"Well, what are you just sitting there for?" demanded Frank. "Let's get Priest and find out what he did with Joe. I'll call Chief Collig and have him get that fake out of here," he added, reaching for the phone.
"I might be wrong," Fenton said, frowning as he stilled Frank's hand on top of the handset.
"You don't think so," Frank accused him.
"No, I don't," acknowledged Fenton. "But this is Joe's life we are gambling with here. If Priest isn't behind this then we will need the imposter to lead us to him."
"So we can't blow his cover until we have Joe," said Frank, moving removing his hand from the phone. "What are we going to do with him while we go to DC?" he asked. "I don't want to leave him here alone with mom even though she did slip him a sleeping pill with his antibiotics."
"I'll call Sam Radley," Fenton decided. "He can come over and keep an eye on things. Then you and I will fly to DC and talk with a friend of mine in the secret service. He will know whom we can trust to raid Priest's place."
"You really think he will have Joe at his house?" inquired Frank skeptically.
"If he is the one behind this then it would be the safest place. Only the people he trusts will be allowed access to all but the main floor," Fenton explained.
Dawn was breaking when the door to Joe's room opened and in walked two men. "I promised you a last meal," said the man from the previous evening. "I'm going to remove your gag but it won't do you any good to scream. We only kept you gagged so we wouldn't have to hear you all night."
He reached out and tugged the gag from Joe's mouth. "Orange juice and sausage and eggs," the man continued. "You will understand if we don't release you."
"You could release one hand," Joe tried to change the man's mind. "It would be easier if I fed myself."
"Also easier for you to escape," the man returned.
"I would still be cuffed three ways," Joe pointed out.
"The Hardy reputation precedes you," the man said, grinning. "You will remain cuffed. However, if you choose not to eat, we will understand. You are, after all, going to die shortly."
"Thanks, but I'll take the breakfast," said Joe. "I haven't really had anything in awhile."
"Too true," his captor acknowledged. "At the very least, you have been denied four meals."
"Why did you bring me here?" asked Joe after he had finished his small breakfast. Instead of answering, the gag was replaced and the two men left the room.
Joe didn't have long to wait before he received visitors once again. His eyes widened in recognition as Arnold Priest stepped into the room. Priest removed the gag and gave Joe a sad little smile.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way," Priest apologized to Joe.
"Why?" Joe demanded. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"Because your father was investigating the break in at the department of defense," Priest informed Joe. "It was only a matter of time before he managed to connect me to the affair. Now, with your duplicate in place, I can direct his investigation and make sure he never learns the truth."
"What break in?" asked Joe. This was the first he had heard of it.
"It was kept quite," Priest stated. "But I arranged for several important documents to be photocopied."
"And sold to the highest bidder," Joe stated in disgust.
"No," Priest denied. "Actually, the information is being given to my constituents who have been, shall we say, more than generous in their donations."
"And what are they going to do with the information?" demanded Joe.
"That is no concern of mine," Priest said with a wave of his hand. "My only concern at the present is to remain free and in my current position of power." Joe gave the man a look of utter disgust. "I'm sorry," Priest continued. "But now that your double has been accepted into the Hardy home as you; you are no longer necessary. You will have to be eliminated."
"Here?" asked the man that Joe now could place as Priest's bodyguard. He had been in a couple of public relations pictures in the Washington Post.
"Yes," agreed Priest. "But no blood," he added. "Smother him and then dispose of the body. Make absolutely positive no one will ever find it."
"Yes, Sir," acknowledged the bodyguard.
"I don't think so," stated a voice that was overflowing with acrimonious venom.
Priest spun around in surprise to find Fenton Hardy standing in the doorway to the room. He entered the room followed by four secret service agents and Frank, who rushed to Joe's side as Priest's henchmen were taken into custody.
"You can do pretty much anything," Fenton told Priest in a calm voice as he walked closer to him. "But when you mess with my family, you're history." Without warning, Fenton's fist shot out and Priest stumbled back. He fell to the floor with a crash. Fenton advanced on the man but one of the agents stepped in front of him.
"We'll handle it from here," he said to Fenton who knew he meant the complete round up of all parties involved.
Fenton made a face but turned to the bed where Frank was already picking the locks on the cuffs to release his brother. "Are you all right, Son?" Fenton demanded, his eyes filled with shame because of the pain he had put his son through.
"Yeah," Joe replied, smiling at his father through bruised lips. "I am now."
Later that night Joe was sitting on the sofa with his arm around Vanessa who had kissed him and declared him the one and only Joe Hardy. His family and friends were scattered around the living room occupying every available space.
"I'm sorry," Frank apologized, looking at Joe in contrition. "I can't believe just because I heard a voice that sounded like yours I automatically assumed you weren't you."
Joe winked at Vanessa then gave his brother a sly look. "How do you know I am me now?" asked Joe playfully. "I could be a second double."
"One way to find out for sure," Frank stated. "Tell me what we did two days after my seventh birthday that we said we would never tell anyone."
