She felt a little uncomfortable, too, accompanying Fenton. She hadn’t ever been as terrified of him as Megan had, but still, he was a reserved, somewhat distant, often-absent parental figure; the father of her beloved boyfriend, certainly, but still not someone Vanessa had ever considered a good buddy! The past few days had changed things a lot, but still…. She glanced at him covertly from the corners of her blue-gray eyes, wondering if she should try to make conversation, or if he’d prefer to be left in peace.

Mr. Hardy had sensed Vanessa’s nervousness, and he remembered all too well the constraint which had previously existed between himself and Megan. What is it with me, that I scare these girls half to death? he mused. Am I really that formidable? I don’t mind a little respect, but enough is enough! Deciding to try and break the ice, he said aloud: "Relax, Vanessa, I don’t bite – at least, not all that often."

She turned her head to face him, and laughed a little. "Was it that obvious?" She took a deep breath, and leaned back, feeling the tension seep away.

"Fairly, yes. Are you comfortable? Want the air conditioning turned up? Or down? Different radio station?"

"I’m fine, thanks." Vanessa replied. Okay, he evidently does want to make conversation…. She searched for a topic – and then remembered something from the previous night!

"Mr. Hardy, last night Megan and I were talking, while we were waiting for the car to be fixed – and we had an idea. We wondered if there was any possibility that the thefts of camcorders and watches and cameras might have been a screen – something done to conceal the fact that someone wanted Frank’s camera, all along. That whoever was behind the thefts was also behind the murder…."

The detective turned his head and looked at her intently for a moment before returning his gaze to the road. "That’s entirely possible, Vanessa. I commend you girls for coming up with such a good theory. If I’d been thinking with half a brain, I might have come up with it on my own – but, of course, I didn’t." He smiled. "I’m very glad you and Megan came along on this trip!"

Vanessa blushed and laughed. "I’m the grateful one!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn’t have had any vacation at all, if you and Mrs. Hardy hadn’t invited me along!"

He nodded his acceptance, and settled back in the driver’s seat. "Let’s talk about your theory a little more…."

Discussing the girls’ idea occupied their attention, and surprisingly soon, they were in Stateline, pulling into the parking lot of Caesars. When they went inside, Jorge hailed them from the concierge’s desk. He had the keys to a replacement rental car, he told Fenton, for the spray-painted letters still adorned the hood of the one the girls had taken to Reno, and this needed to be taken care of. They exchanged keys, and Vanessa thanked the concierge again for his assistance with the map and directions, and assured him that Frank and Joe were going to recover.

Getting an extra key to the boys’ room from the front desk, Vanessa and Fenton went up to their floor, and while Fenton went into his own room, Vanessa went first to Frank and Joe’s, to pack a small bag with changes of clothes for both boys.

Rummaging through things, Vanessa located a fairly small duffle, and put in two complete clothing changes, recalling that both boys’ clothes had been torn and bloodstained. She mentally flipped a coin, shrugged and picked up one of the electric razors from the bathroom counter, figuring they could share, for once. Things were where they had been yesterday, when she and Megan and Laura had straightened up the room from the trashing episode. Yesterday…was it really only yesterday? She turned back to the bedroom area, and grabbed what looked to be what someone slept in; at least, it was stuffed beneath one of the pillows of Frank’s bed. Laura must have put it there; I don’t remember doing it. There was nothing under the pillows on Joe’s bed…well, I’ll toss in an extra pair of boxer shorts, I guess! she thought, and did so.

Smoothing the covers back after her search for pajamas, Vanessa noticed something sparkling on the carpet next to the bed, and knelt down to investigate what it might be. She held the little shiny object in her hand and looked at it closely. It was men’s jewelry, a gold tie tack. She didn’t think it belonged to either Frank or Joe; she was sure neither of them had brought a tie, and she couldn’t make out what the crest indicated; but she dropped it in her pocket, to show Mr. Hardy when he got out of his shower.

