Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. The series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/21 and J/20. In the first story (Taken), the boys are J/16 and F/17 and they have aged as the series continued. Takes place about 2 months after Sometimes 'Never' Happens.
Summary: Taken Series: What was supposed to be a simple meeting at the bank for Joe becomes anything but ordinary. Circumstances are clouded as Elise Sacco and her daughter are also at the bank. Is it a bank hold-up or is something more going on? F 21/J 20
**Don't even try to make sense of this story without having read the rest of the series. See my author's page for the reading order. And if you do go back and read them all, be sure to leave a review at least at the end of the story so I'll know how you like it. :-)
Authors' Notes: Thank you to those of you who have reviewed! I respond via PM to anyone who has it enabled. And now, for those you who said you wanted more Fenton. :-) I also just realized that Joe isn't in this chapter at all. Imagine that! Just more Fenton and Frank to love. :-)
Well, sorry this isn't Monday morning. Added 3 more sections at the bottom! Enjoy! Joe will return in chapter 7!
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Chapter Six
Fenton lingered in the background as FBI Agent Cassandra Daughtridge knocked on the door of the house belonging to Tammy Couch, RJ Couch's mother and Robert Couch's ex-wife. When the door opened, Daughtridge was ready.
"Thank you for agreeing to speak with us so quickly, Ms. Couch. I'm FBI Special Agent Cassandra Daughtridge and this is Private Investigator Fenton Hardy." Daughtridge had gestured behind her to Fenton and both she and Fenton saw Tammy Couch's reaction. She stepped back and put a shaking hand to her chest. Then she recovered herself and invited them in.
"It's Costner now. The paperwork for my name change just finished processing this week." She said as she turned and walked into the living area. She waved a hand, gesturing to a nice leather couch while she took a comfortable looking chair across from them. All the furniture in the house and the house itself was upscale. As everyone seated themselves, she continued, "I'm not surprised that Robert did something like this."
"You're not surprised that he and three other men planned to rob a bank?" Daughtridge asked as she crossed her legs and leaned back. Fenton was taking notes on a tablet, which left her free to focus on Tammy.
Tammy shook her head in a negative fashion. "We both know that money isn't the reason for this. It's straight up revenge." Tammy looked away for a moment as she added, "I'm just afraid that he's pulled Tony into this fiasco with him."
"Tony?" Daughtridge asked, sitting up slightly. "Your other son, Tony Couch?"
"Yes, Tony's twenty-five and he looked up to his brother RJ. He works in IT for Robert's construction company and freelances as well."
"What makes you think that Tony is involved in this?"
A deep breath and then, "He sent me an email."
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Frank sat at a desk with a laptop and stared at the transcription of all the phone conversations that had been had so far with Robert Couch. His eyes were constantly drawn back to the phrase that Robert used several times: "the doors are wired to blow." Then Frank looked at the information that had been gathered on Robert that showed he knew how to do a building demolition. Agent Gilroy was already checking with the demolition company that Robert worked with to see if any explosives had been taken and if so, how much. Frank's brow wrinkled as he thought, his eyes still glued to the screen in front of him. Does he just want to kill Elise, Elena, and Joe? Or is there more to it? Wouldn't he want to live to see Nick Sacco suffer? Or is the knowledge enough? Maybe his dad and Agent Daughtridge would find something useful with Tammy Couch. And maybe Vanessa and the other hackers would be able to find a way to turn on the security cameras in the bank if they hadn't been destroyed. If only they knew what was going on in there.
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There was complete silence in the room except for the ticking of an ornate wall clock.
Agent Daughtridge slid forward so she was sitting on the edge of the couch. "Tony sent you an email? Can you show it to me?"
Tammy's face was resigned as she nodded yes and pulled her phone out. With a few taps, she was done and handed the phone to the FBI agent. It was all Fenton could do not to scoot next to the agent and read over her shoulder. But thankfully, she began to read aloud, and Fenton could keep his sanity.
"Mom, I know that you felt that RJ made his own choices and what happened was a result of him being involved with the Saccos. I know that you told all of us that when you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas. I know you never approved and that you blame dad for getting us involved in the first place. But we made our own choices. Dad didn't force us. But Sacco chose the life of some preppy college kid over one of the family. He made a choice too and it has consequences. He was afraid to stick by RJ. Afraid that the kid's private eye dad would cause trouble for the family. Well, we've found a way to make Sacco pay for murdering RJ and we'll get to finish what RJ started too.
Just know that I love you and no matter what you hear, I'll be okay. Just like Travis.
Love you always – Tony"
There was silence for a moment and then Tammy said, "You are Fenton Hardy. Joe Hardy's father."
Fenton held her serious gaze and nodded. "What do you make of this?" he asked, uttering his first words since entering the house.
"I know how Robert thinks. Either Elise or Nick is in that bank with Thomas. Robert wants to kill Thomas the way that RJ was murdered." Her gaze stayed with Fenton. "And somehow, I think Joe must be there too. That's how they'll finish what RJ started."
Daughtridge said, "It's not Thomas, it's Elena and she's there with Elise. And you are right. Joe Hardy is there too."
Tammy closed her eyes and clenched her hands in her lap. She opened them and said, "Robert and Tony won't care that it's a little girl. It just matters that it's Nick Sacco's child and that she'll die." Her voice shook a little as she spoke. It was obvious that she hadn't wanted this life for her family.
