Chapter Seven
"I'm going with Sam and Durham to see Jax," Fenton announced. "We might be able to get a description of this guy before the end of the day. We'll revisit the Stephanie Grant route when we return later on."
"Dad, I don't think going to see Stephanie is worth it now," Joe raised his hand. "I think she was telling the truth about making a phone call."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Charlie told me that Stephanie's mother is sick," he explained. "He said it's common knowledge in town though Stephanie keeps it to herself most of the time because she doesn't want people to feel pity for her since she's taking care of her mother. She was more than likely checking to make sure her mom was okay."
Fenton sighed. "Then we won't go visit her. I trust Charlie. He knows the town better than all of us. Is he on his way here?"
"Yeah," the younger Hardy nodded. "He said he would be here by the time the press conference was over so it should be any time now. He's going to look into Brady for you and anything else we can think of."
"Are you good to go too, Frank?" Fenton turned to his oldest son. He could see lines forming under Frank's eyes which worried him. "You know what? Never mind, I want you to rest for now."
"But, Dad, I can help," Frank protested.
"I know you want to but you're no good to us or the girls if you aren't 100%," he said gently, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. Fenton leaned in, keepign his voice low. "Don't make me get your mother involved, Frank. Parker is going up to rest as well. The senator ordered him to bed so you're not going to be the only one who has to sit it out for a little bit." He stepped back a little eyeing Frank. "What the hell did you do anyway? Pace up and down the halls all night?"
"No, I did go to sleep," Frank defended. "I just didn't sleep well."
"Then I suggest some melatonin and closed curtains," Fenton ordered. "Joe can wake you up if anything changes." He glanced over at his youngest son. "And you don't go anywhere without your brother. I don't want to go searching for you too because you left to go on a wild goose chase."
"Fine, Dad," Joe conceded folding his arms.
"Good, I'll call you if I need you." Their father soon walked off leaving the two brothers behind.
"You heard him, Frank," Joe grinned gesturing toward the house.
"Yeah, yeah," Frank grumbled walking away.
"Where's Frank going?" Vanessa asked as she and Bess came up behind Joe. "I thought you two would be out the door by now."
"Yeah, change of plan." Joe explained the phone call to Chief Durham and what he was planning on doing with Charlie when he arrived. "Dad told Frank to get some sleep while he was gone. I'm not sure how much sleep he'll get but something is better than nothing."
"We just heard Senator Hawkley say the same thing to Parker," Bess piped in. "And even Mr. Drew is getting flack from Hannah about not getting any rest. I guess they all didn't sleep much because of everything going on."
"I'm worried too but I know not to lose any sleep over it."
"You sleep anywhere at any time, Joe," she giggled.
"And I know you," Vanessa eyed him skeptically. "You would be doing the same thing if I went missing."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Keep telling yourself that, little man," she laughed along with Bess. When she saw the shocked look on his face, Vanessa kissed Joe on the cheek and he blushed slightly. "We still love you, Joe."
"Thanks, Babe."
"Hey, Joe!" cried a voice. He and the girls turned to see Charlie walking toward them, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey, Charlie!" Joe waved. The moment Charlie got to them the two friends fist bumped. He was relieved to see the kid so that they could get started. "Glad to see you were able to get away from your parents."
"Believe me, it wasn't easy," the kid laughed. "Whitney's been crazy too since last night. She's making it sound like she was one of the victims. Plus the fact that Jasper left early from the club and she had to drive home on her own. She really wasn't happy about that."
"Wait, Jasper was at the club last night?" Joe asked alarmed. He turned to Bess and Vanessa. "Did either of you see him?"
"No," Bess shrugged while Vanessa shook her head. "We didn't even see Whitney until after Candace and Nancy disappeared. She was sitting with Amy and Stephanie when we got back to the table with your dad and Mr. Radley."
"That's what Dad said." The young Hardy bit his lip in thought wondering what was bugging him about Jasper.
"Whitney talks incessantly about him," Charlie piped up rolling his eyes. "You'd think they were getting married or something. She did say that she thought she saw him later on after he left the club but she figured it was someone else that looked like him."
"That's interesting," Joe thought out loud.
"What are you thinking, Joe?" Vanessa eyed her boyfriend curiously.
"I'm just…wondering," he stated vaguely. "Didn't you meet him yesterday? What was your first impression of him?"
"Other than the fact that he was super cute and way out of Whitney's league?" Bess smirked. "He was nice. Like really nice. He's from Alabama and the accent just makes him even cuter."
"Yeah," Vanessa agreed. "But we really didn't have much time with him before Whitney whisked him away."
"More like she dragged him away," she giggled. "He wanted to stick around but she wouldn't let him."
