Author's Note:

This is an extremely long chapter so I will let you to it. Thanks for reading and God bless!

Chapter Fifteen

"Janice Blake is…dead?" Joe sputtered. He was in shock. Never in the past year did they think that she would show her face again but he didn't expect her to be dead. "Do you have any clues as to who may have killed her?"

"No," Dearing answered grimly. "I'm just as shocked as you are, Mr. Hardy. But there is another reason as to why I'm here. We got an anonymous tip that something was going to happen and it involves your family. Too bad the tip came too late. I only got it this morning which is why I'm just now getting here."

"Okay, so what does this have to do with us?" he asked, folding his arms. "And how do you know about Mr. Drew's safe room? Not very many people do. Dad wanted it that way and so did Mr. Drew."

"As far as I can tell, the only people who were in danger were your brother and his wife," the agent replied. "Well, that is until this moment when your father disappeared with them. As far as the safe room goes, the tipster gave us that information. She said that there was a possibility of us finding information on the Syndicate within those files. Now, where are they?"

Joe thought for a moment, the wheels in his mind turning constantly. It did not make him feel any better knowing that the FBI had an informant stating that his family as in danger. He already knew that in certain respects of how the woman from the airport followed them. But the question was, who was behind it all and why?

"I don't know what else you can find that we already haven't, Agent Dearing," he sighed. "Dad and Frank went through that room with a fine-toothed comb after the whole thing with Janice Blake but especially after you paid Frank and Nancy a visit last year. There was nothing about a syndicate or anything out of the ordinary. Most of the information in that room pertained to locals who did something that may or may not have been illegal at some point."

"At least show us the safe room, Mr. Hardy," the agent growled, obviously getting annoyed. "Maybe a new set of eyes will shed some light on the truth."

Joe glared at him, irritated that the man was so demanding. Sighing, he headed for the stairs. BD and Dearing both followed him silently as he went into the basement. The SAC motioned for two more agents to follow as they descended. When Joe stepped off the bottom step, he suddenly stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. The door to the safe room was wide open, welcoming them.

"Is that supposed to be like that?" BD mumbled. Joe shook his head and walked towards the room. It was clean but they could tell that someone had been searching for something. Several drawers were pulled out slightly and a few pictures on the wall were askew. The only other thing that remained was a note on top of the desk. Joe went over to it and read it aloud:

"D – All the information you need is where you know it is. You just have to know where to look. Good Luck! – C."

"What the hell does that mean?" BD asked looking confused. "And who are 'D' and 'C?'"

"Well, my hunch is that 'C' stands for Carson, meaning Carson Drew," Dearing stated. "But 'D?'"

"'D' is for David," Joe mumbled. The other two men looked at him in wonder.

"David who?" the agent asked.

"David Wainwright," he explained. "He was Carson Drew's best friend and Nancy's godfather. He came by for a visit almost a week ago and was acting strange. At least that's what Frank said. David said a few things that put my brother on edge even while we were investigating the theater. Frank had a hard time focusing because he was so worried. It's why Mom gave him that sedative last night. He needed the sleep and take his mind off of things but this concerns me even more than before. From what I've heard, David Wainwright is almost saint-like. Not one person has yet to say anything bad about him since he reappeared last year. I have never met the guy but Mom boasts how nice and wonderful he is. But what kind of information would Mr. Drew have for him that we didn't already find? I don't remember seeing anything that pertained to him in these files. None of this makes any sense."

Dearing whirled around on the other two agents, giving them a stern look. "I want as much information on this David Wainwright as you can possibly get," he ordered. He turned back to Joe. "What do you mean by him 'reappearing last year?' Was he not around for some reason?"

"I don't know anything as to why he wasn't in the picture," Joe shrugged. "I just know that he wasn't around when Mr. Drew died but Nancy was ecstatic when he stopped in while she was wedding dress shopping with my mom. I never even knew the man existed until someone told me about him. He's done a lot for Nancy and Frank since then but he missed their wedding in December after telling her he'd walk her down the aisle in her father's stead. Dad stepped in at the last minute."

