Chapter Eleven

"Bethany!" David cried the moment he got off the phone with Frank for the second time that day. His assistant quickly bustled into the office closing the door behind her. "I need to get to Chicago ASAP. Is there any way that can be done without raising suspicion?"

The woman looked down at the schedule book she had in her hand, running her finger through each entry. She shook her head solemnly before looking up at her boss.

"I'm sorry, sir," Bethany stated, adjusting her glasses, "but there's no opening for you to leave for at least two days. I may be able to switch around a few things to get you out there as early as tomorrow afternoon though."

"Do it," he ordered gathering a few things and placing them in his briefcase. David was worried, practically frantic and Bethany could tell. "And I need Charles. There are a few things I need handled discreetly before I get to Chicago. Ernesto needs to prepare as well. Make sure it's done without anyone knowing. The board is already suspicious. This is getting out of hand, Bethany. They've already found Nancy and it's just a matter of time before they make their move. At least Frank let me know and he's on alert. But both of them can't find out what I'm planning. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded. Bethany looked at him nervously though it took David a while to realize that she had something more to say.

"What is it?"

"Uh, it's Adam Stevens, David," she said softly, bowing her head.

"What about the little cretin?"

"He didn't come in to work today," Bethany stated. David's face went white. "I heard that he left late last night to an unknown destination."

"Shit!" yelled David. He roared and picked up a paperweight and threw it against the wall where it not only shattered but cracked the paneling. "Why wasn't I notified the moment it happened?"

"Because I just found out about it myself," she answered sternly. She stepped up to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Are you sure it's not time to call…"

"No!" he exclaimed startling her. His features softened after seeing her terrified face. "Sorry, Bethany but no. I can't do that. Not yet. I want out and I think the board knows it but I can't just let them take over. My company would be sold off and only the criminal element will remain. I can't have that and I'll be damned if I'm going to let the company I built from the ground up be dismantled because of what I've done. I'm not proud of building the criminal empire but they're more ruthless than I ever was."

David sighed, shaking his head. "Carson was right," he continued, plopping down onto the couch. Bethany quietly sat next to him, her hands in her lap. "I should never have gone into the criminal world. I should have just kept my company in check and let the bankruptcy go through years ago. Maybe Rebecca and Julia would still be alive today and Nancy and her husband wouldn't be in danger now. Hell, maybe if I hadn't gotten angry with Janice Blake, the board wouldn't have even noticed. I'm actually surprised that they did since she was so low on the totem pole."

"Screw them," Bethany snarled. "And Janice Blake. She went against everything you hold dear and deserved what she got. All that woman wanted was to be noticed and she got it. But you do what you need to do, David. I still think you should make the call and end it now."

"I can't," he whispered. "They will kill them both along with their entire family just to make me keep my mouth shut. You of all people should know that. No, I want to keep the secret for now. I owe it to Carson to protect his daughter."

"And what about the information Carson had?" she asked. "You know it's out there and it will only be a matter of time before it's found."

"By then I'll be ready." David got up and walked over to the broken paperweight. He knelt down and began to pick up the pieces, their conversation seemingly over.

Bethany watched her boss before leaving the room to do what he asked her to do. As she closed the door to the office, the secretary could slightly hear David sniffle, evidence that the man was human after all and terrified about what he had to do in order to protect the ones he loved.


With permission from the chief, Joe rode shotgun in BD's unmarked police vehicle, leaving Frank's SUV at the hospital. The two men went scouring the town in search of the car that Joe saw leave the theater and Jared MacMillan, the prime suspect in the incident that almost killed Nancy and her friends.

Before leaving the theater, the forensics team along with a few fire fighters went into the basement. What they found was evidence that the furnace was not only tampered with but the exhaust pipe leading to the storage room was alienated so that the fumes would be centered there. Joe wondered how a punk like Jared even knew how to do it let alone being the brains behind the sabotage.

BD was driving through a residential area when Joe spotted a familiar looking car sitting in an alley. "Stop!" he cried. The detective slammed on his brakes and immediately turned on the hidden lights of his vehicle.

"What is it?" BD asked looking over Joe's shoulder.

"I think I saw it!" Joe explained pointing to the alley. He opened the car door and rushed over to find the compact car sitting next to an old garage. It was an older vehicle with a few patches of missing paint but Joe recognized it immediately. It was definitely the car he saw earlier.

"Is this it?" BD asked as he came up behind Joe. He looked around to see if there was anyone but there was no one.

"Yeah," he nodded. "This is it."

The detective acknowledged and walked around the car while Joe stepped up to the driver's side door. He tested the handle to find it unlocked and opened the car door. BD made a noise but didn't stop Joe from searching the car. Inside the car there was nothing but candy bar wrappers, empty water bottles, and fast food bags but that didn't stop Joe. He looked in the glove compartment to find that the car was indeed registered to Jared and that his auto insurance was two years expired. Joe noticed the button for the trunk and popped it open.

