Chapter 28: Back home
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Frank watched through the mirrorglass where his father and chief Collig were talking to a rather young woman with dark brown curly hair and roundish face wearing a lot of make-up. She was the daughter of the idiot who messed up Joe's mind. He was worried. Would his brother hate him for the rest of their lives? Frank couldn't bear that.
At home Laura and Gertrude Hardy were whistling in front of the cookstove,preparing a great meal to celebrate Joe's return.
Joe himself was lying on his bed in his room, thinking. Something was wrong, he knew that but he couldn't figure out what. Why did he feel this burning anger that sometimes even touched on hate when he looked at his older brother? And he who had been nothing but kind and caring for him. That could be it. Joe wanted to take care of himself.
'Joe, stop being so stupid' he ordered to himself. 'That's it, you're going insane. So what? You're insane already...and look, you're talking to yourself. Shut up!'
Joe grasped his head. He reached out for a glass of hypnotic on the drawer beside the bed. He hesitated. Julia stopped him from taking those pills once and he felt good then...He put the glass back on the drawer. He heard his mother call him.
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'So what did she say?' Frank asked his dad on their way out of the police station.
'She said that her father had been working on some sort of mind control device' Fenton answered.
'Mind control?' Frank stared at Fenton.
'I know. It's crazy, but she mentioned a electroshock treatment that blunts the mind and some hypnotic chemical that can maintain this blunt and if the victim, shall we say, is willing to, he or she concentrates on special memories that in process of time comes to control the thoughts.
Frank shook his head and slid into the car. 'What a bullshit!'
Fenton looked at him before starting the car. 'Is it? Remember the electroshock Joe had there. He didn't need more. And remember that hypnotic that he wanted because he couldn't sleep and the way he seems to hate you?'
'So you're saying that Joe only has the bad memories of me, when we fight and things like that?' Frank asked shocked.
-'Something like that but he also misunderstands reality.'
-'How so?'
-'If you'd offer him help out of your kindness with something he can do alone he might take it as you thought you were better than him, or it could seem to him that you sometimes get more credit for equally worked job, you get it?'
'But I don't' Frank said.
'I know but he thinks so, so we must clean him of that drug he's been taking and he'll slowly come around...I hope' Fenton said and pulled up in the Hardyhouse driveway. 'Your mom probably has dinner ready by now.'
-'Yummy!'
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While dining Joe constantly looked under the table where he kept his cell phone in his lap.
Frank leaned to the side. 'Joe, she's not going to call so soon, it's only been a few hours since yesterday. Be patient' he whispered.
Joe glanced at him. Frank smiled. Then Joe nodded and put the phone into his pocket.
Frank turned back to his meal. Nancy who was sitting on his other side smiled lovingly to him. After a minute he felt some prod in his flank.
'Hey bro...thanks, for everthing, you know being there and believe and...all that...' he heard whispered. At that moment Frank could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.
'You ought to thank Tony, not me' he whispered back.
-'Yeah, I will' Joe raised his voice. 'And thanks to all of you.'
'That's what families are for' Gertrude said and shrugged. 'More steak, anyone?'
Everybody accepted another piece of the wonderful steak that the sisters-in-law had worked hard on cooking the past hours.
'Won't we do some research on this underground place by the river?' Nancy asked when they were all in the livingroom, ignoring Joe's significant frown.
'Of course' Fenton answered.
'We can start tomorrow' Frank commented and gave Joe a glance.
'It was a hideout for Walker and Jennings illegal weapon transport. They first sent the weapons there for check-up and then to a submarine by the coast of Bayport' Joe said quietly.
Everyone stared at Joe.
Fenton cleared his throat. 'Well, then that's solved.'
Joe stretched his lips into something similar to a smile.
'I can't let Nancy's eagerness make damage to her more than it already has' he said with a sudden glint of the old him.
'Eagerness?! I just asked' Nancy said and gave a short laugh.
'She's too a sleuth, remember' Laura reminded and smiled.
'Yeah, a sleuth with a broken rib' Frank said and put an arm around her shoulders.
'Excuse me' Joe said and stood up then headed upstairs to his room.
'He's making progress' Fenton said after he heard the door close.
