Frank and Joe stood frozen in the foyer. Hearing that phrase really wasn't what had phased them, or nearly made their hearts stop, it was the fact that the person was threatening their father in the house!

"Well I never!" exclaimed Gertrude. "Threatening a man in his own house after you come here looking for his help? How exactly would you get his help that way?"

"Mrs. Stryker, that was uncalled for," came Laura's voice. The boys knew that tone, she was mad, but she was going to keep it even; keep it kind, but very, very stern. "My husband has already told you he cannot take on this case when he already has a difficult one to deal with."

"You're just going to let them talk for you?" asked Mrs. Stryker in a biting and accusatory voice.

"You mean to tell me you've never spoken for your husband or your son?" came Fenton's cool reply.

"Um, I, uh," stammered Mrs. Stryker.

The boys heard a sigh, and a new voice entered the conversation. "I do think Trudy and Laura are right, Sheryl, that was a bit too far. But even my own kidnapping won't convince you to change your mind? I definitely tended to the lad." The boys moved forward when they realized they recognized the voice and peered into the living. Fenton and Laura sat on the sofa, while Trudy sat in one of the big chairs. Across from them sat who the boys figured was Sheryl Stryker, a Hispanic woman who looked to be about the same age as their parents. Sitting next to her in the other chair was Dr. William Gardner, a family friend and the family physician.

Joe walked into the living room. "Dr. Gardner? You were kidnapped? When?"

The adults turned as one and looked at the boys. "Frank, Joe!" Dr. Gardner turned to Mrs. Stryker. "If Fenton can't help you, maybe his sons can! I've heard they've tackled some cases recently and are just as good as their father."

Joe gave a quick nod that oozed with certainty. "That's right, we have."

Mrs. Stryker looked them up and down. She shook her head. "No, it has to be Fenton Hardy."

Joe's mouth dropped. "B-but we can solve mysteries! Honest!"

"You're no older than Lenny, I don't want to put you in that kind of danger."

Joe huffed and crossed his arms. "We've already had a gun in our faces, been knocked out, been threatened, and had to fight several of the criminals we put in jail."

"My brother's right, Mrs. Stryker. We can definitely handle it."

"My answer is still no," replied Mrs. Stryker firmly. "I would prefer your father take it."

"And my answer is still no, Sheryl," said Fenton. "I already have a very important case to tackle and I cannot handle a second one at this time."

"But my Lenny's in danger!"

"Maybe Richard Mason can …"

"No," blurted Mrs. Stryker, interrupting Fenton. "I know of both of your reputations. You won't send my son to jail for being caught in the company of his uncle, he will."

Fenton's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I see you did your research."

"It seems we are at an impasse," remarked Dr. Gardner. "Sheryl refuses to have your boys do it, and you refuse because you are already on a case. What can be done?"

Joe growled and sat down on the arm of the sofa. "What indeed?"

"I could take it." Everyone's heads swiveled and looked at Laura.

"Mom?" chorused the boys.

"Are you sure, Laura?" Fenton asked.

She turned to him. "The fact that you didn't remind me to keep my promise means this is alright with you."

Fenton smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? I kinda miss seeing you work on a case."

Laura laughed. "Oh, because you want to be able to pick my brains without admitting I'm the smarter one?"

Mrs. Stryker's mouth dropped. "Are you two flirting when my son's life is in danger?"

Fenton turned to her. "The fact that your brother-in-law and his gang kidnapped Will means they are taking care of him, for now."

"Exactly, for now. Who knows when that will change and they will see fit to leave him out in some ditch for dead?" Mrs. Stryker exclaimed.

"But since my husband cannot help and you refuse the aid of my sons, will you let me take the case?"

Mrs. Stryker pursed her lips as her eyes wandered over the family. Her eyes lingered on Fenton. "You're positive you can't take my case?"

Fenton gave a firm nod. "Absolutely positive."

Mrs. Stryker turned to Laura, sighing. "Then I shall hire you. I can't pay much right now, but I'm sure we can work something out. Please just … just find my boy. Bring him home safely."

