Chapter 11
The hollow gave off an eerie feeling as the evening wore on. Despite the assurance that the case may make headway with the soon to be presence of Mr. Hardy. There was still an unsettling feeling among the group. Their prisoner was near collapse with his arms wrapped around the tree. Though no mercy, much less interest was paid by the group who knew this was Steed's cohort, and likely knew of the attempt on Frank's life. And the uncertain notion of where Bill was.
Frank sat by the fire, nursing the same cup of coffee he had poured over half an hour earlier when Joe settled down next to him.
"Hey there, how goes it?" he asked, looking at his brother's far-away look and lack of interest in his coffee. Frank's intense gaze broke off and he half smiled looking at his brother knowingly.
"Is the stress showing that much?" He asked, looking back into the woods. Joe half shrugged.
"You look like you have a few things on your mind. Pretty natural considering that you have broken out of a very long relationship. A family friend has been missing and then of course Bill just getting snagged. To say nothing of the fact that you, Chet, and Tony nearly got blown to eternity. Stress is pretty natural with a tenth of that load."
"Yeah, but I've had more stress than this before. We have had some pretty intense jobs in the past. We eat stress for breakfast in this job, Joe. You know that. And though it is hard to see Callie with Chet, it isn't exactly unnatural. Kind of wish Tiffany was close. But again, it would just be more stress. And pretty inappropriate for the surroundings. At least Callie and Iola have been in tight spots before with us. They are experienced at camping and know how to defend themselves. Tiffany has problems lighting a cigarette sometimes." Joe smiled at his brother.
"Take the good with the bad, Frank. All will be well in the long run. Dad is on the way, and that is always a plus. He is sharp and focused, and that's what we need to find a way forward. Maybe he will get something out of that scumbag down by the tree. We'll find Bill and the Captain. Find out what the deal is with the jewels and the possible hijacking racket." Frank nodded.
"Yeah, dad will help us sort it out." He stood up and patted his brother on the shoulder and walked towards the others. He stopped before the group and sat.
"Any coffee left? I'm afraid I let mine get cold." He dumped out his well cooled coffee on the grass. Chet reached over and took the pot off the fire.
"You're in luck, Frank. New pot." he smiled, pouring some of the steaming drink into his extended cup. Frank nodded gratefully.
"Thanks." He gestured down the slope towards their prisoner. "Any word out of him? He looks a bit uncomfortable. Might motivate him to let us know anything about Bill or the captain." Tony shook his head.
"Not anything interesting. " Iola grinned.
"He was muttering at length, but mostly words that don't bear repeating. I think he's a bit irritated that he got caught." she eyed Callie significantly, "Especially by a woman." Callie beamed.
"It wasn't hard with him. He was pretty concentrated on those boxes of jewels, and I got the drop on him with little difficulty."
"Makes you wonder if he knew what was in them." Chet mused. "I mean this guy is simple Simon, the two-bit hood. Cheap labor tends to stay out of the loop when it comes to such thing. Otherwise, you run the risk of double cross. If this guy thought he was stealing a few boxes of high end weapons or something less valuable than a fortune in jewels, maybe he thought he could steal it from his boss and get away with it. Perhaps he was blissfully unaware that he grabbed something that valuable." Frank nodded.
"You could be right Chet." he mused. "I just can't figure out why would we find millions of dollars worth of jewels laying around carelessly in an old cabin. You interrupted him doing something with it."
"It doesn't make sense." Iola concurred. "I would have that stuff locked into a safe deposit box if I owned it." Chet smiled.
"Well sis, we can hardly blame the bad guys for not using the bank to keep their stolen loot. It would hardly be within the rules of thieves to use the banking system in that way. They tend to take things Out of the bank." Iola rolled her eyes at her brother.
"I hardly meant that the thieves should do it. I meant if I owned that stuff. Hell, even if I owned one little ring from that box I would have it in the safe."
"Or maybe on your finger" Callie said emphathetically towards Joe. Who was walking towards the group. All eyes fell to Joe, trying to hide the humor of the situation. They failed. Joe returned the gaze back to the group as he sat down.
"What's up guys?" he asked, wondering why the group had been trying to keep a straight face while looking his way. Chet gave a hearty laugh then looked up.
"Oh, nothing much. The girls here were thinking of getting you into the jewelry buying mood. More specifically, ring buying mood." Joe blushed and looked sheepishly over to Iola.
"Is that right? Hmm, guess we might have to do something about that." Iola turned and glance up at him.
"Don't you go teasing me, Joe Hardy!" Joe opened his mouth in mock astonishment.
"Who is teasing? You want to get married. So do I. I do happen to love you." Iola looked over at the now blushing Joe.
"Oh Joe. I do love you, too. You are everything to me." she said softly. Their lips met as if no one else was around. It seemed like an eternity. Chet gave an abrupt cough. He saw Callie look slyly back at him
"Oh, are you feeling neglected, sweetie?" she fell into his arms and kissing him resoundingly. Tony Looked over at the two couples who appeared to be in an endless lip lock. He sighed heavily looking over to Frank, who smiled and pushed his arms toward him in mock protest.
