Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter. I am on vacation and don't have much internet access. There are a few references to a casefile 80. Thank you for all the reviews! Amber

Chapter 20

Frank Hardy pulled up to his parent's house. Joe was with him in the car. "Thanks for the pickup."

"It's no problem. You ready for the first home game?"

"I think so. I'm going to take my laundry into the house."

"You know you could do it yourself you know. It isn't that complicated." Frank said.

Joe rolled his eyes, "Frank don't you remember the last time I washed clothes."

Frank smiled, "Oh yeah you shrunk mom's designer sweater."

"My ears are still ringing."

A knock on the window was heard. Both boys looked over to see their dad. Frank opened the window. "He's getting out."

Frank looked in the rearview and frowned. His house was awfully dark considering his wife was home. Instinct had him getting out of the car. Fenton saw Frank's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Callie should be in the kitchen or downstairs. There are no lights on. It's weird."

Laura Hardy came out. "What's weird?"

All the men said simultaneously, "No lights."

Sam Radley and his wife Ethel pulled into the driveway. "Thought we were going out Fenton?"

Fenton pulled out his gun. "Let's just check on my daughter in law."

Sam saw the dark house. "She's in there?"

Frank was looking at his phone. "She's pinging in there; her phone is anyway."

"Call her." Fenton said as he and Sam went to cross the street.

Frank obliged. It went to voicemail. "No answer Joe."

Both boys hurried across the street following their father and his partner. Frank only got halfway up his walkway and his heart stopped. His front door was ajar. Joe pulled out his phone. "I need the police to respond to a break in."

Frank saw his lights start turning on. When the bathroom light on the second floor turned on. He knew the first floor was safe and rushed inside. He saw the chaos his anxiety rose. He longed to call her name but didn't want to risk it. Just in case the intruders were still in the house.

Joe continued talking to the dispatcher. "My dad is a retired police officer; he's clearing the house along with his partner from the force. He's a liason for the FBI. Found the front door ajar, all the lights were off. The house is a disaster. It looks like they were just destroying things. My sister-in-law was home. We haven't found her yet."

It was training that kept Fenton calm. Where was Callie? Where were the network agents? Gray had better pray that Callie was alright. Fenton had worked longer than usual and Laura had just started working part time at a birthing center. Fenton saw the blue lights of the police cars. He and Sam had just reached the converted attic/office space. "Nobody is here Fenton. It just looks trashed. Was she picked up by someone?"

Fenton checked the closet. He saw some wood chips on the floor. He knelt down. "Odd." He moved the clothes over and saw the square panel and pushed. It didn't give and was very tight. "This didn't used to close. I put old Christmas ornaments up here. He knocked three times on the panel, waited two beats then knocked two more times."

A small sob was heard on the other side. Fenton nearly collapsed with relief. He hollered. "She's here!"

Callie opened the panel and crawled out. Fenton helped her out of the closet just as Frank and Joe ran in.

Callie was trembling. "I was so scared. I saw a glance of him and saw another come from the front. I knew I couldn't get out. I hid right here. That's what was weird. There are brackets on the inside of the wall. Plus I found a 4x4. I remembered how Frank secured the door at the cabin. Frank, were you going to seal the room that way?"

Frank had finally started breathing again. "I had sealed it. It was unsealed?"

Joe was already crawling through the opening. He saw a couple boxes but the brackets looked new. The 4x4 was also rough. Fenton came through next with a flashlight. Just a few inches away was a piece of paper. Fenton picked it up. The note said two words. 'Your welcome.'

He stuffed the note into his pocket. He gestured for Joe to get out. Fenton put the wall back together just as two police officers came upstairs. "Mr. Hardy...did you find her?"

Fenton turned. "ID, gentlemen."

They both pulled out their badges. Fenton nodded at that. "She was in the closet."

"I'm glad she's okay. The house is a wreck."

Callie shivered, "I'll take a mess over being dead or kidnapped thank you."

"I've called for a detective. We'll file a report. I'm very sorry this happened."

Laura was currently giving the officer blocking her path a piece of her mind. "Young man! My husband is a law enforcement liaison with the FBI and a retired police officer. That is my son's house. His wife is pregnant and I don't know if she is okay."

"Ma'am, we want to make sure the scene is secure and protect the evidence. Please stay calm."

"You are keeping me from my sons, my husband, and my daughter in law. It is because of the respect I have for your position that I have been patient. Trust me, I am calm! You aren't bleeding!"

"Oh my god! What happened?"

Laura turned at the sound of Vanessa's voice of panic. She reached for her and grasped her hand. "I don't know. They aren't answering. If I don't get an update in two minutes I'm going in."

"Ma'am, I can't let you do that," the officer said.

Laura turned her icy glare back to the officer.

Vanessa called Joe hoping it would placate an angry Laura Hardy.

"Hello? Van...I can't talk."

"Your mother is about to crash through the barricade like a tidal wave. It will be a deadly. I swear if you don't tell us if they are alright. I am going to let your mother at you."

