Joe shut off the computer and ran downstairs. H had been online for almost two hours and now had enough information to begin the quest for his family. He figured they had to be captive at the home of one of the names on the list or at the very least one of the people listed could lead him to where they were being held.
Joe entered the kitchen with his nose in the air. The smell of bacon and coffee mingled to tease his senses. "Tom?" he asked in surprise seeing the man standing at the stove.
Tom turned his head and smiled at Joe. "You were busy so I didn't want to disturb you," he said. "But I figured you would need some nourishment and I do make some mean scrambled eggs. That is okay?" he asked, his voice faltering when Joe's expression never changed.
"Sure," said Joe with a grin. "Listen, do you mind if I pick your brain?" he asked, the smile vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"Of course not," Tom answered. "Anything I can do to help," he added. "I mean, if it weren't for me your dad and brother wouldn't be in this mess."
"Not quite," Joe disagreed honestly. "They're in this mess because I got involved."
"Sit down," Tom instructed. "You can ask me what you want while we eat."
Joe sat down as Tom took up breakfast. A couple of minutes later they were both digging in. "This is good," Joe complimented him. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," Tom said.
"What can you tell me about Leroy Nelson?" asked Joe.
"He runs numbers in the city," answered Tom. "Strictly small fry on that front," he continued. "But he's started dipping into other stuff."
"Like?" queried Joe.
"Word has it that he has been talking to Curtis McFadden," Tom said, his voice dropping a bit as if he were afraid he might be overheard.
"McFadden?" repeated Joe remembering the name from lower down on the list and biting his lower lip thoughtfully. "What does he have to do with Morrison?" he asked finally. Joe wanted all these scumbags put away but his number one priority was finding his family.
"McFadden works for Morrison," Tom replied. "He gives Morrison twenty percent of his take. Occasionally, Morrison would forgo half in exchange for a favor."
"Like keeping watch over a prisoner?" Joe guessed. Tom nodded. "Looks like McFadden is in for a little scrutiny," said Joe.
"When do we leave?" asked Tom.
"We don't," Joe replied. "You are still in danger," he explained. "I want you to stay here with the alarm on. I'll have some of my friends come over and help keep an eye out. Do you know where McFadden lives?"
"No," Tom answered. "But I've seen him in Billy Bob's Bar on the south end of town a few times."
"I'll get on it," Joe said. "Do you mind doing the dishes?"
"Not at all," Tom assured him.
With a smile Joe stood up and left the kitchen. He raced back upstairs and ran a search on McFadden. When he had finished, he checked his watch. Too early for lunch so he couldn't call the phone in the school cafeteria. Blast it! He hated to waste any more time. If only Sam weren't in the hospital, he thought picking up the phone. He had been relieved to find out last night that Sam hadn't been killed but he was still worried about him. So it was with a guilty conscious that Joe dialed the hospital to see how he was doing. He should have done so last night, he knew, but although the thought had crossed his mind he had forgotten.
"Ethel?" Joe spoke Sam's wife's name as he was connected to Sam's room. "How is he?"
"Much better," Ethel answered in a relieved voice. "He came out of his coma about four this morning."
"That's wonderful!" Joe enthused, his face breaking into a huge smile.
"I'm glad you're home," Ethel said. "I know your father was extremely worried about you."
"Yeah," Joe replied, his voice growing frustrated.
"Is something wrong?" inquired Ethel picking up on the subtle nuance.
"Dad and Frank are missing," answered Joe.
"Oh no!" gasped Ethel.
"I have a few leads I am following up on," Joe continued. "So you and Sam don't have to worry. I just wanted to see how Sam was doing."
"Joe, these men are dangerous," Ethel stated in a firm voice. "I don't want you going after them by yourself."
"I won't," promised Joe. "I'll have Biff go with me."
"Joe, maybe you should let the police take care of this," suggested Ethel, still worried because she had always looked on Joe and Frank as the children she and Sam would never have.
"Easy, Ethel," Joe said in the gentle tone he used with his aunt on occasion. "I will be careful and I promise to call you tomorrow afternoon and keep you posted."
"Okay," Ethel accepted Joe's terms. "But if I don't hear from you by seven I am going to send Chief Collig after you."
"Deal," agreed Joe. "Take care and tell Sam I said to get better."
"I will. Thanks for calling," she added before hanging up.
Joe set the handset down and jumped as the phone rang as soon as he had released it. "Hello?" he answered.
"Joe? Any word yet?" Chet's voice came through.
"No, but I do have some leads," answered Joe. "But I need your help and the rest of the guys."
"How soon?" asked Chet.
"As soon as possible," was Joe's reply.
