The List
Chapter Three
Joe chased after the child but by the time he had reached the other end of the alley, she was nowhere to be found. So he went back to the trash can and picked up the pills, dropping them into the medicine bottle which had no label, and putting the lid on. He put the bottle in his pocket and hurried back to where Vanessa was waiting.
"What are you going to do about Joe?" Callie asked as Frank pulled to a stop in front of her house.
"I don't know," Frank admitted. "I'm still having a hard time accepting it." He looked over at her and pushed a strand of blond hair from her face. "I am going to talk to mom and dad though," he added with certainity.
Callie leaned over and kissed Frank. "Joe's not going to do anything stupid," she told him. "Try not to worry too much?" she asked, lifting her eyes in question.
Frank smiled then got out of the van and walked around to help Callie out. he walked her to the door, kissed her goodnight, then went back to the van. He arrived home and went into the living room where his parents were watching the evening news. "Where's Joe?" he asked, not seeing him.
"He said he had to look up something online and had a ton of homework to do," answered his blond, petite mother, Laura Hardy.
"What's wrong?" asked his father, Fenton Hardy. A former member of the New York City Police Department who had resigned to become a private investigator, he was now considered the foremost authority in his field. Just looking at his eldest son's face sent a little warning signal to his brain.
Frank looked into the eyes of the man who's looks could be his own in twenty-five years. "Did Joe tell you about his new class?" Frank asked.
"No," Mr. Hardy answered. "He was in too much of a hurry to get upstairs."
Frank told them about the Creative Expression class, the conversation he had overheard, and about the chapter on suicide he had read in the library.
"That's ridiculous," Mrs. Hardy asserted. "Your brother would never do such a thing."
"Easy, Laura," Mr. hardy tried to calm his wife. "I think the first thing we should do is talk with the new counselor. What did you say her name was?" he asked Frank.
"Patricia Merriweather," Frank informed him. "What about Joe?"
"Until we know for sure what's going on with him, try to stay close and get him to talk to you," advised Mr. Hardy.
"That's never been a problem," Frank replied. "Which is why this is so hard to accept."
Frank went upstairs into his room. Joe must have just finished witht he computer because he could be heard moving around in his own room. Frank sat down at his desk, staring att he monitor. He debated about checking to see what Joe had been doing. He didn't like the idea of spying on his litttle brother, but if it might save his life, he would do so.
Frank connected to the net and clicked on the history icon. Soon, Frank was staring in horror at a web page discussing the side effects of valium. "Why was Joe looking up this stuff?" he asked himself in a quiet voice as he logged off. He went through the bathroom which connected his room to Joe's and rapped gently on the door.
"Come in," Joe called, not looking up from the book he was reading.
"Hey, baby brother," Frank said, coming in and sitting down on the bed beside Joe. "What are you reading?" he asked.
Joe lowered the book and shot Frank a sour face. "History," Joe told him. "Kramden wants us to have the first chapter read so we can discuss it in class tomorrow. Then I've got two pages of problems in Algebra and some more to read for chemistry. Why did they have to take my study hall?" he groaned, lifting the book and starting to read again.
"Need some help?" offered Frank.
"On the first day of school?" Joe demanded in surprise. "If I need help today, I might as well not go back tomorrow!"
Frank laughed at Joe's mock outrage. "Want to play some chess?" he asked, trying to get Joe to talk to him.
"Is something the matter?" Joe asked, laying his book down and looking at Frank in concern. "Did you and Callie have a fight?"
"No," Frank replied, shocked Joe would think that. "Nothing's wrong," he asserted. "I just wondered if you wanted to play some chess."
"Before I finish my homework?" Joe asked, staring Frank in the eyes.
Frank gave an uncomfortable shrug. "I thought you might want a break," he said.
"After dinner, okay?" Joe asked, still concerned over Frank's odd behaviour.
"Yeah, sure," Frank said, standing up. "I guess I'll go check my e-mail."
"No homework?" Joe asked with the lift of an eyebrow.
"Just the bio I finished while you were babysitting," Frank answered. He looked at Joe questioningly. "You never did tell me who Annabell's mom is."
