“Okay, young man,” Laura said as they quickly put away the few grocery items she had picked up.  After waking from her nap, she had discovered just how bare Gertrude’s pantry was, and had stepped out, only returning in time to see Joe and Gwynne in the lobby.  “What are you doing here?  Not that I’m not happy to see you, sweetie…it’s just a bit unexpected,” she added.

Joe gave her a small smile as he joked, “And people wonder where Frank gets his ability for understatement from!”  She gave him a look and he shrugged and said weakly, “I just missed my Mom?”

Laura rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug.  “Nice try, honey. And while I appreciate the sentiment, I still want the truth.”

The teen sighed and wondered exactly how to tell her the truth when he wasn’t sure he knew what it was, himself.  He had needed to get out of Bayport…that was all he knew.

After a moment, he just said, “I just really needed to get away for a couple of days, that’s all…. And I did miss you,” he added, glancing away. That much was true. He had always been very close to his mom, a closeness that had not been lost over maturing years.

Laura gave him another quick hug, recognizing that there was something else going on, but realizing that whatever it was, Joe was not ready to share, yet. She made a mental note to grill her husband about it later.  Hopefully he or Frank, for sure, might have some idea why Joe just needed ‘to get away’.

“Okay, sweetie, I’ll let you off for now,” she smiled and then stifled an unexpected yawn. “I think I’m going to call it a night—”

“Hey Mom,” Joe cut her off gently, “do you mind me asking why you’re here? I mean, I know it has something to do with an article that Uncle Paul’s girlfriend wrote….”  His voice trailed off as he watched his mom grow weary as he spoke.

Laura opened her mouth to say something but then changed her mind.  After another moment, she gave him a gentle smile.  “It’s late, Joe.  Let me tell you about it in the morning – it’s kind of a long story.”

The teen nodded – that was fair enough. And then his mom stretched up to give him a peck on the cheek before excusing herself to the larger guestroom.

Joe watched his mother leave as a small frown played across his handsome face.  And then shaking his head, he followed behind her and went to bed himself.

* * *

Laura closed the bedroom door and then picked up the phone, and turned the ringer back on, chiding herself for forgetting that detail until Joe reminded her about it.  She hastily dialed her home number and then waited for someone to answer.

Moments later, she stretched out on the bed and smiled as her husband’s warm voice filled her ear.

“Hello darling…” she said and then settled down for a long talk….

* * *

Frank lay in his bed for a long time after talking to Joe, just thinking about his younger brother and the events of eight years ago. He had contemplated asking Joe about it when he had called, just after ten o’clock, but hesitated and then lost the opportunity. And in all honesty, he felt it was a conversation they might need to have face-to-face.

Hero had been Joe’s beloved pet since, at the age of five, he had almost drowned saving the puppy from an untimely death.  And when the large dog had run away that fateful summer afternoon, the nine-year-old had been devastated.

The older boy closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he thought about those first few days after Hero disappeared.  Joe had become sullen, silent and withdrawn…adamantly refusing to help look for his missing dog or to even talk about him!

Their parents had worried and even taken Joe to see Dr. Bates, but all their long-time family physician could diagnose was grief.  And for that, he had no prescription except time and love.

The scariest aspect for the young Frank was that his brother had shut him out completely; locking both doors to his bedroom, as he had done again today.

Fenton had even tried to bring a new puppy home, but after Joe woke up screaming in the middle of the night, the puppy went to live with Con and Brenda Riley, friends of the Hardys.

And then, Joe just snapped out of it.

The sound of the phone ringing broke through Frank’s thoughts and, glancing at the time, he figured it was his mom; and knew he was right when he heard his father’s greeting a few moments later.  He was burning with curiosity about this Gwynne Smart person, but knew he’d have to wait until tomorrow to talk to his brother about her.

With a final sigh, Frank closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was almost an hour later before Fenton hung up from his wife.  She had told him what had prompted her snap decision to go to New York, and the subsequent confrontation with Gwynne; he told her about his case.  And then they spoke at length about Joe’s own impromptu flight to New York.

The detective was mildly shocked when he found out that Laura had nothing to do with that decision, and it just confirmed to him his own suspicions about his son’s strange behavior.  After a brief pause, he confided them in his wife and she agreed.

“Fenton, I really don’t think Joe ever got over it,” Laura had admitted. “I know it might have seemed he did… but you know, he never mentioned that dog again.  And whenever anyone brought Hero up, Joe either left the room or changed the subject altogether.”

Stretched out on his bed talking to his wife, the detective had sighed and rubbed his eyes.  “You know, you might be right.  Damn,” he had cursed, “If I hadn’t been so distracted at the time—”

“Honey, you can’t go blaming yourself, “Laura had gently admonished him, “I think we were just so happy to see him happy again, we took it as a blessing but never questioned from where it came.”

Fenton had paused and then agreed.  “I suppose.  I just wish I understood Joe a little better…I mean, I know he loved that dog…but Laura, Hero was just that – just a dog—”

“Oh honey,” Laura had cut him off in warning, “Don’t even go there; when you’ve loved an animal with the intensity that Joe loved that dog, then it becomes more than ‘just a dog’.  Hero was a part of Joe – a part that got lost…” Her voice had choked off and Fenton felt horrible, knowing she was thinking about the loss of her own beloved horse, Heart.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately apologized, realizing how cold he had sounded. It was his own way of dealing with Hero’s loss.

