"Jeff." Jim Wood said, entering Fenton's bedroom without knocking.
"Yes, sir?" Fenton inquired, not batting an eye at the intrusion.
"I have some correspondence which needs to be attended to." Wood stated without preamble. "You have free run of my office to attend to my affairs." he continued. "Also, I would like you to make an appointment with-"
"Sir," Billy arrived at the door.
"Yes, what is it?" Wood asked, looking at him.
"You have a visitor, sir," Billy informed him. "Chief Greer."
"I'm on my way," Wood told him. "We will finish this later," he added to Fenton, leaving the room.
Fenton longed to follow him, but he knew doing so would very likely result in his termination, so he remained where he was and finished unpacking. There would be time later to find out what Wood was involved in.
A few minutes later, an obviously agitated Wood returned to Fenton's room. "I'm on my way to Bayport, and I will probably be gone the rest of the day, perhaps even overnight." he informed Fenton, not noticing the wariness which briefly invaded Fenton's eyes before he managed to mask the emotion. "Jonathan Drecker, an associate of mine, is due here in a little over two hours, and has something which belongs to me. I would like you to accept the package and take it to my office."
"As you wish, sir." Fenton agreed, then waited for Wood to continue.
"There is a safe in the floor beneath the carpet under my desk. Lift the carpet from the inside left leg and fold it over. There is a slit on top of the safe. The package should fit through it. Jonathan probably won't stay, but if he chooses to, make him comfortable. If he needs a room for the night, give him the one beside yours and keep an eye on him." Wood ended.
"You don't trust him?" inquired Fenton.
"I trust no one." Wood replied, letting Fenton know by the look in his eyes that even he wasn't above suspicion.
Fenton inclined his head then returned to his task of unpacking. Wood left the room and Fenton could hear him moving down the hall to the stairs.
Fenton waited until he saw Wood climb into the back of his blue Lincoln Continental, and drive away with Billy behind the wheel, before moving from his vantage point beside the dresser near the window. The odds were his room contained hidden microphones, as did the phones throughout the house. He was fairly certain most if not all of the rooms were equipped with video surveillance, although at first glance he could see no sign of one in his own room.
He had to find a way off the estate to a pay phone. He had to alert Ezra to Wood's proposed visit to Bayport. Ezra must find a way to protect Joe. Before Joe had regained consciousness in the hospital's emergency room, the doctor had told Laura and him that Joe had obviously suffered multiple beatings and broken bones. His current condition was only partially due to a recent beating. It would take a long time for him to heal physically, for the scars on his back, arms, and legs were deep. Who knew what the emotional scars were like?
Fenton's expression turned grim as he bent to tie his shoe - which really didn't need tying. He was trying to hide the fear he felt at the thought of Joe falling back into Wood's hands, just in case there was a camera monitoring him at the moment.
Fenton stood, closed the drawer he had been putting his clothes in and shut his suitcase, taking it and setting it down inside the closet. Acting as if he were not in a hurry, he left his room and made his way down to the kitchen.
"May I help you?" inquired a deep baritone voice from the heavyset man near the central island, which consumed a large part of the room.
Fenton took stock of the man, who weighed at least two hundred and fifty pounds. He had been introduced to Randy Harmon earlier, during his tour of Wood's home. Greasy brown locks dangled over Harmon's forehead, and his brown eyes bore into Fenton as he neared the island.
"I was looking for a beer." Fenton answered, casually.
"Bottom shelf." the cook responded, gesturing toward the refrigerator and then returning to the task of slicing carrots which Fenton's intrusion had interrupted.
Fenton walked over to the refrigerator and opened it up. "Got any full bodied stuff?" he asked, seeing only light beer there. "I can't drink this light stuff."
"No," was the reply. "You'll have to go to the market and get your own."
"I'll do that." Fenton agreed after a minute. He closed the refrigerator and left the kitchen via the back door.
Twenty minutes later, the phone rang in Chief Collig's office. Ezra grinned as he reached for the phone. He had only been the Chief of Police for a little over a month now, and the thrill of barking his title into the handset had yet to wear off.
"Chief Collig," Ezra answered the phone in a brusque tone, his eyes still sparkling.
"Ezra, we have a problem." Fenton's voice came through the wire. At once, Ezra became the man whom everyone knew him to be...serious and all business.
When the conversation ended, Ezra left his office and went outside. Getting into his squad car, he headed straight for the Hardy residence. Laura answered the door at his insistent knocking.
"What's wrong?" she demanded, seeing the vein in his forehead pulsating, revealing the fact he was distressed. "Fenton?" she asked in a whisper, her face going white as she clasped her hands to her chest.
"Fenton's fine." Ezra quickly assured her. "Wood is on his way to Bayport. Fenton believes he may know Joe is here."