"Don't look at me, Tony! Hey you guys, get a room." Sheepishly the two couples realized that they weren't exactly being discrete. They ceased the public affection and sat warmly next to each other. Frank cleared his throat with slight apprehension as he looked over to Callie, but averted his gaze when Callie returned a somewhat cool look back in his direction. Frank knew that look. He knew that look now meant something to the effect that if they were alone Callie would freely say something like "Get over it Frank and go lay your head on Tiffany's implants, and don't you dare give me any crap for wanting to be happy after the Hell I've been through." Frank reflected momentarily on the thought of Tiffany's implants. But quickly banished such a thought as it was hardly appropriate for the time and place. To say nothing of the fact that his new love, wasn't even present at the moment. He glanced over at Tony, who didn't offer much of any consolation to his thoughts. Tony, hadn't had a girlfriend in about 6 months. He had broken up with his long term girl because he worked too much. Or so she claimed. Tony was mad at himself for not paying more attention to what he had and surely missed his former love. So, when Frank looked searchingly at him for an answer, all Tony could do was offer a slight shrug.
The rest of the afternoon went by with someone stationed by the jewels at all times. They assumed there was at least a fair chance they might get visitors seeking the valuable loot. Chet had elected to guard the stash while Frank and Joe struck out to gather more firewood. Callie sat next to Chet, who was cleaning his revolver. She watched him with fascination as he brushed out each cylinder. Tony brought over a small cooler.
"Hey guys, Iola is fixing up some grub. You all want a drink?" he asked sitting down. Callie looked up.
"Cold Corona, if you got one Tony." She looked over at Chet, "You want a drink sweetie?" Chet smiled, obviously pleased at having been called sweetie.
"Cold water would be cool. Probably unwise to drink while I'm cleaning guns and watching millions in jewels." He looked up and blew through the barrel of his disassembled gun. Slight traces of gunpowder could be seen escaping the barrel. He reassembled his firearm, loaded it, and then secured it in its holster. He looked up and grabbed the water offered to him.
"Thanks, angel." Callie smiled. Tony looked at the two.
"You're a lucky man, Chet." He said observing the couple. "Though it still sometimes looks like Frank could blow a gasket" Callie took a long swig of beer and exhaled.
"Frank needs to get laid, Tony. I know he probably is having a little problem seeing his former girl in the arms of another man. But, overall I'd say he is just stressed and needs a release. Too bad we didn't bring Tiffany along. He would have gotten his fix and all would be right. Though he is kind of a prude, as not sure if he has ever done it outside of a bedroom. Not with me anyway." Tony gave a laughing snort upon hearing this and quickly set his beer down and began coughing.
"Call your shots, Cal." he laughed, still half choking. "I wasn't expecting to hear the personal reflections of Frank's former lover, much less hear about places Frank may or may not do the deed." He was still laughing as Iola walked up.
"Will have some stew ready in a ... Say what's so funny, guys?" she asked cracking a smile at the three sitting their trying to look serious, but failing miserably. Callie cleared her throat.
"Well, Iola, we were just discussing the places that Frank likely hasn't yet utilized for doing the dirty deed. Which is pretty much everywhere outside of a regular bedroom." she giggled. Iola sat down grabbing the beer Tony had offered.
"Oh, your bad girl. Telling such tales, but I guess if that's true. Joe definitely has him beat out in that department. "
"Yeah, we figured that the other night from hearing you and Joe on the radio with a little wine and song." Chet needled his sis. Iola curled her lips and smiled back at Chet.
"Well bro, wasn't it yesterday morning when Joe and I couldn't reach you on the radio, so we had to come hunt you down. And when we finally found you, I believe you were in the tent in a compromising position."
"What?!" Chet asked, not quite catching on. Iola sucked in her cheeks.
"I believe when Joe and I found you, that you were passed out. And from what I saw, which was more than I should have, your submarine was still in deep waters." At this Callie reddened and Tony gave a whoop of laughter and almost fell back off the tree stump he sat on. Iola took another long swig. Callie looked up, still red faced.
"Thanks Iola, I'm sure Tony here has a lot more data to process than he wanted." Tony smiled at her.
"It's ok Cal, I know you're a lady. And ole Chet," he laughed, "where you sink your sub is of no consequence to me." Chet reddened a bit but returned a good natured smile. Callie looked up with hesitation.
"Thanks Tony, I appreciate knowing that others think of me as a lady. But, sometimes I think that can backfire. I am very respectable, or feel I have presented that image anyway. But, after dating Frank for so long I doubt I had much choice. I wouldn't mind relaxing the image a little in the future. Not in the relationship sense, because I think I got it right this time. But, Frank always wanted me to give off a somewhat pretentious image at times. I mean I know that it's wise to reflect properly upon people. But, sometimes I get the feeling Frank wanted me to come off as a librarian type." Chet smiled
"I promise to never turn you into a librarian, Cal. Your far too free a spirit to be classified as anything like that." Callie smiled and kissed Chet on the cheek.
