"Did Mom say what she was fixing for dinner?" Frank inquired of his younger brother as he parked the Saturn in its usual space.

"Nope," Joe shook his head. "But I’m sure it will be something good, since there’s going to be a crowd here."

"I don’t know that I call Andrea Bender and Megan and Vanessa a crowd, exactly." was Frank’s rejoinder as they walked toward the back door. He glanced around and noted Con Riley’s car was parked halfway down Elm Street. "Con’s still here?" he added incredulously.

Joe snorted. "He must really have wanted to check on Mom," he muttered suspiciously. "Mom has never been so popular…."

Frank snorted too.

When they entered the kitchen of the Hardy home, they were met with the aroma of spaghetti sauce, and Joe winked at his brother as if to say What did I tell you?

To their surprise, the kitchen was occupied by only two people. Con Riley was sitting at the kitchen table, and Andrea Bender sat across from him, a drawing tablet in front of her. She was sketching rapidly as the two of them talked.

"Hey, Andrea" Joe greeted Vanessa’s mother enthusiastically. To Con he gave a bland, "Evening, Con." Joe was disclosing absolutely nothing – but his lips were twitching.

"Er—hello, Joe." Riley coughed, self-consciously, and turned a definite pink shade. "I was just – Andrea, that is, Mrs. Bender – asked me…."

"I need him," Andrea pronounced, her pencil flying over the sheet of paper.

Joe and Frank both gaped at her frank honesty. She needs him?

"I need a law-enforcement-type person for Rex Rover," she continued, "and Con’s exactly the right sort." The boys suddenly understood she was speaking of her cartoon series, and nodded, but Frank’s eyes twinkled at Joe’s and Con’s evident discomfiture. Andrea laid down her pencil, and flipped to a new page, then resumed making quick lines on the paper.

"Where’s Megan?" Frank asked, at the same moment Joe was asking "Where’s Vanessa?"

Andrea laughed. "Megan’s in the dining room, setting the table, and Van’s with Laura somewhere upstairs." Her laughter increased when Frank nearly dove through the door leading to the rest of the house, with Joe close on his heels.

As they departed, however, Joe glanced back at the kitchen door, then looked at Frank. "He’s being a model for her?" he stage-whispered, horrified.

Frank grinned teasingly. "It could be worse – it might have been a life-class."

"Frank!" Joe spat.

Frank’s grin widened even further. "Ever considered having Con Riley as a father-in-law?" he queried, and disappeared into the dining room before an appalled Joe could frame a reply.

"Hey, Baby…." Frank extended his arms to Megan, and the little redhead set down her handful of silverware and snuggled close in his embrace.

"New shirt?" she inquired, after a moment, raising her head from where it rested against his shoulder.

"Uh – yeah, it’s new." Frank replied – and suddenly realized just how gruff and rasping his voice was. He hadn’t thought about it, with only Con and Joe around!

As if in response to his unspoken thought, Megan frowned up at him. "What’s happened to your voice? You sound awfully husky."

"My voice? Nothing – nothing…" Frank cleared his throat, and then winced, but luckily Megan wasn’t looking directly at his face, and didn’t notice. "Maybe it’s allergies – springtime…you know?"

The entrance of Laura, Vanessa and Joe into the dining room interrupted the conversation, much to Frank’s relief, but it wasn’t the salvation he’d hoped for. After hugging her eldest son, Laura Hardy looked at him keenly and asked:

"Frank, are you feeling all right? You look pale."

"I’m okay, Mom; I’m fine—" Too late, Frank realized he’d goofed, for Laura’s eyebrows shot up when she heard his rasping voice. Behind her back, Joe rolled his eyes at his brother, and shook his head in resigned despair.

"That does not sound good." Laura noted. "What’s wrong with your throat? Are you coming down with something?"

"Allergies?" Frank hazarded weakly.

Laura gave him a long, penetrating look. "Frank Hardy, I’ve known you all your life. You’ve had sniffles with allergies, and watery eyes, and you’ve sneezed the house down on occasion…but you have never sounded like that due to an allergy attack. So why don’t you tell us what’s actually wrong?"

