"Frank," Fenton poked his head into Frank's room a little over an hour later. "Can we come in?"
"Sure," Frank answered, turning the paper over that he was writing on so it couldn't be seen.
Fenton entered Frank's room followed by Chief Collig. "I just have to ask you the usual set of questions," Collig said.
"I'll save you the trouble," returned Frank. "I forgot to turn the alarm on last night. No, I didn't see or hear anything and I had no idea anyone had been in the house until mom screamed. And I don't have any idea what the intruder was looking for."
"We actually have a pretty good idea on that," Fenton informed him grimly. "Nothing was taken except the items on the desk downstairs and from the desk in my office," he informed Frank. "Oh, and the mail from the kitchen table."
"What about mom's checkbook record?" demanded Frank in alarm. Household expenses were kept track of via his mother's management and the check written to the boarding school would be listed.
"It was taken," Fenton stated.
"McFadden's trying to find Joe," Frank deduced what his dad and Chief Collig already knew. "We've got to get Joe out of there," he declared, standing up and wincing as he put pressure on his sore ankle without thinking.
"Easy, Son," Fenton said, gently pushing Frank back down. "We didn't use a check to pay for Joe's tuition and the address hasn't been written down anywhere so they couldn't have gotten their hands on it."
"What about the acceptance letter or the information you had on the school?" demanded Frank. "You must have gotten information on the school when you first considered it."
"Joe took the letter with him," Fenton said calmly. "And I destroyed all the information we received on the school as soon as Laura and I agreed on it."
"Why?" asked Frank looking at his father suspiciously.
"In case something like this happened," Fenton answered honestly. "We don't want anyone going after your brother. Now, get ready for school," he instructed. "I'll drive you."
Frank nodded his agreement and the two men left him alone. Frank quickly finished his letter and put it in an envelope. He didn't even know where to send it but he would make his dad give him the address in the car.
Fifteen minutes later, Frank hobbled out of his room with his backpack slung over one shoulder and the letter tucked into his front pocket.
"They're leaving," said a thickset man with curly black hair into the cell phone he was holding as he watched Fenton and Frank exit the house. "The woman is still inside."
"Get the woman," Hartley ordered from the other end. "She will know where her son is."
"There are two cops still hanging around the place," the man informed Hartley with a scowl.
"Blast it," snarled Hartley. "Follow Hardy and son and grab them the first chance you get. The boss wants the blond kid now."
"Can we stop at the post office?" asked Frank once they were underway.
"Why?" asked Fenton.
"I want to send Joe a letter," Frank answered.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Fenton replied with a shake of his head. "It could be intercepted."
"That's why I didn't want to leave it for the mailman," Frank said reasonably. He removed the letter from his pocket and wrote Joe's name down on the front. "Now, give me the address?" he asked his father.
"I can't do that," Fenton replied, dreading the blow up he knew was coming.
"Why not?" demanded Frank angrily. "You know I won't give it to anyone."
"That isn't the reason," Fenton said.
"It can't be gotten to if it's dropped inside the post office," Frank pointed out.
"That isn't the reason, either," Fenton denied.
"Then what is the reason?" Frank ground out through clenched teeth.
"We aren't allowed contact with him for the first two weeks," Fenton answered.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" shouted Frank. "It sounds more like a prison or training camp than a school." He froze briefly before turning to face his dad who kept his eyes on the road ahead.
"It's not a boarding school at all, is it?" demanded Frank. "You sent him to some kind of training camp. Why?"
"Because I don't want you working alone," confessed Fenton. "And the only way I could get clearance for your brother to help is if he were sent to the academy to be prepped."
"Clearance for what?" demanded Frank. "And what kind of prepping?"
"I can't tell you," Fenton said. "Suffice it to say, it involves national security and it's extremely dangerous." He looked at Frank after bringing the car to a stop at the drive-thru of a morning fast-food place. "I know this is hard on you. I know it's even harder on Joe. But unless Joe can learn to control himself in certain situations then the mission will be scrapped and certainly hundreds, possibly millions, of people will lose their lives."
