Joe let the curtain drop and turned off the light. He rushed down the stairs and outside to greet Frank and his friend. "Welcome back," Joe said, his face one big smile. "How was the trip?"

"Same ole, same ole," Chet replied, his brown eyes looking at Joe instead of Frank as Frank pulled his duffel from the rear of the car.

"I think Chet had more fun the last time we went together," Frank put in.

"Why, Chet, I thought you hated mysteries," Joe teased his blond headed friend.

"Better a mystery than a boring lecture where you have to take notes," Chet retorted.

"Thanks for the lift home," Frank told his friend, setting his duffel down and moving to stand beside Joe.

"No problem," Chet replied, grinning. "I'd better get on home now. It's almost supper time," he added, patting his enlarged mid-section.

"Take care," Joe said as Chet climbed back into the Queen and drove away. Joe turned to Frank as he lifted his duffel. "Was it really a drag?" he asked as the two entered the house.

"Nah," Frank told him. "It was a blast. We even went to the opera last night."

"Oh joy," Joe replied, extremely grateful he hadn't gone on the trip. "How nice," he muttered unconvincingly.

Frank smiled at the expected response. "Where is everyone?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Mom went to the grocery store and Dad started a new case yesterday," Joe informed him.

Frank could tell this last bit of information hadn't made Joe happy. "After you got back from fishing?" Frank asked hopefully, although his gut had already given him the answer.

"No, before," Joe said. "But I got to go fishing anyway," he added, seeing Frank's frown. "I went with Stan Axemeyer."

"From next door?" queried Frank.

"You know another Stan Axemeyer?" Joe asked, quirking an eyebrow. Frank made a face at him. "Anyway, this morning I went golfing with Stan and these two guys kind of pushed themselves on us. We left early and went to lunch but on the way back to the jeep, the two guys from the golf club attacked us and tried to kidnap me."

"What?" Frank practically screamed. "Slow down," he ordered, grabbing Joe's arm and leading him to the sofa. They both sat down, leaving Frank's duffel at the base of the stairs where he had dropped it at Joe's information. Frank looked Joe in the eyes. "Now, from the beginning and don't leave anything out."

After Joe had finished telling him about meeting the two men and his phone call to the FBI, the phone rang. Joe answered it. "Oh, hello Officer Delray," Joe said. Frank watched Joe's face as he spoke. "Yes, I talked with Agent Tinesdale of the FBI about the kidnapping attempt. I will," he promised before hanging up.

"That was Officer Delray," he told Frank. "The FBI was in touch with him. He told me to keep in touch and report if I see either of the men again."

"What about the car they were driving?" Frank asked.

"It was stolen earlier this morning," Joe answered. "I wonder if they are behind the break-in," he added thoughtfully.

"What break-in?" Frank demanded.

"Oops, I forgot to tell you," Joe said. He told Frank about the intruder at Stan's and the intruder's mix-up.

"Where did I lose you when I said from the beginning and not to leave anything out?" Frank demanded, shaking his head. "I think maybe we should try to find these guys before they try something else," Frank said, standing up.

"Fine," Joe agreed. "But where do we start?"

"How about the golf club?" suggested Frank. "Are they members and if not, how did they get in?"

"It's a place to start," Joe agreed, standing up.

"You leave a note for mom while I run my stuff upstairs," Frank told Joe. When he returned, the two went outside to the van and drove to the club. There, Joe introduced himself to the receptionist at the front entrance.

"Oh, I remember you," the young woman said. "You were a guest of Mr. Axemeyer's. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

Joe described the two men he and Frank were looking for. "Are they members here?" he asked.

The woman wrinkled her nose. "No, they aren't members. They weren't even guests. They sneaked into the facility as employees and then stole some clothing and equipment from two of our regular members while they were in the sauna."

"Did you talk to them?" Frank asked.

"No, they were too busy talking to each other when I saw them," she answered.

"What were they talking about?" Frank pushed.

"Some person," she replied. "One of them said something like royal Swede. I didn't know Sweden had royalty," she added, shaking her head in puzzlement.

"Did you hear anything else?" Joe asked.

"No, sorry," was the answer.

"Thanks for your time," Joe said.

"Any time," she responded, winking at him.

Frank and Joe left the club and headed for the van. "I bet she misheard," Frank said after getting into the van. "I bet he said royal suite." He looked over at Joe. "How many hotels in Bayport have royal suites?" he asked.

"Two," Joe answered at once. "The Excelsior and The Coat of Arms."

"Let's check them out," Frank said. "The Coat of Arms is closer. We'll try there first."

When they arrived at the hotel, Joe went up to the receptionist's desk. Luckily, it was a young woman in her early twenties who was working. "Hi there," Joe greeted her.

"Hello," she returned the greeting. "How may I help you?" she asked.

"I was wondering how you got your hair such a beautiful auburn color?" Joe asked, obviously flirting with her.

The girl blushed and patted her hair self-consciously. "It's natural," she responded, not seeing Frank as he edged nearer the desk.

"And I bet those fascinating green eyes aren't colored contacts either, are they?" Joe asked.

"How could you?" came an outraged feminine voice form Joe's right. Joe turned and saw a seventeen year old blond standing there, her brown eyes spitting fire as she stared at Joe in anger. "Vanessa only left a few days ago and you're already cheating on her!"

"Hey, I haven't done anything," Joe defended himself, wishing Callie hadn't chosen this time to put in an appearance.

"You have a girlfriend?" the receptionist asked, her face crest-fallen.

"Well, I did," Joe admitted. "But she isn't here now. Why don't you and I have a cup of coffee in the lounge and get to know each other better?" he asked, forging ahead in the hopes Frank could get the needed information with this distraction going on.

"Absolutely not!" Callie declared, glaring at Joe.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" the receptionist demanded, truning on Callie.

"He is my business," Callie informed her hautily.

"Doesn't look that way to me," the woman said, moving from behind the counter and advancing on Callie with her hands clenched into fists.