"Uh—" Frank hesitated. He really hated to alarm his mother, or Megan, or Vanessa, but how was he to get out of it?

"Frank—?" This time it was Megan, her forehead puckered in a worried frown. "Please, what happened?"

"I – had a little run-in last night with someone, that’s all." he began. "When we went to check Hurd Applegate’s house." Frank paused. He didn’t remember what had happened; only what Joe had told him what happened.

"He was hit on the head and someone tried to strangle him." Joe interposed grimly. He nodded at his brother. "Show them."

Reluctantly, Frank carefully eased the high neck of his shirt away from his throat so that the others could see the dark bruises. Three horrified gasps were his reward.

"Oh Frank!" Megan was hugging him closely, once again burying her face in his shoulder.

"Frank, that’s awful!" Vanessa cried, then turned to Joe. "Where were you? How could you let that happen?"

He turned red. "I was chasing someone else." he said defensively.

"Honey, have you seen a doctor?" That was Laura.

"No, Mom; it’s just bruises and a sore throat." Frank reassured his mother. "I’ll heal." He bent his head over Megan’s copper curls. "Megan – come out." he prodded, and put his hand beneath her chin, lifting her troubled face into visibility. "Look at me; I’m fine."

She shook her head. "Yeah – you’re fine, sure you are." She bit her lip, then essayed a brave smile. "Actually, you sound really sexy…." she teased, then bit her lip again, blinking back unshed tears.

Frank pulled her tightly to him again for a moment, laying his cheek against the top of her head; trying to convey reassurance and love – and gratitude – with that simple gesture

"Can you eat?" was Laura’s practical inquiry. "Or are you having to drink milkshakes instead?"

"I haven’t tried," Frank admitted. "So, I’m starved." he added, smiling.

"Well, it’s spaghetti; that’s fairly soft…." Laura’s voice faded out, as she bustled kitchenward, leaving the two couples alone in the dining room.

"You say you got hit, too?" Megan asked softly, her hand going up to gently stroke Frank’s dark hair.

"Yeah." The elder Hardy nodded gingerly. "Don’t worry; it’s okay."

Megan gave him a searching look. "Why don’t you come sit down on the couch until dinner’s ready?" she asked, and took his hand to pull him towards the family room. "You and Joe can tell us what happened last night, while we wait."

When dinner was served, the boys were slightly surprised to find that Laura had extended an invitation to Con Riley to stay, too. Although the lieutenant seemed somewhat embarrassed to be included, he accepted with alacrity. When everyone was seating themselves, Frank pulled Megan along a seat, leaving the chair next to Andrea vacant – free for Con to sit down. Frank winked at his younger brother, and raised a dark eyebrow significantly. Joe responded with a melodramatic shudder.

"I talked to your father today." Laura said, at one point during the meal. "He called from prison." She studiously avoided looking at Con, whose ears were turning red, and who was paying strict attention to his plate. "He says he’s doing all right, but he misses us very much…and that he’ll be home as soon as this mess gets cleared up."

"You didn’t say anything to him about—" Joe let the sentence hang.

"No, of course not." his mother reassured him. "Although it was difficult, mentioning that neither of you was home without telling him why you weren’t here."

"We’ll get it cleared up; we’ve already proved that there’s someone else out there with an unholy interest in Hurd Applegate’s house and the people who visit it." Frank growled, and gingerly swallowed a bite of spaghetti and sauce. Megan sympathetically reached to cover his free hand with hers, as she saw him wince.

"Frank, you’ll be happy to know there’s ice cream for dessert." his mother said quietly, and he smiled gratefully at her. Ice cream – now that’s more like it!

"I’ll get the dessert." Andrea Bender offered, a few minutes later, when everyone’s plates were empty. She stood, and raised an eyebrow at her daughter, seeking Vanessa’s assistance. But before Vanessa could obey the signal, Con Riley was rising to his feet too.

