Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. Here is my new chapter. Hope you like it? I'll try to update as soon as I can. Please review
Iola's Treasure 21
Sam Radley pulled into the driveway of the Hardy house. He got out of his car and made his way to the side door of the business part of the house that led to Fenton's office. It was eight in the morning and he'd just wrapped up the Hollis case that Fenton had turned over to him due to a family crisis. Even though Sam had had a case of his own to work on he stayed in contact with Fenton the entire time. He knew Fenton had a lot going on and so he drove the twenty miles all night and through the storm to help his friend out.
He still couldn't wrap his head around all of the drama surrounding Joe and his erratic behavior that contributed to him getting arrested in the attack of a Mr. Albert Douglas the owner of the Barmet Island resort. And that Joe had gone ballistic because the man had destroyed the island that had been a special place for both Joe and Iola. Sam really felt bad for Joe; he knew that the kid had had a rough time dealing with the loss of his first girlfriend.
Fenton had told him about the resort project being a big scam and that he and the Bayport police were in the process of looking for Albert Douglas and his business partner Richard Underwood. These men were now wanted for embezzling thousands of dollars from the town of Bayport. However the worst part was that they were also suspects in the death of Hattie Granger's late husband, Harold, who had died in a suspicious car accident four years prior; not to mention the recent attempted murder on Joe. Making things even more difficult was the fact that Joe couldn't be around either suspect due to the restraining order.
"Talk about complicated." Sam mused.
Just before the storm hit last night Sam had received some devastating news from Fenton about Hattie Granger, who was now dying and staying with them. Apparently it was her wish to be around the Hardy family, whom she referred to as her family.
Sam had met Mrs. Granger on several occasions; he'd always found her to be sweet and kind-hearted, she was well liked throughout Bayport. Everyone who came into contact with her instantly grew attached to Mrs. Granger and the stories she always shared.
Joe, especially, had gotten attached to Mrs. Granger when he started working for her through his community service. He hadn't taken the news about her very well and from what Sam had heard Fenton feared that Joe could very well be on the brink of a mental breakdown.
"Fenton and Laura really aren't going to let Joe be there when that kind, old lady passes away?" Sam wondered aloud.
As Fenton's long-time friend and partner in law enforcement, Sam had watched Frank and Joe grow up over the years. He'd grown quite fond of them and thought of them as his own. They were fine young men pursuing in their father's footsteps as detectives.
In actuality, the Hardy's were the closest thing to a family that he had. Joe had only been five years old when he'd started calling him Uncle Sam. Frank and Joe had adopted him as their uncle; they needed him and now with his latest case all wrapped up Sam knew he could put all his attention on helping his family.
"And not a moment too soon" Sam realized as he stood in the entrance to Fenton's office and found the detective pacing the floor like a restless tiger in his cage. Seeing Fenton rub his tired eyes Sam had a feeling that his friend was pushing himself too much; his body was likely running on adrenaline, keeping the fatigue at bay. Sam knew that Fenton was doing his best to remain in control for everyone's sake, but he could only do it for so long.
"Fenton."
"Sam, oh thank God." Fenton said, letting out a sigh of relief when he looked up to see his friend walking into the room.
"I just wrapped up the Hollis case. I thought maybe you could use some help now that I'm free". Sam could see the bags under Fenton's eyes; his dark eyes were filled with too many emotions, fear, anger and worry. It was clear the man was under a lot of stress; it really was hard for Sam to see his friend so upset.
"How is Mrs. Granger doing?" Sam asked with concern.
"Hattie is very weak. She won't eat or drink anything and her respiration is slow and shallow." Fenton answered somberly running a hand through his hair. "Gertrude thinks her time is drawing near. I thought for sure Hattie wouldn't last through the night, but surprisingly, she's still holding on."
Fenton stopped pacing and sat on the edge of his desk instead. "For some reason Hattie keeps asking for Joe." He caught the look on Sam's face and answered the unspoken question. "Apparently, she has a message for him, but won't tell us what it is."
"Oh wow, really?" Sam raised an eyebrow after hearing this and then asked slowly. "So… Where are the boys?" He saw a flash of anger ignite in Fenton's eyes.
"That, my friend, is a very good question." Fenton growled lowly. Sam had a feeling that the boys were the main cause of Fenton's behavior. "The last time I saw them was 6 o'clock yesterday evening".
"Hattie had a list of things she wanted the boys to pick up from her house. At first I didn't want Joe to go because of that damn restraining order Douglas has on him. But, due to this dire situation with Hattie I agreed to let Joe go with Frank."
"I told them specifically to go straight to Hattie's house and back here." He continued fuming. "Thanks to that storm we had last night we currently have no phone or electricity."
"Yes, I saw the damages as I drove through town. There's a lot of debris as well as power lines down all over the place" Sam stated. "I'm sure the boys had enough sense to take refuge in the house." Nodding to himself, Sam added his final point, "I know Frank would at least and he'd for sure take care of Joe".
"I hope that's where they are." Fenton took a deep breath to cool his temper.
"Where are Laura and Gertrude?" Sam inquired attempting to change the subject.
Fenton answered with his temper simmering. "They've been up half the night taking care of Hattie and dealing with the storm on top of worrying themselves to death over boys; they refuse to rest until the boys are home."
"I've spent most of my time reassuring them that the boys are okay while preparing for the storm and gathering up flashlights and making sure the ladies have everything they need. So as of right now Gertrude is sitting with Hattie. Laura is sleeping or at least attempting to."