Frank nodded. 'And he's doing it on his own.' He leaned back and sighed happily. 'Man, I haven't felt so good in ages.'
'Have you talked to your father, dear?' Gertrude asked Nancy and looked at her over the edge of her glasses.
'Of course, I called him before dinner' Nancy answered.
'Good, good' Gertrude muttered. 'Handsome man, your father' she muttered even lower.
Fenton spat his drink back to the glass. 'What were you saying, sister?'
She watched him innocently. 'What?'
'Excuse me too' Frank said and pulled carefully away from Nancy.
He went upstairs to his brother's room. As he got closer Joe's voice became clearer.
'...We're done anyway...-I know, sweetie, yeah, I'm not continuing this either...-well, ok, the thing is I didn't tell my parents, they would flip if I did. No, no, Frank and Tony will be quiet, aha, Nancy too...Hey, um...there's something I have to tell you...if you're standing, sit. The police didn't catch Luise...she shot herself in the head...I'm sorry, baby. -so, maybe we'll be seeing around...-Yes, I will, ok, honey. Take care...- Love you too, bye.'
The next thing Frank knew was looking in the eyes of his brother.
'Oh' Joe just said.
Frank cleared his throat. 'I...um...thought I'd go check on you.'
'I'm fine' Joe said.
Frank took a step closer. 'So...can I come in?'
Joe squinted for a few seconds then started to laugh. 'Sure!' He moved away from the door.
Frank closed the door behind him as Joe jumped back onto his bed.
'What's up?'
-'Julia called.'
-'I heard.'
-'She asked me to send you her regards and kick you in the butt.' Joe grinned. 'I'll skip kicking you though.'
Frank gave the dustbin a glance and he thought he saw a pillglass in it. He also smiled.
There was a long uncomfortable silence.
'Are you not going to say anything to mom and dad, Joe...'
-'No. What could I tell them, anyway. Hey, mom, dad, I'm a psycho and a criminal and just tried to...' Joe broke of and looked away. 'Can't it just be our little secret?'
Frank nodded. 'Joe, there is something I need to know. Sarah Cline...did you...kill her?'
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Frank watched through the mirrorglass where his father and chief Collig were talking to a rather young woman with dark brown curly hair and roundish face wearing a lot of make-up. She was the daughter of the idiot who messed up Joe's mind. He was worried. Would his brother hate him for the rest of their lives? Frank couldn't bear that.
At home Laura and Gertrude Hardy were whistling in front of the cookstove,preparing a great meal to celebrate Joe's return.
Joe himself was lying on his bed in his room, thinking. Something was wrong, he knew that but he couldn't figure out what. Why did he feel this burning anger that sometimes even touched on hate when he looked at his older brother? And he who had been nothing but kind and caring for him. That could be it. Joe wanted to take care of himself.
'Joe, stop being so stupid' he ordered to himself. 'That's it, you're going insane. So what? You're insane already...and look, you're talking to yourself. Shut up!'
Joe grasped his head. He reached out for a glass of hypnotic on the drawer beside the bed. He hesitated. Julia stopped him from taking those pills once and he felt good then...He put the glass back on the drawer. He heard his mother call him.
-----------------------------------------------
'So what did she say?' Frank asked his dad on their way out of the police station.
'She said that her father had been working on some sort of mind control device' Fenton answered.
'Mind control?' Frank stared at Fenton.
'I know. It's crazy, but she mentioned a electroshock treatment that blunts the mind and some hypnotic chemical that can maintain this blunt and if the victim, shall we say, is willing to, he or she concentrates on special memories that in process of time comes to control the thoughts.
Frank shook his head and slid into the car. 'What a bullshit!'
Fenton looked at him before starting the car. 'Is it? Remember the electroshock Joe had there. He didn't need more. And remember that hypnotic that he wanted because he couldn't sleep and the way he seems to hate you?'
'So you're saying that Joe only has the bad memories of me, when we fight and things like that?' Frank asked shocked.
-'Something like that but he also misunderstands reality.'
-'How so?'
-'If you'd offer him help out of your kindness with something he can do alone he might take it as you thought you were better than him, or it could seem to him that you sometimes get more credit for equally worked job, you get it?'
