"So Justin never admitted to anything?" Fenton frowned.

"Nope, not a thing," Joe shook his head.

"Pretty stupid of him to grab you then," Frank commented.

"Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Of course I had plenty of time on my hands to contemplate things like that," Joe cracked.

"Well," Fenton began, "we can at least get him behind bars for kidnapping and attempted murder. Hopefully that will be enough to convince Sam to re-open the embezzlement investigation. After all, he’d have no reason to go after Joe if Joe weren’t on the right track with his theory."

"I want one more shot at him before you call Sam," Joe told his father, his blue eyes darkening with anger.

"He’s got a plan," Frank announced, wrinkling his nose.

"Well, let’s hear it," Fenton sat back.

"We go back to Justin’s house tonight. I’ll knock on the door – alone. You guys will be waiting in the car. He’ll be so shocked to see me alive I can easily force my way inside. Then I’ll get him talking and get him to confess," Joe explained.

"That’s it?" Frank said, incredulous. "That’s your grand plan?"

"Do you have a better one?" Joe stuck his chin out stubbornly.

"Yeah, call the police and let them handle it!" Frank stared at his brother, wondering if he’d ever get used to Joe’s total disregard for his own safety. "Do you have a death wish or something?" he asked in exasperation.

"It’s a great plan!" Joe replied defensively.

"It’s a lousy plan! The guy has a gun, Joe, or have you forgotten that little fact?"

"No, I haven’t forgotten," Joe rolled his eyes.

"Well, what if he decides to use it this time!" Frank shouted, irritably.

"He has a point, Joe," Fenton stated. "Justin already tried to kill you once. Odds are he’ll try again when he sees his first attempt failed. Right now, he thinks you’re the only one who suspects he stole the money. As long as you’re out of the picture, he’s home free."

"Look, he’s gonna be so surprised to see me standing on his doorstep – alive and well – I’ll have plenty of time to get the jump on him," Joe insisted.

As Frank and Fenton vociferously protested Joe’s plan and Joe vehemently defended it, Vanessa, who had been quietly listening to everything finally spoke, bringing all arguments to a halt.

"No," she said, her voice low but firm. Slowly, she turned and looked at Joe, her eyes showing both mild fear and fierce determination. "You will not confront Justin alone."

The three Hardy men stared at her, taken aback. None of the women in their lives had ever interfered in an investigation. It was an unspoken rule that had never been broken – until tonight.

"I watched him throw you off that boat. I saw you go under. I saw your father dive – repeatedly – searching for you, and come up alone," she said softly, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. "I had to breathe for you, Joe, not sure if you’d ever breathe on your own again. Justin tried to kill you once. Do not ask me to sit in a car with Frank and your father and wonder if this time he’ll succeed."

Joe swallowed hard and stared at the floor, in shame. He’d been so excited at the prospect of finally being able to nail Justin himself, he hadn’t even considered how witnessing his near murder had affected Vanessa. Reaching out, he put an arm around his fiancée and pulled her close. Raising his head, he looked at Frank and Fenton.

"I think my plan needs a few modifications," he said hoarsely. "Any suggestions?"

Frank thought for a moment. Knowing how badly Joe wanted to take down Justin himself, he threw out an idea that would allow Joe to do just that, but have the back-up he needed.

"How’s this? We go back to his house tonight. You and I go up to the door together, but you stay hidden. I’ll knock and when Justin answers he’ll just see me there. I’m sure his first question will be ‘Have you found Joe yet?’. That will be your cue to make your grand entrance.

"You’re right about the fact that he’ll be so shocked we won’t have any trouble getting inside. Since we’ll both be there, he’ll have to realize other people know what you discovered that makes him a prime suspect. You can still question him and try to get him to confess, but I’ll be right there to back you up. He’d have to be a total idiot to try anything."

Joe thought about it for a moment and slowly nodded. "I like it."

"Just to be on the safe side, I want to call Sam first. I want him there when Hahn confesses so there can be no question that you two coerced him into it," Fenton added. "We put a wire on both of you and get everything on tape. Once we’ve got what we need, Sam and his men can move in and arrest him."

"You can never have too much back-up," Frank prodded his brother.

Joe furrowed his brow in concentration, and then turned to Vanessa. "What do you think, Babe?"

"Me?" She asked, startled to be included in the decision.

"Yeah, how does that sound to you?" Joe repeated, not wanting to do anything more to upset her.

"It sounds like you’ll be well protected," she smiled.

"Okay, then," Joe took Vanessa’s hand and stood up. "Let’s go."

*****

Frank and Joe sat in the back of the police van that was parked around the block from Justin Hahn’s house.

"Testing," Frank said, waiting for a response from his father.

"You’re coming through just fine," Fenton’s voice crackled over the receiver in the van. He, Sam and Vanessa were seated in his car across the street from Justin’s house. "Joe, how about you?"

"Can you hear me now?" Joe grinned at his brother, unable to resist quoting the annoying, yet well-known cell phone commercial.

"We can hear you," Sam’s voice came back, accompanied by an amused chuckle. "Everyone is in place on this end. You can move in whenever you’re ready."

"Yes, sir," Joe replied crisply, getting the adrenaline rush that always accompanied the thrill of confronting a suspect.

"Easy, tiger," Frank warned, although his smile could be seen in the dim light. "We aren’t even there yet."

"Yeah, yeah, you worry too much," Joe waved him off, bouncing with excitement.

"Someone has to," Frank muttered, never ceasing to be amazed at Joe’s endless supply of energy and enthusiasm.

As the van pulled to a stop near Justin’s house Frank looked at his younger brother. "You ready, bro?"

"Always! Let’s go, partner!" Joe replied eagerly. Throwing open the back door of the van he jumped out, blending seamlessly into the night.