"What?" she asked in shocked disbelief. "How could you have done that?"
Joe shrugged. "Dad said I killed her," he explained. "He said if I hadn't been born, she would still be alive, but I was born, and I killed her." Tears formed in his eyes, and slid down his cheeks.
"Oh, honey," Laura said, pulling Joe into her arms, tears filling her own eyes. "You didn't kill her. You haven't done anything wrong."
"Then why did she die?" Joe asked, sniffling.
"Your mother was sick before she got pregnant with you." Laura explained, finally remembering why the name Jim Wood had sounded so familiar. She took Joe's chin and lifted his head up so he had to look in her eyes.
"I met your mother," she told him. "I worked as a volunteer at the hospital where she was admitted. She had leukemia but she wanted a baby more than anything. She knew she was taking a risk but she got pregnant anyway. It wasn't you that killed Daisy, it was cancer." She wrapped her arms about Joe and held him close.
"Daisy?" Joe asked, sniffing through his tears. "That was her name?"
"Yes," Laura replied softly. She was shocked Jim Wood hadn't even told Joe his own mother's name. "Daisy Jo Greene Wood. She married Jim Wood about eleven years ago. I only met him once," she added. "but I didn't like him."
"Me either," Joe said. He laid his head against Laura's shoulder, and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, he found his new mom had fallen asleep with him, still clasping him in her arms. He tried to move away without waking her but she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hi." she said, smiling down at him.
"Hi," he replied, smiling back shyly. "Um...." Joe hesitated. He wanted to go to the bathroom but he was a bit embarrassed to ask her.
Laura kissed his forehead, where the blond waves of hair tumbled over. "What say we take you upstairs, get you dressed in some of Frank's old clothes, and after we clean up the breakfast dishes, take you shopping for some things of your own?"
"But I can't walk." Joe reminded her.
"You aren't heavy." she told him. "Not even with that cast on. And when we leave, there's a wheelchair in the garage from when Fenton was hurt a while back."
"Mom-" Joe said as she stood up. She turned around and looked down at him with bright eyes. "Thanks."
"Anytime, baby." she replied, and picking him up, carried him up the stairs.
Over in Burnsville, Fenton had just arrived at the police station. "I would like to speak with Chief Greer." Fenton told the sergeant at the front desk.
The sergeant looked up from his paperwork and eyed the man standing before him. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm a private investigator," Fenton identified himself. "My name is Fenton Hardy."
"Hardy...Hardy...why does that name sound familiar?" the sergeant queried, looking at him thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah," he said, perking up as he remembered. "You're the guy who shut down that smuggling ring that was operating in Bayport last month, right?"
"Yes, that was me." Fenton admitted, slightly embarrassed at the recognition, but pleased none the less.
"I'll let him know you're here." the sergeant said, hitting the intercom. "Go on up," Fenton was told, after a moment's conversation. "The chief's office is on the second floor."
"Thank you." Fenton replied, and departed in the direction of the stairs. A few minutes later, he was sitting in Chief Greer's office. Facing him from behind the desk was a chubby man with black hair and a black mustache. When he stood, Fenton saw that he was below medium height, perhaps about five-feet-nine. His green eyes were watchful, as if trying to find something, which might be hidden.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"I was told you were looking for a little boy." Fenton replied. "I was in town and thought I might be able to help."
"That's not necessary." Chief Greer told him with a little laugh. "We're positive he just ran away from home - no one else was involved in his disappearance."
"Even so," Fenton said, instinctively disliking this man intensely. "it's dangerous for a seven year old child to be on his own."
"His father has a pretty good idea the boy is staying at a friend's house. He asked us not to file a missing persons report. He wants him to come home on his own." Chief Greer told Fenton with a smile which never reached his eyes.
"Well, then," said Fenton, rising. "I guess I'll leave the matter in your capable hands."
"I'm sorry it was a waste of your time," Chief Greer said, standing and shaking Fenton's hand as he led him to the door.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Fenton replied. Greer narrowed his eyes at Fenton. "I did get to meet Burnsville's finest!" the detective ad-libbed. "Goodbye."
