"That's Joe Hardy," answered seventeen-year-old Callie Shaw. She grinned at Angelic as she watched her pull out a mirror and check her lipstick. "His brother's my boyfriend," Callie added, pushing her blond hair away from her eyes.
"You mean there's another one like him?" Angelic demanded as she stood up from the bench she had been sitting on.
"Oh no," Callie assured her. "There is only one Joe hardy. Come on," she added, as she, too, rose. "I'll introduce you."
Frank, who had veen bent under the hood of the boys' van, looked up as the two girls approached, and nudged his brother. Joe turned, saw the girls, and once again raked a hand through his blond hair, this time in an attempt to straighten it.
"Hi," Joe said, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Hello," answered Angelic, huskily.
"Guys, this is Angelic Deveraux," Callie introduced them. "We met at camp a few years ago. Angelic, this is Joe and Frank Hardy."
"Hello Angelic," his smile evident in his brown eyes. Angelic gave Frank's six foot one frame a cursory glance before stepping up to Joe and placing a hand on his arm.
Frank raised his eyebrows at Callie who smothered a grin and reached up to move a stray strand of brown hair from his forehead.
"I'm going to be in Bayport for a couple of weeks," Angelic told Joe. "I could really use someone to show me around."
"Callie's the one to do it," Joe told her. "She had to make a map of all the area tourist attractions for geography class last semester."
"I'm sure she's an excellent guide," Angelic said. "But it would be so much more fun if there were more than just the two of us. I mean, what if we ran into trouble?" she added, running her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder.
"You've got a point," Joe admitted, ignoring the predatory gleam in Angelic's eyes. "Frank, why don't we call Iola and Chet then the six of us can have some fun?" Joe suggested, looking over at his brother.
"Great idea!" Callie interjected. "Iola is Joe's girlfriend," she told Angelic.
"Oh," Angelic said softly, slowly removing her hand from joe.
"Why don't Angelic and I call Iola and Chet while you two finish up here?" Callie suggested.
"Good idea," Frank agreed.
"What are you doing?" Angelic asked, wrinkling her nose as she gazed under the hood of the van.
"Tightening the distributor cap," Joe answered, as Callie took Angelic's arm and pulled her away.
"I think she likes you," Frank told Joe, closing the hood of the van.
Joe shrugged without saying anything, causing Frank to look at him closely. "What gives? I thought you would be on cloud nine. I sure would be if a girl that beautiful were interested in me."
"I don't know," responded Joe. "There's just something weird about her."
"Maybe you just think so because you care about Iola so much," Frank suggested.
"No," Joe denied hesitantly. "I do care a lot about Iola, but I just have this strange feeling about Angelic." he gave himself a little shake. "Come on, we'd better get washed up," he said, turning toward the pizzeria and walking away. Frank looked at Joe's retreating back with a worried frown as he followed him into the restaurant.
"Come on," Iola urged Joe, her black hair hitting his shoulder as she spun around and grabbed his hand. Her brown eyes twinkled up at him. "I know you hate amusement rides but show Angelic how brave you are," she teased.
Joe grinned at Iola and allowed her to drag him into the amusement park. He tagged along with the others on a dozen rides until they got to the roller coaster. "No," Joe said, bucking.
"Aw, come on Joe," Callie taunted. "Not chicken, are you?"
"No!" Joe denied vehemently. "However, my lunch was," he added, a hand on his stomach.
"Huh?" demanded chunky, blond-headed, green-eyed, Chet Morton.
"We had fried chicken for lunch," Frank explained to his confused friend.
"And that's going to stop you?" demanded Chet.
"You bet," Joe replied happily and walked away.
"Why doesn't he like to ride?" Angelic asked Frank.
"He has had a few unpleasant experiences with amusement parks and carnivals," he told her.
"Yeah," broke in Chet. "One time he was tied up and blind folded then left on top of the Ferris Wheel."
"But the first time we went to an amusement park, Joe got separated from mom, dad, and me in the fun house and ended up getting kidnaped," Frank explained. "He hasn't felt comfortable in these kind of places since."
"Poor Joe," murmured Angelic sympathetically.
"Finally we can get on!" interrupted Chet.
"You know, I feel kind of queasy," Angelic said. "I think I'll sit this one out."
"I'll stay with you," offered Iola and Callie at the same time.
"No," Angelic said quickly. "I would feel worse if i made you two miss the ride. I'll be fine," she assured them as they climbed into their car.
A couple of minutes later, Angelic stepped into line behind Joe at the ice cream booth. "Hi," she said, tapping him gently on his back.
Joe spun around, surprise evident in his eyes. "I thought you were riding the roller coaster" he said.
She shook her head. "I'm not much on roller coasters," sheinformed him.
"How are you on ice cream?" Joe asked, smiling with understanding.
"Love it!"
"What flavor?" asked the attendant.
"One chocolate," Joe told him. "And one..." he looked askance at Angelic.
"Chocolate," she replied. "My favorite."