"I can't," Joe told him. "I promised."
Frank bit his bottom lip, the way he always did when he was frustrated, and nodded. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready," he promised, then returned to his own room, wishing he had been home when the mother had picked Annabell up.
Dinner proved to be a strained affair. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy and Frank kept trying to get Joe to talk about himself or his class, but Joe kept steering the conversation back to baseball. After dinner wa sover, the boys retreated to the living room to play chess. Frank was just finishing setting up the board when the phone rang.
"I'll get it," Frank offered, seeing Joe had a few men left to place on the board. "Hello?" he answered.
"Is Joe there?" a girl's haggard voice asked.
"Who shall I say is calling?" Frank inquired.
"A...a friend," the girl responded above the wail of a baby.
"Annabell's mom?" Frank asked.
"Yes," she admitted. "Can I speak to Joe, please?"
Frank frowned but held the phone out to Joe. "It's for you," he said.
Joe came over and took the phone. He stared pointedly at his brother who had refused to move. "Fine," Frank said, and went into the kitchen.
"Who was on the phone?" Mr. Hardy asked as Frank sat down at the table and rested his elbow there, putting his chin in his hand.
"Someone for Joe," Frank mumbled, not really paying attention as his parents exchaged questioning looks.
"I've got to go," Joe said, coming into the kitchen. "I'll be back soon," he promised.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Hardy asked.
"To a friend's," Joe answered, going to the door and opening it.
"Who?" Mr. Hardy demanded as Joe started outside.
"I can't say," Joe replied, turning around to face his parents. "But she needs my help."
"Can I come?" Frank asked, standing up.
"No," Joe told him with a stern look, then looked back at his parents. "Please?" he begged.
"All right," Mrs. Hardy agreed. "Call if you are going to be later than eleven," she instructed.
"I will," Joe promised, smiling gratefully at her. "Uh, can I borrow your car?" he asked.
"What's wrong with the van?" Frank demanded.
"Nothing," Joe replied. "But I would prefer to use mom's car this time."
"Sure, honey," she agreed. Joe thanked her and left the house.
Joe drove over to Valerie's and hurried to the door. "I'm so glad you're here," Valerie said as she invited him inside.
"Where are your parents?" Joe asked.
"It's their anniversary and they flew to Boston to celebrate," she explained. "They won't be back for two days."
Valerie walked over and picked Annabell up. "She's running a fever and I can't get her to stop crying," she told Joe, her eyes filling with tears.
"Where's her car seat?" Joe asked. "I borrowed my mom's car," he added. "It will be easier to get the seat in and out."
Valerie smiled at Joe's thoughfullness then told him where to find the seat. While he went to get it and put it in the car, she gathered up supplies for Annabell's diaper bag. Soon, Joe returned and took Annabell and put her in the car seat. Then he helped Valerie into the car before getting behind the wheel. A few minutes later, they arrived at the emergency room.
After an hour's wait, Valerie took Annabell into the back with the doctor while Joe remained in the waiting room. He had been there, alone, for less than fifteen minutes when Vanessa came in with her mother, who was leaning heavily on Vanessa.
Joe jumped up and ran over to help with Mrs. Bender. "What happened?" he asked in concern.
"I was putting some bottles on the top shelf in the kitchen and missed my footing on the step stool coming down," Mrs. Bender told him. "I ended up twisting my ankle."
While she had been speaking, a nurse came out with a wheelchair. Joe and Vanessa helped Mrs. Bender into it and the nurse wheeled her back to x-ray while Vanessa took the cilpboard and began filling out the information.
When she had finished, she returned the board to the nurse at the desk and sat down beside Joe. "What are you doing here?" she asked Joe as anoather nurse entered the room. "Is Frank okay?"
"Sir," the nurse came up to Joe befroe he could reply. "Your wife has fainted and your daughter won't quit crying. Could you please come with me?" she inquired.
Joe looked over at Vanessa, cringing as he expected her tear into him. "You had better go," she said quietly, then got up and walked away from him, not wanting him to see the tears which had started to fall.
