Chapter Two

Fenton and Joe looked at Hayworth in shock while Frank stared at the table in thought.

"Why hasn't she contacted us?" Joe asked, confused. "I mean, no offense, but why call you?"

"I asked her that myself," the agent replied. "She wanted to call you, believe me, but Nancy had a feeling that you were being monitored. It's the reason why I asked you to come out here instead of seeing you in town. The FBI 'borrowed' the restaurant for a few hours and mostly everyone here is in the Bureau with exception to the manager."

"Why isn't she here, though, meeting with us?" Fenton asked. "Do you even know where she is?"

"I haven't a clue, to be honest," Hayworth said. "All of our correspondences have been over the phone or email. She calls me every night to let me know she's okay. I've spoken with Hannah and she receives calls from her as well. Nancy did mention something about an email. She said she tried sending a message to you, Fenton, but you never responded back."

"Oh, I'm so stupid!" he cried, pulling out his cell phone. He started turning it back on but Hayworth stopped him.

"Don't use that," she said, handing him a tablet. Hayworth looked over at the brothers. "Are your phones off too?"

"No," Joe replied, pulling out his phone. Frank nodded. "You could have told me, Frank!"

"I thought I did!" his brother mumbled.

"Don't use your phone anymore to access that email, Fenton," the agent replied. "You can use this tablet for a little while until everything blows over but I do want it back."

"Dad, what email is she talking about anyway?" Joe asked.

"The security system at Nancy's house is connected to an email account," Frank explained. "The AI in the computer sends out an email with the new passcodes for the safe room every few weeks. I didn't know you could send regular emails to it though. Nancy must be able to access it somehow and Dad has the password to get into the account since the files are his now."

"Okay, so is there anything there, Dad?" Joe asked, watching Fenton as he read something on the tablet. His father sighed then leaned back, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, there is," he finally said, looking at his sons. "She sent two emails. One was sent several weeks ago, right after CJ was born and the other was just a few days ago. The first one was clearly asking for help. She mentioned the message she left for you, Frank, and that she was heading back to the States. Nancy didn't know where to go from there and when I didn't respond, it seems she went to Hayworth instead. I feel awful. I haven't checked that email in weeks because I didn't know when I would be back in Chicago again. Besides, with everything going on, I disregarded my duties. I'm letting Carson down again. If I had checked it, we would know where she is right now."

"You can't beat yourself up like this," Hayworth replied with a shake of her head. "She's safe for now and that's what matters. You may not know where she is but at least you know she's close. What did the other email say?"

"She suspects someone in the office is getting information from us, just like you said," Fenton stated though he looked confused. "The only thing is that she doesn't know is who it is."

"How does she even know though?" Joe looked at the others, the same question running through their minds too. Frank took the tablet and scanned it, Joe leaning over shoulder.

"She doesn't say how she knows or where she got the information from," Frank replied a few minutes later. He paused, deep in thought while the others stared at him. He chuckled then shook his head, dismissing the idea that popped in.

"What are you thinking there, Frank?" Fenton asked curiously.

"It's nothing, Dad," Frank waved it off dismissively. "Just a thought."

"You were thinking of something though," his father pressed. "No idea is nothing at the moment."

"Well…you don't think…nah, it's stupid." Frank shook his head with a laugh. "She wouldn't be that bold."

"What?" his brother asked confused.

"Okay, think about it," Frank replied. "Nancy disappears a few weeks ago. We know she's here and from the sound of it, she's here in New York. But what if she was even closer? Like, really close. As in, in the same building close. What if she was hired by us recently and we didn't even know it?"

"That's pretty far-fetched, Frank," Fenton replied though he thought about it himself.

"Yeah, it is," Joe concurred. "I only met them once but not one of those women could be Nancy and I highly doubt she's dressed up as a guy. Besides, they're all…"

"Crazy?" Frank laughed. "You're right. Those three women are the epitome of crazy. Still…"

"Say she is in our building," Fenton began, looking at Frank but addressing them both, "you can just go looking for her without raising suspicion, especially if we have a mole within our midst. I don't want either you letting on that we think that way. I also don't want either of you looking for her, is that clear? I especially don't want either of you discussing this conversation around the office, even to Sam. He's the only one we can trust at the moment. If word got out that you even thought that Nancy was in our office, those three would be in danger. What if it's not the case? You could inadvertently kill one of them over a rumor. Do you want to have that on your conscience?"

