CHAPTER 7
Joe Hardy stirred as the water washed over him, almost drowning him. He instinctively choked out the water that entered his nose and mouth. He felt he was lying on something soft and grainy. His face felt hot, and when he tried to open his eyes, the glare of the sun almost blinded him. He struggled to a sitting position, but stopped when he realized his wrists were tied behind. A dull throbbing pain at the back of his head jerked him back to the ground.
The water washed over him again. He tried to move, but every limb on his body felt heavy. Where am I? He wondered. Slowly aware by the sound of the crashing waves, he knew he was lying on the beach. Okay, now I'm thinking, Joe thought. At least he knew his brain was still working. Now, get up, he urged himself silently.
Gritting his teeth, he forced every muscle on his body to obey his mind. Slowly and slowly, he managed to sit, and opened his eyes again. Taking the unfamiliar view around him, he realized he was lying on the shore. He frantically searched through his foggy mind to find out what had happened. How did I get here? Why is it so quiet? Where's everyone? The panic almost made him dizzy.
He struggled against his bond, but it was tightly knotted. With a grunt, he wriggled and forced his bounded hands until he had them behind his knees. He winced when he felt the rough texture of the rope straining against his skin. When he had succeeded, he folded his knees and easily glided his arms under his feet. He let out a breath of relief when his tied hands were finally in front of him. When he found a sharp stone on the sand, he began to think as he sawed through the rope.
How long had he been lying out here? Geez, I must have look like a lobster right now, he suddenly realized. He tried to remember the events before he came here – or brought here. He was sure he didn't come here by his own decision. Unterhauser Resort, he thought suddenly. He was at the resort, talking to Jane. And then he remembered Jim coming out of Shane's office and tried to run away. And then someone, not Jim, knocked him out. He had a suspicion it was Jane. Who else was there in the building that time?
"Think later," Joe said to himself as his hands were finally released. There were red welts on his wrists where the rope had been. He rubbed his wrists, and stood up, trying to think of his next step. Right now, he had to find his brother. He entered the woods that lined along the beach. It must have been a small island because it took him almost ten minutes to reach the other side of the island. The fact hit him like a bolt of lightning. He wasn't on Verin Island. He was stranded on an empty island!
Again the panic washed over him. How in the world was he going to go back to Verin Island? He glanced over the sea and saw a couple of islands nearby. But he wasn't sure if one of them was Verin Island. He couldn't even see any boats on sight crossing the sea at the moment. That way he could hitch one and tell the captain to take him back to Verin Island.
Joe knew his brother would get worried and might send a search party for him. But he was sure Frank wouldn't think of searching him here. He had to do something, and he definitely wouldn't wait until someone came here. That might take ages. What am I supposed to do now?
***
"Anything?" Frank asked Shane anxiously for the umpteenth time.
"No," he shook his head. "I don't think he's on this island. We've searched every corner of this land."
Frank had asked Shane to help him find his brother since it was already almost eight at night. In return, Shane had called his employees to help him with the search. Only Neil and Jane came, but Jim was nowhere to be found. Frank couldn't help noticing how agitated Jane looked when Shane told them that Joe was missing. They were now grouping in the lobby.
"He could be on Inzell," Shane continued.
"Then he would have call me," Frank countered. "I'd say we search again," he said in a determined tone.
Shane was about to argue when Jim came in from the main entrance.
"Where were you?" Shane asked the man.
Jim looked surprised. "I was having dinner. There's nothing wrong with that, right?" he asked, almost sneering.
Shane ignored Jim's hostile response. "We're trying to find Joe. We could use some help here," he told the man firmly.
"I wouldn't get worried if I were you," Jim told them.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Frank asked the man curiously.
"I know that kind of kid. He's the adventurous type, isn't he?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Frank asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I think he's bored here," Jim remarked.
"So?"
"So, you're wasting your time finding him. I just saw him at Inzell, playing billiards in one of the clubs," he replied vaguely.
"Which club?" Frank demanded, slightly suspicious.