"Thanks, dear. But if I ask for guidance down the road on loosening up, I trust you will point me in the right direction. I'm afraid I'm out of the loop in what might be having a contemporary image these days. Frank sometimes frowned when I'd wear jeans." Tony opened another beer and sat back.
"I love Frank like a brother, but he definitely has a bit too structured of a lifestyle. He needs to put his hair down sometimes and relax. Maybe Tiffany will help him out in that area." Callie took another swig.
"Couldn't hurt. Hope Tiffany is into being kept on a reasonably short leash though." Iola gave an exaggerated clearing of her throat to get the other's attention to look up. Frank and Joe were heading their way with arms full of firewood. Upon reaching the group they set down their load.
"Whew!" Frank sighed as sat down to get his breath. "You'd think for a hollow full of woodlands that it wouldn't be so hard to get some firewood rounded up." Joe nodded, still panting as he fell to the ground. He gave half a gaze towards the cooler next to Tony.
"Say Tony, tell me there's a cold one in there." he panted. Tony smiled and opened the cooler. He tossed a Bottle of Corona over to him.
"Here ya go, my man!" Tony said. Joe nodded pulling out his Swiss Army knife and flipped the lid off the bottle. He drank heartily and then looked up.
"Much obliged. Frank, want a brew?" Frank looked over,
"Water will do fine, thanks." A moment later Tony handed him a bottle of cold water. Frank took it, nodding his thanks.
"Anything exciting happen here while we were gone?" Frank asked gazing about. Chet smirked, but looked down.
"Nothing exciting here Frank. Quiet as a library, you might say." Callie smirked, also averting her gaze as not to laugh out loud. Iola broke in before anything more could be expounded.
"Got a nice stew on the fire and we were just waiting for you." Joe brightened up.
"Stew? Wow, Iola, that sounds great!" he stood up. Iola smiled, grateful her man managed to break up the awkwardness which was quickly building.
"Well, Chet had some potatoes, carrots and other fixings that were beginning to spoil, so I salvaged them. The rest of you ready to eat?" All nodded eagerly. Frank gazed down at the prisoner who was seated with his arms around the tree.
"Say, despite the prisoner being obviously an unpleasant type, I think I will switch to freeing up his hands and wrapping his legs around the tree. Then he can eat. Wouldn't want to starve him." Iola walked on ahead.
"I'll make a plate, Frank." Frank looked over to Chet
"Say, can you cover me while I switch out the handcuffs for leg irons?" he asked. Chet nodded.
"Sure Frank, let's go." They walked down the slope to where the prisoner was crouched uncomfortably with his arms wrapped around the large tree. The sullen and tired looking man gazed up.
"You finally come to your senses and going to let me go?" Frank gave a chuckle. He shook his head taking out the keys to the cuffs.
"Not quite, but I will free your arms up and shackle your legs around the tree if you'd like to eat." The man was about to make comment, but thought better of it, grudgingly nodding. Chet took out his .44 and leveled it at the prisoner. Frank unlocked the cuffs and directed the man to place his legs around the tree while he shackled them. The man then sat up facing the tree, but thankful none the less that he was able to somewhat properly sit. He rubbed his wrists ruefully. Chet lowered his gun when the prisoner was defenseless to escape. Iola came down with a tin plate and a bottle. She handed the items to Frank and returned back up the slope. Frank set the stew and the beer down by the man.
"Enjoy. Sorry I don't have candle light and a wine list, but it's better than nothing." The prisoner, despite his opposition to being held, was grateful and grabbed the food and drink and started wolfing down the meal. Frank and Chet exchanged amused glances and walked back up the slope. They arrived to just sit down for their own meal. A short time later they had consumed an entire pot of delicious stew-and several beers. As evening settled, a cool air motivated Joe to place more wood on the fire. The group sat around it, almost transfixed on the leaping flames. Lost in thought. The silence was soon broken by the beeping of the radio. A pre-transmission beep usually occurred prior to verbal broadcast. The radio then crackled.
"FH51 to F24 or other associated party. Come in. Over." Frank sat bolt upright and Joe scooped up the radio mike.
"This is J23, we read you, over." He waited anxiously for a return signal.
"FH51 here. Hello boys, I will maintain minimal radio traffic until I run into you. I have landed and secured transport to your location. I do need you to transmit a beacon signal at our prearranged frequency so that I may detect your exact location. Over." Joe smiled.
"J23, understood. We will start the signal immediately. Based on our general area, do you have an ETA? Over."
"FH51. Yes. Likely three hours or so. I will have two associates with me to help expedite the other issue. Will see you soon. Over and out." The radio went silent. Joe replaced the mike and looked up happily. Frank nodded his approval.
"We will be getting somewhere soon when dad gets here. I am guessing he brought a couple assistants to take care of our guest. He will undoubtedly be taken to the state police."
"Good, then we can look for Bill!" Tony said. "I hope he's alright." Iola looked worried.
"Me too, I don't want him to get blown up. But Mr. Hardy should be able to devise a plan so we can find him." Callie started pouring water in a pot.
