Author's Note:

Hope everyone's weekend has been going well. This has been a pretty good one if you ask me. Went to a car show today and some pretty amazing and awesome looking vehicles. Just gotta love seeing the Shelby Mustangs on display and I think Eleanor was there somewhere too (can you tell I'm a Mustang fan? lol). Anyway, I thought about a few things in the past few days. I had to make some changes, albeit subtle ones, but I realized they needed to happen in order for the story to flow a little better. I want to give a very special thanks to Drumboy100 for helping me out with it. The changes were in chapter one and thirteen but like I said, they're very subtle. Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter along with those who left a review. Drumboy got the quote right. It was from a Terry Goodkind book and if you haven't read him, I highly recommend it. They are amazing books but extremely long (but not as long winded as Tolkien). Goodkind writes a pure fantasy series called The Sword of Truth with the first book called Wizard's First Rule. If you've ever seen the show Legend of the Seeker, that was based on the books though some of it was poorly done in my opinion. The whole book series though is very addicting. As always, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave your mark so that I know you were here! Until next time, have a great evening and God bless.

Chapter Fourteen

BD pulled into the McDonald's parking lot with a squad car behind him. He cursed himself for not getting there fast enough as he searched the lot for both Frank's car and the van. Finding nothing at first, the detective drove around the back of the building to get to another smaller lot on the other side, locating Frank's vehicle. The van though was no longer there, worrying him.

After parking next to Frank's car, BD looked inside the vehicle to find that it was torn apart as if someone were searching for something. He walked quickly into the restaurant with two officers and scanned the lobby the moment he entered the building. Not seeing Frank, the detective went up to the counter where a young woman of about 16 stood. She had shockingly pink hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and hat. Her manicured nails drummed the counter as if she were bored. When two of the men approached her, her eyes went wide in fear and her fingers stopped drumming.

"Can…can I take your order?" she stammered, her green eyes moving from one man to the other.

BD gave her a kind smile and pulled out his badge. "No but I was wondering if you could help us with something," he said tenderly. The girl's face went white and he added: "You're not in trouble. We're just looking for a friend. Tall, over six foot, dark hair, dark eyes."

"Oh, him," the girl said dreamily. Her face went white again after a thought. "He's not some crazy, homicidal maniac, is he? Because he seemed way too cute and nice to be like that but then again Ted Bundy was like that and he was a serial killer. Is that what this guy is? Because he certainly acted a little jumpy, if you ask me. He kept looking out…"

"Hold on," BD said, holding up his hands. The girl stopped yammering then narrowed her eyes in annoyance at being interrupted. "Sorry, Miss…"

"Daniella, but most people call me Dani," she said, her arms folded in front of her.

"Well, Miss…Dani," the detective replied thoughtfully, "my friend is just my friend. He's no serial killer or murderer, just your ordinary guy." At this, the girl breathed out in relief then started back up again about how he looked. BD calmly brought her back down to earth though he was getting a little annoyed with her by then. "Do you know where he is?"

"Well," she said, tapping a finger on her chin, "he was sitting in the middle of the lobby." She pointed to a table where a drink still sat. "I went into the back to…get some supplies and when I came back, he was gone."

"When was this?"

"Within the last few minutes," the girl shrugged. "I left maybe ten minutes ago and just got back."

The detective had a feeling that she was keeping something from him but it had nothing to do with Frank. It doesn't take ten minutes to get supplies but he wasn't going to pressure the girl into telling the truth at the moment. He was more concerned about Frank. Where could he have gone if his car is still here? he thought. BD thanked her and turned away to face the patrons that were in the lobby. There were only a handful of people and more than likely none of them paid any attention to Frank or knew where he went but he had to start somewhere. An elderly woman sitting by the window caught the detective's eye. She was staring intently at him, her eyes filled with fear. There was a tray in front of her, leftovers of a meal for one. Curious, BD strolled over to her and stood before her.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked calmly, pointing to the other side of the booth. The woman shook her head and he sat down across from her. BD folded his hands on the table and smiled at her comfortingly. He then looked around the room, getting his bearings as to where Frank sat and the exits of the building. The woman had a good view of the table with the drink plus a most of the exits including one down another part of the lobby that led to the restrooms. He turned back to the woman who was biting her lower lip.