"Callie's fine, she was the only one in the house. She hid in the closet."

Vanessa was satisfied at that. She turned to Laura. "Callie's okay." She put her phone in her pocket. Vanessa saw man at the corner of her eye. He looked familiar. Then she remembered the last time she saw him. It was Halloween 4 years ago. She had been kidnapped by a terrorist group as well as Laura and Callie. Frank and Joe were the star witnesses for the prosecution. The assasins tried to make it appear they had gone crazy, to discredit their testimony. This guy was some 007 US spy hybrid, or so she gathered. Why was he here? Vanessa as discreetly as possible took his picture. Then she sent a text to Joe. If that didn't get her boyfriend moving, nothing would.

Frank was holding his wife. His eyes didn't miss a single detail. He didn't know what was going to happen from here. Someone had at minimum tried to scare Callie or worse tried to kill her. He felt his daughter move. He rubbed it, atempting to comfort Callie. They were both alright. Nothing was going to happen to her, or their baby girl. That note said everything he needed to know. The Gray Man knew that another attempt was going to be made. He had unsealed that space, and had those brackets installed. Frank was certain that the agent saw her in the space and gave the go ahead. He was almost willing to bet that one of the assailants was a network agent undercover. If Callie had been found, those guys would have been toast. His father had just told him that their had been 3 sets of footprints. One man for each door. It had to be because of the trials. The question was how in the hell was Elizabeth Banks, or Robert and Ellen Shaw doing this from confinement? Frank was going to find out.

His father came into the room. "We are moving you, Callie, Josh, and Sean into protective custody."

Frank knew it was coming. Callie lifted her head from his shoulder. "Did someone try to hurt Josh?"

"They had gone on an impromptu weekend trip. Agents were watching them but their house was broken into at the same time as yours."

Joe cursed. "I'm sick of being behind these guys."

Fenton knelt in front of them. "It's only until the trials. We are going to have you and your cousin testify via secure network. You will still be cross examined, everything."

"Where are they going?" Joe asked.

"I don't know. The US Marshals are running point there. That is for the best."

Joshua Banks was losing his patience. These US Marshals came to the timeshare they had booked. Presented some sort of legal papers and explained that they were being taken into protective custody. He provided pictures of their brownstone as proof that their lives were in danger. Now they were literally in the middle of nowhere. He had no idea where they were either. They had been put in a windowless plane; followed by an equally windowless van. The drive was two hours. Josh had to give Sean valium since he was phobic of tight spaces. That had made him very cranky. Now they were at their destination and he wanted answers. Sean was asleep on the sofa. Two marshals were on their phones, and the other two were god knows where. When the older one disconnected his call Josh pounced. "What is going on?"

"I'm not fully appraised. We were told to get you and your spouse here safely. The FBI has jurisdiction."

"Oh...the FBI.,.fabulous….too bad the fucking FBI isn't here. So I suggest you get on your fucking phone, call, and get appraised, or I am going to start throwing things."

"Doctor Banks, I understand that you're frustrated; we are trying to keep you from being hurt."

"WHY does the FBI care about my safety!"

"Obviously you are an important asset of some kind. Are you supposed to testify in court on any federal cases?"

Josh seethed, "Yeah, one is my own mother, the other is my aunt and uncle. They killed my grandfather. So the FBI wants to bag my uncle too since he is in the house? Grand, well I'm not nearly as important as my cousin Callie. So if I'm in protective fucking custody you better have her covered like white on rice, pal. Because if one hair...I mean ONE is out of place. My grandfather is going to haunt me from his grave for the rest of my days. If that happens I'm coming after you."

"There is no need for threats."

Josh hissed, "It's not a threat." A hand on his shoulder stopped the rest of his statement.

"Marshal...are Callie and Frank Hardy being moved to protective custody as well?"

A female marshal came into the house, "Bookworm and Sherlock arriving in thirty."

"Thank you." He turned to the two men. "Yes, they will be here in thirty minutes. The house is secured. I have a briefing. Feel free to inform your cousins of that information."

Sean could feel Josh vibrating. He had been disoriented when he first woke up. It wasn't until his eyes cleared that he saw Josh yelling at the marshal. He hadn't even recognized the voice. He waited for the man to shut the door. Then grinned at his spouse. "You grew one! I'm so proud."

Josh was at the window peering out. "What?"

"A mean bone. You got one! I like it."

"I didn't like having to sedate you. I was patient. I just wanted to know what was going on. Like he doesn't know. He has to know. Callie's testimony is more important than mine. Why all of this?"

Sean was getting tingles. "It's a pity that we don't have more time. I like this new side of you. Sexy."

"I was saving up." Thirty minutes later a van pulled up. "They're here." Josh held his breath until he saw Frank and Callie get out of the van.

Sean squeezed his shoulder. "Thank God! I'm going to make her my peanut butter chocolate torte."

The door opened. Callie came bursting in. "Josh!"

Her tears unnerved him. Cursing his parents and hers he hugged her. "It's okay. We're okay."

Frank shook Sean's hand. "We are and it's going to stay that way