Warning: This chapter contains adult language and mature subject matter.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 12: Denouement

Although the case wasn't completely solved, Nancy felt a certain satisfaction in having figured out who the killer was. She therefore felt no guilt at all on Saturday when she decided to devote herself to some very feminine activities in getting ready for her date with Ned. At 6pm, she went downstairs to find her dad. He was seated comfortably in his recliner, reading the paper.

"Father," Nancy announced, "as you know, I have a date with Ned tonight."

Carson folded his paper. "Yes, I remember that."

"Well, I plan to spend a good portion of the evening discussing with Ned how I would like to see our relationship progress."

"Oh?" Carson lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Yes. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could arrange to be out all evening."

"I see." Carson studied his daughter. "Do you think Ned is ready for that?"

"He better be, because I sure am."

"Very well." Carson got up and tossed the newspaper into the chair. "As it happens, there is something at the office I should probably finish up. I expect it will keep me busy until at least 11pm."

"That should be long enough. Thanks, Dad!" Nancy danced forward and planted a wet kiss on Carson's cheek. "You're the best!"

Carson smiled. "Take precautions."

"Of course."

"That's my girl, always planning ahead for everything."

"The girl who makes plans gets what she wants," Nancy grinned.

When Ned arrived an hour later, Nancy couldn't restrain herself. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a long, deep kiss.

"Wow!" Ned exclaimed breathlessly. "What was that for?"

"For being the guy I love," Nancy said happily. "Come in, I want to talk for a little while before we go out."

"Ok, but we shouldn't take too long. The movie starts in half-an-hour."

Nancy took his hand and led him upstairs.

"You want to talk in your room?"

"Um-hm." Nancy pulled him inside and closed the door. She pointed at the bed. "Sit down."

Ned sat gingerly on the edge of her bed, looking nervous. "What's this all about, Nancy? Is something wrong?"

Nancy plopped down on the bed next to him and put her arms around him. "Nope, everything's fine. The case I was working on is pretty much over. We know who did it; the cops just have to pick her up."

"It was a woman?"

"Yup." Nancy leaned over and nuzzled Ned's ear.

He flinched. "Hey, Nancy, I thought you wanted to talk?"

"I lied." She licked the edge of his ear. "I want to fool around."

Ned started to his feet. "Look, Nancy, I think we should go out now." He sounded panicked.

For answer, Nancy stretched out on the bed with her arms above her head. "Do you love me, Ned?"

He glanced at her once and then quickly looked away. "You know I do."

"Then how come I don't excite you? You make me feel ugly," she said with a pout.

Without looking at her, Ned said, "Nancy, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and if I wanted you any more I would go stark, staring mad. So please stop tormenting me and let's go out."

She sat up on her elbows. "I'm serious, Ned. I don't want to go out. I want you to get in this bed with me and show me how much you love me."

He put his hands over his face. "Are you sure I'm the one you want?"

She sat all the way up. "Ned," she said softly, "I've been saving myself for you, but I don't want to wait anymore. Please come to bed with me." She said the last in the throatiest purr she could manage.

Ned gasped. He turned around and crawled onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her and bearing her down onto her back. His mouth pressed against hers in a hungry, passionate kiss. Nancy put her arms around him and kissed back happily. At last!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

By Monday, the authorities had interviewed all of Kim Watson's friends and associates, but she was still at large. Stakeouts of her condo, the studio and various known haunts and hangouts had produced nothing. No one had heard from her and she had used neither her cell phone nor her credit cards.

Sheriff Becker was very annoyed. "I'd say the damn woman knows we're looking for her. How else do you explain why she hasn't used any of her bank cards?"

"You're probably right, Sheriff," Frank said. He was alone with Tom Becker in the Sheriff's office. Tom had asked him to come by and review all of the interview transcripts with Kim's associates to see if anything leaped out at him. Unfortunately, nothing really struck him as noteworthy. "It's probably my fault because I called her producer."