Laura stood and walked towards Mrs. Stryker. She patted the woman's shoulder. "From one mother to the next, don't concern yourself about it. I'll bring Lenny home." She turned to Dr. Gardner. "Now, Bill, tell me everything that you remember. Anything could prove to be a vital clue."

Dr. Gardner nodded. "Of course." He took a breath and cleared his throat before beginning his tale. "I was just finishing up my shift when I got waylaid by the thugs just outside my car. They both had masks pulled over their heads, so I couldn't see what they looked like. They pulled a gun on me and told me to do exactly as they said. I asked them what they wanted. They said they just wanted someone with medical expertise to take care of a medical emergency and, well, I complied, and they led me to a car. They blindfolded me, stuffed me in the trunk and took off."

Trudy's eyes widened. "Good heavens!"

"Almost like Doctor Manette in A Tale of Two Cities," Frank whispered to Joe. Joe's eyes widened before nodding.

Dr. Gardner shrugged. "No worries, I arrived safely to their hiding place where I tended to Lenny, at least, pretty sure it was Lenny, hard to tell, they wouldn't let me see his face. I took care of a gun wound in his right leg, and then they brought me back to the hospital safely." He scooted forward in his chair. "But there is one definite clue to their hideout I can give you. While I can't be certain of the turns they took, I do know for a fact that we drove for an hour. I was able to pull up the blindfold to notice the time on my phone. That, and we stopped at a stop light just ten minutes from the hideout. The reason why I timed it was because when we were stopped, I heard a particularly loud humming sound."

"What?" asked Trudy.

"Wait, there are humming stop lights in Bayport?" Joe glanced at Frank. "We're learning more about our hometown through these mysteries than we've ever known about it before."

Frank snorted, but nudged his brother and shushed him.

"It's amazing what secrets a town like this can still hide," muttered Fenton. The boys glanced at him in shock. The way he said it almost made it sound like there were ominous secrets that not even he had uncovered in the town. Fenton merely shook his head at them and turned back to Dr. Gardner. "Good idea, Bill, timing the ride from the humming stop light. That should make things a little easier for Laura to figure out where they're hiding."

"But before I go out searching for humming stop lights, I would like to know more about this gang your brother-in-law is in," Laura told Sheryl.

Sheryl scoffed. "He's not just a part of it, he runs it."

"I see," said Laura with a slow nod of her head. "What else can you tell me about them?"

Sheryl bit her lip. "I, I don't know. I keep away from them to protect my son. I know Judd has always wanted to get back at me for choosing Jarod over him. And this," she sniffled, "this might be it."

Laura patted Mrs. Stryker's hand. "I'll take a look into Judd's criminal records and see if I can find anything."

"Oh, real quick, his full name is Judd Merk, he and Jarod were really half-brothers, but they never considered each other as such, that is, until Judd turned to this life of crime."

Laura nodded. "That is good to know, thank you. I'll take a look into that and get back to you once I've found anything."

Mrs. Stryker squeezed Laura's hands as tears streamed down her face. "Thank you so much! And may God guide and bless you!"

Laura smiled. "You are very welcome. Now please, go home and get some rest. I will contact you once I have any updates."

Mrs. Stryker stood up. "Yes, yes, and thank you again!"

Laura turned to Dr. Gardner. "And thank you for this important information."

Dr. Gardner also rose. "Thank you for listening and taking on this case. I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it in no time. In the meantime, I had better warn the staff to be careful from now on. While the gang might not harm any of us, being kidnapped isn't exactly an easy ordeal."

Fenton scoffed. "No kidding."

Dr. Gardner eyed him. "Yes, you of all people especially should know that."

Fenton merely grinned.

"Well, I must get back to my shift. Good day to you Fenton, Laura, Trudy, Frank, Joe. Take care and stay healthy."

"You take care as well," said Fenton, rising to shake hands with the doctor.

"And try not to get kidnapped," muttered Joe.

Dr. Gardner laughed. "I will try my hardest not to, once was plenty enough. Good day." He and Mrs. Stryker walked out, going their separate ways.

