Cecilia Harris took every shortcut she knew to get from Union Square to San Francisco General. They pulled up near the Emergency Room entrance to find Marc on his cell phone, talking animatedly. He sketched an absent wave as Fenton and Cecilia hurried into the ER.

Fenton spotted his sons pacing in the waiting area and veered in that direction while Cecilia headed for a security guard stationed near the smaller rooms off the main ER. “Frank, Joe?”

Joe spun on his heel and headed toward his father. “Cade’s in one of the rooms. Ren’s with her now.”

“And Leo,” added Frank.

Fenton scanned the area. “Anyone else?”

Joe and Frank shared a look and shook their heads. “No, Dad,” Joe said. “Why?”

Fenton told his sons about his encounter with the two FBI agents and shook his head. “I half expected them to already be here, causing a ruckus.”

“What did the lady look like?”

Fenton jumped and turned to see Marc right behind him. The man was tucking his cell phone back in his jeans’ pocket. “Called Drew and Melody, let them know Cade’s safe. Describe the lady.”

Fenton did and saw an odd expression cross the younger man’s face. “You know her?”

“Not personally no.” Marc slowly shook his head. “About two years ago...Casi and a friend were kidnapped. Chief was investigating his way. It was his town. Anyway, somehow the Fibbers got hold of the info and breezed into town. She dissed the Chief. You just don’t diss the police chief in his own town.”

Fenton felt confused. “Police chief?”

Marc gave a small laugh. “Casi’s husband, J-Mack’s dad is the police chief of Provincetown.”

Joe cocked his head to one side. “Um, how many times has your sister...been kidnapped?”

Marc stared down at the floor. “Want the short list? Or the long list?”

Frank looked over at his younger brother. “I know the feeling.”

“You be quiet,” Joe said, pretending to punch Frank’s shoulder.

The glass double doors slid apart and two people walked in. From his father’s description, Frank guessed these were the FBI agents. A moment later, Cecilia Harris came over to Fenton with an older man wearing glasses and scrubs. “This is Doctor Hamilton. Please tell them what you just told me.”

“Miss Covengton is suffering from a broken elbow, a bruised hip and she’s heavily sedated. No one but family will be allowed in.”

Cecilia nodded sharply just as the two agents walked over. The woman flashed a badge. “You have a Miss Cadence Covengton here? I want to talk to her.”

“She’s heavily sedated. No one but family allowed in.”

“Tate—” Her partner’s voice was quiet.

“This is a federal case, Doctor, and I can—”

“No, you cannot. In this hospital, I’m in charge. You may wish to wait with the others. Have a good evening,” he added and walked away.

Fenton let out a low sigh. He turned to Cecilia. “Inspector—”

She didn’t even look at him. “Get lost, Agent Westbrook?”

“I have my means, Inspector. We found the house James and Forsythe rented. It’s been cleaned out.”

“I doubt seriously he’s fled the city,” said Joe, earning a glare from Agent Westbrook. “He’s too close to all this. He likes to watch from a distance until he grabs her.”

The other agent looked over at Joe. “You sound like you know him.”

“Unfortunately,” Joe muttered. “He’s tried this before. With my girlfriend. The strange thing is Cadence could be her twin.”

The man’s eyes widened as he looked at Westbrook. “Tate, you think it’s a serial stalker?”

“No,” Frank said quietly.

Everyone looked over at him and Frank explained. “Byron was a normal rich kid who had a fiancée. She also favored my brother’s girlfriend. When his fiancée died, it shattered him, changed him and when he went after Vanessa, he believed she was his fiancée come back to him.”

Frank took a deep breath. “But I think it’s different this time. I think he thinks that Cade’s lyrics were written specifically for him.”

Fenton narrowed his eyes. “That would explain the threatening letter after seeing her in the video. He wouldn’t have known Drew was her brother.”

“And explain Drew’s accident,” Joe added.

“So we have to go looking for him, right?” Marc asked.

“San Francisco is a big city,” Cecilia said. “I have only so much manpower. And it’s not enough to drag the entire city.”

Tate Westbrook scanned the waiting room for a long moment. “Then we combine forces,” she said finally, not looking at Cecilia.

Cecilia frowned. “Maybe. But this is my watch, Agent Westbrook. How do you deal with that?”

Tate still wouldn’t look anyone in the eye. She kept scanning the room. Suddenly, she stepped back and started walking around the waiting room. She stopped near the corner where the hallway led deeper into the hospital. A moment later, she glanced over at Cecilia. “Fine.”

Cecilia stared at the woman and then looked at Kimball. “Did I hear right?”

