Frank crawled over to where Joe was. Another shot rang out, causing Frank to lay flat against the ground. Finally, there were no more. Frank, as fast as he could, crawled over to where his brother was laying. He gently shook his brother’s shoulder. To his relief, Joe immediately began to stir.

"Frank?…Is Jason OK? And the girls?" Joe asked, his eyes pleading.

"Calm down. Yeah, they’re OK, but lay still, you’re hurt," Frank replied, putting a restraining hand on Joe’s shoulder.

"Hurt? I’m not hurt," Joe replied, slowing sitting up.

"But I saw you get hurt," Frank reminded him.

"Grazed, but not hit," Joe said before Frank could worry too much.

"Where?" Frank asked, looking is brother over for injuries.

Joe grabbed his left arm and winced, "My arm. But it’s just a flesh wound, nothing serious."

Just then they heard the wailing of a police siren. Immediately two cruisers pulled up to the scene.

"Where is he?" one of the officers shouted.

Vanessa immediately stood up. "He was in that direction," she shouted back, pointing towards the opposite side of the street were some bushes and trees were.

With his K-9 partner with him, that officer took off running towards the direction where Vanessa had pointed. The other officer came over to them to see if anyone had been hurt.

"Was there anyone hit?" that officer asked. It was Con Riley!

"Joe was," Frank immediately said, taking notice of the small red stain appearing on Joe’s sleeve.

"Do you need an ambulance?" Con asked Joe, looking at the wound.

"It’s just a graze. I’ll be fine," Joe reassured the both of them.

"What happened?" Con demanded. By then the others had come over. Jason has become terrified and was sobbing in Staci’s arms. Vanessa had come over, and was instantly worried at the blood on Joe’s sleeve.

"I’m fine beautiful, don’t worry," Joe assured her smiling.

"I’ll go get my first-aid kit," she replied, going off to her jeep.

"An explanation?" Con asked again.

Frank sighed, "There isn’t much to say. We just came out of the theatre when we heard gunshots and took cover."

Staci felt Jason tense up in her arms. "Why don’t you and I go get some cotton candy, while Frank talks to the nice officer?" she told the terrified child. Jason slowly nodded. Frank smiled a silent message of thanks to her as she took Jason back into the theater.

"There’s a lot more you’re not telling me," Con stated, crossing his arms.

"Honestly we have no idea what’s going on. We only have a couple of letters and nothing more," Frank replied. Vanessa had come back over, and was now doctoring Joe’s arm.

"Letters? What’s going on? When someone takes a shot at you Hardys it’s not just a random act," Con stated, waiting for a further explanation.

"No sign of suspect. He must have been on a bike or something. Lucky can’t find anything either." Came the voice over Con’s shoulder communicator.

"Well, there were no exact witnesses here either. Return to your patrol," Con replied back.

Vanessa was applying antiseptic to Joe’s wound, causing him to wince. "Sorry," she apologized, hating having to hurt him.

Joe smiled, "I couldn’t have asked for a prettier nurse."

Vanessa blushed and smiled, but said nothing as she continued cleaning the wound.

"Did you see anything?" Con asked, trying not to smile.

"I didn’t see anything after I ducked, I only heard the direction where the shots came from," Vanessa said.

"Same here, I was too busy making sure Jason and Staci were OK," Frank added, keeping an eye on Joe to make sure he was as OK as he claimed to be.

"I saw only one person running in that direction," Joe said, using his good arm to point in the direction the K-9 unit had been.

Con asked some more questions, before leaving. By the Vanessa had finished bandaging Joe’s wound.

"Do you have a flashlight?" Frank asked Vanessa as she closed the first-aid kit.

"Yeah, I’ll go get it," Vanessa replied. She took the kit back to her jeep, and returned with a flashlight.

"Are you sure you’re OK?" Frank asked Joe again. He wanted to be absolutely sure that his brother was going to be fine. He maybe panicking too much, but ever since last summer, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

"I’m fine, trust me," Joe replied, putting his good hand on Frank’s shoulder.

"Here it is Frank," Vanessa said, coming back over and handed him the flashlight.

"Stay here. I’ll be right back," Frank told them both.

He walked over towards the bushes where the gunman had been. Waving the beam back and fourth on the ground, he saw a couple of shells. He pulled out a couple of bags, and used on bag to put the shells in another one. By the time he walked back over to where Vanessa and Joe had been standing, Staci was walking out still holding Jason, who was now asleep in her arms.

"How is he?" Joe asked.

"He’s asleep. He really didn’t want any cotton candy. He barely had a couple of bites," Staci quietly replied, trying not to wake Jason.

"Here, I’ll take him," Frank said, holding out his arms. Staci handed the sleeping child over to him. Frank looked down at Jason, and indeed the little child was asleep.