When Fenton arrived home later that afternoon, Frank was just getting off the bus.
"Dad!" Frank shouted and ran to meet him as Fenton exited the car. "Is Joe my brother yet?"
"Not yet." Fenton replied, smiling down at Frank and messing his hair affectionately. "It's going to take a little time."
"How are my two handsome men this afternoon?" Laura asked, opening the door for them.
"Oh, mom!" Frank grumbled, embarrassed but secretly pleased to be referred to as a man.
"Joe's upstairs." she told him. "Why don't you go tell him about school?"
Frank took off running up the stairs.
"Jim Wood was Daisy Greene's husband." she told Fenton when Frank had gone. "She died when Joe was born....That bastard made Joe believe he was responsible for her dying."
"Oh, God," Fenton said, shocked. "That kid's been through Hell."
Laura nodded her head in agreement. "Fenton, I met him once, right before Daisy died. He was very possessive, and he made it clear he didn't want a child. They were only having one because Daisy insisted."
"Hmmm...if he blames Joe for Daisy's death, that might explain why he abuses him." Fenton hypothesized. He told Laura about his meeting with Chief Greer.
"He's lying!" she burst out angrily, her face flushed. "They both are! That...that... thing," she sneered, referring to Joe's natural father, "has no idea where Joe is. He probably hopes Joe won't ever come back."
"Easy, honey." Fenton said, pulling Laura into his arms. "I'm going back to Burnsville in the morning." he said then. "Wood is looking for a personal assistant and I'm going to be exactly what he needs."
"Just be careful," Laura begged. "If he finds out you're investigating him, there's no telling what he might do!"
"I will be," he promised. "I have to get close enough so I can get something besides the child abuse to use against him. It would make it a lot easier on Joe and us if I can prove he is doing something illegal."
Just then there was the sound of breaking glass from the boys' room - followed by a frightened cry from Joe, and an angry shout from Frank!
Joe shrugged. "Dad said I killed her," he explained. "He said if I hadn't been born, she would still be alive, but I was born, and I killed her." Tears formed in his eyes, and slid down his cheeks.
"Oh, honey," Laura said, pulling Joe into her arms, tears filling her own eyes. "You didn't kill her. You haven't done anything wrong."
"Then why did she die?" Joe asked, sniffling.
"Your mother was sick before she got pregnant with you." Laura explained, finally remembering why the name Jim Wood had sounded so familiar. She took Joe's chin and lifted his head up so he had to look in her eyes.
"I met your mother," she told him. "I worked as a volunteer at the hospital where she was admitted. She had leukemia but she wanted a baby more than anything. She knew she was taking a risk but she got pregnant anyway. It wasn't you that killed Daisy, it was cancer." She wrapped her arms about Joe and held him close.
"Daisy?" Joe asked, sniffing through his tears. "That was her name?"
"Yes," Laura replied softly. She was shocked Jim Wood hadn't even told Joe his own mother's name. "Daisy Jo Greene Wood. She married Jim Wood about eleven years ago. I only met him once," she added. "but I didn't like him."
"Me either," Joe said. He laid his head against Laura's shoulder, and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, he found his new mom had fallen asleep with him, still clasping him in her arms. He tried to move away without waking her but she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hi." she said, smiling down at him.
"Hi," he replied, smiling back shyly. "Um...." Joe hesitated. He wanted to go to the bathroom but he was a bit embarrassed to ask her.
Laura kissed his forehead, where the blond waves of hair tumbled over. "What say we take you upstairs, get you dressed in some of Frank's old clothes, and after we clean up the breakfast dishes, take you shopping for some things of your own?"
"But I can't walk." Joe reminded her.
"You aren't heavy." she told him. "Not even with that cast on. And when we leave, there's a wheelchair in the garage from when Fenton was hurt a while back."
"Mom-" Joe said as she stood up. She turned around and looked down at him with bright eyes. "Thanks."
