I know its starting to get sunny out and we have more things to do than sit home and read stories. But I do often. Please be kind. Read and Review! And I thank each and everyone of you for your reviews. They help more than you know. : )

Chapter 11

"Hello, Dani." Chou smiled, as the Latino girl made her way to her lab space. She sat her coffee, in the paper cup she held, down along with the clutch purse on the lab table.

"Hi, Chou." she smiled, coming over to stand next to him. "Have you heard anything more?"

Chou studied her face to see if she was serious.

"No, I haven't." he said, putting his notes aside and giving her his full attention. "There is no one here right now. Debbie said she was going to get coffee for her and Rigs. He called and said he wasn't going to be in until later and Mr. Bishop is gone for the day."

"Then let's go down and check it out." Dani encouraged. She pinched his sleeve between her forefinger and thumb and pulled for him to follow her.

"Well…" he hesitated, but followed her reluctantly anyway. He was too scared to say so, but he really liked her and would do just about anything for her. "Okay, but just for a bit. We don't know when Debbie will be back."

"So what, she's just the secretary."

They reached the door that led down to the tunnels. Not surprisingly, it was locked.

"Darn," she walked to a small room next door, which was Arlon's office. A single desk sat in the center with a fat cushioned chair made of leather facing toward it. A plaque hung on the wall with a certificate that read Master of Science. A framed picture of his wife sat on his desktop along with a pencil holder, name plate, desk calendar and a black rotary phone.

Dani opened the shallow drawer in the middle and searched for a key. What she found was a ring with a few keys on it. She gave a little triumphant cry as she snatched them out and made her way to the locked door, Chou following. He had one ear open for any sounds of someone entering the building.

There were a lot of keys on the ring and Dani almost went through half before she found the right one.

The door opened with a almost an imperceptible squeak. When they got to the bottom, they could hear sobs and indistinct murmurings.

"I feel so bad for whoever is in there." Dani sympathized.

Quickly she thumbed through the keys once more and both were startled when they heard a voice.

"None of those will open that door."

Both Chou and Dani turned with gasps of shock. So intent with their quest they never heard the movement at the head of the stairs.

"Rigs!" Dani said in relief. "You scared the living daylights out of us."

"You better come up here."

"Are you sure you don't know who is down there?" Chou asked, as they came up the stairs, a little more emboldened in a mystery that seemed to be thrust upon them.

"No, and I know for a fact that Arlon has the key on him." Rigs explained, as he shut the door behind them.

"Shouldn't we call the police?" Dani asked, slipping a blond stray hair that fell loose from her bun, behind her ear.

"Arlon explained what the noise was." the fifty two year old Rigs said, leading them to the lab room.

"And…" Chou urged.

Rigs perched himself on the corner of his desk that sat into a nook in the wall. "He said it was a wind pipe in the tunnels."

"You believe him?" Chou asked. "Because it doesn't sound like a wind pipe."

"You know what one sounds like?" asked Rigs with a small smile playing over his lips.

Chou reddened, "Well, no…but that couldn't have been just the wind. I know crying when I hear it."

"Would you like to explain that to Arlon Bishop, why the police were called and actually find out that's exactly what it was?"

Dani huffed. "If only we could get a hold of that key. We could find out, and then if necessary, call the police."

"I agree." Rigs conceded. "But it will be tricky. We'll just have to keep an eye out for it. Take the first clear chance we get and make it count. We can't afford to get caught. If what we heard on the other side of that iron door is anything to be concerned about, we'll be in a world of trouble."

"Do you know where he keeps the key?" asked Chou.

"No, that's why I said it will be tricky. Just keep your eyes and ears open at all times. We may just crack this mystery yet."

HBHBHBHBHBHB

As soon as everyone was settled in the Hardy living room, Frank pulled the tape player out of his left front pocket of his jeans.

"This here is a recording of my grandpa talking about the formula and his best friend. It was suppose to be given to my dad, and maybe it was, but how Joe ended up with it is anybody's guess."

Frank sat the tape player in the middle of the coffee table and played the message over again for Biff and Chet since the rest of them already heard what was on it.

Frank clicked the player off when it was finished.

"You're not thinking of going to Ireland are you?" Chet asked, nervously. "I ain't got that kind of money!"

"Me either." Biff agreed.

"None of us have. And until a last resort, I have no reason to go. Nothing leading us there right now." Frank stated. "I think we should concentrate on finding out who's following us and why."

"Where do we start?" Phil asked.

"I think we should start with this Bishop guy." Frank said. "Let's go back over to Grandma's house and ask about him. I got the feeling she knew something that she wasn't telling us."

"Ya, she wasn't too thrilled with the guy when she was talking about him. I'll bet she could tell us a few clues we'll need." Phil contemplated.

