Chapter Two
"Why am I getting this vibe that we're being followed?" Frank replied, stealing a look behind them. Nancy walked slowly beside him though she didn't seem as concerned as he was.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Maybe David's visit a few days ago spooked you and you're just getting paranoid."
"Very funny, Nan," he said looking back at his wife. The two were walking down the street towards the restaurant they had chosen for lunch. It had been a quiet few days since David Wainwright came to visit them but still something was bothering Frank. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He looked behind him one more time though no one seemed to be interested in them. "I'm not being paranoid either. I just have this feeling, that's all. I'm worried."
"I know," Nancy said softly, stopping him before they could enter the restaurant. "I know that David said sounded a little ominous but I don't think we should be worried about it right now. We have a few months left till the baby is born and you know what the doctor said. I'm trying my best to not be worried but your own fears are starting to do that for me."
"I'm sorry, Nan," Frank replied glumly. He took her hand in his own and stared into her eyes. "I just don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. I just want us to be happy and most definitely left alone until after he – or she – comes."
"And we will," she assured him with a smile. He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a look. "What's that look for?"
"I mean it, Nancy," he said sternly.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Mrs. Stein, ring a bell?"
"Oh…oh that!" Nancy laughed nervously averting her eyes. Julia Stein had called her that morning and Nancy wanted to take Frank out to lunch to talk to him hoping that being in public would deter him from making a scene. "Uh…"
"Well, if it isn't River Heights' most famous resident," simpered a voice behind them.
Nancy rolled her eyes though she stifled the groaned that wanted to escape. She whirled around to face the dark-haired young woman who walked toward them, a broad fake smile stretched across her face. "Deirdre Shannon," Nancy replied with a small smile though it didn't reach her eyes. "What brings you back to River Heights? How long has it been? Five years?"
"Six actually," Deirdre corrected. "But who's counting?"
The woman eyed Frank intently before turning her turned her attention back to Nancy. "Seems like a lot has happened while I've been gone," she replied raising an eyebrow. Her eyes moved, taking in Nancy with interest. "And I see someone didn't waste any time after the wedding." Deirdre cast a sidelong glance at Frank once more, giving him a seductive smile.
"What do you want, Deirdre?" Nancy asked, her tone changing slightly.
"What makes you think I want anything from you, Nancy?" she asked innocently though there was a fleck of arrogance in her voice. "I just wanted to express my condolences to you for your father's untimely death and my congratulations on marrying this handsome hunk. A step up from Ned, if you ask me."
"I didn't," Nancy retorted. Deirdre's eyes narrowed. "Thank you so much for your words."
"Anytime, Nancy," the woman said. "Daddy has been keeping me up to date with all the juicy gossip going on. He said he misses Carson's presence in the courtroom."
"I'm sure he does," Nancy replied sarcastically. "After all, Dad and Mr. Shannon were always so close."
"Uh huh," Deirdre smirked. "Just like us, right? Too bad Ned had to go crazy or I would have pursued him after you dumped him."
Frank's mouth dropped open at the remark and he could tell that his wife was bristling with anger though she said nothing. He felt eyes watching him and he turned to Deirdre who was giving him a look once more. Nancy noticed the action, snaking her arm into the crook of his elbow and introduced her husband to the woman.
"Deirdre and I went to high school together," she explained. "Her father and Dad were 'acquaintances' in the courtroom."
"That sounds so harsh, Nancy," Deirdre tsked. "Frank, huh? You must be one of the Hardy boys Nancy always boasted about. My, Nancy, you really kept him a secret, didn't you? And how is the other brother doing?"
"Married," Frank said smartly catching Deirdre's interested tone. He really didn't like the woman in front of him. She reminded him of another brunette who seemed to like to cause problems and also hated Nancy. He just hoped Deirdre wasn't the same as Brenda. "With three kids."
"Bummer," she pouted. "I would have loved to meet him since I heard he was the flirter. Isn't that right, Nancy? What was it that you said about Frank? Oh, that's right. He was the cute one with nerdy tendencies."
Nancy's face went red with anger though she calmed down slightly when Frank put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. It reassured her that he wasn't giving in to Deirdre's advances towards him. The woman smirked at them not missing the action by Frank though Nancy could tell Deirdre was irritated that he didn't take the bait.
