Chapter Seven

The moment he walked into his apartment, Frank's cell phone rang off. He didn't really feel like talking to his dad or Joe but when he noticed that it was neither of them, he answered.

"Hi, Frank," replied the soft voice of Callie Shaw.

"Callie?" he sounded surprised. He threw his keys onto the counter and locked his apartment door. "How are you?"

"I…I needed to call you," she stammered. She sounded nervous but scared at the same time making Frank a little uneasy as to why she was calling.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I wanted to let you know that I was back in town," Callie replied.

"You don't sound happy, Callie," Frank said calmly. "Tell me what's going on."

Callie sighed then sniffled, another warning to Frank that something was wrong. "I came by the office not long ago," she said. "I wanted to see you just to let you know I was back. But the lights were out and no one was there. I looked around to see if you were still there and that's when I saw him. Well, at least I think I saw him."

"Saw who?"

"Ned." Frank's heart dropped. If Ned was in town, then something was about to go down.

"Where did you see him at?"

"I'm not even sure it was him," Callie said, rethinking. "I…I thought maybe it was you. You two have the same dark hair and eyes but he was wearing a baseball cap. It could have been anybody for all I know. It just looked like him and it scared me. That's why I'm calling you. If it was him, why would he be here? Didn't I hear that he was arrested in Chicago months ago?"

"Yes, but he escaped not long afterward," Frank said, shaking his head. He rechecked the door to make sure it was locked then proceeded to check the apartment after taking his gun out its holster. "Callie, tell me where he was."

"He was at Prito's," she stated. "Just sitting at the window, watching. Frank, please tell me it wasn't Ned!"

Frank checked the bedroom and bathroom, finding no one in the apartment. He didn't want to take any chances and kept his gun with him as he sat down on his couch. "I can't tell you that, Callie unless I actually see him. You might be right and it was just someone who looked like him but after everything that has been going on, I have a feeling that it was him."

He went on to tell her everything that was going on, starting with what happened in Chicago months before. She already knew of Carson Drew's death but there were other things that she didn't know about including that Nancy might be in the area too.

"Do you think Ned is here because she is?" Callie asked.

"I highly suspect that that is the case here," Frank nodded. "Nancy knows what she's doing but I don't understand why she hasn't come forward yet. It's like she's toying with us or something."

"I don't think she's toying with you, Frank," Callie said quietly. "If you guys are being watched, she can't really just come out and say 'Hey! Here I am!' now can she? You know good and well that she is doing it to protect you and your family all the while, watching over you. Now I see why you love her so much."

"Callie, I…"

"You don't have to say anything, Frank," she continued. "We were done a long time ago. We both knew it but neither one of us wanted to admit it. I'm just glad that you found where your heart truly belongs. I know where I am supposed to be and that's in Boston. I love it there. I just came home for a long overdue break."

"Are your parents home?" Frank asked. He wanted to make sure Callie wasn't alone just in case Ned decided to stop by.

"Yeah, they were pretty surprised when I dropped in," she said as cheerfully as she could. He could hear Mrs. Shaw in the background calling for Callie confirming that her parents were there. "I'd better go. Dinner's ready. How bout we get together sometime after everything blows over? Maybe I can finally meet Nancy. I'd like to talk to her if she will."

"I'd like that, Callie," Frank smiled. "I'm sure Nancy will too. Thank you for the information. Please be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I will," Callie laughed. "You know me, Frank. I'm a magnet for the boring. Say hello to your family for me…And Frank?"

"Yeah?"

"Get that bastard."

Once the phone call ended, Frank leaned back in the couch, thinking. Callie gave him hope that everything would be okay. He looked down at the coffee table where his laptop sat and turned it on. As he waited for it to boot up, Frank thought about what happened earlier in the day. He rolled his eyes and sighed as the first thing that popped into his mind was the impending date with Miranda on Friday. He was in agreement with his father that she wasn't to be trusted. There was something about her that made it seemed like she just wanted to date him as a…goal almost. Like he was a prize or something.

