Hello I'm back again with another new chapter. this one took a little longer to write. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those who left me wonderful reviews on the last chapter, JKG, Kalubatta6, Sofia, t4swp, Drumboy100, Bkworm4life4, MagaretA66, emmerrss92, and as well as those how are following, favorites, or just reading you're awesome. Bkworm4life4 thank you for helping me with my story you are awesome :)
A Brother's Revenge Chapter 15
By 6:30pm Frank and Callie had arrived at the pier and it was packed with people who had come to celebrate the 4th of July event. American flags lined the sidewalk and a huge banner with stars and stripes hung over the street, welcoming everyone to the celebration. White lights were twinkling in the trees and patriotic music was playing over the loud speakers. There were families and kids all over the park having fun participating in various games of lawn dice, giant Jenga, darts, corn hole and relay races.
Callie couldn't wait to participate in some of these games, once all of their friends got there, it would be nice to have the gang back together again. Well almost everyone, as sad thoughts of the loss of Phil and his cousin Seth quickly entered her mind, but she hoped that they could get their minds off their troubles for a little while. It was what they all needed in a time like this.
"Look at the turn out. I think that there's more people here than there was last year." Callie said excitedly.
She walked hand and hand with Frank along the boardwalk of the pier. Over in the distance she noticed the sunset had tinged the lake with a beautiful pink color as people in their boats moved about in the water.
"The sunset is so beautiful." She added taking in the sight as she placed her head on Frank's shoulder.
"Yeah beautiful." Frank said dryly interrupting her thoughts.
Unfortunately, having fun was the farthest thing from her fiancé's mind. She knew that today was a difficult day for him and that he wasn't in the best of moods for the festivities. The only reason he was here and making an effort was to support his brother. She was still getting used to his frequent mood swings and she wished that his depression would go away, however she understood that it wasn't that simple. She reminded herself that she had to be patient with him and that she had to do everything that she could to support him and just be there for him.
Callie knew that Frank had been having a down day to start with, but what had put him further into this mood was a text message that she had received from Vanessa for her to tell Frank that, 'somethings going on with Joe.' Callie quickly texted her back and had yet to get a response from Vanessa which was definitely not helping Frank's disposition.
"Why hasn't Vanessa texted you back?" Frank said worriedly. They had stepped off to the side so that they weren't blocking the walkway so people could get by them.
Frank ran a hand through his hair as horrible thoughts ran through his head. "They left the house no more than ten minutes before we did. Vanessa was driving. They should've been here by now. Something doesn't feel right." he put his hand to his chest in a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him. "The four of us should've ridden here together. What the hell was I thinking? We should go look for them. But where to start...where could they have gone?"
"I'm going to try to call Joe." He took out his phone from the pocket of his shorts and called Joe's number. It went straight to his voice mail which Frank wished he'd change because only Joe thought that it was witty and funny.
'I'm sorry, but I'm momentarily tied up. Please leave your name and your digits after the beep, and I'll get right back to you...beeeeeeeep! No really, "chuckling," I'll get back to you. Bye!''
"Little brother call me. Where are you? What the hell's going on?! " he shouted, clutching his phone as he ignored the stares and whispers from people who were near them.
"Damn it! I should've listened to him. He kept telling us over and over that he had a feeling something bad was about to happen. What if his feeling actually happened, what if the threat came true?" Frank began heavily breathing as he started to spiral. "What if it is Ryan behind the threat." He couldn't let go of the words. Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die!
"Frank, Baby, calm down." Callie said framing his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"I'm sorry, Cal," He cleared his throat. "The last two times… I felt like this…I thought I lost him in the hospital fire. Before that he went missing…and found shot in the leg. For three days I thought he was dead!"
Frank took a couple deep breaths. He wrapped his arms around Callie and pulled her close to him trying very hard to stay calm and collected. Oh God his emotions were hitting him all at once.
Frank suddenly paused. He had an eerie feeling that he was being watched. He started to look around, but then out of the corner of his eye he thought he caught a glimpse of someone lurking behind the tall bushes just a few feet away from them. He looked around again at the people walking past them and at his surroundings and then back at the bushes. There was no one there. Was it a figment of his imagination? Was someone watching him? Was he just being paranoid? Was he going crazy? No, he thought to himself, his emotions were all over the place. It had to be someone that was just walking by and it was just because he was worrying about Joe.