"Well," Frank replied as politely as he could, "we are going to lunch and as you can see, our party is full. It was nice meeting you, Deirdre."
He guided Nancy to the door of the restaurant before Deirdre could protest leaving the woman to glare at the couple. Within minutes, they were sitting in a quiet corner of the restaurant, surveying their menus.
"'Cute with nerdy tendencies,' huh?" Frank asked nonchalantly after the waitress took their orders and menus. Nancy blushed deeply. "Is there anything else you've said that I should know about?"
"I'm sorry, Frank," she said apologetically taking his hand. "Deirdre is just so…frustrating."
"I can see that," he replied. The two stared at each for a few seconds before breaking down in laughter. "Did you see her face when I told her that our party was full? I thought she was going to burst with anger!"
"I know!" Nancy laughed. "She deserved it too! Deirdre was more annoying than Brenda ever was."
Frank suddenly stopped laughing at the mention of Brenda.
"What?" she asked.
"I was thinking the same thing, Nan," he said darkly. "You don't think…"
"That Deirdre is capable of being exactly like Brenda?" Nancy finished his question. "No. She's not smart enough. Brenda was a genius compared to Deirdre. Deirdre barely made it through high school and wouldn't have graduated if it hadn't been for her 'daddy.' If she does happen to fall in with a bad crowd, that's exactly how she'll do it: fall in. She likes to brag…a lot and she can be vindictive but she's not a criminal. She knows what will happen if she does anything wrong one more time anyway. 'Daddy' will cut her off completely. Deirdre's kind of like the Paris Hilton of River Heights."
"Uh huh," Frank replied. He still couldn't get rid of the bad feeling he had before. Was Deirdre like Brenda and Nancy just didn't realize it?
"She's harmless, Frank," she reiterated seeing the wheels turning in his head. "Believe me."
"That's what we said about Brenda."
"Deirdre is different," Nancy replied. The waiter returned with their food, a chicken caesar salad for her and a steak for Frank. "Trust me. Deirdre is a complete idiot."
Nancy eyed the salad in front of her, licking her lips in hunger. She took a bite of the salad and closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
"That's just creepy, Nan," Frank replied watching her.
"What is?"
"How you're literally making love to that salad." He had a steak knife in his hand, poised over the meat waiting to be eaten. "That's just so wrong."
"How is it wrong?" Nancy asked taking another bite.
"It…it's just wrong." Frank shook his head and proceeded to cut his steak.
"Hey, Frank." He looked up to see her take another bite and savor the taste once more. He laughed.
"Now you're really pushing it," Frank replied.
"I can push it some more, if you like," she grinned, waggling her eyebrows at him then took another bite.
"I'll spank you later."
"I look forward to it."
"Why did Mrs. Stein call you this morning, anyway?" Frank asked as he pushed his empty plate to the side a half hour later. The two had been talking about finishing the baby's room within the next few days trying to get their encounter with Deirdre out of their minds.
"Oh, that," Nancy said nervously.
"Yeah, that," he replied leaning forward, his arms folded on the table. "Please tell me it has nothing to do with the cat. I'm still trying to get out the scratches from the last time I had to look for him in the dump plus the fact that the stench was raunchy."
"It has nothing to do with the cat, Frank," she said sweetly. "Besides, Mr. Snuffles went to kitty heaven two weeks ago. I didn't even know he was that old."
"Yeah, more like the kitty hell, if you ask me," Frank grumbled. "I knew that but I was talking about the other cats she has. Isn't like a hundred by now?"
"Oh, stop," Nancy swatted at him. "Julia only has three now and has no intention of getting any more. The ones left are pretty content with staying indoors unlike Mr. Snuffles."
"Who names their cat Mr. Snuffles anyway?"
"Anyway," she eyed him, "she called because she has a problem."
"And you said no, right?" Frank nodded at her though he already knew her answer. When she bit her lip, he cried out. "We agreed, Nancy! We aren't taking anymore cases! Not until after the baby comes! Did you forget?"
"No, I didn't!" she cried out. Nancy looked around at the other patrons who were eyeing them then lowered her voice. "I didn't say yes either, Frank. I wanted to talk to you before I said anything to her."