Wiping it from his mind, Frank pulled up the offsite network for Hardy Investigations and logged in. With access to the human resources files, he was able to pull up each one of the women's files, starting with Stacy. Her file was pretty straight-forward but he noticed a new entry just entered in earlier that day. The file read that her background check was completely clean. His eyes went wide when he saw the initials "SR" which was who wrote the note in. Frank knew it was Sam but the question was how his father's old friend knew. It was probably the reason why Sam vouched for Stacy earlier. But why would Xander have a few qualms about her? Frank pulled out a notepad and pen and began writing things down as to what needed to be addressed.

Frank sighed, moving on to Miranda. Her file was unfinished with an address of a P.O. Box in Southport, the town over from Bayport. Frank thought it was rather strange since most of the potential employees at Hardy Investigations were asked to use a real address when applying. Plus her references were from places that seemed too fake to be real. He made notes of the discrepancies and a mental note to discuss it with his father the next day.

After closing Miranda's file, Frank opened Wendy's. Hers seemed more legitimate than Miranda's but what surprised him was who her recommendation was. Again "SR" was in the box. That was the second person who had Sam's initials in their file. What was going on and why was Sam involved? He wrote down the information along with the address on file for Wendy. Frank decided to check out the address first thing in the morning.

Blowing out a long breath, he closed the laptop and looked at the notes he made. Wendy's address seemed familiar but he didn't know where he saw it before exactly. Frank stretched, looking at the clock reading 11:30pm. He had been making notes for hours and he still was no closer to finding the truth than when he started.

Rubbing his face, Frank leaned back to lay along the couch, his notes in his hand. He thought that there had to be a connection somewhere that his tired eyes just weren't seeing. Before long, his head was bobbing and his eyes closed, the notes still somewhat clutched in his hands. Frank was asleep within minutes but his mind was still going through the notes.

Throughout the night, Frank had a restless sleep filled with dreams of Callie, Ned, Miranda, each one getting stranger and stranger until a hand reached out to him. He looked up to see the smiling face of Wendy, her face familiar like before. Only this time she was looking directly at him. Frank could make out her facial features including a small blemish on the left side of her face…right along the hairline. Wendy disappeared but then reappeared as she was when he encountered her in the break room. She twisted a strand of her hair that had fallen down. A strand of blond hair. Frank stopped and did a double take. He didn't think she had blond hair but then again, she always had it pulled tightly back, making her look older than she really was.

Shooting straight up, Frank almost fell off the couch. Sweat poured down his face, his breathing heavy. Wendy's face was still in his mind and he looked down at the notepad nearby.

"Oh, my God," Frank replied when it hit him. He looked at the clock and cried out an expletive when he saw that it was after eight in the morning. He overslept and he was late.

By the time he reached Hardy Investigations, it was already nine. When Frank ran into the lobby, Miranda chirped at him excitedly. "Not now, Miranda," he said annoyed, taking the stairs two at a time. He burst into his father's office where both Joe and Fenton stood up quickly at his abrupt entrance.

"I figured it out!" Frank cried, clutching the papers.

"Good morning to you too, Frank," Fenton replied curious.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for an hour," Joe grumbled. "I'm hungry!"

"Dad, Joe, listen to me," Frank said, ignoring their remarks. He closed the door and walked toward them. "I figured it out!"

"Figured out what?" Fenton asked.

"Everything!" he cried. "Well, almost everything. I went into our database remotely and took some notes last night. Do you know Wendy's address?"

"Not off hand," his father shook his head. "I don't normally look at the files much unless I need to. Why?"

"I wrote it down," Frank said excitedly, handing the notes to him. Joe looked over Fenton's shoulder as they read. "Look at the address."

"So?" Joe said, confused. He looked back at Frank. "It's just an address."

"Joe, that's Nancy's home address."

"How do you see that?"

"The numbers and words are backwards! Here let me show you," Frank went to the dry erase board and wrote down the address in the file: 4923 Terrace Way North. Then he wrote another address below: 3294 Northway Terrace. "We all know Nancy's address by heart. That's why it looked so familiar!"

