Joe’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He glanced over his shoulder just enough to confirm that he didn’t know who this man was, or what he wanted with him, and the man squeezed his shoulder in warning.

Frank, Joe thought, where are you?

As they got closer to the exit, Joe started to panic. He had expected at any moment to hear his brother’s voice – what was taking him so long!

* * *

Frank stared at the sink in disbelief – he was supposed to wash his hands there? And where exactly was the soap??

* * *

As they stepped outside, Joe knew he’d have to do something – he had no idea what was keeping Frank, but he hoped something hadn’t happened to him.

Realizing he was still holding Liz’s package, Joe prayed that he wasn’t about to get a bullet in his back for his trouble….

Before the man knew what he was going to do, Joe tossed the package over his head. Reflexively, the man tried to catch it…and Joe was gone.

Running…away from the bus station. Away from the man with the gun.

Cursing loudly the red-haired man took off after the boy.

* * *

Disgusted, Frank dried his hands off on his pants as he stepped out of the restroom. Glancing around, he didn’t see his brother, but then remembered he’d told him they’d meet at the car.

And then he heard a sound that had him sprinting across the bus station and towards the front entrance.

* * *

Not bothering to aim, the man fired at Joe as the teen darted between parked cars. The shot twanged into a car, inches from his face, and he heard the man call out, “The next one won’t miss.”

Joe froze as around him he could hear people screaming and panicking at the unmistakable sound of a gun.

“Stand up slowly and keep your hands where I can see them,” the man barked, and Joe slowly complied.

Where are you Frank?

* * *

Frank pushed his way through the throes of panicking travelers and he was sure he heard voices shouting, “POLICE!” but figured he was hearing things – there was no way they could have gotten here already.

* * *

“What—” Joe started to ask, but was clipped across the face for his trouble as the man roughly grabbed him and growled.

“Keep your mouth shut, you little shit,” and then before Joe could do anything, the man had the boy’s hands cuffed behind him, and he was roughly dragging him towards a dark sedan.

Once again Joe tried to struggle, but one more backhand sent his head swirling, and as he was shoved into the back of the sedan, he finally heard the voice he’d been waiting for – but it was too late!

* * *

Frank pushed his way out of the door just in time to see a red-haired man shoving his brother into the back of a dark-colored car!

“JOE!” he screamed as he threw himself across the parking lot, but it was too late.

With tires screaming, the car peeled out of the parking lot, giving Frank barely enough to get the plate number.

Pulling out his cell phone, Frank dialed 911 – he had a kidnapping to report!

* * *

Collig was almost out the front door to go home when one of his officers called out to him, “Chief, I think you better take a look at this.”

Grumbling, the exhausted man took the report, read it and then looked at the cop in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

When the younger officer nodded, Collig cursed up a blue streak, and once everyone had stopped to admire his vocabulary mastery, he scowled, “Get me Fenton Hardy…get me Con Riley…and get me a g*d-d****d black coffee! Apparently this is the night that isn’t going to end!”

Storming back to his office, he slammed the door.

Someone had just kidnapped Joe Hardy from the Bayport Bus Station, and Ezra knew exactly who it was.

* * *

Joe was terrified. He had no idea who this guy was or what he wanted.

“You little shit, do you have any idea how much crap I had to take because of you?” the man yelled at him, and Joe cringed and moved towards the door. He had already tried getting out, but discovered that the door couldn’t be unlocked from the inside.

“Oooh, but it’s worth it, just to get the honor of saying I’m the guy who finally bagged you!”

“What—” Joe tried again, but the man savagely cut him off.

“Keep your trap closed. I can still shoot you and get away with it, you know.”

Closing his eyes, Joe laid his head back against the seat and wondered just how strong the window glass was. Could he dive through it and survive? He knew he wasn’t thinking rationally, but his fear was overwhelming what little logic he had left.

* * *

Frank stared at the phone in disbelief. And then slamming it closed, he jumped into the van and tore out of the parking lot.

He was livid.

* * *

Con Riley poked his head into the Chief’s office. “You wanted to see me?” He was working nightshifts, and had only been downstairs in Booking, so it didn’t take him too long to respond to the Chief’s bawl.

Collig grunted something and then tossed the report at the younger man. Con came into the office, closed the door and read it, frowning as he did so. “Are you serious?”

