"No!" gasped Fenton, falling against the wall for support. "There...there has to be some mistake."
"Fenton, several thousand people witnessed the explosion and it appeared on radar," Ezra told him in a gentle voice. "I'm so sorry."
"I don't believe it," Fenton said. "There is no way McFadden's men could have gotten onto school grounds."
"Fenton..." Collig tried to interrupt but by now Fenton was thinking out loud and not paying attention.
"So either they didn't get Joe or someone at the school helped them," Fenton stated grimly. "Ezra, do me a favor?"
"Of course," Collig agreed at once.
"Don't let Laura or Frank know about Joe just yet?" Fenton requested. "I'm going down there to find out what's going on. I'm not coming back until I find out exactly what happened."
"I'll keep it quiet for now," the chief promised. "But if the media already has a hold of this information then Laura and Frank are bound to find out."
"If they do then you can tell them I went to Virginia to get the truth," Fenton replied. "Laura will understand."
"Frank?"
"Won't," Fenton stated. "But he's in no condition to go with me." Fenton thanked Ezra for his cooperation and hung the phone up. He held his hands up and looked at them, unsurprised to find they were trembling. Dropping them to his side, he stood up straight, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't let his emotions rule him; he wouldn't! He had to stay in control and focused if he was going to find out what really happened to his son. If by some miracle he were still alive, Fenton would bring him home. Forget the top-secret investigation the Department of Defense requested, he thought. If Joe is still alive I will never send him away again for any reason!' he vowed. And if not...
Fenton swallowed and blinked to keep his tears at bay. If Joe were dead then the men responsible would pay. If Joe had been taken from the boarding school then someone on the inside had to be a traitor and that person was about to wish he had never been born.
Fenton made his way back to the plane where Jack stood watching Fenton approach. "Everything okay?" asked Jack. He had never seen Fenton so shaken.
"No," Fenton answered. "Collig..." he paused and swallowed. "Collig has reason to believe Joe is dead."
"But you don't?" Jack asked, quirking a dark eyebrow, even as his face creased in concern.
"I...I don't know," Fenton admitted in a breaking voice. "But I intend to find out. Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Jack. "Climb aboard."
"Jack, I need a favor," requested Fenton once they were airborne.
"Name it," Jack replied. Not only did he work for Fenton but he was a good friend to him and his sons.
Fenton told Jack what the chief had told him about the explosion of the plane Joe was seen boarding. "I want you to find out what you can," Fenton requested. "I want to know who saw Joe get on the plane, where the plane was when it exploded, if the black box has been recovered; everything you can find out."
"I'll do my best," promised Jack.
After landing, Fenton rented a car and drove to the school. After identifying himself at the front gate he drove to the main building and made his way to the dean's office. "Fenton," Dean Stewart greeted him at the door to his office. "I'm sorry this happened."
"Why did it happen is what I want to know," snapped Fenton, his eyes burning. "Someone here told Hartley that Joe was here and someone had to help him and his cronies get on campus."
The dean swallowed then gave a little cough to clear his throat. "Come into my office," he said finally. "I want you to meet Joe's roommate."
When Fenton entered the dean's inner sanctum he stared at the youth who leapt to his feet nervously. There was something very familiar about the boy but it wasn't until he managed to look him in the eyes that he could put his finger on it. "Hartley!" snarled Fenton, his hands bunching into fists as he took a step closer to the lad.
"Easy, Fenton," Stewart said, latching on to Fenton's upper arm and stopping his forward motion.
Fenton turned on him. "You had Joe rooming with Hartley's son!" he thundered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because until this morning we had no idea that Jeff's father was after Joe," Stewart replied. "And after we were informed we saw no reason to alter the arrangement."
"You saw no... WHY NOT?"
"Because Joe and I talked this out his first night here," Jeff answered for the dean, his eyes bloodshot from crying. The dean had told him about his father and Joe less than an hour ago. "He knew all about me and I about him. We agreed to keep out lives separate from our families while we were here."
"But you changed your mind," Fenton accused him, disgust evident in his voice. "You told your father about Joe."
"Not quite," Jeff denied with a shake of his head. "I did change my mind but only because I like...liked and respected Joe. My dad called and told me he had taken you and Frank hostage," he explained. "He mentioned how desperately he needed to find Joe. I never told him. Instead, after thinking it over, I told Joe, today at lunch, about you and Frank. Joe was going to run away after his last class and return to Bayport to rescue you."
"But instead, your father showed up here and attacked the gym teacher and took Joe," Fenton ended, running a hand wearily through his hair.
"No," Jeff denied. "My dad called me when he got into town. I was on the phone with him when Baldwin said he was attacked."
"Baldwin never reached the hospital," Dean Stewart took up the tale. "The ambulance was ambushed and both medics were killed. Baldwin has vanished."
"Don't you investigate your men?" demanded Fenton in disbelief.
"We do," Stewart stated calmly. "Baldwin's record was exemplarily. Too exemplarily," he added ruefully. "He was a sleeper," he explained. "He was planted here to be called into service when needed."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" asked Fenton.
"Jeff," the dean turned to the boy. "Would you please excuse us? Talk to Mr. Goodman. He will make the arrangements for you to return to your mother for a couple of weeks."
"Yes, Sir," Jeff said. The dean waited for the door to close firmly behind the youth before answering Fenton's question.
