The List
Chapter Thirteen
Mr. Wissel rushed forward and grabbed his son's waist, holding him up until Frank could loosen the noose.
When Frank removed the noose, Aaron fell over onto his dad's shoulder. Frank helped Mr. Wissel put Aaron on the bed and untied his hands while Mr. Wissel removed the gag.
"He was going to kill me," Aaron said in shock. "He said he was going to untie me and take the gag out after I was dead and no one would know I had been murdered." Aaron looked at Frank, noticing him for the first time. "What are you doing here?"
"Joe and I..." Frank began but broke off, as he realized Joe must have gone after the killer. "I'll be back," he promised. "Call the police," he added, taking off at a run.
Joe had reached the side of the house in time to see the masked intruder jump from the window sill to the ground. He turned, saw Joe, and reached into the waist of his pants where Joe saw the end of a gun protruding.
A loud crash came from the room inside and the killer seemed to change his mind. He turned and fled with Joe in hot pursuit. Joe chased him down the street to where he jumped on a motorcycle and took off. Joe shook his head in disgust and headed back. He met Frank at the corner and the two of them returned to the Wissels.
"What's going on?" Mr. Wissel demanded, glaring at Frank and Joe as they entered. "First the police tell me my son has joined some suicide club and then someone tries to killl him." Joe explained to the man about the note and the other murders.
"You're on that list too, then," Aaron said, his eyes narrowing on Joe.
"Yeah, and our friend chloroformed me and stuck my head in a gas oven last night," Joe told him with a grimace.
Frank and Joe waited with the Wissels until the police arrived. They gave their statements and left, heading for Tim's house. No one was home there, so Frank and Joe drove over to Ralph's. Again, no one was home.
"We'll just have to try and call them," Joe said, getting back in the van. He buckled up as Frank got behind the wheel. "I think I'll go over that security tape some more," Joe said. "Maybe if I watch it enough, I can find out why the thief looks so familiar," he ended as Frank started the engine.
When they got home, Frank went in his dad's office where Mr. Hardy sat behind his desk at the computer. Joe went into the living room and put the security tape in the VCR.
Joe picked up the remote and hit play as the phone rang. "I'll get it!" He shouted, clicking the pause button. "Hello," he answered.
"What happened at school?" Vanessa's voice came through. Joe told her about Fred's murder and the attempted murder on Aaron.
"Frank never called you earlier?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling into a frown.
"I was with my mom at the doctor's," she explained. "She got the bandages off her ankle."
"That's great!" Joe enthused.
"Yeah," Vanessa agreed, still not sounding chipper. "Be careful," Vanessa begged him. "This guy has tried killing you when you were alone, but now he'll know he can't get away with the suicide thing anymore after what he pulled with Aaron," she said.
"Which means, he'll just try to kill the rest of us without faking the suicides," Joe caught on to what she was implying. "Don't worry. I don't think Frank is going to be too far away from me until we wrap this up." He spoke with her for a few more minutes then hung up. The VCR had long since stopped so he decided to call Tim and Ralph and warn them.
No one had gotten home at Tim's so he called Ralph. "Yeah?" Ralph answered the phone.
"Don't hang up," Joe said. "The reason I was following you earlier was because there is a murderer loose on campus and you are on the list of victims," he said in a rush before Ralph could hang up on him.
There was silence for a minute, but Joe heard breathing and knew Ralph was still there. "What list?" Ralph finally asked.
Joe related enough of the case to impart the danger Ralph was in. "What are you doing about it?" Ralph sneered. "You're the detective on campus."
Joe closed his eyes and silently counted to ten before replying. "Frank and I are working on it," he told Ralph. "I know who he is, well, kind of," Joe amended. "But until we get him, just be careful."
"How long?" Ralph demanded.
"I don't know," Joe answered slowly, his patience with Ralph depleted. "I'm working on it now," he added, hitting the play button on the VCR. "Just be careful for the time being," he said before hanging up the phone.
Joe tried Tim again. This time, the phone was answered by a woman. "Hello, is Tim there?" Joe asked.
"Who is this?" inquired a frazzled voice.
"Joe Hardy," he informed her. "Could I speak with Tim please?"
"He isn't here," Ms. Wyman answred.
"Do you know where he went or what time he'll be back?" Joe asked.
"He left a note saying he would be home in time for dinner," she answered. "You can call back in about an hour," she suggested.
"All right. I will. Thanks," Joe said. He hung up the phone and went into the living room to watch the tape. By the time Frank and Mr. Hardy came downstairs, Joe had the viewing narrowed down to just a few seconds.
"Find something?" Frank asked, sitting down beside Joe.
"It's his eyes," Joe said, hitting the rewind button while it was in play and then play again. "Watch."
