CHAPTER 14

Bernadette continued to tell James and Vanessa about the tall, Red-Headed Man she encountered days before. A man who'd tried to pass himself off as a Police Officer, but had failed miserably. "He worried me so much I didn't attempt to phone his superiors to check his Police ID, I phoned security. Security didn't catch them though, he and the woman left as soon as I locked myself in the room. I guess they realised I'd outed them as fraudsters."

"You were so scared you locked yourself into the back office?" Vanessa asked, astonished.

"Yes, and if you'd encountered him, you would have too. Extremely intimidating."

"This a picture of him?" James asked and turned the ID part of the fake badge toward her.

"It's the thing that made me suspicious in the first place, and made me look closer at the badge."

"Did you tell them anything about Nancy?"

"God, no."

"Do you mind if I take the fake badge?" James asked.

"Go ahead, I've got no further use for it. What would you like to know about Nancy?"

"We know Hanson's asked her to look into fraudulent activities, and Nancy left three days ago, but didn't return?"

"Yes. I manned the reception desk that day. I didn't see her leave, but I know she intended to follow someone. She left before the two 'police officers' came in asking questions."

"How do you know?"

"Because, before she followed the man out, she came to the front desk to ask if I knew him, five minutes prior to the man and woman entering the viewing area. After they left, I looked for Nancy to warn her, but she'd gone."

"So, did you know the man who Nancy followed?"

"Yes, but only because he registered with us for a bidding paddle, for our upcoming auction." She sat down, pulled a laptop forward and tapped on the keyboard. "I wouldn't normally do this, but I'm going to give you his information. Usually it would be confidential, but the Red-Headed Man with the fake ID? I don't want Nancy coming up against him." She hit a button, and a sheet of paper fed into the printer behind her. She rested her hand on the feed tray until the sheet of printed paper dropped into her palm, and she swung it around to James.

"Thanks." James read the information provided. "Mr Albert Keane. Look at his address, Van." He pointed.

"Bayport!"

Bernadette nodded. "Nancy got excited too, said she had friends in Bayport who could make her job easier."

"That's us," Vanessa said.

"I wondered why a Bayport Police Detective and his Associate were asking questions about a missing person in New York."

"I work for a detective agency and Nancy's a personal friend," Vanessa explained. "James' father's a partner at the agency."

"It's good Nancy has loyal friends to look into her disappearance."

"So you consider Nancy a missing person then?" James asked.

"She told me she would return once she saw where Mr Keane had gone, and to collect her fee. She said she would contact you to look into his background, but hasn't. None of us, including you, have been able to reach her on her cell phone, and she's not returned our calls. To me, that's the definition of a missing person - no matter what spin the NYPD choose to put on it."

James nodded. He agreed with her synopsis. "Do you know where Nancy's staying?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I don't suppose you noticed what direction she took when she left for the day?"

"She turned right and passed over the crosswalk. After that, I have no idea."

"You've been more than helpful. Thank you Bernadette."

"My pleasure. I hope you find her. I like Nancy, she's a nice girl."

"She is," Vanessa agreed.

-o0o-

Fenton accepted Doctor Cox's handshake - but then remembered how she held onto his palm and elbow the last time, and had drawn him into her room to make him tell her things he hadn't meant to. So he squeezed and quickly let go. "Thank you for seeing us at short notice."

"It's nothing." Doctor Cox became distracted for a second by Fenton's head wound, but she didn't ask anything about it. Instead, she offered her palm to Frank who took it. She pulled him smoothly into her office, looking up into his face, smiling, and retaining solid eye contact.

Frank returned her smile, but the grin didn't touch his eyes, unnatural.

She glanced at Fenton.

Fenton mouthed, "He's nervous."

She nodded. "Come on in, Mr Hardy."

"Fenton, please."

"Fenton it is. Call me Emily."

Fenton entered and shut the door behind him. Her consulting room appeared much the same as the last time he'd been there. A large leather sofa dominated the one side of the room with an easy chair and two guest chairs pulled up to face her desk, where she directed the men to sit.

She smiled amiably at Frank. "It's always nice to play with my favorite brothers, even if it's only the oldest one this time."

Frank moved to drop into one of the seats, but she stopped him midway with a pointing finger. "Not there, Frank, can you sit on the couch?"

"Oh. Sure."

She sat in her leather office chair, waited for the men to settle, and then addressed Frank directly. "Thank you for sending me the written outline of what you're seeking from this session, but for confirmation, you'd like see if I can find a piece of information helpful to a case you're investigating?"