"Does anyone want some coffee? I was gonna make some." Everyone nodded, realizing it would probably be a long night ahead. Chet took out some mouthwash out of a pack and excused himself to go to the makeshift cleaning area they had designated a short distance away. There had been a natural spring there and they had made a makeshift shower/bathing area. Upon brushing his teeth and using mouthwash he washed his hands under the spring and walked back down the slope. He rejoined the others while they were having coffee and conversing. He gave Callie a kiss on the lips. She smiled.
"Mmmm, much better. Minty!" Chet smiled. Tony reached over for the coffee pot. Callie noticed something when Tony extended his arm. Peeking out under a rolled up sleeve appeared to be some kind of tattoo on his arm.
"Hey, Tony! Do you have a tattoo?" Callie asked. "I never saw one on you before." Tony smiled and rolled his sleeve up more so to show the others. The tattoo was a medium size logo of the Harley Davidson company. Tony was an avid motorcycle rider, so this did not surprise the others.
"Damn Tony" Frank started, "When did you get that?" Tony smiled.
"About two months ago. But I haven't been flashing it around. I know Bayport is still a pretty conservative area, and being owner of a construction company may not reflect well. But I had to do it. I wore it open last month when I went down to the convention in Florida."
"Being owner of a construction company may not reflect well?" Joe echoed. "Tony, maybe if you were the dean of a university it might not reflect well. But, look at all those workers of yours. You'd have to go to a millennial lesbian bar to see more ink than those guys have!" Tony shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable. In all honesty, he may have had more of a personal anxiety over his friend's acceptance of such an act. Callie seemed fascinated as she smiled down at his tattoo.
"That is so cool, Tony. I wouldn't worry about what the others say too much. A lot of people are backdated. I always thought it would be cool to have one, but I guess I am not really the type." Frank looked up over his coffee.
"Nothing wrong with that, Cal." he said without thought. Callie rolled her eyes.
"Frank, it doesn't make Tony a ruffian because he has a tattoo." Frank shrugged.
"I didn't say it did. I just speculated that you weren't the type to do that. I could see you walking into church Sunday morning with one." He grunted. Callie sat quietly, without offering further comment. Chet noticed Callie's sudden quietness and put an arm around her.
"Don't worry, Cal. I wouldn't be ashamed. You can do whatever you like and I will support it." Callie smiled to him.
"Thanks Chet, but I guess Frank is more or less right." She excused herself and walked down the slope. Chet looked over to Frank.
"You're a charmer, Frank. You think you could take it easy on future commentary? She is still pretty sensitive to your opinions if you hadn't noticed." Frank nodded.
"I'm sorry, Chet. It just kinda struck me funny when she mentioned a tattoo. Never in the years I have known her did she ever mention it. I guess this is what happens when people grow apart." Chet shrugged.
"Just take it easy on her, huh?" He then got up and walked down the slope. He spied Callie sitting on a grass knoll in the light of the moon shining through the trees. He walked over and looked down. Callie had been crying as was evident by her sniffling and what Chet could tell were puffy eyes.
"Hi Cal, can I sit with you?" he asked gently. She looked up, eventually offering him a smile and motioned to the ground beside her. Chet sat down and looked over to her.
"I hope you aren't crying over what the sexually repressed member of our group was saying." Callie looked up.
"Oh Chet, that sexually repressed man has some control over me yet. I guess... It must take a while to clear such influence from your system. I know Frank is a good and noble guy. But we weren't meant to be.
"I kinda figured that one out. That's why I was so happy when you and I found our mutual desire. If there is anything I can ever do to make you feel better, please just say the word." Callie smiled.
"You are so sweet, and I know you will be there for me." She slid up next to him and rested her head on him and closed her eyes. He lay there with her. It would be a little while before Mr. Hardy showed up.
An hour later found Frank, Joe, Tony and Iola sitting around the fire playing poker. Tony took another beer from the cooler.
"I tell ya Joe, it was great being on the bike last weekend. Rode upstate a couple hundred miles. Was so cool watching the seasons change up there." Joe nodded appreciatively.
"I'd love to get a chance to ride up there. Maybe when I get a weekend off. Sound good, Frank?" Frank nodded.
"You know it. I'd love to blow the dust off the bike and get some miles down. Nothing like a bike ride to do that. Say Tony, that's a sweet ride you just got. Hate to ask what it set you back." Tony smiled.
"Well Frank, I was in an impulsive mood. But let's just say a Harley Evolution isn't cheap. Heh, I chastised Chet for laying out on that new boat, but I am pretty much equally guilty."
Frank smiled, knowing Tony must really have liked the bike, as he was not one to throw away money carelessly.
"I hope you don't have to build too many houses to pay for it. Very cool bike for sure." Tony smiled.
"It wasn't too bad. I can pay for it with less than one house worth of profit. And treated right, the Evolution will last forever." Iola smiled
"You boys and your toys. I will never understand." she poured them more coffee as she shook her head. Joe raised an eyebrow.
"Ha. This coming from the woman who just had to have that cute little convertible." he smiled to her knowing she would react.
"Well big boy, feel lucky I don't desire I nice little BMW M."