"Joe isn't dead. He's been taken hostage by the enemy."
"Fenton, several thousand people witnessed the explosion and it appeared on radar," Ezra told him in a gentle voice. "I'm so sorry."
"I don't believe it," Fenton said. "There is no way McFadden's men could have gotten onto school grounds."
"Fenton..." Collig tried to interrupt but by now Fenton was thinking out loud and not paying attention.
"So either they didn't get Joe or someone at the school helped them," Fenton stated grimly. "Ezra, do me a favor?"
"Of course," Collig agreed at once.
"Don't let Laura or Frank know about Joe just yet?" Fenton requested. "I'm going down there to find out what's going on. I'm not coming back until I find out exactly what happened."
"I'll keep it quiet for now," the chief promised. "But if the media already has a hold of this information then Laura and Frank are bound to find out."
"If they do then you can tell them I went to Virginia to get the truth," Fenton replied. "Laura will understand."
"Frank?"
"Won't," Fenton stated. "But he's in no condition to go with me." Fenton thanked Ezra for his cooperation and hung the phone up. He held his hands up and looked at them, unsurprised to find they were trembling. Dropping them to his side, he stood up straight, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't let his emotions rule him; he wouldn't! He had to stay in control and focused if he was going to find out what really happened to his son. If by some miracle he were still alive, Fenton would bring him home. Forget the top-secret investigation the Department of Defense requested, he thought. If Joe is still alive I will never send him away again for any reason!' he vowed. And if not...
Fenton swallowed and blinked to keep his tears at bay. If Joe were dead then the men responsible would pay. If Joe had been taken from the boarding school then someone on the inside had to be a traitor and that person was about to wish he had never been born.
Fenton made his way back to the plane where Jack stood watching Fenton approach. "Everything okay?" asked Jack. He had never seen Fenton so shaken.
"No," Fenton answered. "Collig..." he paused and swallowed. "Collig has reason to believe Joe is dead."
"But you don't?" Jack asked, quirking a dark eyebrow, even as his face creased in concern.
"I...I don't know," Fenton admitted in a breaking voice. "But I intend to find out. Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Jack. "Climb aboard."
"Jack, I need a favor," requested Fenton once they were airborne.
"Name it," Jack replied. Not only did he work for Fenton but he was a good friend to him and his sons.
Fenton told Jack what the chief had told him about the explosion of the plane Joe was seen boarding. "I want you to find out what you can," Fenton requested. "I want to know who saw Joe get on the plane, where the plane was when it exploded, if the black box has been recovered; everything you can find out."
"I'll do my best," promised Jack.
After landing, Fenton rented a car and drove to the school. After identifying himself at the front gate he drove to the main building and made his way to the dean's office. "Fenton," Dean Stewart greeted him at the door to his office. "I'm sorry this happened."
"Why did it happen is what I want to know," snapped Fenton, his eyes burning. "Someone here told Hartley that Joe was here and someone had to help him and his cronies get on campus."
The dean swallowed then gave a little cough to clear his throat. "Come into my office," he said finally. "I want you to meet Joe's roommate."
When Fenton entered the dean's inner sanctum he stared at the youth who leapt to his feet nervously. There was something very familiar about the boy but it wasn't until he managed to look him in the eyes that he could put his finger on it. "Hartley!" snarled Fenton, his hands bunching into fists as he took a step closer to the lad.
"Easy, Fenton," Stewart said, latching on to Fenton's upper arm and stopping his forward motion.
Fenton turned on him. "You had Joe rooming with Hartley's son!" he thundered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because until this morning we had no idea that Jeff's father was after Joe," Stewart replied. "And after we were informed we saw no reason to alter the arrangement."
"You saw no... WHY NOT?"
"Because Joe and I talked this out his first night here," Jeff answered for the dean, his eyes bloodshot from crying. The dean had told him about his father and Joe less than an hour ago. "He knew all about me and I about him. We agreed to keep out lives separate from our families while we were here."
"But you changed your mind," Fenton accused him, disgust evident in his voice. "You told your father about Joe."
"Not quite," Jeff denied with a shake of his head. "I did change my mind but only because I like...liked and respected Joe. My dad called and told me he had taken you and Frank hostage," he explained. "He mentioned how desperately he needed to find Joe. I never told him. Instead, after thinking it over, I told Joe, today at lunch, about you and Frank. Joe was going to run away after his last class and return to Bayport to rescue you."
"But instead, your father showed up here and attacked the gym teacher and took Joe," Fenton ended, running a hand wearily through his hair.
"No," Jeff denied. "My dad called me when he got into town. I was on the phone with him when Baldwin said he was attacked."
"Baldwin never reached the hospital," Dean Stewart took up the tale. "The ambulance was ambushed and both medics were killed. Baldwin has vanished."
"Don't you investigate your men?" demanded Fenton in disbelief.
"We do," Stewart stated calmly. "Baldwin's record was exemplarily. Too exemplarily," he added ruefully. "He was a sleeper," he explained. "He was planted here to be called into service when needed."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" asked Fenton.
"Jeff," the dean turned to the boy. "Would you please excuse us? Talk to Mr. Goodman. He will make the arrangements for you to return to your mother for a couple of weeks."
"Yes, Sir," Jeff said. The dean waited for the door to close firmly behind the youth before answering Fenton's question.
"Joe isn't dead. He's been taken hostage by the enemy."