"Frank, I know you're upset and you have a reason to be." Callie said pulling away slightly and holding him at arm's length. She looked up into his worried brown eyes, "If," she said, emphasizing the word, "IF, Joe really is in some kind of trouble, he's going to need you to help him. But in order for you to do that you have to stay calm. Isn't that what you're always telling him to do when faced with a difficult situation, to stay calm and think things through?"
Frank took a deep breath to calm himself and replied, 'You're right. I need to stay calm, stay focused. Thank you, I don't know what I'd do without you, Callie. You're my voice of reason." He smiled and softly kissed the top of her forehead.
"Let's head over to the picnic area and find your parents." She said, leaning into the kiss and smiling.
"My parents." Frank said with an exasperated sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "And what am I supposed to tell them? If we show up and Joe and Vanessa aren't there, Dad's going to know that something's up."
"Frank, stop worrying." Callie replied giving his hand a light squeeze. She noticed that he was unconsciously rubbing his chest and that scared her. He had so much on his plate, between his arrest, preparing for college and on top both of those things, worrying about Joe, she prayed that this wasn't adding more stress to his heart, causing his angina to flare up and cause issues so he would end up back in the hospital yet again...God she couldn't go through that again.
They slowly started to walk over to where they were supposed to meet the rest of the family. Joe and Vanessa had better be alright, she thought to herself. She really did like Joe, she really did. He was a good humorous, adventurous person with a big heart, but sometimes he just drove her crazy, especially when his actions affected Frank, intentionally or not.
She knew that Joe was dealing with some anxiety issues of his own, and she hated to see him go through that, especially with what she was seeing Frank go through. She thought back to the conversation that they had in the hospital while they were waiting for news about Frank's test results. They had both agreed to work on their issues, both personal and with each other, and try to be friends so Frank wouldn't get stressed out. She respected the special bond that Frank and Joe shared together; however, it was times like this when it made her angry and frustrated with Joe. She wished for once in his life he would ease up on his antics for his brother's sake.
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"I sure hope that we have plenty of food." Gertrude said as she spread a red, white and blue festive tablecloth over a picnic table. Once that was done, she placed the paper plates, party cups, and eating utensils in the center.
"Well we should, you ladies prepared enough food to feed an army." Fenton replied.
He was in the middle of preparing the portable grill that his sister and wife had insisted on bringing. When it came to cooking at home, he pretty much left that up to his wife and sister, however when it came to cooking on the grill that was pretty much his area of expertise.
"The boys and their friends pretty much eat enough for an army." Laura said setting the rest of the food out of chips and dips, pasta and potato salads, a platter of cookies and two of Gertrude's homemade apple pies.
"I'd say Chet and Joe pretty much make up for all of us." Frank said as he and Callie arrived.
"Well it's about time you guys started showing up." Laura said with a smile as she looked up to see her eldest son and his fiancé.
"Hi, Mom." Frank greeting his mother with a hug.
"Do you know if any of your friends are here yet?' Laura asked and as she released him she caught a glimpse of worry in his eyes. Was something wrong? She could feel the tension radiating from Frank.
"I haven't seen anyone yet, but they should be here soon." Frank simply answered.
He had thought that the idea of a group date with their friends would be the best course of action in convincing his parents to let Joe go on his date with Vanessa. For one, it would be safe because he and Joe would not be alone, and there would be people around keeping watch out, just in case Ryan...or whoever decided to show up. However, this plan of his would be all for nothing if Joe didn't show up soon. He had better show up. Come on Joe, where are you? Frank thought anxiously.
Frank had called each of their friends to invite them on the picnic, with Joe, Vanessa, Callie and himself. They had all said yes. Everyone was very excited and looking forward to having fun. Each one of them had expressed concern for both he and Joe, wanting to know what was going on with Hayden's murder case and wanting to help them in any way that they could. Frank had filled all of them in on the bare bones of what had been happening. He felt a twinge in his heart thinking of their friends Biff and Chet, Tony. Today was the first time that they were getting together since Phil's funeral. They all really needed this, something good and fun to look forward to. He just hoped his mood didn't spoil everyone's fun, but he was going to try hard to make the effort to have fun.