Joe grinned. "We snuck out after we were supposed to be in bed with the shoebox mom had been keeping her favorite shoes in and buried the rat that the neighbor's cat had left on our front porch," he answered.
"I threw that thing away," objected Fenton in surprise.
"Yeah, but Frank dug it out of the trash," Joe said.
"I wondered what had happened to that shoebox," Laura said, grinning at the mischievousness of her two sons. "I suppose it did make a nice coffin for the rodent."
Frank reached over and ruffled Joe's hair. "Welcome home, Baby Brother," he said.
"To stay for real?" asked Joe a bit hesitantly, looking at his father.
"For real," Fenton stated. "I should never have agreed to the demands of someone else. I knew you better than any of the men who were involved in the decision making. In the future, if the situation should ever arise again, I will decline the case before I agree to any outrageous terms such as that one."
"If you thought it was so outrageous, why did you agree?" demanded Frank on the verge of anger.
"At the time, I agreed with them," Fenton confessed. "Joe, you are rash and impetuous but you are also thoughtful and would never endanger anyone other than yourself. I misjudged you and for that I am truly sorry. But I promise, I will never underestimate you again."
"In that case," Joe said, blushing just a bit. "I would say everything was well worth it."
"You don't mean that," Frank contradicted him with a scowl.
"Actually, I do," Joe replied. "I always thought you knew the right thing to do. Everyone expects you to be perfect whereas I am expected to screw up."
"That's not..." Laura gasped but Joe held up his hand to silence her protest.
"That's what I thought," Joe said, smiling at her a bit sadly. "But now I know that you aren't perfect," he continued, looking back at Frank. "You screw up just like me. Look how badly you goofed on this one," he added. Frank grimaced. "And I was right. You did walk into a trap. It felt good for the tables to be turned for a change even though I still ended up being the one who had to be rescued."
"Only because of me," Frank reminded him. "If I hadn't been so stubborn and blind you would have rescued me that night in the hospital and we would have both come home then. But I had to let my emotions take over." He gave a derisive laugh. "How do you do it?" he demanded. "When you let your emotions rule, you always end up doing the right thing. I let them take over and I screw up big time."
"That's an easy one," said Callie, kissing Frank's cheek. "You each have your own special gifts. It's the fact that you two are so different that makes you the perfect team. Your weaknesses are Joe's strengths and vice versa."
"Yeah," agreed Vanessa. "But together, you're like one perfect whole. Unbeatable."
"Here! Here!" agreed, Chet, Tony, Phil, Biff and everyone else who had gathered to welcome Joe home.
End
"I might be wrong," Fenton said, frowning as he stilled Frank's hand on top of the handset.
"You don't think so," Frank accused him.
"No, I don't," acknowledged Fenton. "But this is Joe's life we are gambling with here. If Priest isn't behind this then we will need the imposter to lead us to him."
"So we can't blow his cover until we have Joe," said Frank, moving removing his hand from the phone. "What are we going to do with him while we go to DC?" he asked. "I don't want to leave him here alone with mom even though she did slip him a sleeping pill with his antibiotics."
"I'll call Sam Radley," Fenton decided. "He can come over and keep an eye on things. Then you and I will fly to DC and talk with a friend of mine in the secret service. He will know whom we can trust to raid Priest's place."
"You really think he will have Joe at his house?" inquired Frank skeptically.
"If he is the one behind this then it would be the safest place. Only the people he trusts will be allowed access to all but the main floor," Fenton explained.
Dawn was breaking when the door to Joe's room opened and in walked two men. "I promised you a last meal," said the man from the previous evening. "I'm going to remove your gag but it won't do you any good to scream. We only kept you gagged so we wouldn't have to hear you all night."
He reached out and tugged the gag from Joe's mouth. "Orange juice and sausage and eggs," the man continued. "You will understand if we don't release you."
"You could release one hand," Joe tried to change the man's mind. "It would be easier if I fed myself."
"Also easier for you to escape," the man returned.
"I would still be cuffed three ways," Joe pointed out.
"The Hardy reputation precedes you," the man said, grinning. "You will remain cuffed. However, if you choose not to eat, we will understand. You are, after all, going to die shortly."
"Thanks, but I'll take the breakfast," said Joe. "I haven't really had anything in awhile."
"Too true," his captor acknowledged. "At the very least, you have been denied four meals."
"Why did you bring me here?" asked Joe after he had finished his small breakfast. Instead of answering, the gag was replaced and the two men left the room.
Joe didn't have long to wait before he received visitors once again. His eyes widened in recognition as Arnold Priest stepped into the room. Priest removed the gag and gave Joe a sad little smile.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way," Priest apologized to Joe.
"Why?" Joe demanded. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"Because your father was investigating the break in at the department of defense," Priest informed Joe. "It was only a matter of time before he managed to connect me to the affair. Now, with your duplicate in place, I can direct his investigation and make sure he never learns the truth."
"What break in?" asked Joe. This was the first he had heard of it.
