Chapter Four
Itsmeocean@hotmail.com
Homecoming
"Were you in Toy'r'us or anywhere else inside Bayport Mall or near when the crime occurred?" Con's raspy voice was becoming increasingly grating to his ears. Joe shook his head.
"No."
"Alibis?"
"Haven't you heard my father? He said I was with Frank the entire time. And then I fell asleep at home until just then and missed my dinner. My dad and mom can testify to that. Can I go now?"
"Joe, you know we have to do this."
"You have nothing on me! When is being a loving father who wants to see his daughter a suspicious motive? Isn't that what fathers feel all the time if they love their children?" Joe jumped up angrily. Con promised it would be fast but Joe was trapped there for the longest time. With each passing minute, the chances of finding Hallie grew slimmer. Surely the police had to know!
Unless they thought it was really him.
"Please co-operate… I…"
"You're just doing your job as a policeman but you're hampering me now from doing my job as a father- and that's to find my daughter!"
***
Joe returned back to his parent's home after the police cleared him. He was nowhere Bayport Mall and had tons of alibis. With slouching shoulders, he dragged his tired feet from the Lexus to the door. Frank received a call from Fenton about Hallie's disappearance when he was at the airport with Chet, retrieving his Lexus which Callie had parked there after driving her boss from the neighboring town of Port City to Bayport's local airport.
Frank had gone to the station to fetch him and while he was grateful for the gesture, he could not find the energy to express his gratitude.
"Don't worry, all right? Hallie will be fine."
He nodded and waited for Frank to unlock the front door. He was about to doze off on his feet when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Rummaging for the phone, he wondered why he even bothered to answer it when it could only be that one person who would call him.
"Hello."
"Joe Hardy. You have overstepped the line." Elle's curt, crispy voice greeted him in unfriendly staccatos. "You took my Land Rover…"
"Our Land Rover."
"All right. Our Land Rover. Half of it is still mine."
"I'll mail your half to you tomorrow after I saw it in two."
"I will hold you to that. I want the side with the steering wheel." Elle shot back characteristically brusquely. Despite his troubles, Joe burst out laughing and Elle, infected by his laughter, cracked up as well but hers was more of a short, low chuckle. Frank arched his brows before shaking his head, probably knowing how crazy Joe could be and how his actions sometimes do not correspond to his emotions.
"Where are you, partner?"
"In Bayport."
"I still can't believe that you split on me just because I cleaned up your apartment. It was positively breeding all sorts of destructive viruses inside and I explained- I was only looking for a file that you misplaced."
"I know… Elle… I can't go into this debate now. I… I have very urgent matters to look into." Joe waved Frank on. "I'm going to disconnect the call now, all right?"
"You sound funny. Don't say there's nothing wrong with you. Out with it. Have you been drinking again?"
"No… really… I…" Joe took a deep breath before he could translate the facts into spoken words. "My daughter's kidnapped. Seemed like her mother brought her back to Bayport to visit her grandmother. So you see, I really need to go. Bye." Joe disconnected the call and pushed open the front door. Frank was waiting for him at the foot of the redwood staircase and Laura immediately embraced him to try and soothe his anxiety.
"Honey… your dad and brother are looking into it…"
"So am I, mom. I'm a PI too, remember?" Joe reminded her carelessly and pulled away from the hug that did nothing to smooth the frays. He turned to his brother. "What did my ex-wife say this time?"
"Joe…" Frank drawled. "I know you're anxious, so are we and Vanessa's freaking out. Hallie's part of her as much as Hallie's part you."
"Yah. Right. This is all her ploy to get me out of her life so she and Greg Bunnycrap can be all at ease keeping Hallie to themselves. No matter what she does, she won't be rid of me! I'm Hallie's dad! Not daddy Greg!"
"Why don't you tell them what you did, Joe?" Vanessa's quiet voice gave him quite a shock. He spun on his heels and saw her at the middle stairs landing, her ashen face almost the color of her ash blond hair. Fenton appeared behind her and laid a calming hand on her shoulders.
"Great! Now you have my father on your side too! Just dandy!"
"What did I say earlier on, Joe?" Fenton warned him.
"She shouted first! Witch! I won't be out of Hallie's life! Get that? Not over my dead body! Or maybe you're just dying to see my dead body in front of you!"
"You're still the insecure, paranoid freak who thinks everyone's out to get you! Out to betray your trust!" Vanessa countered harshly. "Hallie's missing and even if it's not you, how can you think I would rig up something like that to keep you away?"
