A/N: So, so sorry this is late!! Real life interfered more than it normally does! Worked on Saturday, spent most of Saturday night at the local animal E.R. with my doggie and had to leave him there overnight for monitoring. :-( Sunday I had to attend a graduation party for my niece and then a birthday party for my two-year-old great niece (where I got to meet Dora the Explorer! WOO-HOO! LOL!) and in between pick up my baby from the doggie hospital, take him home and get him settled in. Add the fact that where I live was SMACK in the middle of that deadly extreme heat wave that blanketed the entire east coast of the U.S. for four days, my house was built in 1950 and I don't have central air conditioning… yeah, well just breathing was too much of an effort!

So there ya go. That's my tale of woe and hopefully a moderately acceptable excuse for the lateness of this update. And because I feel like pond scum I'll post two chapters today to try and make up for it.

Thank you to all you wonderful people who are so supportive of this story and continue to read and send those awesome reviews. You guys rock! :-)

Innocent

Chapter 14

Joe Hardy sat in one of the conference rooms of Andrew Worth's law firm, staring out the window at the bright blue morning sky. It was just a short time ago that he would have taken that sky and the freedom to look at if for granted. Now with a possible prison sentence hanging over his head, he wondered how many more skies he would be looking at before he was peering at them through windows with bars on them.

"Joe?"

"Huh?" Joe was snapped out of his wayward thoughts by his father's voice. "Sorry, Dad. Guess I wasn't paying attention."

Fenton smiled at his son. "That's understandable, but this is kind of important, don't you think?"

"Yeah, right. Sorry, Mr. Worth," Joe apologized to his lawyer. He did feel badly for not paying attention. Andrew had set aside all his other cases to work solely on Joe's defense; Joe realized the least he could do was pay attention to what was going on.

Watching Joe turn his back on the window and face his lawyer, Fenton felt an all too familiar sadness wash over him. Recently, it had become his constant companion whenever he thought of his youngest son. Looking at Joe, he felt he didn't even know this young man sitting next to him. This was not his son who could light up a room, just by walking in. The sparkling blue eyes were dull and the tan Joe had even in winter was nowhere in sight. Fenton hadn't seen the infectious smile in almost a month and he missed Joe's contagious laugh more than he ever thought possible. Not for the first time, he wondered if he would ever see that happy young man again.

Realizing he was guilty of what he just admonished Joe for, Fenton began listening intently as his son was apparently relating a conversation he'd had with Vanessa the night before.

"Yeah, she was pretty ticked off that anyone would believe I killed Taylor," Joe continued with his story, smiling slightly as he remembered Vanessa's anger. "She said that I'd had the opportunity to kill the person responsible for Iola's death and instead I tried to save him. She said if I didn't kill a murderer when I had the chance, why would I kill a rapist?" Suddenly a thought struck him and he couldn't believe he didn't think of it last night.

'Man, I really must be tired!'

"Mr. Worth?" Joe asked tentatively.

"Yes, Joe?"

"Would you be able to use any of that in my defense?" he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

He noticed Andrew and his father exchanging amused glances and assumed they were trying not to laugh at his suggestion.

"Never mind. I guess that was pretty stupid," he said, thinking he'd just humiliated himself.

"On the contrary, Joe. I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it myself!" Andrew laughed out loud. "That one fact could be all we need to raise a reasonable doubt in the mind's of the jurors. And that's really all we have to do!"

Andrew looked at Fenton and chuckled. "Maybe we should put Vanessa in charge of his defense. By the time she was through with the jury, they wouldn't dare convict him!"

'Thanks, Babe!' Joe thought, with a smile. He actually felt himself start to relax for the first time in…he couldn't remember how long.

oooOOOooo

"Are you going to tell me why we're going to prison or am I supposed to guess?" Phil asked Frank as they drove steadily towards the state penitentiary.

"To visit someone," Frank replied.

"Oh, of course," Phil said sarcastically. Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave Frank a dirty look. "Tell me again how it is that Joe hasn't killed you yet for doing this to him for so many years?"

"Doing what?" Frank asked, honestly confused.

"Keeping your brilliant ideas to yourself! You can share, you know. Who am I going to tell?" Phil asked frustrated, waving his arms around the car. "There's no one here but us…and I thought we were working together."

