The blow hadn't knocked him out, but by the time Fenton had gotten to his feet, Joe was long gone.
Fenton returned to the house, the mud drying and caking on him as he walked. "Are you okay? What happened?" Officer Ward asked, catching sight of Fenton, his eyes widening in surprise.
Fenton ignored the officer and strode over to Dobson. Their noses almost touching, Fenton demanded in a deathly quiet voice, "What have you done to my son?"
Dobson gave Fenton a sickening smile and replied, "I took him away from you."
Officer Dennison yanked Dobson back as the other two officers simultaneously leapt forward and grabbed a hold of Fenton as he raised his arms to grab Dobson by the neck.
Fenton glared, breathing heavily, at Dobson. Officer Dennison put Dobson in the back of one of the patrol cars that the other two officers had retrieved. After Dobson was safe in the car, Fenton was released. He turned to Officer Ward. "Put an APB out on Joe. Make sure everyone knows he can be violent but under no circumstance is he to be harmed," he stressed.
"Yes, Sir," was the reply, although he would contact the Chief before actually sending out the APB.
************************************************************************
Frank jumped to his feet as the doorbell rang. He went to the front door and peered out. There was a boy holding a box. Behind him, Frank could see a truck from the local florist. He opened the door.
"Hi, Frank," the teen-aged delivery boy greeted him. Frank recognized him as Tony Lane, a guy from his history class at Bayport High School. "I've got a delivery for your dad."
"Who from?" Frank asked.
"I don't know," Tony replied with a slight frown. Frank's attitude was starting to bother him.
"Did you see who placed the order?" Frank asked.
"I only deliver," Tony said apologetically. "This has something to do with a case your dad's working on?" he asked, his green eyes curious.
"I think so," Frank acknowledged, taking the box and thanking him. "Do you know who took the order?"
"Tracey probably," Tony replied. "She's still at the store if you want to talk to her."
"Thanks Tony," Frank said again. Tony waved and ran down the porch steps. He jumped back into the florist's van and drove off. Frank opened the card on the box and frowned. Turning around, he went inside, leaving the front door open. A few moments later, Chet, Tony, and Biff entered the house.
"Well?" Biff asked, seeing Frank and his mother sitting on the couch.
"Joe has been brainwashed," Frank said, handing the card over to his friends. Inside the card was a picture of Joe. The card read Joesph Dobson.
"How did they do it?" Chet asked, stunned.
"It's a joke," Biff said.
"Yeah, Joe didn't send it," Tony agreed.
Before Frank could say anything, Fenton came into the room, covered in mud from head to foot. Laura gasped, her eyes going wide. "What happened?" she asked, getting to her feet and rushing over to him.
"I got into a fight with Joe and lost," Fenton said derisively. He shook his head and looked at Frank. "You were right. He does hate us. But why?"
Tony handed the card to Fenton. "Joe believes he's Dobson's son?" Fenton read aloud, his voice only half incrediously.
"If Dobson made him believe you killed his brother, he would hate us," Frank said.
"Where is Joe?" Laura demanded. Fenton told them about Dobson's arrest and Joe's get-a-way.
"How did they brainwash him so fast?" Biff asked in confusion. "They only grabbed him last night."
"Amnesia," Frank said. Everyone looked over at him. "It's the only way they could have done it," he insisted. "He came out of his coma and didn't recognize anyone or anything and they fed him this line about Dobson being his dad. That's why they broke in here and took some of Joe's personal stuff. That way the room they gave him would feel like his."
"I think Frank may be right," Fenton agreed.
"Then how do we un-brainwash him? Or get his memory back?" Chet asked. "Hit him on the head again?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Biff snorted.
"We've got to help him to remember," Frank said.
"How?" Tony wnated to know. "He won't let you near him."
"Not us," Frank agreed. "But I doubt if Dobson has had time to poison him against all of his friends."
"Time for a pow wow," Laura declared. "Fenton, go and take a shower. Frank, use your father's phone and call Jack and Sam. Chet, take Frank's cell and call Jerry and Phil. Biff, use the living room phone and call the girls. Have everyone meet here in thirty minutes. Tony, come with me," she ordered, heading into the kitchen. "We'll make sandwiches."