"Why not? I do!" Tony said. "That's a sweet ride if you have the price of admission." Frank shook his head.
"Too rich for my blood. I will stick with my Ford Crown Vic police interceptor." Tony shrugged
"Nothing to be ashamed of Frank. I mean with the police mods, it gets up and goes. No question. And yeah, quite affordable!"
Joe looked down at his watch, which indicated a few minutes past ten.
"Dad should be along soon. The signal is transmitting, so he should track us with ease." Frank looked into the darkness of the hollow.
"I wonder if anyone else is keeping tabs on us? It isn't like we are being overly discreet with the fire and all. But if you are down by that cabin, you don't even know this little valley sits over the rise. It's a great hiding place to observe from. But one can't help but wonder if our enemy is watching us. I mean we do have a fortune in the tent."
"Don't remind me." Tony shuddered. "Thirty-eight million reasons for us to get blown up." Frank smiled.
"Now ya know they wouldn't throw a bomb at us. I doubt they want to blow up the jewels." Joe grinned.
"Why go through the mess of explosives when a few well placed rifle shots would do a much neater job? I think if they were on to us, we'd probably have heard from them by now. So, let's take it easy. After all, if Chet gets wind of the this he will go overboard and arm us all with grenades and an Uzi." Tony grinned pointing back at him.
"You know That's the truth. You remember the time at the fort where he actually carried that LAWS missile launcher on the ready?" Carried it for miles and then when he finally gets to use it, all he ends up offing is a possum." Frank chuckled heartily at this recollection.
"Oh, how I remember the shocked look on his face. He thought he was taking out a sniper and he toasts a possum. I bet that single Laws rocket launcher cost thousands. The most expensive killing of a possum probably in history. Any number of 20 year old pickup trucks would have done the same thing to that possum for nothing." Iola herself had to giggle a little. Joe smiled.
"You know, sweetie, that we aren't really dissing on Chet. But you know your brother and his occasions to be extreme." Iola nodded knowingly.
"Oh yeah. He was always that type." She giggled. "You remember that case concerning old coins? How Chet and you guys found a rare coin in our farm's field while Chet was digging a drainage ditch?" Frank slapped his knee and started laughing.
"How could I forget?! That was rich. Your dad wanted a little 2 foot wide ditch dug so the garden wouldn't flood over. After we find the coin, Chet borrowed that bulldozer from your dad's construction company, Tony." Tony grinned knowing.
"Yep! He dug up the entire field. By the time he was done with that dozer, you could have filled it with water and called it a river. Your dad was pissed, Iola!" She nodded earnestly.
"Oh yeah! Chet had to replant an entire crop. After he re-tilled the land. But he was so coin happy he thought it was a good excuse to sift through the entire field. Dad, however, was not pleased with the length of time it took!"
Over the next half an hour they reflected back to stories of their past cases and experiences.
At about 10:40, an expedition of 3 men were tracking a signal on a small radar screen while walking through the dark woods.
"How about it, Jackson?" asked a deep voice. Special agent Jackson nodded approvingly.
"We are almost on top of them, Mr. Hardy, sir. The signal is strong." The tall figure of Fenton Hardy nodded affirmatively.
"Good. Kelly, keep an eye out on the right. The boys are well hidden no doubt." Special agent Kelly, a short, stocky man, who was a close confidant of Mr. Hardy nodded. He had worked on Fenton Hardy's cases over the years, but mainly in the southwest region.
"I'll keep a lookout for em. We's bound to run into em round these parts somewhere. If I remember them well, they are pretty much like their dad when it comes to their work. I will keep my eyes open." Fenton smiled at this statement. Kelly was a pretty laid back agent with a good ole boy mentality. They tromped slowly as the signal intensified.
"We are almost on top of it, sir." Jackson said. Fenton nodded.
"Keep your eyes peeled, boys. There's even a fair chance they have a fire going on. It is very dark in this hollow." They entered a clearing and the three stopped. The signal was indicating the highest reading yet.
"Flashlight?" Hardy requested. Kelly pulled one off his belt and handed it over. Hardy shone it through the clearing.
"There, you see. Look through this clearing. Notice how the land gradually slopes about? It's so subtle, especially in the dark. I am betting that there is something beyond that rise. It seems to curve around toward that big area of rock. A perfect place for them to be hiding out. Let's go!" The group headed straight for the highest point of the rise. Upon reaching the top they scanned the area below and it appeared as though Mr. Hardy's deductions were correct. There were many valleys and deceptive rises to where one could hide a camp. Hardy was looking along the area near the rock embankment. He held up a hand.
"There!" he said. "I see a campfire flickering. Between that, and this beacon going off so strong, that must be their camp." he led the way down the sharp rise with the two agents hustling behind. The three moved closer to the camp with great caution, taking nothing for granted. At 100 yards Fenton Hardy pulled out a pair of field glasses and focused them on what seemed to be a group around the campfire. His face relaxed and he smiled knowingly. He looked at his men.
"It's them, let's go. But, be careful! They are most assuredly armed." His men nodded and followed cautiously. They slowly walked towards the fire. Shortly the sound of voiced became clear.
