Frank headed upstairs as soon as his father left. "Time to get up Baby Brother," he said, entering Joe's room and flipping on the light.
"Ow!" Joe groaned, opening his eyes and immediately closing them again. He threw his arm over his closed eyes. "Kill the light," he ordered.
"You have practice this morning," Frank reminded him. "You need to get up."
"I can get up without the light," Joe growled, lifting his arm high enough to glare at Frank through one eye.
Grinning, Frank turned the light back off. "Forty minutes until we have to be there," he said walking through the bathroom to his own bedroom.
Fifteen minutes later Joe entered Frank's bedroom. "I'm ready," Joe said.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Frank. "With Nick and Emily out of the picture, you are all that is left to prevent the cancellation of the tournament. From this school anyway," Frank amended.
"What?" Joe demanded.
Frank told him about the call he had received earlier that morning. "That leaves only three schools in the competition and ours is the only one with one competitor left."
"Don't worry," Joe told him. "I'll be extra careful."
"You had better be," growled Frank. "Or I'll kill you."
"He's doing good," Callie said, coming up beside Frank.
"Yes," agreed Frank, not taking his eyes off of his brother. "Especially after yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Vanessa inquired from Callie's other side.
"Oh, that's right," Frank said slapping his hand against his forehead when he realized he nor Joe had spoken to the girls since before the wreck. He told the girls about Joe's accident the previous day after practice.
"Poor Joe," gasped Callie.
"Why does he always have to make himself a target?" moaned Vanessa in exasperation as her eyes scanned her boyfriend's body for visible signs of injury.
"At least we can keep a better eye on him now," Frank said. "Tony and Phil are going to watch him at practice this afternoon and Phil is going to stay at our place while I'm at work."
When Frank reached work that afternoon, Matthews was waiting for him. "I have a gift for you," Matthews said as Frank entered his office. "I noticed you didn't have a briefcase yesterday. In this line of work it is a necessity." He handed Frank a briefcase with a combination lock. "The directions for setting your own combination are inside the case," he informed Frank.
"Thank you," Frank replied, looking at the briefcase in surprise.
"Now, then," Matthews continued. "Why don't you show me what you accomplished yesterday and we will take it from there."
Four hours later Matthews stood up and stretched. "Why don't we take a break?" he suggested. "I need to check with advertising on the upcoming tournament."
"Tournament?" inquired Frank innocently.
"Yes," Matthews replied. "Braun Enterprises is sponsoring a gymnastics tournament for the district high schools. Everyone involved is putting in overtime this week because Dr. Vaughn, the superintendent, wants it held next Saturday."
"Sounds like good public relations," commented Frank.
"Good business too," Matthews replied, smiling. "In return for our small investment the school board has agreed to purchase all their computers and miscellaneous equipment from us over the next three years."
"Mind if I tag along?" asked Frank. "I would like to see how the advertising department is preparing for a major PR event."
"Of course not," Matthews replied seeming pleased at Frank's interest. He led the way down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. They passed two closed doors before coming to a stop.
Matthews rapped lightly on the door before opening it. Two men were standing over a table in one corner of the room and they both looked up as Matthews and Frank entered the room.
Both men were clean-shaven with short brown hair. The tallest one was at least six foot two with a square jaw and brown eyes. The second man was about three inches shorter with green eyes.
"Hello," Matthews said, going over to join the men. "This is Frank McGuire," he introduced Frank. "He's going to be working here on weekends and after school," he explained. "Frank, this is Jimmy Kurtz and Paul Flynn," he introduced first the tall man and then the shorter one. Frank nodded his acknowledgement of the introductions, memorizing the names so he could have a background check done on the men.
"Ready to begin the advertising?" Matthews inquired.
"Oh, yes," Flynn answered. "The television commercials will begin tonight at seven fifty-eight and run twenty-four times a day through Friday night."
"The radio announcements will run every forty-five minutes on eleven different radio stations," Kurtz took over. "All that remains are the billboard advertisements and the newspaper ads."
"And that's what you're working on now?" inquired Frank, looking down at a large white poster board with words and photos attached.
"Yes," acknowledged Flynn with a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong?" inquired Frank curiously.
"The televised advertisements and radio announcements don't specify which schools will be participating," he answered. "But the newspapers ads and the billboards are supposed to list the schools."
"However, every time we get it looking right, another school drops out of the competition," Kurtz concluded.
"Why would they do that?" asked Frank, feigning puzzlement.
"There have been some accidents involving some of the contestants," Matthews informed him. "The authorities believe it has something to do with the contest and the schools are pulling out as a means to protect the students."
"Looks like it would be better just to cancel the contest," Frank observed.
"It was suggested," Matthews said. "But the superintendent vetoed the suggestion."
