Dinner was quiet as the evening’s events weighed heavily on the minds of all. Callie noticed that Vanessa would frequently glance at Joe throughout the meal, clearly worried that once he left the house, he might not return. She also noticed that Frank didn’t seem quite as worried as she expected at the thought of Joe going off on this mission alone. By the time dinner was completed and the dishes were done, it was close to eight o’clock. Callie discreetly excused herself and Frank stepped outside to give Joe and Vanessa a moment alone.

Joe and Vanessa stared at each other wordlessly. As Joe opened his arms, Vanessa slowly stepped forward and let herself be enveloped in his warm and protective embrace. Neither moved for several minutes, until finally Vanessa spoke.

"Don’t forget to come back, okay?" She murmured, her head resting on Joe’s shoulder.

Joe kissed the top of her head in reply, the silence reminding both of them that the night held no guarantees.

*****

Outside in the cool night air, Frank wandered aimlessly down the driveway. Stopping behind his brother’s car, he fingered the small device in his pocket. Feeling only the slightest twinge of guilt, he removed the object as he crouched down next to the Mustang. Reaching under the car, he attached the magnetized device to the bumper. Standing up, he heard a noise and whirled around finding himself face to face with his wife.

"What are you doing?" Callie asked.

"Uh, just checking the air in the tires." Frank said lamely, the words sounding more like a question than an answer.

"You’re going to follow him, aren’t you?" Callie guessed, now understanding why Frank seemed so calm at dinner. He never had any intention of letting Joe make the pick up alone.

"No." Frank replied evenly.

As Callie stared him down, he sighed knowing he’d been caught. "I don’t have to follow him. It’s a tracking device." He waved towards the bumper. "I’ll follow the signal. When he stops at the pick up location, I’ll hang back out of sight. As soon as he starts moving again, I’ll head home. He’ll never know."

Callie remained silent watching Frank start to squirm under her unwavering gaze.

"Something isn’t right, Cal." Frank explained, attempting to justify his behavior. "I don’t know what exactly but I think it’s a set up. They’ve already got Mom and Dad. I can’t take the chance of them getting Joe too. I’ve almost lost him too many times this year. I’m not about to hand him over to them on a silver platter."

Taking a few steps forward, Callie closed the gap between herself and her husband and slipped her arms around his neck.

"You don’t have to justify yourself to me." She kissed him softly. "I’m glad you’re doing it."

Frank pulled her closer and held her tightly. "Thank you." He whispered against the softness of her hair.

Looking up he saw Joe and Vanessa approach, their arms wrapped securely around each other. They came to a stop next to the car. Frank stared at his younger brother for a moment.

"Call me on my cell as soon as you’re on your way back."

Joe nodded then turned to Vanessa. Kissing her one more time, he got into his car and drove away into the night.

Watching Joe’s car disappear down the street, Frank pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. Waiting for the person on the other end to pick up, he spoke three words, "He just left."

Folding the cell phone he returned it to his pocket ignoring the puzzled looks he got from Callie and Vanessa. "Let’s go inside."

The three returned to the living room where Frank slowly paced the floor in front of the window, Callie wondered if he was going to tell Vanessa about the tracking device and Vanessa simply tried to keep her fears under control. Several moments later, Callie saw Frank glance out the window and make a beeline for the door. She heard the door open followed by the familiar sound of Sam Radley’s voice.

A tall sandy haired man with blue eyes, Sam was Fenton Hardy’s long time assistant. He had watched Frank and Joe grow up and was almost as proud as Fenton when they joined his practice.

Frank and Sam returned to the living room and the questioning looks of Callie and Vanessa. Sitting down next to Vanessa, Frank explained his plan.

"Van, I put a tracking device on Joe’s car. Sam is going to stay here with you and Callie while I follow him."

Vanessa’s initial reaction was one of relief, which quickly mingled with concern. "But they said they’d kill your mother if Joe didn’t go alone."

"Don’t worry, I’m going to stay well out of sight. With the tracking device, I don’t actually have to see Joe to follow him. I just want to be close by in case things don’t go exactly as planned." Frank reassured her. "As soon as Joe picks up the ransom demands and starts moving again, I’ll leave. No one will ever know I was there."

Vanessa looked at Frank for a long moment. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Don’t let anything happen to him." She smiled

"I won’t." Frank promised as he stood up to leave.