"Don't say it," Frank interrupted him. "I know. Joe has never had a father and that gives me an advantage over him. Too, I know you will never stop loving me no matter if you have one more son or ten!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know why I felt jealous of him. I'll apologize," he promised.

"You can't tell him you were jealous," Fenton cautioned him. "He doesn't know we're his family."

"I won't," Frank promised, and looked into his dad's eyes. "When are you two going to tell him? The sheriff was right. Joe does have the right to know."

"I don't know," Fenton admitted. "Soon. When the time is right."

Frank hoped the time would be right soon. The more he thought about it, the happier he got. He had always wanted a brother and now, he realized, he had one.

***

The next afternoon, Frank was waiting with his aunt at the house when Laura and his dad brought Joe home. "Hi," Frank greeted him as he entered the living room. Joe nodded at him and took a seat on the sofa.

"How are you feeling?" Gertrude asked him.

"Much better," Joe assured her. "My head doesn't hurt a bit."

"Well, I've made a pie and once you've had lunch, you can have some," she informed him.

"I had lunch before I was released," Joe told her, grinning in anticipation.

"One slice of apple pie coming right up," she told him, leaving the room. Frank shot his dad a surreptitious look. How was he going to be able to apologize with an audience?

"Laura, why don't we go pour some milk to go with that apple pie?" Fenton suggested. The lame excuse for an exit wasn't lost on anyone present, but Laura went with Fenton into the kitchen and left the two boys alone.

"Um, about last night," Frank began, looking at Joe. "I'm sorry. You were right," he rushed ahead now that he had started. "I don't know Mr. Conroy and I had no right to imply that he was guilty when you so obviously believe he isn't."

"That's okay," Joe said after looking into Frank's eyes and deciding to believe him. "If you knew him, you would know there is no way he would ever do anything like that."

"Maybe I can help?" Frank offered, thinking that he should get to know his little brother. After all, if things worked out the way his father planned, Joe would be moving back to Bayport with them. Laura too.

Joe looked into his eyes. Frank could tell he was struggling with something but didn't know what. "Okay," Joe finally said. "You can help. We need to go to Sally's and see if we can find out why someone broke in last night."

"I don't think that is such a good idea," Laura said coming back into the room with Fenton and Gertrude. She handed Joe a glass of milk and Gertrude handed him his pie. "You should stay here and take it easy."

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous," Frank jumped in before Joe could say anything. He really wanted Joe to like him. He had thought about it all night and having a baby brother was going to be great...if they could get along.

Joe shot him a funny look but said nothing as he waited for his mom's decision. She glanced at Fenton who gave an almost imperceptible nod. This was not lost on Joe. Something was going on between those two and he wasn't sure if he approved or not.

"All right," she gave in. "But eat your pie first," she ordered. "You need to build your strength back up after last night."

"I'm not arguing," Joe responded, picking up a bite of the apple pie on his fork. "Hospital food is nasty!"

"Maybe you should have something solid to eat then," Gertrude broke in, a worried frown on her stern face.

"How about I eat a big dinner instead?" Joe compromised. More delays at getting over to the Conroy's was not on his agenda.

"Deal," Laura agreed, smiling at him.

After Joe finished his pie, Frank and Joe headed over to Sally's house. She must have heard them pull up because as they neared the door it was thrown open and Sally rushed outside to hug Joe. "I'm so glad you're alright," she told Joe, leaning back and looking at him critically as if to make sure he really was okay.

"You know me," Joe told her. "It takes more than a knock on the skull to get rid of me."

Sally gave him another hug before letting go of him and looking at Frank. "You're Frank, right?" she asked.

Joe looked at Frank quizzically. "We met at the hospital last night," Frank explained. "And yes, I'm Frank," he acknowledged Sally.

"Frank's going to help me look around and see if we can find out what that creep was doing here last night," Joe informed her.

"I know what he was doing here," Sally said, her voice laced with contempt. "He was planting more "evidence" against my father. Sheriff Reiner came back this morning and we went over dad's room. There was a passport and a number for a Swiss bank account lying under his pillow."

"So maybe whoever is trying to frame your dad knows you are planning on going to a college in Switzerland this fall," Joe hypothesized. Frank perked up at this information. If Sally were going to Switzerland, then of course her father would choose to go with her, especially if he were going to be on the run from the authorities. "Could we look around anyway?" Joe asked. "Maybe we can find something Reiner missed."

"Of course you can look," she told him. "I need to run to the jail and see how dad is doing and then pick up some groceries," she continued. "Will you lock up when you're done?"

"Sure, no problem," Joe agreed. The two boys waited for her to leave before heading upstairs.

"How long have you known the Conroys?" Frank asked, as they entered Remy's bedroom. "I mean, you and Sally seem to be very close and she's a little bit older than you."

"Almost all my life," Joe informed him. "Dawson, Sally's brother, and I were best friends."

"Were?" Frank inquired as they reached Pops' room.

"Dawson died two years ago," Joe said, his face taking on a hurt look. "We, mom and I, were on vacation with the Conroys. Dawson and I went swimming. A Great White came on the scene and hit Dawson then came back around and took a bite out of him. I tried to get it away but it bit me too. I'm not exactly sure what happened after that but when I woke up in the hospital, Dawson was dead."

"And you nearly lost your leg," Frank added, looking at Joe with compassion.

"How did you know?" Joe demanded in surprise.

"Your mom mentioned something about it at the hospital last night but she didn't give us the details," Frank explained. "Any idea what we're looking for?" he asked.

"Not really," Joe replied. "Something that doesn't belong that the sheriff wouldn't know didn't belong?" he suggested. The two boys looked around the room, checking out drawers, under the bed, in the closet and the balcony. They found nothing.

"Why don't we head to the sheriff's office?" Frank suggested. "He may have found something out by now."

"Might as well," Joe agreed, standing up straight and giving one last long look around the room. They left the house, with Joe checking to make sure the back door was locked and then locking the front one behind them.

When they arrived at the sheriff's office they found someone from the bank was there. "Joe!" exclaimed Bill Burton, the CEO of the bank, as he saw Joe enter the building. He came over and shook Joe's hand. "I'm so glad to see you are alright. The sheriff was just telling me about last night."

"I'd like to get my hands on that creep again," Joe asserted. Frank looked at the man with interest. He was tall, roughly five inches taller than his own six foot frame, with curly chestnut hair and narrow blue eyes. He was dressed in a three piece blue suit with a tie which sported a popular candy coated milk chocolate character.

"Me too," Burton said. "The nerve, breaking into Remy's and planting fake evidence!"

"Excuse me," Frank interrupted, startled. Had he just heard the man right? "You think he was planting fake evidence?" he asked, ignoring Joe's sudden scowl.

"Well, of course!" Burton declared. "Everyone knows Remy Conroy is one of the most honest men you'll ever meet!"