A/N: Sorry I was so late on updating. I don't really know what happened. Well here you go...
The Mystery of the Silent Girl
Chapter 6: Tricked:
Frank drove as fast as he dared into the town of Larksdale. Parked outside the jail-house was a highway patrol car.
"Look who got here first, the calvary," Joe commented.
"Or the indians, you never know in this town," Frank replied.
"What'll we do?" Callie asked.
"I know what you'll do. You'll wait right here," Frank told her.
"Oh Frank," she protested.
"Listen, don't argue," he said, " If anything happens, just take off as fast as you can."
Frank and Joe got out of the convertible and headed towards the Sheriff's office.
The highway patrolmen were just leaving the building when Frank and Joe got to it.
"Officer," Frank said, "Can you wait a minute?"
"Yeah, what's the trouble?"
"Just wait here," Joe told them and followed his brother inside.
"Turn him loose," Frank said to the Sheriff, who looked up at them in confusion.
"Who?"
"The man you have in the cell," Joe growled, "Fenton Hardy."
"I don't know what you're talking about," the Sheriff laughed.
Frank leaned over the desk and looked him in his eyes, his usual level-headed demeanor slowly dissipating, "Are you going to turn him loose? Or do we call them?" he asked referring to the officers outside.
The Sheriff shook his head but grabbed his keys and led the Hardys to the back cell. He opened the door and the boys stuck their head in the cell only to find a man other than Fenton Hardy occupying it.
"What? But--" Joe began.
"I told you I didn't know what you were talking about," the Sheriff smirked, "I don't think there's any reason to keep those fellows out there hanging around. Do you?"
The Hardys looked at each other defeatedly. They'd been tricked.
After the officers had left the Hardys again turned to the Sheriff.
"You know I have to hand it to you Sheriff," Joe said, "That was a swell move. What did you do with him?"
"I think you boys are a little delusional," he replied.
"No really, level with us," Frank told him, "How did you know that we were coming back?"
"Well, I think you boys overlooked something. Floyd's got a two way radio in his truck. Pretty handy."
"Okay," Joe sighed, "You hold all the cards I guess."
"Yeah," Frank said moving towards the door, "I guess we'd better get out of your hair."
"Whoa," the Sheriff pushed Frank back towards the wall, "Now you should have done that a long time ago," he picked up his rifle that was leaning against the desk and studied it, "It may be too late now."
"You know," he went on, "I think it's time we had a talk," the Sheriff cocked the hammer of the rifle and leveled it at the boys, "All of us."
The boys saw Callie being pulled out of their car by a man as the Sheriff hustled them into the hotel. They were made to sit in the high back kitchen chairs and their hands were tied behind them with thick rope. The Sheriff along with a few other men watched them in silence.
After a moment Jennings and Floyd entered the room eyeing the captives as well. Callie let out a slight whimper as the rope dug into her skin when she tried to squirm. Frank and Joe also struggled with their bonds but soon stopped when the Sheriff pointed the gun barrel at them again.
"Alright, let's get down to it. What are we gonna do with you kids," the Sheriff asked.
"Wrong question. What did you do with our father?" Joe said his impulses taking over.
"Father?" the Sheriff eyed Joe. Frank groaned. He hadn't realized who they were until Joe let it slip out unintentionally, "You're pretty sure that we have him are you?"
"We know it," Joe said.
"Oh you do? Well, you've got some ideas of what's been happening here and we'd like to hear 'em!"
"It's not too hard to figure out," Frank replied, "You hung a man in this town."
The Sheriff looked at him calmly, "Now why would we hang a man?"
"It had something to do with Mary Jennings," Frank countered. Al Jennings gave the Sheriff a worried look but he ignored it.
"Go on then," he prompted.
"You might have been able to hide it then," Frank said, "But you ran into a problem. A witness."
"A man on a fishing trip. So you grabbed him," Joe went on, "you might have killed him too. But you found out who he was. A detective, with connections all over the country. An important man."
"So you kept him alive, trying to figure what to do," Frank said, "The question is, is he still alive?"
There was a pause and everyone in the room seemed to stop breathing for a moment.
"We got bigger worries than that. Let's take you. Three wild city kids who rode in and terrorized this town. Burglarized the garage, highjacked a truck, assaulted Floyd Morgan with intent to kill. Three rough kids!"
"Yeah," Jennings bud in, understanding where the Sheriff was going, "Sure hated to do it but there was no other choice. Gun 'em down."
Joe took a deep breath and tried to sound unnerved, "That's a swell story Sheriff, but since when do Fenton Hardy's kids terrorize towns? It'll be awful hard to sell. Our father know's everyone and they all know us."
"Well I guess the detective's kids aren't all that they say they are. People change you know, not everyone can stay perfect. And that goes for a couple of snot nosed snoopers like yourselves."
"Why don't you give Chief Collig in Bayport a call," Frank said, "He knows we wouldn't pull any of that stuff. Or better yet, you can speak to him in person, he'll be out here in about twenty minutes."
Frank's comment sent the room into a blur of excited conversation.
"Oh they're lying, can't you tell that?" Jennings said.
"It's the truth," Joe countered, "and he knows it," he said looking at the Sheriff.
"Well Sheriff," Frank said, "You didn't have the guts to kill one detective, now what are you gonna do with four?"
"Ah, don't go off calling yourselves detectives you brats!" Jennings yelled at him. But the Sheriff just looked at them, worry in his eyes. He nodded grimly.
"The kids right Al, it's all over," he muttered.
"Well it's not all over for me," Jennings said, "Because I'm the one they'll nail. What'll y'all say in court? Because then it'll be my problem. All because some bum passing through town had to choose my daughter. He destroyed her. Made her like she is. Oh, you were all with me then, but not now. You're gonna run because of them? No. It's like I said, three wild kids we had to kill--"
"No!" came the terrified cry of Mary Jennings as she and Benjamin raced into the room, "Pa, no!"
"What-what's happening? Mary?"
"She is trying to tell you. Don't you understand? She wasn't attacked!" Benjamin said.
"I-I loved Eddie. You can't blame him!" Mary cried, "I loved him!"
Jennings swung his hand up in a back hand but his son caught it before it made contact.
"That's right," he hissed, "hit her! That's your answer to everything isn't it? Don't you see, that's why she lied to you when you found them! She-she was afraid that you'd kill her!"
"Al, it'll be alright," the Sheriff told him as Benjamin started to untie Frank.
"No. It'll never be alright," Jennings whispered, "Garrison's got Hardy. I told him to put him in the lake."
