THE NETWORK MYSTERY

By Cassidy Montague

Chapter Seven – "Man Your Battlestations"

"But can the two of you do this alone? Shouldn't you call Sam back from vacation?" Laura Hardy's blue eyes changed expression quickly, from worry, to grief, to pain, to a flash of anger and back to worry again as she settled back into her favorite settee in the Hardy living room, a cup of hot tea in one hand. She rocked slightly, anxious and grieved for her older son. "Can you find Frank by yourselves with these… these people involved?"

Joe exchanged a glance with his father but said nothing as he sipped at his can of soda and continued to jot down notes on a pad of paper resting on the table in front of him. Frank had an amazing capacity for storing all kinds of minute information in his head but Joe was more confident with having it written down. He might remember it all, he might not, but if he had a written record he could keep track of everything.

"For now we have to," Fenton assured Joe's mother, his voice calm. Joe watched Fenton lean forward and gently put an arm around Laura's shoulders, hugging her to his chest before he kissed her. "I'm not saying this is going to be easy, honey. I don't even know who all of the players are in this little… mystery. I do know it would take at least a day for Sam to get back here from where he is and I hate to cut things short when they're on their anniversary. Would you want to do that to Ellen?"

Laura sighed and shook her head miserably. Joe watched her fight to maintain her composure but he knew just how troubled she was. She wanted Frank home and right now!

Not that I don't, Joe thought with a miserable sigh of his own. He's sick. He should be home, in bed, not out being kidnapped and mistreated. Damn them for doing this to us!

"Is this… this man you both met with… is he going to help?" Laura sat her cup down on the table beside the settee in a controlled manner but her voice contained a fierce note to it. "Is he going to do something to fix the trouble that he has created?"

Joe looked up from his note writing in time to see his father shrug again.

That'll be the day, Joe thought, but said nothing. It was best to let his father deal with his mother's anxieties. The Gray Man has never been trustworthy. I can't believe I was so stupid as to ever trust that creep!

"I don't know how much he can help," Fenton admitted in a soft voice. "He's rather on the run himself, having to lay low. He doesn't have the contacts he used to have or he wouldn't be in so much trouble himself. I do take it personally he dragged our family into his little mess, though. I would bet any amount of money you care to wager he planned that buy at the church just so either Frank or Joe would see him."

"That bugs me," Joe said suddenly as he looked up at his parents. He had written it down on his sheet of paper as a question but he wanted to voice it, to hear his parents' ideas. "How did anyone ever know that Frank either saw the Gray Man buy those diamonds? Do you think someone has been watching Gray the whole time, despite that obituary?"

Fenton nodded. "I think he either knows more than he's letting on or he's in much worse trouble than he thinks. Which, unfortunately, makes me wonder if there was someone watching him at the train station when we met with him."

Joe bit on his lower lip in worry for a minute. Great, hadn't thought of that one

"Love, I hate to do this to you," Fenton said to his wife. "But I'm putting you and Gertrude into protected custody until we figure out what's going on. I have to work it all out before you can go but I… I don't want to have to worry about both of you while we're looking for Frank. We don't know who these people are but it's possible they could use you as hostages later on, to get us to do something we don't want to do and I just can't take that chance."

"Where do you want us to go?" Laura asked fretfully. "I don't want to be too far Fenton, in case something goes… wrong."

"I have some ideas on that," Fenton admitted. "I think I want you to go visit Adrian and Penelope."

"The Colonel and his wife?" Laura demanded. "In London?"

Fenton nodded. "I don't really know who to trust in the U.S. At least we know the Sampers are trustworthy. You can visit them, go shopping, have tea… you would be safe with them."

Laura let out a puff of air and Joe wondered if she was going to balk about going overseas. Fenton waited patiently but finally Laura nodded in acquiescence. "All right," she agreed softly. "Okay."

"Good," Fenton smiled and gently kissed her forehead. "Go pack. I need to go use the secure phone."

Fenton stood and went down the hallway to his office and Joe went back to making notes on his pad of paper. He looked up a moment later when Laura approached and gently touched his back.

"You'll be careful?" she asked softly.

"Yes, ma'am," Joe agreed solemnly as he made a little cross over his heart. "I want Frank back too Mom. I have to be careful to do that."

Laura nodded uncertainly, blue eyes filled with concern. Joe knew she worried for him; he was impetuous and often a bit hardheaded but he knew the gravity of the situation. He would not do anything to make the situation worse, whatever it took.

"I'm holding you to that, Joe," Laura gently kissed his cheek. "I'd better go pack and break the news to your aunt."