Trudy tsked. "You really shouldn't have taken the case, Laura. Especially after she threatened your husband!"

Laura turned to Trudy. "That maybe, but she is a mother desperate to get her son back safe." She looked at Frank and Joe. "And I understand that feeling all too well."

Joe jumped up and wrapped his mother in a hug. "Don't worry, Mom, we only have an aunt, not an uncle."

Trudy gasped. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Joe grinned cheekily at her. "We got the better deal."

Trudy's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she found her voice. "Well, I suppose so." She stood up with a humph. "I'm going to fix dinner."

"And dessert, I hope?" asked Joe.

She tossed her head. "Maybe." There was a twinkle in her eyes before she disappeared into the kitchen.

"So, how is your mystery progressing?" Fenton asked the boys. They quickly, and in turns, told their parents of their progress at the Mead Mansion. "Sounds like a very interesting lock. Thanks for not spoiling it, I definitely would want to take a jab at solving it."

Frank grinned. "Figured you would."

"But nothing more on the nephew of John Mead?"

Frank shook his head. "Not that we could find. If he is the real deal, well, we didn't exactly find proof of that. But we also didn't find proof to the contrary."

"Not to mention we have yet to find this secret invention that his uncle invented."

Fenton furrowed his brow in thought before giving a slow nod. "Yes, I do think you must hurry and find this invention, and also be quick about getting it to Ezra. We definitely don't want this to fall into the wrong hands."

Frank and Joe shook their heads solemnly.

"Oh no, we definitely don't," said Joe.

Fenton let out a sigh and walked towards the stairs. "Well, I have to do some paperwork. We had another robbery. This time shots were fired, but we don't have any more information than that. Still have to do paperwork."

"And I'm going to do research on Judd Merck," said Laura. "Come get us when dinner is ready."

"Yes ma'am," chorused the boys. Their parents walked up the stairs, and the boys sat down on the sofa.

"So, now what?"

Frank looked at his brother. "What do you mean, now what?"

Joe pouted. "Mom has a more interesting case than we do! We have to just find an invention!"

Frank blinked in confusion. "But I thought you were excited about finding a secret passage?"

"Well, I mean, I am. But we could have handled both cases, easily!"

Frank sighed. "I know, Joe, we could have, but Mrs. Stryker didn't want to hire us. That decision is up to her, and we must respect it."

Joe sighed. "I know, but it's kinda frustrating not being able to put bad guys behind bars."

"Hey, you never know if we'll end up having to deal with bad guys. I mean, based on what Mr. John Mead had mentioned, his uncle wants him to keep this invention out of the wrong hands. So who knows if there are people out there looking to grab this invention the first chance we get. Sounds kinda thrilling, don't you think?"

Joe smirked. "Well, when you put it that way, yeah, it does." He huffed. "But then, where would said invention be hidden?"

Frank chuckled. "Most likely in one of those secret passages you were so excited about finding."

Joe laughed. "That is true. Well then," he cracked his knuckles, "looks like it's time to make said secret passages appear."

Frank chuckled. "Oh, you better believe it." He became thoughtful and rubbed his chin. "However, since John Mead was fiddling with different locks, we're going to have to get creative in finding the key to opening it."

Joe rubbed his own chin. "Right, so, basically, how do you lock something without using a typical lock?"

"That right there is the big question," replied Frank. "How indeed?" The boys fell silent as each one mulled over the problem in their heads. John Mead had used a puzzle lock for the front door. Would he use the same for a secret passage, or would he have used a different sort of lock and key altogether?

"Dinner's ready!" Trudy's shrill announcement made them jump. They shot each other sheepish grins before jumping up from the sofa to dash up the stairs to let their parents know. Looks like the problem would just have to wait to be solved once they got back to the Mead Mansion.

(Author's Note: Hello rosy readers! How are you all doing this fine day? I hope you are doing well! And don't worry Joe, there's still a chance they're all connected, lol. Hope you like this chapter, and thanks for reading! Have a great week! God bless!)