Chapter Sixteen

"We don't have enough time to dig up those jewels," Sam replied, looking at the others in the room. "What are we going to do?"

"We couldn't even get to them if we did have the time," Collig pointed out. "We'd have to get permission from Fenton to do it. Besides I wouldn't feel right about it without him knowing."

"What's the plan then?"

"I'm still going," Frank announced firmly. "I'm not going to let them get away with this."

"But what about the hostages?" the chief asked. "The moment the kidnappers realize you don't have the jewels, they'll kill Nancy and possibly Fenton and Joe."

"Do you think I don't know that?" he cried angrily, rising from his chair. Frank ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated as he paced the room. "What choice do we have but to go to the meeting at Manchester Park? If we don't go, she's dead."

"Frank, calm down," Gertrude ordered. "You'll give yourself a hernia." She faced Collig. "I think that Frank is right. I wouldn't want something to happen to Nancy just because we didn't at least try. Go with the original plan. If something happens, follow them. I want to see my brother and nephew back before the end of the day and this is the only way that can happen."

Collig exchanged looks with Sam who shrugged. "Let's do it."

Joe stared at Nancy's sleeping form. She hadn't moved since she arrived, which worried him. Even when Nick came in just moments before, Nancy didn't budge. The man from Chicago seemed worried himself, even going so far as to leaving the light on in the room, much to Tannen's objection. Whatever Samson gave Nancy, it really did a number on her and had some of their captors nervous.

"Any change?" Fenton asked.

"No," Joe shook his head. "I'm getting concerned."

"Me too. I think whatever they gave her was too much."

"Mmm," the younger Hardy agreed. He glanced at the light, thankful that it was on considering the fact that he and his father had spent the majority of their time with the kidnappers in the dark. Turning back to Nancy, he wondered why she didn't call him about Frank. She wouldn't keep something like that from him, at least Joe didn't think she would. It was going to be the first question he asked when she was capable of answering.

His thoughts moved to the newcomers who brought Nancy in. They were from Chicago and, according to his father, worked for Angelo Biancci. They seemed to be more eager to make Fenton and Joe more comfortable with exception to untying them from their chairs. Joe just wished he could get up and walk around. His leg was stiff and he knew if there was a rescue of some sort, he wouldn't be much help.

A soft clink of metal on metal entered his senses and Joe turned to see Nancy shift slightly. Her head turned, with locks of reddish-blonde hair falling onto the pillow revealing her calm, serene face. Her eyes fluttered as a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Nancy?" Joe whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible. Nancy made another noise though she still wasn't fully awake. "Nancy!"

"Hmm?"

"Nancy, wake up," he hissed, checking the door. The last thing he wanted was for one of their captors to come in.

A clink of metal made him look back at Nancy just as her arms moved again. She blinked several times, her head raised a little. Nancy looked confused as she looked around the room before her glassy, blue eyes landed on Joe and Fenton.

"Joe?" she said groggily. She blinked a few more times, her focus getting stronger. "Mr. Hardy? Where…what happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Fenton replied, craning his neck to see her. "From the sound of it, you were taken at the airport. Who were you with?"

Nancy frowned then slowly raised herself onto her elbow. She pulled on the handcuffs, confused at seeing them. After a brief moment, Nancy maneuvered herself into a sitting position, the bed creaking as she moved. She looked around the room, taking in everything including the fact that the two Hardys were handcuffed to chairs. Her lips moved though nothing came out as she tried to comprehend the situation. By the time she was able to somewhat think straight, the door popped open and Tannen strolled in with Nick right behind him. Nancy's eyes narrowed when she saw the man who took her from the plane. When he winked at her, she rolled her eyes.

"Good," Tannen smiled, clapping his hands together, "you're awake. Now we can move along."

"Then just let us go, Tannen," Fenton called out. "If you were going to let us go anyway, then do it now!"

"No, Mr. Hardy," Tannen shook his head. "We'll have our meeting then we'll see."

