"Frank, when we get to your parent’s house, do you think…could you…" she sighed heavily. "Oh, crap, would you explain to your Dad what happened for me? I know he’s already angry with me for getting Joe to help Kara in the first place. Now Joe is missing because of my meddling," she leaned her forehead against the glass in despair.

Frank glanced at Vanessa and shook his head, smiling in amusement.

Vanessa turned and glared at him angrily. "I drove a wedge between Joe and your dad and you think it’s funny?"

"Van, you did not drive a wedge between Joe and Dad; and Dad is not angry with you. If anything, you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger – just like Joe," Frank chuckled.

Vanessa flushed a deep red in embarrassment, thankful for the darkness so Frank couldn’t see it. "I do not have Joe wrapped around my little finger," she said icily.

"If you say so," Frank smirked.

"I do say so!" Vanessa snapped. "And don’t tell me everything is fine between Joe and your dad – or Joe and you, for that matter." She sighed pathetically once again, leaning her cheek against the cool glass of the window. "And it’s all my fault."

"None of that is your fault," Frank insisted. "Geez, if I didn’t know better I’d say Joe’s guilt complex was starting to rub off on you! Dad honestly thought there was nothing to find. He and I did some checking on our own; we talked to the police, the lawyers, Dad had a long conversation with Uncle Brad. Admittedly he didn’t dig as deeply as Joe did, but it all seemed pretty straightforward. Plus, he didn’t have the emotional stake in it that Joe did," he finished, glancing at Vanessa.

"What do you mean ‘emotional stake’?" Vanessa frowned.

"Joe would do anything for you, Van. Anything," Frank said quietly. "And he’d never want to let you down. That would be unforgivable; he’d rather die first. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but as long as you kept insisting Kara was innocent, Joe was going to keep looking for something to prove it – regardless of whether he believed it or not.

"Based on what we found out, Dad honestly thought she was guilty and I had my doubts, too. We were afraid Joe would drive himself crazy looking for something that didn’t exist – just so he wouldn’t let you down. If we tried to talk to him about it, he’d get angry."

Hearing a muffled sniffle, Frank looked over and saw Vanessa quickly wiping her eyes. Although he felt a little guilty, having made her cry, Frank still thought he should finish what he started and get everything out in the open. Taking a deep breath, he dove in for the finish.

"Van, I don’t think Joe really believed Kara was innocent – at least not in the beginning. Didn’t he ask you, more than once, if you were sure she was being framed?"

Vanessa nodded, mutely.

"I think that was his way of asking for your permission to stop investigating. As long as you insisted she was innocent, he was going to keep searching for something to prove it, even if he thought there was nothing to find. He’d rather drive himself crazy than let you down."

Vanessa stared out the window at the passing street lights and tried to talk over the lump in her throat. "But I was right. Joe must have found out something from Justin that proves Kara is innocent," Vanessa said in a shaky voice, taking little pleasure in her victory.

Faced with Frank’s analysis, she suddenly saw everything from a whole different perspective and felt her cheeks flush with shame. It had been inadvertent and unintentional, but Vanessa could now clearly see she had used Joe’s absolute devotion to her against him. Looking back, Vanessa realized she had never once asked Joe if he thought Kara was innocent, despite the fact that he had posed that same question to her numerous times.

"It certainly looks that way," Frank agreed with Vanessa’s assessment of what must have happened between Joe and Justin. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vanessa brush away another tear and began to regret his little speech, even if it was the truth. "Van, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to make you feel bad."

Vanessa waved him off with a shaky laugh. "Don’t apologize. You’re absolutely right. You’re just being honest. And as much as it hurts, I needed to hear it. I can’t believe I did that," Vanessa shook her head sadly. "I used emotional blackmail on him and I didn’t even realize it."

As silence descended on them once more, Frank recalled the conversation he’d had with Joe on New Year’s Day.