"In the trunk?" Ken asked, heading back and unlocking it. He looked over at Jimmy as he opened the trunk.
"Nah, he'll be okay in the back floorboard," Jimmy said.
Ken slammed the trunk shut and headed to the back door. He opened it up and waited until Jimmy had dumped Joe inside before closing the door. Jimmy got in the passenger seat while Ken got back behind the wheel and off they went. Minutes after the car pulled away, three squad cars came to a stop outside of the hideout. Fenton Hardy arrived twenty minutes later, followed almost immediately by Frank and Chief Collig.
"Where is Joe?" Frank demanded, grabbing Severus by the collar and pulling his face to his.
"Dead," Severus stated calmly. Sergeant Riley grabbed Frank and pulled him back before the fist Frank had formed could find its mark.
"What do we do now?" Frank demanded, looking at his father.
"We wait," Fenton said, sighing heavily. He was as anxious as Frank but he knew there was nothing they could do at the present. It was all up to Sam.
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"Here's a good place," Jimmy said, raising his arm and pointing off the road ahead of them, his arm blocking Ken's vision for an instant.
"Put your fool arm down," Ken grumbled, slowing down and pulling off the road. The men got out and pulled Joe from the rear floorboard.
Joe began struggling as Jimmy lifted him onto his shoulder. "Hold still!" Jimmy barked slapping Joe's backside so hard he was sure he would have a blister...if he could get away!
Jimmy took the lead as he moved toward the river leaving Ken to bring up the rear. Ken paused when he heard a rustle behind him and turned to look. Before he could call out a warning to his comrade, he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Ready for a little swim?" Jimmy asked, lowering Joe to the ground. "Ken! Grab the tool kit from the trunk. We'll tie it to Blondie. No way he'll float with that hooked to him," Jimmy added, laughing.
"I don't think so," said a voice Joe recognized at once, although when he looked at the speaker all he saw was a drunken hobo. Sam Radley released a swift uppercut to Jimmy's jaw and followed through with a sharp jab to his lower stomach.
"Oof," Jimmy gasped, grabbing his stomach and falling to his knees. Sam delivered another right to Jimmy's already sore jaw and smiled grimly as he watched the man fall sideways and lay still.
"Let's get you out of those ropes and call your dad," Sam said, bending down to untie Joe's hands.
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It was three in the morning when Joe reached the safety of the police station. Frank, seeing Joe enter, ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Ooh, not so tight," moaned Joe.
"You look terrible," Fenton said, coming over. "Maybe you should see a doctor."
Joe shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said. "I just need a cold compress for my jaw and some sleep. How's Chet?" he asked, looking at Frank a bit apprehensively.
"He's fine," Frank assured him. He had called the hospital and been told that Chet had a minor concussion but would be released the next day baring any unforeseen complications. "But dad's right. You do look pretty bad," he added, holding up Joe's wrists and looking at the rope burn.
"Yeah, I have the feeling my modeling career is over," Joe said with a scowl. "Now how are we supposed to investigate the missing models and sabotage?"
Secretly relieved, Frank kept his joy under wraps. "Maybe you could become Artie's assistant," he suggested.
"I guess time will tell," Joe said, quickly covering his mouth as a yawn escaped him.
"Let's get you home and into bed," Fenton said. "Your mother is worried sick about you."
"What about pressing charges?" Joe asked.
"I took care of that," Fenton said. "You are, after all, still a minor," he added.
"I guess there are times when that's a good thing," Joe commented, smothering another yawn. He looked at Frank as he remembered why he had been left with Chet. "What happened at the morgue?" he asked.
"I'll tell you after you've had some sleep," Frank promised. "I think we're all too tired to process it tonight," he added, fighting a yawn of his own.
Seven hours later, after only five hours of sleep, Frank called Sebastian Demar and told him Joe would not be able to continue as a model.
"I understand," Demar said. "I'm sorry Joe had such a rough time last night. Does this mean you two are giving up on this case?"
"No," Frank replied. "I was thinking that maybe Joe could become Artie's assistant," he suggested. "Joe knows much more about photography than I do and I could be transferred to the make-up department or something."
"That is a possibility," Demar agreed. "When you two get here, we'll work something out."
"Okay," agreed Frank. "But Joe will still come in by himself. We don't want to blow our cover by letting people know we know each other," he added. Frank said goodbye and hung up then hurried down to the kitchen were his mother had prepared a light brunch for everyone.
"Okay, give," Joe ordered, entering the room and sitting down a bit gingerly.
Frank told them about the model that had been found. "Oh!" gasped Laura, her face paling. She looked at Joe and gave a wan smile. "I hate to say this, but I am a little glad you were hurt. There is no way I would allow you to continue as one of the models after that poor boy had been found like that."
Joe nodded and looked at Frank. "We had better keep a close eye on Danny and Paul," he said.
Frank nodded but did not respond. He was gazing at his father whose face was somber but had a far off look. "Dad?" Frank asked.
"The sabotage doesn't fit in with what I know about serial killers," Fenton said.
Joe hit his forehead. "I forgot!" he said. "Last night while I was looking at the sheets Frank had printed up, I noticed that Beverly worked for Gilbert on several shoots."
"It was in her personnel file," Frank said. "Just because Demar and Gilbert are competitors doesn't mean anything. She wouldn't have listed those shoots if she had anything to hide."
"Or would she?" Joe parried. "Remember Sherlock Homes? The best place to hide something is in plain sight. What if she let Demar know she worked for Gilbert in the past so he wouldn't suspect her? She could be giving negatives of all the shoots to Gilbert."
"If the killer isn't involved in the sabotage, it is a distinct possibility," Fenton agreed, causing Joe to beam. "I think you two should give this Beverly person a little more attention."
"Fenton," Laura interrupted. "What if it isn't a serial killer?" she asked. "Two boys are missing, but only one has turned up. Maybe it is the same person responsible."
"You could be right, dear," Fenton acknowledged. "But the way the boy was killed is too much like the victim of a sociopath would be."