"When did he first arrive?"

"Last January," he shrugged. Then a light came on in his head. "It was the day Janice Blake was released on bail. That's how I remembered it. We were all worried that she would show up while they were shopping. Frank was beside himself the whole time until Mom and Nancy walked into the house hours later…after their lunch with David. We also found out recently that he's actually from River Heights. His real name is David Willoughby but we're not even sure that Nancy knows it. I never really got the chance to ask her and find out."

"Sir," an agent stepped up with a laptop. "We have that information you wanted on David Wainwright. And we found something else."

"What is it?" Dearing asked looking at the laptop.

"We found the vehicle you wanted us to search for," she replied. "It's currently parked at a local airport just outside of town."

"That's River Heights Airport," BD stated looking shocked. "What would they be doing there?"

"Do we know how long it's been parked, Agent Keller?"

"At least an hour, sir," she stated. "We can be there in a few minutes if we leave now."

"No, I want you to stay here," Dearing ordered. "We'll take care of this. I want the files in this room searched again for any information. It has to be here or this note wouldn't have been left." He turned toward BD and Joe. "You two are coming with me. I want to hear more about David Wainwright, anything you possibly have on him but we'll take the laptop with us as well. We'll drop by the hospital on the way back to pick up your mother. That way we have tabs on both of you."

"Do you think that David is the one who was here?" Joe asked following the agent out of the room. He was wondering that himself but there was something else that was bothering him. Frank's car being at the airport was no coincidence.

"I'm beginning to think so," the SAC nodded. "With this note being here, there's proof that someone was in here and I'm leaning towards him."

A few minutes later, the three men were racing through the streets of River Heights in BD's unmarked car. The moment they pulled into the airport, the guards at the gate stopped them.

"Hey, detective," replied one of the guards cheerfully. "What brings you here so late in the afternoon? Looking to make a last minute flight for a fishing trip?"

"Hey, Tom," BD answered with a smile. "No, we're here on official business. Did you happen to see a dark green Ford Explorer go through here recently? Maybe in the last hour or so?"

"Well, yeah," Tom shrugged. "They came through here maybe an hour ago with a couple of other cars, one of which was an ambulance but they all had clearances to get to one of the hangars. A plane took off maybe twenty minutes ago that was from the same hangar. Haven't seen any cars come back out though. Is there something going on that I should know about to notify the tower and security?"

"Oh, not at the moment," the detective smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. "Just let us know if anyone comes out this way while we're searching the hangar."

"Will do, detective," Tom saluted.

"Which hangar?" Dearing demanded showing his badge.

"Uh, the last one, all the way down."

"Thanks, Tom," BD replied. He sped off the moment the gate opened leaving a very confused guard. Driving in between the hangars slowly, the three searched for anything out of the ordinary before arriving at the last hangar. The large bay doors were closed and no cars were visible from the outside.

"I think it's safe to say that the hangar is more than likely empty," Dearing replied pulling out his gun. "But I also think we should be as cautious as we can be. We don't know what was left behind."

The three men walked over to the door and knocked though no one answered after a few minutes. They stepped into the large hangar seeing several cars parked in a row, one of which was an ambulance with its doors hanging open.

"Detective Hawkins," the agent said as they walked over to the vehicles, "you might want to put in an inquiry to see if there's any ambulances missing."

BD nodded and radioed in to dispatch as the other two moved forward. Joe's heart was pounding, eyeing the Explorer sitting only feet away from him. As much as he wanted to find his brother or father, he didn't want to find them dead in the backseat of the SUV. Cautiously, Joe held his gun out and opened the back door revealing nothing but emptiness. Dearing growled, irritated that they hadn't found anything. The agent went to the back of the SUV, opening the hatch. He gasped slightly then asked Joe to come back to him. Joe was worried that the agent had found what he feared but when he got there, there were no bodies but something was left behind. A large pool of blood stained the back area of the SUV and several bloodied towels were scattered about.

