J.M.J.

Author's note: Thank you for continuing to read! Thank you especially to Candylou, ErinJordan, MargaretA66, caseykam, and BMSH for your reviews on the previous chapter! I hope you enjoy and God bless!

Chapter V

Frank talked to Officer Burns about the latest development from Phil, and Burns told him to go ahead and make the call to Gomez. Burns would watch the radio and call for Frank if anything came through. While Joe and Biff waited, Frank looked up Gomez's number, which was still saved to his phone from the case in California. The detective answered before the second ring.

"Hello, Mr. Hardy," Gomez greeted him. "I've been expecting to hear from you."

"Then you can already guess that I'm calling about Darcy," Frank replied.

"Yeah. I can also guess what your questions are going to be. Darcy was definitely murdered. The time of death was sometime last night. Our medical examiner is still working to determine the exact time. Your friend, Phil Cohen, is not a person of interest in the case at this time. And that's all the more I can tell you, officially."

"What do you mean by that?" Frank asked.

"My superiors don't want you or your family or anyone associated with you involved in this. They didn't take it very well when we let a kidnapper-murderer escape. They don't want a repeat here. They expressly forbade me from contacting any of you. Of course, I had to find someone who knew Darcy to positively identify her, and I couldn't help who he might talk to, and now that you've called me, I can't just hang up."

"Well, then, that solves that," Frank said, half-smiling in spite of himself. "Phil was wondering why you called him when you knew perfectly well that it was Darcy."

"Did I? She was badly beaten, and I wanted to make sure."

"All right. I get it. You can't give me a straight answer, officially," Frank replied. "What can you tell me?"

"I've already told you everything we've released to the press, except that we do have a suspect, in a way."

"Angelo?"

"Hmm. I can't say definitely. You see, I can tell you what we've released to the press, since with very little digging, you could find that out for yourself. We didn't want to give any information about the suspect or suspects at this time. Secret criminal organizations tend to excite people."

"You think it was Black Rose?"

"I would know one of their crime scenes when I saw it."

"They left one of their calling cards," Frank deduced. "A black rose."

"I'm afraid I can't confirm or deny that," Gomez replied.

"That's helpful," Frank said. "If it was Black Rose, it probably wasn't Angelo, after all, since he's not part of them anymore. In that case, we're not any closer to finding him than before. Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?"

"Not about the murder. I did want to give you a warning."

"About what?" Frank tensed in anticipation of being told that his help wasn't wanted on this case unofficially, either.

"I know you're not having the easiest time out there. I heard about Eva Moriare being paroled, and I know that this recent case has done a great deal of harm to your reputation, as well as your father's and brother's."

"You don't need to tell me that," Frank said. "I just don't get why, exactly. I'm not saying we don't deserve it—I probably do, at least—but…"

"It doesn't matter whether you deserve it or not," Gomez interrupted. "It would be happening either way. You Hardys have made yourselves some powerful enemies. There's Black Rose, sure. They've got resources and have done some damage, definitely. And there are other criminals who might have contributed to this whole thing out of revenge, but there are more that are encouraging it as a preventative. You, your brother, and your father have proven that you're capable of solving virtually any crime and that you'll see that justice gets done, even if it means risking your own lives. It doesn't matter who the culprit behind it is, whether it's someone who could have you hunted down and killed or it's someone you formerly admired or it's someone who has a lot of political clout. That makes people with a lot to lose nervous."

"Wait. Are you saying someone is actively trying to ruin our careers so that we can't investigate them in the future?" Frank asked. "That would take a major propaganda effort. I mean, there are news outlets all over reporting on the story. The intelligence community would know better. Even our own neighbors think we're responsible for what happened, and it's most likely because it's true."

"Maybe, but I was the one officially in charge of the case. If anyone's responsible, it's me. All I got was a stern warning and a massive black mark on my record. No one's pressuring my department to fire me. I didn't even lose my rank. And why shouldn't I have? I'm a cop. I don't expect special treatment from the press or anyone else. If the case went sour, it should have been on me, but they put it on you instead. Now, as for the press and public opinion, they just have their eyes on a good fallen hero story. Everyone loves to tear down heroes these days. I don't know why. It's never been something that's given me any pleasure, to find out someone I looked up to didn't deserve it. But the fact remains that people eat it up, and so the press is more than happy to print it. No one outside this city knows who I am, so putting my name in the stories wouldn't get people reading them. The important point is that, if everything was how it looked on the surface, the law enforcement community wouldn't pin it on you and not on me. They'd give me more of the blame, but that's not how it played out, so there's got to be someone pulling some strings, probably multiple people. I don't know whether they're using money or power to pull those strings, but I can say that there are people with both who would like a few less detectives who may conceivably investigate them at some point. That's a bill that you, your dad, and your brother fit, but I don't, unless they happen pull something in my city. Even then, I don't quite have the reputation that all of you do…or did."