The two brothers nodded in agreement. They knew the consequences of even the slightest slip-up.

"I could quietly do another background check on your new people," Hayworth suggested. "No one knows you're here with me and I could look into them more thoroughly. No one would suspect another background check if they don't know that I'm helping you."

"You won't let anyone know that you're doing them again?" Fenton asked. "The less people know, the better."

"I'll be the only one. It will take a couple of days though. Maybe by the end of the week."

"Until then," Fenton sighed, "I guess we just have to keep this to ourselves and hope for the best."

"That'll be interesting," Joe mumbled. "I was wondering though, Dad. Why did you hire so many people? If we're in so much trouble, why bother?"

"Because I felt that we needed extra eyes out there," Fenton stated. "Besides, I really didn't have a choice with the receptionist and one of them was already hired before you even left."

"Sam said that Jessica had a family emergency," Joe replied.

"That's what I told everyone," Fenton said grimly. "Jessica didn't show up one day and when I went over to check on her, her house was torn apart. I asked Chief Collig to keep it on the low because I didn't want to worry anyone and I told everyone at the office that she had a family emergency. If someone were to have looked into though, they would have found that she had no family to speak of. Jessica just disappeared. I have been looking into it discretely along with Collig."

"And you didn't think to involve us?" Frank asked. "I mean, Jessica has been with us for years and is almost like family. Don't you think we would want to know if she vanished without a trace?"

"And I thought my family was bad," Hayworth joked, rolling her eyes. "You guys keep more secrets than the Pentagon."

"I know we do but it's a choice we make in order to protect our family," Fenton replied, looking at Frank. "Replacing Jessica was that the hardest thing I had to do but I didn't have a choice in the matter. I happened to bump into Miranda at the gas station a few weeks ago. She was new in town and was lost trying to get back to her hotel. She mentioned she needed a job and I felt bad for her so I hired her on the spot. Well, after a small background check, of course. She may not look it but she can do the job she was hired to do. Only thing is that business has slowed down and I don't know why. As for Xander, he was already hired before you left, Joe. Stacy and Wendy, well, they came a little later. We were still backed up a bit with cases when Stacy came along and I hired her thinking she could help while Joe was gone. She came from another agency and had a knack for finding information or just finding people."

"That's what Sam said, too," Joe pointed out. "She has a specialty in getting cheaters. Stacy must have a very colorful lifestyle, if you ask me."

"Yes, I have been giving them to her as they come in," his father nodded. "I don't want to get rid of her either. She's too good at what she does."

"But she's a bitch, Dad," Frank stated. The others at the table looked at him in shock. "What? She is."

"I know she is," Fenton laughed. "It's just funny coming from you since you have a tendency of seeing the good in everyone."

"Yeah, well, she rubbed the wrong way," he muttered.

"I'm sure she did," Fenton chuckled.

"What about Wendy, though?" Joe asked. "She seems nice…I think."

"Yes, Wendy," Fenton shook his head. "Someone who I avoid as much as possible."

"Why?"

"Her eyes are creepy," he shuddered. "They almost seem fake when she's staring at you, the deep set that she has. But the evidence room is more secure now than it has ever been."

"And clean," Joe piped in.

"Organized," Frank nodded.

"Does that help you understand why those four were hired, Joe?"

"Yeah, a little. I'm not going to lose my job because of Stacy though, am I?" Joe asked quietly.

Fenton and Frank looked at each other then burst out laughing. Even Hayworth though it was funny. "Stacy may be good," his father snickered, "but not that good."

"So, I don't have to worry?"

"No."

Joe blew out a sigh of relief.

"There is one other thing that I needed to talk to you about," Hayworth replied, her tone changing to business. The Hardys turned to her with their full attention. "Do you remember Ken Harrison?"

"Well, yeah," Frank said, confused. "He owns Mount Mirage. The only reason why I remember him is because of the whole thing with Jack Treyford. Why?"

"He's dead," the agent said grimly.

"What!" cried the three Hardys.

"He was found yesterday morning on the ski lift," she explained. "The local authorities are ruling it a suicide for now though the FBI is taking over the investigation since we found out about Jack Treyford's escape. The US Marshalls have also gotten involved."

