Fenton, Frank and Felix were admitted to the interrogation room where Joe sat, scowling, at a dark-complexioned officer with a mustache. Joe's blue eyes were staring into the man's brown ones as he answered the last question asked. "No comment," Joe growled through gritted teeth. He looked over and saw his family and Felix. "Oh, man, am I glad you are here," he said, relief evident on his features.
"Maybe you can get him to talk," Officer Mason said to the Hardys. "He won't answer any of my questions."
"Because we told him not to until he talked with our lawyer," Fenton explained. The officer frowned. "Give us a few minutes?" he requested. The officer nodded and left the room.
"Joe, where's your necklace?" Frank asked seemingly out of the blue as Joe turned to Felix.
Joe's hand went slowly to his neck. "I threw it away," Joe told him. Frank's eyes sought out his fathers. It had looked to them as if Joe didn't even know it was missing.
Joe closed his eyes as he remembered the previous evening. "After I left you guys at Mr. Pizza, I headed toward the park. I just wanted to get away for a bit. As I walked, I thought about the necklace Vanessa had given me and how it had been a lie, so I pulled it off and tossed it in the bushes."
"Where in the bushes?" Fenton asked. Maybe the necklace found on the car was a fake. If they could find the one Joe threw away, then it would cast some doubt on Joe's involvement with the dire deed.
Joe shrugged. "I don't remember," he said. "I was close to the first bench and just pulled it off and tossed it as hard as I could."
"Which direction?" Frank pushed.
"North, maybe," Joe answered, not sure.
"Frank told me about the comments you made last night in the restaurant," Felix said. He didn't mention the last comment Joe had made since he was sure Frank would not mention it if he were forced to testify. "Why did you want Roger Billings out of the way?"
"Because if he hadn't come to town then Vanessa wouldn't have dumped me," Joe replied honestly.
"So you tried to kill Roger to get Vanessa back?" the lawyer inquired. He still wasn't sure if Joe was innocent or not but the question was used to judge Joe's reaction to the suggestion. A too strong negative reply might indicate he was guilty as would an obvious confession.
"No," Joe said, sinking in his chair and looking at the ceiling.
Was he trying to avoid letting them see his eyes? The thought flashed briefly through Fenton's mind. He had seen this ploy before. He remembered a time when Joe was younger and had been playing ball in the living room. The ball had gone through the window but Joe had tried to make everyone believe someone had tossed the ball inside. He remembered how Joe's eyes kept straying upward when he had talked. When Fenton had told him the majority of the glass was on the outside of the house instead of on the inside, meaning the ball had to of been thrown out, Joe had finally confessed and gotten double the punishment for lying. Fenton felt a grip tighten on his heart as he watched his son. He was hotheaded and temperamental. But to actually try to kill someone? He just couldn't believe it.
"I would never kill anyone," Joe said in the same soft voice. "And I definitely wouldn't kill someone over a girl," he added. "I'm only seventeen. I'm young enough, and smart enough, to know that I will go out with other girls."
"But you didn't think so last night," Felix pushed. "You argued the point with your friends."
"I was depressed," Joe admitted, looking Felix in the eyes. "I didn't know what I was saying."
"So you admit you had a moment that wasn't altogether lucid?" Felix asked. Fenton and Frank knew immediately where this was heading.
Frank bit his bottom lip. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe Joe did do something to Roger's car but not realize how dangerous that section of road was. Yeah, right. Joe has driven that section of road almost daily for months.
"Yes," Joe said with a long-suffering sigh. "I admit I wasn't thinking straight at the restaurant. That's why I needed to get away for a bit on my own."
"Joe, from what I have heard, I think the easiest way for you to avoid prison would be to claim temporary insanity," Felix told him.
"Forget that!" Joe declared hotly. "I did not fix that guy's car!"
"Joe, it's your best bet," Felix tried to persuade him.
"But it's not a sure thing," Joe told him. "Besides, it would ruin my career. I'd never be anything but a two-bit detective in some rinky-dink town if I even tried. Hell, I wouldn't be a detective at all!"
"It's better than going to prison," Frank told him.
"Then we'll just have to make sure I don't," Joe told him. "We'll find who did try and kill him and I will be out of this mess."
"Joe, you aren't going to be allowed to go," Collig told him, coming into the room as Joe was speaking.
"What do you mean?" Fenton asked.
"He's being denied bail."
"Don't I have to go before the judge before that is decided?" Joe demanded.
