Bobby called his cohort on his cell phone and when the now familiar green car pulled up out front, Joe was pushed out the door and into the back seat.  Bobby pushed Joe down tot he floor and Joe rode in his cramped position for well over thirty minutes.  When the car came to a stop, all three men got out of the car.  Bobby and Pete pulled Joe out and marched him into a ramshackle cabin.

Inside, Joe was forced to lie on a bed and his feet were bound.  A length of rope was then  wrapped around his mid-section, securing him to the bed.  Satisfied with their handiwork, the three men left Joe alone.

***

“Dad!” Frank exclaimed, looking up and seeing his father in the doorway.  Frank rushed over to his side.  “Joe’s been kidnapped.”

“I heard,” Fenton said, his tone serious.  He looked at Chief Collig.  “Set up roadblocks and...”

“Are you crazy?” demanded Stan, striding over to Fenton, and stopping with his nose almost touching Fenton’s.  “They said they would kill him if you didn’t stay out of it.”

“Once they have finished what they set out to do, they will kill him anyway,” Fenton told him.  “We have to find him before that happens.”

“But you can’t be involved!” Stan shouted, his face turning red. 

“They...” Fenton started to explain why he had no choice but Stan erupted.

“You self-centered bastard!” Stan spat.  “You have everything and you are willing to risk it just to keep your reputation,” he sneered.  “You make me sick.  Get out of my house.”

“Stan,” Fenton tried once again, reaching out and putting a hand on Stan’s arm.

Stan shrugged him off.  “This is my house and you are not welcome here.  Leave before I press charges against you for trespassing.”

Chief Collig and Officer O’Brien watched the exchange with dumbfounded expressions.  Fenton gritted his teeth and turned to leave.  “Come on,” he ordered Frank and Laura.

As Laura passed Stan, he latched onto her arm, bringing her to a halt.  “You and Joe are always welcome here,” Stan told her, his voice soft and gentle.  “If you ever need anything, I’m here.”

Confused, Laura nodded and hurried to Fenton’s side.  Fenton, boiling mad, put a protective arm around Laura’s shoulders and ushered her outside and across the yard into their own.

“That man is as close to crazy as a guy can get,” Frank said once they were inside their own living room.

“Not now” Fenton said with a sigh.  “We can figure out what’s bothering Stan later.  Right now, we have to find Joe.”

“Any ideas on how to do that?” Frank asked, looking at his father expectantly.  He did agree with Stan on one point.  His dad would have to stay out of sight.

“Stan said one of the men who took Joe was one you described,” Fenton began.  “Where did you see him?”

“At The Excelsior,” Frank replied and told his father about his run-in with the man.  “You were only called in on this case Saturday,” he continued.  “But the picture was taken two weeks ago.”

“It sounds like Dempsey  planned for this contingency,” Fenton stated, his voice growing thick.

“Meaning they are well-organized and we may never find Joe,” Frank observed, rubbing his forehead.  He had suddenly developed a migraine.  He winced as the phone chose that moment to ring.

“Hello?”  Laura answered tentatively.

“Mom?” Joe’s voice came through.

“Joe!” she breathed in relief.

Fenton snatched the phone from her hand.  “Son, are you okay?  Where are you?” he demanded.

“I’m okay,” Joe assured his distraught father, smiling because he could hear the love in his voice. Even if his father didn’t spend as much time with him as he would have liked, he knew  his dad loved him very much.  “I’m at Sarah’s Grocery and Gas on the outskirts of Southport on highway 185.  I need a ride home.”

“I’m on my way,’ Fenton promised.  “Stay where you are and stay out of sight.”  He hung up and told Laura and Frank where Joe was. 

“Wait,” Frank said as his dad started for the door.  “I’ll go and get Joe.  You head over to The Excelsior and see what you can find out.”

Fenton paused in thought, then nodded.  “Alert the police in Southport about Joe’s kidnapping.  Have them check out where he was being held,” he ordered.

 

On his way out, Fenton saw Chief Collig and Officer O’Brien getting into their car and went over to them.  “Joe just called,” he informed them.  “He escaped.  Frank’s going to pick him up.”

“That’s a relief,” Collig said.  “Uh, Fenton, about Axemeyer,” he continued, his voice going low. “He said he wanted to file a formal complaint.  If you, or Frank, step on his property again, he’s going to have you arrested for trespassing.”

Fenton’s mouth formed a thin line.  “I wish I knew what was going on with him,” he said.

