Iola watched them leave, then ran to the payphone at the end of the food court. "Frank!" she shouted hysterically when he answered the phone. "They told Joe your dad killed his mom."
"What?" Frank demanded. Iola told Frank everything Joe had told her. Then she told Frank about Darryl's threat.
"Go on home," Frank told her wearily.
"There has to be something we can do," Iola argued, even though she knew it was hopeless.
"You've done a lot," Frank told her. "If Joe was remembering, then he'll keep trying. Thank you," he added with feeling.
"Oh Frank," she cried. "What if he never remembers?"
"He will," Frank declared with certainty. "Find Chet and Callie and go home," Frank told her again. "I'll have mom spread the word to everyone else."
"What are you going to do?" Iola demended, worried in case Frank went out on his own.
"First, I'm going to talk to Dad," Frank told her. "He's got to know what we're up against." He thought how he would feel if he knew someone had murdered his mother. Poor Joe!
"Be careful," Iola cautioned him. "If you got hurt... If Joe hurt you," she kept starting.
"I know," Frank said gently. "He'd go crazy."
After Frank hung up, he passed along the information to his mom and asked her to send everyone home when they checked in. Then he left the house and drove to the police station. When he asked where his father was, he was directed to Chief Collig's office. When he got there, he told his father and Chief Collig what Iola had told him.
"No wonder he despises me," Fenton said, putting his face in his hands. When he looked up a moment later, Frank was astounded at how old his father looked. He wondered if he had aged over the past twenty-four hours.
Fenton looked over at Frank. "They obviously want one or both of us to find Joe," he said. Frank nodded in agreement. "We'll have to give them what they want if we stand any chance of getting Joe back," Fenton concluded.
"You can't!" Chief Collig argued. "Becoming hostages won't get those two behind bars."
"No," Frank agreed. "But Dad nor I will buy their lies. They've put Joe on an emotional roller coaster and I'm going to get him off no matter what it takes," he vowed.
Frank and his father left the station on foot. Fenton headed downtown toward the park while Frank went to check around the skating rink and bowling alley. Frank had almost reached the bowling alley when he saw Joe walking into the cinema. "One please," Frank said, racing over to get his ticket and follow Joe inside.
"What movie?" the bored blond headed girl asked.
"Whichever movie the last person just bought a ticket for," Frank said.
"Reject from Planet Weird," she replied. "Eight dollars," she added, pulling up the ticket.
Frank paid her and went inside. He saw Joe sitting in the eighth row. He had been easy to spot since there was only one other person in the theater.
"Don't run away," Frank begged, sitting down beside Joe. "I'm not going to hurt you," he added, his face pleading with Joe to believe him.
"You had my dad arrested," Joe snarled at him.
"Please try to remember me," Frank said, knowing Joe wouldn't believe anything he had to say.
"Why would I want to?" Joe demanded, his blue eyes shooting sparks.
"If I told you, would you believe me?" Frank asked. ""Look," he said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes so Joe couldn't see the anger in his eyes. Not at Joe, but at the men who had done this to his brother. "They have been lying to you. The only way you're going to know the truth is if you remember."
When he quit speaking, he opened his eyes, expecting Joe to be glaring at him. But Joe was too busy chasing images to pay any attention to Frank. As soon as Frank had put his hand in his hair, Joe had been bombarded with images of Frank Hardy and hadn't heard anything he had said.
Joe saw Frank laughing; concerned; anxious; crying; hurt. All these images flitted through his mind, but one image kept coming back. The image of Frank looking at him and saying the words "baby brother." Joe began to feel sick.
Frank, noticing Joe's sudden lack of color, reached over and pushed Joe's head to his knees. "Breathe," he ordered.
Joe did, and when he sat back up a minute later, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Frank," Joe said softly as he looked at him.
"Yeah?" Frank asked a little hesitantly.
"I..." Joe began, then took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. "I want my father back," he said.
Frank sighed in defeat. He had been so sure he had seen recognition in Joe's eyes. "You're coming home with me," he told Joe.
"No," Joe stated, his eyes hard and determined. "You are coming with us."
"Us?" Frank demanded in surprise.
