It was well after dark when Frank returned home and he wasn’t surprised to see a police car parked in front of his house. He bid his friends goodbye, waved at the officer in the car, and went inside.

“Our culprit was at the grocery store,” Frank informed his parents, Chief Collig and Sam Radley, who were all gathered in the living room. He explained about the taped cries for help and Joe having to put air in the van’s tires.

“We located the area where he has been watching the house as well,” Fenton said. “The kidnapper has been observing us from the oak tree next door.”

“What if it isn’t a he?” asked Frank. “What if it’s a she and Joe was the target all along?”

“Angelic?” asked Fenton with the lift of a brow. Frank nodded. “No,” said Fenton. “The thought crossed my mind so I called the mental facility where she is being held. She’s still there.”

“Have you come up with any possibilities?” asked Frank, sitting down.

“A few,” Sam answered for Fenton. “That’s why we’re all here.”

“Almost all,” Collig put in. “We’re still waiting on Agent Boone from the FBI.”

***

Joe opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He was sick to his stomach and his head hurt and he was positive it was because of the drugs he had been given. But why? He couldn’t help wondering why his captor had sent the flowers and note to his mother. It made no sense unless.. Unless it’s a ruse to keep dad and Frank so busy and confused they won’t know what’s happened until it’s too late!

Joe sat up slowly, groaning involuntarily as he did so. “Take it easy, son,” said Stan Axemeyer, going to Joe’s side and sitting down next to him.

“How..how did you get here?” asked Joe turning to look at the man who used to be his neighbor until he had snapped and decided to take Joe for his own son and Laura as his wife because he felt Fenton Hardy neglected to give them the protection and attention they deserved. Stan had kidnapped Joe and Laura, drugged them, and taken them to a friend’s cabin. Fortunately, Fenton and Frank tracked them down before the drugs Stan was using had too much time to take effect.

“You mean after Hardy,” Stan spat the name, “convinced the judge I was mentally unbalanced?” he asked. Joe gave a hesitant nod.

“I have a friend in California who used his connections to have me transferred to Los Angeles,” Stan informed Joe. “I was placed under his care.”

“Where is he?” Joe asked.

“In California,” Stan replied. “Gary knows I’m not crazy. I never thought you were my son or Laura was my wife,” he explained. “I just thought the two of you deserved better. And I still do.”

“Shouldn’t we be allowed to decide for ourselves?” demanded Joe forcefully. Mistake! his mind screamed as he started swaying.

“You have no comparison with which to make an unbiased decision,” Stan told him. “And Laura is blinded by her feelings for him. No,” he continued with a firm shake of his head. “I must insist on doing this my way.”

“But you threatened her,” Joe objected. “You can’t have any feelings for her when you do something like that.”

“It’s because my feelings are so strong that I can,” Stan insisted. “Fenton and Frank will be looking for someone who wants to do you and Laura harm. They’ll never even consider me and if by some miracle they do, then they will find I’m in California under the care of Dr. Gary Rogers.”

“How did you get them to leave before I came back home?” asked Joe, his vertigo and nausea slowly ebbing away.

“I called and told them you had been attacked and were being taken to the hospital,” Stan informed Joe with a smug smile.

“You rigged the recording?” asked Joe.

Stan nodded. “And let the air out of your tires,” he added. “I had to make sure you didn’t get back home before they had left.”

“How did you know mom would send me to the store for milk?” he asked.

“I wasn’t sure it would be you,” answered Stan. “I put some lemon juice in your milk so it would taste bad,” he explained. “I knew someone would go to the nearest store for more. If it had been Laura I would have taken her there. Since it was you, I had to wait a while. You’re a good fighter,” he complimented Joe.

“What if dad or Frank had gone for it?” questioned Joe.

“Then I would have eliminated them,” Stan answered, patting his shirt where Joe noticed a slight bulge that resembled a holstered gun.

“You know I’m not going to stay here,” Joe told Stan.

“You have no choice,” Stan informed him. “I will not let you leave even if it means immobilizing you.”

“What do you mean by that?” demanded Joe in alarm.

“You can’t run away if your leg is in a cast,” Stan said.

“You wouldn’t!” Joe rejected the idea in outrage.

“I’m sorry, son,” Stan said, wrapping an arm around Joe’s shoulder and causing Joe to wince when he felt another prick. “Until you get used to me being your father, I have no choice.”

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.