"Thank you." Frank said quietly. He took a deep breath to steady his shaky nerves and turned back to Joe. As soon as Callie had closed the curtain, he started to calm down. Frank knelt down on the floor next to his brother.

"Joe?" he reached out and touched Joe very lightly on the arm.

As he had done after each prior flashback, Joe blinked several times, before focusing on Frank. He rubbed his eyes and looked down, realizing he was sitting on the floor.

"Why am I- " he started to say, slightly embarrassed and very confused.

"There it is!" Callie cried out, reaching down near Joe’s feet. She smiled at him, holding up a ring. "Frank gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday. I don’t know what I would do if I lost it. Thank you so much."

"You’re welcome." Joe replied, still not exactly sure what was going on. Pushing himself up he looked down the hall. "I’m going to check on Vanessa. I’ll be right back."

Frank waited until Joe had entered the bedroom, then turned to Callie and pulled her into a big hug.

"That was brilliant!" he said, kissing her cheek and then releasing her. "How did you come up with that so quick? I was starting to panic. I had no idea how to explain to him why he was sitting on the floor." Impulsively, he hugged her again.

"I honestly don’t know. It just came out." She replied. "Is that what happened the other times, too?"

"Yes, pretty much. But this one…seemed longer. And he was a lot more scared."

Callie shuddered. "Do you think he’s going to remember?"

"I’d like to hope he never, ever remembers any of it. But, I think it’s inevitable." He glanced down the hall and then back to Callie. "I have to tell Dad about this. And I’m supposed to meet Sam in an hour. I hate lying to Joe but there’s no way I can tell him where we are going, let alone why."

"I know, but you’re doing it to protect him. Just remember that. Tell him you got a call or something and have to go. I’ll stay for a while."

"You never cease to amaze me." Frank smiled at her gratefully. "I really owe you for this."

"Yes, you do. And I’ll collect when you get home tonight." Looking up she saw Joe coming back. "Still asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah. Dr. Jackson said she’d probably sleep a lot for the next couple of days."

"Uh, Joe. I hate to do this but Dad just called. Jeff and a few of the other investigators working on the case are at the office. He wants me to go over and tell them what we’ve been able to find out about the card.

"Oh." Joe replied, obviously disappointed. "That’s ok. I understand. Andrea’s coming by in a little while anyway."

"I can hang out until she gets here." Callie offered. "If you’d like the company."

"Thanks. I would." Joe replied. Turning to Frank he asked, "Will you or Dad call me later and fill me in on the meeting?"

"Of course. And if you need anything, please call us, ok?"

Joe smiled and nodded. Watching as Frank hugged and kissed Callie goodbye, he vaguely wondered if he’d ever be able to hug Vanessa again without having to ask permission first.

Fenton Hardy and Sam Radley were seated at the conference table in Fenton’s office reviewing the latest information on the case when Frank came in. He took a seat and looked across the table at his father.

"Joe had another flashback." He said quietly.

Fenton looked at him for a moment then stood up and walked to the window. Frank thought he heard Sam swear under his breath.

"How bad?" Fenton finally asked, without turning around.

"The worst so far, I think."

"What did he say?"

Frank was starting to wonder if telling his father every time Joe had a flashback was such a good idea. Whenever he did, Frank noticed that his normally unflappable father could barely keep his anger and contempt concealed. He looked to Sam for guidance, who nodded at him encouragingly.

"First he looked at me and said ‘Please don’t make me watch again.’ When I reached out to him, he ran to a corner and sat on the floor, like he was scared to death of me." Frank stopped.

Fenton was still staring out the window with his back to Frank and Sam, hands clasped behind him. Frank watched his fathers hands as he curled them into fists. Fenton was an expert at concealing his emotions and feelings. Frank had never seen him show such an outward sign of anger.

"And?" Fenton prompted him. "You said ‘First’. What happened after that?"

"He, uh, he promised to behave. Then he said ‘Ok, I’ll watch them. Please just don’t hit me again.’ He got pretty upset – crying – but that’s really all he said."

A long silence ensued broken only when Fenton slammed his fist down on the window sill, causing Frank to jump.

"Damn you, Tilghman!" He turned and stalked back to the table. "Get over to the prison now. Find out everything you can about Tilghman. Ask about his son, ex-wife, family, friends, associates…everything. He was a member of Mensa. The card Joe found was for someone who belonged to Mensa. It was at the scene of one of the rapes. That’s more than a coincidence and I don’t like it. Tilghman may be dead but I think this whole case revolves around him."

"Ok, Dad." Frank scrambled up from the table, glad to be leaving.

"Come back here as soon as you’re done!" Frank heard his father call as he and Sam walked out the door.

Once outside Frank looked at Sam in astonishment. "I’m starting to think Joe got his temper from Dad." He said as they walked to Sam’s car.

Getting in Sam pulled away and headed for the prison. "Looks like the secret is out." He chuckled. "Very few people know your father has a temper; he controls it very well. But I’ve seen it for myself – twice. The first time was the night we caught Tilghman." Sam shuddered slightly at the memory. "Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight. He can make Joe look like a pussy cat."

Vanessa awoke with a start. Her face was wet with tears, her breathing shallow and ragged. Just as she had every time she’d gone to sleep in the last two days, she had dreamt about being raped. Looking around fearfully, she began to recognize the familiar surroundings of her own bedroom. Sitting up, she leaned back against the headboard and drew in a shaky breath. Reaching for Joe’s pillow, she picked it up and hugged it to her chest. Everyone kept telling her she needed to rest to give her body time to heal. But every time she slept, she would dream about the rape. When she was awake, it was literally all she could think about. She hugged the pillow a little tighter, wondering how long she could live like this without losing her mind.