"I don't see anything unusual," Frank said.
"Not unusual, exactly," Joe said. "Just familar. I know I've seen those eyes do that before."
"Do what?" Mr. Hardy asked, leaning onto the back of the couch behind his sons.
Joe rewound the tape again. "Where he stops and looks over at the guard before he kills him."
"That's what makes you think you know him?" Frank inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Joe said dejectedly, leaning back and hitting stop on the remote.
"Don't give up," Mr. Hardy said, squeezing Joe's shoulder encouragingly.
"What's our next move?" Joe asked, tilting his head back and looking up at his dad.
"Powwow?" Frank asked, shooting a look at his dad.
Mr. Hardy furrowed his brow. "It would be a good idea for Joe and the others to get together and watch the tape. Maybe they all know this person and one of them can recognize him."
"Ms. Wyman said Tim wouldn't be back for about another hour," Joe said, and told them about his phone calls. "Right, then," Mr. Hardy said. "Frank, go pick up Aaron and Ralph, then swing by and pick up Tim after that. He should be home by then." Frank nodded.
"I'm going down to headquarters and see if Con has come up with anything else on the robbery," Mr. Hardy continued.
"What about me?" Joe asked as Frank stood up.
"Stay here," Mr. Hardy ordered. "Turn on the alarm when we leave, and stay away from the windows."
"Wouldn't it be safer if Joe just came with me?" Frank inquired.
"It would," Mr. Hardy admitted. "But Kevin Miller is supposed to drop over this evening."'
"Wasn't Miller a fence?" Frank asked.
"He was," agreed Mr. Hardy. "But he has been straight ever since he got out of prison last year. He told me someone had approached him and tried to get him to move some of the stolen jewelry. Someone has to be here when he stops in and Joe's safer alone here than he would be going to pick the others up or on his way to the police station."
"I wish we could wait until mom got back," Frank said.
"Relax," Mr. Hardy told his son. "She may be back before we are."
Mr. Hardy left, promising to be back soon. Frank started out, then turned and gave Joe a stern look. "Burglar alarm," he said. "Now."
Joe grinned. "Yes, Sir," he said, standing up straight and giving Frank a sharp salute.
Frank rolled his eyes and left. Joe walked into the kitchen and turned on the alarm system.
"You can turn it back off," came a low voice from the doorway behind him.
Chapter Thirteen
Mr. Wissel rushed forward and grabbed his son's waist, holding him up until Frank could loosen the noose.
When Frank removed the noose, Aaron fell over onto his dad's shoulder. Frank helped Mr. Wissel put Aaron on the bed and untied his hands while Mr. Wissel removed the gag.
"He was going to kill me," Aaron said in shock. "He said he was going to untie me and take the gag out after I was dead and no one would know I had been murdered." Aaron looked at Frank, noticing him for the first time. "What are you doing here?"
"Joe and I..." Frank began but broke off, as he realized Joe must have gone after the killer. "I'll be back," he promised. "Call the police," he added, taking off at a run.
Joe had reached the side of the house in time to see the masked intruder jump from the window sill to the ground. He turned, saw Joe, and reached into the waist of his pants where Joe saw the end of a gun protruding.
A loud crash came from the room inside and the killer seemed to change his mind. He turned and fled with Joe in hot pursuit. Joe chased him down the street to where he jumped on a motorcycle and took off. Joe shook his head in disgust and headed back. He met Frank at the corner and the two of them returned to the Wissels.
"What's going on?" Mr. Wissel demanded, glaring at Frank and Joe as they entered. "First the police tell me my son has joined some suicide club and then someone tries to killl him." Joe explained to the man about the note and the other murders.
"You're on that list too, then," Aaron said, his eyes narrowing on Joe.
"Yeah, and our friend chloroformed me and stuck my head in a gas oven last night," Joe told him with a grimace.
Frank and Joe waited with the Wissels until the police arrived. They gave their statements and left, heading for Tim's house. No one was home there, so Frank and Joe drove over to Ralph's. Again, no one was home.
"We'll just have to try and call them," Joe said, getting back in the van. He buckled up as Frank got behind the wheel. "I think I'll go over that security tape some more," Joe said. "Maybe if I watch it enough, I can find out why the thief looks so familiar," he ended as Frank started the engine.
When they got home, Frank went in his dad's office where Mr. Hardy sat behind his desk at the computer. Joe went into the living room and put the security tape in the VCR.
Joe picked up the remote and hit play as the phone rang. "I'll get it!" He shouted, clicking the pause button. "Hello," he answered.
"What happened at school?" Vanessa's voice came through. Joe told her about Fred's murder and the attempted murder on Aaron.