"We?" Nick laughed. He was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. "Me and Marco do. Not you. I'm sure Marco's already at the park checking it out before the five o'clock meeting. I don't understand why you didn't think of it in the first place once you found out where he was. Instead you called us for help. Now, we have the edge. You want your damn jewels so much, then go get them."

"What does Angelo Biancci want in all this?" Fenton asked, staring at Nick.

"He has an investment in this, Mr. Hardy," the man smirked. "And he wouldn't have known either if it hadn't been for Benjamin Worley."

The color drained from Fenton's face at the mention of Worley. "What does he have to do with this?"

Nick's smile broadened though it was Tannen who answered. "He's the one who told us where to find your other son."

"Dad, isn't Benjamin Worley the…" Joe started.

"One who shot me," Fenton finished. "Yes, Joe, but he hasn't been seen in over 20 years."

"Actually, he wasn't the one who shot you," Nick smirked. "That was his 17-year-old son, Ben Jr. And then Tannen called Mr. Biancci for help, am I right?" When the man didn't answer, Nick continued. "See, Mr. Biancci doesn't want anyone to get hurt…well, at least not you or your sons, Mr. Hardy. Nancy, over there, is the one who would suffer, if need be, which is too bad."

Nick went over to Nancy and wrapped an arm around her. "No hard feelings, eh, sweetheart?"

She shrugged him off, moving as far away as she could from him with her hands handcuffed to the bed frame. "Don't call me sweetheart, you creep."

The man laughed as he walked away from her. "Oh, I think I got a tingle there."

"Leave her alone," Joe ordered, glaring at him.

Nick leaned over, his face inches from Joe's. "You like her just as much as your brother does, eh? I don't blame you either." He glanced back at Nancy. "She's a real looker. Too bad she's taken back in Chicago, am I right?"

"I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"You and what army is gonna stop me?" When Joe didn't answer, Nick laughed. "That's what I thought."

"That's enough, Nick," Tannen ordered, pulling him away from Joe. "We have a meeting to attend. Whatever you want to do, it can wait until later."

"Sure," Nick shrugged. He turned toward Nancy, giving her another wink. "See you around, sweetheart."

Nick walked out of the room leaving Tannen shaking his head. He glared at Fenton before following Nick out. Once the door closed, Nancy blew out the breath she was holding then studied the room a little more. She suddenly leaned over as if she were about to break down.

"Nancy?" Fenton cried. "Are you all right?"

Nancy continued to lean over, her shoulders trembling slightly as her hands moved in her hair. Joe started to get worried as he watched her, not sure of what was going on. He knew that if Nancy was crying, there was no way he could comfort her in their current situation.

"There! Got it!" she finally squealed in a low voice. Triumphantly holding up a small, thin, metal object, Nancy smirked at the Hardys. "Bobby pins. Never leave home without them."

"Clever girl," Fenton laughed. He watched as Nancy began working on her handcuffs.

Joe, on the other hand, thought it would be best to ask the burning question he had since the moment she was brought into the room. "How long has he been there, Nancy? A month? Six months? A year? I know I haven't been around but I would have thought…"

"Two weeks, Joe," Nancy interrupted, glancing up from her work. Shock registered on Joe's face. She put her hands down and looked him in the eyes as she continued. "It was right around the time Owen started changing, becoming angrier and edgier. Then about a week ago, he wanted to scrub the entire wedding and go to the courthouse to get married. I said no. He got angry so I walked out of his parents' house and went to Dad's to maybe talk to him or Hannah. When I went into the kitchen, there was Frank, sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Hannah. I was so shocked that I took out all my frustration for Owen on Frank."

"Good," mumbled Joe. "I hope it hurt. He deserved it."

"Joe," Fenton gave him a look then turned as best he could towards Nancy. "He was staying with your father? How…how did he know where Frank was?"

"An old friend of Dad's came to visit a few weeks ago," she explained. "He recognized Frank from an old photograph. Apparently, Frank was one of his students."

