Con lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "You said it was a prank," Joe reminded him "Frank would have wanted to be in on it."

"Actually, it was his idea," Riker confessed. "But no. We haven’t gotten around to calling him yet."

"Can I?" Joe asked. Riley nodded at the phone. Joe dialed Frank’s cell. Frank answered on the first ring. "Ha ha. Very funny." Joe said, his voice leaving Frank in little doubt it was anything but.

"What’s funny?" Frank asked, feigning innocence.

"Getting Riley and Riker to bring me in for questioning," Joe replied. "Swing by the coliseum and pick up the van before it gets towed," he added.

"They didn’t let you follow them?" Frank asked, puzzled.

"No," Joe replied, his tone not quite controlling his anger. "Thanks to you, I’m in real trouble now."

"What do you mean?" Frank demanded, becoming alarmed. "Con knows we’re investigating this case."

"I’ll explain it to you later," Joe said, feeling tired all of the sudden. "Just get the van," he ended, hanging up without saying goodbye. This whole day had been a disaster and he had a feeling the nightmare was just beginning.

Con decided to wait for Frank to arrive before questioning Joe. "What’s going on?" Frank demanded as soon as he entered and saw Joe sitting by Con’s desk. Joe popped the rest of the Twinkie he had been eating into his mouth as Frank approached.

"That’s what I am going to find out," Con said, waving a hand to another chair.

Frank sat down and looked at Joe wondering what had gone wrong. Had Joe realized it was a practical joke and convinced Riley and Riker to turn the tables on him? No, he concluded. Joe looked too upset.

"Now," Con began, leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands on the desk in front of him as he looked at Joe. "What were you doing with Cooper Sorrel?"

"WHAT?!" Frank exploded, leaping to his feet and glaring down at his younger brother. "Are you crazy?" Realizing everyone in the over-crowded precinct room was now looking at them, he took several deep calming breaths and sat back down.

Aware that everyone had ceased what they were doing and was listening to him, Joe took a deep breath and looked right at Frank as he spoke. "Remember the girl I met at the museum?" Joe asked.

Frank nodded. "The one you spent the day with."

"She’s Sorrel’s daughter," Joe stated.

Frank turned white. It is my fault! If I hadn’t made Joe go to the museum he never would have met her! he thought. No. It’s Joe’s fault. Once he knew who she was, he should have left her.

"Why didn’t you leave her alone when you found out who her dad was?" Frank demanded.

"Because I never found out until this morning," Joe snapped. "And I tried to leave but she got mad at her dad and he told me I had to date his daughter until she returned to boarding school."

"When you get into trouble, you really get into trouble," Riker commented, shaking his head in amazement.

"Tell me about it," Joe replied sourly. "Dad’s going to kill me."

"If Sorrel doesn’t first," Con put in.

"On the bright side," Joe said, perking up a bit. "We didn’t have time to discuss any future plans so I probably won’t have to see her again," he ended, a sad note creeping into his voice.

"You don’t sound too happy about that," Con noted critically.

Joe shrugged. "I like her," he confessed. "And she doesn’t have a clue about her dad. It isn’t fair we can’t go out."

"Fair or not, you can’t see her again," Frank stated with finality.

"I know," Joe agreed, frowning. Hadn’t he already said that?

"Be sure and call Sorrel when you get home," Con told Joe. At Frank’s raised eyebrow, he explained about the confrontation at the coliseum.

"I will," Joe promised. "Then...no more."

"I’m sorry, Joe," Frank said on the way home. "I never suspected Sorrel would get that close to you."

"Why are you sorry?" Joe demanded. "It wasn’t your fault. Any leads?" he asked, changing the subject.

"One," Frank replied, frowning. "Joe..when you searched the museum, didn’t you find anything that might link Sorrel to the theft?" he asked, thinking about the card the police had found.

"No," Joe answered, not picking up on the hesitancy in his brother’s voice. "Anyway, he didn’t take it."

"You can’t be sure," Frank objected, not liking the way Joe was taking up for Sorrel.

"I asked him," Joe confessed.

"You are insane!" Frank shouted.

"Chill!" ordered Joe, leaning over and tapping the speedometer that had increased by ten miles during Frank’s outburst. Frank slowed down and Joe continued. "HE wants to give the Renoir to his mother," he informed Frank. "And he says he does not give stolen merchandise to his family."

"And you believed him?" Frank demanded.

"Yes, I do," Joe answered without batting an eye. "Besides," he added. "Sorrel wants us to find the Renoir and return it so he can buy it."

Frank bit his bottom lip so hard he winced. "Con found Sorrel’s card at the museum in the room where the Renoir was last night," he confided.

"Then it is an inside job," observed Joe. "Because there was no card when I searched the place."

Frank shook his head. Joe was being way too trusting but then, he realized, if someone had planted the card then whoever did it had to know about Sorrel’s interest in the painting.

"What’s Callie doing here?" Joe asked, interrupting Frank’s thoughts.

"She drove the van here," Frank explained. "I’ll run her home. Will you be all right alone? Mom decided to spend the night with Mrs. Palmer."

"Sure," Joe replied. "See you later," he added, getting out of the car and holding the door open until Callie arrived and climbed in. "Night you two."

Joe headed into the house, dreading the call he had to make. Deciding to get it over with he picked up the receiver and punched in the number.

"Hello," came a clipped voice from the other end.

"This is Joe Hardy," Joe said.

"Where are you?" demanded Sorrel.

"At home," Joe replied.

"Do you need an attorney?" Sorrel demanded.

"It was just a practical joke instigated by my brother," Joe informed him. "Why are you trying to help me anyway?" he continued. "If I were in trouble, you could use it as a reason to forbid Marie to see me. She would understand."

"You began dating my daughter," Sorrel explained. "That makes you a member of my family and I take care of my own."

"I don’t." Joe began but Sorrel cut him off.

"We’re having a barbeque tomorrow," Sorrel continued, ignoring Joe’s interruption. "Be here no later than two." Not waiting for an answer, Sorrel hung up.