The other occupant came over to stand behind Frank. In his hand was a gun which he aimed at Frank. "That's right, Frankie boy," Darryl told him. "You took Joe's daddy and we want him back."
"The police won't trade," Frank told him firmly.
"Then you'll die," Darryl assured him.
"Uncle Darryl," Joe said, standing up and grabbing Frank's arm. "Let's get out of here."
"Sure thing," Darryl agreed. "We'll use the back exit."
Darryl followed Joe and Frank outside. "Joe, you drive," Darryl ordered. Joe got behind the wheel while Darryl forced Frank into the back. Joe drove through down town Bayport and headed out the west end of town. Two miles out, he made a right turn onto an unpaved road. A little farther along, he made another right turn onto a gravel road. He drove to the end of the road and stopped the car.
"You get Uncle Billy," Joe told Darryl after they had got out of the car. "I'll tie him up and then we'll call Hardy and get my dad."
"Can you handle him?" Darryl asked.
Joe grabbed Frank and pulled both his arms behind his back. "Piece of cake," Joe assured him, forcing Frank into the garage where a chair and rope were waiting.
"Joe, please..." Frank began after Darryl had left.
Joe pushed Frank farther into the garage, out of sight of Darryl, and let go of one of Frank's arms and spun him around with the other. Frank cringed, expecting Joe to hit him but gasped in utter amazement when Joe threw his arms around him and hugged him.
"Joe," Frank said softly, hugging him back. Frank pulled away and grasped Joe's face in his hands, looking into his eyes. "You remember?" Joe nodded, tears falling down his cheeks. "Let's get out of here and call the police," Frank said.
"No," Joe disagreed with a shake of his head. "These guys have got to go to jail," he insisted.
"Dad can take care of them," Frank argued. "He was working on the case to put Dobson and his men away before you got hurt."
"We thought so," Billy said, coming into the garage. "Good work Joe," he added.
"Thanks Uncle Billy," Joe replied, wiping his eyes and smiling at him. "Now what?"
"Tie Frank up," Billy told him. "I'll deal with the older Hardy."
Frank, feeling hurt and betrayed by Joe, but angrier still at the men who had brainwashed his brother, was too taken by surprise to put up a fight. Joe pushed him into the chair and started tying Frank's hands as Billy left.
"What?" Frank demanded. Iola told Frank everything Joe had told her. Then she told Frank about Darryl's threat.
"Go on home," Frank told her wearily.
"There has to be something we can do," Iola argued, even though she knew it was hopeless.
"You've done a lot," Frank told her. "If Joe was remembering, then he'll keep trying. Thank you," he added with feeling.
"Oh Frank," she cried. "What if he never remembers?"
"He will," Frank declared with certainty. "Find Chet and Callie and go home," Frank told her again. "I'll have mom spread the word to everyone else."
"What are you going to do?" Iola demended, worried in case Frank went out on his own.
"First, I'm going to talk to Dad," Frank told her. "He's got to know what we're up against." He thought how he would feel if he knew someone had murdered his mother. Poor Joe!
"Be careful," Iola cautioned him. "If you got hurt... If Joe hurt you," she kept starting.
"I know," Frank said gently. "He'd go crazy."
After Frank hung up, he passed along the information to his mom and asked her to send everyone home when they checked in. Then he left the house and drove to the police station. When he asked where his father was, he was directed to Chief Collig's office. When he got there, he told his father and Chief Collig what Iola had told him.
"No wonder he despises me," Fenton said, putting his face in his hands. When he looked up a moment later, Frank was astounded at how old his father looked. He wondered if he had aged over the past twenty-four hours.
Fenton looked over at Frank. "They obviously want one or both of us to find Joe," he said. Frank nodded in agreement. "We'll have to give them what they want if we stand any chance of getting Joe back," Fenton concluded.
"You can't!" Chief Collig argued. "Becoming hostages won't get those two behind bars."
"No," Frank agreed. "But Dad nor I will buy their lies. They've put Joe on an emotional roller coaster and I'm going to get him off no matter what it takes," he vowed.
Frank and his father left the station on foot. Fenton headed downtown toward the park while Frank went to check around the skating rink and bowling alley. Frank had almost reached the bowling alley when he saw Joe walking into the cinema. "One please," Frank said, racing over to get his ticket and follow Joe inside.