"Frank never called you earlier?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling into a frown.
"I was with my mom at the doctor's," she explained. "She got the bandages off her ankle."
"That's great!" Joe enthused.
"Yeah," Vanessa agreed, still not sounding chipper. "Be careful," Vanessa begged him. "This guy has tried killing you when you were alone, but now he'll know he can't get away with the suicide thing anymore after what he pulled with Aaron," she said.
"Which means, he'll just try to kill the rest of us without faking the suicides," Joe caught on to what she was implying. "Don't worry. I don't think Frank is going to be too far away from me until we wrap this up." He spoke with her for a few more minutes then hung up. The VCR had long since stopped so he decided to call Tim and Ralph and warn them.
No one had gotten home at Tim's so he called Ralph. "Yeah?" Ralph answered the phone.
"Don't hang up," Joe said. "The reason I was following you earlier was because there is a murderer loose on campus and you are on the list of victims," he said in a rush before Ralph could hang up on him.
There was silence for a minute, but Joe heard breathing and knew Ralph was still there. "What list?" Ralph finally asked.
Joe related enough of the case to impart the danger Ralph was in. "What are you doing about it?" Ralph sneered. "You're the detective on campus."
Joe closed his eyes and silently counted to ten before replying. "Frank and I are working on it," he told Ralph. "I know who he is, well, kind of," Joe amended. "But until we get him, just be careful."
"How long?" Ralph demanded.
"I don't know," Joe answered slowly, his patience with Ralph depleted. "I'm working on it now," he added, hitting the play button on the VCR. "Just be careful for the time being," he said before hanging up the phone.
Joe tried Tim again. This time, the phone was answered by a woman. "Hello, is Tim there?" Joe asked.
"Who is this?" inquired a frazzled voice.
"Joe Hardy," he informed her. "Could I speak with Tim please?"
"He isn't here," Ms. Wyman answred.
"Do you know where he went or what time he'll be back?" Joe asked.
"He left a note saying he would be home in time for dinner," she answered. "You can call back in about an hour," she suggested.
"All right. I will. Thanks," Joe said. He hung up the phone and went into the living room to watch the tape. By the time Frank and Mr. Hardy came downstairs, Joe had the viewing narrowed down to just a few seconds.
"Find something?" Frank asked, sitting down beside Joe.
"It's his eyes," Joe said, hitting the rewind button while it was in play and then play again. "Watch."
"I don't see anything unusual," Frank said.
"Not unusual, exactly," Joe said. "Just familar. I know I've seen those eyes do that before."
"Do what?" Mr. Hardy asked, leaning onto the back of the couch behind his sons.
Joe rewound the tape again. "Where he stops and looks over at the guard before he kills him."
"That's what makes you think you know him?" Frank inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Joe said dejectedly, leaning back and hitting stop on the remote.
"Don't give up," Mr. Hardy said, squeezing Joe's shoulder encouragingly.
"What's our next move?" Joe asked, tilting his head back and looking up at his dad.
"Powwow?" Frank asked, shooting a look at his dad.
Mr. Hardy furrowed his brow. "It would be a good idea for Joe and the others to get together and watch the tape. Maybe they all know this person and one of them can recognize him."
"Ms. Wyman said Tim wouldn't be back for about another hour," Joe said, and told them about his phone calls. "Right, then," Mr. Hardy said. "Frank, go pick up Aaron and Ralph, then swing by and pick up Tim after that. He should be home by then." Frank nodded.
"I'm going down to headquarters and see if Con has come up with anything else on the robbery," Mr. Hardy continued.
"What about me?" Joe asked as Frank stood up.
"Stay here," Mr. Hardy ordered. "Turn on the alarm when we leave, and stay away from the windows."
"Wouldn't it be safer if Joe just came with me?" Frank inquired.
"It would," Mr. Hardy admitted. "But Kevin Miller is supposed to drop over this evening."'
"Wasn't Miller a fence?" Frank asked.
"He was," agreed Mr. Hardy. "But he has been straight ever since he got out of prison last year. He told me someone had approached him and tried to get him to move some of the stolen jewelry. Someone has to be here when he stops in and Joe's safer alone here than he would be going to pick the others up or on his way to the police station."
"I wish we could wait until mom got back," Frank said.
"Relax," Mr. Hardy told his son. "She may be back before we are."
Mr. Hardy left, promising to be back soon. Frank started out, then turned and gave Joe a stern look. "Burglar alarm," he said. "Now."
Joe grinned. "Yes, Sir," he said, standing up straight and giving Frank a sharp salute.
Frank rolled his eyes and left. Joe walked into the kitchen and turned on the alarm system.
"You can turn it back off," came a low voice from the doorway behind him.