"That's right."

"A code?"

"Yes."

"I understand." She surveyed him. "Actually, I changed my mind. Can you sit where I put you originally?" She pointed from Frank to the seat.

Frank got up and sat next to his father again.

"I think I've got a handle on the questions I'm going to ask - if we're successful in putting you in a trance." She pinned Frank with a stare. "I feel stupid, but I do want you on the couch. You'll be more comfortable there." Frank dutifully began to get up. "Or maybe—" Frank froze midway between. "Yes, sit on the sofa." He finished making the move and sat on the edge. He planted his feet firmly and crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

Fenton shot Emily a look and she smiled. She got up and dragged the easy chair up to Frank, positioned it in front of him and then sat down. "You comfortable?"

"I guess, but I have doubts this will work."

Emily shrugged. "Probably not, but let's give it a go." She put her hands gently on his shoulders and pushed. "Sit back and uncross your arms. I'm not about to attack you."

Frank shifted away and attempted to loosen his defensive posture. He rolled his shoulders, shook his hands out, and finally dropped them into his lap.

Fenton pursed his lips. Frank didn't look any more relaxed to him. He softly coughed. "Am I all right sitting here—?"

Frank shot him a desperate look. "Don't go anywhere, Dad!"

Nope, he wasn't any more relaxed.

"You're fine there, Fenton," Emily said quickly. "This shouldn't affect you." The doctor turned to Frank, "Close your eyes for me, and try to relax. I'm still not convinced about you sitting there, what do you think?"

"Well—"

"Oh, never mind, doesn't matter. Relax Frank."

"I'll try," he promised, and closed his eyelids.

She lightly rested her hands on his forearms and gave them a stroke. "You're still really tense, relax your arms and let them go loose. Have you done that?"

"Yes."

She transferred her hands to his knees. "Relax your legs as well, let the tension go. Imagine you're looking up at the ceiling. Float towards it. You're weightless. You're safe. How you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Without opening your eyes, imagine there's a dot on the ceiling. Focus on it as you float closer."

"Okay."

"Do you see it?"

"Yes."

"Sleepy?"

"I guess so."

"Why don't you go to sleep then? Okay, Frank?"

"Okay." Frank's head dropped to his chest.

Fenton stared, astounded and impressed.

She took Frank's hands in hers and instructed him softly. "Frank, you'll only respond to my voice now, and you'll only hear me when I'm touching you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

She tapped his arm. "Hold your arm up for me and leave it there."

He lifted his right arm high in the air, his hand loose.

"Good. You can put it down again."

He obeyed. His arm dropped with a soft thud onto the sofa beside him.

Emily scooped his hand up and laid it back on his lap. She took the opportunity to take his pulse while looking at her watch. "Frank, you're still tense, can you relax even more?" She concentrated on her watch face again, eventually nodded, and took her hands off Frank entirely. She turned to Fenton, "He's under."

"How did you do that so easily?"

"Despite appearances to the contrary, Frank really wants this to work so he gave himself over easily. And he's unusually suggestible - did you see how I got him to move from one seat to another without question?"

He laughed. "I did! I thought it would be more of a fight though."

Emily smiled. "So did Frank. As a child, did you find him to be a good boy, eager to please, not wishing to offend?"

"Spot on. Joe's more likely to question. Frank goes with the flow, good at following orders. Not so great at giving them, comes across as bossy and then stresses about it afterwards. Needs practice."

Emily laughed. "Let's get on with this shall we? Fingers crossed, this will be straightforward." She turned to Frank and took his hands. "Frank, I'm going to take you to the club you took Nancy to, the Spirit of Oceanus. You there?"

A slow grin played on his face. "Yes."

The Spirit of Oceanus is a floating hotel which boasts a nightclub. Frank and Nancy visited the club in order to find the second portion of the code. They found the four digit code on a plaque, next to a montage painting of various Greek gods and goddesses including the crab-clawed, Oceanus.

Frank's infectious smile drew Emily and Fenton in and they beamed at each other. "What are you smiling at?" She asked Frank.

"I'm dancing with the most stunning girl in the room."

"Who's the most stunning girl in the room?"

"Nancy." He smiled even broader.

"That's nice, remember that moment in time so you can revisit it, okay?"

"Yes."

"Let's move to later in the night, when you and Nancy are about to look at the picture Professor Hope gave to the ship."

Frank smile slipped away, turned into a frown, and his fingers twitched in hers.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I didn't look at the picture, Nan did."

