“We need to talk,” Oscar Smuff said as he strode into the small office at the back of the jewelry store where Damian Iago was doing something on his computer. Startled, the blond man switched off the monitor and turned around.

“About what?” he asked nervously.

The detective eyed him critically as he pulled out a cigar and lit it.  “Why are you so nervous?”

The coach wiped his forehead and shrugged, “I’m not nervous. Hot and sweaty, not nervous.”

Smuff inhaled deeply on the cigar and continued to watch him for a few more moments before commenting, “You never did like this, did you?”

“Never liked what?” Iago asked, finding it hard to meet his partner’s eyes.  “I like money—”

“I’m not talking about that part of it, you moron,” the other man clarified, “We all like money, that’s the only reason why this relationship worked at all. I picked the mark and did all the ground work, Tex got the goods and you used this fine establishment of yours to get rid of it for us. Quite profitably too, I might add…”

Iago smiled weakly and shrugged, “Stolen precious gems and metal are easy if you have the time and know-how.”

Smuff sat down in the chair across from the coach and puffed on the cigar again.  “I suppose.”

“I just don’t think things needed to have gotten so out of hand as they did,” Iago admitted a few moments later. He shifted under the detective’s scrutiny.  “Murder, I mean.”

“What would you rather have had me do?” Smuff asked, his face impassive.  “Let Tex talk to Hardy? I don’t know about you, but I certainly was not too anxious for jail time.”

“But you didn’t have to enjoy it so much!” the jeweler protested, and then added, a bit more quietly, “And the kid—”

“Oh yes, the kid. That’s what it comes down to, really, isn’t it? The kid and that damn dog.”  Smuff stubbed out the cigar on the edge of the desk and put it back into his pocket.

“I couldn’t let you kill him,” Iago continued, “I just couldn’t. He did nothing to deserve that.”

“He saw me murder a man—” Smuff refuted.

“You made him watch!” Iago shot back.

“And then you were supposed to kill him. Now I have a witness—”

“He was supposed to be a hostage!” Iago interrupted, “You told me to get one of the kids.  We would hold him for a couple of days and force Hardy to back off! That would give us time to clear out and then we’d set the kid loose – that was the plan! That was what I was okay with – all this other stuff, killing Tex, killing the kid – I wanted no part of that and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill Joey and I couldn’t let you do it, either! I don’t regret letting him go then, and I still don’t regret it now.  I have my line, Oscar Smuff – one of us needs to!”

“What is this, Damien?  A backbone?  Who the hell are you trying to fool? You had no problem with this at all. You certainly had no trouble watching me take Tex apart in front of the kid – or have you forgotten? You never lifted a finger to help him or even told me to cut it short.  Admit it, you coward, you loved hearing that piece of shit scream – watching him bleed, beg and die...slowly. I saw the look on your face, partner. You loved it as much as I did. Now tell me—”  he leaned his face in close to the other man’s, making Iago recoil.  He whispered, “Tell me, old friend, did you let the kid watch when you did the dog?”  He pulled away and laughed as Iago’s face paled and he looked like he was going to be sick.

“I did what I did to protect us, partner.  Nothing more and nothing less. Yes, I did enjoy it – every last precious second of it – but it was with purpose. No one crosses me and can expect to get away with it….Like I said before, I will NOT go to jail.”

Iago didn’t say anything.  

Smuff stood up. “Let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?” the coach said without moving.

“Tonight we finish this.”

“Wait. What about the barbeque?” Iago stalled, “We had it planned—”

“Plan’s changed again. Let’s go.”  He headed towards the door.

“Okay, give me a sec, I gotta grab my wallet. ” Iago opened the desk drawer and started rummaging through things.  As soon as Smuff was out of sight, he reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a gun.  After checking that it was loaded, he pocketed it and hurried after his partner.

Oscar Smuff was a dangerous man and Damian Iago wasn’t stupid. Smuff didn’t have ‘a’ witness…he had two.

* * *

Frank poked his head into his brother’s room and asked for the tenth time, “Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay.  Callie would understand.”

