Joe grabbed Frank's arm and pulled him back through to his room. "This guy may still be here," he whispered into Frank's ear, releasing his arm.
"I'll check around up here and you look downstairs," Frank said, starting back towards his room.
"No way," Joe said, snagging Frank's arm again and making him stop once more. "He's after you and I am not letting you serve yourself to him on a silver platter," he hissed angrily. "You go down and get mom out of the house," he continued, taking Frank's clothes from his arms and dropping them on his own bed. "I'll look around up here. And call the police," he added, heading for the bathroom door only to be stopped when Frank grabbed his arm.
"Let's both get mom out of the house and let her call the police while we check out the place together," Frank suggested.
Joe sighed and gave in. Even when Frank was the one in danger he was still looking out for Joe. After they had gotten their mother to go next door and call the police, the two began a methodical search of the house.
"Our intruder is gone," Frank said after peering out the open attic window. Joe looked out and saw a couple of feathers from Frank's pillow on the roof near the gutter. "They must have clung to his pants," Frank said.
"Or hers," Joe put in. Frank raised an eyebrow. "It could be a female who took the pictures and trashed your room," Joe pointed out , raising one shoulder in a 'why not' motion. He wasn't about to be sexist in this scenario.
"It was probably the same person who called and had me go to the computer store," Frank said. "All we have to do is ask mom if it was a woman or man and that will eliminate half of the population as suspects," he added.
"I thought she said Ben called, which means that whomever is after you is a man," Joe said, accepting Frank's last comment.
"I just assumed it was Ben," Frank denied with a shake of his head. "It could have been a woman," he admitted.
The two went downstairs and stepped out onto the porch in time to see a police cruiser turn the corner at the end of the lane. They waited patiently as the car drove up to their driveway and stopped. Sergeant Con Riley, a lean man with curly brown hair and kind brown eyes stepped from the driver's side and made his way up to the boys. He was joined by his partner of almost a year, Officer O'Neil. Frank led the two men inside and up to his bedroom while Joe went next door to retrieve their mother.
Two hours later, after Riley, O'Neil, and the forensics team they had called in had left, Joe helped Frank clean up the mess. Frank dropped the remnants of his pillow into a trash bag and then sat down on his bed. "This is ridiculous," he stated, frowning. "Who would want to do this to me?"
"Have you made Callie mad?" Joe asked jokingly, mentioning Frank's blond- headed girlfriend. "Mom did say it was a woman's voice on the phone this morning."
"Very funny," Frank replied, making a face at Joe that left him in no doubt that such jokes were not permissible. He watched as Joe threw away his ripped pajamas. "I don't have anything left to wear to bed tonight," he complained. "If mom hadn't done the laundry today, I wouldn't even have anything to wear to school tomorrow."
"Relax," Joe told him with a grin. "They're just clothes. You can get some new ones after school tomorrow. And as for tonight, you can borrow a pair of mine," he offered. "Better too big than too small," he added, eyeing his elder brother's smaller frame.
"Thanks," Frank accepted with a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't let it get to me."
"That's the ticket," Joe said, winking at him. "I'll grab you a pair of jammies and you can have the shower first," he added, heading back into his own room.
His blue pajamas were lying on the back of his desk chair where he had left them this morning so he decided to let Frank use the beige ones with little ducks all over them. He pulled open his drawer but didn't see them. 'Must still be dirty,' he thought and pulled out a pair of light green ones with short sleeves.
"Here you go," Joe said, stepping into the bathroom and handing them to Frank.
"Fanks," mumbled Frank through a mouthful of toothpaste. Joe went back to his room and left Frank to get ready for bed.
A little later, after Joe finished getting ready for bed, Frank came into his room and sat down on Joe's bed. "Okay," he said as Joe looked at him questioningly. "I'm going to cut study hall tomorrow since it's my last class and get some new clothes," he told Joe. "I'll be back in the parking lot in time to pick you up after football practice. We'll head over to the university and start digging then."
"Sounds like a plan," Joe agreed with a yawn. "I do have one question, though," he added. "What was that lecture about anyway?"
Frank turned red. "How not to make yourself a victim," he answered. "It was part of a self-defense seminar and Callie didn't want to go alone," he answered in a tone that defied Joe to make a pun on the subject.
"I see," Joe replied, trying hard not to laugh although a snicker did escape.
Frank's eyes narrowed on his brother as he rose from the bed. "Night, Baby Brother," he said, closing the bathroom door behind him as Joe's laughter erupted.
