Fenton pulled Laura into his arms and rocked her until she had calmed down a little. While she was composing herself, Frank told everyone what he had learned.
"The Gallena?" Sergeant Con Riley repeated questioningly. Frank nodded. "I'll put out an alert with the Coast Guard," the young brown haired officer promised, his own face riddled with concern becasue Frank and Joe were close personal friends of his.
"Honey," Fenton said gently to his wife. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked.
"I..I was sitting here holding Joe's hand and an orderly came in. He had a needle in his hand. I thought he was going to give Joe a shot and stood up to ask him what it was for when he rushed over and pushed me back into the chair. He..he," she broke off and started crying again, but more softly. "That's when he told me they were going to kill Joe. Then he put the needle in my arm and I blacked out."
Frank, his face white as snow, looked at his father. "We've got to find the Gallena," he said. Fenton nodded. "I'm going to start looking," he said.
"No!" Fenton shouted the order as Frank spun and headed for the door.
"What?" Frank demanded in disbelief.
"The wind's too strong," Fenton told Frank. "If you take the Sleuth out in this, you'll capsize," he said, mentioning Frank and Joe's sleek motorboat.
"Then I'll hit every place in the area where it might be moored," Frank stated, at once realizing his father was right. "I'll keep in touch with my cell phone," he promised, leaving.
As he reached the elevator, he realized not only didn't he have his cell phone but he didn't have a car either. If he took his mother's, then she and his father would be stranded at the hospital. The cab services had all shut down due to the weather.
Making a decision, he walked over to the pay phone as soon as he exited the elevator. He dialed his best friend, Chet Morton. "Chet, can you borrow you dad's car?" he asked as soon as Chet answered. Chet's car was in the garage for repairs.
"I'll check," Chet replied. "Why?"
"Joe's been kidnaped," Frank informed him.
"When? By who?" Chet sputtered.
"There isn't time now for that now," Frank told him. "See about the car."
Frank held the receiver, dropping more change into the phone to prevent being disconnected. "Frank," he heard Chet's voice as he returned to the phone. "Dad said it's okay. Where are you?"
"At Bayport General," Frank told him. "Listen, stop by my house. You still have the key I lent you?" he asked.
"Yeah," Chet answered, wondering why Frank was at the hospital but accepting that he would explain later.
"Go in and get my cell phone," Frank instructed him. "It's on my desk. Then come to the hospital to pick me up there. You can take the van and leave your dad's car. The keys are with the cell phone."
"Okay," Chet agreed before hanging up.
After he hung up, Frank called another friend of his and Joe's, Biff Hooper. Frank explained about Joe's accident and abduction from the hospital. Then he told Biff about the Gallena. "We've got to find where she's moored before they leave with Joe," he said urgently.
"You want to go out in this?" Biff demanded in disbelief. "It started raining an hour ago and the wind is up to almost forty five miles an hour with gusts almost twice that."
"Not exactly," Frank hurriedly assured him. "With the weather this bad, I don't think they'll take Joe out. They might end up in the drink. But if we can find where the ship is moored, we can keep watch for when they do show up."
"Okay," Biff agreed. "Count me in. Where do you want me to start?"
"Con's alerted the coast guard and he will make sure all the berths at the piers are checked," Frank said. "How about cruising out around the Shore Road area and seeing if you can spot anything?" he suggested. "Be sure and take some binoculars," he added. "Chet and I will head north along Seaside Drive. If you find anything, call me on the cell."
"Will do," Biff agreed. "I'll call Tony and see if he can go with me."
"Great idea," Frank promised. "My time's up," he added. "Thanks," he said right before the phone went dead.
Blond headed, brown-eyed, Chet Morton arrived a few minutes later and Frank hurried out to the van. Frank told Chet to head toward Seaside as he buckled in and opened the glove compartment. Frank pulled out a pair of binoculars and adjusted them to his eyes. Then he brought Chet up to date on the case.
Chet gave a low whistle. "You guys have had a busy eveining," he said. He drove in silence for a bit as Frank kept a look-out the windows for either of the two cars driven by Dobson or his men. "Frank," Chet said softly a few minutes later. "Do you think Joe's came out of his coma yet?"
"I don't know," Frank replied. "To be honest, I don't know if I want him to until we find him."
"Why?" Chet demanded, glancing briefly at Frank with wide eyes.
"He's hurt," Frank explained. "If he comes around, he'll try to escape and they'll hurt him worse than he already is."
"Slow down," Frank ordered a few minutes later as they neared the shore. Frank rolled down his window, letting the rain inside as he held the binoculars up to his eyes. Chet inched the van slowly up the road turning the heater on high to help keep the cold from consuming them. Almost an hour later, Frank told Chet to stop the van.
"I see it!" Frank shouted excitedly. He picked up the cell phone and called Biff on his cell and told Biff that he and Tony could go home. Then he called home. His father answered on the second ring.
"Frank, are you okay?" Fenton demanded.
"I'm fine," he quickly assured his father. "And I've found the Gallena," he added, then gave the exact location.
"Good," Fenton said. "Now find somewhere and take cover," he ordered urgently.
"Why?" Frank asked, expecting his dad to be more excited.
