Killing Joe
Chapter 7
Joe felt the truck begin to slow down and his mind raced to formulate an escape plan – any escape plan. Unfortunately he wasn't coming up with much. His head was pounding so badly that every motion of the moving truck was painfully jarring and made him nauseous; the taste of the horrible rag in his mouth was not helping!
His hands were completely numb from being tied so tightly and the exhausted teen felt as weak as a day-old kitten. 'Least I'm dry now,' he mused as he closed his eyes – even thinking hurt! But then, remembering their plans to toss him off the next bridge, Joe amended his thought, 'for a few minutes anyway.' He had no delusions. With his hands tied like this, and numb, there was no way he'd survive another dunking in the Sheila River. He'd had enough of a task to do so earlier!
The truck came to a sudden stop and Joe heard his captors get out of the vehicle. He waited, expecting the back door to open at any moment but it didn't. Instead he heard muffled voices – laughter? – and then the doors opened again, slammed shut and the truck was lurched into drive and tore away, tires kicking up gravel in its haste.
Groaning as the momentum slammed him against the back door, Joe wondered what was up, but could do nothing…nothing except wait and hope.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
"I know this guy," Deputy Hilroy said as he and the Hardys viewed the video from the bank machine security camera. A telephone call to the Bayport bank had given Fenton the location of the last activity on Joe's account. An alarming activity – apparently Joe had withdrawn the total amount in his savings a couple of hours earlier, at the Sheila Falls instant teller.
The deputy had immediately called the bank about the video camera with the hopes of verifying whether or not it had been Joe. And it had been…curiously barefooted, but definitely Fenton's younger son.
Frank had let out a heavy sigh of relief, all doubts erased about whether or not Joe had drowned. But his relief was very short-lived as they still had no idea where his brother was.
"His name is Cletus Baggs." The lawman looked at Fenton. "And this is NOT a good thing."
"Tell me," the detective demanded; the muscle in his jaw twitched as he took in the information.
"Cletus is a cold blooded killer, wanted on three counts of murder when he and his partner, Norton Winthrop, a relative by some obscure reasoning, held up a liquor store two counties over. He got the cash, Norton got the booze and then Cletus shot and killed the two clerks and their customer on his way out. There was no reason for him to do it. But he did," Hilroy's voice was grave, "and that's just what we have proof of. He's also believed to be responsible for a couple of random killings – shootings – and now, most recently this mini-mart stabbing. I really wish we'd gotten that on camera! Unfortunately there's still a lot of small town trust in too many places."
Fenton and Frank exchanged a worried look even as the sleuth added, "And now he has my son."
A sympathetic look crossed the deputy's face as he slowly nodded, "Yeah, he does. And to be blunt, Mr. Hardy, once your son's usefulness has been fulfilled, Cletus will kill him."
"Well…then we had better find them, hadn't we?" Frank said, even more anxious for Joe now…if that was possible! It was nice to see the face of his brother's abductor – or one of them anyway – but that still did not put them any closer to finding Joe, and the older boy felt too much time had been wasted already. "Can we go now?"
As the deputy thanked the bank manager for showing them the video, he followed the Hardys outside. The evening was still bright, but dark clouds overhead drearily forecast an impending rainstorm.
Frank's stomach growled as he moved towards his father's rental truck. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, with coffee and worry being the only things keeping him going right now.
"Hopefully someone will catch sight of the stolen rental," Hilroy said as he followed. His own vehicle was parked close by. After finding out why the Hardys were investigating Sheriff Oakes, the incensed lawman had vowed to help in any way he could. "Until then, I'd say we—" He stopped when the cell phone he was carrying buzzed. Checking the number, he excused himself for a moment to answer it.
When he came back two minutes later, he had a stunned look on his face. "You are not going to believe this," he told Frank and Fenton, "but Cletus and Norton have just been picked up!"
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
"Look at that, Cletus!" Norton's voice crowed in his ear, excitedly, as he pointed his finger out the front windshield, "now there's something you don't see every day!"
Cletus shoved his hand out of the way and started to slow down.