"Student?"

"Yes, and Dad hired him for a position in the firm. Frank was staying at the house until he could get his own place." Nancy bit her lip, bringing Joe's attention to the split down the middle of her lip. That was when he realized that the area below her mouth was bruised, the dark colors not very prominent under the cover of her makeup. Nancy finally looked away, returning her attention to unlocking the handcuffs. "I…I'm sorry I didn't call. I know I should have but…"

"Your father asked you not to call us," Fenton ended her sentence. She confirmed it with a short nod.

"Dad wanted Frank to call you, to open up the line of communication but I don't know if he did or not."

"I believe he did call," he sadly smiled, "only he never got the chance to say anything. I was wondering why he didn't try calling again."

Joe scoffed though he seemed interested in what Nancy had to say.

"I'm not sure why he didn't call back, Mr. Hardy," she replied. "You would have to ask Frank that. This whole week has been awful though."

"Who gave you the nice one below your mouth?" Joe blurted out.

"Owen," Nancy whispered, looking up at him her blues eyes watery. "He came by my apartment in Chicago yesterday and tried to 'escort' me back to River Heights. I didn't know what he was going to do but I knew I had to get away so I did."

"You finally bumped him to the curb then?" Joe growled.

"Not exactly."

"You're still with him?!" he cried incredulously. Joe glanced at the door then lowered his voice. "Why? If he hit you, then…"

"I didn't say I was still with him, Joe."

"Oh, when I get my hands on him," Joe seethed, ignoring her remark.

"Someone already beat you to it, Joe."

"What do you mean?"

"He's in jail." Nancy watched as Joe blinked, the facts finally sinking in. "Owen and his father were arrested last night at Dad's house."

"I think you have some explaining to do, Nancy," Fenton replied.

"First," she smiled broadly, taking the cuffs off her wrists, "let's get you both out of those cuffs."

Manchester Park looked nearly the same as Frank remembered it from when he was a boy. It was smaller than the park in the town square but was still nice, sitting on the outskirts of Bayport. It overlooked Barmet Bay below, the small fishing boats moving about giving it a serene scene. Unfortunately for Frank, he wasn't there to enjoy the scenery.

He sat impatiently watching children run back and forth around a playground. Some boys wrestled in the sandbox while a few girls played with dolls along the edges of the playground area. Their parents watched ever present on the benches, their eyes watching for anything out of the ordinary. Some even gave Frank a dirty look, wondering if he was there for other nefarious reasons. But he just ignored them, his own brown eyes watching for anyone who looked more out of place than he did.

Frank knew that Sam, Collig, and Con Riley were around though he wasn't sure where. Their hiding places were inconspicuous, to say the least though he was leery that no one was close enough to hear the conversation between him and the kidnappers.

"As I live and breathe," replied a cheerful voice. Frank looked up to an elderly woman in a flowery dress and white gloves. Her graying hair poked out from underneath a straw hat, her eyes mischievous and bright. "Frank Hardy! I say it's been years since I've seen you!"

"Hello, Mrs. Farnsworth," Frank smiled politely though he was anxious for her to be on her way so his meeting wouldn't be disrupted. "How have you been?"

"Well, I have been just dandy! Where have you been all this time?"

"School."

"Well, my, my!" she cried, excitedly. "Wouldn't your mother be proud to hear that? I'm sure you made top of your class just like you did in school!"

"No, not really," Frank shook his head modestly. He nervously looked around, wondering where the person was who was going to meet him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied, noticing his distractedness. "I must be keeping you from something."

"Oh, not at all," he smiled forcefully. "I…I was just waiting for someone, that's all. I didn't mean to be rude."

"Oh, you weren't dear. I have that tendency of attaching myself to things that I have no business being a part of."

"Really? I didn't know that." Frank knew good and well the woman was a gossip but was trying to be nice about it. "Anything I should know?"