As he was about to walk around to search the trunk, someone rammed into Joe, knocking his head into the side of the car. Dazed, Joe slid to the ground only to be kicked several times. He could hear BD yelling at someone though it was several seconds before the bombardment of kicks ceased. When Joe was finally able to get on his knee, he looked over to find BD handcuffing someone whose face was turned away from Joe.

"You okay?" the detective asked breathlessly as he struggled with Joe's assailant.

"I'm good," he spat. Joe watched as BD lifted the man revealing a bloody looking Jared MacMillan. The young man's eyes were hollow, dead as he realized he was caught.

"That was stupid, you know that, Jared?" BD shook his head. "Why the hell would you attack Joe when all we were doing was looking to ask you a few questions? Now I gotta book you for assault."

"So what?" Jared sneered, glaring at Joe. "I gave my heart and soul into that theater and what do I get? Nothing! No recognition. No rave reviews that were deserved! Just a few mediocre roles with a bunch of nobodies! I was going to be a star!"

"Okay, that wasn't exp…" BD's voice trailed off as he looked over at the trunk that had sprung open the rest of the way from the impact. He dragged Jared over to the car, his eyes going wide as he saw what was in the trunk. "Joe, is this what Nelly was missing?"

"Huh?" Joe walked over and gasped. Lying neatly inside the trunk was a velvet red coat with gold tones on the sleeves. A black top hat lay on top of the coat along with a long cane. There were also wire cutters and a tool box sitting in the trunk giving the impression that Jared knew what he was doing when he sabotaged the theater. BD and Joe exchanged glances before looking over at Jared.

"Those aren't mine," the performer said quickly though his face told a different story.

"This is the moment where you might want to shut your trap, MacMillan," growled the detective. He looked over at Joe and smirked. "I guess this one doesn't get the idea of 'the right to remain silent.'"

Joe laughed then stopped when his chest hurt. "Aw, man!" he yelled. "Not again!"

"What?"

"Ribs," Joe muttered, holding his side.

"Good," Jared snickered. BD whacked the young man on the back of his head resulting in a loud "Ow!"

"You should be thankful that it's Joe here instead of Frank, you little worm!" the detective growled. Jared's face went pale at the mention of Frank and he finally went slack, complying with BD. "Let's get him to the station and find out what's going on."

Joe nodded and followed them back to the car. Once they were settled, BD called for a tow truck to get Jared's car to the impound lot along with a forensic team to come out and search the car again. They waited until they saw the tow truck arrive then left heading towards the station.

"You sure you don't need a doctor, Joe?" BD asked.

"I'm fine," he waved him off dismissively. "Besides, I can check in with a doctor when I go back to see Nancy later."

"Sure you will," the detective laughed. "When do you pick up your parents again?"

"Oh, crap!" Joe glanced at his watch and made another sound. "I need to get back to Frank's car now! I'm supposed to be at the airport in twenty minutes!"

"O'Hare is a good hour away, you idiot!" laughed Jared from the backseat. Joe turned around and stared at the man who cowered back at the look.

"I think we need to make a stop at the hospital, BD," Joe replied with a malicious grin. "I'm sure Frank would love to see the man who almost killed his wife. And the hospital staff would be right there to attend to Jared once Frank was done with him. What do you think?"

"As much as I would love to see that," the detective responded with a smile, "I don't really think Jared would stand a chance of walking out of the hospital alive. Besides, the chief will have my head if I allowed it. Jared will just be put in county lock-up and be someone's bitch for a while. That's all I can do."

"You can't do this to me!" the prisoner yelled, kicking the seat. "I have rights, you know!"

"Then why'd you try to sabotage the theater?" Joe inquired, turning his head again. "You could have killed somebody!"

"It was only to scare her off!" cried Jared. The moment he said the words, he immediately clamped his mouth shut but the damage was already done.

"Who?"

Jared glared at Joe, his mouth shut tight. The young Hardy rolled his eyes and scoffed as he turned around to face forward. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message then looked over at BD who nodded.

As the detective pulled into the parking of the hospital, Jared squirmed in the backseat. They could see Frank walking out the main entrance to meet them.

"Hey!" Jared yelled, moving around to get away. "You said we weren't coming here! You can't do this, BD!"

"Oh, shut your mouth!" he yelled. "I'm just dropping off Joe, you moron! Frank is just out here to see his brother so quit getting your panties in a bunch!"

Joe shook his head as he got out of the car. He walked up to Frank and smiled.

"Is there a reason why I'm out here, Joe?" the older Hardy wondered. He looked over at the police vehicle trying to see who was making the noise from the backseat.

"No," Joe shrugged. "Just wanted to make Jared squirm for a little while longer."

"So, he did do it."

"Practically screamed it," he laughed then noticed the look on his brother's face. Before Frank was able to step toward the car, Joe stopped him. "The guy is terrified of you already. I was hoping that if he saw you, his tongue might loosen a little more for BD. Someone had to have hired him. There's no way this guy has the brains to pull all of the sabotage on his own plus run down Matt."

"But he almost killed Nancy," Frank spoke through gritted teeth. "I can't just let it slide, Joe."

