"Need help getting out of the car, Son?" inquired Fenton as he pulled the car into the garage and killed the engine.
"No," Frank declined the offer. "I'm just a little sore," he added, opening his door and easing himself out.
Frank entered the house first, expecting to have Joe waiting on the other side but he was greeted by a disquieting silence.
"Joe!" Frank called out, growing concerned.
Fenton put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "I don't think he's here," he said. "Or if he is, he can't answer us. Let's look around."
"Nothing," Fenton said when he met back up with Frank in the living room. "There isn't anything out of the ordinary either. It looks like he left on his own accord."
"He wouldn't," objected Frank, running a hand worriedly through his mane of brown hair. "At least, not without leaving a note and he didn't: I checked."
"Maybe our intruder returned," Frank postulated after a moment's silence.
"Then there would be some evidence of a struggle and there is none," Fenton pointed out. "You know Joe would have put up a fight."
The phone began ringing and Frank picked up the receiver. "Hello," he said, mentally crossing his fingers and praying it was Joe.
"Frank, is Vanessa there?" Andrea Bender, Vanessa's mother, demanded in near hysteria.
"No, Mrs. Bender," answered Frank with a heavy frown. "Is something wrong?"
"I just got in," Andrea answered. "Vanessa was supposed to be here. We were going to the movies tonight since Joe was supposed to be in the North Woods with you and Biff," she explained. "But when I got home the front door was open and the living room is a wreck!"
"Mrs. Bender, I want you to go to your car and lock yourself in," Frank instructed her. "Use your cell to call the police. I'm on my way over."
After hanging up Frank related the disturbing news to his father. "I don't like this," Fenton declared. "Go to the Benders but be careful," he ordered his son. "I'm going to call the police about Joe."
"You think they are connected?" asked Frank.
"I'd bet my life on it," Fenton affirmed.
Frank reached the Bender farm minutes after the police. "Wait out here," Sergeant Klinger ordered Frank after he had exited his van.
"Frank!" Andrea called out to him from his left.
Frank turned his head and saw Andrea hurrying toward him. "Where's Joe?" she asked him. "Maybe she is with Joe," she suggested hopefully when Joe never got out of the van.
"We don't know," Frank answered softly, his brown eyes filling with compassion at her crushed look. "Joe's missing too."
"There's no one inside," called out an officer from the front door of the Bender home.
Sergeant Klinger nodded his acknowledgement at the officer then turned to Andrea. "Ma'am, I need to ask you a few questions." Andrea nodded her acquiescence, but grabbed Frank's arm for support and held on tight. "How long were you gone?"
"About an hour and a half, maybe two hours," Andrea answered. "I had to go to the drug store and the grocery store."
"And you left your daughter here?" Klinger inquired.
"Yes," Andrea answered. "She was watching something and didn't want to go."
"Did you notice any vehicles in the area when you left or when you came back?" Klinger asked.
"No," Andrea answered. "And the only vehicle I passed on the main road was as I was leaving. It was a cable van."
"Excuse me," Klinger said as the radio attached to his shoulder blasted static. He moved away as he turned down the volume. He returned a couple of minutes later wearing a grim expression.
"Mrs. Bender, your daughter has been found," Klinger told her. "She is alive and appears unharmed except she is unconscious. She has been taken to Bayport General."
"I'll drive you," volunteered Frank.
"We'll lock up when we finish here," Klinger promised Andrea. "I'll be in touch," he added with a slight nod as he headed toward the house.
Frank and Andrea arrived at the hospital to find his dad there. "What are you doing here?" demanded an astonished Frank. His eyes widened and he paled a bit. "Joe?"
"No," Fenton hurriedly answered. "Chief Collig was notified while I was on the phone with him about your brother," he explained. "Apparently, Joe exited a van and carried Vanessa to a park bench and then returned to the van."
"He just left her? Unconscious?" Frank demanded in disbelief as Andrea looked on in horror.
"He left her on the bench but Liz Webbing was there," Fenton continued. "She told the police that Joe looked around to make sure someone was there to take care of her before he left."
"He left willingly?" Andrea asked in confusion. Joe's actions seemed contrary to what she knew of the youth.
"I think there was some kind of trade off," Fenton informed her. "Joe had to do what he was ordered or..."
