CHAPTER 15
"No! No! No! No! No!" Joe scrambled to his feet and ran toward the blazing fire. The bright light from the flame and the scorched heat was overbearing, and he had to retreat a little. Everything of the building had collapsed. The fire had licked the structure until he could see the skeleton of the building. He circled the building, hoping to see any way to get inside despite its condition.
Since the crumbled bricks blocked the main entrance, Joe dashed quickly to the back of the building where another entrance was located. He tried to ignore the flame as he tried to enter the destroyed door. A fiery plank dropped to the ground, just a few inches from Joe when he took a step inside the building. This is hopeless, he thought in dismay as he jumped back from the building.
"Frank! Dad!" he cried over and over. He had to save Frank and his father. But somewhere at the back of his mind told him no one could survive this explosion.
Joe dropped to his knees in despair, and slammed his fists to the ground, over and over until they were bruised, and raw. This couldn't be happening!
He took a deep breath for a moment, before burying his face into his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut – trying to shut out everything that was happening around him. Tell me this is just a dream. A horrible nightmare. Can someone please wake me up, now?
A hand suddenly fell on his right shoulder.
"I'm here, Joe," a familiar voice said comfortingly.
"Yeah, right," Joe mumbled in daze. Then he froze, as if he finally registered the voice to his brain. He stood up, and whirled around in shock. There, standing before him with black soot all over, a gash on one side of his face, and on his forearm, and a shaky smile on his face was his own father!
"Y-You're alive!" Joe gave him a fierce hug.
"Just barely," his father assured him, hugging back as he ruffled his son's hair.
"Are you all right?" Joe asked him, noticing the singed sleeves on his father's shirt, and the reddish skin on his arms. He had a feeling the explosion had been a very close call for his father.
"Just a mild burn, but otherwise I'm okay," he grimaced, suddenly looking drained.
"But what about Frank?" Joe asked anxiously.
"He's here, but he still unconscious. I think we need to get him to the hospital right away. The smoke had made his condition worse," Mr. Hardy told him grimly, as he brought Joe toward the edge of the wood – a safe distance away from the burning building.
Joe noticed Lucian was kneeling beside Frank, who was lying on the ground, tending the wound on his brother's head. Like his father, both of them were covered in black soot, with a few minor burns here and there.
"What are you doing here?" Joe asked the police detective in surprise.
"It's a long story," Lucian replied with a wan smile.
Frank was starting to wake up when Joe squatted beside him. His brother was mumbling something incoherently before opening his eyes.
"Frank, wake up," Joe urged, shaking him lightly. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you in the room."
Frank blinked his eyes several times before finally focusing on Joe. " 'S okay, Joe…Where've you…been?" He coughed and wheezed for a moment before struggling to sit up.
"It's a long story. Neil kidnapped me," Joe replied, trying not to show his fear. Frank did look worse than before.
Frank and his father exchanged uneasy glances, as Joe explained grimly about his abduction. No, not him, too. But he has better chances to live than I do, Frank told himself.
"Hey, don't look so worried," Joe said, trying to lighten the mood. He tried not to think about his end. He knew it would be a few hours from now when the symptoms would start showing.
Everyone was silent for a moment before Mr. Hardy spoke up. "We've got to move quick. Frank, I think we need to send you to the hospital," he said firmly.
"No, Dad, I'm going with you," Frank replied stubbornly. He shakily stood up from his position.
"Frank –"
"No."
"Do you know who did this?" Joe asked, deciding to change the subject, as he pointed to the destroyed building.
"We think it's Shane and Neil," Mr. Hardy replied. "But since Neil had kidnapped you at Inzell, then it has to be Shane. We were lucky when I saw a bomb in the foyer."
Joe looked shocked. "Why I just saw Shane at Inzell a few minutes ago! I'd thought it was odd when he looked as if he was having the time in his life while his resort is on fire. He told me he had a meeting in New York. What's going on here?" he asked curiously when he noticed their anxious expressions.
"We'd better get to the boat right away!" Mr. Hardy told them urgently. "We might have a chance to catch Shane."
All of them didn't talk further as they ran toward the dock, and jumped onto a boat. Lucian was behind the wheel, and started steering the boat toward Inzell.
"So, what did you find out?" Joe asked immediately when he was seated.
Frank and Mr. Hardy quickly explained what they had discovered. "We found out Shane Unterhauser's original name," Frank told him. "It's Kevin Shane Bianco."
"Bianco?" Joe sprang up from his seat in shock. He couldn't help wondering how many shocks he had for today. Then slowly calming down, he said, "I've read somewhere that Kurt Bianco's was divorced before he was arrested. The article mentioned about his wife and children. How come there's no other of Shane's siblings in this, too?" he asked. He wiped the side of his face from the water that was spraying from the side of the boat.
"Shane's mother died a few months after the divorce, and Shane was still in high school that time. Since no one is going to take care of the children, the three of them were separated during the adoption," Frank explained. "Shane is the eldest one. That's what we get from the adoption agency that Dad had called before the resort blew up."
"So, I guess the Unterhausers adopted him?" Joe said.