"How the heck should I know? I was just passing by and happened to see him through the window." Jim shrugged.
"I thought you know everything in Inzell. There must be only a few clubs over there," Frank pointed out.
"Hey, I was tired, and I wasn't really looking," Jim replied, a bit too defensively. "I'm going to bed," he announced and walked to the stairs.
Frank was about to go after Jim when he felt a hand on his shoulder, restraining him. He turned and saw Shane, who shook his head.
"Why are you letting him go easily?" Frank asked, slightly angry.
"We can check by ourselves. I know a few clubs over there," Shane replied calmly.
"If he's really there," Frank said. "I'm not so sure that Jim was telling the truth."
"It's the only lead we got," Shane told him.
Frank sighed. "I guess you're right," he agreed grudgingly.
As the four of them walked to the main door, it suddenly burst open. A blond guy dripping with water from head to toe stumbled into the room. "Hey, anybody home?" he asked hoarsely.
"Joe!" Frank immediately rushed to his brother. "What'd happened? And you're all…all wet. We've been searching for you," he said. He'd never thought he was glad to see his brother.
"I'll tell you later. Right now, I want to have a word with Jim, and maybe, Jane," Joe said gruffly, with a hint of anger in his voice.
All of them turned to stare at Jane, who paled and trembled slightly.
Joe stood up slowly. His legs felt shaky after a long swim. He was definitely exhausted and ready to sleep like the dead. But first he had to take care of something.
"Do you know anything about this, Jane?" Shane asked levelly.
Jane backed slowly. "I – I didn't mean anything to happen to him," she stammered.
"What did you do to him?" Frank asked through gritted teeth, forcing himself to be cool.
"She knocked me out and left me stranded on an island," Joe spoke up before Jane could reply.
"What?" Shane shouted at Jane. "What were you trying to do? Left him for dead?"
"I d-didn't leave him there," Jane tried to explain, but in her nervous state her words came out in a jumbled rush. "It – I mean, his idea…and he wouldn't tell – have to cover for him…" Her voice faltered as she looked on helplessly.
"You're not making any sense," Joe said in frustration.
"I think we should all be calm and sit down in my office, and listen to what she has to say," Shane suggested. "We're acting like a pack of wolves waiting to pounce on a meal."
When they were already in Shane's office a few minutes later, Joe couldn't help feeling relieved to be sitting down. His legs, arms, and body felt like they would crumble to pieces any second. He needed dry clothes badly, and his skin was wrinkled.
"Okay, Jane, start telling us what's going on," Shane prompted after he was seated behind his desk. He looked at Jane levelly. She was sitting on a chair right next to Joe.
"Maybe I should start first," Joe suggested. "I caught Jim sneaking out of your office, while you weren't here this afternoon," he told Shane. He also added how he was knocked out and woke up on an empty island.
"How did you get here?" Frank asked. "Don't tell me you swam all the way from there?" he asked incredulously.
"I thought of sending out a smoke signal, but the wood was too damp. So, that left me with the final alternative. I was lucky Verin Island is quite near," Joe admitted. "Almost cost me a new skin, though," he added with a wry grin.
Frank shook his head. He couldn't understand how his brother could find humor in all this. But he couldn't help noticing Shane, who was frowning when Joe mentioned that Jim had broken into his office.
"Did you notice if Jim had taken anything?" Shane asked Joe.
"I couldn't say. I didn't see him taking out anything, though," he answered wearily.
"Did you lock your office before you went out?" Frank asked Shane.
"I always do," he replied.
"But it's not secure enough. I thought Neil is an expert in security," Frank pointed out with a curious look at the big silent man.
Joe noticed the Neil's jaw clenched tight in anger.
"What are you implying, kid?" Neil roared, looking as if he was about to eat Frank alive.
Neil's face had turned bright red. Maybe it was the effect of the long swim, but Joe could almost see Neil's head slowly morphing into a giant red tomato.
"What are you laughing at?" Neil turned to Joe, glaring.
"Nothing," Joe mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Great, now I'm starting to hallucinate, he thought wearily.