"I'll tell the others," promised Chet. "We'll be there as soon as we can slip away."
"Thanks," Joe said but Chet had already hung up.
Joe returned downstairs and found Tom in the living room looking at a magazine. "My friends will be here soon," Joe informed him.
"You're actually going after McFadden?" asked Tom, setting the magazine back on the coffee table.
"Have too," replied Joe with a shrug.
"Shouldn't you let the police handle it?" Tom asked and then, upon seeing Joe's scowl, added, "I know you and Frank are detectives and all but, well, you're still just a kid."
"I may be a kid, as you put it," Joe informed him in a matter of fact tone, "but Frank and I have solved more than a few mysteries. Some that even the FBI couldn't solve."
"Really?" Tom demanded, giving Joe a look that bordered on respect.
"Really," affirmed Joe with a curt nod. "I'm not trying to brag but I would put my skills over those of the police any day."
"How did you get so good?" asked Tom curiously.
"My dad trained me," Joe answered with a proud smile.
Joe spent the time waiting for his friends to arrive going over the list he had with Tom. Joe was amazed that most of the people who seemed to have the closest connections with Morrison were at the bottom of the list.
"Hmm," Joe said after Tom had told Joe about the last name on the list. "If Meecham is involved with McFadden then maybe I should see what I can find out about him before I leave." Joe excused himself and left Tom downstairs to return, once again, to his father's office. He logged on to the net and sat with his fingers ready at the keyboard. "One e or two?" Joe wondered out loud.
Shaking his head because he couldn't remember he pulled out the sheet of paper and laid it beside the keyboard. The edge slid beneath it causing part of the paper Frank had put there earlier to slide out the other side. Joe lifted the keyboard and picked up the paper that was obviously a photocopy. It was a copy of the list he had been using except the last five names on the list were different!
Why are the last names different? he wondered as he gazed at the sheet. He picked up the one he had been using and looked at it closely. The first few names were in his dad's handwriting but the others that he had assumed were in Frank's handwriting proved not to be. There were subtle differences that he could see after looking at it closely. He sat back stunned. The work list he had been using had been altered.
Joe's face hardened as he realized why all of the best connections to Morrison were at the bottom. Tom was still working for Morrison and for some reason Morrison wanted these men out of his way. But why not change the real connections Dad had listed too? he wondered.
"Of course," Joe murmured then clamped his lips shut as he thought about the implications of his discovery. They are going to let Dad escape! Tom helped me escape so Dad would trust him!
Joe entered the kitchen with his nose in the air. The smell of bacon and coffee mingled to tease his senses. "Tom?" he asked in surprise seeing the man standing at the stove.
Tom turned his head and smiled at Joe. "You were busy so I didn't want to disturb you," he said. "But I figured you would need some nourishment and I do make some mean scrambled eggs. That is okay?" he asked, his voice faltering when Joe's expression never changed.
"Sure," said Joe with a grin. "Listen, do you mind if I pick your brain?" he asked, the smile vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"Of course not," Tom answered. "Anything I can do to help," he added. "I mean, if it weren't for me your dad and brother wouldn't be in this mess."
"Not quite," Joe disagreed honestly. "They're in this mess because I got involved."
"Sit down," Tom instructed. "You can ask me what you want while we eat."
Joe sat down as Tom took up breakfast. A couple of minutes later they were both digging in. "This is good," Joe complimented him. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," Tom said.
"What can you tell me about Leroy Nelson?" asked Joe.
"He runs numbers in the city," answered Tom. "Strictly small fry on that front," he continued. "But he's started dipping into other stuff."
"Like?" queried Joe.
"Word has it that he has been talking to Curtis McFadden," Tom said, his voice dropping a bit as if he were afraid he might be overheard.
"McFadden?" repeated Joe remembering the name from lower down on the list and biting his lower lip thoughtfully. "What does he have to do with Morrison?" he asked finally. Joe wanted all these scumbags put away but his number one priority was finding his family.
"McFadden works for Morrison," Tom replied. "He gives Morrison twenty percent of his take. Occasionally, Morrison would forgo half in exchange for a favor."
"Like keeping watch over a prisoner?" Joe guessed. Tom nodded. "Looks like McFadden is in for a little scrutiny," said Joe.
"When do we leave?" asked Tom.
"We don't," Joe replied. "You are still in danger," he explained. "I want you to stay here with the alarm on. I'll have some of my friends come over and help keep an eye out. Do you know where McFadden lives?"
"No," Tom answered. "But I've seen him in Billy Bob's Bar on the south end of town a few times."
"I'll get on it," Joe said. "Do you mind doing the dishes?"
"Not at all," Tom assured him.