"But that could be just a coincidence, Frank," Joe said skeptically. "Isn't there a Terrace Way somewhere around here?"

"Yeah, but it's in Southport," Frank pointed out. "Her address states that she's here in Bayport."

Fenton was silent through the whole exchange between the brothers, scanning the notes Frank took the night before. He suddenly started laughing and hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "That clever girl," he replied with a smile.

"What, Dad?" Joe asked.

"You see it too?" Frank smirked.

"Yeah, I do," Fenton laughed, shaking his head. "I think we've been infiltrated by a genius."

"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Joe asked, looking from his father to his brother. Frank answered him by writing WENDY CRANE on the board.

"Do you see it?"

"See what?"

"Joe, it's an anagram," Fenton replied, pointing to the board. When Joe still didn't respond, he elaborated. "You know the puzzles your mother does in the paper? The ones where you twist the letters to solve the problem? An anagram."

"Oh!" Joe stared at the board for a few seconds and shook his head. "I was never good at puzzles."

Frank wrote on the board again as Joe watched him cross of letters and write a new name underneath Wendy's:

WENDYCRANE

NANCYEDREW

"I was right! She was here the whole time!" Frank cried. "And she left us clues for us to find her! That's why she didn't tell us! She was hoping that we would figure it out on our own! What almost threw me off was the extra 'e.'"

"Her middle initial," Fenton said with a smile. "How did we miss this?"

"We weren't looking, that's why," Frank stated.

"I should have known," his father replied. "I saw something yesterday but thought it was a trick of the light."

"Saw what, Dad?" Joe asked.

"A scar," Fenton replied, pointing to the left side of his face. "It runs…"

"…along the hairline," Frank finished. "I saw it too but just in passing. I didn't put it together until this morning."

"Well, then," Joe piped up, clapping his hands. "Where's 'Wendy' now?"

"I would imagine she's downstairs," Fenton stated with a shrug. "She didn't call in sick as far as I know so she should be there."

The three went downstairs to the lobby and instead of heading to the basement, Fenton stopped at the front desk where Miranda was sitting reading a bridal magazine. She quickly put it away when she realized the three Hardys were staring at her. Frank gave her an alarmed look and backed away. Joe hid a smirk while Fenton smacked him on the arm.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked cautiously.

"No," Fenton shook his head lightly. "We were just wondering if you saw Wendy go by in the last hour or so."

Miranda's face went white for a split second but then she collected herself and gave a phony look of concern. "Actually, no," she said. "I haven't seen her all morning. But then again she could have come in before I did. You know how she is down there. She's like a little hermit and doesn't come up often."

"Thanks, Miranda," Fenton replied with a smile and walked over to where Frank was staring out the front door. "What do you see?"

"Oh, just Tony Prito getting his pizzeria ready for business," he said nonchalantly. He stopped then went outside unexpectedly. Joe and Fenton soon followed.

"What's going on, Frank?" Joe asked.

"Callie called me last night," he answered looking back at his father and brother. "She said she saw someone who looked like Ned…sitting in Prito's."

"So?"

"Why would he sit inside Prito's out in the open like that?" Frank asked. "What if he knew something that we're just finding out about?"

Joe seemed to catch on and looked at his father. "I remember you looking at the pizzeria yesterday, Dad. Were you thinking that maybe Nancy was staying close by?"

"Actually, I was," Fenton stated. "I meant to go ask yesterday but I got a phone call from Chief Collig to come down to the station. I didn't have the chance to go over when we left either because the place looked really busy. I guess there's only one way to find out now."

Frank led the way over to Tony who was sweeping the front sidewalk of his business. He stopped when he saw the three Hardys heading toward him.

"Wow, I'm being graced with the awesome presence of the Hardys," Tony replied, setting his broom down. "What brings you here? I take it that this isn't just a friendly visit."