"Normally," admitted Collig. "But Judge Aldebridge has been deemed the judge to deal with the matter. Since you are so well known, someone that isn't acquainted with you or your father has been called to oversee the matter. Judge Aldebridge is in Maine at the moment and won't be returning for another week. He was given the details of your case and has decided to deny bail."
"Maybe you can get him to talk," Officer Mason said to the Hardys. "He won't answer any of my questions."
"Because we told him not to until he talked with our lawyer," Fenton explained. The officer frowned. "Give us a few minutes?" he requested. The officer nodded and left the room.
"Joe, where's your necklace?" Frank asked seemingly out of the blue as Joe turned to Felix.
Joe's hand went slowly to his neck. "I threw it away," Joe told him. Frank's eyes sought out his fathers. It had looked to them as if Joe didn't even know it was missing.
Joe closed his eyes as he remembered the previous evening. "After I left you guys at Mr. Pizza, I headed toward the park. I just wanted to get away for a bit. As I walked, I thought about the necklace Vanessa had given me and how it had been a lie, so I pulled it off and tossed it in the bushes."
"Where in the bushes?" Fenton asked. Maybe the necklace found on the car was a fake. If they could find the one Joe threw away, then it would cast some doubt on Joe's involvement with the dire deed.
Joe shrugged. "I don't remember," he said. "I was close to the first bench and just pulled it off and tossed it as hard as I could."
"Which direction?" Frank pushed.
"North, maybe," Joe answered, not sure.
"Frank told me about the comments you made last night in the restaurant," Felix said. He didn't mention the last comment Joe had made since he was sure Frank would not mention it if he were forced to testify. "Why did you want Roger Billings out of the way?"
"Because if he hadn't come to town then Vanessa wouldn't have dumped me," Joe replied honestly.
"So you tried to kill Roger to get Vanessa back?" the lawyer inquired. He still wasn't sure if Joe was innocent or not but the question was used to judge Joe's reaction to the suggestion. A too strong negative reply might indicate he was guilty as would an obvious confession.
"No," Joe said, sinking in his chair and looking at the ceiling.
Was he trying to avoid letting them see his eyes? The thought flashed briefly through Fenton's mind. He had seen this ploy before. He remembered a time when Joe was younger and had been playing ball in the living room. The ball had gone through the window but Joe had tried to make everyone believe someone had tossed the ball inside. He remembered how Joe's eyes kept straying upward when he had talked. When Fenton had told him the majority of the glass was on the outside of the house instead of on the inside, meaning the ball had to of been thrown out, Joe had finally confessed and gotten double the punishment for lying. Fenton felt a grip tighten on his heart as he watched his son. He was hotheaded and temperamental. But to actually try to kill someone? He just couldn't believe it.
"I would never kill anyone," Joe said in the same soft voice. "And I definitely wouldn't kill someone over a girl," he added. "I'm only seventeen. I'm young enough, and smart enough, to know that I will go out with other girls."
"But you didn't think so last night," Felix pushed. "You argued the point with your friends."
"I was depressed," Joe admitted, looking Felix in the eyes. "I didn't know what I was saying."
"So you admit you had a moment that wasn't altogether lucid?" Felix asked. Fenton and Frank knew immediately where this was heading.
Frank bit his bottom lip. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe Joe did do something to Roger's car but not realize how dangerous that section of road was. Yeah, right. Joe has driven that section of road almost daily for months.
"Yes," Joe said with a long-suffering sigh. "I admit I wasn't thinking straight at the restaurant. That's why I needed to get away for a bit on my own."
"Joe, from what I have heard, I think the easiest way for you to avoid prison would be to claim temporary insanity," Felix told him.
"Forget that!" Joe declared hotly. "I did not fix that guy's car!"
"Joe, it's your best bet," Felix tried to persuade him.
"But it's not a sure thing," Joe told him. "Besides, it would ruin my career. I'd never be anything but a two-bit detective in some rinky-dink town if I even tried. Hell, I wouldn't be a detective at all!"
"It's better than going to prison," Frank told him.
"Then we'll just have to make sure I don't," Joe told him. "We'll find who did try and kill him and I will be out of this mess."
"Joe, you aren't going to be allowed to go," Collig told him, coming into the room as Joe was speaking.
"What do you mean?" Fenton asked.
"He's being denied bail."
"Don't I have to go before the judge before that is decided?" Joe demanded.
"Normally," admitted Collig. "But Judge Aldebridge has been deemed the judge to deal with the matter. Since you are so well known, someone that isn't acquainted with you or your father has been called to oversee the matter. Judge Aldebridge is in Maine at the moment and won't be returning for another week. He was given the details of your case and has decided to deny bail."