"Frank," Joe said in a warning voice, but wasn't heard as the man managed to break free and send Frank reeling back by himself. Frank quickly regained his balance and stepped in to deliver a right uppercut to the man's jaw, but Joe jumped in front of him and snagged his fist in mid-swing.

"Easy," Joe ordered, grinning. "We were just funning."

Frank lowered his arm, a bemused expression on his face, as Joe made the introductions. "Cody Wallace, I'd like you to meet Frank Hardy. Frank, this is Cody."

"Sorry about that," Frank apologized, taking in the youthful appearance of the person. Frank thought he had seemed older from the back. Up close, he could see the boy's thick mane of brown hair and green eyes that were a bit to hard for his age, which Frank estimated to be about twenty.

"Ah, don't mention it," Cody excused him. "Anyone who looks out for this hellion can't be all bad," he added, smiling at Joe.

"My hero," Joe joked. Frank was about to get defensive but he noticed the pleased look in Joe's blue eyes and thought better of it. "Cody is one of the tellers here," Joe added. "I was going to ask him something but then the radio mentioned something about a wrestling event coming to LA and I kind of got side-tracked."

"Yeah, the Hardy Boyz are going to be there," Cody added. "They're my favorites."

"I prefer The Rock," Joe put in. "There's just something about the Hardy Boyz that isn't quite right."

"Maybe the fact they can't spell?" Frank suggested.

Joe laughed and changed the subject. "Cody, have you seen Ike Lowell or Todd Mavis recently? I was looking for them but can't find them."

"Mr. Mavis is on vacation, but I think he is hanging around town," Cody answered. "As for Mr. Lowell, I saw him yesterday. He was looking for Mr. Mavis too."

"Mr. Lowell is on the board of directors," Joe explained to Frank.

"Thanks," Joe said. "I'll try to reach Mr. Mavis at his house then."

"Take care," Cody told Joe.

"You too," Joe said, looking at Cody's chest with a mystified expression. Cody reached a hand up to his chest, smoothed down his shirt and turned away.

Frank and Joe left the bank and headed back to Joe's place where Gertrude was busy preparing dinner. "Smells good, Auntie," Frank said, following Joe into the kitchen via the back door.

"Yeah, it does," Joe agreed. "If it's half as good as the apple pie earlier, you must be a fantastic cook, Miss Hardy."

"Thank you," she responded, blushing, before her gruff exterior presented itself. "No need to be so formal. You may call me Aunt Gertrude, or Auntie, like Frank," she invited him.

"But you aren't my aunt," Joe argued.

"Please, calling me Miss Hardy makes me sound like a spinster and I find it insulting," she insisted. She couldn't tell him the truth but she intended to treat him like her nephew anyway.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Gertrude," Joe apologized. "I would never intentionally insult you."

She smiled at him and Frank smothered a grin at the way she had manipulated Joe into referring to her as a member of the family. "How much longer before it's ready?" he asked.

"At least an hour," she informed him. "Your parents have gone for a stroll but I would prefer it if you two hung around the house until after dinner."

"No problem," Joe said. He looked over at Frank. "Want to play Scrabble or something?" he suggested.

"I noticed you had Monopoly," Frank said.

"Sounds good to me, but I have to warn you, I'm the local champ," Joe told him.

"I think I can take away your title," Frank said, wondering if Joe bragged a lot.

Joe shrugged and led the way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He pulled the game from its place among the others beneath the coffee table and opened it up. "Want to be the banker?" he offered.

"Sure," Frank agreed and the two boys began setting the game up. Forty minutes later, Frank handed his last railroad over to Joe.

"You are good at this game," he complimented Joe.

"Yeah, well, there is a trick to it," Joe admitted.

"Like getting Boardwalk and Park Place?" Frank asked. "Everybody knows that."

"Actually, that was a fluke," Joe surprised him by saying. "You should have one but the other one isn't important. I mean, those are only two spaces on the entire board even if they do bring in the most. But, they cost a lot to build up too. No, if you have the three orange ones and the three red ones, odds are, you're going to win. Getting out of jail normally lands your opponent on one of those."

"Thanks for the advice," Frank said. "Umm, do you normally tell your opponent how you win?"

"Nah, but then, you want be here that long," Joe said. "It's not like you'll ever get the chance to use it against me, now, will you?" he looked into Frank's brown eyes as he asked the question.

"Um," Frank couldn't think of how to respond and turned away, busying himself, putting up the pieces.

