A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, Jackie, TXMedic, Virtute and Leya! I was smiling all day! Joe and Frank definitely approach life differently, don't they? I think that's what I love about their relationship...the dynamic of those two personalities interacting and working together is so much fun. They really allow the other one to be who he is. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Only one more chapter after this one!
Chapter 39
The door to Emily's room opened and a nurse and doctor entered. Joe looked up. "She just fell asleep not too long ago."
"That's good," the doctor replied. "The drugs will make her drowsy, but I still need to examine her. Perhaps you could wait in the corridor, Mr. Hardy."
Joe leaned down and stroked Emily's hair, then kissed her brow. "Okay, I'll be in the waiting room."
He stepped outside and spotted Frank at the end of the hall, deep in conversation with their father. Joe jogged toward them.
"Is Emily all right?" Fenton wanted to know.
Joe nodded. "The doctor's in there now."
Frank interrupted them to change the conversation. "Joe, we had it all wrong," he said, his eyes flashing. "Look what one of Collig's guys just dropped off for Dad. It arrived at the police station from Scotland this afternoon."
Joe took the newspaper clipping Frank was holding and read it with a puzzled expression. "This is about Mitch?"
"Yes, an article commending him for stopping an attempted theft of the Queen's jewels from a London exhibit," Frank explained.
"The photo?" Joe asked.
"Not the same guy," Fenton replied. "This photo is the real Mitch Kincaid."
"So the Mitch working here is an impostor?"
Frank handed him another piece of paper. This one was a "wanted" sheet from Scotland Yard. "Our Mitch is really Andrew O'Toole. Noted criminal. He has a rap sheet a mile long for every crime you can imagine. Including attempted murder by strangulation."
"Strangulation...that's how Ayres was killed," Joe stated.
"Apparently this guy ran some scam in Scotland that Ayres innocently got mixed up in," Fenton explained. "Our theory is that O'Toole somehow made it to the States, looked up Ayres, and in an effort to keep him quiet, Ayres got him a job at the Bayport Museum."
"Only it backfired somehow," Frank continued.
"And Ayres ended up murdered," Joe finished.
The phone on the nurses' desk rang and the nurse stood and looked toward their little group. "Fenton Hardy?" she asked.
Fenton stepped forward. "That's me."
"Chief Collig is on the phone for you."
Fenton walked over to the desk and Frank pulled Joe aside. "I think Mitch was the one who was after Emily."
Joe nodded. "Yeah, neither Perriton nor Duncan had an injury to his arm. We didn't check on Mitch. What about Evan though?"
Frank waved his hand. "His story checked out. He really did have a chipped elbow. And his alibis during the attacks are fool-proof. That only leaves Mitch...er...Andrew."
"Was he involved in the insurance scam?"
"Don't know. They're still questioning Perriton."
"What was his motive for that?"
"Money," Frank said. "Apparently, the museum hasn't been doing well and Perriton knew it was only a matter of time before they replaced him. He thought taking a notable art piece, like the Rembrandt, would generate too much attention. That's why he opted for these smaller pieces. He actually thought he could get away with it."
Fenton returned from the nurses' desk. "That was Collig. He says Perriton is singing like a canary. Apparently prison time holds little appeal for him. He said that Ayres found out about the insurance fraud scheme and wanted to stop it. Mitch overheard the conversation and decided that he didn't want Ayres reporting it, because he wanted in on it. He murdered Ayres to stop it after the two had an altercation about it. Then he tried to blackmail Perriton. Perriton told him that he'd filled out an insurance claim for the not yet 'stolen' artifacts, but that he'd misplaced it. He mentioned that he thought he might have put it in a stack of papers he'd given to Emily."
"And that's when Mitch decided to go after Emily," Joe interrupted.
Fenton nodded. "Mitch thought that if he got that paper, he'd have Perriton over a barrel. Perriton changed his mind about stealing the artifacts with that claim form unaccounted for. Mitch thought if he took them and got the form, he'd be able to blackmail Perriton for the insurance money and then some. So he went ahead and took the pieces during the museum banquet."
"Who hit me over the head?" Frank wanted to know.
"Mitch was responsible for all of that. And just like you theorized, he locked you in that storage room so you'd find the hidden staircase leading to Perriton's office and focus your investigation on him."
"So how did Duncan get the artifacts?" Joe asked.
"Perriton has no idea," Fenton said. "He only knows that they disappeared from Mitch's hiding place in the stairwell and that Mitch was blaming Perriton for it. Perriton claims Duncan was not a part of this."
"What about the witch boxes and the charmstones?" Frank asked.
"I'm guessing that was Mitch trying to throw us off track," Joe said.
Frank nodded. "So where is Mitch now?"
