"Look around," Mr. Hardy ordered. "See if you can find anything that might tell us where she's gone." Frank began searching in the living room while his dad played back the messages on the answering machine.
"Your brother and Vanessa had a falling out?" Mr. Hardy inquired, looking at Frank after hearing the first message left by Vanessa.
"That's right," said Frank. "You weren't at home when Joe told mom and me about it." Frank gave his dad the details.
"Sounds like she did her best to alienate Joe from Vanessa," Mr. Hardy commented thoughtfully.
"You think she wanted everyone to hate Joe?" Frank asked, looking stricken.
"I would say yes," Mr. Hardy began, "but she didn't do anything to antagonize you, did she?"
"She didn't have too," Frank admitted, running a hand through his thick mane. "You know how things were between us the last couple of weeks before school let out."
"Didn't you two work it out?" Mr. Hardy asked, concerned.
"Yeah, but the next day was when the fiasco with Vanessa happened. Maybe she didn't get a chance to find out," Frank suggested. "But why try to alienate any of us?"
"So Millison wouldn't have to forge more than the one letter a week," Mr. Hardy deduced, pushing the play button to finish listening to the messages as he searched through the desk on which the phone set.
An hour later, Frank and Mr. Hardy gave up. They had found nothing useful and were exiting the house when a Ford Explorer came to a stop behind Mr. Hardy's car.
Vanessa stepped out and walked over to meet them. "What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised to see them there.
"Joe's missing," Frank informed her. "He never made it to Camp Broadstone."
"What?" the word escaped her lips as a whisper. Her face went so white that Mr. Hardy and Frank both took an arm and helped her to sit down on the steps.
"And you're here because Francessca had something to do with it," Vanessa stated.
"Right," Frank concurred. "But we couldn't find anything," he grumbled.
"What about Bailey's place of employment?" asked Vanessa, looking at Mr. Hardy. "Maybe they know where Bailey is."
"Bailey?" Frank asked, his forehead wrinkling.
"Francessca's dad," Vanessa told him. "They had to be in this together. I mean, he was way too interested in Joe. He kept asking him questions about himself," Vanessa gave a thoughtful pause. "I thought he wanted to know more about him because he thought his daughter might be interested in him. But there's more to it than that. Isn't there?" she demanded.
Frank shot his father a fearful look, which did not go unnoticed by Vanessa. "What is it?" she demanded. Frank told her about his dad's theory.
"A cult?" she asked, going white once more. "We've got to find him."
"We will," Mr. Hardy vowed. "Do you know where Wyndham worked?"
"He said he worked for Stokeman Enterprises," Vanessa answered.
"Stokeman?" Mr. Hardy repeated. "I know where their head office is. I'll go and check out Bailey Wyndham," he told Frank. "Vanessa, can you give Frank a lift home? That way I won't have to backtrack," he explained.
"Of course," she told him. "I'll do everything I can to help find Joe."
Mr. Hardy left and Frank climbed into the passenger side of Vanessa's car. "You don't think they've...." she couldn't bring herself to say it although she was terrified Joe was already dead.
"Not a chance," Frank told her. "If they had already killed him then the creep they had impersonating Joe at the camp would have been long gone."
"That's something, then," she said, not wanting to think about what they were doing to him while he was still alive.
They drove back to town in silence. Each trying to think of soemthing which might give them a lead as to where Joe was being held. "Frank!" Vanessa exclaimed suddenly, shattering the silence and startling Frank.
"What is it?" Frank demanded, turning his full attention on her.
"I know someone else who might be involved," she told him excitedly. "The clerk at the hardware store. When we started helping Francessca, we went to the hardware store. The clerk treated her like she was an old friend and put all our purchases on her dad's account."
"Let's go," Frank exclaimed, hope building inside him once again as Vanessa made the necessary turn to the get to the hardware store. It was obvious why the Wyndhams had left in a hurry. Francessca was the last one to see Joe. But there was no reason for the clerk to have left. Maybe he would lead them to Joe, or at least provide a useful clue.
Vanessa parked near the entrance to the hardware store and the two got out and went inside. Frank walked up to the front desk with Vanessa following close behind. A man with wire glasses and gray hair stood behind the counter. "And how may I help you today?" he asked the twosome.
"We're looking for the clerk that was here a few weeks ago," Vanessa said. "He was about forty with straight black hair."
"We need to talk to him," Frank added, his brow furrowing with worry as he watched this man's demeanor change before his eyes.
"Liam Maurice?" the clerk inquired.
"Yes, I think that was his name," Vanessa agreed, nodding her head.
"He doesn't work here anymore," said the clerk whose tag identified him as George. "Are you friends of his?" he demanded.
"No," admitted Frank, deciding honesty would work better in this case. "My brother is missing and we have reason to believe he may know where he is."
"I don't know anything about that," George said. "But I found out he was stealing. I was going to call the law on him but he up and vanished."
"Do you have an address?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, I got an address," he answered. "I went there to talk to the man and the place didn't exist."
"You said he was stealing," Frank said, hiding his disappointment. "Do you know what kinds of things he was taking?"
"Do I know?" demanded George indignately. "That dang fool wrote down everything and put it on a "charge" account. We don't have charge accounts."