Joe nodded and went back to his note making.

The items on his list weren't long.

Explore warehouse.

Find clues in warehouse.


Rescue Frank if he's there.

Gather a list of suspects.

Get info on the Network.

Find out what the Gray Man is up to.

Find out who sold the diamonds.


Find out why they were sold.

Hurt bad guys for hurting Frank.

Joe didn't think he really needed that last one on the list. He was pretty sure he could remember that little item all on his own but it felt a little cathartic to write it down. No matter what else, finding Frank was the most important thing and the idea most vivid in Joe's mind. Above all, find Frank.

Joe leaned back in his seat and stretched, listening to the bustle of activity from above as his mother and his aunt packed. He half expected Aunt Gertrude to fly down the stairs at any moment and confront his father about going off to London – but then she always loved a visit with the Colonel and Mrs. Sampers. Perhaps she decided it wasn't so bad to get sent off without a by-your-leave.

Stretching again, Joe got to his feet and went into the kitchen to see what kind of supplies they had on hand. He wasn't really very hungry but he knew the necessity of eating to keep your strength up.

Not that Frank can eat right now, Joe slammed the refrigerator door closed and leaned against it. I doubt the bad guys care he was so sick he could barely breath. I bet they don't care a wit that he's ill and whatever they're doing to him will make it worse. Why couldn't they have taken me?

Joe slammed a fist against the refrigerator and heard a crash inside of it. Not caring, he turned away and went back into the living room. He touched the couch where Frank last lay and closed his eyes for a moment. He had not been present when Frank was actually taken away but he could still picture the scene too vividly.

"I got your mom and aunt a flight on a plane that's leaving in two hours," Fenton said to Joe. "Con Riley is going to take them to the airport and wait with them until the plane leaves; he can get to the gate whereas I would have to go through a lot of red tape. When they've gone, we'll go over our plan of attack."

Joe nodded. "Did you get a hold of the Colonel?" he asked.

"Yeah," Fenton settled down in his recliner. "They're more than happy to have your mom and aunt for as long as they need to stay. The Colonel says Penelope has been bugging him for a visit to see them for some time so he hopes this satisfies her for a bit."

A wide grin broke on Joe's face. "I hope your credit cards are up to date, Pop. You know how Mrs. Sampers loves to shop. She always drags mom and aunt Gertrude right along with her when she does it."

Smiling tolerantly, Fenton agreed. "Well, it makes them happy and they don't do it often. I suppose the ole bank account will recover in time."

The moment later there was a brief knock on the door and, after checking the peephole to see who was on the other side, Joe opened the door to reveal Con Riley on the other side, looking trim in a pair of jeans, a dark blue polo shirt and a brown leather flight jacket.

"Riley protection service, at your service," Con Riley's lips turned upward in a quirky smile as he stood with his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. He smiled widely, looking pleased with himself and his attempt at humor. "You got ladies what needs my protection?"

Matching Riley's smile with a smile of his own, Joe stepped up to shake the detective's hand. "You got the right place, Mack. The ladies should be down in a minute. Sure you can handle 'em? They're both tough hombres."

Riley made a show of thinking it through, even to the puzzling expression momentarily on his face then he nodded exaggeratedly. "I think I can handle the mission. Two tough hombres to the airport and onto the plane. I can do that."

"You're hired," Fenton, standing in the doorway that went into the hall behind the living room, laughed. "I'm sure you might wish you hadn't been before this mission is done. Hey!"

Fenton protested when he received a firm whack to the backside of his head from Joe's mother as she wandered through, carrying a large suitcase in one hand.

"Told you they were tough," Joe grinned. "Like ole boot leather, the both of them."

Laura delivered another sound thwack to Joe's head and Joe laughed, pulling his mother into a close hug and kissing her on the cheek.

"You'll be careful, right Mom?" he asked her.

"I'm the one going to safety," Laura gently stroked his arm. "I'll be fine. You're the one that had better be careful. I want you both to stay in one piece. Got it?"

"We got it," Fenton moved to Laura's side and pulled her into his arms. Joe looked away when he saw them about to kiss and he waited a moment before turning back to see them still kissing. Blushing he looked away again, staring steadily at the ceiling until they were finally finished.

"Geez, guys, rent a room already," Joe demanded when they parted. "Guy can't wander around his house without seeing his parents smooching all over the place. I'm going to be abused for life you know."

"You have an objection to two loving people kissing a little Joe?" Fenton asked his son in a curious voice. "I've seen you with Vanessa you know."

