Following his direction, she turned away from the reporters and headed for the closed door with Frank and the others quickly following behind. Seeing their prey about to slip away, she heard the reporters shouting out questions and comments, cringing inside at their callousness and insensitivity. Initially afraid to turn and look, fearing she would see the reporters descending on Joe like vultures, she finally snuck a peek and almost laughed. They had all stopped at the gate separating the seating area from the front of the room as if some invisible barrier had been erected that they couldn’t penetrate. While their voices momentarily carried over, they were soon drowned out when the bailiff opened the door and the Hardy family slipped inside.

Looking around Callie saw a large table in the middle of the room, with various condiments in the center of it and six chairs around it. Against one wall stood another table laden with plates, napkins, silverware, glasses, food and drinks. Two employees from the hotel restaurant stood on either side of the table. Slowly it dawned on her that Fenton Hardy, knowing the media circus that would be anxiously waiting to confront his family, had arranged to have lunch catered by the hotel in a private room inaccessible to anyone who had not been cleared by him personally.

Placing her utensils and napkin on the plate indicating she was finished, Callie’s plate was swiftly removed from the table. Seeing Frank was engaged in a teasing give and take with his brother, Callie quietly got up from the table and approached Fenton Hardy who was standing off in a corner checking the messages displayed on his cell phone.

"Did you enjoy your lunch?" Fenton smiled at her as he returned the phone to his pocket.

"Very much. Thank you." Callie replied. She stood awkwardly, not sure how to broach the subject she wanted to discuss with Fenton.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked lowering his voice, as he smiled encouragingly. It was clearly obvious to him that there was indeed something Callie wanted to say to him, but didn’t know where to begin. And the way she kept glancing over her shoulder nervously, told him she didn’t want anyone else to be privy to their conversation.

"Yes, there is, I’m just not sure how to say it." With one more quick look at Frank, Joe, Vanessa and Laura, she quietly shared her observations of Keith Rashman with Fenton who listened carefully to not only what she saw, but also what she felt.

"The way he looked at Joe, it was just…" Callie couldn’t quite find the right words to explain it, although the involuntary shudder that raced through her said it all. "Am I crazy to be worried about Joe? I mean Rashman is in jail. He can’t possibly hurt Joe now, can he?" She asked nervously, concern alight in her eyes.

"The biggest reason I chose the hotel that I did wasn’t exactly for it’s five-star accommodations," Fenton responded hoping to ease her worries somewhat. "While there are never any guarantees, the penthouse is almost impenetrable. I saw the same thing you did, Callie. It would be naïve to think Rashman wouldn’t come after Joe if he thought he could succeed – and get away with it. So I’ve done everything in my power to let him know the odds are stacked against him should he even think about it." Fenton smiled as he saw Callie had relaxed somewhat. "But it’s important that you told me about this, just in case I hadn’t seen it." Fenton reached out and squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"Thanks. That makes me feel better."

"Good. But if you see or hear anything else that makes you the least bit uncomfortable…"

"I’ll tell you right away," Callie promised as she turned and headed back to the table.

Watching her walk away, Fenton thought about how far Joe and Callie had come over the years. Laughing to himself, he recalled when she and Frank had first started dating. Joe was not at all happy with the amount of time Frank was spending with his new girlfriend and she was equally as jealous over the many hours Frank spent in the company of his brother. For the first few years they simply tolerated each other, with Frank caught in the middle trying to please both of them. Once or twice, Fenton had witnessed the emotional tug of war Joe and Callie played with Frank as the prize, and was grateful beyond words that his oldest son had been born with the patience of saint and a practically nonexistent temper.

After Joe met Vanessa and the two settled into a steady relationship, Joe seemed to back off somewhat, although he was still prone to flashes of jealousy if he thought Frank was ignoring him in favor of Callie. However, as the years passed and Frank and Callie became more serious about each other, it became apparent their relationship was, more than likely, permanent. It was during that time Fenton had noticed a change in both Callie and Joe. Realizing they would probably be stuck with each other for the rest of their lives, the defenses came down and they both made a concerted effort to really get to know one another. And just as he had suspected all along Joe and Callie found out that they genuinely liked each other.

Seeing Callie’s heartfelt concern for Joe now and the very real fear she had that he might be in danger, Fenton realized they had come full circle. As far as Callie was concerned, Joe was just as much her younger brother as he was Frank’s. As for Joe, he now had an older sister to turn to, and he often did. Fenton smiled at the insight as he watched Callie return to Frank’s side.