“If you’ll pardon me for saying so,” interrupted O’Brien.  “I think he’s jealous.”

“What do you mean?” Collig asked, looking at his officer quizzically.

“Well, the way he talked to Mrs. Hardy and looked at her...he’s got a crush on her,” Officer O’Brien stated his observation.

“That would explain his animosity towards me,” Fenton commented, stroking his chin thoughtfully.  “But Frank...”

“But Frank looks just like you,” Collig put in. 

Fenton frowned.  “You could be right,” he agreed.  “I'll talk to Laura.”  Collig and O’Brien left and Fenton returned to the house to warn Laura to stay away from Stan before he left for The Excelsior.

***

When Frank pulled the van into Sarah’s Grocery and Gas half an hour later, Joe came out running and climbed into the passenger seat before Frank had time to turn off the engine.

Frank leaned over and gave his brother a hug.  “Are you okay?” he asked, sitting back up and looking at Joe critically.

“I’m fine,” Joe assured him.  “Just a little rope burn.  Where’s Dad?” he asked.  “I thought he was coming.”

Frank caught the hurt in Joe’s voice and squeezed Joe’s shoulder. ”He was going to come but I convinced him to check out The Excelsior while I came for you.  If these guys aren’t stopped, next time they get their hooks into you we might not get you back.”

“Or you,” Joe added, telling Frank about what he had overheard in the cafe earlier that morning.

“We’ll both have to be careful,” Frank declared.  “Dad wants us to call the police here and have them check out the place where you were being held.”

“A little credit, please,” Joe begged.  “As I was hanging up with Dad, a squad car pulled in.  The officer radioed in and drove me to the cabin.  He even filled out a report and had me sign it while we waited for the Forensics team.  After they arrived, he brought me back here,” Joe concluded.

“Let’s go home then,” Frank said, putting the van into gear and pulling out of the lot.  “Mom’s going to be relieved to see you.”

When Frank pulled into the driveway at the Hardy home a little later, Stan’s front door flew open.  Stan came running out and grabbed Joe, hugging him tightly.  “Thank God, you’re okay,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Frank got out of the van and watched the interchange between Stan and Joe.  Every now and then Stan would throw a venomous glare at him but always when Joe wasn’t looking.  Frank vowed to run a background search on the man as soon as he and Joe went inside.

Stan finally returned home after inviting Joe over later to try out his equipment.  Frank didn’t know what he was talking about but Joe obviously did because his face had lit up at the prospect.

“Honey!” exclaimed Laura when they entered the house.  She gave Joe a hug and pulled him into the living room.  “Tell me what happened,” she ordered.

“I’m going to go upstairs,” Frank said before Joe started.  “I have something I need to check out,” he added.  Joe shot him a curious look but stayed by his mother’s side and launched into an account of the mornings events.

In his room, Frank logged onto the Internet and began trying to find out anything and everything he could about their next door neighbor.  After about forty minutes, he logged off and went downstairs.

“What were you doing?” Joe asked when Frank put in an appearance.

“Axemeyer isn’t divorced,” Frank said, not answering Joe’s question.  “His wife is dead.”

“We know,” Laura said, looking at Frank a bit curiously.  First Fenton warns her to stay away from him and now Frank has been investigating him?

“But he told us she left him,” Frank said, confused.  How did they know?

“Stan only told people that because he didn’t want to have to deal with everyone telling him how sorry they were,” Joe explained.  “And I know exactly how he felt.  There’s no crime in that.”  He frowned at Frank.  “Why are you checking him out anyway?”

Before Frank could answer, a voice sounded from the foyer.  “I’m home.”  Less than a minute later, Fenton walked into the living room.  “Are you okay, son?” he asked, looking at Joe who sat on the sofa.

“Yeah,” Joe said, smiling at his dad.

“Axemeyer has been lying,” Frank told his dad.  “He isn’t divorced. He’s widowed.”

“And I told you why he told everyone he was divorced,” Joe said, his temper starting to break through.  “What do you have against him anyway?  He’s a nice guy.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Fenton stated, causing Joe to turn and glare at him.  “As a matter of fact, I don’t want you hanging out with him anymore.”

“Why not?” demanded Joe, his face growing red as he tried to control his anger at such an unfair judgment.

“I don’t like him,” Fenton answered truthfully.

“Why not?  Because he spends more time with me than you do?"

 

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation, The authors 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 them without express permission of the authors.