J.M.J.
Author's note: Thank you for continuing to read! In particular, thank you to MargaretA66, Candylou, ErinJordan, and max2013 for your reviews on the previous chapter! I so appreciate your support and I love hearing your thoughts! God bless!
Chapter XVII
It was like some kind of horrible déjà vu that just wouldn't stop. This time, Joe was seated in a hard chair in the captain's office instead of an armchair in his own apartment, but otherwise, it was all exactly the same. Gomez was asking the same questions about the same story less than eight hours after the first round of questioning. Then he would go back and ask Joe about past experiences with Angelo and with Black Rose.
Frank was allowed to sit in on this interview, just like he had before, but neither brother was sure whether this was a comfort or not. In times past, it would have definitely been a comfort, but there was a gulf between them now and it seemed to have grown even wider since last night.
"So Angelo sent these pictures and deactivated the email, so now there's no way to contact him," Gomez said. Apparently, he was finally satisfied that Joe couldn't tell him anything more. At any rate, this was a statement rather than a question, and Gomez himself seemed to be trying to think of an answer to it. "He also contacted Phil Cohen this time."
"He knows Joe doesn't have a phone," Frank said. "He's the one who stole it and then destroyed it. He must have gotten Joe's contacts from it and that's how he got Phil's email address."
"Probably. He's most likely giving you time to get the photo he wants and will contact you or one of your friends again," Gomez replied. "That might be his fatal mistake. It gives us more chances to look for him."
"If you ever look instead of just ask questions," Joe muttered.
Gomez raised an eyebrow. "I already have officers keeping an eye out for both Tony and Angelo. Beyond that, we need all the information we can get before we can even start looking. I would have thought you'd know that."
Joe did know it, of course. Still, he was miserable with the whole situation: that Tony had been kidnapped on his watch and he hadn't done anything to stop it, that there was an assassin out to kill him and his family, that his friendship with Frank had been all but destroyed, that everyone thought he couldn't be of any help in investigating, and that they were right.
"In any case," Gomez went on, giving up on Joe giving him an answer, "we need to be ready for this contact when it happens. If he calls, we need to be ready to trace that call back to its geographic location and to record it. However he decides to contact you, we need to have a plan in place for how we're going to respond. Are we going to give him the ransom? How are we going to ensure Tony's safety in the exchange?"
Frank glanced at Joe, who had looked down at the floor. He was probably thinking that he didn't have any part of this conversation.
"I…" Frank started to say, but then his phone began to ring. For an instant, he wondered if it was Angelo, but one glance at the screen told him that it was his dad instead.
"I've got to take this, sir," Frank said, answering the phone in the same motion. "Dad, I tried to call you this morning…"
"I know," Fenton interrupted him. "Are you and Joe and Callie all right?"
"We're all okay, but Angelo wanted to…Well, the whole story's kind of long. The main thing is that he kidnapped Tony. He's holding him hostage and wants us to get him the Black Rose picture. In exchange for that, he says he'll both release Tony and give us information on the assassin. He already said that the assassin is after you and me, as well Joe."
"I already figured out that last part," Fenton said. "Nobody was hurt, but there was what looked like an attempt on your mother and me. Obviously, our lead that Angelo was here is false, but there's something going on here."
"What happened? What did they do?" Frank asked.
Fenton explained about the near-crash, but then he quickly turned the conversation back to Tony. "What do the police there think?"
"We're just talking about it now, and we could use your opinion," Frank said. "Should we give Angelo what he wants?"
"I don't see any reason why not. We don't have any need to keep that picture secret. In fact, the more people that see it, the better. Of course, Tony's safety is the top priority here. You need to arrange it so that he's released before or while you're handing the picture over."
"Right. That much is obvious." Frank glanced again at Joe and then at Gomez. Then he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door. "Dad, I have a feeling that Angelo is going to want Joe to deliver that picture. We already tried to trick him once and he didn't fall for it, but I just don't think letting Joe go to a meeting like that would be a good idea. What should we do?"
