Networking

By Cassidy Montague

Chapter 2 "Who Says 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend?'"

Two large oak trees flanked the doorway going out of the recreation center of the church building and very nicely blocked Frank's line-of-sight with the Gray Man and the purchaser. Neither man had hurried from the building but Frank lost time when he bent over double in a coughing fit and he debated, for a moment, yelling for Joe to come and help him. His brother stood near the set-up tables, his arms full of clothing that Vanessa took from him, one-at-a-time, and folded into piles onto the table. Joe looked disgruntled at pack mule service but Frank knew better. Vanessa had Joe wrapped right around her little finger.

A smile tweaked at the corners of Frank's mouth as he ran down the sidewalk toward the parking lots. He saw two cars leaving, one a nondescript brown Ford sedan with local license plats. The other was a newer, black, two-door Saturn. Frank sighed as both cars sped off out of the parking lot and he leaned forward in another coughing fit before he went back inside the church to find Callie, Joe and Vanessa.

"There you are!" Callie exclaimed as she approached her boyfriend. "What happened to you? I thought maybe you decided to cut out of here without saying goodbye."

"Nope," Frank smiled as he took her hand. "I would never do that to you babe. No, I saw something I needed to go check out."

"Don't tell me you found a mystery in my church, Frank Hardy," Callie declared, brown eyes twinkling merrily.

"The nose for mysteries works as good as ever," Frank grinned, despite feeling like crap. "Let's get Joe over here and I'll tell you what I saw."

He coughed again and sneezed. He reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and blew his nose, hard, into it.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Frank?" Callie asked him as she touched his forehead again. "You're starting to get warm. I think you should go home."

"Trying to get rid of me?" Frank asked. "Don't tell me, your other boyfriend is coming?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Callie teased. "And I have to get rid of you before he shows up, otherwise he might get jealous."

"Mm-hmm," Frank flicked one of Callie's curls. "He doesn't hold a candle to me, whoever he is. I'm the man. Right?"

"Riight," Callie drew the word out and laughed. "No, baby, I want you to go take care of yourself. You look… well, to be honest, you look miserable."

"Feel it too," Frank agreed. "And even worse than that, if I can be completely honest. But I really did see a mystery and I really would like to talk to you and Joe about it."

"Okay," Callie said. "But we have to work while we do it. We don't have too much time left before they open things up to the crowd."

"I know," Frank nodded. He coughed again and went to help set-up the computer systems donated for the sale. Most of them were beyond obsolete but maybe someone buy them for parts – or something else.

"Did you get Aunt Gertrude's bug?" Joe asked as he helped set a monitor on the table.

"Looks like it," Frank sighed. "She sneezed on me twice at supper."

"Yup, that did it!" Joe grinned impishly. "And here you are looking like a badly underdone potato."

"A badly underdone what?" Frank demanded. "And you think I'm sick!"

"You are," Joe agreed. "And you look like a potato, all blotchy and red-faced."

"Oh. A red potato," Frank agreed. "Do you want to see what I saw or not?"

"Yea," Joe settled another monitor on the table. "But I really think you should take your walking germ factory home before you make everyone here sick too."

Frank glared at his younger brother but lacked the energy he needed to make Joe pay for his impertinence. Frank sighed, coughed raspily again and motioned to Joe to be quiet.

"Gotta tell what I saw," Frank said. "You gonna listen or make jokes?"

Joe leaned forward and propped an elbow on a CPU. "I'm all ears. Go."

Frank told Joe about seeing the Gray Man and the diamond exchange. Joe whistled appreciatively and grinned.

"Think he has a hot new girlfriend?" Joe asked as he went back to shifting equipment. Callie swept through to put price tags on the systems and swept back out again without a word.

"Focus, sport," Vanessa, who now stood behind Joe, demanded. She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Joe demanded.

"Because you're being a brat. Frank is sick. Be nice."

"Yes, ma'am!" Joe saluted and ducked another smack. Joe turned back to his brother.

"What do you think was going on? Did you recognize the guy Gray was with?"

Frank shook his head. "Don't know and no," he rasped. His throat really hurt and his stomach churned a little. "Don't know what possessed him to make the exchange in open at a church rummage sale. Don't know why he wanted the diamonds. Don't know where he went."

"We should find him and pound it out of him," Joe rubbed his hands together.

"Feel free," Frank motioned to the door. "He's all yours. Let me know how that goes, would you?"

Joe scowled.

"You could always find him and ask him, Romeo," Vanessa chided.

"My way is much more fun," Joe grinned and he sat down, pulled Vanessa onto his lap and kissed her thoroughly.

Frank made a face and looked away. Finally, he kicked Joe's chair, causing the couple to jump.

"Rent a room," Frank declared. "This is a church, remember? Back to work."

