Fenton paled. Jeffrey - Joe - was indubitably worth one million dollars, and Wood would no doubt pay it, just to get his hands on the boy...and then continue to make his life a living hell! There had to be a way around this!
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, as an idea occurred to him. "Since Joe - er, Jeff - was in Wood's car, then whoever stole it had to have known it belonged to Wood."
"I don't know." Dalrymple said uncertainly. "The call was made from a pay phone in New York City."
"New York?" Fenton furrowed his brow in thought. "Jonathan Drecker is from there, and he intended on stealing the diamond, so we know he's in on a double-cross." He frowned, looking at Dalrymple with troubled eyes. "Did the caller mention Frank?" he asked, his heart thumping as he waited for the answer.
"Maybe." The agent replied, with emphasis. He didn't want to raise Fenton's hopes too high...just in case. "The guy said he would throw in an additional package which was in the trunk. He might have meant Frank."
"He must have!" Fenton declared, his eyes lighting with hope.
"You said you had the diamond, when you called...?" Dalrymple said, quirking an inquiring eyebrow.
Fenton pulled the stone from his pocket and handed it to the agent.
"Do you think Wood will pay?" Ezra asked, steering the conversation back to the kidnapping.
"Probably not." Dalrymple stated. "My guess is, he'll go for the delivery, then kill anyone around."
"Maybe we can use this to our advantage." Fenton said.
"How?" Collig asked. But before Fenton could reply, the intercom squawked to life, interrupting the conversation.
"Chief, Vance is willing to turn state's evidence against Wood, if we drop the attempted murder charge." Lt. Andrews' voice came through the speaker.
"Do it." Ezra commanded.
"'Vance'?" Dalrymple queried.
"Andrew Vance. He's the contact I was supposed to see." Fenton explained.
"He's also the man responsible for blowing up my squad car - at Wood's request!" Collig growled. "I had him picked up while we were waiting for you to arrive."
Dalrymple nodded his understanding.
Ezra turned back to Fenton. "How?" he asked again. "What do you have in mind?"
"If Drecker has the boys - and I'm almost positive he does - we can move in on him. If we cut him a deal to help us, we may even get Wood to confess to murdering Ginger and Morrow." Fenton suggested.
"Wood has until tomorrow to get the cash." Dalrymple said, giving serious consideration to Fenton's suggestion. He knew they would have to move on Drecker, he was a key suspect in the boys' disappearance. Right now, finding the children was the number-one priority of the department. The murders and everything else were secondary, until Frank and Joe were safely returned.
"Where did the call originate?" Fenton inquired.
"Pay phone on Seventh Street." Dalrymple replied, checking his notes.
"As I recall, that's not far from the warehouse district." Fenton said, remembering the area from his time walking a beat there. "There were several places which would make excellent chop shops." He picked up Ezra's handset. "Let me call Sam, and see if he knows of anything specific. They keep tabs on those places, as a matter of course."
"Who?" Dalrymple asked.
"Sam Peterson." Fenton explained, dialing. "He was my partner when I was with the NYPD."
Ezra and Agent Dalrymple sat silently while Fenton spoke with his former partner. When he hung up, Fenton's eyes were alight with fresh hope. "Sam said he saw a blue Lincoln Continental early this morning, making a turn onto Grower Street. He's going to speak with Chief Smith, and they will scout out the place. We're to report to the chief when we get there."
Ezra sighed. He wanted to be in the bust, but it was out of his jurisdiction. Fenton looked at his friend.
"Ezra, why don't you go to my house? Laura will fix you something to eat, and you can fill her in on the investigation." Ezra started to object, and Fenton continued: "If you don't get some rest, you won't be of any use when this thing does come to a close."
"It won't end here in Bayport." Collig replied, heartsick. I won't even have the satisfaction of slapping cuffs on the bastard who killed Ginger! he thought bitterly.
"Actually, it will." Fenton insisted, trying to draw Ezra out of his settling depression. "We don't want Wood to know it's Drecker who has the boys, and since the car was stolen here in Bayport, that's where he'll need to come to pay the ransom."
Reluctantly, Ezra agreed to go to the Hardy home, and Fenton and Agent Dalrymple left for New York City.
When they arrived at the precinct, Fenton was greeted by several officers, all wanting to know how he was doing. Had he not been so concerned about Frank and Joe, Fenton would have enjoyed spending some time with his old friends, but as it was, he merely returned the greetings, and didn't stop to talk on his way to Chief's Smith's office.
Chief Paul Smith was a man in his late 50's, with graying brown hair and blue eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. He knew Fenton well, and had hoped he would stay with the force, to eventually become Police Chief, but Fenton had made it clear that he preferred to work in the field, and had bowed out just before his last promotion. The promotion had instead gone to Sam Peterson, who had proven as well-equipped to deal with whatever was thrown at him as Fenton would have been.
