Faster, faster! Longer, longer! Closer, closer! Chapter 10 is HERE! You reviewers/commentors/readers are fantastic! Some of you have given me more ideas than I think I can handle, and I appreciate all the feedback! And now… Chapter 10!

Chapter 10

Chief McGinnis didn't even glance up when he saw the group walk up. "You kids are going to put me into early retirement," he growled good-naturedly.

Joe stepped away from the others and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, Chief, we know you love us! Look how much work we save you by doing the legwork ourselves!"

McGinnis looked at Joe squarely in the eye. "Hardy, you create half of the problems my department has to deal with." He grinned and shook Joe's hand. "Welcome to the mix. Officer Williams is waiting for you back in the same conference room."

He shook his head as the five traipsed back down the hallway. "That group gets bigger and bigger. Nothing but trouble."

Meanwhile, Officer Williams was sitting in the room, waiting for their arrival. When they walked in, plus Joe, he laughed. "Reinforcements?" he asked, gesturing towards Joe.

Frank gave a half-grin. 'Sort of. This is my brother, Joe Hardy. Joe, this is Ron Williams."

"Pleasure." Williams shook Joe's hand and gave a slight nod to the rest of the group. "I imagine you all are anxious to see this."

Everyone nodded, so he started it right up. All eyes fixated on the screen, concentrating. The ATM camera was angled at such a way that they had a straight-shot view of an alleyway. To Joe, it looked as if the image had been zoomed in and sharpened. A dark van drove up, where it sat for a brief moment, then sped away. Then the whole scene started over, this time at a much slower rate. Joe's eyes narrowed as he peered at the driver's window. It looked as if the driver had red hair. It was hard to tell, but it was too dark to be blonde, but not very dark.

The screen went blank and Williams explained, "In a moment, you'll see the scene again, this time closer-up. However, the video quality wasn't great, so it's pretty pixelated."

True to his word, the scene played one more time. Joe watched it so closely, without blinking, that it nearly made his head hurt. The scene was pretty pixel-ly, but it did offer a somewhat better view of the driver.

As Joe watched, everything about the scene looked familiar. The van, the way it abruptly halted at the curb, the way the driver's head turned, tilted, then refocused ahead, and then the way the van sped of. It was as if he'd seen the exact thing in a movie before.

Joe sat back, perplexed. But he knew it wasn't from a movie. He closed his eyes, and willed his mind to relax.

Frank caught Joe's expression. "Joe?" he asked. "Did you see something that could help?"

Joe didn't respond. In his mind, he saw a house, surrounded by bushes. There was a long narrow sidewalk leading from the front door of the house to the street. It was dark outside, and Joe and Frank were up in a tree, across the street, peering through binoculars. Suddenly, tires screech as a van came to a halt. Quiet shuffling noises could be heard, and the driver made some gestures to someone unseen. Then the driver turned back to the steering wheel. Tires spun as the van took off.

Joe bolted up out of his seat. "I know where I've seen that driver before!" he exclaimed.

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Nancy yawned and rested her head on her knees. She had been trying, to no avail, to find a way to escape from the bonds, the room, this weird kidnapping. But David and the other man were always around, arguing or talking loudly. She never saw the other man, just David.

David, however, had kept a close eye on her, checking on her, bringing her food, and allowing her to go to the bathroom, but that was about the extent of any hospitality.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there. It felt like days, but she knew it was probably much less. Maybe a day or two, not much more. For one, the meals, though very spaced out, at least gave her a clue.

The last time David had brought her food, he had been real quiet, and had avoided her stare and her questions. She almost wished the other man would come so she could at least see him. Maybe she's be able to work on him a bit, as well. David wouldn't tell her who he was, or how he was involved with the embezzlement.

He had, however, retied her arms and legs so she could stretch her legs out. She had been feeling cramped and achy sitting cross-legged for so long. And sleeping in that position wasn't exactly idea.

But she couldn't close her eyes for long.

The door slammed open and the light popped on. Two men walked into the steadily-shrinking bathroom. One was David. The second, she didn't recognize. But the flame-red hair and thin frame almost made her want to laugh. Almost. Then gun he was holding didn't.

Nancy cast a quick glance at David, and saw the uncomfortable look in his eyes. Apparently, 'Red' was the one in charge of things now.