"Say Tony, can I have another beer?" Joe asked. Before Tony could reply, a voice boomed from the darkness.
"Joe Hardy, I certainly hope you are not over indulging in the middle of a case." Joe looked up startled, then smiled.
"Dad!?" he called. Getting up, he scanned to the area where the voice came from. The three men emerged from the darkness and walked over to the group.
"Hi Dad!" Joe said, "No, I wasn't..." Mr. Hardy broke into a grin.
"Easy Joe, I was just making sure you weren't partying too hard. How about a brew for the old man?" Frank grinned and grabbed a beer for his father.
"Hi Dad. Heads up!" he said tossing a beer to him. Mr. Hardy caught the bottle gratefully.
"Thanks, Frank! Hi Tony, Iola. Also, this is agent Jackson and agent Kelly." The others looked over with a smile. Joe stepped forth and smiled.
"Kelly? Well, I'll be! Agent Kelly, we haven't crossed paths since the flying express case! How are ya?" Kelly smiled offering his hand. Joe shook it.
"Be a whole lot better if you tell me you have another brew somewhere close. That's quite a little hike from the river." Joe nodded.
"You know it is. Let me get you a beer. How about you agent Jackson? Like a cold one?" The tall special agent kindly shook his head.
"No, thank you son. But, if you have a spot of water I'd be grateful." Joe smiled.
"Can do." He fished a bottle of water out as well and handed the men their drinks. They all sat down wearily in front of the group. Frank, Joe and Iola sat down as well. Frank looked up to Tony who was still standing by the fire.
"Tony, why don't you go see what became of Chet and Callie." Tony nodded and was about to head off until he saw the pair coming back towards camp.
"Here they come, Frank." Tony said turning back about towards the fire. Chet and Callie came walking over to the fire hand in hand. Mr. Hardy noted their closeness and looked over to Frank questioningly. Frank smiled and gave a gesture indicating he would talk to his dad later.
"Hiya, Mr. Hardy!" Chet said breezily. Callie waved.
"Hello Chet, Callie. Good to see you both again. Now then Frank, give us an update on all you know." Frank drew a breath and reported all that had happened since they took on the case and arrived in Black Hollow. He finished with the recent events of Bill vanishing and their prisoner down over the rise admitting inadvertently that his gang apparently abducted Bill. And then the discovery of the $38 million dollars worth of jewels. Mr. Hardy nodded.
"Yes, that was of particular interest to me, as the gang I am after is very keen on hijacking such loot. While I was on the plane I checked with a few officials. I found out that there were indeed three strong boxes of Tiffany and Company jewels hijacked. I have spoken with Tiffany representatives, and their insurance carrier. They were quite pleased that the jewels had been possibly located. And they said upon return of the jewels, the recovering party would get a reward. If I heard you right on your first radio transmission, you said Chet made the find and got the jewels safe before your prisoner down there vanished with them. Is that right?" Frank nodded.
"Yes, and uh, Callie was with him. She was the one who got the drop on our prisoner." Mr. Hardy looked down with a smile.
"Well then, I might have to reevaluate my position on bringing friends into a danger zone. I kind of figured though that Callie and Iola here would ultimately find a way to join you. So anyway, it seems that Chet and Callie here are the fortunate ones. I have made arrangements, pending of course that the jewels are authentic." He looked over to Chet and Callie. "The parties responsible for the recovery of the jewelry will return them to Tiffanys, and their more than ecstatic insurance carrier." Chet looked up.
"Does that mean you want Callie and I to take these jewels back to Tiffanys?" Mr. Hardy nodded seriously.
"Yes indeed, Chet. We have some serious hijackers and criminals in general roaming about this hollow. They have attempted murder and are holding two of our dear friends. The jewelry is nothing more now than a liability. If it hangs around this hollow it could get stolen back. The sooner it is back in the hands of the owners the better. Plus, there is a little matter of the Tiffany executives and insurance carrier making good on their reward."
"Reward?" echoed Callie. "You mentioned that before. We didn't even know they were jewels when we took the boxes from that man. They could have been filled with ten year old newspapers for all we knew. When we found they were jewels we were happy, but we don't expect a reward for it."
Mr. Hardy smiled, knowing the ethics of this group he was happy to call family. He shrugged.
"None the less Callie, it is standard procedure in such a case. When large sums of money or valuables are stolen, a company and insurance carrier usually always issue a reward to motivate the recovery. It is in their best interest." Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Not to sound too material at this point, but what is generally the standard reward in such cases?" Mr. Hardy smiled.
"Perhaps it best to let me see these jewels just to be on the safe side. Hijackers have been known to plant duplication goods to cover their tracks and buy them time. A person thinks they found some valuable stolen goods only to find out that the items were clever forgeries." Frank got up and vanished into the tent and soon returned carrying the three cases.
"Here we are, dad." he grunted, placing the strong boxes before him. Fenton Hardy opened one of the boxes and removed a black box. He carefully pulled out a diamond broach.