Joe was still waiting for Frank to say something so it was with gratitude that he was saved by the front door opening up. "We're back," Laura called out as she and Fenton entered.

"How was your stroll?" Frank asked, eager to get Joe's mind off his last question.

"Very nice," Laura answered, smiling up at Fenton with a dreamy look on her face.

Joe made a soft choking sound, then quickly asked a question to try and hide it. "Where did you two go?"

"Just down the road a bit," Fenton answered, smiling down at the boys. "Who won?" he asked, observing the game in the process of being put away.

"Joe did," Frank said. "He's really good."

"They have a local Monopoly tournament here every year," Laura informed the two Hardys. "Joe has won every year for the past five years."

"Seems like I owe you an apology," Frank said, turning to Joe. "I thought you were bragging."

"No sweat." Joe replied, closing the box and sliding it back beneath the coffee table.

"Something smells delicious," Laura said.

"Aunt Gertrude is fixing dinner," Joe told her.

"Aunt...Aunt Gertrude?" she asked, shocked at his choice of words. Had she told Joe?

"Yeah," Joe replied, not elaborating, but watching both adult's faces closely.

Frank was watching them as well. This would be a good time to tell Joe, he thought. "Dinner's about ready," said Aunt Gertrude, coming into the living room at that moment. "If you will all go and wash up, then you can come back and help set the table," she instructed.

Joe turned around, his blue eyes showing a little frustration. "Early, isn't it?" he asked.

"Only a few minutes," she agreed. "Now, step too," she ordered, turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

"I guess we had better do as she says," Fenton said. "She can be a tyrant."

"No, she can't," Frank corrected.

"No, she just comes off that way sometimes," Fenton confessed.

At the table, Joe complimented Aunt Gertrude on her cooking, and requested seconds on everything except the vegetables. Those he only ate because she denied him seconds until he had cleared his plate fully.

Frank snickered. "She always makes us eat at least one serving of the veggies every meal," he whispered to Joe as she talked to Laura.

After dinner, Laura and Gertrude began clearing the table. "Why don't you three go into the living room and...discuss the case?" Laura suggested. She had been about to say become better acquainted but thought better of it.

The three males entered the living room and Frank began by telling Joe and his dad about the unverified transaction made on Conroy's terminal. "It looks like whoever just put money into his account lost it because Conroy moved it immediately."

"Pops wouldn't do that!" Joe shouted angrily. "Remy Conroy is one of the most honest men there is."

"Joe, I'm sure you think so but..." Fenton began.

"No buts," Joe interrupted him. "For that matter, it may not have been Remy at his terminal when the transaction was made," he pointed out.

"Joe, all bank personnel have their own passwords..." Fenton began but here, Frank interrupted him.

"But his passwords are easy to guess. Joe did the work to get into the system and I came up with the others needed to continue," Frank informed his dad. "Anyone who knows Mr. Conroy could use his computer."

Fenton furrowed his brow, thinking this over. "You said only the one transaction was unverified?" he asked Frank, who nodded. "Then you got a name for the previous transaction?"

"Jeff Phillips," Frank said.

"Then let's find Mr. Phillips and ask him who waited on him at the bank that day," Fenton suggested.

Joe got up and went over to the phone and picked up the phone book. He looked up the name and found the number and an address. He dialed the number. After the fifth ring, he hung it up. "He isn't at home," Joe informed the other two.

"You can try again later," Fenton suggested, as Laura and Gertrude entered the room.

A knock sounded at the door before the women had a chance to sit down. Laura went to answer it and escorted Sheriff Reiner into the living room. "Hey," Joe said. "Have you found out anything else about Remy?" he asked, going over to the man.

"No," Reiner answered, his smile turning into a frown. "I'm sorry, Joe. But Judge Wilkinson is due back the day after tomorrow and will set bail then."

"Maybe we'll have something to clear him by then," Joe said, hopefully.

"Actually, the reason I came was to ask if you wanted to be my partner for the father and son picnic races this weekend?" Reiner asked Joe.

Fenton shot Reiner a look that should have burned the man to a crisp, but after one quick look, and smirk, at him, Reiner turned back to Joe. Laura turned to look at Fenton, her blue eyes filled with sorrow as they all waited anxiously for Joe's reply.

"Kurt and Craig beat us last year, but I think we can take them this year," Reiner urged.

Fenton, Laura, Frank and Gertrude all waited with baited breath for Joe's reply.