"Is something wrong, Joe?" he finally asked.

"I don’t know." He laid his fork down. "I can’t stop thinking about what those guys said."

"What do you mean?"

Joe’s ears turned pink. "Well, there’s this rumor on the Internet, in the Gershwin hangouts, that Clancy Barrett has a lot of enemies. James Coleman and Benjamin Whittington are supposedly two of them. Makes me wonder why they would want him in their show."

"And you know this how?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I’ve been going to some of the message boards for a couple of years. And you hear things."

Frank folded his napkin up and laid it on the table, then signaled for the check. "You know Internet rumors can’t always be trusted."

"I know," Joe agreed. "But this one’s been around a while and stays pretty consistent."

Frank nodded thoughtfully. "I guess we’ll just have to keep our eyes open, eh, little brother?"

"Yeah." Joe forced a smile as Frank paid the bill, then the four teens started for the theater. They had decided to leave the car where it was and walk.

Vanessa slipped her hand into Joe’s. "You’re awfully quiet."

"I don’t want anything to happen to Frank," he whispered softly.

Vanessa squeezed his hand tightly. During their last case, they had come up against a group of gun runners and drug smugglers who had almost cost Frank his life as he battled leukemia. He was now recovering from a successful bone marrow transplant.

"He’ll be fine, babe. What could possibly go wrong tonight?"

Joe smiled, then pulled close and kissed her. Then they ran to catch up with Frank and Becka.

Fifteen minutes later they were inside looking for their seats. Joe was a bundle of nervous energy and kept looking around.

"Vanessa!"

The group turned to see a tall young man with black hair coming towards them. "Vanessa!" he called again as he approached them.

"Evan?" Vanessa looked closely at the young man. "Evan!" She hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Van."

Frank saw Joe start to bristle as the man slipped an arm around Vanessa’s shoulders. "Easy," Frank murmured as he laid a restraining hand on Joe’s arm.

"I’m one of the electricians," Evan answered. He glanced at the others before turning his attention back to Vanessa. "You going to introduce me?"

"Of course. Guys, this is Evan Williams. He was one of my classmates. Evan, this is my boyfriend Joe Hardy, his brother Frank, and Becka Nickerson."

Joe nodded briefly. He could tell from the look on this guy’s face that he thought of Vanessa as more than a classmate. Joe slipped an arm around Vanessa after she edged away from Evan. He then gave Evan Williams a look that said "Back off."

Vanessa couldn’t help but notice the tension rising. She too gave Evan a look.

"I don’t suppose you’d be interested in coming backstage to meet the cast afterwards?" Though Evan’s question was directed at the group, he looked at Vanessa as he asked.

Frank glanced at his brother. This guy was really getting on Joe’s nerves. Frank had to get them apart. Quickly. "We’d love too!" he said. "Now we really need to get to our seats before the show starts." He smiled brightly, then steered the others away.

"Thanks," Vanessa whispered.

"You’re welcome." Frank smiled, then turned his attention back to Becka as they sat down. "First time at a Broadway show?"

Becka smiled and nodded. "Does it show?"

Frank shook his head. "Not really."

Then there was a low groan from Joe. "They’re not doing "Rhapsody in Blue" until the end!"

"I’m sure you’ll survive, Joe," Frank told him. "Now, have you any idea how they’re going to do this?"

Joe shook his head. "Not a clue. The whole thing has been kept very hush-hush."

"Well, is there anything you can tell us?" Vanessa teased.

Joe looked at Vanessa, smiling. "Yes. Olivia Moreau has the voice of an angel and the figure to go with it!"

Vanessa slapped Joe’s arm with her program as Frank looked at his. Olivia Moreau was the female lead of the show. Kurt Barrett was the male lead. "Joe, are Kurt Barrett and Clancy Barrett related by any chance?"

"Yeah. They’re brothers. They both went to Julliard and graduated with honors. I’ve heard that they’re very close."

Becka leaned forward. "I read that Clancy Barrett dated Olivia Moreau for a while."

"Yes they did," Joe answered. "I heard they were pretty serious, about to be engaged in fact. But then Barrett broke it off and dumped her."

"Oh how awful!" Becka remarked.

At that moment, the lights dimmed and James Coleman stepped in front of the curtain. "Good evening, ladies and gentleman. The cast and crew would like to thank you for coming.

"We hope that tonight’s show will be everything you’ve hoped it would be and much, much more. This show has been many months in the making and it is our sincere hope that you will find it well worth the wait.

"First off, let me start with a little bit of background information on George Gershwin. He was born in Brooklyn to Russian-Jewish immigrants. By the time George was 15, he was already "plugging" songs, and accompanying vaudeville stars.

"Shortly after that, George was working as a staff composer for the Harms Music Publishing house. George first paired with his elder brother, Ira, with "The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag)".

"In 1919, came "Swanee" with lyrics by Irving Caesar. But it wasn’t until 1924 that the young composer’s career took off. "Somebody Loves You" premiered in that year’s Scandals revue. That was followed by the premiere of "Rhapsody in Blue" on February 12.

"Many more songs and Broadway productions followed. A great number of them were written with his brother, Ira. He continued writing until his death in 1938.

"And now, without further ado, we present to you, A Night With Gershwin."

The audience erupted with applause as Benjamin Whittington walked across the stage. A curtain lifted to reveal the orchestra. Whittington stepped up on his platform and lifted the baton.

A hush fell over the theater. Then the show began with "Swanee", sung by Kurt Barrett imitating Al Jolson.

"He’s good!" Becka whispered in Frank’s ear. "Sounds just like him!" Frank nodded in agreement.

Joe kept watching his brother from the corner of his eye. Frank and Becka were doing a lot of whispering in each other’s ears. About halfway through the show, Frank finally put his arm around her shoulders.

Joe nudged Vanessa. "Look."

Vanessa peeked around Joe and smiled. "I think he likes her."

"I know he likes her, Van!" Joe smiled. "I’m glad. She’s great."

Frank looked down at the program in his hands. "Rhapsody in Blue" was the next, and final, song. He glanced over at Joe, who was fidgeting with excitement. Clancy Barrett was to play the piano. Joe was of the opinion that Mr. Barrett was one of the best pianists ever born.

Then the audience broke into loud applause as Clancy Barrett appeared on the stage. But one look at him and both Frank and Joe knew that something was wrong. The pianist was white as a sheet, and wobbling. He slowly crossed the stage to the grand piano, gave a brief bow to the audience, and sat down. He placed his hands on the keyboard and turned his head slightly to nod at the conductor. He didn’t make it.

The brothers watched in horror as Mr. Barrett leaned over to the side, then toppled off the bench!