"No, unfortunately, it's not," Frank said sadly. Tony, Frank, and Joe had been friends for a long time but they hadn't had the chance to get together since the Hardys returned from Chicago. "We have some questions to ask, if you're not too busy."

"Anything for you guys," he smiled, opening the door. "Come on in."

"Was there a guy here yesterday?" Frank asked the moment they sat down at a table.

"Define 'guy,' Frank," Tony said smartly. "There's always a guy here."

"What my overly excited brother meant to ask is if there was a guy here that looked similar to him?" Joe asked. Frank shot him a look. "You know. Dark hair, dark eyes…brooding."

"Oh, yeah," Tony pointed. "I remember a guy fitting that description. Wore a baseball hat. Strange guy too. Him and his friend only ordered drinks, no food. Kept looking around the place as if searching for something. Some of the girls didn't like him too much either. The guy seemed to be eyeing each one of them as if mentally taking their clothes off. Their words, not mine. But that wasn't the only weird part. He asked about renting the apartment upstairs from me. I told him it was already taken."

"Did he seem interested in the apartment?" Fenton asked.

"Come to think of it, yeah," Tony said, tapping his chin. "He was real interested in my tenant. I told him to get lost. I don't think she would have been interested in him."

"She?" Frank asked.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "You guys should know her. I thought you knew she lived here since she is one of your employees."

"Have you seen her today?" Frank asked, his heart pounding.

"No, not really." Frank sighed. "But she usually goes out the back door and down the alley toward the coffee shop. Never thought anything of it since we all gotta have something to eat in the morning. She doesn't come through here much either but she did last night. Was in a real hurry too. Went up the stairs and haven't seen her since."

"How long after she went upstairs did the man come in?" Fenton asked.

"Maybe ten minutes," Tony shrugged. "They were only here about a half hour before I kicked them out."

The three Hardys looked at each other, their thoughts clicking. They may be too late.

"Can we go upstairs?" Frank finally asked.

"Yeah, sure," Tony shrugged. "The keys are in the back."

He guided them to the back of the pizzeria where the kitchen was. A small set of stairs disappeared around a corner, leading up to the second floor. Tony looked confused as he stared at a key rack. "That's weird," he said, pointing to the rack. "I could have sworn those keys were hanging up last night."

Frank and Joe looked at each other and bolted for the stairs. As they rushed into the hall, they saw a door slightly open and went for it. As they opened the door, a distant, distinct fragrance was in the air, as if it were lingering. Frank walked around the apartment. It was neat and tidy at first until he reached the bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom light was still on, a towel lying on the floor, flung to the floor in a hurry. The bed was disheveled, the sheets rolled over to one side as if someone had been looking for something. Frank remembered Nancy always kept a gun under her pillow and he knew that it had to have been what she was looking for. There was a picture on the floor, its glass broken though the frame still seemed intact. Frank went over to pick it up, pulling a blond hair from the broken glass.

"What's that smell?" Tony asked from the other room.

Frank went back to his friend. Fenton and Joe were still searching the small kitchen and living room. That was when Frank saw it. He rushed over and picked up a small piece of cloth. It was no longer damp but the smell was still strong. It was something he knew well: the sweet smell of chloroform.

"We're too late," he said sadly, looking at Joe and his father. He threw the cloth at the floor. "Damn it!"

Author's Note:

Well, I have to be honest. I was just so excited to write this chapter! I have been waiting for it since it first popped into my head while I was still writing Buried. This chapter is the reason I continued the Revelations storyline. Well, at least a version of this was in my head for a while. Like I said, my stories always change as I continue to write but the particular idea of Wendy/Nancy's name was always going to be in this story. I thought it was rather brilliant if I do say so myself. I hope that you enjoyed this HUGE revelation but you know there's more to come! Thank you to all who wrote reviews for the last chapter! Again, I appreciate them! Don't forget to leave your mark so that I know that you were here! Baby's crying so I have to cut this short. Until next time...

Sending blessings to all on this Holy Easter weekend. May you all have a wonderful holiday! God bless!