Chapter Twenty-Five
"Oh, I'm so glad you're all okay!" cried Laura hugging Nancy tight. "I'm especially glad that baby decided to stay put! How are you feeling, dear?"
"Never felt better in my life," she smiled. "I guess I just needed the time to calm down."
"But I still want you on bed rest," Henry piped in. "You may feel fine but you don't know what will happen in a week or so."
The family was standing in the middle of the warehouse, the lights shining bright above them as the power had been restored moments before. Dearing stood nearby speaking with a few other agents, giving the Hardys a chance to reconnect with each other.
"Somehow I don't think that Nancy will stay in bed for the next few weeks," Joe snickered. "She's too wired in my opinion…among other things." He ducked as Nancy swiped at him but was knocked in the back of the head by Frank. "Geez! You can't take a joke!"
"No!" the couple shouted together. Frank snaked his arm around Nancy's waist, bringing her closer to him.
"Knock it off," Fenton replied sternly though he seemed amused at the playfulness between the three. "What I want to know is how you guys knew we were here?"
"Well, remember Aaron?" Laura sighed. She explained the events leading up to them being lured to the warehouse by Aaron/Adam.
"His real name is Adam?" Nancy asked surprised. "And David knew him."
"Yes," her mother-in-law nodded grimly. "If we hadn't figured out that he wasn't who he said he was, there's no telling what would have happened."
"Hey, I figured it out that he was no good," Joe interrupted. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have called Dearing, Mom, and Tom wouldn't have known to call BD."
"Yes, yes, you're the genius, Joe," his mother rolled her eyes. "Mr. Vittorio was the one who told us about the room but Joe found it just before the lights went out."
"Yeah, how did that happen anyway?" BD asked. He was off to the side speaking with his father but was curious about the incident.
At the question, Dearing came up to the group, interested in hearing about the topic. Nancy, Fenton, and Henry turned as one to face Frank who looked a little embarrassed.
"That was me," he slowly raised his hand. "I got a little frustrated."
"Frustrated?" Fenton laughed. "You ripped the wires from the wall and plunged them back in! It's a miracle you didn't electrocute yourself!"
"It was a hunch, okay?"
"A hunch?" Dearing asked intrigued.
"Uh huh," Frank shrugged. "You ever see 'Die Hard?' The electromagnetic lock opened when the power went out so I thought it would work here too."
"You took a chance because of a movie?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Yeah, after nearly frying his fingers," Henry stated.
"And cursing out loud," Nancy laughed. "Don't forget that."
"Hey! I knew what I was doing!" Frank cried. He looked down at his fingers which were blackened from the wires he pulled out. "It was the only thing I could think of since the original idea was to try to open the door like hot wiring a car. Obviously that didn't work."
"Oh, is that why you're hair is sticking up?" Joe laughed. He patted the tips of Frank's dark hair that were indeed sticking up. Frank batted his hand away and ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it down.
"Shut up, Joe."
"Stop it, you two," Laura beamed, placing her hand on her oldest son's shoulder. "I don't care how that door was opened, as long as you are all okay, that's what I care about the most."
"And here I thought you knew how to open the door," Anthony Vittorio piped in, shaking his head. He turned to Fenton as he stepped forward. "Your family seems to be quite close, Mr. Hardy. You're a very lucky man."
"I can't believe I'm saying this but thank you, Mr. Vittorio," Fenton replied with a nod. "But why am I not surprised that you're the one David Wainwright made a deal with?"
"I'm that predictable," he laughed.
"I still can't believe that I haven't arrested you yet," Dearing muttered.
"I'm cooperating, remember?" the mob boss smiled.
"So, you made the deal with David?" Nancy asked curiously. "Why?"
"It was an idea I thought would work," he shrugged. "What I didn't realize was that I destroyed David's own life in the process. I had a change of heart several years ago after a health scare. I stepped down though I still sat in on board meetings to listen in. My son is the reason why all of this happened. My youngest son though made me see what he saw years before: that the family 'business' wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. I just wish I had seen it then instead of now. Honestly, I really liked being a part of David's company. The technology was in demand and we were making millions off of the sales alone. But again, greed got the better of us and we continued to do our 'other' business behind the scenes. I regret making the deal with David since it virtually destroyed his family and nearly destroyed this one. I always admired you, Fenton Hardy, after you stood up to some of my men who tried to bribe you all those years ago. You have integrity and honesty and I see that in your own sons. It's why it breaks my heart knowing that it was my oldest son who did this. I thought I taught him better. Please accept my humblest apologies for all of this. I am truly sorry."