“I said fine. Your watch, I’m assisting.” She started toward the group, occasionally glancing over her shoulder back at the hallway.

Tate saw the looks of surprise on their faces and rolled her eyes. “Why should I waste energy fighting with all of you, when I could put that energy to work finding James? Some battles aren’t meant to be fought.”

Seth Kimball noticed his partner eying the hallway. “Tate? What is it? Mold? Mildew? Roaches?”

Tate snorted. “No, no, and no. It’s nothing of consequence. Let’s go, Seth.”

Seth frowned but followed his partner, whispering. He would look at the hall in question and then whisper some more. Finally, Tate made a sharp gesture and they left the hospital.

A moment later, Leo came down the hallway and into the waiting room.

Marc pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I need to call Casi, let her know what happened. Hopefully her husband won’t let her high-tail it out here.” He left the waiting room as well.

Fenton and Cecilia moved away, conversing quietly. Joe turned to Leo. “That was weird. That FBI agent acted she saw you coming, before you even were in the hallway.”

Leo spared a glance for the double doors and rolled his shoulders. “Some people are....sensitive.”

“Oh no, you can’t tell me Agent Westbrook believes in...” Joe dropped his voice to a whisper. “...in magic.”

Before either Frank or Leo could answer, the glass double doors slid open and the Halliwell sisters walked in. “I don’t think that’s important right now. Why are they here?”

“Checking on Cade?” Joe asked, sounding hopeful.

Frank sighed. “Somehow I don’t think so.” He looked over at Leo.

“Hey, I needed a ride.”

Joe frowned. “But—”

“That would be kind of hard to explain to your father.” Leo made a small gesture in the general direction of Joe’s legs. “He’s going to notice eventually that that’s not grease on your pants.”

Joe glanced down at the now stiff pants leg and sighed. “Yeah.”

“What about Cade?” Frank asked. “Does she really have a broken elbow?”

“Bruised, actually. The hip’s a bit sore but she’ll be fine.” Leo grinned. “Guess my ride’s here,” he added as the three sisters came towards them.

Piper looked worried. “Leo, what happened?”

Leo told her and explained that Cade would probably stay in the hospital for awhile, more for security purposes than injuries. Phoebe shook her head. “Not a good idea. Maybe you can get her to come stay with us.”

Paige kept an eye on the double doors leading outside. “Yeah. Be better. We can keep her safe.”

Leo sighed. “That would be kind of hard to explain too.” With a nod of his head, he gestured at Cecilia and Fenton. “They wouldn’t quite understand why it would be safer. For all intents and purposes, this would seem more practical.”

Piper muttered something under her breath and then let out a sigh. “She’s an innocent, Leo.”

“I know.”

Joe smiled. “I have an idea.”

Frank didn’t quite groan. “Then we’re all in trouble,” he said, only half-joking.

Leo arched an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”

*****

Fenton Hardy stared up at the old Victorian house, wondering just what had made him agree to this. In the darkness, the color wasn’t that discernible. The three young women had assured him that this would be the last place anyone would look for Cade and that with Leo in the house, it was virtually a fortress.

Now, Fenton wasn’t so sure. It was a classic Queen Anne with gingerbread trim and stained glass windows. He wasn’t too sure it could ever be a fortress.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Ren helping her sister up the walkway. Again, he wondered if Cecilia had asked the doctor to tell the two FBI agents that Cade was heavily sedated. That was another question, thought Fenton. According to the doctor, Cade had broken her elbow. But it was now said that the arm was only bruised.

He saw the three sisters walk up to him. “I can’t say I’m too happy about this arrangement.”

“You’re welcome to stay,” Phoebe said absently, already starting up the steps to the front porch.

Both Piper and Paige stared at her, looking startled. Piper cleared her throat. “I’m sure you’d be much more comfortable at the hotel. Leo can take care of us.”

As if she hadn’t heard her sister, Phoebe continued talking. “In fact, the more the merrier. We’ll break out the Monopoly game. Isn’t it still with Gram’s stuff in the attic?”

“Phoebe,” began Piper as she ran after her sister.

Paige gave an embarrassed laugh and hurried into the house, after her sisters. Fenton stood there a moment and shook his head. A moment later, Frank and Joe joined him on the walkway. “Phoebe said we could stay.”

He saw his sons share a glance. Frank arched an eyebrow. “She did?”

Fenton nodded. “The more the merrier, she said.”

Joe shared another look with Frank. “Well, this could get interesting.”

Fenton watched his sons head up the steps and wondered again just what was the whole story with his sons and these three women. He was sure that was interesting, too.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency 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 original characters without express permission of the authors.