"So what were you talking to Dad about?" Frank asked as Callie slipped her arm through his.

"Oh, you know. Weather, sports, the usual," Callie replied evasively. While Callie respected and admired Fenton Hardy immensely they rarely, if ever, sat down together for a chat.

"Not going to tell me, huh?"

"Maybe I just wanted to spend a few minutes with an older, more distinguished version of you," she grinned slyly.

Frank stared at her for a moment. "Was I just insulted or complimented?" He finally asked, puzzled as Callie laughed out loud.

*****

Upon returning to the courtroom after lunch, Joe immediately noticed the TV/VCR that had been set up at the front of the room and his stomach quickly tied itself up in knots. He had noticed right away that Peter Handling had a flair for the dramatic, sometimes resorting to shock value to ensure the jury was left with indelible memories of witness testimony. Unfortunately, Joe realized those indelible memories would also be seared into the minds of his mother and fiancée, something he had wanted to avoid if at all possible.

As soon as the proceedings officially resumed, Handling silently popped in a video and hit play. The image of an airport terminal came to life with people walking hurriedly to their destinations. Keeping his eyes on the screen, Joe leaned over to his brother.

"Do you know what this is?" Joe whispered nervously. Hearing a muttered curse, Joe turned to look at Frank and saw him glaring in the general direction of the District Attorney.

"It’s a video tape from airport security," Frank replied tersely, recalling the first time he’d seen it shortly after he and Fenton had arrived in Chicago the night Joe disappeared. "Any second now we’re going to see Rashman and Malick dragging you through the airport."

Vanessa’s hand curled tightly around Joe’s and she let out a soft gasp alerting him to the fact that "any second now" had just arrived. Snapping his head forward, even Joe was momentarily shocked at seeing himself essentially being kidnapped. He found the experience a little disconcerting since he had no memory of what had happened from the time Rashman knocked him out in the restroom until he awoke chained to the fence.

A movement caught his eye and he turned to his right in time to see Vanessa wiping away a tear. Glancing at his mother who was seated on the other side of Vanessa, he saw that she seemed to be frozen in place. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared at the image of Rashman and Malick abducting Joe, unimpeded. When the image appeared, Laura had automatically lifted a hand to her mouth as if smothering a scream and that’s how she remained, seemingly paralyzed with her eyes glued to the screen. Seeing Vanessa and Laura’s reactions, Joe’s heart started to beat a little faster. This was exactly what he had not wanted to happen.

Joe tugged on Vanessa’s hand finally getting her to focus on him and not the image on the screen. He stared at her, blue eyes imploring her not to watch the video. Understanding her reaction was upsetting Joe, she immediately cast her eyes downward and examined the floor.

Leaning forward past Vanessa, Joe reached out and grabbed his mother’s hand. Still Laura continued to stare at the video a few seconds longer, mesmerized, before turning to him. Faced with the pleading look in his eyes, Laura realized how distressing it was for Joe to see her reaction. She quickly nodded and threw him a reassuring smile. Laura squeezed his hand tightly before turning away and focusing on the faces of the jurors.

It was several minutes before a blue screen finally appeared indicating the video had ended. Apparently, the prosecution team had retrieved every piece of videotape that had been taken at the time Joe was abducted. Locating the segments containing images of Joe, Rashman and Malick, they had spliced together the entire journey from the moment Rashman and Malick had emerged from the restroom, dragging Joe between them, until they all disappeared out the door and into the night. Handling waited until the silence in the courtroom was just starting to become uncomfortable before he spoke.

"You just witnessed the kidnapping of Joe Hardy, complete with the four Good Samaritans who tried to help and were easily brushed aside. Quite a journey, wasn’t it?" Turning, the D.A. stared at Rashman and waited until all eyes were also focused on him. "Not a journey a man who was mentally unstable would be able to pull off."

Suddenly, Joe began to feel like a pawn being used and manipulated to Handlings greatest advantage. He recalled his father telling him Handling had an impressive ‘win’ record, getting convictions against seemingly impossible odds.

"He’s one of the toughest DA’s Chicago has ever had." Fenton had said. "The man is relentless. He’ll do anything and everything to get a conviction short of breaking the law."