The look the chief gave him actually made the younger officer step back a foot as he said, “Sorry. What do you want me to do?”

“Calm down Fenton when he gets here,” Collig admitted, “When he finds out, he’s going to want blood.”

“Can’t say I blame him,” Con muttered, putting the report back down on the Chief’s desk, “When’s he going to be here?”

“Fenton?”

“Yeah.”

A loud bang on the door made both of them jump, and the chief said snidely, “About now.”

* * *

Feeling the car slow down, Joe opened his eyes and then looked out the window in disbelief. They were at the police station.

“What are we doing here?” he managed to get out before his captor could cut him off.

The red-haired man turned around and scowled at him, “Where did you think I was going to take you?”

Joe shook his head. He was confused beyond belief. And then the man was out of the car, unlocked the back door and pulled Joe out.

“William Doe, you have no idea how much you’ve made my day.” Joe balked – this guy thought he was William?

And then a further insight hit him like a ton of bricks – this guy was a cop?

* * *

Officer Mackoff beamed proudly as he pulled his struggling prize into the station. The kid was saying something, but one quick clip across the back of the head shut him up.

No one was going to spoil his entrance, not even his trophy.

And then Chief Ezra Collig bellowed, “Officer Lawrence Mackoff, release that boy IMMEDIATELY!”

The officer was confused and his confusion escalated as he saw a furious Fenton Hardy storm towards him. “Get your hands off my son!”

Con Riley was right behind Fenton, and barely managed to get to Mackoff before the detective did.

“Do as he says, Larry,” Con advised in a clipped tone, already moving to pull Joe out of the officer’s grip. His perceptive gaze saw the relived look filter over Joe’s face. He also saw the split lip, and prayed that Mackoff had nothing to do with that….

“What—”

Now it was his turn to be cut off, as Fenton growled, “This is my son! How dare you chase him down like a common criminal and abduct him right out from under his brother’s nose?”

“But—”

Collig cut him off this time. “This is Joe Hardy, Mackoff. Not William Doe.”

The officer looked at the kid as if seeing him for the first time. Con was undoing the handcuffs, but the cop was still confused.

“No,” he said, “This can’t be. He was at the bus station. This is William.”

“This is Joe,” Fenton asserted as he grabbed his son, gave him a tight hug and then took a good look at his face. Con’s reflexes got a workout as he just managed to grab Fenton when the detective lunged at the officer. “YOU HIT HIM?”

The officer was completely baffled, but he did have the common sense to back up just a bit from the enraged father.

“I thought…” his voice trailed off as he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Officer Mackoff,” Collig’s voice was grave, “I think we need to talk.” Indicating for the officer to follow him, Collig looked at Fenton. “Take Joe home. Let him get some rest. We’ll get his statement in the morning.”

Fenton started to protest, but one look at his son’s pale face made up his mind. Collig was right – Joe needed to rest.

And then Frank burst in through the front door, and as soon as Joe saw him, his chest started to heave with contained emotion.

“Joe,” Frank said hoarsely, and within moments had his arms wrapped around him and was rubbing his back, as he could feel his brother trembling. “It’s okay, kiddo…you’re okay now….”

His eyes were almost black with anger as he saw the retreating form of the officer who had taken Joe, momentarily before Collig’s door closed.

“Come on son,” Fenton said to Frank, “let’s get your brother home.”

Con Riley followed the Hardys down to their vehicles to make sure there wasn’t any other trouble.

As Frank got Joe settled into the back seat of their father’s sedan and then climbed in beside him, Con pulled Fenton aside and said quietly, “You know we have a problem don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Fenton said, his anger burnt out into a weary exhaustion, “Mackoff might have been over the top, but he’s not far off the mark. This could have been William.”

“Fenton…” Con started, and the detective looked at the officer, surprised to hear him use his first name. “I want to help.”

The investigator looked deeply into the hazel eyes and nodded, even as he sighed, “I know you do, Con…and I appreciate it.” He went one further. “I’m going to need all the help I can get on this one.”

Con nodded, extended his hand, and as Fenton took it and shook it, he said, “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Fenton smiled and amended, “Yeah…we are.”

A few minutes later, when Fenton carefully backed up out of his parking spot, Con Riley watched the car until it disappeared from view.

He already had an idea how he might be able to help; he just wasn’t sure if the Hardys would go for it.