"Collig's getting a warrant. Hopefully, they'll have him in custody within the hour." Fenton glanced at his watch. "I think I'll head down to the station. I'd like to be there when they question him. Anybody want to come?"
Joe shook his head. Frank smiled then turned to his father. "I'll stay here with Joe."
Fenton nodded. "Sounds good." He patted Joe on the arm. "Give Emily a hug for me when she wakes up."
"I will, Dad. Thanks."
As Fenton left, Frank turned to Joe. "How about a cup of coffee? You look like you could use it."
"Yeah, let's make it to go. I need to get back to Em."
"To go, it is." Frank put his arm around his brother's shoulders as they headed toward the coffee shop in the main lobby.
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
Emily felt as if she were in a dream. She felt someone reaching for her wrist and snapping something cold around it. She couldn't seem to move her legs either. She struggled against the fog in her brain to wake up. "W-who's here?" she managed to get out.
"Now, don't you worry, dearie. Everything will all be over soon."
The voice belonged to a female, but the not the nurse that had just taken a blood sample awhile ago. This woman sounded elderly. Emily forced her eyes open. A white-haired woman in a hospital gown was handcuffing her left wrist to the bed rail. Emily snapped out of her stupor, a sense of danger enveloping her. "What do you think you're doing?" She tried to sit up and found her legs had been cuffed to the railings as well. She reached over and shoved the woman away with her free hand.
"Now, now, sweetie, there's no need to get so upset," the woman cooed. "This is just something that has to be done. It's not personal."
"Who are you?" Emily demanded, reaching in vain for the buzzer to summon the nurse.
"Why, I'm your roommate. Didn't you see me in the next bed? I've been waiting for you."
Emily was confused. "Why are you putting these on me?"
The woman moved forward and Emily shoved her backwards again. "You aren't being very nice," the woman scolded. She sighed. "Well, I guess this will have to be good enough. Andrew can deal with you when he gets here." She looked at Emily's baffled expression. "Oh, I'm sorry, you know him by the name Mitch, don't you?"
"Mitch? The security guard from the museum?"
"Yes, that's my son."
Emily's head was swimming. "You're his mother? I thought you had a stroke."
The woman waved her hand. "Just a ploy to get Mitch away from the museum." Her face turned angry. "You hurt him when you cut him with that glass. He couldn't get any treatment and his wound became infected. I had to be in a hospital so he could get the medicine he needed without seeing a doctor." She smiled again. "Of course, it's all worked out nicely now. Thanks to Duncan." She laughed. "He doesn't even know what he's done."
"Mitch was the one who attacked me? Why?"
The woman sighed. "I don't have time to explain that now. As soon as my son is done taking care of Duncan, he'll take care of you. And then all our troubles will be over."
Emily tried to make sense of what she was hearing. She looked at Mitch's mother, who was humming a tune as she walked to her bed and began gathering up her personal belongings. Emily tugged hard at the handcuff with her free hand, to no avail.
"Don't bother, dearie, you won't be able to loosen that. I made sure it was fastened tightly."
Emily began to feel desperate and threw herself as hard as she could against the railing, hoping to move the bed closer to the nightstand so she could reach the buzzer. As she got ready to repeat the action, her hospital door opened and Mitch stepped inside. "There you are you little bitch. You won't get away from me this time."
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
As Frank and Joe exited the hospital cafeteria with two Styrofoam cups of coffee, the nurse from upstairs approached them.
"You're the Hardy brothers, aren't you?"
Frank nodded.
"I have an urgent message from your father. He said they couldn't serve the warrant, because Mitch had disappeared. He said you should be on the lookout for him, because they're not sure what he's up to." Her eyes sparkled. "This is turning out to be quite an exciting night. Crystal is going to be really mad she asked me to take this shift for her."
"Yeah," Frank said dryly. "Did my dad say anything else?"
"No..." the nurse was interrupted by an elderly woman in a wheelchair calling out for her.
"Miss? Miss, can you help me?"
"Mrs. Whitaker!" the nurse exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing down here? You're supposed to be in your room." She hurried over to the elderly woman, seated in a wheelchair near the hospital entrance.
"I don't know," she replied. "A nice young man got me out of my bed and brought me down here. He said someone would be by to pick me up before long."
Joe grabbed his brother's arm. "Mrs. Whitaker was the name of the other patient sharing Emily's room," he said, alarm filling him.
The nurse turned. "Yes, that's right. She's supposed to be in room three twenty-eight. Do you know anything about this?"
"Son of a bitch!" Joe swore as he took off as top speed for the stairwell with Frank hot on his heels.
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
Joe tore down the corridor on the third floor and tried to shove open the door to Emily's room. "Frank, something's in the way."
