"Officer Higgins called about an hour ago," Joe told him. "Cavanaugh vanished, taking all the money in his daughter's checking's account."
"How did he manage that?"
"She let him, of course," Joe said with disgust. "She was involved in the fraud up to her neck," he continued.
"I'll come down," Frank decided.
"No need," Joe quickly told him. "Officer Higgins is going to let me look around Cavanaugh's place in a little bit. I thought I could do that while Angelic is waiting to be released. An officer will watch her until I get back," he added.
Joe hung up and went to the nurse's station to ask about the clerk's condition. Finding out he was still in a coma, Joe returned to Angelic's room.
"Hi, Bright Eyes," he greeted her as he entered. She looked up and smiled.
"Hi, yourself," she said. "How is the clerk?"
"He's still in a coma," Joe informed her. "Officer Higgins is sending someone over to stay with you while I go over to Cavanaugh's," he added, then told her about Cavanaugh's disappearance.
"So he is the one behind these attacks," Angelic said.
"Looks like it," Joe agreed. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Now we know who we're looking for, you should be safe," he told her, mentally crossing his fingers, hoping he was right.
After the officer arrived, Joe went to Cavanaugh's house where he was greeted by Officer Higgins. They made a thorough search of the downstairs, then went to the second floor.
"Have you turned up anything on him yet?" Joe asked the officer.
"Not yet," was the reply. "We have an all points bulletin out on him and all the airports and bus and train stations are being monitored."
"Road blocks?" Joe asked. Officer Higgins confirmed they, too, were in effect.
At the top of the stairs, they split up. Joe went into what had obviously been Cavanaugh's bedroom. The bedspread had creases showing where a heavy object, probably a suitcase, had been placed. The drawers in the bureau were empty. Knowing his own father sometimes taped a notebook underneath a drawer, he checked them, but came up empty. He looked uner the bed and fopund a pair of loafers.
Next, he checked the closet. He found a couple of suits and checked the pockets. All he found was a stick of gum and a few pennies. The wastebasket was empty so the oly thing left to be searched was the desk. He pulled out the chair and sat down to conduct his search. The desk held nothing of interest. He pushed back from the desk and stood up quickly. The chair flipped over. Joe bent to pick it up and in doing so saw a notebook secured beneath the seat.
Grinning, Joe removed the notebook before righting the chair. He then sat back down and scanned the notebook which turned out to be Cavanaugh's journal.
Fifteen minutes later, Officer Higgins came into the room. "I haven't found anything to use against him," he informed Joe.
"I did," Joe stated and held up the journal, his eyes sparkling. "He brags about how he outwitted his creditors in here," Joe told him. "There isn't anything about the attacks on Angelic, but there's enough to convict him for fraud," he added, handing the notebook to the officer.
As Joe was leaving, he asked Officer Jiggins to call him if the clerk could give any information when he came out of his coma. After receiving his promise, Joe drove to the hospital and picked up Angelic. A little while later, they were on their way back to Bayport.
On arriving, they were greeted at the door by Mrs. Hardy. "Angelic, you poor dear," she said. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Much better, thank you," Angelic replied, smiling at Mrs. Hardy's concern. "You remind me of my mother," she added. "She was always so worried about me."
"Was?" asked Frank, coming to greet her and Joe.
"Yes," she replied with a slight nod. "My mother had a stroke last year," Angelic explained. "She isn't really conscious of anyone or anything now," she ended tearfully.
Joe put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. "Do the doctors think she'll get any better?" he asked sympathetically.
"Not really," she said, pulling back and shaking her head mildly. "They said there was always a chance but we shouldn't hold out much hope." Joe squeezed her shoulder gently in comfort.
"Angelic," Mrs. Hardy said after a minute. "Why don't you go upstairs and freshen up? I'll have lunch ready in a few minutes." Angelic nodded her acquiescence and left. "I'll leave you, too," she added to her sons. "I'm sure you have a lot to discuss."
Frank and Joe went into the living room for a conference. After Joe recounted everything he had learned in Southport, Frank told Joe about his meeting with Bryson and Dr. Phillips. He then told Joe about Angelic's dad having checked out at the same time Angelic had.
"But he wasn't there," Joe said with a frown.
"Angelic had to have checked him out," Frank stated firmly. "And there's more," he added, then proceeded to tell him what he had found out from Sam.
"I don't get it," Joe said, the frown wrinkling his forehead.
"We've got to ask Angelic some questions if we're going to find out what's going on," Frank told Joe, watching him closely for his reaction.
Joe took a deep breath then surprised Frank by agreeing with him. "However, let's wait until after lunch," Joe stipulated. "And don't badger her," he added in warning.
"Would I do that?" Frank asked, looking wounded.
"In a heartbeat," Joe acknowledged with a scowl. "She's been through a lot and all she needs is for us to make things worse," he added, still mentally kicking himself for doubting her earlier.
They heard Angelic coming down the stairs and rose to greet her. Then the three of them walked into the kitchen to join Mrs. Hardy for lunch.
When lunch was finished and the dishes had been cleaned and put away, Mrs. Hardy left to visit a friend. Frank, Joe and Angelic went into the living room for their questioning.
"Angelic," Joe started the conversation, "Frank tried to call your father yesterday to let him know you were in the hospital but Frank was told your dad had checked out when you did."
"Why did you check him out and not tell us?" Frank demanded, ignoring the warning look Joe shot him.
"He asked me to!" she shouted at Frank hotly. "He said it would be a good idea because if someone were out to get him then it would be harder to do if no one knew where he was," she told him, crying.