"Wow, everything looks and smells wonderful," Callie said commenting on the food, her words breaking into Frank's thoughts. "Is there anything that we can help you with?"
"Thank you, Callie, but everything's ready." Laura said kindly. "Once everyone gets here, we can grill up the burgers and hot dogs and then we can eat. "
"Frank!"
Frank turned to see Chet Morton waving as he made his way towards the Hardy's with Tony, Phil, Biff and their dates following close on his heels. Frank's heart sank a little expecting to see Phil to be with them. He fought back the urge to cry. God, he missed his friend. He'd give anything to talk to Phil right now.
Frank quickly pushed his sad thoughts away and answered hoping to sound upbeat. "Hey, guys! Glad you can make it."
"Are you kidding? I look forward to the July 4th picnic every year." Chet said cheerfully.
"More like the food, right?" Tony teased.
"Ha, ha, you're so funny Tony." Chet replied sticking his tongue out at him. He didn't mind when his friends would kid him about his hardy appetite, he always took it in good humor. What could he say? He just loved good food.
"It's not just that... there's also the fireworks." He said grinning sheepishly. "You know I don't always think about food..." He stopped in midsentence when he saw the two apple pies on the table. "Are those what I think they are Aunt Gertrude?"
"Yes, Chet," Gertrude chuckled answering his question. "Those are two freshly homemade apple pies that I've made especially for this occasion."
"Yes!" Chet cheered with his arms raised up. Everyone burst out laughing, especially Gertrude. It was a well-known fact in their circle that Chet was a big fan of Gertrude's cooking, especially when it came to her homemade pies.
Callie glanced at Frank, smiling when she heard him laugh. That was a good sign and music to her ears and she hoped that she would hear more of that as the day went on.
"The fireworks are my favorite part. I love all the sparkles that light up the sky." Brenda Webber said. She was a curly red headed girl with freckles and Chet's date for the evening.
"Mine too." her sister, Lizzy Webber agreed, she also had red hair which she had tied back into a ponytail. She was dating Biff. "Speaking of sparkles," She turned to Callie smiling. "Callie, could we see the ring?"
"Oh of course." Callie smiled and held out her left hand to the girls showing off her diamond ring.
"It's gorgeous!" Lizzy squealed. She held the tips of Callie's fingers to get a better look. "Congratulations both of you."
"Thank you," Frank and Callie replied.
"Beautiful... just beautiful." Brenda cheerfully added, "Have you made any plans yet?"
"No, not yet, we're not ready for that yet." Callie shook her head.
"My sister and her husband got married last year in the Bahamas. It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to." Tony's date, Marcy Greenly said. She was wearing a wearing a yellow floral sundress and sandals and had long raven hair.
"It's certainly an idea," Callie smiled. She added linking her arm around Frank's. "like I said we're not even ready for that. We both decided that we wanted to wait at least until we have two years of college under our belts, and then we'll see. For the time being we're just enjoying being engaged."
"Well I think that's a perfect plan." Laura said. "Something else exciting to look forward to."
College, Weddings…I can't think of anything else other than…Joe…Hayden's murder…depression. Frank thought to himself. Then he added out loud, "Yeah something to look forward to," he shrugged, "that is if I'm not in prison by then."
"That is not going to happen. You didn't kill that horrible man." His mother said firmly. "I still wish you were part of Hayden's murder case." Laura said as she looked at her husband.
"I do too." Fenton nodded. "However, like I've said before the Chief and his men are perfectly capable of handling the case."
"If you ask me, they're working it at a snail's pace. We should know something by now." Gertrude commented, as she handed her brother a plate of hot dogs and hamburger patties.
"Gert, they're going about it as efficiently as they can." Fenton said, placing the food on the grill. "Besides, the Chief can't share the details of the case with me. It would be violating the judge's court order and Frank would be sitting in jail."
"Let's talk about something else." Laura suggested, quickly changing the subject. She didn't want to think of the idea of her son in jail.