"Yes, sir?" Fenton inquired, not batting an eye at the intrusion.
"I have some correspondence which needs to be attended to." Wood stated without preamble. "You have free run of my office to attend to my affairs." he continued. "Also, I would like you to make an appointment with-"
"Sir," Billy arrived at the door.
"Yes, what is it?" Wood asked, looking at him.
"You have a visitor, sir," Billy informed him. "Chief Greer."
"I'm on my way," Wood told him. "We will finish this later," he added to Fenton, leaving the room.
Fenton longed to follow him, but he knew doing so would very likely result in his termination, so he remained where he was and finished unpacking. There would be time later to find out what Wood was involved in.
A few minutes later, an obviously agitated Wood returned to Fenton's room. "I'm on my way to Bayport, and I will probably be gone the rest of the day, perhaps even overnight." he informed Fenton, not noticing the wariness which briefly invaded Fenton's eyes before he managed to mask the emotion. "Jonathan Drecker, an associate of mine, is due here in a little over two hours, and has something which belongs to me. I would like you to accept the package and take it to my office."
"As you wish, sir." Fenton agreed, then waited for Wood to continue.
"There is a safe in the floor beneath the carpet under my desk. Lift the carpet from the inside left leg and fold it over. There is a slit on top of the safe. The package should fit through it. Jonathan probably won't stay, but if he chooses to, make him comfortable. If he needs a room for the night, give him the one beside yours and keep an eye on him." Wood ended.
"You don't trust him?" inquired Fenton.
"I trust no one." Wood replied, letting Fenton know by the look in his eyes that even he wasn't above suspicion.
Fenton inclined his head then returned to his task of unpacking. Wood left the room and Fenton could hear him moving down the hall to the stairs.
Fenton waited until he saw Wood climb into the back of his blue Lincoln Continental, and drive away with Billy behind the wheel, before moving from his vantage point beside the dresser near the window. The odds were his room contained hidden microphones, as did the phones throughout the house. He was fairly certain most if not all of the rooms were equipped with video surveillance, although at first glance he could see no sign of one in his own room.
He had to find a way off the estate to a pay phone. He had to alert Ezra to Wood's proposed visit to Bayport. Ezra must find a way to protect Joe. Before Joe had regained consciousness in the hospital's emergency room, the doctor had told Laura and him that Joe had obviously suffered multiple beatings and broken bones. His current condition was only partially due to a recent beating. It would take a long time for him to heal physically, for the scars on his back, arms, and legs were deep. Who knew what the emotional scars were like?
Fenton's expression turned grim as he bent to tie his shoe - which really didn't need tying. He was trying to hide the fear he felt at the thought of Joe falling back into Wood's hands, just in case there was a camera monitoring him at the moment.
Fenton stood, closed the drawer he had been putting his clothes in and shut his suitcase, taking it and setting it down inside the closet. Acting as if he were not in a hurry, he left his room and made his way down to the kitchen.
"May I help you?" inquired a deep baritone voice from the heavyset man near the central island, which consumed a large part of the room.
Fenton took stock of the man, who weighed at least two hundred and fifty pounds. He had been introduced to Randy Harmon earlier, during his tour of Wood's home. Greasy brown locks dangled over Harmon's forehead, and his brown eyes bore into Fenton as he neared the island.
"I was looking for a beer." Fenton answered, casually.
"Bottom shelf." the cook responded, gesturing toward the refrigerator and then returning to the task of slicing carrots which Fenton's intrusion had interrupted.
Fenton walked over to the refrigerator and opened it up. "Got any full bodied stuff?" he asked, seeing only light beer there. "I can't drink this light stuff."
"No," was the reply. "You'll have to go to the market and get your own."
"I'll do that." Fenton agreed after a minute. He closed the refrigerator and left the kitchen via the back door.
Twenty minutes later, the phone rang in Chief Collig's office. Ezra grinned as he reached for the phone. He had only been the Chief of Police for a little over a month now, and the thrill of barking his title into the handset had yet to wear off.
"Chief Collig," Ezra answered the phone in a brusque tone, his eyes still sparkling.
"Ezra, we have a problem." Fenton's voice came through the wire. At once, Ezra became the man whom everyone knew him to be...serious and all business.
When the conversation ended, Ezra left his office and went outside. Getting into his squad car, he headed straight for the Hardy residence. Laura answered the door at his insistent knocking.
"What's wrong?" she demanded, seeing the vein in his forehead pulsating, revealing the fact he was distressed. "Fenton?" she asked in a whisper, her face going white as she clasped her hands to her chest.
"Fenton's fine." Ezra quickly assured her. "Wood is on his way to Bayport. Fenton believes he may know Joe is here."