'But I don't' Frank said.
'I know but he thinks so, so we must clean him of that drug he's been taking and he'll slowly come around...I hope' Fenton said and pulled up in the Hardyhouse driveway. 'Your mom probably has dinner ready by now.'
-'Yummy!'
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While dining Joe constantly looked under the table where he kept his cell phone in his lap.
Frank leaned to the side. 'Joe, she's not going to call so soon, it's only been a few hours since yesterday. Be patient' he whispered.
Joe glanced at him. Frank smiled. Then Joe nodded and put the phone into his pocket.
Frank turned back to his meal. Nancy who was sitting on his other side smiled lovingly to him. After a minute he felt some prod in his flank.
'Hey bro...thanks, for everthing, you know being there and believe and...all that...' he heard whispered. At that moment Frank could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.
'You ought to thank Tony, not me' he whispered back.
-'Yeah, I will' Joe raised his voice. 'And thanks to all of you.'
'That's what families are for' Gertrude said and shrugged. 'More steak, anyone?'
Everybody accepted another piece of the wonderful steak that the sisters-in-law had worked hard on cooking the past hours.
'Won't we do some research on this underground place by the river?' Nancy asked when they were all in the livingroom, ignoring Joe's significant frown.
'Of course' Fenton answered.
'We can start tomorrow' Frank commented and gave Joe a glance.
'It was a hideout for Walker and Jennings illegal weapon transport. They first sent the weapons there for check-up and then to a submarine by the coast of Bayport' Joe said quietly.
Everyone stared at Joe.
Fenton cleared his throat. 'Well, then that's solved.'
Joe stretched his lips into something similar to a smile.
'I can't let Nancy's eagerness make damage to her more than it already has' he said with a sudden glint of the old him.
'Eagerness?! I just asked' Nancy said and gave a short laugh.
'She's too a sleuth, remember' Laura reminded and smiled.
'Yeah, a sleuth with a broken rib' Frank said and put an arm around her shoulders.
'Excuse me' Joe said and stood up then headed upstairs to his room.
'He's making progress' Fenton said after he heard the door close.
Frank nodded. 'And he's doing it on his own.' He leaned back and sighed happily. 'Man, I haven't felt so good in ages.'
'Have you talked to your father, dear?' Gertrude asked Nancy and looked at her over the edge of her glasses.
'Of course, I called him before dinner' Nancy answered.
'Good, good' Gertrude muttered. 'Handsome man, your father' she muttered even lower.
Fenton spat his drink back to the glass. 'What were you saying, sister?'
She watched him innocently. 'What?'
'Excuse me too' Frank said and pulled carefully away from Nancy.
He went upstairs to his brother's room. As he got closer Joe's voice became clearer.
'...We're done anyway...-I know, sweetie, yeah, I'm not continuing this either...-well, ok, the thing is I didn't tell my parents, they would flip if I did. No, no, Frank and Tony will be quiet, aha, Nancy too...Hey, um...there's something I have to tell you...if you're standing, sit. The police didn't catch Luise...she shot herself in the head...I'm sorry, baby. -so, maybe we'll be seeing around...-Yes, I will, ok, honey. Take care...- Love you too, bye.'
The next thing Frank knew was looking in the eyes of his brother.
'Oh' Joe just said.
Frank cleared his throat. 'I...um...thought I'd go check on you.'
'I'm fine' Joe said.
Frank took a step closer. 'So...can I come in?'
Joe squinted for a few seconds then started to laugh. 'Sure!' He moved away from the door.
Frank closed the door behind him as Joe jumped back onto his bed.
'What's up?'
-'Julia called.'
-'I heard.'
-'She asked me to send you her regards and kick you in the butt.' Joe grinned. 'I'll skip kicking you though.'
Frank gave the dustbin a glance and he thought he saw a pillglass in it. He also smiled.
There was a long uncomfortable silence.
'Are you not going to say anything to mom and dad, Joe...'
-'No. What could I tell them, anyway. Hey, mom, dad, I'm a psycho and a criminal and just tried to...' Joe broke of and looked away. 'Can't it just be our little secret?'
Frank nodded. 'Joe, there is something I need to know. Sarah Cline...did you...kill her?'
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