"Besides the food, I know what I'm looking for," Biff piped up, "getting in on the action of some of these games. Maybe even tossing the ole pigskin around with Joe. That is if it's okay considering his leg and all." He held up a football he'd brought with him.
"We'll have to see, Biff." Laura said. Although it would be good to see Joe back playing sports again. She just didn't want him to overdo it and reinjure the leg.
Biff nodded. He clutched the ball with both hands and began looking around for his best friend. "Where is that knucklehead anyway?"
"I'd like to know that myself." Fenton said, with an edge to his voice. He handed a plate of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers to Gertrude and looked at Frank.
Frank cringed meeting his father's stern eyes, and his stomach churned at thought of what he should tell him. And he really didn't know where Joe was. He hoped that Joe was okay. He put his hand to his chest and rubbed it again. Something still didn't feel right.
He swallowed a lump in his throat. Finally, he answered the only thing he could say. He answered Biff, "I don't know." Then he cast his eyes away from Fenton.
"Why don't we all sit down and eat? I'm sure by that time they will be here." Laura said changing the subject slightly. Hopefully, she said to herself. She was starting to get concerned about the whereabouts of her youngest son.
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When the food was ready, they all sat around either at the picnic tables or on nearby blankets so they could all enjoy themselves while they spent time together on their group date. Most everyone was laughing and joking around with each other and having fun and enjoying the good food.
However not everyone was enjoying themselves. Frank glanced at the time on his phone...it was 7pm and still no sign of Joe. He nervously glanced over at the other picnic table and saw the anger smoldering in his father's eyes. It told him that his father was none too pleased with Joe.
'Where is that kid? I wish Joe would do as he's told for once." Fenton murmured as he pushed his plate aside. He was too angry to eat. "Why does he have to make things so difficult?"
"Fenton please, don't get yourself all worked up." Laura spoke and placed a hand on his arm to calm him down.
'Laura, I'm doing my best to stay calm." He huffed, "Joe is not helping this."
"Do you think something's happened to them?' Gertrude asked, voicing her concern about her youngest nephew.
"I did see worry in Frank's eyes when he got here." Laura added, "Something's wrong Fenton." her voice trails off, she swallowed a lump in her throat, "I just know it."
"That's it." Fenton said as he took out his phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"The Chief." He answered and got up from the table and began dialing.
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"So, where the hell is Joe?" Biff said swallowing the last of his burger.
"I wish I knew Biff; I wish I knew." Frank replied intermittently rubbing his chest.
Callie asked worriedly. "Frank, does your chest hurt?"
"No." Frank shook his head. "It's Joe. Something's wrong I can feel it."
His friends exchanged looks with each other. They all knew what that meant.
Brenda looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean you can feel that something is wrong with your brother?"
"Biff told me that you guys can communicate with each other through your feelings. Is that really true?" Lizzy asked.
"Do you have telepathy?" Marcy asked after taking a bite of her pasta salad. "I'm a science fanatic, and that kind of stuff fascinates me. I'm not exactly sure what field of science I want to explore, but it's what I'm majoring in at NYU. Anyway, I've read where there's a theory that telepathy is common when it comes to twins. Are you guys twins?"
"It could be that. I can't really explain this feeling I have. All I know is I have a feeling that something's wrong with Joe." Frank nodded slowly. "And no, Joe and I are not twins; we're actually about a year apart."
"I still don't understand." Brenda replied confused.
Chet laid a hand on her hand. "None of us do, but it's not for us to try to understand. All we need to know is what Frank is telling us."
After taking a sip of his soda, Tony asked, "Frank, will you tell us what is going on with you and Joe? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I know you guys have a lot going on. You know that if you do need or want to talk, we're here."
"Yeah. I still can't believe you're being accused of murdering that bastard Hayden." Biff piped up.
"We know you're innocent." Chet said reassuringly. "Just know we have your back."
"Thanks guys, your support means a lot." It made Frank feel better knowing that he could always count on his loyal friends to be there when it counted. "And I know I promised to fill you in on what's happening so here goes."
Frank took a deep breath, let it out and then told them about Callie's car being vandalized, the threatening messages against them, and lastly the possibility of Ryan Hayden being in Bayport.
