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Capital Pursuits
Chapter 26
Joe Hardy looked at his watch again. Time seemed to be moving so slowly. He had spoken with Chief Pierce at great length, and was just now taking a short break, sitting outside the precinct. Joe tried to fight back the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach at the thought of where Frank and Callie might be. Although the Chief had listened to him and his theories about possible threats to national security, he gave Joe the rather dubious look he was used to from police officers. Thankfully, Brian had agreed to come with him and, with his help, the Chief gave a bit more credence to Joe's story, and would be contacting the Secret Service immediately. Even more important to Joe, however, was locating his brother and Callie. To his credit, Chief Pierce had seemed concerned about that and had officers out scouring the city looking for them.
Lost in his reverie, Joe barely heard his cell phone ringing. However, he was able to pick it up before it went automatically to his voicemail.
"Hello?" he said into the speaker.
"Joe? It's me." He smiled at the sound of Vanessa's voice, his one comfort in all of this.
"Hey baby," he said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "What's going on?"
"You're not going to believe this," she said breathlessly into the speaker.
"What?" he asked, instantly more alert than he had been.
"I called up Phil and asked him for some help. I told him that you guys were in the middle of a case, and we needed some info, fast. Of course, I didn't tell him what the case was about," she added quickly.
Joe raised his eyebrows. Phil Cohen was a good friend of his and Frank's at school. Sometimes Phil was so smart he actually made Frank look stupid, which was an almost impossible feat. His area of specialty was computers, and he was going in the fall to major in computer science and programming at M.I.T. Joe couldn't believe he hadn't thought of calling Phil before this, and was grateful that Vanessa had thought of it.
"Good call, Van. What did he say?" Joe inquired.
"Joe," Vanessa went on hurriedly, "Frank and Callie were right! There have been a huge series of missing funds via 'computer problems' that have occurred recently. Apparently, the government must be going nuts. I mean, money just doesn't disappear like that."
Joe sat up, getting excited. If it was true, then Joe knew who the men were who were behind this. The only problem was locating them. But, if Jenna really was the daughter of one of them, then she could probably lead them to their man. Then again, Joe thought with a sigh, where did Jenna go?
"Van, did you find out if all of the Mints were affected?" he asked. Maybe they could pre-empt the next strike.
"Well," Vanessa went on. "That's the thing. Phil found out that Philadelphia has suffered some heavy losses, but that took quite a while to find out. One Mint should be enough to hit, right? And they did hit that one before." She paused before continuing. "Joe," she went on, "This is serious. Something like this could put the U.S. into a major recession. We have to think of a way to get into the system, or at least tell someone who knows how to about it. Maybe there was an old pattern from the first case that people could look into- see if it's a repeat."
Joe's mind was whirling. "Okay," he said into the phone, more to himself than to Vanessa, "Let's think. You're right- there might well be a repeat pattern. But… I think that more than one Mint MUST be affected."
"Why? Because it's easier to disguise in smaller amounts?" Vanessa asked.
"No!" Joe said, suddenly excited. "Don't forget they WANT people to know who they are! So, you're right that it'd be easier to disguise in smaller amounts, but if the code is right- you know, "So Defendants Will Prevail"- then all of the Mints would have to be hit! Plus, they'd HAVE to go after the Supreme Court or the President, if that's their final goal!" Joe took a deep breath. "Vanessa," he asked, "Is it possible for Phil to find out what Mints have been hit?"
"I guess so," Vanessa replied with hesitation. "But really- it would take a long time. So…"
"So," Joe continued, picking up on her train of thought, "This is a guessing game. I need time to figure this out."
"I don't think we have much time," she replied, seriously.
"I know, babe. Thanks. I have to go- call ya later. Love you," he added before hanging up.
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Joe ran back into the police precinct, and bumped into Brian almost immediately. He thought about it a minute, and then decided that Brian would be the best one to inform about everything that was going on. The police Chief had probably had enough with his lofty theories, and Brian never seemed to laugh at him. As he got Brian's attention and related the facts to him, Brian looked stung, but agreed to be the leeway to the Chief. He promised to call Joe as soon as he heard any information.
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About a half an hour later, as Joe was going back to the hotel via the Metro, his cell phone rang again. That was quick, he thought to himself, expecting it to be Brian. However, it wasn't Brian. It was Chief Pierce.
"Joe," the Chief said, not even waiting for Joe to say hello. "We have some bad news for you."
Joe swallowed, hard. What could have happened this quickly? "Yes?" he asked.
"Your brother and Callie Shaw were found on the outskirts of town in a rather remote storage facility for Supreme Court hard-copy records."
Joe felt his mouth go dry. "What? How? Are they..." he managed to croak out before he was interrupted.
"All we know is that they're being rushed to the hospital and that neither one was conscious when they were picked up. I have no idea how serious their injuries are, or what happened to them. We're interviewing the person who rescued them right now, but I suggest you get there immediately. We'll contact your girlfriend and request that she meet you there as soon as possible." He went on to give Joe the name of the hospital and told him which stop to exit in order to get there in the most expeditious fashion.