Fenton was quiet for several seconds as he thought about this. "Of course I don't want either you or Joe in any danger that can be avoided, but if it's the only way, then Joe can handle it. I'm sure of that. It just depends on what he's willing to do and what the police there are willing to allow."
"I'm sure they wouldn't let him," Frank said. "Captain Gomez has already said that he doesn't trust him. In that case, how can we possibly keep Tony safe?"
"I can't answer that. If you can't trick him and you won't do what he asks…Well, maybe this isn't something we have to worry about at all. Maybe he won't ask for Joe."
"I wouldn't count on it," Frank muttered.
HBHBHBHBHBHB
At that same moment, Iola Morton was seated on the back of her horse, Jackson. Her mobility was greatly improved since her injury, but she did the best astride a horse. She had come so far there that when she was in the saddle, it was almost like she had never been hurt.
A dry breeze was blowing her dark hair as she rose and fell with the rolling motion of the horse's slow lope. She was trying to focus on her riding and nothing else, but her mind kept going back to Joe and worrying about him. Callie had been true to her word and had kept Iola up to date on the case, but only through texts now and then. It looked like they weren't making much progress. It worried her, especially since she knew that Black Rose was involved.
A phone call came through while she was thinking. Her phone was in her back pocket and when she reached for it, the shift in balance was enough to slow Jackson down to a walk. Iola noted that the call was from Callie before she picked it up.
"Hey, there," she said, trying to sound calm and cool. "I haven't heard from you in ages. How's it going?"
"You haven't heard, then?"
Callie's voice didn't actually shake, but Iola could tell she was upset. Iola felt her heart sink into her boots.
"No. What's wrong?" Iola reined Jackson to a complete stop.
"I guess you wouldn't have," Callie said. "Angelo attack Joe and Tony last night."
"Is he all right?" Iola burst out.
"Joe's okay. He kidnapped Tony. Angelo did," Callie clarified.
"What? Tell me everything."
Callie poured out the whole story so quickly that Iola nearly missed several details. At the end, Callie added, "I'm sorry. I just needed someone to talk to about this. It's really hard."
"No, no, don't worry about that. Are…are you sure Joe's okay?"
"He's fine. I guess. I think this case is really getting to him, and especially with Frank and him fighting every time they're in the same room. I really am sorry for bothering you about it. I wasn't sure if you wanted to hear, after everything that's happened between you and Joe."
"Of course I would. We had a fight, all right, and he hurt me pretty badly. I suppose the feeling is mutual there, but that doesn't mean we're not still friends."
"Right. I should have known that." Callie sighed. "Everything is just such a mess. This isn't how I thought it would be at all. Not just this case. I knew there would be cases like this, but…we're all broken apart. I don't know how we're going to survive this."
Iola felt a little pang of guilt, although she wasn't sure why. If the Hardys were having family troubles, it wasn't her fault. Yet it seemed so wrong for that to be the case. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were devoted to one another and good parents to Frank and Joe, who were in turn loyal to their parents and to each other. Iola wondered what exactly the problem was and whether there was any way she could help. Of course, she couldn't. If anything, she would just do more damage. Even so, she couldn't help asking, "You and Frank aren't having any problems, are you?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. It's Frank and Joe who are doing the fighting. Well, it's not really fighting. It's more…I don't know how to describe it. I mean, I do, but…"
"But what? Is there anything I can do?"
"No, just listening is enough. Wait. There's another call coming through on my phone. I'd better answer it. It could be important. I'll talk to you later."
Iola barely had a chance to say goodbye before Callie ended the call. She sat staring at the screen for several seconds afterwards. Then she slowly tucked the phone back in her pocket and clicked to Jackson to start walking again. She rode around and around in circles for a long time, just thinking.