"Frank," Chet whispered after she and Tony had gone into the kitchen, "was your mom ever a drill sergeant?"
"Talk about taking charge," Biff said, admiringly.
"Hustle boys," Fenton interrupted the teasing with a grin. "If we don't do as we are told, she may put us in chains."
"Wait!" Chet said. "What was in the box?"
"Nothing," Frank replied. "I called the florist while you guys were coming in. Someone, the dirty blonde one, paid them to deliver an empty box so he could put the card he had brought in on it."
*********************************************************************
Joe had took off and climbed a tree before Fenton Hardy had regained his footing. From his vantage point, he watched as his father, Dobson, was taken away. Then he watched Hardy leave. The other two officers remained, no doubt expecting him to return.
Joe climbed down from the tree and headed down the road toward Bayport. He saw a familiar car and ran into the road, waving it down.
Billy brought the Cadillac to a stop and got out from behind the wheel. Darryl exited the passenger side. "Joe?" Billy asked, suspicion at his appearance. "What's wrong?"
Joe told them what had happened. Darryl hugged Joe's shoulders. "We're glad you got away," he told Joe, leading him over to the car and helping him into the backseat.
"But they got Dad," Joe said, his voice low and eyes sad.
"We'll get him back," Billy promised, as he and Darryl climbed back ito the front seat.. "Hardy took your ma from you, we won't let him take your pa too."
"It's all my fault," Joe said miserably from the back seat when they were on their way into town.
"No, it's not," Billy argued. "Why would you think such a thing?"
"Cause Hardy's kid was there when we left," Joe said, his voice full of guilt. "I told him if he was there when we got back, I'd kill him. Instead, he sent the cops. I should have killed him!" he said forcefully.
"You know," Darryl said thoughtfully. "There's only one sure way to get your dad back."
"How?" Joe asked, anxiously.
"You'll have to do something illegal," Darryl warned him.
"I'll do anything to get Dad back," Joe vowed heatedly. "What is it?"
"We have to kidnap Frank Hardy."
Fenton returned to the house, the mud drying and caking on him as he walked. "Are you okay? What happened?" Officer Ward asked, catching sight of Fenton, his eyes widening in surprise.
Fenton ignored the officer and strode over to Dobson. Their noses almost touching, Fenton demanded in a deathly quiet voice, "What have you done to my son?"
Dobson gave Fenton a sickening smile and replied, "I took him away from you."
Officer Dennison yanked Dobson back as the other two officers simultaneously leapt forward and grabbed a hold of Fenton as he raised his arms to grab Dobson by the neck.
Fenton glared, breathing heavily, at Dobson. Officer Dennison put Dobson in the back of one of the patrol cars that the other two officers had retrieved. After Dobson was safe in the car, Fenton was released. He turned to Officer Ward. "Put an APB out on Joe. Make sure everyone knows he can be violent but under no circumstance is he to be harmed," he stressed.
"Yes, Sir," was the reply, although he would contact the Chief before actually sending out the APB.
************************************************************************
Frank jumped to his feet as the doorbell rang. He went to the front door and peered out. There was a boy holding a box. Behind him, Frank could see a truck from the local florist. He opened the door.
"Hi, Frank," the teen-aged delivery boy greeted him. Frank recognized him as Tony Lane, a guy from his history class at Bayport High School. "I've got a delivery for your dad."
"Who from?" Frank asked.
"I don't know," Tony replied with a slight frown. Frank's attitude was starting to bother him.
"Did you see who placed the order?" Frank asked.
"I only deliver," Tony said apologetically. "This has something to do with a case your dad's working on?" he asked, his green eyes curious.
"I think so," Frank acknowledged, taking the box and thanking him. "Do you know who took the order?"
"Tracey probably," Tony replied. "She's still at the store if you want to talk to her."
"Thanks Tony," Frank said again. Tony waved and ran down the porch steps. He jumped back into the florist's van and drove off. Frank opened the card on the box and frowned. Turning around, he went inside, leaving the front door open. A few moments later, Chet, Tony, and Biff entered the house.