"The name the fictious account was in?" Vanessa asked, knowing the answer before it was said.
"Wyndham."
"Your brother and Vanessa had a falling out?" Mr. Hardy inquired, looking at Frank after hearing the first message left by Vanessa.
"That's right," said Frank. "You weren't at home when Joe told mom and me about it." Frank gave his dad the details.
"Sounds like she did her best to alienate Joe from Vanessa," Mr. Hardy commented thoughtfully.
"You think she wanted everyone to hate Joe?" Frank asked, looking stricken.
"I would say yes," Mr. Hardy began, "but she didn't do anything to antagonize you, did she?"
"She didn't have too," Frank admitted, running a hand through his thick mane. "You know how things were between us the last couple of weeks before school let out."
"Didn't you two work it out?" Mr. Hardy asked, concerned.
"Yeah, but the next day was when the fiasco with Vanessa happened. Maybe she didn't get a chance to find out," Frank suggested. "But why try to alienate any of us?"
"So Millison wouldn't have to forge more than the one letter a week," Mr. Hardy deduced, pushing the play button to finish listening to the messages as he searched through the desk on which the phone set.
An hour later, Frank and Mr. Hardy gave up. They had found nothing useful and were exiting the house when a Ford Explorer came to a stop behind Mr. Hardy's car.
Vanessa stepped out and walked over to meet them. "What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised to see them there.
"Joe's missing," Frank informed her. "He never made it to Camp Broadstone."
"What?" the word escaped her lips as a whisper. Her face went so white that Mr. Hardy and Frank both took an arm and helped her to sit down on the steps.
"And you're here because Francessca had something to do with it," Vanessa stated.
"Right," Frank concurred. "But we couldn't find anything," he grumbled.
"What about Bailey's place of employment?" asked Vanessa, looking at Mr. Hardy. "Maybe they know where Bailey is."
"Bailey?" Frank asked, his forehead wrinkling.
"Francessca's dad," Vanessa told him. "They had to be in this together. I mean, he was way too interested in Joe. He kept asking him questions about himself," Vanessa gave a thoughtful pause. "I thought he wanted to know more about him because he thought his daughter might be interested in him. But there's more to it than that. Isn't there?" she demanded.
Frank shot his father a fearful look, which did not go unnoticed by Vanessa. "What is it?" she demanded. Frank told her about his dad's theory.
"A cult?" she asked, going white once more. "We've got to find him."
"We will," Mr. Hardy vowed. "Do you know where Wyndham worked?"
"He said he worked for Stokeman Enterprises," Vanessa answered.
"Stokeman?" Mr. Hardy repeated. "I know where their head office is. I'll go and check out Bailey Wyndham," he told Frank. "Vanessa, can you give Frank a lift home? That way I won't have to backtrack," he explained.
"Of course," she told him. "I'll do everything I can to help find Joe."
Mr. Hardy left and Frank climbed into the passenger side of Vanessa's car. "You don't think they've...." she couldn't bring herself to say it although she was terrified Joe was already dead.
"Not a chance," Frank told her. "If they had already killed him then the creep they had impersonating Joe at the camp would have been long gone."
"That's something, then," she said, not wanting to think about what they were doing to him while he was still alive.
They drove back to town in silence. Each trying to think of soemthing which might give them a lead as to where Joe was being held. "Frank!" Vanessa exclaimed suddenly, shattering the silence and startling Frank.
"What is it?" Frank demanded, turning his full attention on her.
"I know someone else who might be involved," she told him excitedly. "The clerk at the hardware store. When we started helping Francessca, we went to the hardware store. The clerk treated her like she was an old friend and put all our purchases on her dad's account."
"Let's go," Frank exclaimed, hope building inside him once again as Vanessa made the necessary turn to the get to the hardware store. It was obvious why the Wyndhams had left in a hurry. Francessca was the last one to see Joe. But there was no reason for the clerk to have left. Maybe he would lead them to Joe, or at least provide a useful clue.
Vanessa parked near the entrance to the hardware store and the two got out and went inside. Frank walked up to the front desk with Vanessa following close behind. A man with wire glasses and gray hair stood behind the counter. "And how may I help you today?" he asked the twosome.
"We're looking for the clerk that was here a few weeks ago," Vanessa said. "He was about forty with straight black hair."
"We need to talk to him," Frank added, his brow furrowing with worry as he watched this man's demeanor change before his eyes.
"Liam Maurice?" the clerk inquired.
"Yes, I think that was his name," Vanessa agreed, nodding her head.
"He doesn't work here anymore," said the clerk whose tag identified him as George. "Are you friends of his?" he demanded.
"No," admitted Frank, deciding honesty would work better in this case. "My brother is missing and we have reason to believe he may know where he is."
"I don't know anything about that," George said. "But I found out he was stealing. I was going to call the law on him but he up and vanished."
"Do you have an address?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, I got an address," he answered. "I went there to talk to the man and the place didn't exist."
"You said he was stealing," Frank said, hiding his disappointment. "Do you know what kinds of things he was taking?"
"Do I know?" demanded George indignately. "That dang fool wrote down everything and put it on a "charge" account. We don't have charge accounts."
"The name the fictious account was in?" Vanessa asked, knowing the answer before it was said.
"Wyndham."