"You were the one who got the damn restraining order! I had to see Hallie supervised! How do you think I feel?!" Joe could feel his rage bubbling up his chest and his head about to explode. He threw his hands up in the air. "I didn't even do anything!"
Laura and Frank could only stand there at the foyer, helplessly watching as the two of them exchanged verbal blows bitterly. The long-standing anger between Vanessa and him had only simmered hotter and hotter with each passing year and now, his family was feeling the terrible power that had crumbled down the walls of their relationship.
"Believe what you will, Joe. I'm sorry Fenton, Laura, that you have to witness this. It's my fault as much as his…" Vanessa calmed down first and turned around to face Fenton who appeared to be too sick of their tirades to interfere. "If you need anything, you know where to find me. Thanks for all your help… please… find Hallie…" Vanessa implored Fenton's whose softened brown eyes only told Joe that somehow, when he was in the police station, Vanessa had fed his father with all her lies and convinced him that their divorce was his entire fault. With as much dignity as she could, she climbed down the stairs and sauntered pass Joe out of the door. Joe, momentarily paralyzed by his anger, broke out of his trance and thundered towards the door. He threw it open and seethed at her retreating figure stepping into a black Porsche that must have just arrived because he did not notice it when Frank and he drove into the driveway.
"I didn't do anything to deserve that order! You took her away from me! You're the paranoid one! Hey! Don't ignore me! You're always ignoring me!!" Joe shouted until his voice was hoarse. Frank had to drag him kicking and red-faced away from the door before slamming it shut.
"What's that about? What restraining order?" Frank demanded. Joe pointed at the door vigorously.
"Ask her! I'm a menace and a danger to her and Hallie! I did nothing but love her the best I could! I did nothing but slog my ass off so she could have a normal life at least! I put her through high school and paid for all the bills! Now, when she's having a high-flying career and re-married to a wonderful, rich, distinguished husband, I'm suddenly a menace! ARGHH!" Joe pummeled his fist into the shoe cabinet and splintered the wood. Laura, who was about to calm him down before his final act of violence, backed away abruptly. Joe imagined a monster which represented his anger in front of him and as a grand finale, he imagined himself chewing off its head, swallowing it down, condemning it to corrode in his acidic bile.
Or to become a part of me?
"Joe…" Fenton's voice sternly perforated into his ears. "I want you to calm down now."
"I am calmed down." Joe scrounged his eyes. "I'm so sorry. But she gets to me all the time. All the time." He whispered. Feeling someone gently touching his shoulders, he turned around, grateful for the show of forgiveness. After such a long period of repressing, his tears finally spilled over, soaking his father's shirt.
"I screwed up. I'm sorry. That's why I came home because I have no where else to go. I know it's selfish of me but don't chase me out. Please don't chase me out."
"We won't. I said you're my son. Even if you have dozen children all grown up, even if you become a grandfather or a great-grandfather, you'll always be my son."
***
"Is he asleep?" Fenton peered at Frank from under his reading glasses. Whenever Fenton did that, Frank had the sinking revelation that his father was really getting older and one day, Fenton may not be there anymore behind his massive, mahogany desk listening to Frank groused about life in general. Close as Frank was to Joe, only Fenton had the wisdom and wiles to deal with situations like the tempest that entered their house just now- a tempest that let them all catch yet another glimpse into Joe's brief but definitely traumatic marriage to Vanessa. Now Frank understood the old adage, "Love's not everything."
But at that time, that was the best they could do. They just did not have the guidance to see it through. They refused the guidance.
"Mom made him take a Valium. So, how's the case coming along?"
"You have anything right now in your portfolio?" Fenton asked, scrutinizing the notes he made from what Vanessa told him.
"Nothing at all." Frank answered immediately, neglecting to tell his dad about the case that a securities' firm had employed him for at high prices which he called to decline right after Fenton phoned to inform him about Hallie's disappearance.
"Good. I never have to worry about you." Fenton's crinkled eyes glinted with the old shrewdness. Frank smiled grimly in reply- so, his dad knew after all. "Here's what Vanessa told me. She and Hallie arrived in Bayport yesterday night and she did not inform anyone because it was only to be a short stay and she didn't want Hallie to grow too attach to us, like how Hallie did the previous times she brought Hallie over. I'm not feeling good about that but I can understand her dilemma. They stayed with Andrea and today, she brought Hallie to the mall to buy Hallie some story books."
