Joe stood glaring down at Frank, fuming, then, unbidden, an image flitted across his mind. He saw this same person but younger, lying on a hospital bed, unmoving. For some reason, the thought hurt.
"Joe?" came Dobson's voice from behind him. Joe turned around and saw his dad coming toward him. For some unknown reason, he didn't want his dad to see Frank. He pulled open the car door and climbed in, hoping his dad would get in without coming around. He did. Dobson started the motor and the two took off leaving Frank sitting on the ground staring after them, an extremely worried look on his face.
The police arrived a few minutes later and Frank explained about seeing Joe and his reaction. "They've brainwashed him," Frank concluded.
"In one night?" Officer Dennison asked in disbelief. "More likely, he's found out something on them and is playing along to get evidence."
Frank just shook his head. No way Dobson would be so friendly and trusting with Joe unless they had done something to him. He was frowning thoughtfully as he followed the police inside the house.
Inside, Frank found the bedroom Joe had been given. The items he had discovered missing were setting around along with a few more things he recognized as Joe's but hadn't realized had been stolen.
"We're going to wait for them to get back," Officer Dennison told Frank, coming into the room. "Joe will be back home where he belongs by tonight."
"No," Frank said, starting to argue. "Maybe we can find out..."
Dennison cut him off. "This house belongs to the Stevens," he informed Frank. "Whatever your brother is trying to get on Dobson isn't really necessary. We've already got him on two counts of murder; kidnapping; and breaking and entering. If Joe stays with Dobson, he could get hurt," he added finally, seeing nothing else he had said was having any effect on Frank.
Frank nodded his acceptance. Officer Dennison was right. He could find out what they had done to Joe after they got him home. Dobson was still probably planning on killing Joe. He suddenly remembered what the other two men had said. "I've got to go home," he told the officer abruptly. "Is it okay if I come back?"
"Call headquarters first," Dennison told him.
Frank nodded, thanked him and ran out of the room, down the stairs and out to the van. Snatching up his cell phone, he called home. His mother answered on the second ring.
"Mom, have you gotten any kind of delivery?" he asked.
"No, why?" she inquired.
"Look, don't answer the door for anyone until I get home," he told her. "I'm on my way now."
"Okay," she replied, curious at his strange request, but years of living in a detective household had taught her now was not the time to ask questions.
"And turn on the alarm system," he added before saying goodbye.
Frank arrived home and pulled the van into the drive just behind his father. Getting out of the van, he called his mom to let her know she could turn off the alarm.
"What's happening?" Fenton asked as he and Frank climbed the porch steps and went inside.
Laura met them at the door and Fenton put an arm around her shoulders and they followed Frank into the living room.
"What happened?" Laura demanded, seeing Frank's cut lip.
"Joe hit me," he told his parents, causing them to gasp in surprise. He went on to tell them about his morning.
"Why would Joe be mad at you?" Laura asked, confused by Joe's attitude but relieved to know he had come out of his coma and was still alive.
"He wasn't just mad, he actually hated me," Frank declared.
Fenton stood up. "You stay here and wait for the delivery," he ordered Frank. "But be careful," he added forcefully. "I'm going to go and wait for Joe and Dobson."
Laura grabbed his arm as he moved by her. "Bring Joe home," she pleaded.
He kissed her hair. "I will," he promised softly before moving away. He left, locking the door behind him. Frank turned on the alarm system after he had gone and then he and his mother sat down in the living room and waited.
Less than twenty minutes had passed when the phone rang. "Hello," Frank said into the receiver, snagging it on the first ring.
"Any word on Joe?" Chet's anxious voice came through.
Frank told Chet about the morning's events then mentioned the delivery they were supposed to get.
"I've got an idea," Chet said. "Why don't Tony, Biff and I watch your place and when they come, we can grab them."
"Sounds good," Franks said, smiling. "Just make sure you stay out of sight when you get here," he cautioned.
"Will do," Chet promised before hanging up.
***********************************************************************
Fenton drove past the Stevens' house and parked the car at one of the other houses. He walked back to the Stevens' house, keeping an eye out for Dobson or either of the other kidnappers. Officer Dennison let Fenton inside and they, along with Officers Spankes and Ward, waited for Dobson's and Joe's return.
It was almost an hour before they heard a car pull into the drive. "It's them," Officer Ward said, peeping through a slit in the curtain.
Dobson came inside first. He set two bags of groceries on the table. As Joe started through the door with his load, Officers Dennison and Spankes sprang at Dobson, each grabbing an arm and forcing them behind his back as they propelled his head and chest forward toward the table.