"I’ll give you a hand," he said, somewhat gruffly. Frank glanced across the table, his twinkling brown eyes seeking out Joe’s, but the younger Hardy carefully avoided meeting his gaze this time. Frank grinned devilishly, as Con and Andrea cleared the dinner plates together.

After dinner, his throat soothed by a generous portion of chocolate ice cream, but his head throbbing, Frank let himself be persuaded by Megan to lie down on the couch for a while. He gratefully submitted, and stretched out with his head in her lap. Laura, Joe and Vanessa set about loading the dishwasher and tidying the kitchen, and Andrea resumed her sketching, still using Con as a model, at the now-vacant dining room table.

Joe, walking through the dining room, peered over Andrea’s shoulder at the drawing she was working on. He had to admit, he was impressed. Somehow, even in the rough cartoon sketch she was creating, she had captured the essence of their friend.

The man in the picture had Con’s broad shoulders and narrow hips, only slightly exaggerated from his actual build. Although Andrea was working in soft black pencil, with no colors, she had managed to portray Riley’s dark hair and friendly blue eyes somehow. His square-cut chin jutted proudly, in the sketch. He looked firm and upstanding, but entirely approachable – exactly what Andrea wanted in her "law-enforcement type," character, evidently.

Con’s actually a pretty good-looking guy, Joe thought reluctantly to himself. And he’s not all that old – late 30’s, maybe. Maybe Andrea’s not all that weird, using him as a cartoon model. He watched, fascinated, as Andrea tore off another sheet of paper, requested Con to turn his head, and started another picture.

As Joe turned to leave the room, he didn’t see Con reach for the finished sketch on the table….

When Vanessa and Joe went into the family room to join Megan and Frank, they found that Frank had fallen sound asleep with his head pillowed in Megan’s lap. She was sitting and stroking his hair, very softly, an extremely tender expresssion on her face. Vanessa smiled at the sight, and squeezed Joe’s hand.

"Aren’t they sweet?" she breathed in his ear. He pretended to shove a finger down his throat and gag, and Vanessa prodded him in the ribs reprovingly. Joe loved Vanessa dearly, but the devotion Frank and Megan shared sometimes awed the younger Hardy. They settled down on the floor near the couch, where they could talk quietly without disturbing the elder Hardy brother.

Some time later, a voice interrupted them. "Joe?" It was Con Riley, beckoning him from the door. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Con." Joe disengaged his hand from Vanessa’s, got to his feet, and went into the hall. "Something about tomorrow? About the case?"

"Umm – yes." The lieutenant flushed slightly. "I’m leaving now, and I just had a question I wanted to ask – Umm, did you find anything in the woods?"

"Yes and no," Joe began, and told him about Frank’s missing belongings, and more amazingly, how the window at Hurd Applegate’s home had been closed and the screen carefully replaced.

Riley listened carefully, nodding and registering surprise. "So the window was closed…that’s interesting….Umm…Is Andrea seeing anyone?"

"What?" Joe asked, flustered. He wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. "Andrea?" He blinked rapidly, his eyebrows elevated.

"Yes, I was just wondering if you happened to know – if she was – is – seeing anyone?"

Joe stared at him. " ‘Seeing’ – as in dating somebody?" he clarified.

"Uh-huh." Riley was staring at the wall, refusing to meet Joe’s eyes.

"Not—" Joe had to stop and clear his throat; he was afraid he was going to burst out laughing. "—not that I know of, Con." What is going on here? Is Con Riley really attracted to Andrea Bender? "I can ask Vanessa, if you want me to—"

"No! No, that’s quite all right. Thanks for the information." Riley was turning redder and redder. He abruptly turned about and headed for the back door. "I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? – about what you told me about Frank’s things and the window. You’re going back to the Bennett place tonight?"