"Why was it deemed a suicide though?" Joe asked. "If he was doing well, why would he kill himself?"

"There was a large amount of fentanyl in his system," she explained, looking over at him, "enough to kill him before the ski lift even stopped. The local authorities assumed it was suicide as there was no evidence of foul play in their minds."

"No foul play?" Frank cried. "He was on a ski lift during the off season! You don't get up there unless someone puts you there. Plus if there was that much fentanyl in him, he wouldn't be able to move let alone turn on a ski lift. I've met some stupid people out there but this one takes the cake."

"I know," she said, shaking her head. "It's a small town with little problems. They don't want that kind of information to get out before the season starts back up again. You know how it goes. If people get whiff of a murder, they stay away thinking it will happen to them and the town and resort will lose money."

"Are you going out there to help with the investigation?" Fenton asked.

"Not at the moment," Hayworth replied with a sigh. "I may have to in the end but I'm trying to stay around here to help you and Nancy, wherever she may be. If they need me though, I may have to leave at the drop of a hat. I'll keep you posted on it though."

"So, now what?" Joe asked. "We go back to the office and act as if nothing is going on?"

"We're going to have to, Joe," Fenton said sadly. "As I said before, we don't want to let anyone know what we discussed here. You need to make sure you do what needs to be done."

"And what about Nancy?" Frank asked. "She's still out there."

"And she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself," Fenton reminded him. "She does have her own training, you know that. If she happens to need help, she'll let us know. Who knows, though. She may come to our aid when we need it most. Just keep your eyes and ears open and please don't forget about the possibility of the office and our homes being bugged."

"I don't like this, Dad," Frank shook his head as they gathered up to leave.

"Neither do I, son. Neither do I."

Jack Treyford threw his cell phone across the room, shattering it against the wall. The phone call from his informant wasn't what he expected and he was angry at what they said. The Hardy brothers left the office together but no one was there to follow them. The informant called to give a status update including the news of their departure. With Joe Hardy finally returning from leave, Jack wanted to finish the game once and for all. He was concerned though about the brothers leaving without a real notice and that their father still had not arrived at the office for the day.

"What's going on?" asked Ned. He was playing pool nearby with three other men whom they hired.

"They left the building and no one was there to tail them!" Jack yelled, throwing a glass paperweight at him. It shattered against the wall, seconds after Ned ducked to avoid it. "I want someone there at all times to make sure nothing like this happens again! Take turns if you have to! We have eyes and ears inside that building for a reason and but we have nothing for when they leave!"

"Do you think they found Nancy?" Ned asked calmly, putting a pool cue down and walking toward Jack.

"How would we know if someone wasn't there, Ned?" he screamed. "What the hell did I hire you guys for if you're just going to stand around and play pool all day? Get your asses out there and find them!"

The three men at the pool table quickly scrambled out of the room. Ned plopped down in the loveseat and shook his head with a laugh.

"You're not off the hook, Nickerson!" growled Jack, glaring at him.

"You know I can't go anywhere near the Hardys at the moment!" he cried, standing back up. "Nor do I want to either! Just looking at Frank makes me want to kill him. But I want Nancy to watch. That's my payback to her. You told me they were mine in the end!"

"And you will get your chance when we find her!" Jack yelled. "You know as well as I do that the only thing keeping me from burning down that damn building is her. We need all three of them for this to work. Since Joe is back though, we can set in motion a plan to draw her out."

"So you now believe me that she's here?"

"Yes, yes," he rolled his eyes, annoyed. "From what I've gathered, there's no other place she could be. We know she's not in Chicago since she calls her housekeeper daily."

"Mr. Treyford!" cried a scrawny man rushing into the room, interrupting their conversation. He was carrying a laptop and placed it on the coffee table. "I think I got something from the last phone call."

"Speaking of which," Jack smiled then turned his attention to the man. "What is it, Mason?"

The man opened up an audio file and pushed play. Nancy's voice soon came through the speaker though Mason used the computer's audio sound board to drop her voice and bring the background noise forward. "This is from last night, Mr. Treyford. She wasn't on for long but I know we got something," he said excitedly. He waited a few seconds more before he said anything. "Did you hear it?"

"No, was I supposed to?" Jack asked annoyed. Ned leaned in to listen as well.