"That's a lot of blood," Dearing stated grimly. He glanced over at Joe whose face was white. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I…I think so," he stammered. He sniffled, turning his head away briefly. "Just…just don't tell my mom about this. It would destroy her. Dad's okay though and so is Frank. I know it. Whoever lost this much blood is still alive or they would have left a body behind."

"You're right," the agent nodded. He looked up to see BD jogging toward them. "What did you find out?"

"An ambulance was reported stolen," the detective said breathlessly, "but that's not all of it. It was stolen from River Heights Memorial around the same time Nancy disappeared. The hospital also reported that Dr. Morris is missing. They searched the entire building but found nothing. When they checked the security footage, it showed him leaving in the ambulance with Nancy plus a man and a woman. Neither one match the descriptions of the two found at the house. We're looking at the same kidnapping here. Whoever took your father and brother also took her."

"But who?" Joe wondered.

Frank heard noises around him. He could feel his body starting to wake up, his throat feeling as if someone crushed it. He coughed and felt a hand on his forehead before someone tried to open his eye. Frank swatted the hand away then heard a chuckle.

"You can go check on the others, doctor," replied a calm familiar voice. "I got this."

Frank's eyes finally opened on his own and he saw David Wainwright kneeling next to him with a kind smile on his face.

"Good to see you're okay, Frank," he said. "I was a little worried that there was more damage done."

"What…"Frank's voice rasped surprising him. He tried clearing his voice only to make it worse. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember anything, Frank?"

Frank looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. He was having a hard time getting his mind to function properly. He saw a couch nearby, the back of it facing him. They were in what looked like a warehouse with crates and boxes all around. Frank was sitting on the floor, his back to a wooden crate. Clarity finally came to him and he remembered the intruders in his house. He looked up at David, his eyes pleading.

"Where's Joe? Dad? I need to…"

"You need to sit for a moment and listen," the man said calmly. He gently pushed Frank back down when he tried to move and the young man looked up at him, waiting eagerly. "Joe wasn't home at the time of the attack. He was at the police station dealing with your case at the theater. Apparently, you were given something to help you sleep last night which is why your father stayed behind."

"Well, I have my mother to thank for that…" Frank laughed at the thought then his smile melted. "Dad was at the house though? Is…is he okay?"

David head hung slightly before he answered. He licked his lips then looked directly at Frank. "Yes but unfortunately, I didn't get to him before one of the intruders shot him. I'm sorry. I didn't want any of you to get hurt. Dr. Morris was able to get the bullet out but Fenton lost a lot of blood. It's touch and go for now but I have faith that he's going to be fine."

"Dr. Morris?" He bolted up, glaring at David. Frank grabbed a hold of the man's lapels and pulled him close. "What is he doing here? He should be at the hospital with Nancy!"

"I know," David stated, not fazed one bit by Frank's aggression. "After the flower incident, I knew I had to get her out of there before someone hurt her." He pried Frank's hands off him as the younger man loosened his grip. "Dr. Morris gave Nancy something to help her sleep and with the help of my secretary and a bodyguard, the three were able to get her out of the hospital without anyone knowing. She's fine just sleeping. She's right there if you want to see her."

Before David finished his sentence, Frank was already up and moving toward the couch he had pointed to. He went around the furniture a breathed a sigh of relief. Nancy lay on her side, a couple of pillows propping up her head and a blanket covering the rest of her body. She looked serene and peaceful as her body moved to the rhythm of her breathing. Kneeling next to her, Frank leaned over and kissed her forehead. He looked up when he heard footsteps, seeing David standing above him.

"You know I would never hurt her or let any pain come to her, Frank," David said softly and calmly. "I'm sorry I had to do this but it was the only choice I could think of without getting the police involved. After everything with Janice Blake around here, trust was an issue when it comes to those in charge. I don't know who was corrupted and I really didn't want to take any chances when your lives were at stake."