The Hardys looked at one another not knowing how to react to the apology. Although Laura and Joe witnessed firsthand that the man was trying to be good they still were slightly leery of the mob boss and his true intentions.
"Apology accepted, Mr. Vittorio," Nancy suddenly stated, looking directly at the man. Even Frank was a little stunned at how quick she was to say something. "My father was always a good judge of character. You seem like an honorable man and what you did for us just now could possibly make up for the ignorance of allowing your son to overrun your family 'business,' as you call it. However I cannot in good conscience say that I would want you anywhere near us ever again because I do not trust a man who spent his life building a criminal empire which in turn tried to kill us."
"I respect that and I am not surprised coming from you," Anthony nodded sadly. "I wanted to make sure that you all were okay for I feel responsible for what happened. I should never have trusted Jackson to maintain the dignity of the family and to continue on responsibly. But then again, if I hadn't, I never would have found Benedict. He was always my angel and I should have trusted my instincts about Jackson. I should have been done with the family business years ago like I wanted to. I actually enjoyed learning and hearing about David's ideas and the technology he had in mind. It felt like I was a part of a legitimate business for once in my life."
"I still can't believe that BD is your son," Frank shook his head. He looked over at his friend who averted his eyes. "You kept David in on the loop, didn't you? You told him what was going on."
"Yes," the detective nodded. "He asked me to after what happened with Janice Blake. When everything started going haywire a few days ago, I kept a closer eye on you and Nancy. But I didn't know the details as to what David had planned and I didn't know where you were the whole time you were gone either. I just kept him updated on certain things so that he knew what to expect. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you but then again, why would I? I was trying to lay low away from my family and I didn't want you to think differently of me if you were to know who they really were."
"I…I think I remember when you came here," Nancy replied. "You aren't that much older than me, maybe seven or eight years but Dad was pretty adamant about me not being in the same room as you at first. He never really said why but now I understand."
"So, you're not mad at me?"
"Why would we be?" she shrugged. "You've been a loyal friend for a long time and Dad trusted you. Does Chief McGinnis know?"
"Yes, he does," BD nodded. "Before I got onto the force, Carson and I both sat down and told him. The Chief appreciated the honesty and hired me immediately on a probationary status that expired a week later…when I saved his life. The only thing I didn't tell him was my recent association with David Wainwright. I'm never going to hear the end of it once he finds out either."
"I think we can convince him otherwise," laughed Fenton.
"I can put in a good word for you too, Detective," growled Agent Dearing. He turned toward Anthony. "Now that you've gotten that off your chest, it's time for us to have a chat, Anthony."
"Anything I can do to help, Carl," the mob boss nodded.
"What about David?" Nancy asked, stopping the agent. "What's going to happen to him and the people who work for him?"
"Ah, yes, that," he said cautiously. "When he recovers from his gunshot wound, Mr. Wainwright will be given the same courtesy as Mr. Vittorio as long as he's willing to help with the information that we need. I haven't heard anything about him since the ambulance left but I'm sure that he's in surgery by now. We found several of his bodyguards but there were no survivors."
"What about Bethany though?" Frank asked. "She wasn't here when you got here?"
"No, we didn't find any women," Dearing stated. "Who is she?"
"She's David's personal secretary," Henry answered. "She's the reason you're here. David had her call you about the files that Carson Drew collected on David's company. At least that is what we all heard."
"She's the informant?" The agent looked confused. "I don't get it. Why would Wainwright want us to find the files that might incriminate him?"
"I told you David was innocent in everything we did through his company," Anthony replied. "The only thing he more than likely did was kill Janice Blake, not that she will be missed. I would have done the same thing if I were in his shoes."
"But he didn't kill Janice Blake," Nancy said.
"We heard that Davis was the one who did that," Frank admitted. "But David ordered it. Bethany would probably attest to it, if you can find her. I just don't understand why she's not here."
"I can put out a BOLO on her," BD shrugged, "but without a real photo, it will be hard to find her. I'm sure she's probably long gone by now too."