"There is a lead on the vandalism case. The police are trying to locate a Bruce Linksy. His fingerprints were found on the black spray can that was used to write the message. So far, they haven't been able to find him, so Chief Collig has asked Dad to help locate him." Frank continued, "Linksy and his wife are an older couple in their late sixties. Apparently, their landlord was going to evict them, but then they moved out in the middle of the night two days ago without a word to anyone. The police did a background check on him. It turns out that he was arrested two years ago for not showing up in court over unpaid tickets."
"That sounds like the couple who came into the restaurant." Tony said.
Frank raised an eyebrow. "When was this?"
"Like two, maybe three days ago? They ordered close to a hundred bucks worth of food, but then skipped out on the check. My dad was pissed to say the least."
Biff whistled. "Shit, I'd be too."
"Do you think this Linksy person could have a connection to the mystery dark haired kid?" Lizzy asked.
"That's what we're hoping for." Frank responded.
"It doesn't make any sense. Why would this Linksy guy, vandalize Callie's car and leave that message on the windshield? Do you think he may have some sort of connection to Hayden?" Biff asked.
"So, do you think that the mystery dark haired kid from the lobby that you saw, could be the same guy on the security footage from the shooting range?" Chet asked.
"It is possible, guys. The only thing is I can't be a part of it, because I'd be violating the court order." Frank explained.
"Well that sucks, telling a Hardy not to solve a mystery is like telling a painter not to paint. When all he wants to do is paint. Damn it let him paint!" Biff grumbled.
That brought a grin across Frank's face. "Thanks Biff, I feel this same way. But don't worry I'll get a chance to 'paint' when the time is right."
"You're welcome. Now we know what' going on with you, so what's going on with Joe? Your dad has a look on his face like he's about ready to hurt someone." Biff said, casting a worried look over at Fenton.
"This whole thing with my arrest and being accused of murdering Hayden is not sitting well with Joe. He wants to do something. Then there is also the possibility that if Ryan is here... that means that there's a chance that Henry could be too..." Frank paused, "and Joe is hell bent on finding him because he killed Phil and Seth… and he almost killed me. Oh, don't get me wrong I want to find him too... I vow to get justice for them both, and I will. I just want a piece of Henry so bad."
"Frank we all want a piece of that little shit for taking Phil from us. And for what he did to you and Joe as well." Biff said heatedly. Everyone nodded in agreement as they all felt the same way.
Frank nodded. "Joe wants to be part of the investigation but Dad won't let him. Technically, according to the court order, he would be the only one of us who could look into it without violating it. It's causing a lot friction between the two of them." Frank then told them what had happened with the window incident which they were all surprised to hear about.
"I don't know what's going through his mind but Joe's behavior has become unpredictable. It's worse than it was right after Iola died. In fact, his anxiety level has been off the chart crazy. Hell, for all I know he might have decided to go somewhere else tonight on his date. I came up with the idea of the group date to convince my parents to let Joe go on his date with Vanessa since he was grounded."
"For one, it would be safer for all of us because we wouldn't be alone, there would be eyes everywhere, in case Ryan...or whoever decides to show up." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "And two, we all needed this. Phil would want us to...to have fun together, to laugh and hang out like always."
"And we will, we will honor Phil's life. And I think in some way he's here with us. Looking out for us." Callie said, "And Frank, what you said about Joe going somewhere else. I don't think so. Vanessa told me her mom is going to be here as well. There's no way she's going to..." Callie's phone chimed before she could finish her sentence. She took it out of her purse and looked at it. "It's Vanessa."
Everyone got quiet as Frank held his breath. He braced himself for whatever bad news he was about to hear. Whatever it was he knew that he could handle it. However, the bad feeling he felt just intensified. Oh God. It wasn't going away.
"She says, 'we're on our way'," Callie said reading the message back on her phone.
"What? That's it?" He just looked at her blinking. He raised a brow, wrinkling his nose.
"That's it." She said showing him the message.
"What the hell kind of a message is that!?" He cursed after reading the text again, "Vanessa sends you a text to tell me something's going on with Joe," He reiterated in anger, his voice raising. "And then she just responds back, with a, 'we're on our way'! She didn't even mention where they are?"