"All right, enough everyone. We haven't listened to Jane's explanation," Shane reminded them sternly.
All eyes turned to Jane.
"Okay, I'm sorry about knocking out Mr. MacAllister," she began nervously, but her voice was a bit steady.
"Call me Joe. I feel old when you call me that, maybe not for Frank, though," Joe put in, with a slight grin.
"Go on, Jane," Frank said, ignoring his brother's remark.
"Anyway, I already knew Jim was in here before Joe came this afternoon," Jane went on.
Frank glanced at Shane. There didn't seem to be any reaction from him. He just stared at Jane in stony silence.
"So, when Joe was heading to the emergency exit, I was worried that he might caught Jim," she went on. "But he did, I panicked and I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, I think it was a big hardcover book. So, I hit him with that."
"And how did Joe land on an island?" Frank asked.
"Jim did that. When Joe was unconscious, he told me to go back to my work, and he'd take care of Joe. He just wanted Joe to be out of the picture temporarily, and he had hinted about going to an island. I didn't really know where he was taking him," she answered.
"Why were you helping him?" Shane asked curiously.
Jane gulped. She hesitated for a second before answering. "If I tell you, would you promise not to tell anyone?" she asked timidly.
Shane gave a thoughtful frown before he nodded. "All right," he said.
She looked at the Hardys, and Neil questioningly.
"Don't worry, you can trust them," Shane assured her.
Jane looked slightly relieved. "I – I've committed a crime before," she confessed. "I mixed with the wrong crowd, and I ended up stealing a car. I was caught by the police easily 'cos I was so nervous doing it the first time. I lied to you during our interview. I'd thought you wouldn't offer me a job if you found out I've got a record," she told Shane, looking worried for his reaction.
"And what's this got to do with Jim?" Shane asked. His face was still a mask.
"Somehow, Jim found out about it. He told me if I pay him a little contribution, he wouldn't tell a soul," she replied, looking down at her hands.
"That's a blackmail," Joe stated. For some reason, he couldn't help feeling sorry for Jane.
"And you helped him so that he wouldn't tell anyone about your past," Shane concluded, looking at Jane.
"Yes."
"Did you also try to sabotage this place?" Frank asked.
"Sabotage?" Jane looked up in surprise. "No, I didn't know about any sabotage."
Frank regarded her answer carefully before deciding that she was telling the truth.
"Are you going to fire me, Mr. Unterhauser?" Jane asked her boss anxiously.
"We have to discuss about your future next time. Right now, I want to have a word with Jim," Shane replied guardedly. He turned to Neil. "Go to Jim's room and tell him I want to see him right now," he told Neil.
Neil nodded silently and left the room. They all waited in tensed silence. When Neil came back a few minutes later, he was alone.
"Where's Jim?" Shane demanded.
"He's not in his room," Neil replied shortly. "His door was unlocked."
Shane muttered something under his breath. "I guess I'll have to talk to him tomorrow. There's nothing we can do here now," Shane said. "I'm sure Joe is very tired," he added with a concern glance toward Joe.
Joe just nodded, as he tried to stifle his yawn.
All of them reluctantly left the room. When the brothers reached their room, Joe immediately took a shower and changed into dry clothes. He immediately fell asleep as soon as he dropped on his bed.
Frank was lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling in the darkness. He was still thinking deeply about the case. What was Jim doing in Shane's office? And what was his connection with Tara Matteo? Was he blackmailing her, too? Somehow, he couldn't picture Tara Matteo giving money to Jim. Frank lost in his thoughts for a moment before he drifted off to sleep.
A scraping sound from the window woke Frank from his sleep a few hours later. His eyes went to the window. The moonlight helped illuminating the darkness, but there didn't seem to be someone or something outside. He listened again wondering if he was dreaming. When nothing happened, he closed his eyes and started to sleep, again.
A black shadow of a person suddenly appeared in front of the window. He walked over stealthily toward Frank's bed. In his hand was a syringe. Then slowly, he lifted his hand and poised to plunge the needle into Frank's arm.