Doctor Cox let go of Frank's hands and crossed one leg over the other. She rested her elbow on her knee, and scratched her chin thoughtfully with a manicured nail. She took one of his hands. "Where are you, Frank, while Nancy's looking at the picture?"

"I'm in the bathroom about to open the door to go out."

"Open the door Frank. Tell me what you see."

"Okay." Frank's lip twitched and he made a noise deep in his throat. "A man's with her."

"A man, Frank? What's he doing?"

"He's pushed up against her. He's got her trapped, pinned against the wall. He's holding her and making her kiss him. His hand's on her face. It's disgusting...he's disgusting."

Alarmed, Emily pulled her hands clear. "What's this about?" she asked Fenton.

"First I've heard of it." Fenton shuffled forward, and reached out to bond with his son,

The doctor's own hand came out, capturing his wrist. "Please don't Fenton, let me handle it. I know it's difficult but I know what I'm doing."

Fenton put his palm up in supplication and settled back.

Emily took Frank's hands. "Is the man hurting Nancy?"

"She's trying to get away."

"What are you going to do?"

Frank's hands rolled into tight fists under her palms and he barred his teeth. "What do you think I'm gonna do? I'm gonna make sure he never kisses anyone like that again. No one treats my girl like that!"

"Frank, go back to dancing with Nancy," Emily said quickly. Frank's hands relaxed and she turned to address Fenton. "I'm not continuing with this line of questioning. I don't want to delve into anything too personal, and Nancy might not appreciate it. If he'd wanted to tell you about it, he would have. I'll come at it from a different angle." She leaned into the headrest pondering. "Let me see—" A few seconds later she leaned forward and laid a hand on Frank, "Let's go forward now, into the evening and to the journey back to your hotel." She paused for a beat, "Where are you?"

"We're in a cab."

"Is Nancy okay?"

"She washed her face and looks even more beautiful, but I wish she wouldn't cry. I don't know how to handle it."

"Is she telling you about the portion of the code, Frank?"

"She's telling me she saw it."

"Can you tell us the code, Frank?"

Frank's head swivelled to one side.

"Frank?"

"I can't hear her because she keeps putting her hand over her mouth."

"Because the man kissed her?"

"Yes…no…I don't know."

"Go back to dancing with Nancy." Emily turned to Fenton and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. After a short pause she switched her attention back. "Frank, go forward to a time when you and Nancy were at Universal Studios Orlando. You there?"

"Yes." He smiled.

Frank and Nancy had taken a trip to Universal Studios Orlando in order to visit the Poseidon's Fury attraction. One of the many curiosities is an arm made of fiberglass rearing up out of the ground, its hand brandishing and thrusting a trident fork skyward. On the arm, higher than head height, they found a clumsily glued on plaque with the third portion of the code embossed on it.

"What are you doing, Frank?" Emily asked.

He laughed softly, "A man's looking at us strangely because we seem to be the only couple with no kids."

"You're having a good time though?"

"Nan's keeping me sane and grounded. She's the one, you know?"

Doctor Cox giggled. "I can tell. I'm asking you to move further on to Poseidon's arm. You there?"

"We're walking around the outside, trying to find the marker Professor Hope might have left."

"Any luck?"

Frank's face turned triumphant. "I've found it."

"What does it say?"

Frank's head turned to one side and he flinched. "I can't see it, it's too far away."

"Explain to me what you mean by too far away, Frank?"

"It's up the arm, way up the arm. It's a speck up there and the sun's so bright it's blinding." He flinched even more. "Ouch! It hurts!"

"Look away from it, Frank. Nancy must know it though, ask her for it."

"Okay"

"What's she saying?"

"I can't hear her because she got her hand over her mouth."

"Go and dance with Nancy, Frank."

Emily let go of Frank's hands and stared perplexed. "Interesting—"

"What going on?" Fenton asked. "Is that normal?"

She turned completely around until she faced Fenton, and leaned her elbows on the chair's arm. "It's entirely not normal. To your knowledge has Frank ever had one of these sessions before?"

"He might have as part of his therapy, but he's never told me if he did. He's kept it private."

"He didn't," she said. "Frank organized his sessions through me. I recommended the facility in Seattle and I know his therapist doesn't use hypnotism as a treatment aid, and I wouldn't have recommended it. It would have been cruel."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because from the way Frank's answering my questions, I think someone has already been in his head. Someone has implanted false memories to hide the code away and may have tampered in other areas."