Fenton had been trying to reassure Joe that the case was in good hands. At the time, Joe had assumed that meant Handling was tough on the defendants, pulling no punches. He was now coming to the rapid realization that Handling would spare no one in his quest for a guilty verdict, not even the victim, leaving Joe to wonder if his sanity would be sacrificed to ensure Keith Rashman ended up behind bars.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Joe watched as the D.A. called Jason Santini to the stand. A tall, handsome young man with curly dark hair and smoldering brown eyes strode purposefully to the stand. After being sworn in, it was established that Jason was the bartender on duty at the lounge where Keith Rashman had told security guard Gary Millard that Joe had gotten drunk and passed out.

Unlike all the other witnesses who had testified earlier in the day, Jason swore under oath that he had never seen Keith Rashman or Joe Hardy in person until today. In reply to Handling’s questions, Jason stated that he was absolutely certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that neither Joe nor Rashman had set foot in the bar while he was on duty that night, either together or separately. He revealed the second bartender had called in sick and as a result, he had waited on every single customer himself.

As Handling retrieved a second videotape from the table and inserted it into the VCR, Joe turned and looked at Frank questioningly. Frank shrugged his shoulders indicating he had no idea what this video might contain. As the image of a bar splashed across the screen, Joe held his breath, dreading the unknown. It was almost a full minute later when he slowly exhaled realizing this video was significant for what it didn’t show.

"This is security surveillance video of the bar in the airport lounge where Mr. Santini works. According to the statement Keith Rashman gave to security guard Gary Millard, this is the bar where he and his ‘partner’, Mr. Hardy, celebrated the signing of a new client." Walking over to the television, Handling pointed out the date and time displayed on the screen, indicating when the video was taken.

"This video was shot during the time Mr. Rashman said he, his partners and their new client were seated at the bar. Yet, neither he nor Mr. Hardy is anywhere to be found in this video. And they won’t be," he abruptly turned to face the jury, "because Keith Rashman lied. Joe Hardy did not have too much to drink that night. He was assaulted and knocked unconscious by Keith Rashman in an airport restroom. Mr. Rashman then physically dragged Joe Hardy through the airport, his quick thinking and gift for manipulation allowing him to leave the airport with his captive. Ask yourself if a man who was not in complete control of his faculties would be able to pull off such a feat."

As Handling returned to his seat, Frank stared at him and scowled, his opinion of the man having changed drastically in just one day. Over the past few months, Frank had talked to his father about Peter Handling and learned of his tenacity and doggedness resulting in a very impressive record of convictions. After having seen the man in action, though, he began to look at him in a new light, which wasn’t necessarily flattering.

His hard hitting, sometimes graphic opening argument had left Frank a little stunned. Not the fact that he had used it but that he hadn’t even bothered to warn Joe it might be difficult for him to hear. More than once Joe had flinched at Handlings candid description of his ordeal. When he played the video of Joe being dragged through the airport, Frank had been furious. With no warning whatsoever, Joe had been completely unprepared and it had obviously shaken him. Seeing how visibly distraught Laura and Vanessa were at the image of him being dragged away had only upset Joe further.

Chancing a look at his father, Frank bit back a smile. Judging by the look on his face, Fenton Hardy was none too pleased with the District Attorney himself. Frank knew that before the night was over, Peter Handling was going to see a side of Fenton Hardy that his father kept well hidden. Frank knew Fenton would never presume to tell the man how to prosecute the case, but he also knew Fenton was not going to sit in the courtroom day after day and remain silent, while Handling used Joe as nothing more than a poker chip to win one of the biggest cases of his career. Returning his attention to the front of the courtroom where the judge was bringing the days proceedings to a close, Frank was certain that from here on out there would be few, if any surprises for Joe to contend with.

A few seats away, Fenton Hardy was oblivious to the weight of his oldest son’s stare. In fact, the only other person he was aware of at that moment was the District Attorney who seemed intent on slowly chipping away at Joe’s sanity. Joe was already uneasy about listening to everyone else describe his nightmarish experience and more than a little jumpy at having to relive it himself. The last thing he needed was the added stress of wondering what kinds of bombs Peter Handling was going to drop each day and how they would affect not only him, but his family as well.

While Fenton might not like the shock value tactics and elements of surprise Handling was sure to use in the upcoming days, he knew they were a necessary evil and a big reason the man was so successful. Still, he was not going to sit back and let his son be victimized again by the very person who was supposed to be bringing his assailant to justice. By the time Fenton was finished with Peter Handling, Joe would no longer have to worry that Handling’s next "revelation" would be the one to push him over the edge.