"Alright, Drew. I'm already sick of this little game your father seems to be playing with poor David here. I want the evidence he asked you to pick up for him," Red said, keeping the gun trained on her.

Nancy's mind raced back to the answering machine message that had started this whole ordeal. Her father hadn't specified what she should look for, and Nancy just assumed she would know when she arrived. But David had stopped her before she even put one foot in the office.

"You should be asking David that. I never saw the evidence," Nancy replied evenly, keeping her eyes on the gun. There was no way she could escape, but at least she could do her best to keep things calm.

"You're lying. I know your dad told you what to pick up."

Nancy looked up, holding his gaze, her eyes never wavering, although her stomach felt differently. "Dad asked me to pick up a manila envelope. He didn't know where exactly it was since it had arrived while he was gone."

Red shrugged. "Then I guess you aren't of much use to us anymore. No sense in keeping anything useless around."

"Wait!" David jumped in front of Red. "Buck, don't kill her!"

Buck glared at David. "And why not? She can't give us what we want. And I don't like having her around; it's too dangerous for us."

David didn't move. "We can use her against Mr. Drew's case."

Buck still held the gun steady. "I don't know. It's still dangerous to have her around."

David put a hand on the gun and slowly lowered it. "Leave her alone for a bit. I don't want to ruin any chance we might have of getting through this without going to jail."

Both men exited the room, and Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. This had to be the weirdest kidnapping ever. Buck was definitely the brains of this operation, but David seemed to still have a little pull. If only she could have another chance to work on David's conscience. She laid her head back down on her knees. She could only hope that Frank was getting close to finding her. And staying out of danger himself. Please hurry, she silently willed him.

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Everyone's eyes widened as they waited for Joe to continue his revelation. "His name is Buck Collins. Frank and I encountered him during a case a while back."

Frank looked at him questioningly. "What makes you think that?"

Joe nodded towards the screen. "Something about the way the van pulled up and sped away, and the actions of the driver. It was incredibly similar to something that happened during that case." A new thought hit. "Ron, can you put in the tape of the witness?"

"Yeah, sure." After this epiphany, Officer Williams understood why the Hardys had such a respected reputation. Their information network, experience, and track record was incredible.

As Trevor Jenkins began his "eye witness" spiel, Frank and Joe exchanged knowing looks.

"That's him," Joe concluded. "Without a doubt, the key-witness and driver are the same person!"

Frank agreed. "His hair is a bit longer, and that most definitely is not his accent. But that's definitely him."

Williams glanced at the group sitting around the table. From George's and Bess's expressions, it was clear that they believe the young men fully.

"Are you absolutely positive?"

Joe nodded, "Frank and I had been on a stakeout a while back. I guess late last year, really. Anyway, it was for another case north of Chicago. Buck had been the getaway driver and, we believe, mastermind behind robberies that targeted the local small businesses. Unfortunately, Buck had gotten away and completely disappeared. You'd think with that red hair you couldn't miss him, but this guy is pretty good it seems."

"Or he just had a run of luck." Frank admitted, grudgingly, as he remembered. That case had been a sore spot for him.

George began flipping through the file again. "How old is this Buck guy?"

Joe eyed her. "Just a few years older than us, I'd say. Middle or late twenties, would be my guess. Why do you ask, Fayne?"

"Just a feeling, I think. I mentioned it earlier, but I think we need to check out David Harper more. Something about it just makes me think he's the connection we're missing." George picked up a paper. "David is 25. Maybe the two were buddies at some point, or even now."

Mick shrugged. "Sure couldn't hurt. Maybe we should call Mr. Drew and see if he's seen him around lately, first."

"I think that's a great idea." Officer Williams clapped Mick on the back. He winced as Frank's glare bore into him. He pulled his hand away and walked toward the door. "I'll go make that call."

Joe glanced at his brother. This new side of Frank was amusing him. Frank usually never had relationship problems. In fact, it was usually Joe who found himself in odd dilemmas when it came to girls. This situation really fascinated him.

He saw Bess watching Frank as well. Joe gave her a look, and Bess nodded slightly.

"Come on, George. Let's go see if we can find anything to eat. This is turning into another one of those late nights." Bess nudged Mick. "You can give us a hand." Bess winked at Mick. "We need a big strong guy to protect us from those mean old cops!"