They climbed into Vanessa’s jeep, and she quietly started the motor. Driving back home, they all wondered who had taken those shots at them, and who would take the chance on hurting Jason to get at them.

Arriving back home, Vanessa decided to stay for the night in case they needed a babysitter or something. Frank and Joe changed Jason into his pajamas, and put him in his bed.

Staci took Boomer out for a walk then came back, and put him in Jason’s room for the night. Boomer laid down on the blanket that Staci had brought for him and went to sleep.

Once Boomer was settled in, she came back down stairs to find the others watching the late night news.

"Oh no, my father must be freaking out," Staci sighed, leaning against the back of the couch. She spoke in soft tones so she wouldn’t awaken Jason or Boomer.

"How many is that now?" Frank asked.

Staci rubbed her eyes. "Let’s see. The three mentioned on the news so far, and the four others that happened in the outskirts. That makes seven."

"Why hasn’t Chief Tellman declared a serial killer is at work?" Vanessa asked.

"He doesn’t want to cause a panic, and he doesn’t want another "Son-of-Sam" or "Greenside Slashers" on his hands," Staci replied.

"That’s understandable. And there’s less of a chance of getting copy-cats," Frank added.

"Sssh," Staci said, looking up towards the ceiling. Joe turned the volume off of the TV, and everyone went quiet. It was there, the scratching on the floor.

"Boomer’s up. I better go get him," Staci added, standing up.

"Maybe he’s just moving around," Frank suggested, getting up too.

"Boomer’s pretty good about sleeping at night. Normally when he’s up at night, something’s wrong," Staci replied. She went upstairs, quietly got Boomer, and brought him downstairs. Boomer was quietly whimpering at the door. Staci opened the door and Boomer ran out. She ran out after him, not wanting to shout and potentially wake Jason up.

Frank went to follow her, but stopped when he noticed something taped to their front door. It was a note!

"Joe would you go get me a pair of gloves and a note-sized bag?" Frank said.

"What is it?" Joe asked, getting up and walking over to where Frank was. Joe immediately saw the note, and went to get the things his brother had asked for. Vanessa walked over to where Frank was, and also saw the note taped to the door. Joe returned with the items. Frank put on the gloves, and carefully worked off the note and put the note in the bag.

"What does it say?" Vanessa asked. It was then that Staci appeared in the doorway, out of breath.

"What happened?" Frank demanded, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Boomer chased someone down the street. That guy was too far ahead, he got onto a motorcycle and took off," Staci replied. Boomer was by her side, panting. She brought him inside where he laid down on the living room floor. Vanessa ran and got him a bowl of water. He took a few laps, and laid back down.

"What does the note say?" Vanessa asked again. Frank read the note to all of them.

"Oh great. First a stalker now a serial killer," Joe remarked.

"Which means the killer is now in Bayport," Frank added.

"What are going to do now?" Staci quietly asked.

"Right now, let’s get some sleep," Frank suggested. The brothers made a quick check of the outside, then came back in, making sure everything was secure. Staci put Boomer in Jason’s room, and checked to make sure Jason was still asleep.

The next morning found the girls preparing breakfast. They had agreed to take Jason to the Bronx zoo, while Frank and Joe went and interviewed the victim’s families, and talked with a professor at the college.

"Are you going to be OK in the city?" Joe asked, as they prepared to leave.

"I called Cliff. He’s going to meet up with us, and stay until we leave," Staci replied. Even though Jason was a little upset that he couldn’t be with his new brothers that day, he was excited that he was going to the zoo, a place he had never been to before.

Soon Frank and Joe were at Nathan Hanover’s house. The house was a modest one, and seemed to be well-kept. The neighborhood seemed relatively peaceful.

"Do you think his parents will talk to us?" Joe asked, as they prepared to knock on the door.

"I hope so. There are no other clues except that piece of cloth, and what the coroner found out," Frank replied. He knocked on the door.

A teary faced woman answered the door. "Yes?"

"Hi. I’m Frank Hardy and this is my brother Joe. May we talk to you about your son?" Frank asked.

"You’re going to be investigating it?" Mrs. Hanover asked, looking a little hopeful.

"We are. May we come in?" Frank asked.

She nodded and let them in. She led them to the living room, where Mr. Hanover was sitting. He looked like he had been crying for a long time. They were surprised to see Professor Richards there.

"Professor Richards, what are you doing here?" Joe asked.

"Nathan was one of my best students. When I heard what had happened I came over," Professor Richards replied.

"Please sit down," Mrs. Hanover said. They sat down and waited for Mrs. Hanover to compose herself.

"What do you need to know to catch this animal?" Mr. Hanover asked.

"Did you son have any friends or have someone that seemed to be more interested in him than usual?" Frank asked.

"Well, he has a girlfriend at the school, and he’s on the wrestling team," Mr. Hanover replied.

"What happened when you last saw your son?" Joe asked.