"More story books? Those I sent over last Christmas' were not enough? Geez… I wonder where the little brat got the reading gene from." Frank suppressed the anxiety he had inside. Though Joe knew about Hallie's week-long stay with the Hardys each year, he did not comment on it. Before, Frank always had the wild hope that when Hallie was with Fenton and Laura, Joe would somehow learn of it and show his face. He had no doubt Fenton and Laura, who genuinely loved having Hallie around, felt the same way too. But it never happened and Frank did not want to offer any reasons for Joe. He was not Joe though he could guess that pride and the sense of being a failure had a lot to do with Joe prolonged stay away from home.
"Definitely not Joe." Fenton spoke dryly. "She bumped into Tony around four and knew about Joe's return…"
"Four… Tony must have left for the mall immediately after we finished waxing the car."
"At five, they went into Toys'r'us and that was when the show started. Vanessa felt guilty because Hallie was still crestfallen and when she wanted to bring Joe over, Hallie ran away from her into the crowd, shouting for her daddy."
"Daddy and not daddy Greg?"
"Yup. Daddy. Vanessa was sure. I asked her about it too. Besides, Greg's in the committee of an economics convention this weekend. There was no way he could tear himself from his duties though I think he came over to check on Vanessa."
"He better or Vanessa would have chosen the wrong guy." Frank commented dryly. "Restraining order. Joe's harmless."
"He is. But the more often he loses that temper of his, the more things he will lose. Vanessa felt scared and I want her to be wrong. Nonetheless, I have seen just now that she has every reason to be frightened although we can understand that Joe has his own issues which led to his mini-explosions. What can I say that I haven't said before? They were both too young..."
"And what could they have done, dad?" Frank interjected. "They cannot abort the child! And how can they give it up after fighting so hard for it against their own fears and insecurities?"
"I know. Hallie's a blessing, despite all they have been through. They could have stayed, let our tempers melt. Andrea was just being protective of Vanessa- those were actions done in haste. She regretted it soon after. If they had gotten married here or if Joe could have swallowed his pride and come home once Vanessa had given birth, they could have benefited from our support."
"I'm sorry, dad. That night will forever remain like a splinter in the eye to my memories. You're saying all these because we have the perfect vision of hindsight. But we're not living the life. Joe is. Maybe there's more to it but I think…" Frank shook his head. "Who am I kidding? I am thinking the same things as you are. I don't know… I'm contradicting myself, huh?"
"Nope. You're just been open enough to be able to look at issues from many other angles though I feel you're too doting on your kid brother." Fenton wagged a cautionary finger at Frank. "Do not interfere with how I discipline my children."
Frank laughed lightly at the old joke between the both of them. Whenever Fenton punished Joe by grounding him before, Frank would sneak snacks and videogames up for his restless brother. And hence Fenton, as sharp as an eagle, would always whack Frank on the head whenever he caught Frank in one of his clandestine operation and then let him off with that stern warning. When Frank realized that Fenton was disciplining Joe's wild, rebellious spirit for his own good, he stopped siding with his brother all the time unless he strongly felt that Fenton was wrong.
Which was almost never. Fenton, more than anything, was as fair a father as he was merciful.
"Don't get me wrong. I love Joe as much as I love you and no matter what, I will always stand by him but it's not the same as defending him all the time. I won't shield him with excuses when he's obviously in some wrong. Shielding Joe from his mistakes is not going to help him. He has an anger problem and he is dealing with it. Hallie's disappearance and Vanessa's sudden appearance must have pushed him over the edge again…"
"But he calmed down by himself." Frank pointed out.
"I was about to say that!" Fenton countered back. They chuckled lowly. Fenton readjusted his glasses and went back to the notes.
"There's no way Joe could have went to the mall- he was all zonked out at home. I was thinking- could it be someone who wanted to frame Joe? But from the cases that Joe said he solved with his partner, none seemed serious enough for the perpetrator to want to take revenge like this."
"Maybe Joe did not tell us everything?" Frank ventured, "As usual?"
Fenton exhaled heavily and the air was suddenly pregnant with the sense of helplessness. "I can't say. I…" He rubbed his graying temples. "It's always tougher when the case evolves around those that you hold dear. I'll give anything for Hallie to come back now."
Frank nodded and motioned over to the crib notes. "Dad, get some rest. I'll take over from here… for now."
"You're right. I'm exhausted. Take them, Frank, and see if you spot anything my failing eyes cannot. But don't tire yourself out as well. We're not helping Joe if we fall sick in the middle of this case."
"Roger, dad." He pocketed the crib notes and glanced at the clock. "It's still considered early for me. I'll see what I can do."
"The energy of youths..."
"Nope. It's called the magic of coffee." Frank grinned but it faded away as quickly as it showed when thoughts of little Hallie in danger caused the adrenaline that only fear could induce to course through his veins again.