Chapter Three
Joe chased after the child but by the time he had reached the other end of the alley, she was nowhere to be found. So he went back to the trash can and picked up the pills, dropping them into the medicine bottle which had no label, and putting the lid on. He put the bottle in his pocket and hurried back to where Vanessa was waiting.
"What are you going to do about Joe?" Callie asked as Frank pulled to a stop in front of her house.
"I don't know," Frank admitted. "I'm still having a hard time accepting it." He looked over at her and pushed a strand of blond hair from her face. "I am going to talk to mom and dad though," he added with certainity.
Callie leaned over and kissed Frank. "Joe's not going to do anything stupid," she told him. "Try not to worry too much?" she asked, lifting her eyes in question.
Frank smiled then got out of the van and walked around to help Callie out. he walked her to the door, kissed her goodnight, then went back to the van. He arrived home and went into the living room where his parents were watching the evening news. "Where's Joe?" he asked, not seeing him.
"He said he had to look up something online and had a ton of homework to do," answered his blond, petite mother, Laura Hardy.
"What's wrong?" asked his father, Fenton Hardy. A former member of the New York City Police Department who had resigned to become a private investigator, he was now considered the foremost authority in his field. Just looking at his eldest son's face sent a little warning signal to his brain.
Frank looked into the eyes of the man who's looks could be his own in twenty-five years. "Did Joe tell you about his new class?" Frank asked.
"No," Mr. Hardy answered. "He was in too much of a hurry to get upstairs."
Frank told them about the Creative Expression class, the conversation he had overheard, and about the chapter on suicide he had read in the library.
"That's ridiculous," Mrs. Hardy asserted. "Your brother would never do such a thing."
"Easy, Laura," Mr. hardy tried to calm his wife. "I think the first thing we should do is talk with the new counselor. What did you say her name was?" he asked Frank.
"Patricia Merriweather," Frank informed him. "What about Joe?"
"Until we know for sure what's going on with him, try to stay close and get him to talk to you," advised Mr. Hardy.
"That's never been a problem," Frank replied. "Which is why this is so hard to accept."
Frank went upstairs into his room. Joe must have just finished witht he computer because he could be heard moving around in his own room. Frank sat down at his desk, staring att he monitor. He debated about checking to see what Joe had been doing. He didn't like the idea of spying on his litttle brother, but if it might save his life, he would do so.
Frank connected to the net and clicked on the history icon. Soon, Frank was staring in horror at a web page discussing the side effects of valium. "Why was Joe looking up this stuff?" he asked himself in a quiet voice as he logged off. He went through the bathroom which connected his room to Joe's and rapped gently on the door.
"Come in," Joe called, not looking up from the book he was reading.
"Hey, baby brother," Frank said, coming in and sitting down on the bed beside Joe. "What are you reading?" he asked.
Joe lowered the book and shot Frank a sour face. "History," Joe told him. "Kramden wants us to have the first chapter read so we can discuss it in class tomorrow. Then I've got two pages of problems in Algebra and some more to read for chemistry. Why did they have to take my study hall?" he groaned, lifting the book and starting to read again.
"Need some help?" offered Frank.
"On the first day of school?" Joe demanded in surprise. "If I need help today, I might as well not go back tomorrow!"
Frank laughed at Joe's mock outrage. "Want to play some chess?" he asked, trying to get Joe to talk to him.
"Is something the matter?" Joe asked, laying his book down and looking at Frank in concern. "Did you and Callie have a fight?"
"No," Frank replied, shocked Joe would think that. "Nothing's wrong," he asserted. "I just wondered if you wanted to play some chess."
"Before I finish my homework?" Joe asked, staring Frank in the eyes.
Frank gave an uncomfortable shrug. "I thought you might want a break," he said.
"After dinner, okay?" Joe asked, still concerned over Frank's odd behaviour.
"Yeah, sure," Frank said, standing up. "I guess I'll go check my e-mail."
"No homework?" Joe asked with the lift of an eyebrow.
"Just the bio I finished while you were babysitting," Frank answered. He looked at Joe questioningly. "You never did tell me who Annabell's mom is."