Fenton himself had breathed life into that little puppy, when Joe rescued it from drowning, and as he thought about it, he was overwhelmed by a powerful flashback:

Frank and Joe had been playing at the Mortons’ farm when tragedy almost struck after the five-year-old dove into a small stream to save a puppy in a burlap sack.

The detective had taken in the scene immediately – soaked and shivering, Frank had hovered over his brother’s lifeless body – the six-year-old had looked at his father with a tear-streaked face.  “He’s dead.”

Without time to consol his oldest son, Fenton immediately started CPR.  He refused to believe his younger son had drowned!

He worked fervently – he had to save Joe!

…Breathe…breathe…breathe…his mind kept chanting as he continued the breaths, compressions and then checked for a pulse.  Just when he was starting to believe Frank, he felt a slight movement.  Immediately he turned the boy to his side and Joe coughed up a lungful of water.

“Thank God,” he muttered as dazed, vibrant blue eyes opened wide and stared up at him.  The man immediately gathered his son into his arms but Joe pushed away and looked at the sack that Mr. Morton was holding open.

Mr. Morton felt his eyes on him and turned to him sadly, shaking his head.  “I’m sorry.”

“NO!”  Joe yelled, making his father jump in surprise.  His son was weak but struggling to move towards the sack.  “NO!  You have to save him!”

Joe’s eyes sought out his father’s.  “You saved me.”  Fenton’s heart tore from the strength of his son’s faith in him; but before he could respond, Frank had moved across to Mr. Morton and, reaching into the burlap sack, lifted out the still puppy.  His own dark eyes, a mirror of his father’s, told him the same thing…he had to try.

Fenton’s youngest son had almost died trying to save the puppy – he had to try.

Taking the small body in his large hands, the detective placed his mouth over the puppy’s and breathed a small gentle breath into his nose until he saw the little chest expand as it filled with air.  And then he gently pressed down on the tiny breastbone to expel it.  And then he breathed into it again.

It was hopeless but the man had to do this for his son….

A soft wheeze…

A sneeze…

Fenton was so shocked he almost dropped the puppy – it was alive!

Immediately he placed the puppy into Joey’s hands, and taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around them both.  Then lifting his son up, he carried both the boy and the pup back to the farm….

He had blinked to clear the flashback; sighing at the pocket of pain that was left in its place.

“I know you are,” Laura’s soft voice had come back to him a moment later and than she paused and added, “Fenton, it’s getting late and I think I’d better call it a night.  I’ll try and talk to Joe about this tomorrow, because the more I think about this, the more I’m sure you’re on to something…. This has to do with Hero, and the coach being back in town is just refreshing everything for him.  But Joe can’t keep running away from it, things just get bigger the further away you go.”

“Wise and beautiful,” Fenton had smiled and then asked before she hung up, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“I don’t know yet,” Laura had admitted. “I’ll see if there’s anything in particular Joe wants to do before we come back.”

“So you’re not coming back right away?” the detective had pressed.

“No, love,” his wife’s warm voice filled his ear. “A day or two away might do the both of us some good. It’s been a while since we’ve spent any time together.”

“Good idea,” Fenton agreed.  “I’m going to Frank’s game tomorrow and then I’ll see if he wants to give a hand on this old case.”

“Wish him luck! And I’m sure he will,” Laura had said with a fond smile, thinking of her older son and proud of him – he’d make an excellent assistant coach! “But you two had better be careful.  Heaven help you if Joe and I have to rush back to Bayport to bail your sorry butts out!”

Fenton had laughed.

And he chuckled about it again now.  Finally with a sigh, he closed his eyes and hoped that tomorrow they’d find something new to go on.

* * *

Damian Iago glanced down at his watch and frowned.  It was after eleven o’clock and the jerk was late again.  A stickler for punctuality, this was the one thing about his partner that drove him mad.  And the other guy knew it. Which is probably why he was late again tonight!

Grumbling he went to the front of his small jewelry store, Another Fine Gem, and peeped through the closed blinds for any sign of the other man.  And then he jumped back from fright as his partner’s face suddenly loomed right in front of him!

Grabbing his heart in a mock heart-attack pose, he quickly unlocked the front door and let the other man in.  Of course, the jerk was laughing and shaking his head.

“What’cha so jumpy for, Damian?” he asked, amused by his partner’s reaction.

“You know damn well!” the coach growled, “They found his body!”

“Is that what you called me so hot and bothered about? The body?” the other man asked as he headed into the back part of the store where he knew a cooler of colas was.  He took out one, popped it open and took a drink as Iago pranced around, nervously, behind him.

“Fenton Hardy is back on the case!” Damian hissed, “He was close enough before!”

“That was then,” the new man assured his partner.  “Look Damian, you take care of your end of things and I’ll take care of mine.  And as luck would have it – for you – Hardy falls under the spectrum of mine.”

“Are you sure?” the coach pressed, not so easily persuaded.

“Have I ever let you down?” the man demanded as he finished the drink and tossed it in the garbage.  He continued before Damian could answer, “What you have to realize about the ‘great one’…is that he has three major weakness.”  He counted them off on his fingers, one by one:  “Laura, Frank and Joe.”  And then he looked the coach in the eye with a feral gleam that actually sent a cold shiver down Iago’s body.  “Fenton gets too close…I’ll just give him something else to think about….”

He turned and headed towards the front door, finishing as he went, “Just like eight years ago.”