"Have you made a list of the people you talked to last night?" Joe asked the next afternoon as he climbed into the van.
"Yes," Frank replied. "I arrived ten minutes ago and finished it just as you got here."
Joe looked behind him. "Where are your new clothes?" he asked.
"I ran into Mom downtown and she agreed to take them home for me," Frank answered, handing Joe the list. "She said Dad called," he continued, starting the van. "He should be home sometime tonight or tomorrow at the latest."
Joe looked at the four names on the list Frank had handed him. "Craig Reynolds," Joe read aloud.
"He was the speaker," Frank identified him. "About thirty with light brown hair and a mustache. He's my height but weighs about twenty pounds less."
"Sounds like a man who would have to practice what he teaches," Joe observed.
"He is as skinny as a rail," agreed Frank. "But he's a forceful speaker and he makes his presence known."
"You think he may have targeted you to teach you something?" Joe inquired quirking an eyebrow.
"I really doubt it's him," Frank replied with a shake of his head. "He doesn't strike me as the type."
"And what type would a stalker be?" Joe demanded.
"Brooding?" Frank queried with the lift of a brow and a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know."
"Larry Snow," Joe read the next name on the list, his forehead wrinkling in thought. "That name sounds familiar," he said.
"He was with the next person on the list, Jeff Miller," Frank told Joe. "Swan is roughly six three, about two hundred and eighty pounds, muscular, approaching thirty-five years old with..."
"With curly black hair, brown eyes and a deep tan," Joe finished for him. "Not to mention he's buff."
"How do you know him?" Frank asked in amazement.
"He was at Stoney's Gym the other day," Joe explained. "He and the owner, Stoney Jones, went to high school together. When Swan moved back to Bayport a few months ago, he looked Stoney up."
"You seem to know a lot about him," Frank observed.
"We talked while he spotted me on weights," Joe informed him. "Okay, what about Jeff Miller?"
"Five nine, about two hundred pounds, almost bald and about thirty-five," Frank said. "Very paunchy."
"Maybe Miller went to school with Swan too," Joe observed. "They are about the same age."
"It's possible," Frank admitted.
"And the next person on your list is Lacey Myers," Joe read. "What's she like?"
"Early twenties; long black hair; green eyes. Very pretty," Frank ended. "She and Callie talked a lot."
"A student?" Joe asked.
"Reynolds' assistant," Frank declared, shaking his head. "She's the co-author of Free from Fear."
"The book the lecture was based on?" inquired Joe. Frank nodded. "Are Reynolds and Myers at the University or were they guests for the lecture?"
"They teach self defense there," Frank answered.
"That leaves Corwin and Angelina Dobson," Joe said.
"I met them last night but they can't really be included as suspects," Frank said.
"Why not?" Joe demanded, narrowing his blue eyes on his brother. What possible reason could Frank have for not suspecting them.
"They were there with Mayor Simpson," Frank explained.
"The mayor was there?" Joe asked in amazement.
Frank nodded. "His sister and her husband wanted to attend the lecture before returning to California the next day," he explained.
"His sister?" Joe repeated. "Angelina?" Frank nodded.
Joe looked over the list again, trying to remember everything he and Swan had talked about as they finished the trip to the university. By the time they had arrived, Joe still hadn't decided whether or not he would make an ideal suspect.
After being directed to the Physical Education building by a young man and his girlfriend, the two made their way to Dr. Reynolds' office on the second floor.
"Enter!" came Reynolds strong voice from behind his office door when Frank knocked.
Frank opened the door and went inside the small office followed by Joe who closed the door behind him. Reynolds gestured the two boys to a couple of chairs in front of his desk as he leaned back in his own to watch them.
"We don't mean to intrude," Frank apologized, sitting down. "But I do need to ask you some questions."
"About what?" Reynolds inquired, staring at Joe.
"I'm sorry," Frank apologized again as he realized he hadn't introduced Joe. "This is my brother, Joe. I'm..."
"You're the young man from the lecture the other night," Reynolds ended Frank's sentence with a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you Joe," he added. Joe smiled at him. "Now, how may I help you?" he asked, giving Frank his full attention.
"I'm not exactly sure," Frank admitted. "But you are an expert on not being a target and I was wondering if you could give me... us some pointers."
"Someone has decided to stalk Frank," Joe said, coming to the point. "Not only do we not know who but we don't know why."