"No, sorry Babe." Callie said placing her phone back in her purse. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason as to why they're late. Maybe Vanessa stopped to get gas or something." She throughout a suggestion although she wasn't convinced of it herself.
"That 'something' doesn't explain as to what's going on with my brother!" Frank exclaimed.
"I guess you'll find out once he gets here." Callie replied calmly.
Their friends exchanged looks with each other not sure of what to say...they just hoped that Joe was alright.
"Well Joe had better have a good explanation or I'm going to kill him myself!"
Hearing her son shouting Laura hurried over to him. "Frank what's going on?!" She asked worriedly.
Frank quickly explained the text message they got from Vanessa about an hour ago that something's going with Joe.
Callie showed Laura the text from Vanessa. "We're on our way."
A few minutes later Fenton came back, "I talked to Chief Collig he has officers patrolling the pier. They're on the lookout for Joe and Vanessa."
He suddenly noticed the concern on everyone's faces. "What's..." He was about to say something.
"Tony!" a voice called.
Everyone turned to see Angelo Prito come by their picnic area.
"Hey, Uncle Angelo!" Tony shouted getting up to greet him with a hug.
"Good to see you Tony." The man greeted his nephew back.
"How are you?"
"Good, good." Angelo said beaming. "Are your parents here?"
"No. Dad closed the restaurant early and took Mom to New York to get away for the weekend."
"That's good. Good for them." The man nodded. "Okay listen I just got off work and saw you so I wanted to come by to say hello."
"Where are you and your crew working.?" Tony asked.
"We're actually, doing some construction work for Mr. Hardy." Angelo said he turned to Fenton. "By the way I ran into your youngest Joe."
"Joe!" they all cried at once.
Angelo looked at everyone strangely. "Did I miss something?"
Fenton took a deep breath to calm down. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry about that. We haven't heard from him and are getting concerned. You said you ran into Joe. When and where did you see him?" He folded his arms across his chest.
"About an hour ago. He came by the office with his girlfriend. He seemed very excited about it. Joe even offered to lock up so we didn't have to wait for them and we could come to the July 4th celebration. I didn't think you'd mind."
"Joe swore to me that they were just there to look around the place." Angelo shrugged his shoulders. "but if you ask me, I think, he just wanted to make out with his girlfriend."
"Oh, really?" Fenton replied as he nodded.
"Anyway, I just wanted to come by and say hi." Angelo said. "I had better go and find the rest of my family. Tony I'll see you later. Happy 4th July to you all." With that he waved goodbye and left.
"Angelo, thank you." Laura said kindly.
"Oh, good heavens!" Gertrude exclaimed. "What are we going to do with that boy?"
Frank was just floored by this news. Oh, when he saw him, he was going to strangle Joe. Making him worry like this... thinking the worst possible things. And the whole time he had been at the agency making out with Vanessa...oh he was going to kill Joe.
A mischievous grin spread across Biff's mouth, "That sly dog." Chet elbowed him in the side. "Not helping." He whispered to him.
"Well at least we know where he is." Laura said a little relieved. The look on her husband's face told her a different story though. He was not happy, not happy at all and she knew that she would have to intercede.
"Please, Fenton, don't jump all over him the minute he gets here. You're going to have to learn to pick your battles with him." She touched his arm. "Joe's really excited about the new agency you know that...it would make sense that he'd want to show it off to Vanessa."
"I'm not making any promises, Laura. Joe knows the plan. We agreed to let him go out with Vanessa on this group date. He knew that he was not to go anywhere else other than here because of the threat. Joe had better get his butt here in the next five minutes or..."
"Hey, Hey Everyone!" Fenton words were cut off by a familiar voice called out, getting everyone's attention. Sure, enough it was Joe rushing up to them with his crutches, with Vanessa at his side.
"Sorry we're late I lost track of time. Hope you left us plenty of food for us because we're starving." Joe said once he and Vanessa reached the group. Frank noticed his little brother had a huge smile across his face from ear to ear as if nothing was wrong, but Frank could tell that it was a mask and that Joe was worried about something, he could see it in Joe's eyes. Vanessa on the other hand had a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes, which told him a completely different story.