"Yes, that’s right." Joe agreed, moving hastily to match Riley’s pace. "In fact, we should be getting back there right now." Unlocking the door so Riley could leave, he held it open. "Okay, Con – goodnight." Joe watched the police officer’s hasty departure, still scarcely able to believe what his eyes and ears were telling him. Andrea Bender – and Con? He suddenly realized his jaw was drooping, and he shut it with an audible snap.

When he returned to the family room, Joe gave the girls a rueful smile. "We need to get going," he said, and leaned over the couch to nudge Frank’s arm. "Hey, bro – time to wake up and hit the road."

Frank turned his head away, not opening his eyes. Joe nudged him again, and this time the elder Hardy blinked and squinted up at him.

"Whattya want?" he muttered.

"We need to go." Joe reminded him. "We have to get back to the bed-and-breakfast; you’ve got a military work experience gig tomorrow, remember? You need your sleep."

"I was getting my sleep," Frank rasped grumpily, but he raised his head, and began to slowly push himself upright. Halfway up, however, he squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the sofa hard.

"Frank, what’s wrong?" Megan asked him, concern coloring her soft voice.

"Nothing – just dizzy for a minute, that’s all, head rush; I’m just not wide awake." he assured her, but she looked unconvinced.

Despite his brave words, Frank found himself barely able to stay on his feet. I’m so tired – I really need some more sleep. He was determined not to show his discomfort to Megan, however, and held his head high. He joined Joe in the hall, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Joe glanced at him, frowning slightly, but said nothing.

Laura came to hug and kiss her sons goodbye, and to advise them again to be very careful. They returned the embraces, then bid farewell to Andrea, who was spending the night at the Hardy house. Megan and Vanessa accompanied the boys to Frank’s car, where Joe slid into the driver’s seat.

"You’re in no shape to drive." he informed his brother, when Frank mildly protested this move. "You’re barely awake enough to walk, let alone drive a car."

Frank grumbled at this cavalier pronouncement, but slid into the passenger seat anyway. Megan leaned in the door to kiss him goodnight, as Vanessa was stooping over the driver’s seat to similarly kiss Joe. Then they stepped back, allowing Joe to back out of the driveway. The Hardys set off down the street, heading once more for their home away from home.

They drove in silence for a couple of minutes, until Joe finally said, "Are you feeling all right?"

"I’ll survive." Frank muttered, and decided to change the subject. "Did Con make any more moves on Andrea?" He was managing to wake up now.

"You won’t believe this – while you were asleep, when he was going to leave, he called me out into the hall—" Joe said, "—and asked me if she was seeing anyone!"

"Whoa, really?" Frank chuckled, and started inspecting his fingernails minutely in the soft glow of the dash lights. After a moment, he said, in a considering tone: "Well…it’s been over a year since Con’s divorce, now that I think of it."

"Yeah…" Joe nodded. "He never talks about his private life; I’d nearly forgotten about that. ‘Irreconcilable differences,’ isn’t that what it was?"

"Dad said he didn’t think Katherine Riley was cut out to be the wife of a police officer." Frank said. "And I guess it was fairly amicable, as far as divorces go. She moved away from Bayport, I know that." He pondered a few moments, and a wicked gleam came into his eyes. "Hmmm…you ever thought what it might be like, Joe – having a private investigator as a father, and a police lieutenant as a step-father-in-law?" he teased, and began to chuckle.

Joe’s startled, jerked reaction nearly took them into an oncoming lane of traffic. Frank’s warning yelp alerted him to the danger. When he had straightened the car out and was proceeding once more, he managed to reply to Frank’s twitting. "I haven’t seen a wedding announcement for them yet," he said evenly. "And I haven’t seen one for Vanessa and me, either."

Frank just kept chuckling.

By the time they arrived at the shoreline development, Frank was fully awake. When they got to their rooms, Joe admitted he was tired, and headed for bed. Frank prepared for bed, then climbed beneath the covers and drew out the folder Con had brought him, with the information on the Military Police and the place where he would be seeking employment the next day. His head was still aching, but he refused to let it stop him preparing for tomorrow – he’d downed another couple of aspirins and hoped they kicked in soon.