As Joe hung up, he fought back the tears in his eyes. So he had been right. Something bad HAD happened to Frank and Callie. But by whom? Jenna? Or had they been taken before they even got to see Jenna? And who had rescued them? As Joe was about to cry, he realized that there was no reason to panic- not yet. They were alive, and that was all he could hope for. Blinking back his tears, he looked at the time and gauged how long it would take him to get to the hospital. He didn't think a train had moved so slowly in his entire life.
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Finally, after what seemed like forever, Joe got to his stop and sprinted to the hospital. By the time he got there-- it had been a long run--he was almost out of breath. He reached the lobby and saw Vanessa almost instantly. Tears streaming down her face, she ran into Joe's arms and hugged him tightly, which he returned. Almost at once, though, he pulled back from her and met her eyes.
"What… did you… find out?" he panted.
Vanessa tried to calm down, and said simply, "Hon, I just got here myself. We need to go to the emergency room and find out what's going on." Together, they ran through the hospital trying to find their destination.
After being assured that Frank and Callie were, indeed, there, Joe and Vanessa could do nothing but wait. And wait they did. Joe didn't think he had paced more or drank more coffee in his lifetime, trying to burn away the awful possibilities of what could happen. After they were there for several hours, a nurse came out and indicated that a doctor wanted to see him. Not even waiting for Vanessa, Joe ran to see the doctor in the hallway.
"Mr. Hardy?" he inquired. Joe could tell he was shocked at how young he was. He knew the doctor had probably expected his father to be there.
"Yeah- yes," he stammered. "I'm Frank's brother. Is he going to be okay?"
The doctor smiled. "He'll be fine. The police Chief called us at once so we were expecting him. We didn't know the severity of his injuries."
"What are they?" Joe asked, dreading the answer.
"Well, as I'm sure you know, your brother sustained a bullet wound at a very close distance."
"What?!" Joe exclaimed, horrified. "He was shot?!" Only Vanessa, who had just reached him, was able to calm him down by taking his hand.
The doctor gave him a moment to absorb the information before continuing. "Yes. He was shot at close range right here," he said, pointing to his shoulder area. "Here, in the region at the top of the shoulder and the collar-bone. Whomever hit him was either trying not to kill him or was a very bad shot."
"And?" Joe asked, finally allowing himself to breathe. "He'll be okay, then?"
"Yes," the doctor answered. "We had to do surgery to remove the bullet and to repair the damage. His collar- bone was shattered and his shoulder needed a lot of work as well. The biggest problem was the amount of blood he lost. We had to give him several blood transfusions to keep him alive. He's very lucky. In another half-hour, he would have bled to death- it was a very bad injury in terms of blood loss."
"So what now?" Joe asked.
"He'll stay for a day or two in the hospital, just so we can check on his progress. Then, he'll have to do some physical therapy and probably be on some pain medication for a while. His arm will be immobile, of course. But… he's young, and strong, and he's expected to make a full recovery, barring any unforeseen circumstances."
"Thank you, doctor," Joe said, and clasped his hand gratefully. He didn't realize how tense he'd been until that moment. "Can I see him now?"
"Of course," the doctor responded. "He's in post-op. I'm warning you, he's not awake now, and he'll be very groggy when he does wake up. But, he should be fine." With that, he went to turn away when Vanessa suddenly stopped him.
"Doctor!" she called. "Callie- was she shot, too?"
Joe raised a hand to his head. Callie- how could he have forgotten her?!
"No," the doctor said. "I assume you're talking about the girl Frank was brought in with?"
Vanessa nodded anxiously.
"No—she wasn't shot. Her doctor should be out in a few minutes. Should I send him to post- op where Frank is?" he inquired.
"Please," Joe said with a shaky breath. He had just realized this nightmare wasn't over. There were still so many unanswered questions. When Joe and Vanessa reached the recovery room, they went to Frank at once. True to the doctor's words, Frank's eyes were closed. He was also very pale, and had i.v.'s in his arm. Sensing Joe needed to be alone with his brother, Vanessa quietly excused herself and waited right outside, trying to get herself together.
Joe sat next to his brother and took his hand. He kept hearing the doctor's words. In another half-hour, he would have bled to death- it was a very bad injury in terms of blood loss. Joe slowly let out a breath. But he didn't die, and he's going to be fine, he told himself over and over. As he looked at Frank's face, a million thoughts floated through his mind. What happened? Who shot him? How did he get so far away? How… and why…
After several minutes alone with Frank, Vanessa came in and lightly tapped him on the shoulder, saying Callie's doctor would see him now. She wanted to keep Frank company and let Joe hear the news, unable to bear the thought of anything happening to one of her best friends.
Joe gave Frank's hand a final squeeze, and went into the hallway, where he saw an elderly doctor with a kind look on his face. "Joe?" he asked, softly.
Joe nodded.
"I'm Dr. O'Connor, and this is Dr. Zelinski, an orthopedic surgeon who also worked on Callie."
Joe shook both their hands quickly, praying for some good news.