"But no one's out to get him," Frank siad, suspiciously. "You're the one who has been in all the danger."
"No, I'm not," she denied.
"What do you mean?" Joe asked, sitting back and looking at her in confusion.
"Dad has been receiving phone calls telling him he was going to pay," she explained. "When I first told him about Iola being poisoned, he looked upset. I asked him what was wrong and he said it had been a warning to him."
"How could Iola being poisoned have been a warning to him?" Frank demanded, disbelief written on his face.
"He said the last message he received told him someone close was going to get hurt if he didn't do what he was told to do. He felt I was the one who should have gooten sick instead of Iola," she stated. Turning to Joe, she added, "He told me if he couldn't be found then he wouldn't have to do what they were trying to make him do."
"What's that?" Joe asked.
"I don't know," she said softly, her tears drying. "He never told me."
"What if you got hurt?" Joe asked, angry at her father. "Didn't he think this guy might take out his anger on you if he just vanished?"
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Dad hasn't been thinking rationally since mom's stroke," she replied.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Frank insisted.
"Would you do something your father ordered you not to do?" she demanded angrily. Her green eyes had lost their tears and now they glared at Frank like twin emeralds.
Instead of backing down, Frank fired off another question. "Why were you seeing Dr. Phillips?"
She stood up, walked over to where Frank sat and slapped him across the face. "My life is none of your business," she hissed, then ran upstairs and slammed Joe's door.
"Smooth move, bro," Joe said sarcastically as he rose to follow her upstairs. He stopped in front of his door and rapped gently. "Angelic," he said. "Can I please come in?"
"So you can pick up where your brother left off?" she asked, huskily. It was obvious she was crying.
"No," Joe denied softly. "I just want to make sure you're going to be all right." He waited silently while she made up her mind, then the door opened and he went inside and sat on the bed. She came over and sat beside him.
Taking her hand in his, he looked in her eyes and said, "Frank's not very understanding but he means well." She started to pull her hand away, but he held on. "I'm not excusing him," he went on to say. "It's just he wants you to be safe and he follows every angle no matter how wrong it may be."
"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzlied.
"He just wanted to make sure you didn't have anyone after you instead of someone trying to get at your dad through you," Joe explained.
"What does that have to do with my seeing Dr. Phillips?" she asked. Her question stumped Joe. He had no idea what it had to do with her seeing a psychiatrist.
"Frank has a very analytical mind," he said, finally. "I can't even keep up with where he's going at times. But I'm sure he wasn't implying anything by asking you about Dr. Phillips," he continued.
"You really care about him, don't you?" she asked, looking at him thoughtfully.
"Yeah," Joe replied without hesitation. "He's always there for me," he added with a smile.
"I sometimes wish I'd had a brother," Angelic stated a bit wistfully. "But then I would have had to share everything."
"Sharing is a good thing," he told her, laughing quietly and touching her nose with his fingertip.
"Okay," she said after a moment. "I'll give him another chance if you want me too," she offered.
"I wopuld appreciate it," Joe told her and stood up. "There's no point in us staying inside all day," he said, looking down at her. "Why don't we go out?"
"Where?" she asked.
"I think we should go back to the convience store where you girls went the other day," he told her. "If you were followed, the odds are the person following you was also in the store and maybe the clerk will remember him."
"Great idea," she enthused. "Give me a few minutes to get ready?" she asked.
"I'll be downstairs," he said, agreeing to her request as he left the room.
"Is she all right?" Frank asked as Joe came back into the living room.
"Yes," Joe said, then told Frank his plans.
"Good idea," Frank stated. "While you two do that, I think I'll go and see if Craig has found out anything."
"Why not call?" Joe wondered. "It would be quicker."
"His boss doesn't approve of personal calls," Frank explained. He paused, then asked a bit hesitantly, "While you're out, would you try to get Angelic to tell you why whe was seeing a psychiatrist?"
"What does that have to do with this case?"
"Probably nothing," Frank admitted, truthfully. "But why should it be such a big deal? Lots of people see psychiatrist"
"It's also a very personal thing," Joe remined him.
"Fine," Frank said in resignation. "Forget it. But," he added stressfully, "we will need to find out if she has any personal enemies."
"I'll see what I can get from her," Joe promised. "Just take it easy on her, will you?" he continued. "You were treating her much the same as I was before."
"I'll apologize," promised Frank.
"To who?" asked Angelic, walking into the room. She was wearing an old pair of blue jeans and one of Joe's tee shirts. She noticed Joe looking at her clothes and told him, "All of my shirts are dirty, so I didn't think you'd mind if I borrowed one of yours."
"No," Joe replied. "That's fine."
"Apologize to who?" Angelic asked again.
"You," Frank answered. "I was out of line," he admitted. "I want to help but sometimes I go about it the wrong way."
"You're forgiven," she told him with a smile. "Are we ready to go?" she asked them.
"It's just us," Joe told her. "Frank's going to see a friend."
After Joe and Angelic had left, Frank borrowed his dad's car keys from the hook by the door in the kitchen and went to the garage.
Climbing into his dad's car, he put the keys into the ignition but stopped short of turning it on. He noticed the hood of the car wasn't closed all the way. Getting back out, he left the door open and went to the front of the car. Without lifting the hood, he peered beneath it. Seeing nothing, he reached to release the latch and lift the hood.
A blinding flash caused him to tumble backwards into the shelves laden with tools. He threw his arms over his head as the wrenches, hammers, and other various tools came crashing down on top of him.