"A funnel was spotted near the Trondheim county line, and you're almost there!"
"The Gallena?" Sergeant Con Riley repeated questioningly. Frank nodded. "I'll put out an alert with the Coast Guard," the young brown haired officer promised, his own face riddled with concern becasue Frank and Joe were close personal friends of his.
"Honey," Fenton said gently to his wife. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked.
"I..I was sitting here holding Joe's hand and an orderly came in. He had a needle in his hand. I thought he was going to give Joe a shot and stood up to ask him what it was for when he rushed over and pushed me back into the chair. He..he," she broke off and started crying again, but more softly. "That's when he told me they were going to kill Joe. Then he put the needle in my arm and I blacked out."
Frank, his face white as snow, looked at his father. "We've got to find the Gallena," he said. Fenton nodded. "I'm going to start looking," he said.
"No!" Fenton shouted the order as Frank spun and headed for the door.
"What?" Frank demanded in disbelief.
"The wind's too strong," Fenton told Frank. "If you take the Sleuth out in this, you'll capsize," he said, mentioning Frank and Joe's sleek motorboat.
"Then I'll hit every place in the area where it might be moored," Frank stated, at once realizing his father was right. "I'll keep in touch with my cell phone," he promised, leaving.
As he reached the elevator, he realized not only didn't he have his cell phone but he didn't have a car either. If he took his mother's, then she and his father would be stranded at the hospital. The cab services had all shut down due to the weather.
Making a decision, he walked over to the pay phone as soon as he exited the elevator. He dialed his best friend, Chet Morton. "Chet, can you borrow you dad's car?" he asked as soon as Chet answered. Chet's car was in the garage for repairs.
"I'll check," Chet replied. "Why?"
"Joe's been kidnaped," Frank informed him.
"When? By who?" Chet sputtered.
"There isn't time now for that now," Frank told him. "See about the car."
Frank held the receiver, dropping more change into the phone to prevent being disconnected. "Frank," he heard Chet's voice as he returned to the phone. "Dad said it's okay. Where are you?"
"At Bayport General," Frank told him. "Listen, stop by my house. You still have the key I lent you?" he asked.
"Yeah," Chet answered, wondering why Frank was at the hospital but accepting that he would explain later.
"Go in and get my cell phone," Frank instructed him. "It's on my desk. Then come to the hospital to pick me up there. You can take the van and leave your dad's car. The keys are with the cell phone."
"Okay," Chet agreed before hanging up.
After he hung up, Frank called another friend of his and Joe's, Biff Hooper. Frank explained about Joe's accident and abduction from the hospital. Then he told Biff about the Gallena. "We've got to find where she's moored before they leave with Joe," he said urgently.
"You want to go out in this?" Biff demanded in disbelief. "It started raining an hour ago and the wind is up to almost forty five miles an hour with gusts almost twice that."
"Not exactly," Frank hurriedly assured him. "With the weather this bad, I don't think they'll take Joe out. They might end up in the drink. But if we can find where the ship is moored, we can keep watch for when they do show up."
"Okay," Biff agreed. "Count me in. Where do you want me to start?"
"Con's alerted the coast guard and he will make sure all the berths at the piers are checked," Frank said. "How about cruising out around the Shore Road area and seeing if you can spot anything?" he suggested. "Be sure and take some binoculars," he added. "Chet and I will head north along Seaside Drive. If you find anything, call me on the cell."
"Will do," Biff agreed. "I'll call Tony and see if he can go with me."
"Great idea," Frank promised. "My time's up," he added. "Thanks," he said right before the phone went dead.
Blond headed, brown-eyed, Chet Morton arrived a few minutes later and Frank hurried out to the van. Frank told Chet to head toward Seaside as he buckled in and opened the glove compartment. Frank pulled out a pair of binoculars and adjusted them to his eyes. Then he brought Chet up to date on the case.
Chet gave a low whistle. "You guys have had a busy eveining," he said. He drove in silence for a bit as Frank kept a look-out the windows for either of the two cars driven by Dobson or his men. "Frank," Chet said softly a few minutes later. "Do you think Joe's came out of his coma yet?"
"I don't know," Frank replied. "To be honest, I don't know if I want him to until we find him."
"Why?" Chet demanded, glancing briefly at Frank with wide eyes.
"He's hurt," Frank explained. "If he comes around, he'll try to escape and they'll hurt him worse than he already is."
"Slow down," Frank ordered a few minutes later as they neared the shore. Frank rolled down his window, letting the rain inside as he held the binoculars up to his eyes. Chet inched the van slowly up the road turning the heater on high to help keep the cold from consuming them. Almost an hour later, Frank told Chet to stop the van.
"I see it!" Frank shouted excitedly. He picked up the cell phone and called Biff on his cell and told Biff that he and Tony could go home. Then he called home. His father answered on the second ring.
"Frank, are you okay?" Fenton demanded.
"I'm fine," he quickly assured his father. "And I've found the Gallena," he added, then gave the exact location.
"Good," Fenton said. "Now find somewhere and take cover," he ordered urgently.
"Why?" Frank asked, expecting his dad to be more excited.
"A funnel was spotted near the Trondheim county line, and you're almost there!"