"I can't," Joe told him. "I promised."
Frank bit his bottom lip, the way he always did when he was frustrated, and nodded. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready," he promised, then returned to his own room, wishing he had been home when the mother had picked Annabell up.
Dinner proved to be a strained affair. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy and Frank kept trying to get Joe to talk about himself or his class, but Joe kept steering the conversation back to baseball. After dinner wa sover, the boys retreated to the living room to play chess. Frank was just finishing setting up the board when the phone rang.
"I'll get it," Frank offered, seeing Joe had a few men left to place on the board. "Hello?" he answered.
"Is Joe there?" a girl's haggard voice asked.
"Who shall I say is calling?" Frank inquired.
"A...a friend," the girl responded above the wail of a baby.
"Annabell's mom?" Frank asked.
"Yes," she admitted. "Can I speak to Joe, please?"
Frank frowned but held the phone out to Joe. "It's for you," he said.
Joe came over and took the phone. He stared pointedly at his brother who had refused to move. "Fine," Frank said, and went into the kitchen.
"Who was on the phone?" Mr. Hardy asked as Frank sat down at the table and rested his elbow there, putting his chin in his hand.
"Someone for Joe," Frank mumbled, not really paying attention as his parents exchaged questioning looks.
"I've got to go," Joe said, coming into the kitchen. "I'll be back soon," he promised.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Hardy asked.
"To a friend's," Joe answered, going to the door and opening it.
"Who?" Mr. Hardy demanded as Joe started outside.
"I can't say," Joe replied, turning around to face his parents. "But she needs my help."
"Can I come?" Frank asked, standing up.
"No," Joe told him with a stern look, then looked back at his parents. "Please?" he begged.
"All right," Mrs. Hardy agreed. "Call if you are going to be later than eleven," she instructed.
"I will," Joe promised, smiling gratefully at her. "Uh, can I borrow your car?" he asked.
"What's wrong with the van?" Frank demanded.
"Nothing," Joe replied. "But I would prefer to use mom's car this time."
"Sure, honey," she agreed. Joe thanked her and left the house.
Joe drove over to Valerie's and hurried to the door. "I'm so glad you're here," Valerie said as she invited him inside.
"Where are your parents?" Joe asked.
"It's their anniversary and they flew to Boston to celebrate," she explained. "They won't be back for two days."
Valerie walked over and picked Annabell up. "She's running a fever and I can't get her to stop crying," she told Joe, her eyes filling with tears.
"Where's her car seat?" Joe asked. "I borrowed my mom's car," he added. "It will be easier to get the seat in and out."
Valerie smiled at Joe's thoughfullness then told him where to find the seat. While he went to get it and put it in the car, she gathered up supplies for Annabell's diaper bag. Soon, Joe returned and took Annabell and put her in the car seat. Then he helped Valerie into the car before getting behind the wheel. A few minutes later, they arrived at the emergency room.
After an hour's wait, Valerie took Annabell into the back with the doctor while Joe remained in the waiting room. He had been there, alone, for less than fifteen minutes when Vanessa came in with her mother, who was leaning heavily on Vanessa.
Joe jumped up and ran over to help with Mrs. Bender. "What happened?" he asked in concern.
"I was putting some bottles on the top shelf in the kitchen and missed my footing on the step stool coming down," Mrs. Bender told him. "I ended up twisting my ankle."
While she had been speaking, a nurse came out with a wheelchair. Joe and Vanessa helped Mrs. Bender into it and the nurse wheeled her back to x-ray while Vanessa took the cilpboard and began filling out the information.
When she had finished, she returned the board to the nurse at the desk and sat down beside Joe. "What are you doing here?" she asked Joe as anoather nurse entered the room. "Is Frank okay?"
"Sir," the nurse came up to Joe befroe he could reply. "Your wife has fainted and your daughter won't quit crying. Could you please come with me?" she inquired.
Joe looked over at Vanessa, cringing as he expected her tear into him. "You had better go," she said quietly, then got up and walked away from him, not wanting him to see the tears which had started to fall.