"Run, Joe!" Dobson screamed.
Joe saw the two officers holding his dad and started forward, but when he saw Officer Ward and Fenton Hardy come into view, he dropped the bags from his arms and spun around. He took off for the woods behind the house with Fenton on his heels.
"Joe! Wait!" Fenton shouted as he struggled to keep up.
Joe might have gotten away were it not for the muddy ground beneath his feet. He slipped and fell. By the time he had gotten to his feet, Fenton was there, grabbing onto Joe's left arm.
Not thinking, just reacting, Joe turned toward Fenton, his right arm already in mid-swing. He hit Fenton squarely on the jaw, sending him thudding to the ground.
Not totally unprepared, Fenton had held tight to Joe's arm and when he fell, so too, did Joe. Joe shoved his knee into Fenton's side and tried to scramble to his feet but Fenton latched onto Joe's ankle and pulled him back down. Joe kicked out, catching Fenton in the stomach, but he ignored the pain and grabbed Joe's other ankle, pulling him further down into the mud.
Fenton couldn't help but be proud of his son as he struggled to subdue him. Had he been anyone else, Fenton would have been overjoyed at the fight Joe was putting up. But right now, he was running out of energy. Unfortunately, it looked like Joe had plenty left.
"Calm down!" Fenton ordered Joe, finally getting on top of him and pinning his legs down with his own. He held Joe's arms down as Joe stared mutinously up at him.
"Then let me go!" Joe snarled at him.
"I'll let you go if you promise to calm down and tell me what's going on," Fenton said, panting.
Joe glared at him, his lips pressed together firmly, then he gave a slight nod. Fenton released Joe and stood up. He held a hand out to Joe, offering to help him up.
An image, lasting a bit longer than any of the others, floated in his head. It was of this man, wearing different clothing, making the same gesture but with a smile on his face. The image vanished and Fenton Hardy was once more in focus.
Fenton stood, hand held out, with a quizzical expression on his face. He had seen the uncertainty in Joe's eyes for that brief instant in time. Then he saw those blue eyes harden once again.
Ignoring Fenton's hand, Joe got to his feet. Then, without warning, he shoved Fenton hard. He fell back into the mud, his head smashing onto a tree limb which had borken during last night's wind.
"Joe?" came Dobson's voice from behind him. Joe turned around and saw his dad coming toward him. For some unknown reason, he didn't want his dad to see Frank. He pulled open the car door and climbed in, hoping his dad would get in without coming around. He did. Dobson started the motor and the two took off leaving Frank sitting on the ground staring after them, an extremely worried look on his face.
The police arrived a few minutes later and Frank explained about seeing Joe and his reaction. "They've brainwashed him," Frank concluded.
"In one night?" Officer Dennison asked in disbelief. "More likely, he's found out something on them and is playing along to get evidence."
Frank just shook his head. No way Dobson would be so friendly and trusting with Joe unless they had done something to him. He was frowning thoughtfully as he followed the police inside the house.
Inside, Frank found the bedroom Joe had been given. The items he had discovered missing were setting around along with a few more things he recognized as Joe's but hadn't realized had been stolen.
"We're going to wait for them to get back," Officer Dennison told Frank, coming into the room. "Joe will be back home where he belongs by tonight."
"No," Frank said, starting to argue. "Maybe we can find out..."
Dennison cut him off. "This house belongs to the Stevens," he informed Frank. "Whatever your brother is trying to get on Dobson isn't really necessary. We've already got him on two counts of murder; kidnapping; and breaking and entering. If Joe stays with Dobson, he could get hurt," he added finally, seeing nothing else he had said was having any effect on Frank.
Frank nodded his acceptance. Officer Dennison was right. He could find out what they had done to Joe after they got him home. Dobson was still probably planning on killing Joe. He suddenly remembered what the other two men had said. "I've got to go home," he told the officer abruptly. "Is it okay if I come back?"
"Call headquarters first," Dennison told him.
Frank nodded, thanked him and ran out of the room, down the stairs and out to the van. Snatching up his cell phone, he called home. His mother answered on the second ring.
"Mom, have you gotten any kind of delivery?" he asked.
"No, why?" she inquired.
"Look, don't answer the door for anyone until I get home," he told her. "I'm on my way now."
"Okay," she replied, curious at his strange request, but years of living in a detective household had taught her now was not the time to ask questions.
