rank walked out of Chief Collig’s office to take the call thinking it might be Callie or Laura. He was surprised to see it was Chet, and thought about letting it go to his voice mail. Then he decided it would be better to answer, Chet didn’t know that Joe had been kidnapped.

“Hi Chet, I’m glad you called; I need to tell you—”

“Frank, thank goodness you’re all right! How is Joe, is he okay?”

“What – what are you talking about?” How did he know about Joe? Frank wondered.

“I was returning to the Pizzeria – I’m working part-time delivering pizzas – when I saw the van. There was a woman driving it so I followed her thinking you guys might be in trouble—”

“You saw the van?! Was Joe there – is he okay?!”

“Yeah…what happened to Joe?”

“I’m sorry...” Frank took a deep breath. “Finish what you were saying.”

“Okay…anyway, she parked the van by that parking lot near those empty warehouses on Lane Drive. She had a bike and pedaled off. I went to check thinking you or Joe were inside but…nothing!”

“You mean she abandoned the van?! Chet, stay right there…I’m on my way!”

Frank hung up before Chet had a chance to tell him that he had taken a picture of the woman.

Frank went back to Chief Collig’s office and tapped Fenton to get his attention. He also motioned to Con as he whispered about Chet’s phone call. He then left with Con, who paused long enough to request a forensic team.

Frank rode with Con in the police cruiser, and it didn’t take long for them to reach Chet. A few minutes after they arrived the forensic team appeared.

“Dust for fingerprints – check the back of the van, the steering wheel…the whole van!” barked out Con.

“Chet, did you let Mr. Prito know you were still here?” asked Frank.

“Yeah, I just finished talking with him. Luckily it’s been a slow night. Before I forget…I took her picture on my cell phone.” Chet held out his cell to Frank.

Frank grabbed the phone and stared at the picture.

“Picture’s not very good….I wonder…? Con, does Chief Collig have an email address?” Frank yelled.

“Yeah…why?” Con walked back over to Frank.

“I need to email a picture to him…I’m hoping I could get the picture to look better.”

Taking the phone from Frank, Con emailed the picture to Chief Collig’s computer. He then called the Chief to let him know what he had done. Speaking one last time with the Forensic team captain, Con took Frank back to the police station, with Chet following to give his statement.

Fenton waited in Collig’s office to hear from the Southport Chief Medical Examiner. He took a drink of his coffee and made a face. “I see you’re still making the coffee.”

“If you don’t like it bring your own…just don’t forget that I take mine with four sugars and two creams.” Collig laughed softly before taking a drink.

There was a knock on the door before a female officer walked in.

“Fenton, this is Officer Novak, our sketch artist.”

Fenton stood up to shake the officer’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Officer Novak.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Hardy. I’ve studied a few of your case files.”

Fenton could feel himself blush and avoided looking at Chief Collig, whom he could hear snickering.

“Novak, did you bring the composite sketch of the assailant?”

“Oh! Yes, sir, Chief.” Officer Novak opened the file she held and handed the sketch to the Chief.

He took one look at the sketch and blanched.

“Ezra, what’s wrong?!” Fenton exclaimed with concern.

Without uttering a word Collig silently passed the sketch to Fenton.

“Oh my Lord…she’s still alive!” He raised his eyes to the Chief. “She’s alive and has my son!”

*****

The morning sun shone brightly into the room. Joe closed his eyes tighter, trying to shut out the bright rays. He rolled onto his side and froze when he felt a soft body lying next to him. His eyes opened wide with apprehension.

Joe abruptly sat up and let out a moan, closing his eyes again as the room seemed to spin. He felt a little nauseous until the room finally stopped spinning. Looking around the room he frowned. Where was he and who was this…person…woman lying next to him?! Joe looked down and became even more confused – where had he gotten these pajamas?!

“Why can’t I remember anything?” he wondered out loud.

“Good morning, sweetie!”

When the woman turned around to smile at Joe his heart pounded with fear. It was Alice! He tried to scoot away but couldn’t; something was chafing his ankle. Throwing back the covers he saw that he was shackled to the bed post. Alice got out of bed, and Joe noticed that she was wearing a short nightgown.

“I’ll get you some breakfast, then I have to leave for a little while.”

Alice walked over to Joe’s side of the bed and sat down. Staring at her with fear, Joe sat very still. She smiled sweetly at him and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Do you like scrambled eggs? Are you a coffee drinker? I bet you like to start your day with a glass of juice!” Her hand slid down to his chest and he felt her fingers tremble.

Letting out a sigh, Alice stood up and walked out of the room. As soon as she closed the bedroom door, Joe moved to the end of the bed to get a closer look at the shackle.

“If I had my lock picks…” Joe let out a frustrated sigh. He examined the bedpost, hoping he could break it, only to become more frustrated as he examined the post and noted that it was one solid, carved piece. The bed appeared to be made out of oak.

Five minutes later Alice returned carrying a tray – a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, two glasses of orange juice and a vase with a single red rose. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she held out a glass of juice to Joe. He just stared at the glass, reluctant to take it.

“Do I have to make you drink it again?” Alice sighed, sounding sad, but when Joe looked into her eyes he saw they were hard and glaring.

His hand shook slightly as he took the glass and placed it to his lips. He didn’t intend to drink it – maybe take a small sip to satisfy Alice – but she tipped the glass upward, forcing him to drink it all down.

As soon as he swallowed the last of it the room began to spin again. He placed his hand on his forehead and let out a small moan. He didn’t see Alice smile.

“Now my sweetie is going to be a good boy…aren’t you?”

Joe smiled happily and nodded yes.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.