"Am I really that bad?" Frank asked, sheepishly.

"Yes!" Phil said, annoyed. "I'm starting to sympathize with Joe more every day."

"Sorry," Frank flushed, now embarrassed. He had gotten so used to Joe just ignoring him when he kept his ideas to himself, he didn't realize how irritating it must be. He felt a little guilty as he realized Phil was right. 'Guess I've been taking Joe's easy going nature for granted.'

"Well?" Phil asked.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing or not?" Phil demanded, now completely exasperated.

"Sorry," Frank found himself apologizing yet again. Joe never gave him the third degree; he just waited it out until Frank was ready to tell him or he figured it out for himself. "I want to talk to Jesse Baumgarten again," he said, referring to the inmate who had once worked for Josh Tilghman and had briefly befriended Chris Taylor after his father had died. "I want to see if he knows where Taylor lived before he moved to Clayton Beach. He might even know where Angela Taylor lives," Frank continued, referring to Chris Taylor's mother. "She would probably know his habits better than anyone."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to ask Chief Collig where she lives? Didn't they have to notify her when he died?"

"They couldn't find her. Taylor graduated high school early and left home immediately. Apparently she's moved since then – several times. In Taylor's twisted little mind his father was a hero and his mother was the evil one. Once he left home, he wanted nothing to do with her. As far as I know, she has no idea her son is dead."

Phil shivered. "Man, that guy really was psycho." He glanced out the window at the ominous looking building coming up on their right. "Is that…"

"The prison," Frank confirmed. The thought that he could soon be making regular trips here to visit his brother pushed it's way into his mind. He tried to push it back out, but it settled itself there contentedly, refusing to leave.

"You okay?" Phil asked, concerned at the look on Frank's face.

"Yeah, fine," he said as he pulled up to the guardhouse at the entrance to the visitor's parking lot.

After the car was given a brief search, Frank drove into the lot and parked. He and Phil entered the main doors of the prison and asked to see the warden. The warden remembered Frank from his last visit with Sam Radley and was happy to see him again.

"Good to see you again, Frank," the warden asked after the introduction to Phil had been made. " I was so sorry to hear about Joe. Is that why you're here?"

"Yes. I was hoping to talk to Jesse Baumgarten again. I wanted to ask him a few more questions about Taylor; see if maybe he can give me a lead on where Angela Taylor might be living now."

"Let me see if I can arrange it. I'll be right back."

Within half an hour Frank and Phil were sitting at a table with Jesse Baumgarten who was more than happy to see Frank again.

"Hey, man, thanks for writing that letter to the Parole Board on my behalf," Jesse said, shaking Frank's hand. "I'm getting out in two weeks!" he said excitedly.

"Congratulations," Frank replied, genuinely happy for the man.

"Got a job lined up and everything," Jesse beamed. "But I guess you're not here to see how I'm doing, right?"

"Not really," Frank admitted. He gave Jesse a brief explanation of why they had come to see him. "So I was hoping Taylor might have mentioned to you where he'd come from; where he'd lived with his Mom and stepfather. I know it was a long time ago, but I'm at a dead end. Anything at all you could tell me would be a big help." Frank looked around soberly. "No offense, but I really don't want my kid brother to have to call this place home."

"Can't blame you at all for that. I have a younger brother myself. I don't even like him to visit me here. That's how much I hate this place," Jesse said sympathetically. "Chris had mentioned living in Atlanta once and I think he said he graduated high school in Phoenix. I know he said his Mom moved away after he graduated, but it's a place to start."

"Thanks, Jesse."

"Glad to help. And listen, I think you're on the right track about the evidence. Whenever Chris came to see me, he took meticulous notes. I remember once he said he typed them up and filed them when he got home. Based on how much he hated your brother, I'm sure he has one hell of a file on him somewhere. I hope you find it. I'd really hate to see him end up here."

"So would I," Frank said somberly.

Frank thanked Jesse again for his help and told him to get in touch with he or his father should he need any help once he was released. As Frank drove off the prison grounds headed back to Bayport, he took one last look at the depressing building in his rear view mirror.

'No way, little brother,' he thought with a shudder. 'No way will I ever let you set foot in that place.'