"What movie?" the bored blond headed girl asked.
"Whichever movie the last person just bought a ticket for," Frank said.
"Reject from Planet Weird," she replied. "Eight dollars," she added, pulling up the ticket.
Frank paid her and went inside. He saw Joe sitting in the eighth row. He had been easy to spot since there was only one other person in the theater.
"Don't run away," Frank begged, sitting down beside Joe. "I'm not going to hurt you," he added, his face pleading with Joe to believe him.
"You had my dad arrested," Joe snarled at him.
"Please try to remember me," Frank said, knowing Joe wouldn't believe anything he had to say.
"Why would I want to?" Joe demanded, his blue eyes shooting sparks.
"If I told you, would you believe me?" Frank asked. ""Look," he said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes so Joe couldn't see the anger in his eyes. Not at Joe, but at the men who had done this to his brother. "They have been lying to you. The only way you're going to know the truth is if you remember."
When he quit speaking, he opened his eyes, expecting Joe to be glaring at him. But Joe was too busy chasing images to pay any attention to Frank. As soon as Frank had put his hand in his hair, Joe had been bombarded with images of Frank Hardy and hadn't heard anything he had said.
Joe saw Frank laughing; concerned; anxious; crying; hurt. All these images flitted through his mind, but one image kept coming back. The image of Frank looking at him and saying the words "baby brother." Joe began to feel sick.
Frank, noticing Joe's sudden lack of color, reached over and pushed Joe's head to his knees. "Breathe," he ordered.
Joe did, and when he sat back up a minute later, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Frank," Joe said softly as he looked at him.
"Yeah?" Frank asked a little hesitantly.
"I..." Joe began, then took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. "I want my father back," he said.
Frank sighed in defeat. He had been so sure he had seen recognition in Joe's eyes. "You're coming home with me," he told Joe.
"No," Joe stated, his eyes hard and determined. "You are coming with us."
"Us?" Frank demanded in surprise.
The other occupant came over to stand behind Frank. In his hand was a gun which he aimed at Frank. "That's right, Frankie boy," Darryl told him. "You took Joe's daddy and we want him back."
"The police won't trade," Frank told him firmly.
"Then you'll die," Darryl assured him.
"Uncle Darryl," Joe said, standing up and grabbing Frank's arm. "Let's get out of here."
"Sure thing," Darryl agreed. "We'll use the back exit."
Darryl followed Joe and Frank outside. "Joe, you drive," Darryl ordered. Joe got behind the wheel while Darryl forced Frank into the back. Joe drove through down town Bayport and headed out the west end of town. Two miles out, he made a right turn onto an unpaved road. A little farther along, he made another right turn onto a gravel road. He drove to the end of the road and stopped the car.
"You get Uncle Billy," Joe told Darryl after they had got out of the car. "I'll tie him up and then we'll call Hardy and get my dad."
"Can you handle him?" Darryl asked.
Joe grabbed Frank and pulled both his arms behind his back. "Piece of cake," Joe assured him, forcing Frank into the garage where a chair and rope were waiting.
"Joe, please..." Frank began after Darryl had left.
Joe pushed Frank farther into the garage, out of sight of Darryl, and let go of one of Frank's arms and spun him around with the other. Frank cringed, expecting Joe to hit him but gasped in utter amazement when Joe threw his arms around him and hugged him.
"Joe," Frank said softly, hugging him back. Frank pulled away and grasped Joe's face in his hands, looking into his eyes. "You remember?" Joe nodded, tears falling down his cheeks. "Let's get out of here and call the police," Frank said.
"No," Joe disagreed with a shake of his head. "These guys have got to go to jail," he insisted.
"Dad can take care of them," Frank argued. "He was working on the case to put Dobson and his men away before you got hurt."
"We thought so," Billy said, coming into the garage. "Good work Joe," he added.
"Thanks Uncle Billy," Joe replied, wiping his eyes and smiling at him. "Now what?"
"Tie Frank up," Billy told him. "I'll deal with the older Hardy."
Frank, feeling hurt and betrayed by Joe, but angrier still at the men who had brainwashed his brother, was too taken by surprise to put up a fight. Joe pushed him into the chair and started tying Frank's hands as Billy left.