With a smile Joe stood up and left the kitchen. He raced back upstairs and ran a search on McFadden. When he had finished, he checked his watch. Too early for lunch so he couldn't call the phone in the school cafeteria. Blast it! He hated to waste any more time. If only Sam weren't in the hospital, he thought picking up the phone. He had been relieved to find out last night that Sam hadn't been killed but he was still worried about him. So it was with a guilty conscious that Joe dialed the hospital to see how he was doing. He should have done so last night, he knew, but although the thought had crossed his mind he had forgotten.
"Ethel?" Joe spoke Sam's wife's name as he was connected to Sam's room. "How is he?"
"Much better," Ethel answered in a relieved voice. "He came out of his coma about four this morning."
"That's wonderful!" Joe enthused, his face breaking into a huge smile.
"I'm glad you're home," Ethel said. "I know your father was extremely worried about you."
"Yeah," Joe replied, his voice growing frustrated.
"Is something wrong?" inquired Ethel picking up on the subtle nuance.
"Dad and Frank are missing," answered Joe.
"Oh no!" gasped Ethel.
"I have a few leads I am following up on," Joe continued. "So you and Sam don't have to worry. I just wanted to see how Sam was doing."
"Joe, these men are dangerous," Ethel stated in a firm voice. "I don't want you going after them by yourself."
"I won't," promised Joe. "I'll have Biff go with me."
"Joe, maybe you should let the police take care of this," suggested Ethel, still worried because she had always looked on Joe and Frank as the children she and Sam would never have.
"Easy, Ethel," Joe said in the gentle tone he used with his aunt on occasion. "I will be careful and I promise to call you tomorrow afternoon and keep you posted."
"Okay," Ethel accepted Joe's terms. "But if I don't hear from you by seven I am going to send Chief Collig after you."
"Deal," agreed Joe. "Take care and tell Sam I said to get better."
"I will. Thanks for calling," she added before hanging up.
Joe set the handset down and jumped as the phone rang as soon as he had released it. "Hello?" he answered.
"Joe? Any word yet?" Chet's voice came through.
"No, but I do have some leads," answered Joe. "But I need your help and the rest of the guys."
"How soon?" asked Chet.
"As soon as possible," was Joe's reply.
"I'll tell the others," promised Chet. "We'll be there as soon as we can slip away."
"Thanks," Joe said but Chet had already hung up.
Joe returned downstairs and found Tom in the living room looking at a magazine. "My friends will be here soon," Joe informed him.
"You're actually going after McFadden?" asked Tom, setting the magazine back on the coffee table.
"Have too," replied Joe with a shrug.
"Shouldn't you let the police handle it?" Tom asked and then, upon seeing Joe's scowl, added, "I know you and Frank are detectives and all but, well, you're still just a kid."
"I may be a kid, as you put it," Joe informed him in a matter of fact tone, "but Frank and I have solved more than a few mysteries. Some that even the FBI couldn't solve."
"Really?" Tom demanded, giving Joe a look that bordered on respect.
"Really," affirmed Joe with a curt nod. "I'm not trying to brag but I would put my skills over those of the police any day."
"How did you get so good?" asked Tom curiously.
"My dad trained me," Joe answered with a proud smile.
Joe spent the time waiting for his friends to arrive going over the list he had with Tom. Joe was amazed that most of the people who seemed to have the closest connections with Morrison were at the bottom of the list.
"Hmm," Joe said after Tom had told Joe about the last name on the list. "If Meecham is involved with McFadden then maybe I should see what I can find out about him before I leave." Joe excused himself and left Tom downstairs to return, once again, to his father's office. He logged on to the net and sat with his fingers ready at the keyboard. "One e or two?" Joe wondered out loud.
Shaking his head because he couldn't remember he pulled out the sheet of paper and laid it beside the keyboard. The edge slid beneath it causing part of the paper Frank had put there earlier to slide out the other side. Joe lifted the keyboard and picked up the paper that was obviously a photocopy. It was a copy of the list he had been using except the last five names on the list were different!
Why are the last names different? he wondered as he gazed at the sheet. He picked up the one he had been using and looked at it closely. The first few names were in his dad's handwriting but the others that he had assumed were in Frank's handwriting proved not to be. There were subtle differences that he could see after looking at it closely. He sat back stunned. The work list he had been using had been altered.
Joe's face hardened as he realized why all of the best connections to Morrison were at the bottom. Tom was still working for Morrison and for some reason Morrison wanted these men out of his way. But why not change the real connections Dad had listed too? he wondered.
"Of course," Joe murmured then clamped his lips shut as he thought about the implications of his discovery. They are going to let Dad escape! Tom helped me escape so Dad would trust him!