"We're here to see Frank Hardy," Fenton told the nurse in the emergency room as he and Laura rushed inside.
"Who?" the nurse asked, not recognizing the name.
"Frank Hardy," Fenton repeated more slowly.
"And you are?" asked a voice coming from behind Fenton.
Fenton spun around and saw a police officer looking at him suspiciously. "I'm his father, Fenton Hardy," he replied. "How bad was he hurt?" he fired the question at the officer.
"Slow down," the officer said. "First of all, he'll be okay. Just a few bruises and a slight concussion."
"Thank God," Laura breathed in relief.
"How did you know he was here?" the officer inquired.
"We got a call from an Officer Perkinson about forty-five minutes ago telling us he had been in an accident," Fenton answered, a gnawing suspicion growing inside of him. "Let me guess," he continued, "there isn't an Officer Perkinson on your force?"
"No Sir," Officer Cooper replied. He had recognized Fenton Hardy almost at once, but was curious about the situation. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "Frank was only just brought in. Someone saw him go down and called it in not more than fifteen minutes ago."
"Can we see him?" Laura asked anxiously, interrupting the officer and her husband.
"It will be a few minutes," the nurse replied. She held out a clipboard. "If you would fill this out while you wait?" she asked. "It shouldn't be much longer."
Laura took the clipboard and a pen from the nurse and left the two men standing as she walked over and took a chair by the window.
"What happened?" Fenton asked Officer Cooper after Laura had moved away.
"I haven't spoken with your son yet, except to get his name and your phone number. I was just going to call you," he added. "But apparently, Frank blocked the path of the stolen car, yours, and the thief tried to move the van with it."
"Where's the car thief?" Fenton asked.
"He got away."
"Get in touch woith Chief Collig at the Bayport PD and see if they have seen any movement aboard the Gallena," Fenton instructed the man. "Also, have him send a patrol car by my house and check for intruders."
"The Gallena?" Officer Cooper inquired with the lift of an eyebrow.
"My youngest son was kidnapped earlier this evening," Fenton explained. Officer Cooper nodded his acknowledgement, then pulled his CB from the loop on his belt and contacted his headquarters.
Laura looked up as Fenton came and sat down beside her. She handed him the clipboard. He took it and squeezed her hand reassuringly before rising and taking the clipboard back to the nurse.
"Hey!" a familiar voice rang out from behind Fenton. He turned around to see his wife rushing toward his son who was being brought into the emergency room's waiting area in a wheelchair.
"Are you okay?" Laura asked, bending down and kissing Frank's cheek affectionately.
"I'm fine," Frank assured her, a questioning expression on his face. "How did you get here so fast?" he asked.
Fenton explained about the phone call.
"It figures," Frank said with a grimace. "My getting hurt was just a coincidence. I bet having the car stolen was a ploy to get us out of the house and when only I left, they called with the fake accident report to get you out," Frank surmised. "But why?"
"Sir," Officer Cooper returned. "No one has shown up at the Gallena and a patrol car has been sent to your house to check for intruders," he added. "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down at Frank.
"I'm okay," Frank replied with a smile. "What about the van and the car?" he asked.
"They are both drivable, but they'll need some body work done," Officer Cooper answered. "They were taken to Hampton's Garage at 817 Stewart Drive."
"Great!" Frank said. "Mom can drop us off and we can drive them home."
"Sorry," Fenton said, shaking his head in disagreement. "You're not driving anywhere tonight. Laura can drop me off and I'll drive the van home. Hampton's can begin the work on my car. You," he added, giving his eldest son a stern look to prevent him arguing, "will ride home with your mother."
"Yes Sir," Frank agreed, knowing further debate would prove fruitless.
When the Hardys arrived home they found Chief Collig there along with Officer's Delvin and Fairway. Recognizing the officers at once as members of the Bayport Police Department's Bomb Squad, Frank jumped out of the car and ran over to Chief Collig before his mother had time to put the car into park. "What are they doing here?" he asked, his brown eyes wary.
"There were entry signs around the kitchen door," Chief Collig replied. "With everything that has been going on with your family tonight, I thought it best to check the place out completely."