Vanessa then went to the room she shared with Megan. The girls had taken their makeup and some extra clothes with them the night before, so she didn’t need to pack anything else, but she spent some time brushing her long hair, then paced restlessly while she awaited Fenton’s knock on the door.

A short time later, she responded to the expected knock, and admitted Mr. Hardy, who looked vastly improved. He had showered, shaved, and was dressed in clean clothing, and carried a small suitcase which Vanessa surmised must contain things for Laura. He still looks stressed, she thought, but not so badly, now.

"I found something," Vanessa held out the tie tack she had picked up. "I don’t think it’s either Frank’s or Joe’s. Do you suppose it might belong to whoever trashed their room? And can you identify the crest on it?"

Fenton took the little ornament and examined it closely, then shook his head. "I haven’t ever seen it before, that I know of. Well, I need to talk to Lieutenant Hunt anyway, so I’ll ask him about it."

They went downstairs and out to the parking lot. The new rental car was identical to the old, save that this one was green, rather than beige. Fenton courteously ushered Vanessa into the passenger seat and closed the door on her, then got in himself and started the engine. They drove through Stateline’s morning traffic to the police station.

When they got there and went in, Fenton was somehow not in the least surprised to find Lieutenant Hunt yet again on duty. I wonder if the man ever sleeps!

"Mr. Hardy!" the blonde policeman greeted them. "How are your sons?"

"They’re going to be all right, but they’ll need some time to recuperate." Fenton replied. He explained to Hunt about the rockslide, and the resultant injuries the boys had received.

"Yes, we got the call about the assailant in the woods," Hunt confirmed. "but we had to refer it to the State Police; it wasn’t in our jurisdiction. From the info I’ve gotten back, when the State Police sent a team out there, they didn’t find the guy, but they did find the avalanche site, and it most certainly was set to fall. According to the man I spoke with, the rocks were rigged in a very precarious area of that section of woods, and they were shot free with a couple of blasts from a rifle. Did your boys say anything about hearing shots?"

Fenton nodded grimly. "Yes, they did." Inside, he was marveling at what Hunt had told him. So Randall Claremont did call the police, just as Joe asked him to! What sort of game is that man playing?

"Then that’s how the slide was triggered. There was no guarantee that it would kill them, but it certainly would incapacitate them long enough for whoever it was to come along and finish the job. One or the other of your sons must not have been unconscious very long."

"It would have been Joe," Fenton murmured. He took the tie tack from his pocket, and held it out for Hunt’s inspection. "Do you recognize the crest?"

Hunt examined the piece of jewelry carefully, and shook his head no, handing it back. "It’s not a casino logo – more likely, it’s a family crest of some sort."

"In that case, I know just where to look, to find out the information." Fenton said with some satisfaction. "Vanessa found this today in the boys’ room; it might be a clue to whoever ransacked it the other day. The back is missing, so evidently it fell off someone’s tie." Fenton looked closely at the tie tack again, memorizing how it looked, and jotted a few notes about it on a small tablet he took from his pocket. Then he handed the jewelry to Hunt. "It’s evidence, Lieutenant – it rightfully belongs with you."

Saying he’d keep in touch, and requesting that Fenton keep him updated on the boys’ progress, Lieutenant Hunt bid them goodbye. Fenton and Vanessa went back outside, and got into the rental car once more, and headed for the highway to Reno.

"Mr. Hardy, how are you going to find out about the crest on the tie tack?" Vanessa asked, as they rode along.

"If it’s a normal family crest, there are books in libraries filled with that sort of information." Fenton told her, smiling. "I have a contact back on the East coast who is extremely knowledgeable about such things, and I’ll call him after we get back to the hospital."

Vanessa smiled, feeling very pleased. She had found something which might be an important clue in this bewildering case! Perhaps it would help them find out who had hurt Frank…and Joe! Her lips tightened. She wanted whoever had hurt Joe to be punished.

Fenton was just starting up Virginia Street, coming into Reno, when his cell phone rang. He quickly answered it, and heard Laura’s frantic voice on the other end.

"Fenton, you need to get back here right away!" she cried. "Randall Claremont just tried to kill Frank!"