"Have you found the location?" Fenton demanded as he entered Smith's office, getting straight to the point.
"Hello to you, too - and yes, we have it." Smith grinned. "I've got men surrounding the place right now. Drecker is inside, and I've given orders that he's to be apprehended immediately, if he leaves the premises."
"Let's move." Dalrymple said, and the three men left the office.
They met Sam Peterson near the site. The solidly-built, dark-skinned man smiled warmly when he saw them arrive, his deep brown eyes lighting with pleasure at seeing his former partner.
"Fenton!" Sam said, going over and clapping him on the back. "The boys are safe." he quickly assured his old friend. "They were sitting in the office eating ice cream, when I went for a look."
"Thank God!" Fenton said, his face relaxing for the first time in almost two days. "Are we ready to move in, then?"
"Affirmative." Sam replied. "I assume you want to be near the office?" Fenton gave him a look, which spoke volumes. "Right." Sam said, grinning.
At that point, Chief Smith spoke up. "Fenton - I've just got to say it....Ah, hell, man - you look sick as a blond." he said, his expresssion changing from serious to comic.
Fenton burst out laughing.
"That's for sure!" Sam agreed. "But we already knew that - from when he used the same disguise during that armed robbery case, right before he left the force."
"Back to the plan, people." Dalrymple said, but he was smiling as well.
Smith unrolled a blueprint of the warehouse they were about to invade. "Our men are stationed here, here, and here." he said, indicating three of the exits shown on the blueprint. "The office is in this area, and has a window which is big enough for entry. They have one man, armed, guarding the boys. All the others are in the outer section, with the stolen automobiles."
He glanced at his listeners. "Hardy, you and Peterson station yourselves at the window to the office." he ordered, his manner reverting back to a time when he had been used to giving orders to the two of them as a team. "Dalrymple, you can come with me. We're going in through the front door. We'll give them a surprise like they've never seen." he added, grinning at the thought.
Fenton and Sam quietly made their way to the office window and took up their positions, waiting for the action to begin. Smith gave the order to move to his men, and they all burst into the shop.
The man guarding the boys heard the commotion outside the office, and went to investigate. Fenton broke the glass on the window and reached inside, unlocking it and raising the pane. He climbed through...and almost immediately found himself under assault!
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, as an idea occurred to him. "Since Joe - er, Jeff - was in Wood's car, then whoever stole it had to have known it belonged to Wood."
"I don't know." Dalrymple said uncertainly. "The call was made from a pay phone in New York City."
"New York?" Fenton furrowed his brow in thought. "Jonathan Drecker is from there, and he intended on stealing the diamond, so we know he's in on a double-cross." He frowned, looking at Dalrymple with troubled eyes. "Did the caller mention Frank?" he asked, his heart thumping as he waited for the answer.
"Maybe." The agent replied, with emphasis. He didn't want to raise Fenton's hopes too high...just in case. "The guy said he would throw in an additional package which was in the trunk. He might have meant Frank."
"He must have!" Fenton declared, his eyes lighting with hope.
"You said you had the diamond, when you called...?" Dalrymple said, quirking an inquiring eyebrow.
Fenton pulled the stone from his pocket and handed it to the agent.
"Do you think Wood will pay?" Ezra asked, steering the conversation back to the kidnapping.
"Probably not." Dalrymple stated. "My guess is, he'll go for the delivery, then kill anyone around."
"Maybe we can use this to our advantage." Fenton said.
"How?" Collig asked. But before Fenton could reply, the intercom squawked to life, interrupting the conversation.
"Chief, Vance is willing to turn state's evidence against Wood, if we drop the attempted murder charge." Lt. Andrews' voice came through the speaker.
"Do it." Ezra commanded.
"'Vance'?" Dalrymple queried.
"Andrew Vance. He's the contact I was supposed to see." Fenton explained.
"He's also the man responsible for blowing up my squad car - at Wood's request!" Collig growled. "I had him picked up while we were waiting for you to arrive."
Dalrymple nodded his understanding.
Ezra turned back to Fenton. "How?" he asked again. "What do you have in mind?"
"If Drecker has the boys - and I'm almost positive he does - we can move in on him. If we cut him a deal to help us, we may even get Wood to confess to murdering Ginger and Morrow." Fenton suggested.
"Wood has until tomorrow to get the cash." Dalrymple said, giving serious consideration to Fenton's suggestion. He knew they would have to move on Drecker, he was a key suspect in the boys' disappearance. Right now, finding the children was the number-one priority of the department. The murders and everything else were secondary, until Frank and Joe were safely returned.