"Or Vanessa would have been killed," Andrea finished for him.
"No," Frank declined the offer. "I'm just a little sore," he added, opening his door and easing himself out.
Frank entered the house first, expecting to have Joe waiting on the other side but he was greeted by a disquieting silence.
"Joe!" Frank called out, growing concerned.
Fenton put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "I don't think he's here," he said. "Or if he is, he can't answer us. Let's look around."
"Nothing," Fenton said when he met back up with Frank in the living room. "There isn't anything out of the ordinary either. It looks like he left on his own accord."
"He wouldn't," objected Frank, running a hand worriedly through his mane of brown hair. "At least, not without leaving a note and he didn't: I checked."
"Maybe our intruder returned," Frank postulated after a moment's silence.
"Then there would be some evidence of a struggle and there is none," Fenton pointed out. "You know Joe would have put up a fight."
The phone began ringing and Frank picked up the receiver. "Hello," he said, mentally crossing his fingers and praying it was Joe.
"Frank, is Vanessa there?" Andrea Bender, Vanessa's mother, demanded in near hysteria.
"No, Mrs. Bender," answered Frank with a heavy frown. "Is something wrong?"
"I just got in," Andrea answered. "Vanessa was supposed to be here. We were going to the movies tonight since Joe was supposed to be in the North Woods with you and Biff," she explained. "But when I got home the front door was open and the living room is a wreck!"
"Mrs. Bender, I want you to go to your car and lock yourself in," Frank instructed her. "Use your cell to call the police. I'm on my way over."
After hanging up Frank related the disturbing news to his father. "I don't like this," Fenton declared. "Go to the Benders but be careful," he ordered his son. "I'm going to call the police about Joe."
"You think they are connected?" asked Frank.
"I'd bet my life on it," Fenton affirmed.
Frank reached the Bender farm minutes after the police. "Wait out here," Sergeant Klinger ordered Frank after he had exited his van.
"Frank!" Andrea called out to him from his left.
Frank turned his head and saw Andrea hurrying toward him. "Where's Joe?" she asked him. "Maybe she is with Joe," she suggested hopefully when Joe never got out of the van.
"We don't know," Frank answered softly, his brown eyes filling with compassion at her crushed look. "Joe's missing too."
"There's no one inside," called out an officer from the front door of the Bender home.
Sergeant Klinger nodded his acknowledgement at the officer then turned to Andrea. "Ma'am, I need to ask you a few questions." Andrea nodded her acquiescence, but grabbed Frank's arm for support and held on tight. "How long were you gone?"
"About an hour and a half, maybe two hours," Andrea answered. "I had to go to the drug store and the grocery store."
"And you left your daughter here?" Klinger inquired.
"Yes," Andrea answered. "She was watching something and didn't want to go."
"Did you notice any vehicles in the area when you left or when you came back?" Klinger asked.
"No," Andrea answered. "And the only vehicle I passed on the main road was as I was leaving. It was a cable van."
"Excuse me," Klinger said as the radio attached to his shoulder blasted static. He moved away as he turned down the volume. He returned a couple of minutes later wearing a grim expression.
"Mrs. Bender, your daughter has been found," Klinger told her. "She is alive and appears unharmed except she is unconscious. She has been taken to Bayport General."
"I'll drive you," volunteered Frank.
"We'll lock up when we finish here," Klinger promised Andrea. "I'll be in touch," he added with a slight nod as he headed toward the house.
Frank and Andrea arrived at the hospital to find his dad there. "What are you doing here?" demanded an astonished Frank. His eyes widened and he paled a bit. "Joe?"
"No," Fenton hurriedly answered. "Chief Collig was notified while I was on the phone with him about your brother," he explained. "Apparently, Joe exited a van and carried Vanessa to a park bench and then returned to the van."
"He just left her? Unconscious?" Frank demanded in disbelief as Andrea looked on in horror.
"He left her on the bench but Liz Webbing was there," Fenton continued. "She told the police that Joe looked around to make sure someone was there to take care of her before he left."
"He left willingly?" Andrea asked in confusion. Joe's actions seemed contrary to what she knew of the youth.
"I think there was some kind of trade off," Fenton informed her. "Joe had to do what he was ordered or..."
"Or Vanessa would have been killed," Andrea finished for him.