"You saw something, didn't you?" he asked gently.

She nodded then pointed behind BD where the restrooms were. "He never came out," she replied softly though her voice was gravelly.

"Who?"

"The one you are asking about," she said. "He went back a few minutes ago and two people followed him, a man and a woman. The man was horribly large and beefy, not the kind of person you'd want to be around. They both went into the men's room and came out a few minutes later. Your friend though I think is still in there. I really hope that young man is okay."

BD stood up quickly after thanking the woman then rushed toward the restroom with one of the officers close behind. The other officer remained in the lobby. The detective slowly pushed open the door but the lights weren't on. Flicking the switch just inside the door, the lights illuminated the small room and BD stopped. The room looked like a fight ravaged it though it looked to have been one sided. There was blood on the side of a sink and a dent in the wall where a body hit. Crumpled on the floor just below the dent was Frank, his eyes closed and his head leaning against a trash can. BD rushed over to his friend and felt for a pulse. Relieved to find one, the detective turned to the officer and ordered it to be called in.

"Get an ambulance and have the manager come back here," he replied quickly, keeping his voice low. "Call in for more cars too. I need barriers at the entrances so no one can get in. Make sure none of those people out there leave. We need to lock this place down now. And call the chief. He's going to want to know."

The officer nodded and left while BD turned his attention back to his friend. "Frank?" he said, trying to get him to wake. The young man moaned, trying to come to, his head nodding. Fearing a concussion, BD didn't move him. Moments later, the manager came in.

"Oh, my gosh!" she cried. The woman looked around the room at the destruction and feared a stern talking from her boss. "What happened? Is there anything I can do?"

"The restaurant needs to close," the detective said sharply, never taking his eyes off Frank.

"But…"

"I don't care about your policy or whatever it is you were going to say!" he yelled whirling around to face her. "Get on the phone with the owner if you have to but this place is officially closed until I see fit! Understand?"

"Y…yes," she stammered, afraid to say anything more.

BD noticed the woman was scared and his tone was a little less harsh when he spoke again. "Do you have a first aid kit?" he asked calmly. She nodded. "Please bring it here as soon as you can. Any cars in the drive-thru right now deal with them but tell everyone else that you're closed."

She nodded sadly and left the room to do what he asked of her. She returned within a few seconds with the first aid kit then left again. Her day just went from good to shitty in a matter of minutes and she really wasn't looking forward to the phone call with the owner or her boss.

"BD?" murmured a voice. The detective looked back to see Frank blinking hard as if trying to focus. As the young man looked up at him, BD noticed his eyes were glazed over. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Frank," he said with concern. He went through the first aid kit, finding alcohol swabs to start cleaning up Frank's face. Though he was grateful that Frank was somewhat alert and talking, it concerned the detective that he couldn't remember anything at the moment. "You don't remember what happened?"

Frank shook his head, watching as BD attended to him. He thought hard about the afternoon. Frank remembered he was at the Blake's house, then... Suddenly, he remembered something. "Nan?" he asked. He seemed to be more concerned about her than himself.

"She's fine," the detective said quickly. He didn't know if he should say anything about the visitors she and Hannah had but from the determined look Frank was giving him, BD had to say something. "They had some… 'company' who tried to get into the house by saying I sent them. I don't know what happened after I got off the phone though. Let's worry about you first though. She can take care of herself."

"No!" Frank cried, trying to get up. BD wasn't prepared for how quick he moved and was thrown off guard. "I have to get back home. What if these guys go after her too?"

"Now, Frank," the detective said, pushing him back down though Frank tried to get up again. "I will call her to make sure she's okay but you need to sit down before I have the paramedics strap you down on a gurney so you can't move. I'll have her meet you at the hospital later."