"But that would still mean that big portions of the law enforcement community have been bought off or threatened," Frank protested.

"Not necessarily. I think if you look at individual police officers and even probably federal agents, you're going to find that most of them are on your side. Most of us would help you wherever we can, but the help we can offer is limited. We help too much, and we get ourselves in trouble, and then there's nothing more we can do."

Frank mulled over that theory for a few seconds. "That could be possible. I still think it's a stretch that someone would go to all that trouble just because we might possibly investigate them in the future."

"They might have a reason to think you will. It could be someone you've brushed shoulders with before now."

HBHBHBHBHB

Chet had done a lot of thinking in the driver's seat of the Queen over the years. The radio didn't work and so there was nothing to do but think while driving it. Right now, Chet was wishing the radio did work so he could have some noise to distract him. He felt the lowest he had since those first couple of weeks after Tony had been killed. It was different this time. Then it had been grief, but this time, there was a healthy dose of guilt mixed in.

He pulled up in the driveway of his family's farm, but instead of going to the house, he went out to the barn instead. He surveyed his latest project—a sailboat that he intended to have seaworthy by next summer—and then listlessly picked up a hammer to continue work on it. The barn wasn't insulated and it really was too cold to work comfortably out there, but his dad didn't like him cluttering up the shop with his never-ending projects.

He had only been working a few minutes when he heard the barn door squeak open. He turned around to face his sister, whom he had expected to come out.

"Hey," Iola said. "Did you talk to him?"

There was no need to clarify whom she meant. Chet turned back to look at his work again, although he couldn't bring himself to get back to work.

"Yeah," he said.

Iola slowly sat down on a hay bale. "I take it, it didn't go well."

"No."

Iola sighed. "I had hoped it would help. What did he say?"

Chet ran his hand through his short hair and then sat down squarely on the barn floor, not caring about the dirt and loose hay that would cling to him because of it. "Not all that much, to be honest. I was the one who said way too much."

"Chet…"

"I know, I know." Chet shook his head. "He's in a rough spot. I'm not used to seeing him act like this. I don't know what to do. And that's not the worst of it."

"It's not?"

"No." Chet told his sister about the flowers that Maria and Katherine had found. "So it looks like, as if everything else wasn't bad enough, now Black Rose is back."

Iola pulled out a few strands of hay and began to twist them. "Who would have thought everything would turn out this way?"

"The know-it-alls around town say they did," Chet replied dryly. "Apparently, they've been saying for years that Frank and Joe were going to get someone killed with their 'amateur detective game.'"

Iola rolled her eyes. "Funny they never mentioned it before."

A gloomy silence descended over them again as they sat and wondered where exactly life had gone so wrong.

"It's just not fair," Chet suddenly burst out. "Tony was the best one of any of us. Why did he have to die? And why don't they just catch that Angelo already?" He faltered a little as he felt his throat constrict. "Why can't Black Rose just leave us all alone?"

"Maybe because we can't leave them alone," Iola suggested. "I mean, if nobody even tries to stop them, they'll just hurt or kill more innocent people."

"Yeah, but maybe we shouldn't be trying to stop them," Chet insisted. "We don't know how any of this stuff works."

"The Hardys do," Iola affirmed.

It was a pointless debate; they knew that. It might have been worth arguing a few years ago, or even a few months ago, but it was too late now. Nothing they could do could change what had happened to Tony, but maybe they could help bring his murderer to justice. There were just so many questions about what was happening and why and it was hard to try to think them all through.

"It isn't just about Tony, though," Chet said after a few minutes. "Joe started to change before that."

"Yeah. It's because of me, isn't it?" Iola tried to tear the sturdy strands of hay apart, but she couldn't do it. A few fibers insisted on holding together. "It was after what happened to me that he started to change."

"A little, I guess," Chet admitted. "I think that was more that he was just shaken up by it. Then, when he got shot, that shook him up, too, but I think he would have gotten over those things if it hadn't been for that trip to Ziyou."

Iola raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to ask her brother why he thought the Hardys' case in a small country on the border of China was responsible for whatever had happened to Joe.

"That was when he really started to flip out," Chet insisted, seeing the question in his sister's face. "That's when he started fighting with Frank, and it wasn't long after it that he decided he didn't want to be a detective anymore. Something must have happened there. What, I can't imagine. I don't know what it would take to rock Joe this hard."