"Yeah, well, that's different," Joe protested. "She's my girlfriend. You're parents. Eww."

Laura laughed. "Sometimes you seem to be about five years old, Joe. Now be good for your father and stay out of trouble. Stay safe. Both of you. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" Fenton and Joe both pulled off perfect salutes. Joe kissed his mother's cheek again and turned to Gertrude.

"You okay, Auntie?" he asked her softly.

"I, young man, am fine," Gertrude said. "For being bundled off without being asked."

She rounded on Joe's father in an instant. "Just be grateful I have wanted to go visit Penelope and Adrian for some time, Fenton, or you would get the backside of my tongue for disrupting my plans for the week. You just better be sure to have us home as soon as possible. Don't do anything foolish while we're gone."

"Never, Gert," Joe's father grinned as he kissed his sister's cheek and guided both ladies to the front door. "Go on with you now."

Riley stopped at the door after the ladies left. "I'll call you when their plan has left, to let you know they got off okay. I let the chief know I was doing this, too, so if you don't hear from me before three hours are out, give him a call and let him know. We should be fine though."

Joe's father agreed and shook hands with the younger man. "Thanks again, Riley."

"Sure," Riley nodded as he went out the door. Fenton and Joe waited in the door until the car was out of sight before they closed it and went back into the house.

"What first?" Joe asked his father.

"Come with me," Fenton said. He led the way back into his office and motioned for Joe to take a seat where he could see the monitor on Fenton's computer. Fenton's fingers were nearly a blur as he tapped onto the computer's keyboard, bringing up screens that Joe leaned forward to study.

"This is the Pan-dem warehouse on Prince Henry Blvd," Fenton said as he pointed to the warehouse in question. Fairly large, two stories with multiple truck bays located along the back of the building, it looked a little run-down and… old. The information on the screen said the building had only been built about eight years before but obviously it hadn't been very well cared for, as if people didn't care if it looked good or not.

"It says the building is empty," Fenton commented as he read ahead on the screen. "And that it's been empty for nearly two years. I have some photos, though…"

He used the mouse to bring up several new screens in smaller windows, showing Joe satellite imagery with infrared detection.

"Obviously it's not as empty as they would like us to believe," Fenton motioned to the outlines of several people inside of the building. "It's always possible it's squatters – rather homeless people who have made the warehouse a home but somehow I don't think that's the case. If it's a Network front, they may want us to believe it's empty and it's even more possible that all this is a front."

"How'd you get those pictures?" Joe asked curiously. "Those aren't standard issue, that's for sure."

"I have friends," Fenton shrugged. "I called them as soon as we got back to have them start getting me what I needed – discretely. We were just lucky that one of the satellites was close enough to get these pictures."

Joe frowned as he touched the screen, indicating a cluster of outlined images in one section of the warehouse.

"Looks like there's a gathering of people here. Think this is where they may be holding Frank?"

Fenton shrugged. "I don't know. It gives us an idea of where to start though. I'm going to print these off; it'll change, of course but with the map I have of the building it might help us navigate the place a little better. We'll want to find that corner – it's northwest – first."

"What if we get caught? Do we have a plan to get out of that?" Joe asked. That was not usually his question – Frank was the cautious one – but Joe was ever conscious of Frank's absence and the need for deliberation. If Joe and his father were to get caught, there wouldn't be anyone to rescue them – at least not for a while.

"I gave the man I contacted a code word," Fenton said. "If I don't call and give that to him two hours after we leave he'll put plans into motion to get us out, one way or the other. Don't ask anymore questions about that, I can't tell you more."

"What if something happens to you though?" Joe demanded.

"If I can't personally call him then that means we'll need more help. Just trust me Joe. Okay? We obviously can't leave until tonight, I'd rather do this when it's dark out again and we've both gotten some sleep. Let me get the alarms set around the house – the phone will wake me up when Riley calls."

Neither Joe or Fenton got any sleep after getting back from the meeting at nearly 2:00 in the morning. They had stayed around the train station for a few minutes, looking around to make sure there was no one in the area watching them – and even then they had not been totally positive they were in the clear – and then making their way back to Fenton's car.

Joe was too keyed up to sleep when they got back; he wanted to start looking for Frank right away and even had wanted to go to that warehouse but Fenton's caution won out.

Tonight seemed a long way away and the things that could go wrong between now and then boggled Joe's mind but he dutifully nodded and went up to his room.

Just as he thought he would never be able to sleep in the daylight, that he was too keyed up to sleep, that he wanted to be doing something and not laying around, his body took control and he was asleep in moments.