"Look, you're going to have to…for now," he stated, holding up his hand. His phone rang and he cursed when he looked at it. "Damn, they're here already. I'll be back soon with Mom and Dad. BD's taking Jared to the station for questioning and hopefully by morning we'll have more answers. You just have to be patient, Frank."

BD honked the horn and pulled away, Frank and Joe both waving as the detective left. The two brothers grew silent, the younger one watching the older one. Joe wondered what was going through his brother's mind but didn't want to impede on the issue. The woman from the airport was still fresh in their minds along with the incident at the theater earlier in the day. Frank stared at the ground, his thoughts roaming from one to the next.

"You going to be okay until I get back?" Joe suddenly asked, eyeing his brother.

"What?" Frank shook his head and looked up at him. He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Joe gave him a look.

"I'm fine, Joe!" Frank stated loudly. "Just go get Mom and Dad before they have a hernia. And you don't have to come back tonight. We'll be fine. Besides, visiting hours are almost over. The only thing I'm going to do is make sure Nancy is okay through the night. There's no way I'm leaving her alone here even though she thinks she'll be fine."

"She told you to go home, didn't she?"

Frank scoffed then nodded. "She tried to. She doesn't want me to treat her like she can't take care of herself."

"Newsflash to her, she can't this time." Joe studied Frank for a moment. "I can come back, you know. Mom probably wouldn't mind staying with her tonight so you can get some sleep. Or even Dad. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't, Joe," he shook his head. "I'm worried sick about Nancy and now that she's on bed rest for the next two months, she's more vulnerable than ever. I…I have to get back."

"Then go." His brother pushed him toward the main entrance. "I'm not stopping you. I'll come back later anyway. I'm sure Mom and Dad are going to want to make sure you're fine…both of you."

Frank reluctantly headed back in to the hospital while Joe walked toward the SUV. As he pulled from the hospital, he wondered what was going to happen next. With the case seemingly closed already, the only thing left is the woman from the airport. She was definitely laying low since neither of them had seen her. Joe just couldn't get over the feeling something was coming that none of them could stop. He just hoped that they could figure it out before it was too late.


Frank walked slowly back to Nancy's room, his hands in his pockets. His mind was still reeling through the events of the past few days. He was glad that the case was over so he could concentrate on Nancy but his heart was telling him that something was off.

As he rounded the corner, Frank wasn't paying attention and bumped into a woman standing in the hallway. Her back was to him and he was about to apologize when she turned around. His eyes went wide when he took her in and her face went pale. Even though she wore a hat, Frank recognized her immediately as the one he saw at the airport. Suddenly she took off down the hall away from him knocking him off balance but it only took a few seconds from Frank to regain his composure and run after her.

He could hear shouts from the nurses and doctors as he passed them trying to catch up to the woman. He continued to follow even though he lost sight of her as he hit a side door and went into the early evening. He looked around the parking lot but she disappeared, her trail gone. Frustrated, Frank walked back to the main entrance to the hospital wondering what she was doing there.

"Nancy!" he muttered and broke into a run.

By the time he reached her room, Frank was out of breath. He pushed open the door, fearing the worst but she just stared blankly at him from her bed, a book in her hand.

"Frank?" Nancy said concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Are you okay?" he gasped walking toward her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Her eyes stared into his and she saw fear. "What happened?"

"It…it's nothing," he said wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "Just saw someone I thought I knew."

"Okay…" When Frank pulled back, he seemed calmer though Nancy knew something was bothering him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. He looked over at the bedside table, noticing a vase of flowers for the first time. Frank rose and went over to the flowers. "Where'd these come from?"

"A nurse just delivered them," she shrugged. "I thought they were from you."

"No," he shook his head. There was no card but the flowers were sweet smelling lilies along with little purple flowers with berries. The moment Frank touched the little flowers in search of a card he felt a stinging sensation in his hand and jerked away with a gasp. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong, Frank?"

He didn't answer her. His hand felt like it was on fire, the painful stinging going up his arm. Frank looked at the flowers again this time realizing what he touched. The tiny flowers looked as if they went with the rest of the bouquet but he knew from years of experience that they weren't so innocent.

"Frank?"

"I'm fine, Nan," he finally said looking at her. She could tell he was in pain but he didn't say anything. "I'll be right back. Whatever you do, don't touch those flowers."

She nodded as he left the room, holding his hand away from him. Frank stepped outside the room and gasped in pain. With the case being over, who else would want to hurt Nancy? He closed his eyes as he thought about the flowers in the room. He knew she would heed his warning but the fact still remained that someone sent it to her in the hopes that it would hurt her. Even though the plant was more deadly if consumed, nightshade could still cause pain if touched as evidenced by the fact that his hand was burning. All Frank wanted to know though was who sent it and why.


Author's Note:

Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful and blessed day and if you don't celebrate Christmas then Happy Holidays! I took a little liberties at the end of this chapter with the nightshade. I did read up on it but I am really not sure of it's impact with the skin (it does cause irritation). Just a little tidbit there for you. Thanks to all who read and reviewed the last chapter! We are getting into the impact stage of the story so hold on for a wild ride! You know me! Haha! Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas holiday and God bless!