Dr. O'Connor went first. "Joe, Callie is extremely lucky that she had no internal injuries or bleeding. She has a minor concussion and a broken wrist, both of which need to be watched, but will heal in time. I am concerned about her concussion, however, especially since I was able to obtain her medical records from… Bayview? since I knew she was coming with your brother from the police."
"Bayport," Joe corrected.
"Since she's currently receiving radiation treatments for a small malignancy at the back portion of her brain, she really needs to be careful and to avoid any unnecessary stress or trauma, especially to that region. Unfortunately, the angle at which she hit her head was very close to that region, so we really have to monitor swelling and headaches of any kind. She should be fine, but she absolutely needs to rest for several days. That shouldn't be a problem, as Dr. Zelinski here will explain. Doctor?" he said, allowing the next doctor to speak.
Poor Callie, Joe thought. What more does she have to go through?
The next doctor was more matter-of fact. "Mr. Hardy, Callie was a victim of a very bad fall."
"A fall? From where?" Joe asked, surprised. Frank shot- Callie fell. What the hell had happened?
"The nature of her injuries suggests a stair-case of some kind, based also on the location of her many bruises. In any event, she suffered from several compression fractures of the lumbar region."
"What?" Joe asked. "The only word he recognized as "fracture."
The doctor gave a supportive smile at last. "A broken back."
"Oh my God," Joe sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Is she okay? Can she..." he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Is she… paralyzed?" he could barely speak the words.
"No," Dr. Zelinski replied. "although she very well could have been."
Joe exhaled in relief. "How bad is it?"
"It's bad- not horrendous, but bad," the doctor replied, honestly. "Normally a fall of this kind could cause what we call axial- burst fractures or, worse yet, fracture dislocation of the vertebrae. The good news is that Callie sustained the most treatable of the fractures. Compression fractures are when the anterior, or front, of the vertebra breaks and loses height, but the back part does not. Usually, this type of fracture is stable and is rarely associated with neurological problems. The bad news is she sustained several such fractures."
"Okay," Joe replied, feeling horrible. "Now what?"
"She didn't need surgery- we don't heal that type of fracture that way," the doctor said.
"Well, that's good, right?" Joe asked, hoping against hope Callie would be okay.
"It's not good or bad," Dr. Zelinski replied. "It just IS. She's going to be in a lot of pain, and other than pain medication, there's not much we can do for that. Fortunately, anti-inflammatory drugs along with strong pain-killers will help her. She's going to need to see a doctor regularly."
"She most certainly will," Joe added, knowing Callie saw doctors all too often anyway. "What will she have to do for this? Bed rest?" He could see tying to explain this catastrophe to Callie's parents as she was supposed to be heading for college in six weeks.
"Lots of rest," the doctor continued. "She'll need to wear what's called a hyperextension brace for sitting and standing activities for 6-12 weeks. She'll be able to walk and do activities, but obviously much less than she is used to doing. She'll be here in the hospital for three days. Two would normally be sufficient, but with the concussion, I'd like to play it safe. You can expect her to suffer from occasional muscle spasms that are quite painful, and her range of motion will be limited and rather painful for the first five to ten days. Her posture may be a little off as well for that amount of time."
"Okay," Joe said softly, unable to think of anything else. His mind was swimming with thoughts of Callie and Frank, what had happened to them, and what they still had to go through. That, on top if a case that wasn't even solved yet!
"When can I see her?" he asked.
"Right now," the doctor responded. "She's awake, but on very strong pain medication so she might not be coherent."
"Now? She's awake?!" Joe couldn't wait to see her, to make sure she looked okay, and try to comfort her. And maybe… maybe she could tell him what happened.
When Joe was led to Callie's room, he was shocked at the reaction he had to seeing her as he sat next to her. He felt tears come to his eyes that he wiped away, and he couldn't figure out why seeing Callie made him more upset than seeing Frank. Then he knew-Because she reminded him of Iola when he thought she had been killed because of him.
Callie had done nothing wrong, and yet she suffered because she was around him; around Frank. Danger was in their lives, but it shouldn't be in their girlfriends' lives. Despite the fact that he and Callie fought a lot, he was very fond of her, and had grown to really care about her. She was his brother's rock; his friend; Vanessa's best friend. He hated to see her in pain. He couldn't even imagine how Frank was going to take this.
"Callie?" he asked, trying to get her attention.
When she didn't respond, he tried again, and then realized that he should leave her alone. It was better not to force her to confront the realities of her injuries right now, anyway. Let her have a little while of peace. He took her hand and gave it a quick kiss. "Hang in there, kid," he said softly to her.
Outside the door, much to his surprise, Brian was standing there.
"Hey. What's up?" he asked warily as he began to walk back to Frank's room.
"Joe?" Brian said, stopping him. "I… I thought you might like to see the person who rescued your brother. He told us some VERY interesting information. Come on."
Joe followed Brain quickly to the lobby, where he saw the Chief, of all people, who was blocking the figure at an angle. When the Chief moved out of the way, the man turned around, and Joe gasped, audibly. No way.
He was staring at Dave Shaughnessey.