"We can't not stop," Norton continued, "no part of my gentlemanly self can consciously let you drive on by that!"
"I don't think it's your 'gentlemanly self' you're thinking of," Cletus commented and then grinned, "however…"
Slamming on the brakes, he brought the truck to a stop beside a pretty young red-haired girl standing beside a car with an obviously flat tire. The girl was about eighteen or nineteen, and dressed in a tight-fitting t-shirt and very short shorts. 'Nope', Cletus thought, 'no red-blooded male could pass her by!' Glancing at Norton, the dark-haired killer could only grin as he realized the other man had completely forgotten he was only wearing his underwear and Cletus's jacket. Oh, and his shoes and socks of course!
Norton was out of the truck like a shot, Cletus following a little bit slower. He had started to reach for the shotgun but then changed his mind. She was only one pretty little girl….
"Well, well," Norton turned on the charm, "and what is something as fine as you doing out here all by your lonesome?" He looked at her car, "Awww, did your mean ol' car breaky-wakey down on you?"
The girl batted long, black lashes at him and purred, "Something like that—" and then the sound of someone moving behind them made both men whirl around.
'A trap!' Cletus realized too late, as he saw another long-legged beauty with black hair and cold eyes standing behind them with a rifle pointed right at – Cletus looked down – right at his 'pride and joy'!
"Toss the keys to yer truck to me, nice and easy," the black-haired beauty told him. "Nothing funny or you'll be squatting to pee for the rest of your life!"
"See," Cletus muttered to his white-faced friend as he did as he was told, "told you girls 'pee'."
Norton nodded, too terrified by this sudden turn of events to say anything.
The gun-toting girl scooped up the keys, keeping careful aim on the boys with the rifle. She passed them to her red-headed friend and then chuckled, "Oh my…you boys are a sorry lot, aren't you?" She blew a kiss to Norton, "Hope you didn't get all undressed on our accounts!" and then, laughing, she raced around to the side of the truck and jumped into the passenger seat as the red-head started the engine and roared away.
Norton looked down at himself in horrified embarrassment. With nothing else he could do, he zipped up the coat and looked at Cletus. "Now what?"
Cletus turned to face his cousin, by some obscure reasoning, "Norton, do me a favor, will you?"
"Sure Cletus, anything!" Norton offered helpfully.
"Don't talk to me, okay, just don't say a word!" Kicking at the gravel on the road in frustration, Cletus started to stalk away.
"What'd I do?" Norton mumbled as he followed the other man…at a safe distance.
They hadn't walked very far when Norton heard a car approaching from behind. He turned around and gasped, "CLETUS!"
"Shut up, Norton."
"CLETUS!"
"I told you to shut up!"
"But—"
Incensed, Cletus whirled around and then froze as the deputy car pulled up behind them.
Closing his eyes, the man just shook his head. He now regretted ever meeting Joe Hardy, swearing he'd never had a string of luck like this before they grabbed that kid!
And then he couldn't help but smile, wondering if the girls had found the 'parcel' yet….
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
"And Joe?" Fenton asked anxiously as both he and Frank crowded the lawman.
"I'm sorry," Hilroy said, and they knew he was, "the boys were picked up walking alongside the roadway. As of yet, we don't know where the stolen truck is or anything about your son."
"Where were they?" Frank asked; his heart hammering as he refused to believe the obvious – that they'd killed his brother and then dumped his body and the truck.
"That's the odd thing," the deputy admitted, "they were on a side road heading back towards Sheila Flats – a couple of miles north of the Sheila Bridge actually…"
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Joe had no idea what was going on, or whether or not he was imaging things, but he could have sworn it was two girls' voices he was hearing. Where were Cletus and Norton?
The truck seemed to drive forever before it was stopped and the boy heard the doors opened again. A few moments later the back door was opened and the teen blinked up in surprise, although it was harder to say who was more surprised…Joe or the two girls!
"Oh my," started the red-head.
"What do we have here?" finished the brunette.
Joe had no idea if things had just gotten better…or worse.