Vanessa, flushed a deep bread, hopped off of Joe's lap and went to help Callie. Joe grinned as he watched her for a moment before turning back to Frank.

"You going to be able to get home on your own?" Joe asked.

"Yeah," Frank stood to prove his point. "It's not that far."

"We can talk about the Gray Man tonight," Joe murmured. "Good luck, bro. Let me know how dad's battle with the lawn mower went. Was he having any luck when you left?"

"Nope," Frank grinned. "And mom was enjoying it quite a bit too."

"The domestic side of Fenton Hardy is a thing to be feared," Joe shuddered in mock horror. "I wish you the best of luck. I think I may stick out here aaaaaaall day, just to avoid the fun."

Frank stuck a tongue out at him, coughed again and reached into his pocket for his mom's keys. He went over to Callie.

"I'm going to leave, babe," he said to her as he kissed her cheek. "Sorry to leave early."

"Take your sick self home!" Callie ordered as she hugged him. She took his hand and walked with him toward the door and out to the parking lot to Frank's mom's car. "Call me when you get home so I know you made it, otherwise I'm going to worry!"

Frank promised, got into the car and drove off.

- - - - -

Slowly and cautiously, Frank drove home. Careful to keep his eyes open and on the road, he stayed several miles under the speed limit and conceded, to himself at least, that he should've stayed at home. After a short eternity he parked the car in the driveway of his house and collapsed into the seat, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Move, Frank," he ordered his body. "A few more steps and you can collapse on the sofa for the rest of the day. Mom can bring your orange juice and chicken soup and you can forget about the world for a day."

With that impetus Frank opened the door of the car and slid his legs out. He staggered shakily to the front door, opened it, and walked over to the couch, collapsing gratefully into its soft depths.

Taking a deep breath, Frank closed his eyes and relaxed. From outside he heard the familiar sounds of the lawn mower and he smiled as he remembered his father's earlier battle with the machine.

"Hello, sweety, are you feeling worse?" his mother asked him. Frank opened one eye to acknowledge her and nodded. Laura put a hand on his forehead, which he found cool and comforting and he nuzzled it.

"You have a fever, son," Laura announced. "Stay put, I'll be right back."

Frank closed the eye and relaxed again. He dozed off to sleep and woke slightly when he felt something cold in his ear.

"Hey!" he protested groggily.

"100.8," Laura announced. "Sit up for a minute."

Frank sighed and sat-up. Laura handed him two acetaminophens and a small glass with more orange juice. Frank forced the pills down his sore throat, coughed several more times. His mom handed him a small cup, which he swallowed without thinking.

"Mom!" he protested. "Nasty! Had some earlier."

"You need it. Now lay back down and get some sleep. Your dad and I will be quiet."

"Gotta call Callie," Frank reached for the phone. "Said she'll worry. Don't wan' her t'worry."

Frank took the phone from him and pushed him back down against one of the sofa pillows. "You sleep. I'll call."

Frank sighed, closed his eyes and went to sleep.

- - - - -

"… great warrior…" the woman's voice intruded into the otherwise blissful silence. Frank coughed and rolled over, pulling a blanket over his head. "Go wash up, oh great hero."

"At least I won," the male voice sounded superior. He heard laughter and, then, kissing? He pulled the blanket more tightly over him.

"You didn't toss the lawnmower into the trees or anything?" the female voice asked, the voice that was very clearly 'Mom.' "I'd hate to have to send you after it."

"I'm getting something newer," the male 'dad' voice declared. "And when I do that, I'm going to put the old one in a great big bonfire. Or maybe just bring it to a junk yard, put it in one of those big car mashers and enjoy the sensation of mashing into little bits."

Frank coughed again as footsteps went by down the hallway and into the downstairs bathroom. He drifted back to sleep.

-- -- -- -- --

"Frank? Frank, wake up a minute," someone was shaking Frank's arm. Frank opened his eyes and groaned as he saw his father, Fenton Hardy, standing over him. Frank blinked his eyes several times, trying to clear them but the smudge he saw on his father's face never went away. Frank sighed.

"Wha'?" Frank demanded. "Wanna sleep!"

"I need to ask you something, son," Fenton said. "Sit up for a minute."

Frank sighed but did as his father requested. He sat up and Fenton sat down beside Frank.

"Look at this," Fenton handed Frank a section of newspaper. "Isn't that Arthur Gray?"

Frank took the newspaper. He peered at the face in the picture and nodded.

"Yeah," he coughed miserably. "That's him. What's up?"

The Gray Man's picture in the paper? Talk about a way to blow a cover! Frank leaned back.

"Frank," Fenton's voice sounded funny. Frank opened his eyes again.

"What?" he asked. "Dad?"

"It's a picture from an obituary," Fenton unfolded the paper, allowing Frank a better view. "Son, I'm sorry, but he's dead. The Gray Man is dead!"

End Chapter 2