"He did?" asked Frank genuinely surprised. Surely the lives of the students were worth more than any publicity that could be gained from the tournament?
"Ow!" Joe groaned, opening his eyes and immediately closing them again. He threw his arm over his closed eyes. "Kill the light," he ordered.
"You have practice this morning," Frank reminded him. "You need to get up."
"I can get up without the light," Joe growled, lifting his arm high enough to glare at Frank through one eye.
Grinning, Frank turned the light back off. "Forty minutes until we have to be there," he said walking through the bathroom to his own bedroom.
Fifteen minutes later Joe entered Frank's bedroom. "I'm ready," Joe said.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Frank. "With Nick and Emily out of the picture, you are all that is left to prevent the cancellation of the tournament. From this school anyway," Frank amended.
"What?" Joe demanded.
Frank told him about the call he had received earlier that morning. "That leaves only three schools in the competition and ours is the only one with one competitor left."
"Don't worry," Joe told him. "I'll be extra careful."
"You had better be," growled Frank. "Or I'll kill you."
"He's doing good," Callie said, coming up beside Frank.
"Yes," agreed Frank, not taking his eyes off of his brother. "Especially after yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Vanessa inquired from Callie's other side.
"Oh, that's right," Frank said slapping his hand against his forehead when he realized he nor Joe had spoken to the girls since before the wreck. He told the girls about Joe's accident the previous day after practice.
"Poor Joe," gasped Callie.
"Why does he always have to make himself a target?" moaned Vanessa in exasperation as her eyes scanned her boyfriend's body for visible signs of injury.
"At least we can keep a better eye on him now," Frank said. "Tony and Phil are going to watch him at practice this afternoon and Phil is going to stay at our place while I'm at work."
When Frank reached work that afternoon, Matthews was waiting for him. "I have a gift for you," Matthews said as Frank entered his office. "I noticed you didn't have a briefcase yesterday. In this line of work it is a necessity." He handed Frank a briefcase with a combination lock. "The directions for setting your own combination are inside the case," he informed Frank.
"Thank you," Frank replied, looking at the briefcase in surprise.
"Now, then," Matthews continued. "Why don't you show me what you accomplished yesterday and we will take it from there."
Four hours later Matthews stood up and stretched. "Why don't we take a break?" he suggested. "I need to check with advertising on the upcoming tournament."
"Tournament?" inquired Frank innocently.
"Yes," Matthews replied. "Braun Enterprises is sponsoring a gymnastics tournament for the district high schools. Everyone involved is putting in overtime this week because Dr. Vaughn, the superintendent, wants it held next Saturday."
"Sounds like good public relations," commented Frank.
"Good business too," Matthews replied, smiling. "In return for our small investment the school board has agreed to purchase all their computers and miscellaneous equipment from us over the next three years."
"Mind if I tag along?" asked Frank. "I would like to see how the advertising department is preparing for a major PR event."
"Of course not," Matthews replied seeming pleased at Frank's interest. He led the way down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. They passed two closed doors before coming to a stop.
Matthews rapped lightly on the door before opening it. Two men were standing over a table in one corner of the room and they both looked up as Matthews and Frank entered the room.
Both men were clean-shaven with short brown hair. The tallest one was at least six foot two with a square jaw and brown eyes. The second man was about three inches shorter with green eyes.
"Hello," Matthews said, going over to join the men. "This is Frank McGuire," he introduced Frank. "He's going to be working here on weekends and after school," he explained. "Frank, this is Jimmy Kurtz and Paul Flynn," he introduced first the tall man and then the shorter one. Frank nodded his acknowledgement of the introductions, memorizing the names so he could have a background check done on the men.
"Ready to begin the advertising?" Matthews inquired.
"Oh, yes," Flynn answered. "The television commercials will begin tonight at seven fifty-eight and run twenty-four times a day through Friday night."
"The radio announcements will run every forty-five minutes on eleven different radio stations," Kurtz took over. "All that remains are the billboard advertisements and the newspaper ads."
"And that's what you're working on now?" inquired Frank, looking down at a large white poster board with words and photos attached.
"Yes," acknowledged Flynn with a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong?" inquired Frank curiously.
"The televised advertisements and radio announcements don't specify which schools will be participating," he answered. "But the newspapers ads and the billboards are supposed to list the schools."
"However, every time we get it looking right, another school drops out of the competition," Kurtz concluded.
"Why would they do that?" asked Frank, feigning puzzlement.
"There have been some accidents involving some of the contestants," Matthews informed him. "The authorities believe it has something to do with the contest and the schools are pulling out as a means to protect the students."
"Looks like it would be better just to cancel the contest," Frank observed.
"It was suggested," Matthews said. "But the superintendent vetoed the suggestion."
"He did?" asked Frank genuinely surprised. Surely the lives of the students were worth more than any publicity that could be gained from the tournament?
