"Scarsdale Road?" Callie asked, wrinkling her forehead in thought. "But isn't Conover in the opposite direction?"
"Conover?" Riley demanded, his brown eyes intense as he stared into hers. "What does Conover have to do with anything?"
Callie told him about the attempted kidnapping in Conover then Biff informed him about finding the Hardy home open.
"Hmm," Con said thoughtfully stroking his bare chin. "Joe could have been kidnapped and the van moved from where he had left it. Was the attempted kidnapping reported to the Conover police?" Callie nodded. "Do you know what the guy looked like?"
Callie shook her head. "I didn't see him."
"I'll call Conover and we'll compare notes and get started on the investigation. Thanks," he added, reaching for the phone but looking at the two teens. "At least now we have a place to start." He shook his head. "Frank's going to kill me if we don't get Joe back before he returns. He asked me to keep an eye on him," he ended.
"Now what?" asked Callie once she and Biff were outside the station. "We can't just sit back and do nothing."
"We aren't going to," Biff said. "We're going to call the gang together for a meeting at the Hardys and then we'll come up with something."
"Hey, where's Joe?" asked blond, chubby Chet Morton as Biff opened the front door and ushered him into the Hardy living room. Like the others who had already arrived, he hadn't been informed of the purpose of the meeting.
"Yeah," Tony said, his dark eyes looking at Biff questioningly. "Is he following a lead?"
Callie shook her head at the olive-skinned youth whose thick black hair was in an unruly mess. When Biff called, Tony had already been in bed but had quickly dressed and hurried over.
Phil Cohen, a quiet boy with sandy brown hair and icy blue eyes that were hidden beneath a pair of glasses looked at Callie expectantly. When she had called him earlier to request his presence, he had known something was wrong but had refrained from asking, knowing he would find out at the meeting.
"Joe's missing," Callie informed the boys. "When I came by earlier, the front door was open and when Biff and I reported it to the police they told us their van had been found abandoned."
"We need to know what Joe was working on," Phil said.
"Duh!" Chet interjected. "He was almost kidnapped in Conover over the weekend," he reminded Phil.
"I know that," Phil said, only the glare in his eyes reflecting his annoyance. "But he had to have a reason to of left home without telling anyone."
"And he had to of been in a big hurry to have forgotten to lock the door," Tony added. "But where do we start?"
"Mr. Hardy's computer," was Phil's reply. "Maybe Joe found something online about the guy who tried to nab him."
"Can you check Mr. Hardy's computer and find out?" asked Biff. "If Joe was on it instead of Frank's then he was probably visiting some restricted sites."
"Frank and Joe had me backpedal last Wednesday when their dad was missing. I remember all the passwords they gave me," Phil told him.
"Go to it," Callie urged.
"Cal!" Phil shouted down the stairs a little later.
Callie appeared at the bottom of the steps a few seconds later with Tony, Chet and Biff behind her. "Did you find something?" she asked, leading the way up the stairs.
"Definitely!" Phil said. "But I can't believe Joe would follow up on his own," he ended, going back into Mr. Hardy's office followed by the others.
Phil had a picture of Anthony Wolfe on the monitor. "This is a known Assassin," he informed the group. "And so is this," he added, pulling up a picture of Nicolas Ward.
Callie's face paled. "Frank's leaving had something to do with the Assassins," she said in a hoarse whisper. "You don't think it was a ruse just to get Joe alone, do you?"
"Why would they just be after Joe and not Frank?" Tony asked. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Actually, it does," Phil said. "If Frank is doing something that concerns the Assassins then kidnapping Joe would be the only way to get Frank to cooperate with them. Maybe the Assassins are going to try and get Frank to spy for them."
"Great," Biff groaned. "First Frank's going to kill us for letting Joe get kidnapped and then Joe's going to kill Frank for not being straight with him."
"No," Chet disagreed, his face serious and his brown eyes hard. "If we don't find Joe soon, the Assassins will kill him. You know they'll never let him go whether or not Frank does what they want him to do."
"Then we have to go to Conover," Callie asserted. "That's where they were first seen so they may still be in the area."
"You know, there's a lot of wild area out there," Phil put in thoughtfully. "Is it possible that's where the camp Frank was supposed to of gone to is located? If the Assassins knew about the camp and from what Frank told me, they must have, then maybe they were in Conover looking over the place."
"But Frank wouldn't have left Joe here alone if he knew terrorists were after Joe," Tony argued.
"He didn't know," Callie said. "Frank told Joe to leave it to the police in Conover. Frank never even checked the guy out who went after Joe."
"He never?" Phil asked, surprised. That didn't sound like Frank. He was usually pretty thorough. Obviously, something more was going on than they knew. "I think I'll check Frank's computer," Phil said, logging off of Mr. Hardy's.
The teens made their way down the hall and into Frank's bedroom. Phil started checking out Frank's computer while Callie took a seat on the edge of the bed. Chet went to the bathroom and Biff and Tony kept watch over Phil's shoulders.
"Doesn't look like he's done more than check his e-mail for the past couple of days," Phil commented, glancing over at Callie who had spotted a large manila envelope tucked under the corner of Frank's pillow sham and was pulling it out.
Callie read the front and gasped. "What is it?" Chet asked, coming out of the bathroom.