"So he's a nice guy?" Joe asked. "That's it? Nothing seemed off or anything?"
"No," Vanessa shrugged. "He was a little put out by Whitney though but who wouldn't be? The woman is a royal bitch of epic proportions…no offense, Charlie."
"None taken," the kid waved her off. "I could have told you that. Do you want me to look into him too, Joe?"
"Might as well," Joe answered. "Anything we can find on these guys may help us find Candace and Nancy. I have a feeling if we don't find them soon, we won't find them at all."
Candace opened her eyes. She could see that she was in a clean sterile room from the smell and feel of it. The room seemed to be a basement of some sort with the only light filtering in from a small window nearby. It actually looked like a morgue complete with a wall with what looked like large filing cabinets. Her heart raced and she tried to move but found she was tied to the hard, cold table she was on. She cried out for help until her throat couldn't cry out anymore.
Closing her eyes, Candace tried to think of what happened and then it hit her. She was at the club the night before and Nancy got sick. Nancy. Candace frantically looked around again, this time for her friend but she was alone. Where was she? Candace knew Nancy was with her when they went out the back door to get some fresh air. That was when Ben approached and…and…everything went fuzzy. She couldn't see the man's face anymore. The man who killed Ben and had obviously kidnapped her.
A tear escaped her eye. Candace thought about what she should be doing right then instead of being tied to a table and in the hands of a killer. She was supposed to be getting ready for her wedding and as much as the butterflies in her stomach fluttered whenever she thought about walking down the aisle, she would definitely rather be doing that.
This can't be happening!
Suddenly her heart dropped as she heard the sound of footsteps coming from above. She was no longer alone. Moments later the lights came on, blinding her and he was there, a sinister smile on his face. Candace shook her head in disbelief as she took in her captor. He couldn't be the killer! No! Candace shut her eyes as tears flowed freely. She didn't want to see his image anymore.
"Shh," he said calmly as she whimpered. "All will be over soon. I just want to know your secrets."
"I…I don't have any secrets," she stammered, her voice breaking. Her eyes were open and she stared at him, her heart breaking.
He leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. His smile grew wider. "Oh, I think you do and when we're done, you can sleep. Now, let's get started."
It was after twelve by the time Fenton and Chief Durham arrived at the hospital. They went straight to the ICU where a doctor met them the moment they stepped off the elevator.
"Dr. Lords," Durham shook the man's hand. "Thank you for calling us. This is Fenton Hardy. He's working with the police on the case."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hardy," Dr. Kelsey Lords smiled shaking Fenton's hand. "I may not completely agree with this after what Mr. Grant has been through but he insisted on seeing you. I do ask that you limit your time here or at least give him a break every so often."
"I can agree to that," the Chief nodded. "Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of," he shook his head. "If something does come up I will have a nurse let you know. I am going to be pretty busy soon. We have a new arrival coming in who is going to require a lot of attention for the next 24 hours or so. If you need any help for Mr. Grant please let the nurse know."
As he walked away, Fenton was curious about the new arrival coming in but that curiosity melted the moment the two were outside Jax's room. When they walked in, they found a large man lying in bed, his eyes closed. He looked helpless though Fenton knew the man could handle himself in a fair fight.
"Mr. Grant?" replied Chief Durham. Jax opened his eyes and gazed at the two men.
"I'm glad you came," he said groggily. Fenton could see the man was drugged but he understood considering that Jax was nearly gutted the night before. "I want to help you find the bastard."
"So you know who he is?" the Chief asked hopefully.
"No, I don't know who he is," Jax shook his head. Durham's shoulders slumped slightly. Fenton even was a little downhearted until the bodyguard spoke again. "But I know what he looks like."
"Then we need a sketch artist in here now," the Chief announced, pulling out his phone. As he walked away, Fenton stepped forward to ask some questions.
"Why did you argue with the man who stabbed you?"
"Because I saw him putting something in one of the girls' drinks," Jax answered darkly. "He didn't think anyone saw him. I had stepped away to be closer to the girls because they were on the dance floor. I didn't think anyone would bother their belongings or drinks. I'm sorry I did or it probably wouldn't have happened. After I saw him, I followed the man to the bathroom then he stepped out the back door where I confronted him. We argued for a few minutes before he surprised me with the knife. I…I didn't even see it on him until it was too late. The next thing I know I woke up here."
"The sketch artist will be here in ten minutes," Durham announced coming back to the two men. "I heard what you just said Mr. Grant. The man put something in one of the girls' drinks?" Jax quickly nodded. "Do you know which one?"