Frank nodded grimly. "It's easy to check – Unterhauser isn't a common name."
"But how did Neil find out about this?" Joe asked them.
"Because when Shane was appointed as the new chairman at Unterhauser Enterprise after the original owner died, it made quite a big headlines a few years ago. So, my guess that Nicholas Stein must have seen the news and recognized Shane immediately. Remember that Stein had been working for Bianco for ages, so he knows everything about the Biancos. And from his résumé, Neil immediately work at Unterhauser Enterprise a few days after Shane was appointed the chairman," Mr. Hardy explained. "Frank found that article. We were quite lucky when it mentioned about Shane being an adopted son of the late Mr. Unterhauser."
"And we've found out Unterhauser Enterprise has been buying all of the small companies that are residing on Bianco's old properties the past few months. We think Shane's restarting the business his father had unfinished. I don't understand why he's so fond of his real father," Lucian added with a frown. "Here, I even managed to save those résumés and the list of properties before we escaped." He pulled out a few pieces of papers from his jacket and handed it to Joe before turning back to the wheel.
"I was right all along when I thought you're just like Frank," Joe muttered under his breath as he read the papers.
Mr. Hardy went on. "Then I guess what happened next was when Shane and Neil met, they started planning their revenge. I should have seen it earlier when I'd thought Shane looked familiar."
"I guess he must have a lot of his mother's traits. It's a shame that Shane turned this way, he could have a brighter future," Joe commented thoughtfully. "He really did fool us all."
"He really did," Mr. Hardy agreed. "I guess the sabotaging that he claimed before must have been a bait to lure me to the island in the first place. Then you boys would be left behind at home."
"Then he must have been planning to send Neil to Bayport to finish us off," Frank ended. "But he did got us either way. Isn't revenge sweet?" He looked grim when he said the last words.
Joe and Mr. Hardy didn't comment. They knew the inevitability of the situation ahead of them - coming closer and closer each seconds.
"We're here!" Lucian announced as he steered the boat toward the dock at Inzell Island. As soon as he killed off the engine, the Hardys were already jumping out of the boat.
"We have to get to the other side of the island," Mr. Hardy said. "Do you know what time the ferry leaves the dock?"
"Every half an hour," Lucian answered quickly as he glanced at his watch. "It's about to leave five minutes from now!"
Without wasting time, the four of them left the dock. They were fortunate when they spotted a waiting taxi at the side road. All of them dived into the car, taking the cabdriver by surprise. He reacted as if he was facing a gang of outlaws.
"Inzell Main Harbor now!" Mr. Hardy ordered.
The cabdriver didn't need to be told twice. With trembling hands he started his car and pulled out to the main road with screeching tires. During the ride, Lucian called the backups from his cell phone, and ordered them to go to the main dock and searched the place for Neil Sterling and Shane Unterhauser before apprehending them.
The taxi arrived at the station about five minutes later. Unconsciously, the four of them tossed a wad of bills to the cabdriver before dashing into the building. The cabdriver could only hung his mouth open at his sudden fortune.
The waiting area was full of crowd. Some was walking to and fro from one side to the other. The others were either standing and talking, or waiting impatiently for the next arrival. Some even gawked at the foursome, who looked as if they were some swamp monsters.
"We're too late! The ferry has just left," Frank said in disgust, slamming his right fist against the palm of his left hand. His head was starting to pound painfully.
"Call the cops in Brooklyn. I think I know where they're heading," Mr. Hardy told Lucian.
Lucian nodded and flipped his cell phone open. He was about to dial when someone came over to them.
"Jane, what are you doing here?" Joe asked in surprise. She was carrying a backpack behind her.
"I just came back from New York," she replied. "What about you?" she asked.
"We're looking for Neil and Shane," Joe said. "Looks like we're too late. The ferry's already moving."
Jane looked puzzled. "I thought I just saw them here a minute ago," she said. "I might have been wrong then."
"What did you say?" Frank turned sharply to her.
Jane repeated what she had said, suddenly looking nervous by their anxious stares.
"Where did they go?" Lucian asked her, slipping his cell phone into his pocket.
She quickly pointed to the left side of the building.
"They're trying to trick us!" Joe exclaimed. "They knew we were coming, and decided to hide here while we would be on our way to New York."
"Thanks, Jane!" Lucian said gratefully before surprising her with a kiss that left her speechless. "Oh, by the way, don't go back to Verin Island!" he added before leaving.
The four of them sprinted through the crowd and headed to the exit, on the left side of the room. Joe caught sight of Shane and Neil ahead of them. The two men were just exiting through the door.
"They went outside!" Joe shouted and ran as fast as he could. He skidded to a halt when he reached the exit door. His left side led to a dock for smaller boats, on his right was the parking lot, and a few feet in front of him was a small boathouse. A couple of men were running toward the boathouse. One of them was carrying a gym bag. The two men stopped in front of the boathouse. Then Shane shoved the gym bag toward Neil before he yanked the door open with his two hands.
"I'll get Shane," Frank said immediately, when he stood next to Joe.
