When the phone rang, they all jumped, startled. Frank reached it first. "Joe?" he asked picking up the receiver.
"No," Stanley said from the other end. "But I know where he is."
"Where?" Frank demanded.
"Meet me at the old skating rink," Stanley told him. "But be quite and come alone. I saw this joker drag Joe in there. We can take him together without anyone getting hurt."
Joe glared at Stanley, shouting it was a trap through the gag Stanley had stuffed into his mouth before making the call.
"We'll be right over," Frank promised.
"We?" Stanley asked.
"Dad and me," Frank informed him.
"It would be better if it were just you," Stanley told him. "If there are too many of us around, he might try and kill Joe."
"I guess you're right," Frank answered, a thoughtful frown on his face. "I'll be right over," he promised before hanging up.
Frank turned to his parents and told them about the call. "Something just doesn't jive," he ended.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Hardy asked.
"It's just, Stanley just started Bayport High last month and he seems to know a lot about me and Joe all ready," Frank explained. "He keeps popping up trying to shoot hoops with Joe or go to an exhibit or something with me. He never wants to do something with us and the rest of the guys just one or the other of us."
"And he wants you to meet him alone," Mrs. Hardy guessed. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Me either," Mr. Hardy said. "Laura, you call Chief Collig and tell him where we have gone," he ordered his wife. "Frank, take the van. I'll follow you on your motorcycle."
"Right," Frank replied and took off at a run for the door with his dad on his heels.
Stanley reached down and removed the gag form Joe's mouth after he had hung up. "Why?" Joe demanded. "Why did you kill Johnson and try to kill Nathan?"
"Because of Frank," Stanley answered, smiling.
"What?" Joe asked, not understanding what Frank had to do with it.
"It's simple really," Stanley told him. "I fell for Frank my first day here. But every time I tried to get close to him, he always had something to do with you. I noticed you two have the same friends, so I tried to get in good with you, but you never gave me the time of day."
"What does that have to do with killing Johnson?" Joe asked in disbelief. "You thought by killing him Frank would like you because you were looking out for me?"
"Looking out for you?!" Stanley roared, then laughed. "I could have cared less what happened to you. I was overjoyed when Johnson started harassing you. You and Frank fought and he was avoiding you. It was wonderful!" His smile faded and he looked at Joe through narrowed eyes. "Then Frank found out. As much as he cared about you, I thought he would kill Johnson to protect you which would get him in trouble."
"So you took care of Johnson to keep Frank from going to prison," Joe said, understanding. "But why go after Nathan?"
"Why?" Stanley demanded, his eyes flashing, his nostrils flaring. Joe knew this boy had gone completely mad. "You just don't learn! Nathan was shacking up with Johnson. I couldn't let Frank go after Nathan because you were messing around with him now."
"I wasn't doing anything," Joe told him, trying to sound calm and working on loosening his bonds at the same time. "I was just trying to find out if he had killed the teacher."
Stanley kicked Joe in the side. "Don't lie to me! I know what you were doing. And I know you were going to hurt Frank by doing it. I can't keep cleaning up after you, don't you understand that?" he demanded, his face serious, kicking Joe again. "Now, I won't have too."
"You think Frank is going to like you if you kill me?" Joe demanded. "He would never forgive you."
"Oh, but he won't know I'm the one who killed you," Stanley promised, his eyes brightening. "I'm going to kill you and then go outside to wait for Frank. You will be dead and he will be so distraught, he'll lean on me. Before long, I'll be his best friend and you will be just a memory."
Stanley walked over to a nearby table and picked up a large knife. Joe frantically worked on his bonds, slipping a wrist free as Stanley returned. When Stanley came over and raised the knife, Joe kicked up with his feet, and contacted with Stanley's stomach.
As Stanley bent over in pain, Joe scooted back and scrambled to his feet. Stanley stood upright and lunged at Joe with the knife, but, again, Joe was ready for him. He stepped aside and brought down the side of his hand in a karate move, causing Stanley to drop the knife.
Stanley roared in anger and lunged, grabbing Joe's neck in both his hands. Joe fell to the ground with Stanley on top of him but Joe had his knees up and managed to get enough lift to force Stanley over his head, causing him to break his grip.
Stanley leapt to his feet and brought Joe down with a tackle at the waist. Stanley backhanded Joe, causing him to bite his tongue. Blood trickled from his mouth as Stanley grasped Joe's neck again and began squeezing the breath from him.
The door of the rink opened and Frank stood silhouetted in the doorway for a fraction of a second. Frank took in the scene before his eyes and ran to where the two boys were locked in deadly combat. He grabbed Stanley and pulled him off of Joe, cocking his arm as he delivered a right uppercut that sent Stanley reeling backward.
"NO!" Stanley screamed, jumping to his feet again. "You're too early!" he shouted at Frank. "Joe has to die! He's too much trouble!"
"Never!" Frank shouted back, letting fly with another punch. Stanley fell to the ground, not moving.
"Joe?" Frank asked, breathing hard more from anger at Stanley than from the exertion of the fight. "Are you okay?"
Joe nodded and grabbed Frank around the neck, hugging him tight. They were locked in their silent hug when they heard a sound from behind Joe. Stanley had gotten to his feet and retrieved the knife he had dropped when the battle had began. He was bringing it down into Joe's back before he had turned, and now the deadly weapon was moving toward his chest.
A shot rang out and Stanley fell to his knees, his eyes wide as he looked into Frank's. "I only wanted you to love me," he whispered, then fell forward onto Joe and Frank.
"It's over," Mr. Hardy said, coming over to his sons as Chief Collig and two other officers filed in behind him.
Later that night, Frank had just sat down on his bed and was setting his alarm clock when Joe came to the doorway and gently rapped on the side of the frame. Frank looked up in surprise. "Since when do you knock?" he asked.
Joe shrugged. "I thought I'd give it a try," he said lightly.
"Don't," Frank said. "It doesn't become you."
"I'm sorry," Joe told him, coming in and standing in front of Frank.
"For what?" Frank asked, confused.
"For being so much trouble," Joe answered in a serious tone.
"What ever gave you that idea?" Frank demanded.
"Stanley," Joe admitted. "He was right. You are always there to get me out of trouble and to protect me."
"Because I love you," Frank said. "That's not trouble."
"Isn't it?" Joe asked, his blue eyes sad.
Frank reached out and pulled Joe onto the bed beside him. "Let me ask you something," Frank said. "Be honest. If I were the one who needed help, how far would you go to help me? Would it be too much?"
"Nothing would ever be too much for you," Joe replied without hesitation. "I'd do anything for you."
"And you expect me to feel less for you than you do for me?" Frank demanded, his brown eyes searching.
"I see what you mean," Joe said with a grin. "As long as we have each other, we are invincible."
End