"And my answer is no, Nan."
"And I don't have a say?" Nancy asked, her eyes glistening with tears. "You're not even going to hear about it?"
"Nancy, I'm just looking out for what's best for us," Frank replied his tone softer. "I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."
"I understand but this is important!" she cried. Frank was taken aback by her outburst. "It's important to me!"
"What is it then?"
"It's the Winslow Theater," Nancy said softly. "They're…they're having problems."
"What kind of problems?"
"The kind that could close the theater forever," she said biting her lip. "They're putting on a one-night only show to save the theater from being demolished and there have been some mysterious 'accidents' occurring during rehearsals and after hours. The show is a few weeks from now but with every mishap they have, it sets them back a few days. Even some of the costumes have been destroyed along with sets. She's really worried."
"What does she want us to do about it?" he asked rather annoyed that Nancy would even consider the case.
"You know exactly what she wants us to do!" Nancy cried. "She wants us to find out who's doing it before the show gets shut down! They only have until May to come up with the money to save the theater or a developer is going to buy it. Some of the members of the board of regents have already signed off on the theater and Julia is one of the only ones who opposes the sale. They don't even know she called us for help."
"Nancy, we can't, you know that."
"But…"
"It's no."
"Please, Frank…" but Nancy stopped when she saw the determined look in his face. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the table. Suddenly she rose from her seat, grabbing her purse. Nancy stared down at him, shock registering on his face. "I'll see you at home."
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk!" she cried over her shoulder as she left the restaurant.
The other patrons in the restaurant tried their best to ignore the couple's outburst but some kept stealing glances at Frank as he slumped back in his chair. He wondered what was so important to Nancy about the Winslow Theater and why she got so upset. Maybe he should have heard the rest of it before she left in a huff.
Frank paid the bill before walking out to their car. He searched the area around the restaurant for Nancy but she was nowhere to be seen. Damn, he thought. She moves fast for a pregnant woman. As he got into the car, his fears from before returned. What if Janice Blake was still out there waiting for the best time to strike? What if it was someone else hell bent on going after them? What if someone took Nancy and he didn't know it? Frank wished Nancy had waited for him before taking a walk alone but he knew she just needed some time to herself. He cursed himself for not even hearing why she wanted to take the case. It couldn't be that hard and it sounded like a pretty straightforward case that wouldn't require a lot of investigating other than who was working on the show.
Sighing, Frank drove away from the restaurant keeping his eyes peeled for Nancy though he had a feeling she went through the park to get home taking a shorter way home. As he pulled into the driveway, Frank groaned seeing Hannah standing at the end of the walkway, her arms folded in front of her and fury in her eyes. Of all the days he and Nancy had a fight, Hannah had to be at home.
"Frank Hardy!" the housekeeper cried when he got out of the car. "Why in God's name did Nancy come home in tears? She was acting like it was the end of the world or something! What happened? What did you say to her? Do I have to call your mother again?"
"She's home already?" he cried ignoring the questions. He quickly walked into the house with Hannah right on his heels.
"Don't you ignore me, young man!" she continued. "You need to tell me what happened but she sure as hell isn't!"
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs, if you must know," Hannah stated but stopped Frank as he tried to go upstairs. "Oh, no you don't. Your ass stays down here until you tell me what's going on."
Frank sighed and looked guiltily at her. He went on to explain about the case Nancy was asked to take from Julia Stein. The color suddenly drained from Hannah's face as he spoke and her expression softened.
"Do you know what's going on?" he asked cautiously.
"Yeah, I do," she nodded. "I'm sorry, Frank. I didn't know it was that or I wouldn't have snapped at you."
"What's so important about the Winslow Theater anyway?"
"Winslow is Kate's family name, Frank," Hannah explained. "That's why it's so important to Nancy. Her family founded the theater nearly a hundred years ago."
Author's Note:
Yay! An update from me! Well, I start my new job tomorrow so I thought it would be a good idea to get this chapter out before then. That way you all can read it and give me your insight (if you want). I want to send a big thank you out there to all veterans and their families on this Veteran's Day. You guys make the sacrifice so we can have our freedom. Thank you! Until next time everyone, have a great week and God bless!