"It was kept quite," Priest stated. "But I arranged for several important documents to be photocopied."
"And sold to the highest bidder," Joe stated in disgust.
"No," Priest denied. "Actually, the information is being given to my constituents who have been, shall we say, more than generous in their donations."
"And what are they going to do with the information?" demanded Joe.
"That is no concern of mine," Priest said with a wave of his hand. "My only concern at the present is to remain free and in my current position of power." Joe gave the man a look of utter disgust. "I'm sorry," Priest continued. "But now that your double has been accepted into the Hardy home as you; you are no longer necessary. You will have to be eliminated."
"Here?" asked the man that Joe now could place as Priest's bodyguard. He had been in a couple of public relations pictures in the Washington Post.
"Yes," agreed Priest. "But no blood," he added. "Smother him and then dispose of the body. Make absolutely positive no one will ever find it."
"Yes, Sir," acknowledged the bodyguard.
"I don't think so," stated a voice that was overflowing with acrimonious venom.
Priest spun around in surprise to find Fenton Hardy standing in the doorway to the room. He entered the room followed by four secret service agents and Frank, who rushed to Joe's side as Priest's henchmen were taken into custody.
"You can do pretty much anything," Fenton told Priest in a calm voice as he walked closer to him. "But when you mess with my family, you're history." Without warning, Fenton's fist shot out and Priest stumbled back. He fell to the floor with a crash. Fenton advanced on the man but one of the agents stepped in front of him.
"We'll handle it from here," he said to Fenton who knew he meant the complete round up of all parties involved.
Fenton made a face but turned to the bed where Frank was already picking the locks on the cuffs to release his brother. "Are you all right, Son?" Fenton demanded, his eyes filled with shame because of the pain he had put his son through.
"Yeah," Joe replied, smiling at his father through bruised lips. "I am now."
Later that night Joe was sitting on the sofa with his arm around Vanessa who had kissed him and declared him the one and only Joe Hardy. His family and friends were scattered around the living room occupying every available space.
"I'm sorry," Frank apologized, looking at Joe in contrition. "I can't believe just because I heard a voice that sounded like yours I automatically assumed you weren't you."
Joe winked at Vanessa then gave his brother a sly look. "How do you know I am me now?" asked Joe playfully. "I could be a second double."
"One way to find out for sure," Frank stated. "Tell me what we did two days after my seventh birthday that we said we would never tell anyone."
Joe grinned. "We snuck out after we were supposed to be in bed with the shoebox mom had been keeping her favorite shoes in and buried the rat that the neighbor's cat had left on our front porch," he answered.
"I threw that thing away," objected Fenton in surprise.
"Yeah, but Frank dug it out of the trash," Joe said.
"I wondered what had happened to that shoebox," Laura said, grinning at the mischievousness of her two sons. "I suppose it did make a nice coffin for the rodent."
Frank reached over and ruffled Joe's hair. "Welcome home, Baby Brother," he said.
"To stay for real?" asked Joe a bit hesitantly, looking at his father.
"For real," Fenton stated. "I should never have agreed to the demands of someone else. I knew you better than any of the men who were involved in the decision making. In the future, if the situation should ever arise again, I will decline the case before I agree to any outrageous terms such as that one."
"If you thought it was so outrageous, why did you agree?" demanded Frank on the verge of anger.
"At the time, I agreed with them," Fenton confessed. "Joe, you are rash and impetuous but you are also thoughtful and would never endanger anyone other than yourself. I misjudged you and for that I am truly sorry. But I promise, I will never underestimate you again."
"In that case," Joe said, blushing just a bit. "I would say everything was well worth it."
"You don't mean that," Frank contradicted him with a scowl.
"Actually, I do," Joe replied. "I always thought you knew the right thing to do. Everyone expects you to be perfect whereas I am expected to screw up."
"That's not..." Laura gasped but Joe held up his hand to silence her protest.
"That's what I thought," Joe said, smiling at her a bit sadly. "But now I know that you aren't perfect," he continued, looking back at Frank. "You screw up just like me. Look how badly you goofed on this one," he added. Frank grimaced. "And I was right. You did walk into a trap. It felt good for the tables to be turned for a change even though I still ended up being the one who had to be rescued."
"Only because of me," Frank reminded him. "If I hadn't been so stubborn and blind you would have rescued me that night in the hospital and we would have both come home then. But I had to let my emotions take over." He gave a derisive laugh. "How do you do it?" he demanded. "When you let your emotions rule, you always end up doing the right thing. I let them take over and I screw up big time."
"That's an easy one," said Callie, kissing Frank's cheek. "You each have your own special gifts. It's the fact that you two are so different that makes you the perfect team. Your weaknesses are Joe's strengths and vice versa."
"Yeah," agreed Vanessa. "But together, you're like one perfect whole. Unbeatable."
"Here! Here!" agreed, Chet, Tony, Phil, Biff and everyone else who had gathered to welcome Joe home.
End