all noticed it, but nobody dares to say so to her face."

"Thank you," said Fenton softly as he stared at a spot on the table. It's my fault, I have to take care of this. He had one more question.

"How do I find her?"

"You're the detective. Figure it out yourself!" Jim got up from the table and was gone.

One week later Fenton sat on a bench with a bag of white bread as the pigeons gathered around him. He then spoke to the woman next to him.

"Art student, Joie?" he inquired. "Do you really know anything about art, Laura?" Laura tried to bolt but Fenton grabbed her arm and made her sit down. "Answer the question. Was every conversation we had a lie?"

"Yes and no, Frank, the birdwatcher," she retorted. "I did study art in college and things aren't always what our minds think they are. Is it time for me to call a lawyer, Fenton?"

"I'm not here to arrest you – I'm a PI, not a cop. You knew who I was the entire time?"

"Once a cop, always a cop. Only after the first time we met. With your reputation, I had assumed you knew from the start. Why aren't you arresting me?"

"I only found out who you were after you left. I couldn't prove that much in court and arresting you now won't get me to the others. Anyway, I'm here to warn you. You're going to take the fall for the next job."

"What?!" she was so shocked that her voice rose and she started to look at him.

"Don't look at me!"

"Give me some bread." She turned toward him to take it and continued. "Now, what are you talking about?"

"Thomas and Eric are going to make sure you take the fall for the next job. And then after you have been imprisoned, you will be killed. You know they've done that before."

"How do you know about this?" Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"I'm an investigator. I've been investigating."

"Was it Jim? He's always been overprotective. With his daughter, maybe he's making up stories."

Fenton ignored the question and continued: "He's using you to make his father proud. Now that you have outshone him, he will hurt you… especially if he knows you as well as I do… if he knows that you do not love him."

"I love him! How dare you think that you know about me?"

Fenton looked at the lake and spoke "I can accept it if you don't love me. But you are too honest to believe that Thomas loves you."

"I-I-I" Laura's mind went blank and she felt suddenly warm. She had known Fenton Hardy for about three months and had seen him less than a dozen times. Yet, he knew the best way to get under her skin.

Fenton looked right at her and continued "If it's a chance between the life of crime and him, you'd pick him. But he'd pick the life of crime. I've seen how you two have looked at each other over the last week."

"You've been spying!"

"Detecting. And by the way, you're one of the easiest people to follow. You never look around."

"Thomas would never do what you are saying," Laura declared, shaking her head. "He would let me go. Now, are you going to try to follow me? I'd hate to have to hurt you." Laura got up from the bench and walked off without saying goodbye.