Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. There are OCs that are mine, but that's all.

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is pre-blue spine and AU. This story is a sequel to "Taken" which should be read before reading this story. Boys are about 16/17.

Author's Notes: Same trigger warning as chapter 23. I'm glad everyone seemed to like my portrayal of Laura. She had a minor role in the previous story and I decided to up her involvement in this one. Plus, as a mom, there's no way I'd give in easily on something like this. Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fenton and Frank rode home together so that Laura would have the sedan if she needed it. As Frank drove, the silence stretched between father and son. What had happened? Why did Camille say he jumped? How upset was Joe? Was it really Morgan Harris' birthday? The questions popped up one after another in their minds. They were all questions that they couldn't find out the answers to without Joe. All that is but one. The card that Camille said Joe received. They could look for it and they should be able to verify Morgan's birthday through online records or the obituary.

As they neared the house, Fenton broke the silence. "I'm going to look at Morgan's obituary. You check Joe's room for the card."

When they entered the house, they went to work on their assignments.

Frank scanned Joe's room. Where would he have put it? The desk had a number of papers on it, but nothing that was a card. The drawer slid out easily but there was nothing inside it but staples, paper clips, and pens. Frank shook his head. Joe's desk was as messy as his room. As Frank slid the drawer closed, his eyes fell on Joe's book bag beside the desk on the floor. There wouldn't be any chance of their mom finding it by accident in there. Frank took the book bag and sat on the bed. Taking a deep breath, Frank unzipped the bag and began to pull things out. Sandwiched between two notebooks was a blue envelope. The sight of it made Frank sick. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of gloves and put them on. Carefully, he took the envelope out. The postmark was dated just after Thanksgiving and it was from North Carolina. The card inside was a cheerful message and written below it was 'Just thought you should know that Morgan would have been 18 on December 5th.' Frank looked at the envelope. It had the same neat printing. A noise at the door drew his attention.

"Hold on Con. I'm putting you on speaker so Frank can hear too." Fenton sat the phone on Joe's desk and said, "Go ahead."

"I talked to the EMTs that brought Camille in once I left you in the ER. They said that Camille had minor injuries and appeared unconscious when they arrived at the scene and on the way to the hospital. They say 'appeared' because at several points during the transfer they saw her eyes open but the moment she saw or heard them, she closed them and wouldn't respond to questions. They can't prove she was conscious, but it seemed that way. They also noted that she had her coat on which was very helpful in keeping her core temperature up while she was on the roadside."

"What makes that odd?" Frank asked.

Fenton answered before Con could. "Nothing is odd if she put the coat on before she got out of the car to speak to Joe. But if she was really worried about him, wouldn't she have gotten out and left the jacket?"

"Exactly," Con replied. "We'll know more when we can talk to Joe."

"Anything else?" Fenton inquired.

"Camille said she couldn't call on her cell phone because the battery was drained. An officer was coming in with her effects from the crash site when I was leaving. I checked her phone. There was still 5% battery left and there were no calls to 911 or anyone else during the time that she and Joe were together."

"She lied," Frank said.

"We knew she was doing that from the moment she said that Joe jumped." Fenton's tone was serious. Con had given them a lot to think about but there was something he needed to confirm. "Frank, is that the card?"

Frank had completely forgotten about the card until his dad mentioned it. Looking down at it, he said, "Yeah. It's just like Camille described it. It's from NC and it says his birthday is today. Joe probably got it around Tuesday."

"Is it signed?" Con asked.

"No. No signature. I'll bring it in for prints if you want."

"I don't think it would hurt. Especially if he receives any more of those," Con added. "I left a note that I'm to be contacted once Joe is awake and coherent. I think you both know not to say too much until I can speak to him."

"We don't like it, but we understand," Fenton said. "Thanks for everything, Con."

"Just doing my job. See you guys soon."

The call was ended but Frank said, "He's doing more than just his job."

"And thank God for it," Fenton added.

Frank put the card back in the envelope and stood. "I'm going to get a bag for this."

Fenton nodded. "Come to my office when you're done. Sam has sent us some information."

Just a few minutes later, Frank walked into his father's office and pulled off the latex gloves with a couple of snaps. He tossed them into the trash on his way to grab a chair next to his father's desk. "What does Sam have for us?"

As he scrolled down a page, Fenton said, "The factual information is that Camille was in a car accident with other students from her high school in January of this year. All had been drinking, including the driver. They were on their way home and went through a stop sign and were broadsided on the driver's side by a pick-up. Mandy Harper was on the back driver's side and took the brunt of the hit. She died on site. The other three occupants had minor injuries and were released that night from the hospital."

"That goes with what I found online," Frank said. "What else did Sam find?"

"Only that Camille was very public about her guilty feelings over Mandy's death. From what he has found so far, she was much more vocal on that subject than she was in regards to being remorseful for the part underage drinking played in the accident." Fenton looked back at the screen. "He says he'll continue to search out information online tomorrow."

Frank leaned back in the chair. "It doesn't do much for us though does it?"

"Until Joe wakes up and can tell us his side, there's nothing concrete to say that Camille did anything." Fenton was as frustrated as Frank was.

"Well, I hope-" A beeping sound interrupted Frank. "Who could be texting me at this time of night?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and said, "Callie." A look of shame appeared on his face. "I didn't call her to tell her what happened." Opening up the message he read it off to his dad. "Iola told me what happened. I'm so sorry. You need to know what Camille is saying on the social site." Frank's eyes lifted to his father's. "Callie has always been suspicious of Camille so she friended her on the social site to keep an eye on her."

"Smart girl."

Frank gave a rueful smile as he looked back down. "Yeah, she probably had Camille's number too. Something I didn't get because I didn't like her. Haven't friended her online either." Frank's slight smile turned to a frown. "Camille is saying that she doesn't want to name names, but a close friend of hers tried to commit suicide tonight and that it's unsure whether he'll live or die."

Fenton slammed a fist on the table as Frank added. "Everyone is going to know she's talking about Joe. Anyone who didn't know will know by in the morning. It was common knowledge that Joe was Camille's best male friend and they were going to the party together and they never showed up."

"She'll have to take back all her lies when Joe wakes up," Fenton said brusquely.

Leaning over, Frank put his head in his hands and said a whispered prayer. "Come on little brother. Wake up and tell us what happened."

.**********.

Camille sat in her dark bedroom. Fluffy pillows propped her up and a soft down comforter covered her. A drink and the remote for the tv were on her bedside table. But it was her tablet that she had in her lap. Word would be all over Bayport about Joe by tomorrow morning. She would be the center of attention, along with Joe. Joe. What am I going to do about him? They say he has a serious concussion. Is it enough that he can't remember what happened when he fell? She snorted. She knew he didn't fall. Will I be able to convince him that he did jump? She closed her eyes and leaned her head back into the soft pillow. It all depends on what he remembers. But can I chance his remembering what DID happen? His family won't believe me, but for now I'll just have to be convincing so everyone else does. I have to convince everyone until I can take care of this. Camille opened her eyes and carefully placed her tablet on the nightstand. She'd update her status tomorrow… maybe with a picture of her bruised face.