A half hour later, they all sat around Emma hardy's kitchen table drinking lemonade after she'd fixed them all a nice lunch and listening to her stories of when her husband and Arlon Bishop were friends. She was thrilled with the company because not too many people came by to visit.

"What we really need to know, Grandma, is how much you know about Arlon's life. Why did he and Grandpa become enemies?"

"I'm not too sure, but I did hear your Grandpa mumble a few times what a greedy s.o.b. he was. I asked him what he meant and he'd just say, 'Best you don't know, sweetheart'."

"Hm…you know anything about his home life?" Tony asked.

"Well, let me see," Emma thought. "I knew his boy and daughter-in-law was killed in a boating accident. They had a son. He was in his middle teens I believe, when they passed on. Back then we were all still good friends with them and their deaths were devastating to them; of course Arlon and Amelia took the boy in right away.

Then some years later, Amelia died. Freak accident from what I knew, Gerald and I went to her funeral. Just tore Arlon up. But what was curiously odd was that even though the boy seemed quite devastated, he kept giving these looks to Arlon."

"What looks were those, Grandma Hardy?" Biff questioned.

"The kind that could kill, that's what." Emma stated.

"Do you happen to know Arlon's son's name or the boy's name?" asked Frank.

The three friends could see that old spark coming back into Frank's eyes and they all looked at each other knowingly.

"Well, Arlon's son's name was Arlon, Jr. and his daughter-in-law's name was Susie. But I'm not sure what their son's name was. I'm sorry, Frank. It's been so long ago and I only seen him a couple of times."

"That's okay, Grandma. You have been more help than you can imagine." Frank appeased her. "But I want to get back over to the hospital right now. I need to see Joe."

"Yes, you tell that daughter of mine that I'll be back over this evening. I still cant believe that Fenton did this." Emma growled. Frank also saw the sadness in her eyes.

Even though Fenton was her son, and had grieved for him when he died, she still couldn't believe that he had done such despicable things to his boys.

"I'm sorry Grandma." Frank gave her a hug. It truly was quite disturbing.

"Oh, no, I'm the one who's sorry. You and your brother have nothing to be sorry for. I never thought I'd ever know such atrocities could come from one of my own children." she cried.

HBHBHBHBHB

"There was someone at the door."

"I heard it, too."

"They had keys. Why didn't they come in?"

"They're curious. They want to know what's going on."

"What stopped them?"

"Most likely got caught."

"Help! Let us out!"

Above, unknown to them, a radio was turned on and work resumed as usual.

HBHBHBHBHB

Gertrude Hardy sat watching her grandson sleep. It was fitful at best. It seemed he was trying to wake up. But it was like he was having a hard time arising from unconsciousness. She was hopeful at first, but after she'd called Doctor Bates and Doctor Walker in, her hope fell as they presumed he was in the contented state of dreaming.

She wanted to call Frank but there was really nothing to report. Joe hadn't woken up and the boys did seem excited to find some clues to a mystery surrounding her father. She knew they'd gone to talk to her mother. Gertrude wasn't that close to her, but she hadn't been troublesome either. Her mother wasn't happy with the way she'd handled the situation concerning Joe, so she went to her with the news about Joe's surgery to partly inform her but partly get back into her good graces. What she got for her trouble was something a kin to a dismissive attitude. Gertrude knew she could be difficult and irritating at times, but she learned at an early age that people in general were cold and judgmental, which was why she put up her defense mechanisms early in life. She very much loved her family. Fenton and Laura were good, kind people and brought up two fine boys. But her peppery manner had excluded her from them and she knew it was her fault. She also knew they loved her and at those times when she was "difficult" they sometimes looked passed her faults. She was very lucky she knew, that Frank had not disowned her the minute he found out about Joe. But at the time she'd honestly thought that she was doing the right thing by both of them.

HBHBHBHBHB

By the time Frank and his friends had gotten back to the hospital, it was nearing suppertime. Almost two days had gone by and still no sign of Joe stirring. He had been upset about his aunt not calling him over Joe's restlessness. But he knew his aunt well enough to know that if Joe had actually woken up, she would have gotten a hold of him.

"Why don't you get some dinner with your aunt and we'll stay and keep an eye on Joe." Phil suggested.

Joe was no longer in critical condition and a regular room was being prepared for him. Dr. Bates let the boys enter Joe's room together now and Phil thought a little one on one time with his aunt was a good thing.

"Go on, Frank." Chet patted his back with a wide smile. "We got it covered here."

Frank saw he wasn't going to change his friends' minds. "Aunty, why don't you and I get some dinner?"

"About time someone wanted to eat with me." Gertrude accused.

Frank's mouth fell open in shock, and was about to send a barb right back when he caught the wink she gave him as she wrapped her sweater over her arm. He walked her out with his friends chuckling in the background.