"Wow!" whistled Kelly. "That be some shiny rocks, boss!" Fenton nodded smiling as he took out a device from his coat which resembled a thick ink pen. The end had a small pin like probe on it. He smiled to the others.
"Diamond detector. This little probe can tell the fake from the real thing." Joe smiled, knowing his father's preparedness would remove all doubt. Mr. Hardy held the probe to the diamond. Each time he nodded. He also brought out a lock pick device to access the other two strong boxes. After opening those boxes, he picked out several other pieces to test. All turned out to be authentic. He studied the insurance documents which were box as well. After several more minutes he nodded.
"It's the real deal, folks." Mr. Hardy said with assurance. We have over $38 million dollars in front of us." The group quickly returned the boxes back into the tent. Mr. Hardy retained the paperwork from the jewelry shipment and continued to study it thoughtfully. He looked up to the others with a slight smile.
"Chet and Callie, do you have any idea how fortunate you are? To have recovered such a valuable shipment? I compliment you both on some outstanding work. It was a true blow to the gang who took it." Tony looked over to him.
"Mr. Hardy, what I don't understand is why they found nearly $40 million in jewels in an old beat up cabin. And why the gang sent this one guy to go pick them up? It doesn't add up." Mr. Hardy sat perplexed.
"Good question Tony. I have a possible theory. Chet and Callie, did you positively see this prisoner of yours go into the cabin with empty hands?" Both Callie and Chet thought hard, but neither could definitely be sure.
"Gee, Mr. Hardy..." Chet stammered, "Come to think of it, I'm not sure. It was kind of dark, as so often happens here in the hollow. What are you driving at?" Fenton Hardy folded his hands together.
"Well, I could speculate that perhaps he wasn't there to retrieve them, but was actually carrying them with him and he ducked into the cabin to maybe get a look for himself. You said you caught him hunched over these boxes?" Callie nodded. Fenton smiled
"If I were to bet on it, I'd say our guest had a falling out with the gang. And when they weren't looking he snagged the boxes. Maybe he knew what was in them. More than likely not. If he was just a hired strong arm, then he may only have limited knowledge of the crimes. He probably had a dispute with the boss over money and chose to compensate himself with whatever was in those boxes. He might have stopped off at that cabin to get out of sight and maybe take a peek at what he was carrying. I would lay odds he didn't know what he had. No strong arm would be foolish enough to take $40 million from a major crime ring over what was probably a dispute over one or two thousand dollars in fees. For sure, he would know that the gang would catch up with him if he took such a treasure. Then deal with him accordingly." Joe looked to his father.
"Chet had a similar theory. It never occurred to me personally. But, if that is the case, why haven't the gang come swarming all over here looking for the goods?" he asked. Fenton Hardy gestured.
"As valuable a find as this is, it is not their main bread and butter. These guys hijack valuable shipment in mass quantities. Part of their money is directed towards financing a program to appropriate valuable satellite technology to sell to unfriendly governments. That type of espionage, folks, can be worth billions. For if you have satellite guidance systems and the ability to control what they control, then you have potential power for nuclear blackmail towards many countries. It's a big kettle of fish. So, the jewels are important. But, they aren't going to make the gang come out of hiding to possibly get caught. $40 million buys a lot in some places, but on the satellite technology market, it's just a drop in the bucket. But boys, the thing to remember is if we cut off the hijacking, then the funds get pinched and the other more concerning crime goes undone. So, we need to break this hijacking ring and we will then have the whole affair wrapped up. They need to amass several hundred million dollars to get the position they need to be a viable threat to the satellite guidance business. But we don't really know how much they have amassed. We can't take anything for granted. We must shut them down as soon as possible, and rescue the captain and Bill."
"So, what's the plan dad?" Frank asked. Fenton Hardy smiled.
"Well Frank, it's a clear and easy deduction that the gang is working this hollow as a hideout and possible place to process the stolen goods and convert them to cash. We are also quite sure Bill and Captain McGuire are held up here somewhere. Possibly as insurance policies in case we get too close. I do have a plan if we get close enough to them though. They obviously would like these jewels back. I suggest we take these strong boxes, less the jewels of course. And, if we run into a situation, try to convince the gang we still have their jewels. I am sure I can have some duplicate jewels made and rushed out here. In fact, Chet and Callie, I am betting that the Tiffany people could help us. They often have to have duplicate pieces made for clients who fear theft so they often plant fakes to ward off thieves. So, you two turn in the real goods and bring back some good fakes. Because I am going to bet that Bill and the Captain's lives may ultimately depends on the gang recovering the jewels if we come head to head with them. This is of course once they find out that their strong arm got caught and we have the jewels. It would be advantageous for us to be able to spring the jewels on them as a bargaining chip at the last moment. Should we see ourselves in such a scenario. Right now, they assume that their bad seed took the goods and will be searching for him. Discreetly, but none the less searching. They want that money back if at all possible."
Chet and Callie smiled to the idea of being charged with such an important duty. Fenton looked sternly at them.