Frank seemed to lose his strength and plopped back down to the floor. He didn't want to go to a hospital. He wanted to go home to make sure Nancy and Hannah were both all right. Frank suddenly stopped when memories of the incident rushed back. Checking his jacket, he let out a cry of anger when he felt the empty pocket where the journal had been. Now he knew what they were after. He shifted his hand behind the trash can and cursed. His phone was gone too.

"Damn it!" Frank cried, leaning his head back against the wall. He let out a cry of pain. "They took them both!"

"They took what?" BD asked confused.

"The journal I told you about and my phone!" he answered, slamming his fist into the trash can. Then he became more determined and tried to get up again. "I need to get home, BD."

"Uh, no, you don't," the detective said, pushing him back down. "Not until the paramedics clear you which I highly doubt they will."

"I'm fine!" Frank cried. He was successful in getting up that time though he swayed slightly causing BD to hold on to him. "I need to get home now."

"I know you care about Nancy's safety," BD remarked, holding Frank up, "but this is hardly the time to be thinking about that. You can barely stand after literally being thrown across the room from the look of the wall. Let the paramedics take care of it and I will call her. There's already a cruiser there. I sent one over after I got off the phone with her."

"I'm worried about her," the young man protested, "but that's not why I need to get home! I sent pictures of the journal to my email. There was something in there that needs to be addressed right away."

"And Nancy can handle it," the detective assured him. The paramedics came in, forcing BD out of the way. Frank remained where he was though the paramedics wanted him to sit.

"BD, I need to go home!" Frank called out as he left. BD shook his head, wondering how someone could be so stubborn when they needed medical attention. Getting out his phone, he dialed the Drew's house. He sighed as the phone rang, hoping Nancy took the news well.

Nancy answered on the second ring. She was standing next to the phone in the kitchen, helping Hannah with dinner, trying to get her mind off of Frank. Her heart dropped when she heard BD's voice instead of her boyfriend's.

"Nancy, is everything okay?" he asked. "Did the cruiser come?"

"Yes, they're here," she replied, "though I highly doubt that's why you're calling me, BD. I'm assuming something happened to Frank or you wouldn't be on the phone."

"Well…"

"Spill it, Detective," Nancy ordered.

"Right," he said. BD paused then began telling her about Frank's phone call earlier and the tail he had from the Blake House, ending with them finding him in the restroom of a McDonald's. "We're still getting all the details, Nancy, but he's going to be fine. The paramedics are with him now. I'll let you know which hospital he'll be at."

"Which McDonald's, BD?"

"Nancy, no," he warned. "I don't think…"

"WHICH ONE?" she yelled. Hannah looked over at her, concerned by the outburst.

"The one on Market but…"

"I'll be there in five minutes," Nancy quickly ended the call even though BD was still protesting. Hannah watched as she grabbed her keys and coat before heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" the housekeeper asked, her hand on her hip. The roast she just pulled out of the oven was sitting on the counter, waiting to be served.

"Frank's been hurt, Hannah," Nancy said, a little annoyed that the older woman stopped her. "I need to go to him."

"Not without me, you're not!" Hannah cried, grabbing her own coat. She quickly covered the roast and stuffed it into the refrigerator before following her. "We just had two people come to our house, trying to get in. Do you honestly think I'm letting you go out alone after that?"

"Fine, let's go," Nancy huffed. She disarmed the alarm to open the door then rearmed it before leaving. Although a light snow was starting to fall, the two women rushed to the garage and into Nancy's Mustang. Soon the engine was roaring to life and the car pulled out into the late December air. The police cruiser out front followed behind them the moment the car hit the street.

It was a matter of minutes when Nancy was turning into the driveway of McDonald's though she was regretting taking the Mustang. The car was horrible in snowy weather but it was the first keys she found. The police officers barricading the entrance automatically opened the barrier the moment they saw her car, indicating that BD informed them she was coming.