The living room door opened and two more officers emerged, these with trained German Shepherds. "Nothing Sir," Officer Abrams said, coming over to where Chief Collig and Frank stood.
"Thanks Abrams," Chief Collig acknowledged. "Now we dust for prints and you and your parents can see what's missing," he said, seeing Fenton pull into the driveway beside Laura.
Frank went inside behind Sergeant Tim Rhyman, one of the BPD's fingerprint experts. Frank thought nothing of the police searching their place for bombs while they had been gone. His father had a written agreement with the BPD to allow for searches of this kind should an intruder ever be suspected of entering the premises.
Inside, Frank stood looking around and frowning. Nothing looked out of place. He proceeded to his bedroom, as Hardy protocol dictates, to check for missing items. His father would go to his office, his mother to their bedroom, then they would all go to other areas in the house to look. Fenton had planned the search procedure years before when Frank and Joe had become old enough to help look.
Finishing his room, he entered Joe's room. Since his brother wasn't there, it was up to Frank to check it out. He made a grimace as he gazed at the familiar mess, but he looked around anyway.
Nothing of value had been taken, but Frank had the distinct impression something was missing. He concentrated on looking for items which might hold some sentimental value to Joe. That's when he discovered several things were missing.
He rushed to his father's office where he was still checking his files while Chief Collig stood waiting patiently. "Dad," Frank said on entering the room.
"Something missing?" Chief Collig asked, alert.
"Yeah," Frank admitted. "But nothing of value," he added. "And only Joe's things."
"Dobson?" the chief asked Fenton.
"Has to be," Fenton agreed, closing the drawer of the file cabinet he had been looking through. "But why would he take Joe's things?" he asked, mystified.
"What's missing?" Chief Collig asked Frank.
"His backpack, an autographed picture of the Bayport Raiders, a black leather cord necklace with a silver lightening bolt pendant. And a few other items which are totally worthless except to Joe," he concluded. "Do you think they've decided to keep him alive?" he asked hopefully.
"If they have, it sounds like they may be playing some kind of mind game with him," Chief Collig stated grimly
"Who?" the nurse asked, not recognizing the name.
"Frank Hardy," Fenton repeated more slowly.
"And you are?" asked a voice coming from behind Fenton.
Fenton spun around and saw a police officer looking at him suspiciously. "I'm his father, Fenton Hardy," he replied. "How bad was he hurt?" he fired the question at the officer.
"Slow down," the officer said. "First of all, he'll be okay. Just a few bruises and a slight concussion."
"Thank God," Laura breathed in relief.
"How did you know he was here?" the officer inquired.
"We got a call from an Officer Perkinson about forty-five minutes ago telling us he had been in an accident," Fenton answered, a gnawing suspicion growing inside of him. "Let me guess," he continued, "there isn't an Officer Perkinson on your force?"
"No Sir," Officer Cooper replied. He had recognized Fenton Hardy almost at once, but was curious about the situation. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "Frank was only just brought in. Someone saw him go down and called it in not more than fifteen minutes ago."
"Can we see him?" Laura asked anxiously, interrupting the officer and her husband.
"It will be a few minutes," the nurse replied. She held out a clipboard. "If you would fill this out while you wait?" she asked. "It shouldn't be much longer."
Laura took the clipboard and a pen from the nurse and left the two men standing as she walked over and took a chair by the window.
"What happened?" Fenton asked Officer Cooper after Laura had moved away.
"I haven't spoken with your son yet, except to get his name and your phone number. I was just going to call you," he added. "But apparently, Frank blocked the path of the stolen car, yours, and the thief tried to move the van with it."
"Where's the car thief?" Fenton asked.
"He got away."
"Get in touch woith Chief Collig at the Bayport PD and see if they have seen any movement aboard the Gallena," Fenton instructed the man. "Also, have him send a patrol car by my house and check for intruders."
"The Gallena?" Officer Cooper inquired with the lift of an eyebrow.
"My youngest son was kidnapped earlier this evening," Fenton explained. Officer Cooper nodded his acknowledgement, then pulled his CB from the loop on his belt and contacted his headquarters.