"She'll pop up when she wants to be found," Anthony added. "Her loyalty was always with David."
"Wait, I got a phone call from a woman late last night," Joe piped up. "Do you know if it was her, Frank?"
"How would we know?" his brother shrugged. "We went into that room yesterday afternoon, I think. Thanks to Henry, I didn't really know the time."
"I said I was sorry!" Henry cried.
"I know," Frank smirked, clapping a hand on the man's arm. "I was just giving you a hard time."
"Okay, now I'm really confused," Joe shook his head.
"You and me both," muttered Fenton.
"Enough!" Dearing exclaimed annoyed. He massaged the bridge of his nose. "This woman is bound to be found. We'll keep an eye out but if you happen to hear from her or see her, let us know. I probably won't detain her but I do need a statement. But right now, all of you are free to go. Just go. I don't care anymore. After this night, I think it'll be good for you to get a good night's rest. We have your statements but if we need more information, we know where you'll be. Just stay put though. I don't really want to go searching all over kingdom come to find any of you."
"Yes, sir!" saluted Joe.
Dearing glared at him before turning. "I'm getting too old for this shit," he grumbled, walking away with Anthony Vittorio and BD.
"Okay, so now what?" Joe asked looking around the group. "It's nearly nine."
"Well, I don't know about any of you but I'm hungry," Nancy announced.
"That's music to my ears," he grinned.
"Then let's get something to eat!" cried Fenton happily.
"Uh, I don't think so, mister," Laura stopped him, her hands on her hips. She pointed to the paramedics who were walking toward them.
"Laura!" he whined. "Do I have to?"
"Yes!" the others all said together.
"Geez, tough crowd," Fenton muttered.
"We discussed this when we were in the room together, Fenton," Henry replied calmly. "You can go quietly or I will have them strap you down."
"Oh, please do that!" begged Joe. "That would just make my day!"
"At this point in time, Joe," his father said sternly, "I would take your brother's advice and be quiet." He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go."
He grumbled as he and Laura walked away with the paramedics leaving the brothers, Henry, and Nancy behind. Frank looked at his wife and waited, his arms folded in front of him.
"What?" she asked when she noticed him staring at her.
"You should go too."
"Nope, I'm fine."
"Yeah, I'm going to walk away from this one," Joe stated pointing toward his parents.
"I want you to go," Frank said softly once his brother was gone.
"He's right, Nancy," Henry nodded. "And if they let you go home, then so be it. Just humor us, please."
"Fine," she conceded then pointed a finger in Frank's face. "But you owe me for this one, Frank. And I'm not riding in an ambulance."
"Um, how are we getting out of here anyway?" he asked looking around the warehouse.
Nearly noon the next day, Frank and Joe were in the kitchen of the house eating breakfast. Laura was still at the hospital with Fenton after he was admitted to ensure his wound was healing properly. Nancy was still in bed after a late night at the hospital. The doctors found nothing wrong with her or the baby so they released her in the wee hours of the morning. Frank was just about to pour himself another cup of coffee when Hannah opened the back door, her face red with fury.
"Where's Nancy?" she demanded in a huff.
"Good morning to you too, Hannah," Joe rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Joe," her face softened a little. She hugged both young men, lingering longer with Frank. "I'm so glad you're okay but I'm serious. Where's Nancy?"
"I'm right here," Nancy replied from the stairs. She looked curiously at her longtime friend. "Is everything all right?"
"No, it's not," she answered. "The board is meeting now. They already made the decision to sell and they're signing the paperwork as we speak."
"What? I…I thought they couldn't do that without me!"
"Well, they did and we need to go now," Hannah said urgently. She took Nancy's hand and guided her the rest of the way down the stairs. "Are you up for a battle?"
"Yes," Nancy nodded firmly. She looked at Frank who nodded as well.
Twenty minutes later the four pulled into the parking lot of the theater where several cars dotted the lot. They were prepared for anything as they walked into the lobby but nothing like the screaming match they heard from inside the auditorium.
"Why do we have to do this in front of everyone?" yelled a man's voice.
"Because they need to hear why you tried to sell them out, Holliday!" screamed Joanna Stein. Nancy and Hannah led the way, stepping into the auditorium to see the front rows filled with cast and crew while in the orchestra area stood the members of the board of regents. Martin Shannon stood off to the side, watching and waiting for the announcement to be made.