Joe couldn't help laugh as she ushered the two out the door. Bess is the best, he thought thankfully. "Alright, Frank. Out with it."

"What?" Frank blinked, distractedly.

"Dear brother, it's not often we get to switch roles." Joe punched him lightly on the arm. "You're not the type to get jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Joe. I just don't like having to deal with outsiders who think they can help on a case. He's just hindering us from finding Nancy."

"No, he's not. He's helping. He's concerned about her obviously."

Frank snorted. "Concerned? Not hardly. He came all the way from Australia to rekindle a past relationship he and Nancy had."

"Past relationship? Since when?" Joe raised his eyebrows. "She and Ned have always been together, until recently. And that much time didn't pass before you two started dating."

Frank shook his head. "Apparently, Nancy met Mick during a summer vacation in Europe. He ended up traveling with them, and eventually asked Nancy to marry him, which she obviously turned him down."

Joe looked at his brother sympathetically. "I've never heard this before."

Frank frowned, his face reddening slightly. "I hadn't either. I had to find out the hard way."

"I guess that explains the weirdness when we all met up in Australia a while back." Joe had noticed the tenseness whenever he and Frank were around Mick and Nancy during their cases. He had always known about the attraction that went on between Nancy and Frank, and he could tell there was something between Mick and Nancy, but the wedding proposal definitely surprised him.

"Well, anyway. Mick hasn't exactly made it a secret that he came here specifically to see Nancy." Frank gave his brother a pained look. "It's making me crazy! I know that I can't control her life, I don't want to be like Ned was when they were dating. And I definitely can't stop her from making decisions. But I don't want to lose her! It took us so long to get to this point."

Joe nodded and put his arm around Frank's shoulders. "In the end, it's about Nancy's heart. You know she's a very level-headed person, and doesn't make rash decisions. If she's turned down Mick before, when she was dating Ned, then I think she'll do the same, especially since she's engaged to you."

"But, what if she doesn't?" Frank knew Joe was probably right, but there was that lingering doubt he just couldn't ignore.

"Then you will love her and let her live her life." Joe sighed. "You just have to trust her. This may sound completely bizarre coming from me, of all people. But you have to trust her, and trust that what you two have together is going to win over what she may have once had with Mick."

Frank nodded. "Yeah, and I think I know that. I'm just afraid."

Joe laughed. "If you weren't, I'd be extremely worried about you. You haven't really had many serious relationships, well, besides Nancy and Callie, you haven't had any." He grinned. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Besides, we have to find Drew first. And when we do, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind for not telling us about Mick earlier."

Frank smiled. "Just don't go too hard on her. I don't want you to scare her off."

Joe winked. "She'll have to get used to it, if she's going to be my sister-in-law soon." He stood up and opened the door of the conference room, letting anybody watching know that they were done.

Right on cue, Bess and her parade, along with Officer Williams, showed up.

"Good news and bad news," Williams offered. "Mr. Drew hasn't seen David since sometime before Nancy's kidnapping."

George rolled her eyes. "I figured. So let's go get this guy." She flexed her arms, shifting in her chair. "The longer we wait the more chance he has to get away!"

Frank grabbed some papers off the table and began rifling through them. "His address is in here. We really should go after him. Question him, at the very least."

Williams held up a hand. "As private citizens, you can do that, but I have to go by the book on this. I can't just go demanding answers from someone."

Joe grinned. "Then we'll see you after we've found Nancy." He jumped up and reached for the door, but before he could grab the handle, it swung open.

A young officer poked his head in. "Sir?"

"What is it, son?" Williams asked.

"A tip, anonymous, just came in." The young man handed a piece of paper over to the superior officer. "I think you might want this."

Joe read over Williams shoulder as he read out loud. "The red-headed detective can't wait much longer." Williams whistled. "We have an address."

Frank was the first out the door. "Then let's go!"

Williams and Joe glanced at each other. "What if it's a trap?" he asked.

Joe grinned and looked at Bess and George. "Then we spring it!"

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Can you feel it? The end is coming! Or at least… the rescue! Who saves Nancy? Who's the tipper? Don't you just love Joe? Is Frank going to have a mental breakdown? Will Mick ever give up? Will anyone ever listen to George? Find out next time! Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!