Laura looked up as Fenton came and sat down beside her. She handed him the clipboard. He took it and squeezed her hand reassuringly before rising and taking the clipboard back to the nurse.
"Hey!" a familiar voice rang out from behind Fenton. He turned around to see his wife rushing toward his son who was being brought into the emergency room's waiting area in a wheelchair.
"Are you okay?" Laura asked, bending down and kissing Frank's cheek affectionately.
"I'm fine," Frank assured her, a questioning expression on his face. "How did you get here so fast?" he asked.
Fenton explained about the phone call.
"It figures," Frank said with a grimace. "My getting hurt was just a coincidence. I bet having the car stolen was a ploy to get us out of the house and when only I left, they called with the fake accident report to get you out," Frank surmised. "But why?"
"Sir," Officer Cooper returned. "No one has shown up at the Gallena and a patrol car has been sent to your house to check for intruders," he added. "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down at Frank.
"I'm okay," Frank replied with a smile. "What about the van and the car?" he asked.
"They are both drivable, but they'll need some body work done," Officer Cooper answered. "They were taken to Hampton's Garage at 817 Stewart Drive."
"Great!" Frank said. "Mom can drop us off and we can drive them home."
"Sorry," Fenton said, shaking his head in disagreement. "You're not driving anywhere tonight. Laura can drop me off and I'll drive the van home. Hampton's can begin the work on my car. You," he added, giving his eldest son a stern look to prevent him arguing, "will ride home with your mother."
"Yes Sir," Frank agreed, knowing further debate would prove fruitless.
When the Hardys arrived home they found Chief Collig there along with Officer's Delvin and Fairway. Recognizing the officers at once as members of the Bayport Police Department's Bomb Squad, Frank jumped out of the car and ran over to Chief Collig before his mother had time to put the car into park. "What are they doing here?" he asked, his brown eyes wary.
"There were entry signs around the kitchen door," Chief Collig replied. "With everything that has been going on with your family tonight, I thought it best to check the place out completely."
The living room door opened and two more officers emerged, these with trained German Shepherds. "Nothing Sir," Officer Abrams said, coming over to where Chief Collig and Frank stood.
"Thanks Abrams," Chief Collig acknowledged. "Now we dust for prints and you and your parents can see what's missing," he said, seeing Fenton pull into the driveway beside Laura.
Frank went inside behind Sergeant Tim Rhyman, one of the BPD's fingerprint experts. Frank thought nothing of the police searching their place for bombs while they had been gone. His father had a written agreement with the BPD to allow for searches of this kind should an intruder ever be suspected of entering the premises.
Inside, Frank stood looking around and frowning. Nothing looked out of place. He proceeded to his bedroom, as Hardy protocol dictates, to check for missing items. His father would go to his office, his mother to their bedroom, then they would all go to other areas in the house to look. Fenton had planned the search procedure years before when Frank and Joe had become old enough to help look.
Finishing his room, he entered Joe's room. Since his brother wasn't there, it was up to Frank to check it out. He made a grimace as he gazed at the familiar mess, but he looked around anyway.
Nothing of value had been taken, but Frank had the distinct impression something was missing. He concentrated on looking for items which might hold some sentimental value to Joe. That's when he discovered several things were missing.
He rushed to his father's office where he was still checking his files while Chief Collig stood waiting patiently. "Dad," Frank said on entering the room.
"Something missing?" Chief Collig asked, alert.
"Yeah," Frank admitted. "But nothing of value," he added. "And only Joe's things."
"Dobson?" the chief asked Fenton.
"Has to be," Fenton agreed, closing the drawer of the file cabinet he had been looking through. "But why would he take Joe's things?" he asked, mystified.
"What's missing?" Chief Collig asked Frank.
"His backpack, an autographed picture of the Bayport Raiders, a black leather cord necklace with a silver lightening bolt pendant. And a few other items which are totally worthless except to Joe," he concluded. "Do you think they've decided to keep him alive?" he asked hopefully.
"If they have, it sounds like they may be playing some kind of mind game with him," Chief Collig stated grimly