Unable to speak, she held the envelope up with trembling hands. On it were the words: The Last Will and Testament of Frank Hardy.
"Conover?" Riley demanded, his brown eyes intense as he stared into hers. "What does Conover have to do with anything?"
Callie told him about the attempted kidnapping in Conover then Biff informed him about finding the Hardy home open.
"Hmm," Con said thoughtfully stroking his bare chin. "Joe could have been kidnapped and the van moved from where he had left it. Was the attempted kidnapping reported to the Conover police?" Callie nodded. "Do you know what the guy looked like?"
Callie shook her head. "I didn't see him."
"I'll call Conover and we'll compare notes and get started on the investigation. Thanks," he added, reaching for the phone but looking at the two teens. "At least now we have a place to start." He shook his head. "Frank's going to kill me if we don't get Joe back before he returns. He asked me to keep an eye on him," he ended.
"Now what?" asked Callie once she and Biff were outside the station. "We can't just sit back and do nothing."
"We aren't going to," Biff said. "We're going to call the gang together for a meeting at the Hardys and then we'll come up with something."
"Hey, where's Joe?" asked blond, chubby Chet Morton as Biff opened the front door and ushered him into the Hardy living room. Like the others who had already arrived, he hadn't been informed of the purpose of the meeting.
"Yeah," Tony said, his dark eyes looking at Biff questioningly. "Is he following a lead?"
Callie shook her head at the olive-skinned youth whose thick black hair was in an unruly mess. When Biff called, Tony had already been in bed but had quickly dressed and hurried over.
Phil Cohen, a quiet boy with sandy brown hair and icy blue eyes that were hidden beneath a pair of glasses looked at Callie expectantly. When she had called him earlier to request his presence, he had known something was wrong but had refrained from asking, knowing he would find out at the meeting.
"Joe's missing," Callie informed the boys. "When I came by earlier, the front door was open and when Biff and I reported it to the police they told us their van had been found abandoned."
"We need to know what Joe was working on," Phil said.
"Duh!" Chet interjected. "He was almost kidnapped in Conover over the weekend," he reminded Phil.
"I know that," Phil said, only the glare in his eyes reflecting his annoyance. "But he had to have a reason to of left home without telling anyone."
"And he had to of been in a big hurry to have forgotten to lock the door," Tony added. "But where do we start?"
"Mr. Hardy's computer," was Phil's reply. "Maybe Joe found something online about the guy who tried to nab him."
"Can you check Mr. Hardy's computer and find out?" asked Biff. "If Joe was on it instead of Frank's then he was probably visiting some restricted sites."
"Frank and Joe had me backpedal last Wednesday when their dad was missing. I remember all the passwords they gave me," Phil told him.
"Go to it," Callie urged.
"Cal!" Phil shouted down the stairs a little later.
Callie appeared at the bottom of the steps a few seconds later with Tony, Chet and Biff behind her. "Did you find something?" she asked, leading the way up the stairs.
"Definitely!" Phil said. "But I can't believe Joe would follow up on his own," he ended, going back into Mr. Hardy's office followed by the others.
Phil had a picture of Anthony Wolfe on the monitor. "This is a known Assassin," he informed the group. "And so is this," he added, pulling up a picture of Nicolas Ward.
Callie's face paled. "Frank's leaving had something to do with the Assassins," she said in a hoarse whisper. "You don't think it was a ruse just to get Joe alone, do you?"
"Why would they just be after Joe and not Frank?" Tony asked. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Actually, it does," Phil said. "If Frank is doing something that concerns the Assassins then kidnapping Joe would be the only way to get Frank to cooperate with them. Maybe the Assassins are going to try and get Frank to spy for them."
"Great," Biff groaned. "First Frank's going to kill us for letting Joe get kidnapped and then Joe's going to kill Frank for not being straight with him."
"No," Chet disagreed, his face serious and his brown eyes hard. "If we don't find Joe soon, the Assassins will kill him. You know they'll never let him go whether or not Frank does what they want him to do."
"Then we have to go to Conover," Callie asserted. "That's where they were first seen so they may still be in the area."
"You know, there's a lot of wild area out there," Phil put in thoughtfully. "Is it possible that's where the camp Frank was supposed to of gone to is located? If the Assassins knew about the camp and from what Frank told me, they must have, then maybe they were in Conover looking over the place."
"But Frank wouldn't have left Joe here alone if he knew terrorists were after Joe," Tony argued.
"He didn't know," Callie said. "Frank told Joe to leave it to the police in Conover. Frank never even checked the guy out who went after Joe."
"He never?" Phil asked, surprised. That didn't sound like Frank. He was usually pretty thorough. Obviously, something more was going on than they knew. "I think I'll check Frank's computer," Phil said, logging off of Mr. Hardy's.
The teens made their way down the hall and into Frank's bedroom. Phil started checking out Frank's computer while Callie took a seat on the edge of the bed. Chet went to the bathroom and Biff and Tony kept watch over Phil's shoulders.
"Doesn't look like he's done more than check his e-mail for the past couple of days," Phil commented, glancing over at Callie who had spotted a large manila envelope tucked under the corner of Frank's pillow sham and was pulling it out.
Callie read the front and gasped. "What is it?" Chet asked, coming out of the bathroom.
Unable to speak, she held the envelope up with trembling hands. On it were the words: The Last Will and Testament of Frank Hardy.