"Maybe Biff knows. He was there."

Chet nodded slowly. "I think he does know, but he's never told me, which isn't like him either. He's not the greatest at keeping secrets.

They were interrupted by the sound of a car driving up. Both siblings tensed. They knew that they weren't in any particular danger, but they were already on edge and it didn't take much for the imagination to exaggerate threats. Cautiously, Chet went to the door and opened it a crack to peer out. Lisa Prito was getting out of her car, looking around her nervously as if she expected she might have been followed. Chet told Iola who it was and, at her prompting, opened the door.

"Lisa?" he called

Lisa jumped when she heard her name called and spun around to look at him. "Oh, uh, Chet," she stammered. "I didn't think…I suppose I should have realized you'd be home. Your car is in front."

"Um, Iola and I are both out here. Come in," Chet said, trying to sound natural. Tony's younger sister had always made him feel uncomfortable, considering how unpleasant she used to be and her history of almost joining up with Black Rose. He knew that she had changed since then, but old prejudices were hard to overcome. However, Tony's death had softened Chet's feelings toward Lisa somewhat, and after the fiasco with Joe a short time earlier, he was realizing he didn't like the person he was becoming much. He was determined to be nice to her.

Lisa looked through the doorway and saw Iola. She seemed flustered and she hesitated while Chet continued to hold the door open.

"Please, come in," Iola added. "I know it's not much warmer in here, but at least there's no breeze."

"Well, it's just…I thought…" Lisa stopped talking and shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. She stepped inside the barn, and Chet closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be here Chet. There was something I wanted to talk to Iola about, but maybe it's just as well. Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize about," Iola assured her. "If you want to talk about something in private, we can go the house."

"Or I can," Chet offered. "I could use a snack anyway."

"I'm sorry," Lisa repeated. "It's really rude of me to come in here and ask you to leave. But then I guess you're used to me being rude."

As Lisa looked at the floor, Chet glanced at Iola. She looked just as confused as he felt.

"If you girls want anything, just holler," Chet offered.

He made his retreat, and then Iola turned to Lisa. She was confused by the way the girl was acting and she was a little apprehensive about what this might be about.

"What is it you want to talk about?" Iola asked.

Lisa went to the window and peeked out, trying to keep herself hidden as she did so.

"We're on a farm in the country, you know, and at the end of a dead-end road," Iola reminded her. "There wouldn't be anyone out there."

"Unless they followed me," Lisa said. She looked at Iola and bit her lip. "I'm not sure I should tell you about this. I'm not sure I should tell anyone about it. Well, no, I need to tell someone." She frowned and then sat on another hay bale. "Iola, they're back and I don't know what to do."

Iola blinked in surprise. "Who's back?" she asked, although she had a sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Black Rose," Lisa confirmed the feeling. "Maria and Katherine were out at the cemetery, and they found a black rose on Tony's grave. Well, actually, they found a black rose along with a withered white one. It's a threat against us, I'm sure of it. I don't know what to do!"

"Did you tell the police?"

"No, but the girls probably will. They said they were taking it to show to Joe."

"I know. Chet was there, too. He told me about it."

Lisa shook her head. "That's only part of it. I've felt like I've been followed the last few days."

"Did you actually see anyone following you?"

"There's a woman I've seen several times. She disappears quickly every time I see her. It's like she wants me to get a glimpse of her so I know she's there. The only time she didn't disappear right away was the first time I saw her, which was also in the cemetery. She was pretending she wasn't interested in me, and so I didn't think anything of it."

"You should tell the police about that," Lisa said.

"No. What can they do? I can't prove she's following or threatening me, so they can't arrest her. Even if they could, they can't stop Black Rose. That's been proven a time or two before this."

"At least we can tell Joe and Frank."

The suggestion was met with a few seconds of silence, and then Lisa shook her head again. "They can't stop Black Rose, either. Nobody can. And after what happened with Tony…"

"That wasn't their fault," Iola said with more edge to her voice than she intended.

"I know that. What I meant is that I don't want the same thing to happen to them, or anyone else, and I don't see any way to stop it."

"But they should know," Iola insisted. "I don't know if they plan on investigating what Maria and Katherine showed Joe, but if they do, they need all the facts. Hiding something from them is just going to make it more dangerous for everyone."

"I guess you're right," Lisa admitted. She covered her face with her hands as she considered it. "Would you tell them? If I am being followed, Black Rose will know right away if I tell them."

"Okay," Iola agreed. "I can act as a go-between. But you've got to tell me everything that happens so I can pass it onto them."