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Diclaimer: I don't own the Hardys.

Chapter 15

Callie left about 6:30 and dinner wasn't served until 7:00. So everyone was preoccupied. Frank and Joe were each upstairs in their respective rooms. Mr. Hardy was busy in his study. Mrs. Hardy happily cooked, chopped, and puréed the family's dinner.

So when the doorbell rang no one thought anything of it. It was probably Callie, she forgot something. Or it could have been a police officer or one of Fenton's colleagues with information on the case.

"I've got it!" Kailey announced getting up quickly from the table. That movement hurt because she had been in that position for a long time that evening, but she just eagerly opened the door with a "hello".

The greeting was returned with a "Good evening, Kailey". The man at the door was in his mid to late forties and was graying slightly at the temples. He had a bit of a haunted look about him that gave off a creepier vibe with the dark, long black coat he was wearing.

She responded with a small smile and a look of intrigue in her eyes, "What are you doing up her Brandon?"

"Your father sent me up here to fetch you."

"Oh, really? So he's not coming."

"No, he has things to do."

"But, of course," Kailey started, and then her phone began buzzing. She brought it from her pocket to her ear in a swift motion and didn't catch the sliver of terror that broke across her father's associate's face.

"Hey dad," she began, but paused, listening to her father, "Yes, I'm fine."

"What are you doing right now?"

"Oh, I'm just finishing looking over my work because Mrs. Hardy is going to give me the exam tomorrow. Dinner should be ready in a little bit."

"Okay good," there was muffled sound and her father came back on, "Kailey I have to go, the chief is on the other line."

"Alright. Well, talk to you soon! Bye! Love you!" she said before hanging up.

Kailey turned to the older man in front of her, "Sorry about that, anyways, I still can't believe you came here so fast."

Brandon replied, "I wasn't a problem. Your father wanted you back home ASAP because now they have her locked away. Missing anymore school isn't a great idea."

"Yeah, I guess," she agreed unwillingly and got a slight shiver. For some reason she had kept her distance, not inviting him inside the Hardy house, like he was a vermin or a vampire.

"Do you want to come in? Do you have a hotel to stay at? It's pretty late to be flying out to Texas."

"No, tonight is fine. I'll go warm up the car and you can bring your bag down. You only have one, right?"

Alarms were going off in her head, why wouldn't he come inside?

During this exchange the boys were interested in seeing the guest. Joe was not at all focused on his studies and took to watching from his window a large, darkly dressed man converse with Kailey at the door for an extended amount of time. She hadn't even called for anyone of the Hardys to come to the door. Then if that man wasn't here for them, then he must be there for Kailey. Who is he and why is he still standing outside. So he quickly left the window and went out to seek advice from Frank.

Likewise Frank had lost focus on his history notes and perked up his ears to see if he could catch any of their conversation because his door was open. Still there was nothing. That's odd, he thought. Starting to get up from his desk he was met with a bewildered Joe in his room.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I think something's off. My gut is telling me to go downstairs."

"Are you sure it's not directing you to the kitchen?"

"Ha ha, very funny Frank. I'm serious. That guy looks sort of peculiar. I've noticed he's stayed outside this whole time, so he must be here to speak to Kailey, but that's still weird, right?"

"Definitely is," Frank replied, "Let's go check it out."

The boys snuck down the stairs catching tidbits of the conversation and Kailey shut the phone as they reached the bottom step.

It was almost 7, so Mr. Hardy stepped from his office, eager to help his wife set the table. For the last few hours he had barely made any progress than the police force had made earlier that day. He was just looking through missing persons that had been filed, but then retracted. They weren't the same officers so no connection.

About a minute ago or so he had heard the bell ring and was surprised that there had not been a knock on the study's door. He dismissed the notion of worry because it was probably just one of the boys' friends. He hadn't heard much of a conversation though, so he poked his head out into the hall.

He saw Kailey conversing with an older looking man at the door. Preparing to see who that man was, he's pretty suspicious lingering in the doorway. Taking a step toward the talking pair in the hallway, he was tugged by an arm from his wife who saw him.

"Honey, can you please set the table."

"Certainly," Mr. Hardy replied. If anything is going on I can hear it from the kitchen, he thought.

"I heard that he's her father's associate, so it's fine Fenton," Mrs. Hardy said, soothing her husband's worries a little bit.

While going to grab some forks, Mr. Hardy glanced up down the hall and locked eyes with his oldest son and bid him over. Frank grabbed Joe's collar and dragged him to the kitchen.

"Dad," Joe pleaded, "Something's wrong. We can't just leave her with him, in our house. We don't even know who he is."

"Your mother said he's an associate of her father."

"Dad, why is he still outside. I understand a minute or two, but five minutes seems a bit extensive and Kailey has to be freezing."

Mr. Hardy paused before saying anything. It was odd.

"Actually I have two and it may take me a while to gather my stuff. I have all my work spread across the table and in the room upstairs," Kailey told Brandon nonchalantly as she slyly took a step back. "You see I went to the store and also don't have everything in my bag. I put my clothes in the guest room closet and drawers because I thought I was staying here a lot longer. You know I thought, why not get comfortable."

"That's fine, though I wait in the car. I wouldn't want to intrude on the Hardy's anymore on your father's account. Missing the plane wouldn't be good."

"Okay, well, I'll get the boys to help me, then I'll be done in a jiffy," Kailey suggested and began to turn around. But Brandon's arm latched on to hers and broke her eye connection with the Hardy men gathered at the brink of the kitchen at the end of the hall.

He had stepped in the house, unwelcome. "I don't think that's necessary, why don't you just come with me now."

Fire in her eyes Kailey retorted, "Like hell I will," and ripped her arm from his grasp and deflected his other hand that reached out to get a grip on her fleeting body.

She turned to the approaching Hardys, but stopped dead when there was a click behind her. It was a deafening sound. It sent a shiver down her spine. Kailey looked up to see pure terror in the boys' faces and they were focused behind her. Focused on the gun the long-associate of her father had trained on her.