"And turn on the alarm system," he added before saying goodbye.
Frank arrived home and pulled the van into the drive just behind his father. Getting out of the van, he called his mom to let her know she could turn off the alarm.
"What's happening?" Fenton asked as he and Frank climbed the porch steps and went inside.
Laura met them at the door and Fenton put an arm around her shoulders and they followed Frank into the living room.
"What happened?" Laura demanded, seeing Frank's cut lip.
"Joe hit me," he told his parents, causing them to gasp in surprise. He went on to tell them about his morning.
"Why would Joe be mad at you?" Laura asked, confused by Joe's attitude but relieved to know he had come out of his coma and was still alive.
"He wasn't just mad, he actually hated me," Frank declared.
Fenton stood up. "You stay here and wait for the delivery," he ordered Frank. "But be careful," he added forcefully. "I'm going to go and wait for Joe and Dobson."
Laura grabbed his arm as he moved by her. "Bring Joe home," she pleaded.
He kissed her hair. "I will," he promised softly before moving away. He left, locking the door behind him. Frank turned on the alarm system after he had gone and then he and his mother sat down in the living room and waited.
Less than twenty minutes had passed when the phone rang. "Hello," Frank said into the receiver, snagging it on the first ring.
"Any word on Joe?" Chet's anxious voice came through.
Frank told Chet about the morning's events then mentioned the delivery they were supposed to get.
"I've got an idea," Chet said. "Why don't Tony, Biff and I watch your place and when they come, we can grab them."
"Sounds good," Franks said, smiling. "Just make sure you stay out of sight when you get here," he cautioned.
"Will do," Chet promised before hanging up.
***********************************************************************
Fenton drove past the Stevens' house and parked the car at one of the other houses. He walked back to the Stevens' house, keeping an eye out for Dobson or either of the other kidnappers. Officer Dennison let Fenton inside and they, along with Officers Spankes and Ward, waited for Dobson's and Joe's return.
It was almost an hour before they heard a car pull into the drive. "It's them," Officer Ward said, peeping through a slit in the curtain.
Dobson came inside first. He set two bags of groceries on the table. As Joe started through the door with his load, Officers Dennison and Spankes sprang at Dobson, each grabbing an arm and forcing them behind his back as they propelled his head and chest forward toward the table.
"Run, Joe!" Dobson screamed.
Joe saw the two officers holding his dad and started forward, but when he saw Officer Ward and Fenton Hardy come into view, he dropped the bags from his arms and spun around. He took off for the woods behind the house with Fenton on his heels.
"Joe! Wait!" Fenton shouted as he struggled to keep up.
Joe might have gotten away were it not for the muddy ground beneath his feet. He slipped and fell. By the time he had gotten to his feet, Fenton was there, grabbing onto Joe's left arm.
Not thinking, just reacting, Joe turned toward Fenton, his right arm already in mid-swing. He hit Fenton squarely on the jaw, sending him thudding to the ground.
Not totally unprepared, Fenton had held tight to Joe's arm and when he fell, so too, did Joe. Joe shoved his knee into Fenton's side and tried to scramble to his feet but Fenton latched onto Joe's ankle and pulled him back down. Joe kicked out, catching Fenton in the stomach, but he ignored the pain and grabbed Joe's other ankle, pulling him further down into the mud.
Fenton couldn't help but be proud of his son as he struggled to subdue him. Had he been anyone else, Fenton would have been overjoyed at the fight Joe was putting up. But right now, he was running out of energy. Unfortunately, it looked like Joe had plenty left.
"Calm down!" Fenton ordered Joe, finally getting on top of him and pinning his legs down with his own. He held Joe's arms down as Joe stared mutinously up at him.
"Then let me go!" Joe snarled at him.
"I'll let you go if you promise to calm down and tell me what's going on," Fenton said, panting.
Joe glared at him, his lips pressed together firmly, then he gave a slight nod. Fenton released Joe and stood up. He held a hand out to Joe, offering to help him up.
An image, lasting a bit longer than any of the others, floated in his head. It was of this man, wearing different clothing, making the same gesture but with a smile on his face. The image vanished and Fenton Hardy was once more in focus.
Fenton stood, hand held out, with a quizzical expression on his face. He had seen the uncertainty in Joe's eyes for that brief instant in time. Then he saw those blue eyes harden once again.
Ignoring Fenton's hand, Joe got to his feet. Then, without warning, he shoved Fenton hard. He fell back into the mud, his head smashing onto a tree limb which had borken during last night's wind.