Frank joined him at the door, both of them pressing against it with all their might, until it gave enough for Joe to slip through. The sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. Mitch was standing at Emily's bedside, his hands around her throat, choking her.
Joe flew at him, explosive rage erupting until he couldn't even see straight. He jumped onto Mitch's back and grabbed him around the throat, pulling his head backwards with all the strength he possessed. Instinctively, Mitch let go of Emily and reached for his own neck, trying to remove Joe's arm. Frank moved to the front of Mitch, got in a hard punch to the gut, and then a swift knee to the groin. Mitch doubled over and both he and Joe fell to the ground.
Mitch's mother jumped in, kicking hard at Joe. Frank grabbed her and held her hands behind her back, while Joe sent Mitch into unconsciousness with two resounding punches to the face.
As Joe shakily got to his feet, two police officers and a doctor managed to slip into the room. The doctor hurried to Emily's side. "Is-is she okay?" Joe managed, as he stumbled over to the bed.
The doctor was bent over her with his stethoscope, listening for a heartbeat and respiration. "She's breathing and her pulse is strong." He examined her neck while Emily's eyes fluttered. "I need to check some things internally, so I'm going to move her for a CT scan."
"Can I come?"
"You'll need to wait here, Mr. Hardy, but we'll keep you updated." He put his hand on Joe's shoulder. "From what I see here initially, it doesn't look bad. I think you got here in time." The doctor stepped away to call for a gurney and Joe leaned over Emily. He kissed her temple briefly and her eyes opened, wild and fearful.
"It's okay, baby. It's all over."
Emily struggled to talk and Joe shushed her. "Don't say anything. The doctors are going to take care of you."
She held up her left hand and Joe finally saw the handcuffs. His eyes darkened with rage and he swiftly turned to the officers. "I need someone with a handcuff key to get these damn things off her. Now!"
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
Frank moved into the hall and watched as the orderly dumped Mitch onto a gurney and took him for x-rays and to get his face stitched back together. Frank smiled inwardly. Joe was three for three tonight. Two broken jaws and a broken nose. He watched as Mitch's mother was led away by two police officers. When the elevator doors opened to let them in, Fenton and Collig stepped out.
"What the hell is going on here?" Collig boomed.
"We found your suspect," Frank said. "Do you have that warrant with you? You'll have to add another attempted murder to it. He tried to strangle Emily."
Fenton's jaw dropped. "Is she all right?"
"I think so. They're getting ready to take her for a CT scan now. Joe's with her."
As he said that, the door to Emily's room opened and another orderly wheeled her out into the hall. She was fully conscious and Joe was walking along beside her holding her hand. "I'm going with her," he remarked to Frank.
"I thought the doctor wanted you to wait here."
Joe gave him a look and continued heading down the hall.
"They're going to stop him outside the procedure room," Collig muttered. "And he'd better listen. I don't want to have to haul him in tonight, too."
Fenton chuckled. "He'll behave. I'll make sure of it. Plus, I think he might need a stitch or two on his hand. Looks like he threw some serious punches tonight."
"Bone breaking punches," Frank said. "I'll go with him, Dad, and make sure he gets taken care of."
"Thanks, son. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes."
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
Twenty minutes later, Fenton wandered downstairs and found Joe resisting the efforts of a resident to clean his wounds while Frank tried to convince him otherwise.
"Son," Fenton said, in his best authoritative father voice. "Quit causing trouble."
"I'm not causing trouble, Dad. I just need to get out of here and see how Emily is."
"Joe, the doctors will come and tell you as soon as they're finished with their tests. If you interfere, you'll just be slowing things down. Let them take care of her."
Joe sighed. "It's hard, Dad. I feel like I let her down tonight. Twice."
"There's no way you could have known what Mitch was planning. None of us did."
Emily's doctor poked his head around the door before Joe could respond. "Mr. Hardy?" All three men raised their heads. The doctor smiled. "Joe?" he clarified.
"Is she okay?"
"She's going to be fine," he smiled. "Her CT results were excellent. She may have some bruising and tenderness around her neck, but there appears to be no internal damage. It looks like her attacker had only choked her briefly before you entered the room. We want to keep her at least twenty-four hours for observation, but if there's no swelling of her trachea after that time, we'll consider discharging her."
Joe's face flooded with relief. "Can I see her?"
"Yes, we'll be returning her to her room shortly and you can wait there for her."
Fenton patted Joe reassuringly on the back. "She's going to be fine. You can stop worrying."
Joe nodded mutely, too overcome to say anything.
Fenton looked at Frank. "I think we know where Joe will be tonight. You want to head down to the station and listen to the questioning?"
"Definitely." Frank moved toward the door. "Because I'm still not exactly certain what's been going on at that museum."