"I didn't sell them out, you crazy old bat!" Holliday retorted back. "I was only doing it in the best interest of this theater! The mayor wanted this place to be out of the town's hands and I found the buyer for it! All you had to do was agree to it and now you're saying you're taking the new offer from someone we haven't even met yet? Come on, Joanna! How do you know that he won't bulldoze this building?"
"Oh, you mean like Martin Shannon's client, Benjamin Straus?" she asked angrily, her hands on her hips. "The man is notorious for destroying buildings like this and putting in strip malls! How much is he paying you to ensure this sale, Holliday?"
"That's none of your business, Joanna!" he snapped. "And what does that have to do with anything?"
"It has everything to do with this!" yelled Nancy as she stormed down the aisle. Holliday's face went white at the sight of the angry pregnant woman coming toward him. "You made a deal with Benjamin Straus? How could you, Mr. Holliday?"
"As if you even care, Ms. Drew," sneered the man. "You haven't set foot in this building since your father died nor have you even thought about us until you heard the theater was in danger of closing. Your father begged me to take his place should something happen to him because he knew you wouldn't take up the mantel. He knew years ago…"
Holliday had no time to stop as Nancy punched him in the face, knocking him back. The man grabbed his nose as it bled abundantly all over his white shirt. Joe snickered though Frank's eyes were wide with shock at what she did.
"You…you broke my nose!" he whined.
"I'll break something else if you don't get the hell out of here, you pompous, arrogant bastard!" she cried, her eyes flaring. "Dad never would have asked you to be a part of this board! Never! And I know I didn't have any interest in this place and that was my fault, something I intend to remedy here and now."
Suddenly the doors in the back of the auditorium opened and Detective Hawkins and several officers walked in. From the look on their faces, the group was there on business.
"Detective Hawkins," nodded Joanna taking the attention away from what was going on between Nancy and Holliday. "What brings you here?"
"Business that needs attending to, Mrs. Stein," BD answered with a smirk. He looked over at Holliday and cocked his head just a bit. The man's face went white with fear though it could have been from the broken nose he held between his fingers. "You know what's coming, right, Mr. Holliday?"
"I…I don't know what you mean, Detective," he stammered, his voice nasally.
"Well, let me enlighten you," the detective smiled broadly. "A little birdie decided to finally tell me what you did, Mr. Holliday. He said that both you and Mr. Straus offered him a lucrative deal for a show on Broadway in exchange for sabotaging the theater to ensure its sale to Straus. We just arrested your boss not long ago. My little birdie even said that you went so far as to show him how to fiddle with the furnace to make it look like an accident. An accident that almost killed five people. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Sweat poured down the man's face as he stepped back. He looked around at the others in the group, no one saying a word. Before anyone could stop him, Holliday bolted but Frank and Joe were on top of him in a matter of seconds. As the three walked slowly back to where BD and the others were standing, Holliday looked at Martin Shannon for help. The lawyer glared at him and shook his head.
"It was his idea!" Holliday suddenly yelled, pointing to Shannon. He tried to move toward the lawyer but the brothers had a good hold on him.
"That's absurd!" cried Shannon, taking a step back. "I didn't even know what was going on until now!"
"He's lying!" the man screamed, struggling with the Hardys. Blood continued to spurt out of his broken nose as he cried out in rage.
"Detective Hawkins," Shannon said solemnly, "I honestly had nothing to do with this. I may not be the greatest lawyer but I don't engage in criminal activity like my clients do."
"I know, Mr. Shannon," BD nodded. "Jared said you had nothing to do with the sabotage."
"Hey, can I get that part about you not being the greatest lawyer in writing?" Joe quipped. Shannon glared at him and the young Hardy brother laughed as he handed Holliday to the officers.
"You might want to reconsider you association with Straus, Mr. Shannon," Nancy smiled softly. "Or any of your clients for that matter."
"I know, Nancy," the lawyer nodded. He looked down at his hands. She could tell he was struggling with something. "Um, I…I really do miss him, just so know." Shannon stopped, biting back tears then walked away, following the officers and Holliday. BD stayed behind.
"I'm surprised at you, Frank," Joe nudged his brother once the scene died down.
"Why's that?"
"Because you didn't go after Holliday for what he did," the younger Hardy smiled. "Dad's gonna be proud of you."