She was worried about Tony, naturally, but she was also worried about the Hardys. Even if none of them were being held prisoner, they were still in danger from the assassin. At any moment, Joe could be killed. He could have already been, and Callie hadn't heard yet. It made Iola feel sick to her stomach. There was so much left unsaid between them, so many misunderstandings and hurt feelings, and all along, all Iola had really wanted was to just make it all up with Joe. Now it dawned on her that she might never have the chance. She wished she had a way to contact him, but Callie had told her about his phone. She made up her mind that if she ever got the chance, she would talk to Joe.
HBHBHBHBHB
Meanwhile, Callie had taken the call that had interrupted her conversation with Iola. She was at the apartment alone, except for Shaun, who was in his bedroom, so thoroughly plugged into a video game that Callie might as well have been alone. Frank and Joe were down at police headquarters, talking to Captain Gomez again, and Mario and Phil had decided to drive around the city and see if they could find any clues. They knew they weren't likely to, but they wanted to feel like they were doing something. Shaun had volunteered to stay at the apartment so Callie wouldn't be alone, but Callie had quickly realized that he wouldn't be much help if any trouble did arise.
That was part of why Callie felt so nervous answering a call from a number she didn't recognize. She had no idea who it was and it could be anyone. She wasn't really surprised, but she did have a rush of adrenaline course through her, when the caller said:
"Hello, Callie. This is Angelo."
"Why are you calling me? How did you get my number?" Callie demanded. It wasn't the most pertinent question, but it was the first one that came into her mind.
"It doesn't take much imagination to answer either question," Angelo replied. "The second is from Joe's phone. I would have thought you would have figured it out by now that I'd gotten contact information for a lot of people that way. As for the first question, I think I can trust you."
"Trust me for what?"
"To arrange the hand-off. I let your friend go, you give me the photo, I tell you about the assassin hunting down your husband and his family, and we each go our own ways."
"Why me? Why not Frank or Joe?"
"Joe doesn't have a working phone anymore. As for Frank, I don't want the police there this time, and technically, he is the police. So, I want you and Joe to deliver the picture, and I don't want you to tell anyone besides Joe, not even your precious husband. Does that make sense?"
"Where do you want us to take it?"
"If you go down the coast highway about a mile, there's a little picnic area called Leon Overlook. We'll meet there tonight at one o'clock. Got it?"
"Wait," Callie said, remembering how Frank and the others had handled kidnapping cases before this. "I need to know that Tony is still alive. Let me talk to him."
"Can't. I don't have him here with me. You're going to have to take my word for it. Maybe he is dead already. Maybe he isn't. I can tell you one thing: if you don't show up tonight or any police put in an appearance, he will be dead. Not right away, though. I'll make sure it takes a few hours. I'll have the time, you see, because I won't come anywhere close unless I see you and Joe and no one else for a mile."
"You're sick. Why are you doing this? I thought you just wanted to stop Black Rose. You don't have to hurt anyone else in the process."
"If it's the only way I can stop them, I do and I will."
There was a click on the line as it was disconnected. For a few seconds, Callie stared at the wall, trying to decide what to do. She momentarily toyed with the idea of actually following Angelo's request and not telling Frank or any of the other officers what was happening, but it didn't take long for her to realize that that was insane. The police would know best how to handle the situation.
Callie rushed to Shaun's door and knocked on it. "Shaun! Could you come out here?"
"Hold on just one second," came Shaun's voice. "I'm right in the middle of a battle."
Again, Callie pounded on the door. "This is more important than that!"
"I said, it'll just be a…Aw, man, look what you did now." There were some rustling sounds and finally Shaun appeared at the door. He held up his thumb and forefinger about half an inch apart from one another. "I was that close to defeating the final boss and you distracted me. This better be important."
Callie stared at him in disbelief for a couple of seconds. Then she decided that he was the last person she was going to confide anything to. "I need a ride down to police headquarters. Right now."