"Well, as a matter of fact," Mrs. Farnsworth said scandalously as she took a seat next to him. "There was a man just outside the park whom I overheard was meeting you here. I stopped and told him that there's no way he could be meeting you since no one has seen you in several years. And now I come across you sitting at this park bench. I couldn't believe my eyes!"

"Did he say anything else?" he asked, his heart pounding. The only person it could be was the man who took Nancy.

"Well, not really. He just smiled and thanked me before walking away. I honestly didn't believe him until I saw you and now I regret I did say those words. You know me, I'm not the type to be rude."

"Where did he go, do you know?"

"Hmmm," Mrs. Farnsworth tapped a red-polished nail on her chin. "I do believe he looked like he was headed over to the pavilion. I hope I didn't ruin your meeting, Frank!"

"Oh, no, you didn't, Mrs. Farnsworth," Frank smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll see if I can find him. You say he was heading toward the pavilion?"

"Yes, dear," she said. Frank rose from the bench along with Mrs. Farnsworth. The woman gave him a hug before he shifted away from her. "It's good to have you back, Frank. Your father will be so happy to see you! What happened to your mother was such a tragedy and I've been praying for Fenton ever since. Make sure you go home while you're in town. Gertrude would be furious to hear you were town and didn't stop by."

"I know, Mrs. Farnsworth," he replied, rolling his eyes as he walked away. He wasn't surprised to hear Mrs. Farnsworth mention his aunt considering that the two were the biggest busybodies in Bayport.

Frank made his way towards the pavilion on the outskirts of the park. It looked deserted since most of the park goers were closer to the playground. As he approached the open-air building, Frank wondered if the man was still there considering that it was now 5:15.

"Fancy meeting you here, Frank," a male voice spoke from behind him. Frank whirled around to see the man who took Nancy. "Good thing that old lady was dumb enough to tell you about me. I was hoping for it considering that you brought a few friends with you. We weren't exactly ready to get caught by the police."

"Where is Nancy?" Frank demanded.

"Very straightforward," the man smiled. "I like that about you though I wonder if you care about your father and brother in the same way."

"Quit trying to play mind games with me," he growled, stepping forward. "It's not going to work. Now where are they?"

"Touchy. You have what we want?"

"Yes," Frank nodded, quickly looking away. He felt his heart pounding as he wondered if the man believed him. "I'm only going to hand them over when I know my family are safe."

"Hmmm, that might be a problem, Frank," the man quipped. "See, we're here and they're somewhere else. I'd have to leave you to let them go then come back here on the word that you'll hand over the jewels. I don't think so. I don't trust you one bit especially since you didn't follow directions in the first place."

"Trust me or not, I'm not handing over the jewels unless I know they are safe."

"Then I suggest we take a ride."

"Take a ride?"

"Yes," the man smirked. "I'm not going to trust you to hand over the jewels and you're not going to trust me to let them go so I have a proposal. You ride with me and I'll let you family go when we get there. Do we have a deal?"

Frank thought about it for a moment. He knew that Sam, Collig, and Con were around somewhere though he didn't understand how the man standing across from him knew about them being there. The plan was to make sure Nancy, his father, and Joe were safely away before making a deal but Frank didn't anticipate the kidnappers not bringing any of the hostages with them. He had to make sure they were safe before anyone knew he didn't have the jewels.

"Agreed," Frank finally answered, "but on one condition."

"What's that?"

Leaning toward the man, he stared directly into his eyes. "You hurt them in any way, I will make you pay."

"Oooo, I'm quivering with fear," the man laughed.

"You should be."

Author's Note:

I hope that everyone is enjoying the crisp fall weather that has finally arrived. Although I really wouldn't mind if it rained during the week rather than on Saturday. It was kind of a bummer to miss an apple festival because of consistent rain. Still, I did get to enjoy watching a football game from the comfort of my own home. Anyway, thank you to everyone who read the previous chapter and a special thanks to those who left reviews. I appreciate everything! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and, if you will ,please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a great weekend and God bless!