"Thank you for your concern, David," Frank growled, his anger rising. "But I'm still wondering why you did this in the first place. What is happening that you had to take us away from our family and those we actually do trust?"

"I can explain…"

"Then please do."

"First things first, Frank." David sighed looking down at his goddaughter. He shook his head then walked away, motioning for Frank to follow. A few feet away was a door with a window revealing a large, nearly empty office. Frank was taken aback by what he saw inside and went for the door. David didn't stop him, watching the son rush up to his father who was on a stretcher. Dr. Morris was examining Fenton and looked up as Frank entered the room.

"How is he?" he asked looking at the doctor.

"He's lost a lot of blood," the man answered, his voice full of concern. "We didn't know his blood type so we haven't given him any blood to help him. Other than that, the bullet is gone. It hit near a major artery in his shoulder but we were able to get the bleeding under control. It's a good thing that Mr. Wainwright came along when he did or your father wouldn't have made it before an ambulance got there. I came along to help when I heard."

"Who are you people?" Frank looked from one man to the other. He glanced down at father, wishing he would awaken. He needed advice at the moment and having someone he trusted would have helped. "What is going on?"

"Frank…"David started then stopped quickly. He was trying to get the right words to come out. When he was finally able to speak again, what David said took Frank completely by surprise. "I am president of DW Technologies but I am also…one of the leaders of a criminal empire. Dr. Morris, here, is under my employ. He was sent to River Heights to help protect you and Nancy. I didn't know what was going to happen but I wanted to cover all possibilities."

"Wait, wait, wait," Frank stopped him. His mind was reeling from the information. "I'm not sure I understand completely. How is it that you are the president of your company and also a member of a criminal empire? And what does that have to do with us?"

"Twenty-five years ago, my company was in distress," he stated glumly. "I squandered the money trying to build the best technology money could buy. However the country wasn't ready for what I had in mind. The technology was years away from being perfected and there were too many factors in the company's failure. I was offered a way out but it required that although I was still the face of the company, the control would go to a board of trustees. These people were ruthless and made sure I knew it. I couldn't turn it down but there was one person who remained the voice of reason during that time. He wanted me to turn them down flat and let the company fall apart. I couldn't do that but he insisted. In the end, I gave in but he remained my friend, helping me throughout the years.

"What I didn't know was that he was gathering information to help bring down the organization," he continued. "That was until my wife and daughter were murdered. He told me about the files he had. He was angry with me about the decision I made but what he didn't know was that they were killed to keep my mouth shut. I was going to leave and take everything I knew with me to the FBI but someone found out. They made me another deal and I made one of my own with Carson. He would keep that information until I knew it was time but he would also keep the secret that he helped me from his own daughter. Nancy never knew anything about it and I was hoping she never would but now it's only a matter of time before she finds out. The board is after her, Frank. They want her dead because I know too much though they have no idea about Carson's files."

Frank was speechless. He listened to everything that was said but felt overwhelmed by it all. It shocked him that the man who stood before him had done the things he's done but what shocked him more was that Carson was involved.

"You bastard," replied a soft voice. The three men whirled around to see Nancy standing in the doorway, her face red with anger and wet from tears. David's face went white as she stepped toward him. "I trusted you!"

"Nancy, I…" he started but he didn't get far. Nancy punched him in the face hard, knocking him back into the wall. Frank grabbed a hold of her before she was able to move toward him again.

"Dad would never help you!" Nancy screamed, trying to get away from Frank. "Not like that! Never!"

"Nancy, calm down!" Frank yelled. He was worried she would overwork herself. He nodded at Dr. Morris who came over with a syringe and plunged it into her arm.

"No!" she screamed, her eyes pleading with her husband. Within seconds her struggles ceased and her eyes rolled closed. Frank gently picked her up and was about to carry her out when he stopped in front of David.

"You have more to explain, David," he stated through gritted teeth, "but it needs to be said in front of her. No more secrets. I'm willing to listen because you saved Dad's life but I want the truth and so will she."

"I promise, Frank," David nodded. "I promise."