The Pain of Silence
Chapter 9
Fenton pulled up to the police station and parked his car. He looked at his watch and noticed it was just before noon. He was beginning to think that Scott hadn't been found or else he would have heard something by now.
He made his way inside and found Con Riley talking to another officer. From the expression on his face, Fenton could tell he wasn't happy.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen" Fenton greeted them.
"I was just about to call you. It just so happens that Officer Reynolds here has received two prank calls today. Some sick kid is having fun at our expense. Excuse me Reynolds, I'm going to talk with Fenton for a moment and I'll be back in a bit." Officer Riley made his way to his desk and sat down. "Fenton, we haven't been able to locate Scott Tyler. The officer I've been speaking with this morning even said one of his men tried contacting him and had no luck. I think we should have the two women stay with someone now."
"Vanessa Bender, Joe's girlfriend, offered to let them stay with her. I will give Joe a call and have them go there tonight" Fenton stated.
"Fenton, I have to warn you: Scott has committed no crimes here in Bayport, so we can't arrest him. The only thing we can do is keep them safe. If he makes a move and tries to hurt them, then we can, but until that happens…"
Fenton nodded. "I am well aware of that. I just wanted to make sure you knew what was going on. Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I hope you catch that prank caller. Nothing like wasting time chasing after someone who thinks crime is a joke," he said sadly.
"Yeah, tell me about it. The first call was a prank robbery and the second a shooting. Have a good day. I'll call you if I hear anything." Con Riley walked his friend to the front door and they said their goodbyes.
Fenton pulled out his cell phone and called Joe as he walked to his car, but got his voicemail.
"Hi Joe. I wanted to let you know that Scott Tyler has not been located. If you can, please let Vanessa know so that we can have Mrs. Tyler and her daughter stay there tonight. Give me a call and let me know you got this message. If there are any problems, let me know. I'm calling Mrs. Tyler now to let her know what's going on." Fenton ended the call and dialed Mrs. Tyler's number as he unlocked his car and got inside. She picked up on the third ring.
"Hi, Morgan, it's Fenton. How are you?"
"I'm good! Any good news?"
"Not really. They haven't found Scott, so the plan for now will be, that once Joe and Vanessa are out of school, they'll have you go to her house and stay there until this is resolved," he announced.
"That's fine. Brooke and I will make sure we're ready to go when they get here. Are you sure she doesn't mind us staying there?"
"Morgan, don't worry! Vanessa is a nice girl. Her mom is out of town so she wanted the company."
"Okay. I'll let you go, Fenton. I have to go check on Brooke. She went down to the pool for a swim."
Fenton laughed. "Well, at least you two are enjoying yourselves. All right, if you need anything give me a call. And if I hear anything, I'll let you know!"
"Thanks Fenton! Oh wait! You know, Brooke made a good point about something last night. It may be something to look into." She filled him in on Brooke's comments about her father's family background and how she believed there must be a reason behind what was causing his abuse and anger. "Fenton, his younger brother Rick Tyler lives less than two hours from here. I can give you his phone number. I bet you'd be better at asking him questions than I would. I wouldn't know where to begin."
"I'll give him a call. You've got a bright daughter, to be thinking of something like that."
"Thanks. She was pretty upset last night. She wants to see her father get help." Morgan gave Fenton Rick's phone number and address. Then they both said their goodbyes and Fenton went home.
A few minutes later, Fenton sat inside his office and dialed Rick Tyler's number. He hoped the man would have some useful information.
"Hello?" a deep voice answered.
"Hello, may I please speak to Rick Tyler?" Fenton asked politely.
"This is him."
"Mr. Tyler, my name is Fenton Hardy, and I am calling on behalf of your sister-in-law Morgan Tyler."
"Ah! Morgan! Is she okay?"
"Oh, yes, she's fine. Well, not quite. I'm working for her and her daughter Brooke. This is regarding your older brother Scott. Have you heard from him recently?" Fenton asked, ready to take notes.
"No I haven't. May I ask what this is about?"
"It's honestly quite difficult to talk about this over the phone, but let me fill you in on what's happening so you're aware of the situation." Fenton went over why Morgan and her daughter were back in Bayport and Brooke's hospitalization and the abuse.
"Oh my goodness. Well, I don't know where to begin…the poor girl." There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"Mr. Tyler, if you'd like, I'd be more than willing to drive up and speak to you in person. I understand this is a lot to take in over the phone."
There was more silence and Fenton heard a woman's voice in the background followed by Tyler's voice telling her to wait.
"Mr. Hardy, maybe it would be best to speak in person. My wife leaves for work at four this afternoon. Would you like to arrive any time after that?"
"That would work. I can be there some time after six. Do you mind if one of my sons comes along? One of them is staying with Morgan and Brooke to make sure they're okay."
"Not at all. Here's my address." Mr. Tyler gave Fenton directions to his house and the conversation ended..
It was after four in the afternoon when Morgan followed Joe and Vanessa back to Vanessa's house. She and Brooke were soon settled in the guest room upstairs while Joe and Vanessa waited for them in the kitchen.
"I'll sleep on the couch." Joe smiled.
Vanessa shook her head and laughed. "I take it you won't be leaving us alone? Not that I'm complaining."