"Anytime, baby." she replied, and picking him up, carried him up the stairs.
Over in Burnsville, Fenton had just arrived at the police station. "I would like to speak with Chief Greer." Fenton told the sergeant at the front desk.
The sergeant looked up from his paperwork and eyed the man standing before him. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm a private investigator," Fenton identified himself. "My name is Fenton Hardy."
"Hardy...Hardy...why does that name sound familiar?" the sergeant queried, looking at him thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah," he said, perking up as he remembered. "You're the guy who shut down that smuggling ring that was operating in Bayport last month, right?"
"Yes, that was me." Fenton admitted, slightly embarrassed at the recognition, but pleased none the less.
"I'll let him know you're here." the sergeant said, hitting the intercom. "Go on up," Fenton was told, after a moment's conversation. "The chief's office is on the second floor."
"Thank you." Fenton replied, and departed in the direction of the stairs. A few minutes later, he was sitting in Chief Greer's office. Facing him from behind the desk was a chubby man with black hair and a black mustache. When he stood, Fenton saw that he was below medium height, perhaps about five-feet-nine. His green eyes were watchful, as if trying to find something, which might be hidden.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"I was told you were looking for a little boy." Fenton replied. "I was in town and thought I might be able to help."
"That's not necessary." Chief Greer told him with a little laugh. "We're positive he just ran away from home - no one else was involved in his disappearance."
"Even so," Fenton said, instinctively disliking this man intensely. "it's dangerous for a seven year old child to be on his own."
"His father has a pretty good idea the boy is staying at a friend's house. He asked us not to file a missing persons report. He wants him to come home on his own." Chief Greer told Fenton with a smile which never reached his eyes.
"Well, then," said Fenton, rising. "I guess I'll leave the matter in your capable hands."
"I'm sorry it was a waste of your time," Chief Greer said, standing and shaking Fenton's hand as he led him to the door.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Fenton replied. Greer narrowed his eyes at Fenton. "I did get to meet Burnsville's finest!" the detective ad-libbed. "Goodbye."
When Fenton arrived home later that afternoon, Frank was just getting off the bus.
"Dad!" Frank shouted and ran to meet him as Fenton exited the car. "Is Joe my brother yet?"
"Not yet." Fenton replied, smiling down at Frank and messing his hair affectionately. "It's going to take a little time."
"How are my two handsome men this afternoon?" Laura asked, opening the door for them.
"Oh, mom!" Frank grumbled, embarrassed but secretly pleased to be referred to as a man.
"Joe's upstairs." she told him. "Why don't you go tell him about school?"
Frank took off running up the stairs.
"Jim Wood was Daisy Greene's husband." she told Fenton when Frank had gone. "She died when Joe was born....That bastard made Joe believe he was responsible for her dying."
"Oh, God," Fenton said, shocked. "That kid's been through Hell."
Laura nodded her head in agreement. "Fenton, I met him once, right before Daisy died. He was very possessive, and he made it clear he didn't want a child. They were only having one because Daisy insisted."
"Hmmm...if he blames Joe for Daisy's death, that might explain why he abuses him." Fenton hypothesized. He told Laura about his meeting with Chief Greer.
"He's lying!" she burst out angrily, her face flushed. "They both are! That...that... thing," she sneered, referring to Joe's natural father, "has no idea where Joe is. He probably hopes Joe won't ever come back."
"Easy, honey." Fenton said, pulling Laura into his arms. "I'm going back to Burnsville in the morning." he said then. "Wood is looking for a personal assistant and I'm going to be exactly what he needs."
"Just be careful," Laura begged. "If he finds out you're investigating him, there's no telling what he might do!"
"I will be," he promised. "I have to get close enough so I can get something besides the child abuse to use against him. It would make it a lot easier on Joe and us if I can prove he is doing something illegal."
Just then there was the sound of breaking glass from the boys' room - followed by a frightened cry from Joe, and an angry shout from Frank!
