Joe climbed behind the wheel of his mother's car. "Need to borrow it?" Laura asked getting in on the passenger side.

"If you don't mind," Joe said. "I need to run over to East Bridge," he informed her. "One of the contestant's addresses was on a piece of the trashed paper Chet brought over this morning."

"Please be careful?" she begged him.

"I will," Joe promised. "And I have to pick Frank up after he gets off work. I can't use the van in case someone recognizes it. And Frank and Chet using the same car while working different shifts isn't cutting it."

After Joe dropped his mom off at home, Joe drove to East Bridge and stopped at a convenience store to fill up and ask directions. Fifteen minutes after hitting the road again, he pulled to a stop in front of a greasy cafe across the street from an apartment building.

Joe exited the car, making sure to lock it and activate the alarm, before crossing the street and entering the building. He took the steps up to the fifth floor and knocked on the door of apartment five twelve.

"Who is it?" inquired a crackly voice from the other side.

"My name is Joe Hardy," Joe answered. "I'm looking for Clinton Reins."

"He's not here," the woman answered.

"Could I leave you my number?" Joe asked. "He could call me collect."

"Collect?" she demanded. "Where are you from?"

"Bayport," answered Joe. "Please?" he begged. "It's very important that I talk to him."

"All right," she agreed. "What is it?"

"It's on this card," Joe said, pulling out one of his father's business cards and sliding it under the door. "Just tell him to ask for Joe or Frank."

"Hello," Matthews greeted Frank as he entered the office.

"Good morning Mr. Matthews," Frank returned politely.

"Let me show you what we have been working on," Matthews said, leading Frank over to the computer. He leaned over and clicked an application then stood back and waited for Frank to take his seat.

Matthews left Frank alone a little later and Frank wasted no time in shrinking the program and exploring the other files on the computer. After an hour, Frank growled in frustration. He hadn't been able to find anything useful. He needed to explore, but where to start? Curtis! That was the man who had given Chet his instructions that was wearing the same color blazer and had the cowboy hat. He could have been the driver of the truck.

Frank left his office and moved down the hall. He rapped gently on Curtis' door and, after receiving no reply, tried the knob. Locked. He quickly slipped the lock pick kit his dad had given him for Christmas the previous year from the back of his pants pocket and selected a piece. Seconds later, he slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

What first, he wondered as his eyes darted from the computer desk to the file cabinet? Frank went for the top drawer of the desk, deciding that anything pertinent to the owner would be in the desk rather than in the computer since the hierarchy of the company could access it.

Pay dirt! Frank thought, opening the second drawer. He reached inside and pulled out a handful of photographs. He frowned as he looked at each photo and the information on the reverse side. The pictures were school photographs with only the student's name and the name of their school on the reverse. As an employee of Braun, Curtis could have a legitimate reason for possessing the photographs. Sighing, Frank put the photos back and kept searching for something incriminating.

After thirty minutes, Frank exited the office locking it after him, and returned to his own workplace. "Ah, there you are," Matthews said when Frank walked in. "I was wondering where you had gotten to."

"I went to the restroom," Frank fibbed.

"I'm afraid I have to leave for a meeting in a little bit and won't be back today," Matthews informed Frank. "I wanted to go over the program you have been working on and add the alternate sequence Bryan just completed but there isn't time so I was wondering if you would mind coming in tomorrow afternoon?"

"Of course not," Frank agreed, surprised Matthews worked on Sundays.

"Excellent," Matthews stated, smiling. "I will see you tomorrow around two then."

After Matthews left, Frank got to work on the program. It was obvious he would have to spend more time at the company and he had to have something to show his boss the next day.

When Frank got off work Joe was waiting in the parking lot. Frank walked over and climbed into the passenger seat. He grinned at Joe's choice of hats. "Barney, huh?"

"Not a word," growled Joe. "It was all the convenience store had."

"What did Dr. Bates say?" Frank asked as Joe started the motor and pulled out of his space.

Joe told him about his limited practice sessions and having to go back for a work up. "Only an hour?" asked Frank, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "That's good. You can get your practice in and then we can go home and get a little shut-eye."

"I'm going to practice. You are going home and to bed," Joe stated firmly. "Tony and Phil will be there," he added, seeing Frank open his eyes and start to argue. "And you haven't had much sleep. The chair at the hospital couldn't have been comfortable."

Frank shook his head. "I don't want you alone. At all," he added sternly.

"I was alone all afternoon and nothing happened to me," Joe pointed out. "Besides, one of us needs to be home in case Clint calls."

"Who?" Frank asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly.

"Clint Reins," Joe said.

"One of the contestants from East Bridge," Frank stated, remembering what the boy looked like from the photos he had discovered. "Why would he call us?"

"Because I left one of Dad's cards with his mom," Joe explained. "His name and address was the only thing I could find that was even remotely useful out of the mess of papers Chet brought over."

"What about the pizza?" asked Frank. "Did Dad find out anything?"

"Principal Dylan ordered the pizza," Joe informed his brother. "But since he was at practice when it was picked up it obviously wasn't him. I tried to get a hold of Tony this morning but he had gone somewhere with Dad."

"Probably to talk with whoever sold the pizza and get a description of the person who picked it up," Frank guessed.

He looked over at Joe as they came to a stop in the Hardy drive a little later. "Be careful," he cautioned Joe. "Go straight to practice and come straight home."

"Yes, Dad," Joe replied obediently.

Frank frowned at Joe. He didn't appreciate Joe's levity when his life was in danger.

"Relax, Bro," Joe said, grinning. "Go to bed. I will be there when you wake up," he promised.

Joe watched Frank go inside before taking the car out of park and driving to school. He gave Coach Anderson the note he had gotten from Dr. Bates about his limited practice schedule before going to the boys' locker room to change.

Tony was sitting on a bench waiting for Nick to get dressed but leapt to his feet as Joe entered. "Hey! How are you feeling? Are you sure you should be out of bed?" demanded Tony, hurrying over to Joe's side.

"I'm fine," Joe assured his overwrought friend. "Dr. Bates even gave me permission for two one-hour practice sessions a day."

"That's not much," Nick said, frowning.

"Considering the condition Joe was in last night, it's a miracle," Tony told him, then explained what had happened.

"This is insane," Nick said, running a hand through his hair nervously. "We aren't even safe at home now? I quit!" he declared. He snatched up his clothes and left the locker room.

"With all the "accidents" I don't understand why the tournament just hasn't been canceled," Tony commented.

"That's a very good question," applauded Joe, the center of his forehead between his brows crinkled as he pondered the problem. "You know, the more things that happen the more convinced I am that the person behind this works for Braun Enterprises."

"Why?" asked Tony. "Because your dad found out the guy who ordered the pizza was in his forties and was driving a car with an East Bridge High bumper sticker on it?"

"He did?" asked Joe in surprise.

"You haven't talked to your dad yet?" asked Tony.

Joe shook his head. "What else did he find out?"

"Just the description of the guy and the car," Tony informed him. "Sally was the one who waited on him but apart from a general description and a fast look at his car as he pulled out of the lot, she couldn't tell your dad anything else about the guy. But if you didn't know that, then why do you think it is someone at Braun?"

"Actually, there isn't any solid evidence to link Braun to the anything that's been going on," Joe admitted. "It's just that the only other possibles are the school superintendent and the principals of the various high schools."

"And that isn't something you want to believe could be happening," Tony said, frowning. He didn't want to believe it either.