"Dad, I don’t know what to do Frazer is trying to get at me, and its working. But why take Ness, what use is she to him, why not go after Callie instead?" Frank looked up at his father, hoping that he had some answers but knowing in his heart and soul that Fenton Hardy was as confused as he.

"I don’t know what to say to you son" Fenton replied, except that we will find them, I just know we will, we have to." Fenton gave his son a hug and then walked back into the office.

Callie came out onto the deck. "I rang Vanessa’s mom, she is going to catch the next available flight, and I said I’d collect her at the airport."

Frank nodded. He looked at Callie’s pinched, drawn face and realized that she was terrified to, that she was thinking back to the last time. He wrapped his arms around his petite girlfriends, rested his head on hers and cried. Frank cried for Joe, for Vanessa, for Callie forced to relive the nightmare of what Frazer did, and for himself. Somehow he knew that this time there may not be a happy ending.

The sound of the phone ringing separated the couple. Fenton answered. Frank heard the rising anger in his voice and knew that Frazer was on the other end.

"If you touch a hair on either of their heads I won’t be responsible for my actions" he shouted down the phone. Then he handed it to Frank. "He will only speak to you"

Frank took the phone and could feel his hands beginning to shake again. "What do you want Frazer?"

"I want to meet Frankie, just you, me, Joe and his girlfriend. No-one else. I will tell you the time and the place. You will come alone. If I think for a moment that you are not alone then I will kill them both. And you know I mean what I say. Tomorrow morning at 6am get into your van and head east along Highway 182. I will call you with further details."

The phone went dead. Frank placed it back in the receiver and relayed the message to those present.

"Frank, you can’t go and meet that man on your own, you just can’t." Callie sounded almost hysterical and Tony put a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"Callie’s right" said Fenton, looking at his son. "You are not going to visit that madman alone; I won’t risk that madman kidnapping another of my sons."

"Dad, what choice do we have, he could kill them if I don’t, I have to go alone."

Frank walked past his friends, out the door and down to the beach. Tears filled his eyes. He was terrified of going alone, but didn’t know what else he could do. He wished Joe were here now to tell him what to do.

"Frank"

Frank looked around and saw Phil standing behind him. "Your dad is just worried about you, and about Joe and Ness. He wants everything to be ok"

"I know Phil; it’s just that sometimes I need him to trust me"

"He does Frank, he just worries. Anyhow, I think I might have just the gadget to solve both your problems. It is a tiny tracking device, virtually undetectable by modern scanning equipment and should allow us to stay up to three miles behind you, that should be enough even for Frazer not to notice"

"Phil Cohen, I always knew you were a genius, that’s the answer. Frank Hardy slapped his friend on the back. Come on, let’s organize it now." The two boys went back into the apartment, explained their idea to the others and soon everyone was busy drawing up plans for the next morning.

It was decided that Frank would wear the tracking device inside the souls of his shoes. Fenton, Biff and Chet would follow and Phil and Tony would stay behind to protect Callie and Andrea Bender in case they became targets as well.

Nobody in the house slept that night. Frank spent most of it sitting on the deck looking out at the sea. After a while Callie joined him, soon followed by Phil and the others.

There was no conversation; they sat side by side, thinking about Joe and Ness and taking strength from each others company. Frank though yet again about what amazing friends he and Joe had and how lucky they were to have them.

6 o’clock came around quickly enough. Frank kissed Callie before setting off in the SUV. He had driven for about eight miles when his cell phone rang.

Frank answered, and a voice told him to take the next left turning and travel for two miles. Then he was to stop the car where he would be met and brought to Joe and Vanessa.

He did as he was told. Driving down a small dirt road he saw a large black car blocking the road. Frank stopped the SUV and two men leaped from the car and grabbed him. They shoved blindfolded Frank before putting him in the back of the car and driving off.

After about half an hour the car stopped and Frank felt himself being pulled out of the car and into an upright position. His hands were tied behind his back and he was marched up a hill. Eventually he was thrown to the ground and the blindfold removed.

Frank gasped as he looked up. Standing in a clearing at the top of a tree-covered hillside was Arnold Frazer. Behind him were the helpless figures of Joe and Vanessa Bender. They were standing on two wooden stools, their heads inside two separate nooses. If anyone moved the stools even an inch, either Joe or Vanessa would choke to death!