Frank arrived at the office of Carl Sturgiss dressed in a brown suit, white dress shirt and a tie. His hair had been dyed blond and he was wearing colored contacts making his brown eyes a medium blue. He entered Sturgiss' office and looked around. The secretary's desk sat in the center of the room with four file cabinets lined along the left wall. There was a combination printer, fax machine, copier to the right of the desk and a computer with a seventeen inch monitor on the desk. The chair was padded leather with arms and could easily swivel to look out the lone window against the right wall which looked out to an ocean view.

Behind the secretary's desk was a door which led into Sturgiss' office. Frank could hear the man moving around and cursing. Frank smothered a grin as he strode over to the door. He knew why the lawyer was so upset. The man's secretary slash personal assistant had been arrested last night for possession of cocaine. It had been discovered when a road block had been set up and his car was stopped for a routine license check. Apparently, there had been a problem with the man's license which resulted in him and his car being searched. Frank knew what the problem had been. His father had called in a favor at the department of transportation and had the license deleted from their records. Next, Fenton had orchastrated the roadblock with the help of a Federal agent who had ordered the local authorities to set one up.

The man had called Sturgiss at home to bail him out but because of the sensitive nature of his work, he was not permitted to return to his duties until his case had been tried. Sturgiss had called the employment agency in town for a replacement. Expecting this, Fenton had arranged for Frank to be the temporary secretary for Sturgiss.

Frank knocked on the door. It was opened almost immediately by a chubby man in a black two piece suit with thinning black hair and beady brown eyes. He was a full three inches shorter than Frank's own six foot one inch and frowned as he looked up into Frank's blue eyes. "Who are you?" Sturgiss demanded.

"Jeremy Creedence," Frank introduced himself. "The employment agency sent me over."

"Have you ever worked in a law office before?" Sturgiss inquired.

"No, Sir," Frank answered truthfully. "But I did temp for an accounting agency for three months," he fibbed.

"I guess you will have to do," Sturgiss said, sighing. "I have a luncheon appointment at eleven this morning and another client due to come in before then. Look up their names on the desk calendar and get their files out. Go over them and be prepared to get me anything I need when I call you," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," Frank agreed, then exited the man's office and closed his door.

A tall, lean woman with graying hair and angular nose entered the airport and looked around the place with sharp hazel eyes. Spying her younger brother, she lifted her suitcase and walked over to him. "What's the emergency?" she asked.

"Welcome home, Gertrude," Fenton said, giving his sister a hug.

"Welcome home indeed," she replied, looking at him suspiciously. "You have Laura call and tell me to come home at once and I get no reason for the request?" She shook her head. "Fenton, you have pulled some major practical jokes on me in your day. This had better not be another one. I was enjoying myself."

"No joke, Gert," Fenton replied, his brown eyes serious as they locked with her hazel ones. "Joe is in real trouble and right now, you are the only one who stands a chance at getting close to him."

"Trouble?" she declared, her eyes filled with concern at once. "What's wrong? And what do you mean get close to him? You make it sound like he doesn't want anything to do with you."

"He doesn't," admitted Fenton wearily. "But I don't think it's because he wants it this way."

"Stop speaking in riddles," Gertrude insisted. "And tell me what's going on and how I can help."

On the way to the house Fenton had rented, he told her everything that had happened since Joe had come to see him in his office on Saturday morning. "Poor Joe," she gasped. "But why did he have you leave?"

"That's the million dollar question," Fenton replied. "The Moody's are looking for a cook. I thought we could get you in disguise and you could watch out for him. Maybe find out why he doesn't want our help anymore."

"Of course," Gertrude agreed at once. "And I won't leave until I do!" she added with determination.

When they arrived, Laura and Vanessa helped Gertrude get into disguise while Callie monitored the electronic bugs at the Moodys. Laura had gone into town while Fenton had picked Gertrude up and purchased new clothes, make-up, a wig, and glasses for the disguise. After an hour, Gertrude had been transformed. She now sported a classic lilac pant suit and had shoulder length brown hair with a pair of blue framed glasses. To alter her face so that Joe would not recognize her, she had something on that Joe had never before seen his aunt wear: make-up. Her lips were a pale pink and a light beige foundation had been applied. Her eyelids were lavendar with highlights leading to her eyebrows.

"Wow!" Fenton commented when he she walked out of the bedroom. "Wow," he said again, unable to come up with anything else because the transformation was so startling.

"Honestly," Gertrude reprimanded him. "You've seen me in make-up before."

"I know," he admitted. "Reminds me of when you were dating Eugene Lansing. You went all out for him."

Gertrude blushed. "That was twenty some years ago," she retorted.

"But the effects were the same," Fenton said, smiling at her. "You were beautiful then and you are now."

"Meaning I am not without all this hullabaloo?" she demanded, narrowing her gaze at him.

"Of course not," Fenton quickly denied. "You're beautiful, just in a different way."

"Harumph!"

"Do you have her resume ready?" Laura asked before the conversaiton could cause an argument between the two siblings.

Fenton offered Gertrude the envelope he held. "Remember, the entire place is bugged so we will know what is going on. You won't have to worry about getting in contact with us. Try and get Joe to talk to you if at all possible," he said, his brown eyes pleading. Joe may be his adopted son, but Gertrude knew Fenton loved Joe as if he were his own flesh and blood, as did she.

"Of course," she assurred her little brother, hating to see him suffer. "Don't worry," she added to everyone. "We will get Joe home safe and sound."

Gertrude arrived at the Moody's by cab a little over thirty minutes later. She was escorted into the living room by Charles. "Ms. Ira Martin," Charles introduced her before leaving her alone with Ami Moody.

"Mrs. Moody, I am from the employment agency," Gertrude introduced herself. She held out her resume for the woman to peruse.