Entering the restaurant, Nancy shook off the snow from her coat and hair and glanced around the lobby. Several sets of eyes stared at the two women in curiosity. Employees and patrons were sitting around the lobby, each one of them looking worse for wear at being detained by the police. A woman in a nice uniform, walked up to them, a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry but we're closed," she replied.

"Don't worry, Ms. Dabney," called BD from their right. He approached the three women, his face grim. "They're with me."

The manager nodded understandingly and walked away towards her employees. Nancy noticed that the group was huddled away from the corridor where BD came from. An older woman looked at her in sympathy as BD guided her toward the back of the restaurant.

"We've already contacted the Chief, Nancy," the detective said as they approached the restroom. "From what I've been told, he's not happy about this and wants to know what really happened. We've already got a BOLO out for the van and its occupants. Frank said that they took a journal and his phone so I'm assuming this has something to do with the Austin Davis case."

"I don't know if that is what this is about, BD," she shrugged, "but I intend to find out."

She was happy to hear that Frank found the journal though not so that it was taken along with his phone. There was a possibility though that they could track the phone as long as it was on. They would deal with that the next chance they got. As they stopped outside the men's room, Nancy could hear Frank yelling on the other side of the door. Even though she was glad to hear his voice she wondered about why he was yelling. Pushing open the door, Nancy saw him leaning against the wall, glaring at the two paramedics who stood nearby.

"Mr. Hardy," one of the paramedics said calmly, "we need to get you to a hospital. You more than likely need stitches and I'm concerned about you possibly having a slight concussion."

"And I told you, I'm fine!" he argued. Frank pushed off the wall and stood for a few seconds before teetering. The two paramedics caught him before he fell and leaned him against the wall again. Once he was settled, Frank noticed Nancy standing by the door, her arms folded across her chest. Her lips were pursed and her eyebrow arched. From the look she was giving him, he had a feeling she wasn't going to be supporting him in the argument. He was glad to see her safe even though she was about to give him an ear full.

"Do you mind giving us a minute?" she asked toward the detective and the paramedics.

BD nodded and motioned for the others to leave. The detective looked sympathetically at Frank and shook his head before closing the door behind him leaving the couple alone.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she finally asked after several minutes of agonizing silence between them. "Why didn't you call someone when you noticed the tail? You could have at least called me!"

"You didn't call me either, Nan!" Frank cried back though he tried to keep his voice down. "Hannah told me I should ask you about what happened with Blake."

"Don't you dare change the subject, Frank Hardy!" she shrieked. "I at least got out of a bad situation before it got out of hand. Besides, I decided that I was going to tell you anyway once you got home. What did you do? You came here and got yourself beat up! What if someone else got hurt in the process? That was stupid, Frank and you know it." She paused, biting her lip and looking at the ground.

"Are you okay?" he said, slightly calmer. He was angry at hearing about the meeting with Blake but he was just as angry at himself for putting other people in danger.

"You shouldn't be the one asking that question, Frank," Nancy said softly. She sighed and looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "I was stupid too. I shouldn't have gone to see Blake without you and I regretted it the moment he looked at me. I didn't call you because you were right and I was ashamed."

"And I didn't call you because I didn't want you to worry," Frank replied. She came over to him, wrapping her arms around him. He winced a little but still welcomed the touch from her. "I didn't think to call anyone while I was driving anyway. I thought I could handle it. I didn't expect the guy to be the size of the Mountain that packs a wallop to boot."

"I'm just glad you're okay," she said, her voice muffled. Frank swayed slightly though Nancy steadied him. She looked into his eyes, seeing the pain he was hiding. "You need a doctor, Frank."

"I'm fine, Nan," he said softly though it was with less conviction.

"Please?" Nancy pleaded. "For me?" She paused and raised her eyebrow again. "Or do I have to call your mother?"

The couple looked at each other then burst out laughing. Neither one of them wanted that phone call to happen.

"I don't think that will be necessary," he replied, finally conceding to her plea. Nancy smiled and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"No more secrets?"

"No more secrets."