"Yeah, it was a margarita and only one of them was drinking a margarita." The bodyguard paused as he slowly shifted in the bed. He grunted and closed his eyes in pain. Fenton waited patiently though his heart was pounding. He had a feeling as to whose drink it was. His suspicions were confirmed when Jax spoke again. "Nancy was drinking the margarita. It was the only drink I saw her drink besides the shot of tequila that all the girls had. Did…did something happened her? Or any of the other girls? I…I don't want Senator Hawkley to think I let anything happen."
"You did nothing wrong, Jax," Fenton said calmly. "I'm sure Senator Hawkley will be grateful that you tried to help." He exchanged looks with Durham then turned back to the injured man.
"We have two missing," the Chief said grimly. Jax bowed his head in defeat. "One of them is Nancy and the other is Candace Miller. We have reason to believe that it's the Bridal Killer. The other girls said that Nancy wasn't feeling good, almost tipsy right before she went missing."
"Now I get it," Jax nodded.
"Get what?"
"It's logical that he would drug her drink and not the others," the bodyguard said.
"I still don't get it." Durham looked confused but Fenton was thinking.
"Nancy posed a threat," the detective announced. Jax nodded in agreement. A look of realization hit Durham's face. "You weren't supposed to see him do anything and he assumed someone would take Nancy to the bathroom to help clear her head. Why didn't I think of that? Nancy was a target because she would have retaliated if they left and he attacked! You and Ben were just collateral damage. But I guess he didn't think of Nancy's stamina since she pretty much punched him in the face before she passed out."
"Wait, Ben? No. Is…is he okay?"
"I'm sorry to say but no," Durham shook his head. "His throat was cut when he tried to help. He was outside when the killer was escorting Nancy and Candace outside. We have reason to believe that they may have known who he was or they wouldn't have gone with him. The killer kept his face averted from the camera in the alley so we didn't get a good look at him."
Jax shook his head. He knew Ben and it pained him to hear that he was dead. When he looked back at Fenton and Durham, there was a fire in his eyes.
"I'll give you the description of the bastard," he growled. "I may not know who he is but he did look vaguely familiar. I want to help in any way I can especially if it will help find those girls."
When Candace opened her eyes again, it was pitch black with the exception of a red dot above her head. As she moved she heard a rustling of clothing. Feeling her clothes, Candace knew she was in something different than the club dress she wore earlier. In fact, it felt like the wedding dress she was to wear that evening. Realization hit her. No! She frantically tried to get herself out. It felt like she was in a box of some sort though she felt quite comfortable. The inside was made of what felt like satin and her head rested on a pillow.
"Somebody let me out!" she screamed pounding on the roof of the box. Her breathing increased as she panicked. Candace tried to push the lid open but it didn't move. She was trapped in a small space and though she wasn't claustrophobic, she knew it was not good.
Knowing she wasn't able to escape, Candace stopped screaming and pounding on the box. She knew she was in a casket and it scared her. Where was she that she couldn't lift the lid? Her thoughts soon shifted from escape to the killer and what he asked of her. He wanted to know her secrets but she didn't have any…well ones that he wanted to tell him then and there. She didn't tell him much and it angered him. She did have a secret that she hadn't told anyone: one that might have changed the whole outcome. Candace had only found out days before and she was nervous in telling anyone especially him. She didn't want anyone to think differently of her if she were to reveal that she was pregnant.
Candace shut her eyes tightly thinking about the child that she would probably never hold in her arms. The vision of the killer danced into her mind. Her heart broke at the mere thought of him. It couldn't be him. He loved her just as much as she loved him. But why would he do this to her? Candace shook her head. No. He wouldn't do this to her. He loved her. She knew he did and he was a good man. But…he looked so much like him. Candace closed her eyes to the thought but it kept coming in her dreams. As she lay in the casket, she didn't know what else to do except to wallow in fear of dying alone and the thought of Parker Hawkley putting her in there.
Author's Note:
Thank goodness the glitch was fixed! It pained me to know that you couldn't read the last chapter right away so I waited until it was fixed before I publish this one. I know it's short but it's to the point. I tried to get it longer but it's just the way it happened. I'm sure you guys are itching for the next chapter though! Is it really Parker? More will be revealed in the next chapter and we will be seeing Nancy once again soon. Thank you to everyone who read the previous chapter and to those who left reviews! This has been a crazy week, hasn't it? Kuddos to those who took the time out of their lives to vote on or before Election Day. Like I said before, it doesn't matter to me who you vote for as long as you vote. It's important. We are one of the greatest nations in the world with a unique system of government. I consider us an experiment of sorts and it all depends on how people want to live and where they want to live. People come to this nation for the freedom it entails and we should always remember that freedom ourselves. Have a great weekend and God bless you all.