"You have excellent references," Ami said smiling. "But it says here you were live-in at your previous places of employment."

"That is correct," Gerturde replied. "The families I worked for desired prepared meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. Too, impromptu parties were frequent and it was more convient to have me on the premises. The agency said you requested someone to come in for dinner only. This is fine. I will simply register at a hotel until I can find an apartment nearby."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Ami informed Gertrude. "You are more than welcome to stay here. Our former cook's quarters are more on the masculine side, but that can easily be fixed. Our son loves to work and will be happy to paint it any color you choose. You have your things with you?" she inquired.

"My bag is on the porch," Gertrude admitted. "I travel light."

"I will have Charles bring it in while I show you your room and the kitchen. We are having a guest tonight so there will be four of us for dinner," she added. "You can start at once, can't you?"

"Yes ma'am," Gerturde replied. "That's why I am here."

When the boys returned to the manor that afternoon, Phil was grateful Frank wasn't there. Vanessa was monitoring the Moodys, and Laura was taking a nap. Fenton and Callie, Chet, Tony and Biff all took seats in the dining room to talk about the day's events. Phil remained standing; he wanted to be the first to speak. He informed the group of the condition of Joe's back.

"I'll call Dr. Bates and have him call something in to the local pharmacy for Joe's back," Fenton said, pulling out his cell phone. Everyone remained quite as Fenton placed the call. When he was finished he looked at Phil. "It will be at the Merck pharmacy in your name," he informed Phil. "You can go and pick it up in about an hour."

"Ther's more, isn't there?" Callie asked when Phil nodded at Fenton but remained standing.

Phil nodded slowly, his face grim. "Joe told me he didn't want any friends and when I pushed he told me..." Phil swallowed. He still had a hard time believing Austin Moody could have done anything so terrible even knowing how mean he had been to Joe. "He told me that he thought his dad killed the one person who hadn't been afraid to be his friend. The only reason for the murder was because he was Joe's friend."

Frank was relieved when Sturgiss' eleven o'clock appointment drew near. It would be a good time for him to search the man's files. At eleven on the nose, Jeff Thomas arrived. He was a new client of Sturgiss' and from Frank's perusal of his file and Sturgiss' earlier client's file, he could find nothing out of the ordinary. Frank buzzed Sturgiss' intercom to let him know his luncheon appointment had arrived.

Sturgiss' door opened and he exited. A few minutes later, the two men left and Frank was left alone. He peeked outside and watched Sturgiss and Thomas get into a black Lexus and drive away before he began his investigating. He began by pulling Moody's file. He looked through it briefly then took it over to the fax machine and sent copies to his father's fax machine back in Bayport. Putting Moody's folder up he pulled Ralph Freemont's and Ronnie Harrison's and repeated the process. Finished, he looked around the office and figured he had better do something to at least make it look like he had been busy in Sturgiss' absence. He might have to return the next day after all.

Joe got out of the limo and went inside. "Joesph!" he was accosted by his mother's voice before he reached the steps. He turned around and went into the living room and stood stiffly in front of his mother.

"We have a new cook. Her name is Ms. Martin. You will go into the kitchen and help her prepare dinner for this evening. Later, you will rennovate her room to her choosing," Ami told him.

"Yes, Ma'am," Joe responded.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ami demanded when Joe never moved.

"Nothing, ma'am," Joe replied, heading into the kitchen.

Gertrude looked up as Joe entered. "I'm here to help," he said, his face lacking the carefree smile she was used too. It was almost like he was a different person.

"Set your backpack down over there," she told him, watching as she did so. She pulled out a potato peeler and set some potatoes on the counter. Joe picked up the peeler gingerly. "What happened to your hands?" she demanded, grabbing them and flipping them over.

"I fell into some briars," Joe lied, pulling away from her and going for the peeler he had dropped when she had grabbed him.

"You...you can't help me," Gertrude told him, trying to control the burning rage she felt against the Moodys. "Why don't you start on your homework instead?" she suggested.

"I'm supposed to help you," Joe said, his voice pleading.

Gertrude realised he might be punished for not doing as he was told if she sent him away. "Sit at the table over there and do your homework," she instructed.

Joe put the peeler down and took his backpack over to the table as instructed. As he unloaded his backpack, his stomach growled. He ingnored it knowing better than to ask for anything and opened his physics book. Gertrude opened the refrigerator and pulled out something. She picked up a spoon and carried it over to Joe and set it down. "Here," she said. "I made an extra mousse for dessert. You can have it now."

Joe looked surprised at the generous offer. "Thank you," he said, picking up the spoon. He took one big bite and let it slide down his throat. He froze and looked at the cook. "This is very good," he said.

"Thank you," Gertrude replied. "If you like, I can fix you a snack every afternoon after school?" she offered.

"No, that won't be necessary," Joe replied. "But thank you for the offer. I doubt you could cook as well as my mom."

"Mrs. Moody cooks?" Gertrude asked in surprise.

"You're kidding, right?" Joe asked sarcastically. "No, I meant my mother. The one who loves me."

"Do you believe that?" Gertrude asked him.

"Believe what?" Joe asked.

"That this woman loves you more than your natural mother?" Gertrude clarified.

"Of course," he answered. "And so does my dad and brother and..aunt."

"How can you have a father and brother and mother and aunt and still have Mr. and Mrs. Moody as your parents?" she asked.

"And that is the question of the hour, isn't it?" Joe asked, shaking his head and taking another bite of mousse.

"Well, what is the answer?" Gertrude demanded. "If you know this other family still loves you, then why are you here?"

"Because the Moodys are my parents," Joe answered. "A make-believe family doesn't change anything."

"We are not make believe!" Gertrude informed him hautily, freezing and staring at him in understanding as Joe smiled thinly at her.