"We had left to go to a play. Nathan was going to go with us, but he changed his mind, saying he was going to work on a project for his classes," Mrs. Hanover replied.

"Did he seem agitated or worried over anything?" Frank asked.

Mr. Hanover shook his head, "No. In fact, he said he was almost done his project, and afterwards he said he and his buddies were going to get together to go clubbing."

"Do you have a picture we could have of him?" Frank asked.

Mrs. Hanover walked over to a table and picked up a framed him. She cried a little bit when she saw the face in the picture. She handed it over to them.

"Please find out who did this," Mrs. Hanover begged.

"Don’t worry we will," Joe promised her. After leaving the brothers discussed what had happened in the van.

"What do suppose Professor Richards was doing there?" Joe asked.

"Like he said he could just be there offering support," Frank replied.

"It seems strange though," Joe remarked.

Frank raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"We didn’t find out what happened to Nathan until last night. How did Professor Richards find out what happened so fast?" Joe asked.

Frank shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know. He must have watched the news when we did. Though you are right. He’s usually in the school until late, and is there at the crack of dawn. Someone must have told him."

"So who is next on our list?" Joe asked.

"Terry Andrews then Sean Miller. Maybe someone from their families can help," Frank replied.

The girls finally met up with Cliff Troup at the Port Authority. After a couple of minutes they figured out which subways they would take to get them to the zoo. It took less time than they thought to arrive at the Bronx zoo. Jason was having a great time as the first exhibit was the seal exhibit.

"This is Sean Miller’s home," Joe announced as they managed to find the small house.

"I hope Miller’s parents are willing to help us out. If not then let’s just hope Terry Andrews can give us some help," Frank replied.

The next exhibit was the African Safari. Jason couldn’t believe the size of some of the animals that were there.

"You know Cliff I’m sort of surprised that such a large almost paradise for these animals exists within a city," Staci remarked, looking at the larger than two football fields area for the African animals.

Cliff nodded, "Yeah, that’s what a lot of people think. They are always surprised to see how big it is once they arrive."

After talking with both Sean’s parents and Terry’s parents, Frank and Joe hadn’t come up with any more clues that would lead them to the killer.

"This is frustrating," Joe said, hitting the dashboard with his fist.

Feeling the same way, Frank sighed. "I know. All these dead ends. Maybe Professor Manning can help us figure out who we’re dealing with."

Before heading over the university, they stopped at the Bridgeport County police station, where Officer Rivera gave them as much information as he had available. Then they drove over to the campus. It took a little while, and some navigation of the Bayport U’s campus, but finally they managed to get to Professor Manning’s office. In Frank’s hand was a folder containing all of the information they had gathered from the police, crime scenes, and news reports. Joe was busy writing things from the interviews on a notepad.

It was only a few minutes before Professor Manning came to his office. He was a well-like professor, and an expert in criminal physiology. He enjoyed a challenge, and was eager to help the Hardys out.

"OK, so who are we dealing with?" Professor Manning asked, as he sat down on chair, next to his desk.

"Well, whoever it is, has killed at least seven people. All of them killed in the same manner. The coroner said that the victims were first beaten, then mutilated, before their limbs were taken off," Frank explained.

"That sounds like someone who is very aggressive, but at the same time wanting to punish his victims," Professor Manning replied, "May I see some crime scene photos?"

Frank handed over the folder he had been holding containing some of the photos and reports that Officer Rivera had given them. The brothers watched in fascination as Professor Manning went over each photo and report very closely, and took notes on a pad that was on his desk.

"OK from what I can gather. All the victims are young males, very good looking, very athletic, and in their late teens or early twenties. The first thing, beating them, is like a punishment for not doing what he wants them to do. The second part, the mutilations, probably as an extra punishment and for a further reminding of not doing what he wanted them to. The third part the amputations, that’s anger, pure vengeful anger that he has to teach the person a final lesson to never act that way towards him again," Professor Manning explained.

"From what I’ve seen from reading the reports and were the victims were located, they have to had known their attacker. There’s no way a killing like that could have taken place outside of the crime scene. Plus, if they were alone, they probably all felt comfortable about whoever it was," Frank added.

Joe perked up at all of that. "OK I can understand that, but what’s this punishment thing about. Why not just kill the person? Why would killer make a person suffer like that?"

Professor Manning took a deep breath. "He wants to make them suffer for rejecting him… for not fulfilling the killer’s fantasy. Whatever that may be. And that makes him the most dangerous type."

"That means he’ll kill again?" Frank asked, scared to think of the answer.

Professor Manning nodded, "Yes. And he’ll keep killing every person he thinks has rejected him. In the killer’s mind, he wants them for himself, but when he thinks that the person has rejected him, he has to punish that person. But from what I gather I don’t think that the victims have any idea what’s going on."

"Which means the body count is going to go up," Frank said.