"But Sandoval said he never gave her your message."

"I know, but still. She must have found out about it somehow. Did you talk to Lisa Delaney? Maybe Kim called her again."

"Yeah, I spoke to her myself on Saturday. No dice."

"You don't suppose Kim left the country? She might try to get to Lisa."

"I warned Miss Delaney about that. She told me she would go down to Italy and hang out for a couple of days with a guy she knew."

"But if Kim did leave the country…"

"We've been checking on that. This day and age, it's not so easy for folks to come and go anonymously. Why don't you head on home, Frank? I don't think there's anything else you can help me with here. I'll let you know when something breaks, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Sheriff." Frank stood up and held out his hand. Tom shook it and Frank left. He checked his watch as he walked to his car, parked a block up from the station. School had been out for a while, so Joe was probably home already. Frank smiled. Fenton had a new case and would be at work until dinner.

"Joe!" Frank called as soon as he walked in the house. "I'm home!"

There was no answer.

"Joe!" Frank stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened, but there was no response. That's weird. Joe should be here by now. Maybe he's asleep.

Frank jogged up the stairs and quietly poked his head into Joe's room. And froze.

"It's about time you got home," Kimberly Watson said in a slow drawl. "Joe and I were starting to worry." She looked down at Joe with a cruel grin, pressing the heavy-bladed kitchen knife she was holding against his throat.

Joe lay completely still. He was stretched out on his back with his hands at his sides. Kim was seated on the bed above and a little behind him, her left hand gripping his head firmly by the hair, her right holding the knife against his throat. Frank recognized the knife. It was one of theirs. He'd sharpened it himself two days ago.

"Come in and shut the door," Kim commanded.

Frank obeyed her without a word.

"Did I surprise you?" Kim asked with a soft chuckle. "You're just like them, you know, thinking you're so smart." She leaned forward. "I saw you, you know. That night. You thought I was long gone, but I was still there. I saw the two of you doing it. And then I heard you talking." She shook her head at him. "Naughty, naughty! Doing it with your own brother! Not even Darren was that kinky." She sat back and played the knife slowly across Joe's throat. He stiffened as a thin red line appeared on his skin under the blade.

Frank drew in an involuntary breath.

Kim laughed sharply. "You really care about him, don't you? That's sweet. Maybe that's what I needed growing up: a nice big brother like you."

"Miss Watson…" Frank began.

"Shut up!" she shouted. "Don't try to tell me you understand what I'm going through! What the hell would you know? Did the people you thought were your friends make fun of you behind your back? Did they pretend to like you, when all the time they were laughing at you? They deserved it!"

"What has any of that to do with us?" Frank asked.

Kim appeared startled by the question. "You found her. If it wasn't for you, no one would have found out."

"So you would have let Kevin take the fall for Darren's murder? Kevin never made fun of you."

"Kevin thinks I'm a whore," Kim snarled.

"He never said that."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? How would you know?"

"I was there when they interviewed him. He told us what happened that night. He never said you were a whore. Darren did."

"Like he should talk!" Kim said angrily. "Darren fucked every guy in River Heights!"

"What about all the guys you fucked?"

"It wasn't sex!" Kim screamed. "It was acting! You don't know anything!" She jerked on Joe's hair as she shouted and his neck flinched up against the knife. The blade bit into his skin again.

Frank clenched his fists. "Joe and I haven't fucked anyone but each other. Why are you taking this out on us?" Frank watched her closely as he talked. He didn't really care what he said or how she responded to it. He was waiting for an opening. He kept his eyes on her face. He was afraid if he looked at Joe he would trigger a tragic reaction.

"Because you're perverts! Just like them! Pretending to be something you're not and leading other people on!" She grinned maliciously. "I talked to that woman deputy last week to find out what they knew about Tonya. She really likes your pretty little brother." She tapped Joe's chin with the knife. "She doesn't have any idea he'd rather take it up the ass from you than look at her twice. I bet you laugh about her all the time, call her names."