He took another breath to calm his temper. "And to make matters worst Chet Morton is with them. I know Charles and Donna have to be beside themselves worrying and wondering where their son is."
"I've tried calling Frank's cell, several times, but can't get through. It's going on eight o'clock even though the phones aren't working right now; they've had enough time to get home."
An uneasy silence began to descend on the room as both men considered the situation. "Have you considered the possibility that maybe Frank left town with Joe to get him away from the situation regarding Hattie?" Sam broke the silence to put in his two cents. "As protective as Frank is towards Joe, it would be something he'd do".
"I mean, after the hell Joe went through when Iola died, I wouldn't blame Frank for doing that. Is it really fair to ask Joe to go through all that pain again?"
"Yes, I agree that it would be something Frank would do," Fenton said in response. "And I understand his need to protect his brother. I've even considered doing that myself".
"But, I've also considered that possibility and as I explained to Laura." He let out a deep breath before going on. "I think wanting to protect Joe is more for us than it is for him. We're so afraid Joe will fall apart and that he won't be able to handle Hattie's death. We have this need to want to jump in and shield him from the pain because of what he went through with Iola".
"We're not helping Joe by letting him run away from this. I understand that he's developed a small fear in regards to death, with everything he went through with Iola. But the simple truth is that Hattie is dying and there's nothing we can do about it. Dying is a part of life. He has to face this now because he'll see it throughout his life; especially with our line of work".
Sam felt a bit relieved when he heard Fenton continue, "Joe doesn't have to be in the room with Hattie when she passes away. I won't make him do that because that's his choice to make, not mine".
"But, I do think Joe needs to say goodbye to Hattie. He needs to have some closure; he didn't get that with Iola." Fenton added dreading the last part of his sentence. "I fear that if Joe doesn't get that chance, then I strongly believe we will have a mess on our hands."
"You really think Joe can handle it?"
"Yes, I believe so." Fenton said with all honesty, praying that he was right. He then huffed in frustration. "I just wish I knew where they are. If they went off to find Douglas and Underwood and James Barmet's gold coins…"
"What gold coins?" Sam asked, this was the first he'd heard of this. "And who's James Barmet?"
"Hattie's grandfather." Fenton said. "The coins belonged to him. I'll explain it all to you on the way to Hattie's house. If the boys aren't there, I have a pretty good idea where they'll have gone".
"Where is that?"
"Barmet Island"
"Barmet Island," Sam gasped as his face went pale. He collected himself enough to say, "If that's where the boys are, then I'm afraid they're in more trouble than you think."
"What do you mean by that?" Fenton asked anxiously. His heart stopped when he saw the hesitation in his friend's eyes. "Sam, what is it?" He braced himself for the bad news that was coming.
Sam let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "Fenton, on my way into town I heard someone say that another storm is in the forecast. The weatherman was predicting a major hurricane along the east coast that could push more than 30 feet of a storm surge and it's heading in the direction of Barmet Island".
Fenton suddenly felt sick to his stomach after hearing Sam's words. "Let's go." He said making his way to the door.
"If Douglas and Underwood are on that island not only will the boys be trapped by the storm, they could be in the company of murders."
"Joe this has to be the craziest, most foolhardy thing we've ever done!"
Frank shouted to make himself heard over the sound of the motor of the Sleuth. He sat at the wheel and looked up at the dark ominous clouds that loomed above them. The howling winds raged on as the violent waves of the ocean rocked the boat.
Early this morning they'd driven to the Bayport Pier where the brothers kept their boat. It was a beautiful blue and white sleek motorboat with the name Sleuth embossed upon the bow of the craft in shiny brass letters, with Bayport's registration port underneath. It could comfortably seat six and was equipped with a ship to shore radio set.
When they'd left Hattie's house the boys had seen just how much damage the storm had caused; fallen trees and branches were everywhere. Frank had tried calling home again, but was unable to get through. He'd quickly realized that this meant that with no phone or electricity their line of communication had been cut off. The boys knew though that by now Fenton would have realized that something was wrong and would be in the process of tracking them down. Frank couldn't help but wonder what Fenton would do when he finally caught up with them; that was IF they survived their crazy mission to Barmet Island.
"I have to agree with Frank!" Chet shouted from his seat while holding on to the railing for dear life. "This is crazy! Even Mr. Kramer the owner of the Bayport Pier said we were crazy! He told us a hurricane was heading towards Barmet Island! We need to turn back!"
"We can't! We're almost there!" Joe shouted back pointing to an island in the distance.
Frank saw the wild look in his brother's eyes. Joe had become a different person; he definitely wasn't his scared little brother that Frank had dealt with last night. Now Joe was back to being that unpredictable person who had one single thought in mind and that was to get to Barmet Island. Frank wasn't sure what he should be more afraid of; the storm or his brother.
"This is too dangerous, Joe!" Frank tried to reason. "Not even Douglas and Underwood would be stupid enough to be out here in the middle of a hurricane!"
"Guys! Watch out!" Chet shouted a warning, pointing in front of them. To his horror Joe saw a huge wave coming at them.
"Frank!" He screamed. It was too late. The huge wave crashed over the Sleuth, engulfing the boys.
"Joe! Chet!" Frank suddenly felt himself being lifted up and carried away, helpless against the power of the ocean. When the wave had receded, all that was left was a capsized boat in the middle of the ocean.