"Where did the call originate?" Fenton inquired.
"Pay phone on Seventh Street." Dalrymple replied, checking his notes.
"As I recall, that's not far from the warehouse district." Fenton said, remembering the area from his time walking a beat there. "There were several places which would make excellent chop shops." He picked up Ezra's handset. "Let me call Sam, and see if he knows of anything specific. They keep tabs on those places, as a matter of course."
"Who?" Dalrymple asked.
"Sam Peterson." Fenton explained, dialing. "He was my partner when I was with the NYPD."
Ezra and Agent Dalrymple sat silently while Fenton spoke with his former partner. When he hung up, Fenton's eyes were alight with fresh hope. "Sam said he saw a blue Lincoln Continental early this morning, making a turn onto Grower Street. He's going to speak with Chief Smith, and they will scout out the place. We're to report to the chief when we get there."
Ezra sighed. He wanted to be in the bust, but it was out of his jurisdiction. Fenton looked at his friend.
"Ezra, why don't you go to my house? Laura will fix you something to eat, and you can fill her in on the investigation." Ezra started to object, and Fenton continued: "If you don't get some rest, you won't be of any use when this thing does come to a close."
"It won't end here in Bayport." Collig replied, heartsick. I won't even have the satisfaction of slapping cuffs on the bastard who killed Ginger! he thought bitterly.
"Actually, it will." Fenton insisted, trying to draw Ezra out of his settling depression. "We don't want Wood to know it's Drecker who has the boys, and since the car was stolen here in Bayport, that's where he'll need to come to pay the ransom."
Reluctantly, Ezra agreed to go to the Hardy home, and Fenton and Agent Dalrymple left for New York City.
When they arrived at the precinct, Fenton was greeted by several officers, all wanting to know how he was doing. Had he not been so concerned about Frank and Joe, Fenton would have enjoyed spending some time with his old friends, but as it was, he merely returned the greetings, and didn't stop to talk on his way to Chief's Smith's office.
Chief Paul Smith was a man in his late 50's, with graying brown hair and blue eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. He knew Fenton well, and had hoped he would stay with the force, to eventually become Police Chief, but Fenton had made it clear that he preferred to work in the field, and had bowed out just before his last promotion. The promotion had instead gone to Sam Peterson, who had proven as well-equipped to deal with whatever was thrown at him as Fenton would have been.
"Have you found the location?" Fenton demanded as he entered Smith's office, getting straight to the point.
"Hello to you, too - and yes, we have it." Smith grinned. "I've got men surrounding the place right now. Drecker is inside, and I've given orders that he's to be apprehended immediately, if he leaves the premises."
"Let's move." Dalrymple said, and the three men left the office.
They met Sam Peterson near the site. The solidly-built, dark-skinned man smiled warmly when he saw them arrive, his deep brown eyes lighting with pleasure at seeing his former partner.
"Fenton!" Sam said, going over and clapping him on the back. "The boys are safe." he quickly assured his old friend. "They were sitting in the office eating ice cream, when I went for a look."
"Thank God!" Fenton said, his face relaxing for the first time in almost two days. "Are we ready to move in, then?"
"Affirmative." Sam replied. "I assume you want to be near the office?" Fenton gave him a look, which spoke volumes. "Right." Sam said, grinning.
At that point, Chief Smith spoke up. "Fenton - I've just got to say it....Ah, hell, man - you look sick as a blond." he said, his expresssion changing from serious to comic.
Fenton burst out laughing.
"That's for sure!" Sam agreed. "But we already knew that - from when he used the same disguise during that armed robbery case, right before he left the force."
"Back to the plan, people." Dalrymple said, but he was smiling as well.
Smith unrolled a blueprint of the warehouse they were about to invade. "Our men are stationed here, here, and here." he said, indicating three of the exits shown on the blueprint. "The office is in this area, and has a window which is big enough for entry. They have one man, armed, guarding the boys. All the others are in the outer section, with the stolen automobiles."
He glanced at his listeners. "Hardy, you and Peterson station yourselves at the window to the office." he ordered, his manner reverting back to a time when he had been used to giving orders to the two of them as a team. "Dalrymple, you can come with me. We're going in through the front door. We'll give them a surprise like they've never seen." he added, grinning at the thought.
Fenton and Sam quietly made their way to the office window and took up their positions, waiting for the action to begin. Smith gave the order to move to his men, and they all burst into the shop.
The man guarding the boys heard the commotion outside the office, and went to investigate. Fenton broke the glass on the window and reached inside, unlocking it and raising the pane. He climbed through...and almost immediately found himself under assault!