Frank didn't say anything.

Kim smiled. "You see? I know all about you. It was you who figured out Darren and Tonya knew each other. If not for that, they would never have connected them to me. You ruined it and I don't think I want to let you get away with that."

"What did you do with Darren's penis?" Frank asked suddenly.

Kim looked as if he'd slapped her. "What?" She sounded almost stunned.

"Did you castrate him before or after you strangled him?"

Her mouth worked silently for several seconds. "He was dead…" she answered slowly.

"Why castrate a dead man? What was the point? Why plug up Tonya's vagina?"

"You don't understand!" Kim looked confused. Her hand holding the knife wavered. "I needed to make them virgins…"

"You can never get your virginity back, Kim." Frank said. "Whatever man you gave it to is long gone and he probably doesn't even remember."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. She jerked the knife back to stab it into Joe's throat.

Frank leaped forward at the same instant that Joe threw up his hands. Joe caught her wrist with his right hand and the knife blade with his left. Frank didn't go for any delicate heroics. He punched Kim in the face with all his strength. Her head snapped back and smacked into the headboard and she collapsed limply onto the floor.

"Dammit, Joe!" Frank said as he gathered Joe into his arms.

Joe clutched his left hand in his right, blood running freely between his fingers. "Shit, Frank, it's a lot of blood."

Frank dug his phone out of his pocket with his left hand and dialed 911. "Yeah, this is Frank Hardy. I need an ambulance right now. My brother's been stabbed. Yeah, that's right. Thanks." He disconnected. "They'll be here in a few minutes." Frank pulled Joe close and hugged him tightly. "It'll be all right, little brother."

"I know. You better call the Sheriff."

"In a minute." Frank took off his shirt and tied it around Joe's hand to slow the bleeding.

"We'll never get those stains out," Joe remarked through gritted teeth.

"I'll get another shirt," Frank replied with a worried, affectionate smile. "How's that?"

"It hurts like a sonofabitch."

"Good, that means you still have feeling. Now I'll call the Sheriff."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Joe needed eighteen stitches in his hand and he was kept at the hospital overnight for observation. He came home in a sling, with prescriptions for antibiotics and painkillers and instructions to keep his hand immobilized for the next few days.

"I want you to avoid all strenuous activity for the next seven to ten days," the doctor told him.

"You don't suppose he meant ALL strenuous activity, do you?" Joe asked Frank plaintively when they got home. "And I'm not an invalid, dammit!"

Frank ignored him and kept his firm grip around Joe's waist as he helped him up the stairs. "I'm sure he meant none of that, too," Frank said with a smile.

They entered Joe's room and Joe looked around in astonishment. "It's clean!"

"Of course it's clean," Frank said huffily. "I spent all last night working on it." He put his hands on Joe's shoulders. "I didn't want you to have nightmares."

"Then sleep with me," Joe said, grinning, "It will help."

Fenton knocked on the open door. "How's our young invalid?"

Joe wrinkled his nose at Frank and spoke over his shoulder. "I'm fine, Dad, just a little tired. I think I'll lie down for a little while." He sat on the bed. "Don't you have group tonight?"

"I was planning to skip that…" Fenton began, but Joe interrupted him.

"I hope not on my account. I've got my pain pills and Frank will be here." He blinked at his dad innocently.

"Well, if you think you'll be all right..."

"I'll be fine, Dad. You should go ahead to group. Frank and I want to see you put your life back together."

Fenton looked surprised and then he smiled. "Thanks, that's real thoughtful of you boys. Well, get some rest, Joe."

They listened to his steps receding down the stairs.

Frank sat down on the bed facing Joe. "You're not supposed to do anything strenuous."

"I promise I'll just lie there and let you do all the work."

"Joe…"

"It will make me feel better."

"That's blackmail."

"I know. But you know you're the only one I need."

Frank smiled and Joe smiled back.

"And you're the only one I need, little brother."