Fenton drew her attention again. "What do you think he meant by that comment about Travis?"
Tammy's head tilted slightly to the side as she responded, "Tony doesn't plan to die, Mr. Hardy. He plans to disappear, just like Travis."
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Frank sat speechless for a moment. "Robert and Tony don't plan to blow themselves up. They plan to disappear."
"That's what Tammy told us. She didn't know how they would manage it, but there was no way that Robert wouldn't find a way to live and watch Nick Sacco suffer through the loss of his wife and daughter, knowing that what he did to RJ caused it." Fenton was talking hurriedly, and Frank could hear him getting in a car and another voice in the background.
Frank leaned back in his chair and said, "Agent Gilroy told me that the demolition company did an inventory of their plastic explosives and there's enough missing to bring down two to three floors of Hope Trust. When those supports are gone –"
"The rest of the building will either come down or become unstable."
"Correct," Frank answered. "There's no walking away from that, unless they have found a way to exit the building prior to the detonation."
"Explosives aren't my specialty, but I know that you understand them. See if you can figure out a way they can use some of the explosives to create an exit. You'll need access to the building plans-"
"Already got them. I'll be going over them with a couple of other special agents to find the loophole that Robert Couch has found."
"Good work, Frank. Keep me posted. I'm on my way back with Agent Daughtridge."
"Will do. Bye, Dad."
"Good-bye."
Frank disconnected the call and pulled up the digital files of the building plans of Hope Trust. He'd start here and then move to the plans for the connecting buildings…. He hoped he had time. He glanced at his watch. Would Couch wait until tomorrow? Or would he execute his plan at night…. He knew what he'd do and that meant that time for Joe and the other hostages was running out. And if Joe knew what Couch was planning, Joe would give his life to protect Elena Sacco. His eyes went back to the screen. He had to figure it out.
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Robert Couch sat in a fairly comfortable black leather chair that he pulled away from the modern black and chrome table that was in a small room just outside the vault. It was used by patrons to look at the contents of their safety deposit boxes. The very boxes he planned to loot. He glanced at the laptop that Tony had placed on the table to watch the scrolling news feed across the bottom of a local channel that was broadcasting live from somewhere near the bank. He didn't expect to see anything truly worth his time. He definitely didn't expect to see Nick Sacco wringing his hands and speaking to the media and pleading for the lives of his wife and daughter. No. He didn't expect that. Would he love it? Yes. Yes, he would. But he'd get a chance to spy on the grief of Nick Sacco from afar. He'd pay handsomely to get some images from the funerals or memorial services for Elise and Elena.
Then his thoughts shifted. He didn't personally have anything against the Hardy family; but anytime he thought of Joe Hardy or read about him in the news... because he couldn't resist keeping tabs on the young man whose life was more important to Nick Sacco that of Robert Couch, Jr., he both wept and raged on the inside. The boy had taken the beating with the baton better than he thought. Maybe he should have hit harder and cracked a rib or two... But even though it made him feel better to have beat Joe, it was the fear in Elise and Elena Sacco that gave him some satisfaction. When the time came to kill Joe Hardy, Elise Sacco would be begging for the life of her daughter. He would definitely need to record that for Nick. He, himself, never got the chance to plead for his son, never got the opportunity to remind Nick of all that he had done for the family... maybe he'd give Nick the chance to beg. Robert stood up suddenly and with a final glance at the news coverage he left the room and headed into the vault to finish the work there. The more he thought, the more he decided that Nick Sacco didn't deserve the chance for a good-bye with his family. After all, he didn't get one.
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"Do you have anything?" Nick Sacco asked in a curt tone to his nephew, Rocco. He stood up from his desk as Rocco entered the room. Rocco solemnly shook his head no as he closed the heavy wooden door softly behind him. Nick dropped back into his chair and ran his hand across his short dark hair. He picked up his cell phone and quickly found the name he wanted- Frank Hardy. "Frank. Any word?" While the FBI had given him a contact person, he thought he'd get the most reliable news from Frank. There was sound from Frank that Nick could only describe as 'frustration' and that made his heart sink.
"I'm afraid not. At least I don't have anything actionable at the moment." Slight pause, "But Tammy Costner was very helpful."
Nick didn't speak but nodded though Frank couldn't see him.
"Nick... you know I can't tell you anything, right?"
Nick sighed and rubbed a hand roughly across his eyes and then down his face. "I know," he said in a voice tainted by emotion. His voice was soft, "But I hope you'd tell me if it was bad news. I don't want to hear it from the news or the FBI."
There was another moment of quiet. "I promise. If there's bad news, I'll do my best to tell you. I'll let the head agent know."
"Thank you, Frank."
"Good-bye."
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Frank sat for a moment with his phone in his hand. Nick Sacco's contact information was still on the screen and then the phone reverted to his lock screen: a picture taken by a tourist of him and Callie on the boardwalk the night he proposed. Was it just last night? Frank put his phone on the table with one last look at the picture before the screen went black. Joe was going to be his best man. He couldn't imagine getting married without Joe being there. Without Joe to tease him with a corny best man toast or should he say 'roast?' No. He would find a way to get Joe and everyone else out alive if he could. He wouldn't have to make that call to Nick. He would celebrate his engagement with Calle, Vanessa and Joe this week. And he would wear that crab headband all night if Joe wanted. He got back to work.