"Thanks, Joe," he shrugged. Frank looked at Nancy. "I know you enjoyed that one."
"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "He was itching for it."
"I'm not even going to ask how Holliday got a broken nose," BD rolled his eyes. The Hardys laughed just as the door to the auditorium opened once more.
"Ah, there you are!" cried Joanna, rushing up to greet the newcomers. "We've been waiting for you to come and sign the papers."
Nancy, Frank, and Joe all turned toward Joanna and the ones who just entered, eager to see the new owners. When they saw who it was, their mouths dropped open in surprise.
"Bethany?" Frank and Nancy cried out. The woman smiled as she walked toward them, a man and a bodyguard close behind her.
"You know her?" Joanna asked. Joe looked at them in shock.
"Of course we do!" smiled Nancy. She hugged the woman close then stepped back. "I'm just surprised to see her here. What are you doing here, Bethany?"
"David sent me," she smiled. "He wanted to ensure that the sale went through without a hitch."
"Wait, David's the buyer?"
"Yes," Bethany nodded. She opened the briefcase and pulled out a large envelope before handing it to Joanna. "Everything is signed and ready to go, Mrs. Stein. Mr. Wainwright sends his apologies that he couldn't be here in person."
"David's okay?" Nancy asked holding back tears. "He's going to be all right?"
"He is, sweetheart," the woman nodded. "He woke up about an hour ago after I spoke with an Agent Dearing. The doctors are very optimistic about his recovery. And Agent Dearing is going to release David without any charges. Anthony Vittorio made a deal with the FBI to ensure David's immunity from prosecution, even with the killing of Janice Blake. David's going to start over but he wanted to give you one last thing."
"He doesn't need to give us anything more, Bethany," Frank stated shaking his head. "Whatever it is, he can take it back."
"I highly doubt that either of you will give this gift back, although he would like to have his island again, if you don't mind," Bethany smiled. "That's where we're going next once all of the paperwork is complete and we're free to go. What he wants to give you is something else."
"What is it?" Nancy asked confused.
The secretary continued to smile as she handed another envelope to her and waited patiently as Nancy opened and read what was inside. She gasped as she read with Frank looking over her shoulder.
"He's kidding, right?" she asked looking up.
"No," Bethany shook her head. "You'll see that all of the proper places are signed and dated. The only thing that's left is your signature and it's all yours. There's also a few other things that you are to have to help you along the way. As long as you would like to have them, of course."
Nancy and Frank exchanged glances. Neither one of them knew what to say but they did know what to do. Nancy took a pen from Bethany and signed where she needed to sign then handed the pen to Frank for him to sign as well. Once they were done, they handed the paper back to her.
"What just happened?" Joanna asked confused. She looked from one person to the next though no one elaborated right away.
"That's what we'd all like to know," Joe stated, folding his arms in front of him.
Bethany handed the paperwork to the man who nodded. Then she turned to Joanna and smiled. "My business is done here," she announced. "If have any more questions, ask the new owners."
"Who's that though?" Joanna inquired as she watched the three leave without a word. The older woman turned toward Nancy and Frank. "What is she talking about?"
"Let's just say, Joanna," Nancy smiled, "that you're never going to have to worry about the theater closing ever again."
"No way!" Joe cried out excitedly. He clapped his hand on his brother's back as the rest of the group realized what just transpired.
Loud cheers echoed throughout the auditorium as Frank wrapped his arms around Nancy. He looked down at her and smiled. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked over the loud cheers around them.
"Absolutely," she nodded. Nancy gave him a knowing look. She leaned in and whispered into his ear one last thing: "You owe me."
Author's Note:
Well, the last chapter have arrived with only the epilogue to go. I'm so glad that all of you took this journey with me. It has been fun. I must say that so tears did come to my eyes as I wrote a few things in this chapter including Martin Shannon's mention of missing Carson. I have no idea why but I cried. Please stick around for one more part of the story which you know what's coming...at least I hope you do. I am hoping to have the epilogue out within the next week. Thank you so much for the support and the reviews and for continuing to read the story as went through their lives. Sadly, we are saying goodbye to this series. There will not be another story in this AU but there are a few others rolling through my mind at the moment. When those stories come out, I cannot say. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave your mark so that I know you were here. Have a wonderful rest of the week and God bless.