"Two chocolate," Joe ordered, then paid the man. Walking away, Angelic looped an arm through Joe's.
Stopping, joe removed her arm. "Look, you're a nice girl and all but I have a girlfriend," he said.
"I know," she replied. "But what she doesn't know..." she added, standing on tiptoe and putting her lips to Joe's.
"Hold it!" Joe ordered, stepping back out of reach. "I don't cheat."
"I understand," she told him with a sigh. "Really," she insisted, seeing his look of disbelief. "I knew you'd be that way. I suppose that's one of the reasons I like you so much." She gazed at him and Joe felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. "If you didn't have a girlfriend, would you have taken me up on my offer?" she asked after a minute had passed.
"Probably," he answered truthfully.
She looked at him for a minute more, then spun on her heel and tossed her untouched ice cream cone into the trash. "We had better get back to the roller coaster. They are probably finished by now." Joe, having lost his desire for the ice cream, followed suit.
"Did you enjoy it?" Angelic asked the others as they approached.
"Always do," answered Chet. "How about dinner?" he continued, forever thinking of his favorite past time, eating.
"Angelic, are you feeling better?" Iola asked, shooting her brother a look.
"I'm fine now, thanks," Angelic replied. "Actually, I am kind of hungry."
"How about pizza?" Frank suggested. "I'll treat."
"Why don't you guys meet us at the pizza place?" Angelic asked. "I need to go and change," she added, pointing at the chocolate stain on her blouse. "Callie, Iola, you don't mind do you?'
"Of course not," Iola tol her. "Chet, give me your car keys," she ordered her brother.
"We'll follow you and then we can all go together," Joe broke in with a slight frown on his face.
"Don't be silly," Callie admonished him. "You guys go ahead and order. Then we won't have to wait for it to be cooked after we get there."
"See you," iola said, giving Joe a kiss on the cheek. Joe smiled thinly at her before following Frank and Chet to the van.
"What is with you?" Frank demanded after they had gotten into the van.
"Angelic made a pass at me," Joe said quietly.
"When?" Chet asked in surprise.
"While you were on the roller coaster. Look, I can't explain it but I just have this bad feeling about her," he continued in a worried tone.
"I think you've been working too hard," Chet said. "The last mystery you two solved was hairy."
"I hate to admit it little brother, but you have been looking kind of tired lately," Frank said softly. "Maybe you're stressed out."
Joe started to argue, but Chet quickly jumped in. "He's right. Ever since you and Frank started solving mysteries, neither of you have had more than a week between cases, and lately, you generally have another case lined up before you've even finished the last one."
"Dad agrees with him" Frank added before Joe could say anything. "He even suggested we take a vacation."
"When?" Joe demanded.
"Last night, after you conked out on the couch during the early evening news," was the answer.
"We're here," Chet put in, stopping Joe's retort.
Fifteen minutes later, Joe was fidgeting at the table. "Joe, if you don't stop hitting the table with that fork, I am going to break it," Frank warned between clenched teeth.
Joe put the utensil down and looked out the window. "Where are they?" he asked impatiently.
"Relax," ordered Frank. "They'll be here." Just then a yellow car with three girls could be seen entering the parking lot. "See," Frank told Joe. "They're here and they're all right."
After the girls had been seated, joe looked at Angelic. "I thought you were going to change?" he asked suspiciously.
"She didn't have time," Iola answered for her. "Angelic thought you wopuld be worried if we kept you waiting too long, so she decided just to come as she was."
"Then why were you gone so long?" Joe demanded.
"Calm down," Callie ordered Joe, her blue eyes flashing angrily. "You act like we've done something wrong." Frank shot Joe a sharp look which clearly told him to cool it.
"Sorry," Joe apologized. "I guess I'm just tired," he added a bit unhappily.
"Yeah," Chet put in on behalf of his friend. "Even his dad thinks he needs a vacation."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Angelic said softly, looking at Joe. "I do hope you'll be feeling better soon."
Joe just stared at her until he felt Frank kick him under the table. "Yeah,uh,thanks," he finally mumbled.
"Pizza's here," Iola said with relief as two large pizzas were set on the table in front of them.
"How about you and I take in the new movie in town?" Joe whispered in Iola's ear after they had eaten.
"Sounds good," she whispered back.
"We'll see you guys later," Joe said, standing up and pulling Iola to her feet.
"Where are you going?" asked Chet, looking up from his last slice of pizza.
"Away," Joe answered quickly, before Iola could say anything. "I'll have her home by eleven-thirty," he promised Chet. "Take Frank home, hmm?" he asked Callie. Callie nodded and Joe and Iola left the restaurant.
"Why didn't you tell them where we were going?" Iola asked after they were outside.
"I wanted you to myself for a little while," Joe answered.
"You're such a romantic," Iola said with a happy sigh. She took Joe's arm and put it around her waist.
A few minutes later, Iola came to a stop and gasped in pain, bringing both hands to her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked in alarm.
"I don't," she said, then paused and swallowed as another wave of pain hit. "I don't feel so good," she said finally, before passing out.