She heard the bedroom door open and saw Joe standing in the doorway. He came and sat on the bed next to her being careful, she noticed, not to sit too close.

"I thought I heard you crying." Joe said, concerned. "Are you ok?"

"No." she said softly, shaking her head.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Vanessa began to feel guilty once again. She had spent most of the day reminding Joe not to get too close to her. Now when all she really wanted was to be held in his arms, she was almost too ashamed to ask.

"I know I’ve been asking you to keep your distance all day, but right now I could really use a hug."

Joe smiled and opened his arms, waiting for her to come to him. When she did he held her close, but not too tightly.

"Ok, that was pretty easy." Joe took a chance and lightly kissed the top of her head. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Maybe just listen?" she asked, then remembering his reaction when she had given her statement to the two detectives she added, "If you don’t mind."

"Hey, I’m a great listener. I don’t mind at all."

Vanessa tried to collect her thoughts so they made some kind of sense.

"I’m scared, Joe. Scared he’ll come back. When I’m asleep, I dream about him. When I’m awake, it’s all I can think about. I’m scared I’m going crazy. How long am I going to be like this? Am I ever going to be normal again? When do I get my life back? When do I get to be me again?"

‘Brilliant, Hardy.’ Joe thought. ‘You couldn’t leave well enough alone. You had to try and help. You don’t have clue what to tell her!’

As if she could read his mind, Vanessa continued. "Don’t worry. I don’t expect any answers. I just need someone to listen."

Joe laughed in spite of himself. "There’s the old Vanessa. Not expecting me to have the answers to life’s tough questions." He heard a muffled sound, from Vanessa and looked down at her. "Wait… was that a laugh I heard?"

"A very small giggle." she replied with a the tiniest of smiles, which disappeared as quickly as it had come. "I feel like I don’t know who this person is who is living in my body now. I want everything to be the way it was." She felt her eyes burning again. "When can we just go back to worrying about weddings and honeymoons?"

"I’m sorry I don’t have any answers for you, Babe. But I know who might."

"Dr. Jennings." She replied, naming the therapist she had been referred to at the Rape Crisis Counseling Center.

"Mm-hmm."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to go see her. Would you mind making an appointment for me?"

"Sure; I’ll call for you. Maybe she can see you tomorrow after your appointment with Dr. Jackson."

"Maybe…but could we just sit here for a little while longer."

"As long as you want, Baby." Joe replied, and finally felt himself relaxing just a little bit, for the first time in two days.

As Sam pulled up to the guard house in front of the prison, Frank looked out the window and felt a chill. He’d been to many prisons in the past while working on various cases, but he always got the same apprehensive feeling whenever he had to make those visits. After parking the car, they went through several security gates and procedures before being escorted to the warden’s office.

Warden Charles Pierce, a man in his fifties with graying hair, was a very imposing figure. Although he had a friendly smile, it was obvious he was used to having his commands obeyed without hesitation or question. Frank also notice the respect he received from the people who worked for him. He took an immediate liking to the man.

"Sam, it’s been years." Warden Pierce smiled, shaking Sam’s hand vigorously.

Turning to Frank he extended his hand. "You’re the spitting image of your father, Frank. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you and your brother. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please sit down." He said gesturing to the couch as he took a seat in a chair opposite them.

"I understand you have some questions about Josh Tilghman?" he said it as more of a statement than a question.

Briefly, Sam explained the case, what had initially led them to Tilghman as a suspect and Chief Collig’s suggestion that they check out any children he may have had.

"Collig seemed to remember him having a son about Frank’s age." Sam said. "Do you know if that’s true?"

"Yes, he did have a son but they had no contact what so ever after he was sentenced. Tilghman’s wife may have been naïve when she married him, but that all changed when you and Fenton brought his operation down. She had no idea what he really did. She thought he operated an import-export business."

Sam snorted. "In a way, I guess he did."

"Can you tell us anything about his son?" Frank asked.

"After Tilghman was arrested and everything came out, his wife went to court to have all his legal rights as a parent removed. She forbid him having any contact with their son."

"That’s certainly understandable." Sam commented.

"She remarried a few years later and her second husband adopted their son. She tried everything she could to make sure her son was raised in a good, loving home but he became obsessed with his father. Every once in a while a letter from the kid would get through to Tilghman. He took full advantage of it, of course, and spent several years trying to have his parental rights reinstated so the boy could visit him here in prison."

"Did that ever happen?" Frank asked, wondering why Tilghman’s son would want to have any contact with him after he was old enough to fully understand what his father had done.

"No. The kid couldn’t wait until his eighteenth birthday when he could legally make his own decisions so he could start seeing his father on a regular basis."

Frank’s mind was in high gear now. "So when he turned 18, he started visiting his father regularly. His father was more than happy to tell him how Joe being rescued ruined his entire life. The son picked up the grudge against Joe and decided to follow through on it when his father died." Frank said excitedly. Finally, all the pieces fit together!

"No." Warden Pierce replied. "The kid showed up here on his eighteenth birthday demanding to see his father. We had to tell him his father had died early that morning."

"What?" Frank said, deflated.

"His father died on his eighteenth birthday. He never got his reunion."