"You both had better get some sleep. I'd like you to leave early. You will need to go to New York city and meet Tiffany executives there. I will contact them tomorrow to expect you. You will need to be careful. I will prepack the jewels for you in your baggage. Therefore, if anyone is watching us and they see the boxes remain with us, they may think they jewels are still with us and it may help flush them out into the open. But we need those fakes back within a week or less. We have a lot of ground to cover in this hollow, so you can safely have that much time. But, if we run into the kidnappers without a bargaining chip, we would have to find more creative means of freeing them before their value as hostages diminishes. Frank and Joe, you will take me back to the Captain's cabin so I may also look it over for clues. As well as this cabin and the site of the cabin where the explosion happened. Frank nodded.
"That should keep us busy for a while. Lots of ground to cover. We should also visit the site of our first camp where we were sniped at." Fenton Hardy nodded. He looked over to Joe and Iola.
"Joe, I think it may be advisable if you at least send Iola with Chet and Callie to New York City. This may also fool any gang that may be watching to think that Chet is just taking the girls out of here because of safety issues." Joe grudgingly admitted that this would be wise. Amidst modest objection from Iola, she finally conceded that it was best for her to go and let Joe work without distraction. At least for a few days. She kissed Joe on the cheek and rose to join the others who were about to hit the sack to rest up for their mission tomorrow. Fenton Hardy looked up to the three.
"Get some good rest, you have a long journey tomorrow and will need your energy. I will give you final instructions tomorrow. Goodnight." The three vanished into the tent. Mr. Hardy looked to the remaining boys.
"Can I have another Corona, Joe?" Mr. Hardy asked. Joe nodded,
"Sure dad. Are you ok? You look beat." Mr. Hardy gave a smile.
"I am pretty exhausted, son. I haven't slept much with this case I'm on." He took the beer Joe offered and took a long drink. He turned his attention to his other son, who had been fairly quiet.
"How are you doing, son? And I am a little curious to hear about your breakup." Frank looked up a little startled.
"How did you know?" Mr. Hardy shrugged a bit.
"Well, Callie and Chet did appear to be a bit more... shall we say social since the last time I saw them. I also know that in recent months you have been entertaining a young lady named Tiffany. I just assumed that you and Callie finally cut each other loose. And if so, are you alright with that?" Frank smiled. He then nodded surely.
"Yeah, it was hard to finally accept. But, I think we knew it was over a long time ago. It was just kind of a shock to see her with someone else. Much less Chet." Fenton Hardy rose and put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"All men should be so lucky. You know Chet and trust him as a highly trusted friend and partner. You know he will treat Callie well and that she will no doubt treat him well. That is the most we can hope for in our relationships. They are good friends, Frank. It will be fine. And I am sure that you and your new love may indeed find happiness." He looked over at his younger son.
"Now Joe, I suspect you will soon be married if the prevailing wind is indeed accurate. I understand for some time you and Iola have been discussing commitment?" Joe nodded and smiled.
"Indeed, we have, dad. I just want to have a house before taking the dive. I believe it is the best idea. Our work will last, as you well know in this profession. But, I want to be able to put her to a nice home and be secure in that area first." Fenton Hardy nodded approvingly.
"I am sure you will have enough saved to be able to do such a thing. All you really need is a down payment. Not too many people out there can afford to go out and buy a nice home for cash. You will undoubtedly have to secure a loan. That should be simple. Just be sure to have adequate money down and you should be able to afford most any nice home." He then turned to his own men.
"Sorry to dabble so much in my domestic affairs, gentlemen. Now, for the case at hand. Jackson, I'd like you to settle down about 75 yards to the east and keep a vigil. Kelly, go to the west. Keep in contact by your hand radios. Frank, Joe, Tony and I will plant ourselves around the tent. Keep in mind that we have $40 million in jewels here and that it is plausible that the crooks may be staking us out and will try to do something tonight. So, keep a lookout and make sure your arms are in working order." Kelly pulled out his .38 and made sure the chambers were full. Jackson did the same. Fenton Hardy himself removed a stainless steel .357 magnum and checked it over. He looked to the boys who also had checked their arms.
"I presume Chet is armed?" Mr. Hardy asked with a smirk. Tony gave a chuckle.
"Well, not if you don't count the .44 magnum under his pillow, the Walther PPK in his ankle holster, the Uzi in his sleeping bag and maybe some stray hand grenades and a sawed-off shotgun for good measure." Frank and Joe grinned. Mr. Hardy gave an amused look.
"Let me guess, he took the credit card and there were several sporting goods stores along the way?" Frank nodded.
"Yep, that pretty much sums it up. After we got sniped at he didn't want to go unprepared. But he doesn't really grasp the concept of being over prepared. Back in the boats we have enough extra camping gear to spend a year at the Grand Canyon with 15 people."
"Well, maybe he will entertain his new girlfriend with a camping trip in the future. I am going to repack those jewels into a rucksack so when sunlight hits it will just look like he is taking some clothes. Then I will be hitting the sack. I will wait until morning to have a chat with the man tied to the tree." He turned to his business while Frank, Joe and Tony grabbed their sleeping bags and settled down around the perimeter of the tent. All were on the alert for possible trouble as the night wore on.
Fortunately, the night passed without incident.