"I must stay here and take care of you, along with Mrs. Tyler and Brooke."
"The man of the house, huh?" Vanessa giggled as Joe leaned in for a kiss.
"What's wrong with that?" he said with a frown.
"Nothing. I like it," she blushed.
"Frank sent me a text saying he's going with Dad to talk to Brooke's uncle, who may have some helpful information for them. I wanted to go too, but they don't need all of us. Plus, I get to keep you all company. So," he looked around the kitchen. "What's for dinner?"
Vanessa playfully rolled her eyes. "How about tacos? I have to run to the grocery store and get some more groceries tomorrow."
Mrs. Tyler walked into the kitchen. "Honey, I'll give you some money for groceries. Or, I can go get some things for you if you'd like. It's the least I can do for you letting us stay here."
"Mrs. Tyler, you don't have to do that! Do you like tacos?" Vanessa asked as she went over to the fridge and looked inside.
Brooke appeared beside her mother. "Hey guys. Vanessa, your house is awesome."
"Thanks. My mom and I moved here about eight months ago. We love it. Would anyone care for a drink?" she asked and everyone accepted. Vanessa poured four glasses of pink lemonade and started cooking dinner.
It was just after six-thirty as Fenton pulled up in front of Rick Tyler's home. "He said his wife's at work, so I am guessing we'll be the only ones here."
Frank stepped out of the car and waited for his father. "I'm glad he agreed to meet with us. Hopefully we'll get something good out of this."
They both walked up to the front door and Fenton knocked.
Someone peered through a window and Frank turned to his father. "I think we have someone else…"
"Hello!" a cheery voice cried as a girl about Frank's age opened the front door. She gazed at them curiously, playing with her long blonde hair, looping it around her finger.
"Hi, is your father here?" Fenton asked, hoping he had the right address.
"Yes he is, come on in. Are you Mr. Hardy? The detective?!" she asked excitedly.
"Yes I am and this is my son Frank." The girl quickly shook hands with them both.
"It is such an honor to meet you! The both of you! I've heard about you both! Sir, I can't believe you managed to solve the case with the paintings that were stolen! Oh! And the way you risked your life to save that young girl being held captive—"
"Samantha!" A man came around the corner with a cloth in his hands. He wiped off a hand and stuck it out. "Good evening. I'm Rick Tyler."
Fenton introduced himself and Frank once more and Rick looked at Samantha, whose bright blue eyes were glued on Frank. "Mr. Hardy, you'll have to excuse my daughter here. She watches the news every day and she's kept an eye on your work. She considers you a local idol."
Frank's gaze kept going back and forth from Samantha to Mr. Tyler. Oh boy, what did we get into! He held back a smile.
"Samantha, honey, could I have a word with you?" Mr. Tyler requested. "Excuse me for one moment. Feel free to sit in the dining room. I'll be right there." They both went into the other room.
Frank looked at his father and smiled. "You have a fan."
His father grinned. "Who was she staring at?"
Frank almost laughed, trying to remain serious. "This'll be interesting." They sat at the dining table.
Mr. Tyler returned with some papers in his hands and placed them on the dining table. "Samantha is finishing up some cookies. We were getting them ready as you knocked. Anyway…" he sighed and sat down. He looked over at Frank. "Sorry about my daughter. I told her I had some guests coming and when she heard your name," he looked at Fenton. "She got all excited. So, shall we begin?"
"Yes, thank you," Fenton said. "I know I already told you what's going on, so basically I need to know if there is anything that could have caused your brother to suddenly act the way he has been. It's been going on for about three years now. From what I've been told, the abuse has escalated over time," Fenton continued. "Do you have any idea what possibly could have led your brother to do something like this? I'm not sure how much you two talk or what your past was like but any information would be helpful in this case."
"Well, there is something I would like to show you. Now, whether or not it has to do with this, I don't know, but it's worth taking a look at." Mr. Tyler thumbed through the papers in front of him and pulled out a few pages. He handed some to Fenton and some to Frank. "Those are articles on my brother. One of them is from his childhood when he was hospitalized and our father was found guilty of hurting him. Our father's wife at the time was unaware of any abuse so…" he paused and took a deep breath. "So basically they let him go and kept close watch over my father. Things seemed to get better over time but…"
"But they didn't." Frank finished.
Tyler shook his head. "No, in fact, things just got worse. What's happening to Brooke seems like it's the same thing that happened to him."
"How long did this go on for?" Fenton asked.
Mr. Tyler thought about it briefly. "Maybe a couple years at least. No one knew Dad was abusing Scott until…until I saw what he did to him one night. I was hiding in our closet. We had been playing 'hide and seek' and I was hiding. Our father came in drunk and pushed my brother. I forget what he said to him, but something angered Dad, and he backhanded Scott across the face. I was ten and he was twelve years old. So, when my father left the room, Scott had a bloody lip and I called our mom at work. She came right home and called the cops. That's when Scott showed the cops his bruises, cuts and told them everything that had happened to him."
"Wow. That's horrible. I'm sorry to hear that." Frank said and looked at his father. "Maybe that has something to do with what's happening now?"
Rick cleared his throat and passed Fenton one more article. "There may be something else that caused it. Take a look at this…"