"Sure," Frank answered, turning the paper over that he was writing on so it couldn't be seen.
Fenton entered Frank's room followed by Chief Collig. "I just have to ask you the usual set of questions," Collig said.
"I'll save you the trouble," returned Frank. "I forgot to turn the alarm on last night. No, I didn't see or hear anything and I had no idea anyone had been in the house until mom screamed. And I don't have any idea what the intruder was looking for."
"We actually have a pretty good idea on that," Fenton informed him grimly. "Nothing was taken except the items on the desk downstairs and from the desk in my office," he informed Frank. "Oh, and the mail from the kitchen table."
"What about mom's checkbook record?" demanded Frank in alarm. Household expenses were kept track of via his mother's management and the check written to the boarding school would be listed.
"It was taken," Fenton stated.
"McFadden's trying to find Joe," Frank deduced what his dad and Chief Collig already knew. "We've got to get Joe out of there," he declared, standing up and wincing as he put pressure on his sore ankle without thinking.
"Easy, Son," Fenton said, gently pushing Frank back down. "We didn't use a check to pay for Joe's tuition and the address hasn't been written down anywhere so they couldn't have gotten their hands on it."
"What about the acceptance letter or the information you had on the school?" demanded Frank. "You must have gotten information on the school when you first considered it."
"Joe took the letter with him," Fenton said calmly. "And I destroyed all the information we received on the school as soon as Laura and I agreed on it."
"Why?" asked Frank looking at his father suspiciously.
"In case something like this happened," Fenton answered honestly. "We don't want anyone going after your brother. Now, get ready for school," he instructed. "I'll drive you."
Frank nodded his agreement and the two men left him alone. Frank quickly finished his letter and put it in an envelope. He didn't even know where to send it but he would make his dad give him the address in the car.
Fifteen minutes later, Frank hobbled out of his room with his backpack slung over one shoulder and the letter tucked into his front pocket.
"They're leaving," said a thickset man with curly black hair into the cell phone he was holding as he watched Fenton and Frank exit the house. "The woman is still inside."
"Get the woman," Hartley ordered from the other end. "She will know where her son is."
"There are two cops still hanging around the place," the man informed Hartley with a scowl.
"Blast it," snarled Hartley. "Follow Hardy and son and grab them the first chance you get. The boss wants the blond kid now."
"Can we stop at the post office?" asked Frank once they were underway.
"Why?" asked Fenton.
"I want to send Joe a letter," Frank answered.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Fenton replied with a shake of his head. "It could be intercepted."
"That's why I didn't want to leave it for the mailman," Frank said reasonably. He removed the letter from his pocket and wrote Joe's name down on the front. "Now, give me the address?" he asked his father.
"I can't do that," Fenton replied, dreading the blow up he knew was coming.
"Why not?" demanded Frank angrily. "You know I won't give it to anyone."
"That isn't the reason," Fenton said.
"It can't be gotten to if it's dropped inside the post office," Frank pointed out.
"That isn't the reason, either," Fenton denied.
"Then what is the reason?" Frank ground out through clenched teeth.
"We aren't allowed contact with him for the first two weeks," Fenton answered.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" shouted Frank. "It sounds more like a prison or training camp than a school." He froze briefly before turning to face his dad who kept his eyes on the road ahead.
"It's not a boarding school at all, is it?" demanded Frank. "You sent him to some kind of training camp. Why?"
"Because I don't want you working alone," confessed Fenton. "And the only way I could get clearance for your brother to help is if he were sent to the academy to be prepped."
"Clearance for what?" demanded Frank. "And what kind of prepping?"
"I can't tell you," Fenton said. "Suffice it to say, it involves national security and it's extremely dangerous." He looked at Frank after bringing the car to a stop at the drive-thru of a morning fast-food place. "I know this is hard on you. I know it's even harder on Joe. But unless Joe can learn to control himself in certain situations then the mission will be scrapped and certainly hundreds, possibly millions, of people will lose their lives."