Joe nodded, and sprinted to ahead. He dashed after Neil. The two men were startled when they caught sight of the four men.
That was the moment Joe needed as he hurled himself toward Neil, sending both of them to the ground. They rolled and struggled on the ground. The gym bag dropped next to them, spilling its contents to the concrete ground. Joe's eyes widened when he saw a detonator, and plastic explosives rolling out of the bag. He had a feeling those things were used on the resort.
Neil shot out his fist toward Joe, right across his face. Joe evaded, but not quick enough. Although the punch grazed slightly against his temple, it almost made him see stars.
Joe returned by slamming his fist right toward Neil's midsection. The man grunted. As suddenly as it came, Neil whipped out his deadly looking dagger. Joe didn't have time to wonder where Neil had hidden his vintage dagger, when Neil lunged it toward Joe.
Joe had to use both of his hands to stop Neil's big hand from plunging the dagger into his shoulder. With a snarl, the big man lashed out his leg toward Joe's and pinned him to the ground. Joe gritted his teeth, feeling the air rushing out of his lungs as Neil pressed his large forearm against Joe's neck. The man was suffocating him!
"No more slow death for you, Hardy!" Neil moved the dagger closer toward Joe's face and started to plunge the dagger toward Joe.
"Hold it right there, Sterling!" Lucian's sudden interruption caught Neil by surprise. The police detective trained a gun at him. By this time, a few police officers were already in the area, preparing to arrest Neil and Shane anytime.
It was what Joe needed as he pushed Neil away and flipped him over to the ground. He tried to pin the man down, and at the same time, struggling to get the dagger away from him. Joe threw another punch, and Neil's grip around the dagger loosened by the impact. Joe grabbed the dagger and threw it away, accidentally slicing Neil's forearm.
Neil's eyes widened when he watched the blood on his arm. For the first time Joe watched his face turned to white horror.
"You have the blade covered with poison, didn't you?" Joe suddenly realized. He tried to hide his shudder from his close call. He wouldn't want the poison inside him again.
"Get away from me!" Neil threw Joe off easily almost knocking him into Lucian.
But Joe landed on the ground while Neil scrambled up to his feet. Lucian tried to seize Neil, but the man was too strong for both of them. The man delivered a swift blow toward Lucian, sending him toppling over Joe.
Neil took the opportunity to run away from them, back to the boathouse. Joe had a feeling he was doing something.
"Wait," Joe told Lucian firmly, when he started to approach Neil. Joe grabbed man and tackled the man to the ground. He got Neil pinned down again.
"No!" Neil shouted as something glinting dropped away from him. His hand frantically tried to reach it as it slowly rolled away from him.
With swift reflexes, Joe caught it. It was Neil's ring, the one that he had seen near the crime scene, and before he was knocked out. He stood up, and looked down at Neil curiously.
"Give me that!" Neil demanded angrily, getting up.
Something clicked in Joe's brain. He knew where he had seen this ring before – the liquid-like thingy beneath the surface of the ring. "Why didn't I think of it before?" Joe smacked his head when he realized what it was. Without saying another word, he left, and sprinted to where Frank was. Lucian quickly caught Neil before the man tried to get Joe.
Frank was unconscious next to the boathouse when Joe reached him. His father was still struggling with Shane, but from the looks of it, Mr. Hardy had the upper hand.
"Dad! Get his ring!" Joe shouted as his father finally punched the lights out on Shane's bruised face.
His father looked at Joe in puzzlement, but he didn't say anything and pulled a ring off Shane's finger.
"What happened to Frank?" Joe kneeled down beside his brother, as his father reached his side.
"We've got to get him to the hospital! He suddenly collapsed while he was fighting Shane, and he was clutching at his heart. I think his time…is almost up," Mr. Hardy urged, feeling a lump in his throat. "Here's the ring, I don't know why you want it though."
"Dad, it's the antidote! I just hope we're not too late though."
***
"Any news from Dr. Nilson, yet?" Joe Hardy asked his father for the umpteenth time. He kept pacing around the waiting area of the hospital. He had been here for hours.
"No," Mr. Hardy said wearily. He was sitting down as he rubbed his bandaged arms.
"Why does it take so long for Frank?" Joe couldn't help asking.
Mr. Hardy didn't reply. He, too, was worried if it was already too late to save Frank.
They didn't have time to analyze the antidote as soon as they rushed Frank to the hospital. When they explained the situation to Dr. Nilson, he immediately attended Frank. He couldn't guarantee if the antidote would react immediately to the poison.
Joe and Neil had been treated with the antidote from Shane's ring, even though Neil refused to admit his knowledge. The doctor had it analyzed immediately after administering it on Frank. He had assured the Hardys the liquid compound neutralized the poison, thus making the poison harmless. But the process took about one to two hours for the poison to become ineffective completely. Joe was relieved when he heard the good news. He would be even happier if the same thing happened to Frank, too.
A sound from the PA system suddenly blared asking immediate attention to room 26. "Dr. Nilson, please attend. Stat," the announcement ended.
"Room 26? That's Frank's room!" Joe exclaimed worriedly. "Something's wrong with him!"