"Well?" Biff asked, seeing Frank and his mother sitting on the couch.
"Joe has been brainwashed," Frank said, handing the card over to his friends. Inside the card was a picture of Joe. The card read Joesph Dobson.
"How did they do it?" Chet asked, stunned.
"It's a joke," Biff said.
"Yeah, Joe didn't send it," Tony agreed.
Before Frank could say anything, Fenton came into the room, covered in mud from head to foot. Laura gasped, her eyes going wide. "What happened?" she asked, getting to her feet and rushing over to him.
"I got into a fight with Joe and lost," Fenton said derisively. He shook his head and looked at Frank. "You were right. He does hate us. But why?"
Tony handed the card to Fenton. "Joe believes he's Dobson's son?" Fenton read aloud, his voice only half incrediously.
"If Dobson made him believe you killed his brother, he would hate us," Frank said.
"Where is Joe?" Laura demanded. Fenton told them about Dobson's arrest and Joe's get-a-way.
"How did they brainwash him so fast?" Biff asked in confusion. "They only grabbed him last night."
"Amnesia," Frank said. Everyone looked over at him. "It's the only way they could have done it," he insisted. "He came out of his coma and didn't recognize anyone or anything and they fed him this line about Dobson being his dad. That's why they broke in here and took some of Joe's personal stuff. That way the room they gave him would feel like his."
"I think Frank may be right," Fenton agreed.
"Then how do we un-brainwash him? Or get his memory back?" Chet asked. "Hit him on the head again?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Biff snorted.
"We've got to help him to remember," Frank said.
"How?" Tony wnated to know. "He won't let you near him."
"Not us," Frank agreed. "But I doubt if Dobson has had time to poison him against all of his friends."
"Time for a pow wow," Laura declared. "Fenton, go and take a shower. Frank, use your father's phone and call Jack and Sam. Chet, take Frank's cell and call Jerry and Phil. Biff, use the living room phone and call the girls. Have everyone meet here in thirty minutes. Tony, come with me," she ordered, heading into the kitchen. "We'll make sandwiches."
"Frank," Chet whispered after she and Tony had gone into the kitchen, "was your mom ever a drill sergeant?"
"Talk about taking charge," Biff said, admiringly.
"Hustle boys," Fenton interrupted the teasing with a grin. "If we don't do as we are told, she may put us in chains."
"Wait!" Chet said. "What was in the box?"
"Nothing," Frank replied. "I called the florist while you guys were coming in. Someone, the dirty blonde one, paid them to deliver an empty box so he could put the card he had brought in on it."
*********************************************************************
Joe had took off and climbed a tree before Fenton Hardy had regained his footing. From his vantage point, he watched as his father, Dobson, was taken away. Then he watched Hardy leave. The other two officers remained, no doubt expecting him to return.
Joe climbed down from the tree and headed down the road toward Bayport. He saw a familiar car and ran into the road, waving it down.
Billy brought the Cadillac to a stop and got out from behind the wheel. Darryl exited the passenger side. "Joe?" Billy asked, suspicion at his appearance. "What's wrong?"
Joe told them what had happened. Darryl hugged Joe's shoulders. "We're glad you got away," he told Joe, leading him over to the car and helping him into the backseat.
"But they got Dad," Joe said, his voice low and eyes sad.
"We'll get him back," Billy promised, as he and Darryl climbed back ito the front seat.. "Hardy took your ma from you, we won't let him take your pa too."
"It's all my fault," Joe said miserably from the back seat when they were on their way into town.
"No, it's not," Billy argued. "Why would you think such a thing?"
"Cause Hardy's kid was there when we left," Joe said, his voice full of guilt. "I told him if he was there when we got back, I'd kill him. Instead, he sent the cops. I should have killed him!" he said forcefully.
"You know," Darryl said thoughtfully. "There's only one sure way to get your dad back."
"How?" Joe asked, anxiously.
"You'll have to do something illegal," Darryl warned him.
"I'll do anything to get Dad back," Joe vowed heatedly. "What is it?"
"We have to kidnap Frank Hardy."