“Frank, go,” Joe said from his supine position on the bed; he’d been lying down for the past hour. He felt much better now than he had in days – exhausted but better.  “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to hang out in my room for a bit. My head is still kind of achy and I’m just worn out. You go and have fun.”

“I don’t know how much fun I’m going to have,” the older boy grumbled, “I’d rather go and talk to Iago.”

“Not tonight,” Joe said, wearily, “I’m really not up for it and I don’t want you to go alone.”

“I wouldn’t be alone, I’d go with Dad,” Frank refuted, but Joe shook his head.

“I want to be there, “Joe said softly.  “Maybe it’ll help me remember something else.”

Frank regarded his brother in unabashed concern.  “That’s what I’m afraid of, little brother.”  He sighed and then shrugged.  “Okay, I’ll have my cell on, so call me if you need me…or if you just need to talk.”

“Okay,” Joe said as he smiled and then waved his brother off with his hands.  “Now go. It’s not nice to keep a gal waiting!  Even if it’s just Callie!”

“I’m telling her you said that,” Frank teased and his brother laughed:

“Why don’t I doubt that? Now go, some of us need our beauty sleep!” Joe quipped.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll put a permanent Do Not Disturb sign on your door!”  He was gone before his brother could come up with a comeback.

As Frank trotted down the stairs he saw his mother and father getting ready to leave.

“Hey, where are you guys off to?” he asked.

“I need to check something out and your mother is going to drive me,” Fenton said, passing his car keys to his wife. He added before Frank could say anything, “Sam is going to stay here with your brother. We shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“You have a good time with Callie, sweetie,” Laura said, giving him a quick hug, and then they headed outside.

Frank frowned, wondering if maybe he should have stayed home. At least Sam could have driven his father, then.

But before he could mull that over for very long a familiar car pulled up out front and Callie honked the horn and waved to him. She’d already been home, showered and changed into a pretty cotton sundress.

“Would you get out of here, already?” Sam scolded, walking into the living room.  “I’ll keep an eye on things… Besides which, I need to talk to your brother about something important. Man to man.”

When Frank raised an eyebrow questioningly the sleuth just winked at him and said, “Have a good time Frank,” and then ushered the teen out the door, before he turned around and headed towards the stairs, fingering the card in his pants pocket.

Ethel...

* * *

Callie slid into the passenger seat and gave Frank her car keys. She preferred for him to drive.

Frank started the car and then looked at his beautiful girlfriend. “Hey Callie,” he said, “Would you mind if we made a slight detour on the way to the movie theatre?”

The girl scowled – knowing he was up to something.  She said cautiously, “That depends…am I going to get shot at?”

Laughing, Frank shook his head.  “I certainly hope not.”

“Okay then,” she said affably, “where are we going?”

“’Another Fine Gem’,” he said, pulling away from the curb, “I need to talk to Coach Iago about something.”

* * *

Sam knocked on Joe’s door and waited to be invited in.

“Hey,” he said as he saw the teen stretched out on the bed, “how’s the head?”

“Not bad,” Joe said, sitting up and smiling at the sleuth.  “What’s up?”

“I need some advice,” Sam admitted, sitting in the desk chair and pulling a small business card out of his pocket.

“Advice?” Joe asked, looking amused, “From me? About what?”

“About…this,” Sam passed the card to Joe.  “She’s really cute!”

Joe looked at the card, raised an eyebrow at Sam and then smiled slowly.  “Oh boy, have you come to the right place…”

* * *

Leon Spazzoli waited inside the small coffee shop. He glanced at his watch and sighed impatiently. The dick had better not be late. He’d gone through a hell of a lot of trouble to get this information, so the least Hardy could do was be on time!

‘Of course’, the disreputable man thought, ‘he ain’t going to be too pleased at all…’’

The ‘heat’ was coming from someone Fenton Hardy knew. Worse than that – someone he worked with – a detective.  Oscar Smuff.

* * *

Oscar pulled up outside the house.

“What are we doing here?” Iago demanded, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

Putting the car in Park, the detective looked at him and then smiled.  “Tying up loose ends, partner…”