Mason scrolled back and replayed the sequence only louder. Cars could be heard going by, fading into the distance and then a distinct voice came through as if from a TV or radio.

"In other news today, Bayport PD is looking for information on a string of…"

Treyford laughed and clapped his hands. She screwed up and he knew it. "This is excellent, Mason!" he cried. "I believe, Ned, that you are correct in saying that Nancy would come here. Now the question is, where is she hiding?"

"This town is just like River Heights," Ned said. He was ecstatic to hear her voice once again because it was only a matter of time before they find her. "It's small and there are not many places where one can hide without being conspicuous."

"Maybe she's hiding in plain sight," suggested Mason, looking hopeful. He cringed slightly when the two larger men stared at him blankly then looked at each other. Where else could she be?

Nancy stood in the shadows of the building where she was staying, a small camera in her hand. She knew it was dangerous to be outside but after speaking with Agent Hayworth that evening, Nancy felt she needed some fresh air. The agent told her of the conversation between her and the Hardys earlier in the day. They had their theories, as did Hayworth, as to where Nancy was but none of them realized just how close she really was.

Across the street from where she stood was the Hardy Investigations building, nearly all the lights off for the evening except one. People walked up and down the sidewalk, going in and out of the shops and restaurants on the strip in the waning evening hours. Nancy sighed, looking up at the building across from her. The one light that shone was on the second floor, an office she knew well. Every day, she watched Frank come and go from the office and every day, she fought the urge to abandon all just to be with him. Her heart ached knowing that she was feet away and she couldn't say a word to him. But she knew doing so would not only put Frank's life in danger but that of his entire family and even herself.

She could see him sitting at his desk, running his fingers through his hair as if he were frustrated. Nancy could tell he was worried and she knew it was about her. She watched the light shut off and a few minutes later, Frank was at the main door, locking up. Joe and Fenton had already left an hour before.

Frank checked his phone before slipping it into his back pocket and walked to his SUV parked along the street. Nancy watched as he looked around before getting into the car. When he pulled out onto the road, another vehicle followed close behind, a large man at the wheel. Nancy quickly took a photo of the man with her camera before he got too far. Checking the print on the screen, the man had a distinct tattoo on his neck, one that would easily identify him. She was thankful that she spent a little extra money on a camera that could take pictures of moving objects as the picture was crisp and clear.

Knowing that Frank had gone home, Nancy headed back up to her room via that back door which she had propped open earlier. When she locked her door, she got out the camera and hooked it up to the laptop that was open on the desk. The upload of the photos she took was a matter of seconds and soon she had a message sent to an email. Fenton had finally contacted her through their mutual email account and was sending the information back to him so that he knew what was going on. After their visit with Agent Hayworth today, Nancy was sure that there would be a tail on them from now on. The people following them though just made things a whole lot more complicated.

Author's Note:

I'm sure you didn't expect me to have yet another chapter for you this week, did you? Well, neither did I. Lol. Once the story starts, it doesn't want to stop. Anyway, thank you so much for the lovely reviews for the first chapter and although this chapter was rather long, I have some things to say.

To Candylou: I hope this chapter explained a few of your questions and if it didn't, a future chapter probably will!

To Smithy: Don't think such things! You never know what will happen!

To max2013: Yes, the newbies are horrible but they were so much fun to write!

To Drumboy100: Yes, I did mention in a previous story that I write chapter by chapter without an outline. Just an idea and where I want to go. This story in particular was devised way before I even finished Buried. In fact, Buried was meant to be a stand alone story with an ending but I thought up a new plan and thus it became the Revelations Trilogy. I always had in mind to kill off Carson (sorry!) because it brought about what was going to happen in this story. It's funny though. I have a specific idea in my head and want to write it but I can't get to that point until I write what happens before bringing about some major writer's block. Phew! That was a long explanation! Plus sometimes, as I'm going along, the story actually changes including the ending (Past Trangressions is a prime example). I have actually thought of about three or four different endings to this story alone but I think I have in mind where I'm going now.

To Rose12 and ErinJordan: I'm so glad you like it so far!

Okay, now I'm going. You all have a wonderful and blessed weekend! I know my weekend will be good. Seeing Captain Marvel with the hubby and yes, I'm HUGE MCU fan (End Game is in 19 days! OMG!)! So, until next week, later.