“He was about five-ten, five-eleven maybe,” Callie said to the police officer questioning her. An ambulance had arrived and taken Tony, who by that time was more coherent, to the hospital. Mr. Prito had been allowed to follow the ambulance and Bayport police officers were now questioning everyone else. “His eyes were either light brown or hazel. It was hard to tell from a distance but they weren’t dark. Other than that…” she spread her hands helplessly. “They were all dressed head to toe in black. You really couldn’t see anything other than the eyes and mouth on any of them. I’m sorry.”

“Did you see any kind of getaway car? Or did they flee on foot?”

Callie shrugged. “I didn’t see where they went once they left this dining room. You can’t really see outside from where we were sitting,” she replied, pointing to the table where Vanessa, Laura and Andrea were still seated.

As the officer made notes in a small notepad, Callie watched the three of them. Laura and Andrea were seated on either side of Vanessa, talking softly to her, but the girl simply stared at the floor numbly. She had stopped crying for the most part, but every once in a while she would glance down at her now bare left hand and her face would crumple, followed by a new wave of tears.

“You know,” Callie continued, her eyes still on Vanessa, “I don’t know if it’s important or not but the one who stole Vanessa’s ring, it seemed like he didn’t want the others to know about it.” She remembered Frank often saying every detail about a crime is important, no matter how mundane it seems at the time.

“How so?” the officer asked.

“Before he took the ring, he looked over his shoulder a couple of times, like he wanted to make sure the others weren’t coming back yet. You know, like he wouldn’t be seen?” Callie waited for a nod from the officer and continued. “And when they did get back, the leader seemed mad that someone had been hurt.”

“Yeah, this is the first time they’ve taken anything other than cash and also the first time anyone was hurt.”

“He was really nervous when the other three came out of the kitchen and he lied about how Tony got hurt. All he said was ‘He tried to play hero,’ but left out why. He never told them he stole the ring. At least not while they were still here. And he wouldn’t make eye contact with them,” she finished. “I’m not sure if that’ll help or if it even means anything but I thought I should probably tell you.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you did. It may initially seem like nothing but could mean something later on down the road.” The cop checked his notes one more time then looked at Callie. “I think that’s about it. If you remember anything else, no matter how insignificant, give us a call.”

“Thank you.” Callie stood and walked back to the table. As she approached, Laura looked up.

“Are they done with you?” she asked, still gently rubbing Vanessa’s back.

“Mm-hmm.”

“We’re done too, so I guess we can go.” Laura stood up, as did Andrea, followed a little more slowly by Vanessa who looked around absently.

“How’s Tony?” she asked, worried. “Is he okay? God, I didn’t even ask about him!”

“I think that’s understandable, honey,” Andrea said.

“He was awake and talking when they took him away, so that’s a good sign,” Callie answered, trying to put as positive a spin on it as possible.

“Come on, sweetie,” Laura urged Vanessa. “Let’s get you home.”

“Home?” Vanessa looked up her eyes shining with tears once more, cried out, “How am I going to tell Joe?!” and began crying anew.

*****

Stretched out on the couch, Joe was mindlessly channel surfing while thinking about his day. Having finally tied up the case at the dog park, he’d gotten to spend a leisurely morning with Vanessa sipping coffee and reading the Sunday paper. He would have preferred spending the entire day with her but conceded it was also nice to spend the afternoon just hanging out with his dad. They didn’t get to do that nearly enough anymore and he truly enjoyed spending time with his father. Plus, as an added bonus, he got out of the ‘faux shopping trip’. Shifting on the couch, Joe propped a hand behind his head and decided life was pretty darn good!

As he continued flipping channels, Joe realized he’d missed the eleven o’clock news and frowned, wondering how it got so late and where Vanessa was. As if in answer a key scraped in the lock and Joe got up just as the door opened. “Hey, Babe—” he began enthusiastically, however one look at Vanessa stopped him cold. “What happened?!” he demanded rushing forward. Grabbing Vanessa by the shoulders he took in her tear streaked face, the look in her eyes turning his stomach to ice. Despair and pain like he hadn’t seen since…

“Are you hurt?” he asked, worriedly.

Vanessa shook her head and attempted to answer, suddenly bursting into tears. Shocked and unnerved, Joe pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and stroking her hair. “Shhh… Whatever it is, Baby, it’ll be okay. I promise.” Looking over her shoulder he stared at his mother and Andrea. “What happened?” he asked again, his voice hard.

Vanessa was sobbing now, her arms around his neck, her hands clutching fistfuls of his shirt tightly.

Laura looked at him, her gaze steady. “Her engagement ring was stolen.”

For a split second he was relieved, momentarily tortured by flashbacks to the night Vanessa was raped. Relief quickly turned to angry disbelief and Joe felt his chin drop. “What?!”

“We were at Prito’s,” Laura began explaining quickly but calmly. “Four armed, masked men came in a few minutes before closing. I’m guessing it was that group of thieves who’ve been hitting all those businesses right before closing.”

“But they only take cash!” Joe interrupted, stunned. He’d been following the story in the news, thinking how good the thieves were and the cops would be lucky to catch them before they stopped or moved on to another town.

“Until tonight,” Laura said. “Three of the men took Mr. Prito and the other employees in the back, presumably to the office safe and the cash register at the bar. One man stayed to guard us… and apparently he decided he wanted Vanessa’s ring.” Vanessa let out a muffled sob and Joe held her tighter.

“She didn’t want to give it to him,” Andrea continued the story, “but he had a gun. He threatened to kill her.”

“WHAT?!” Joe exclaimed, emotions churning inside him. He pulled Vanessa’s arms from around him and took a step back, needing to get a good look at her. It was the only way he’d be convinced she wasn’t hurt, at least not physically.

Slowly she looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, her face glistening with tears. “I’m…. s-s-sorry…”

“Oh, Baby this is not your fault. And if he threatened you I’m glad you gave it to him. The ring can be replaced… you…” Joe pulled her close again, crushing her against his chest. “You’re irreplaceable,” he said hoarsely, suddenly feeling his own eyes burning.

He stood for a moment just holding her, whispering to her, trying to calm her at least a little bit. Finally her arms slipped away from his neck but she stayed close, nestling herself under his arm and laying her head on his shoulder.

“They got away?” Joe asked his mother, more of a statement than a question.

“Yes,” Laura nodded.

“No one got hurt?”

There was a sudden silence and Vanessa made a noise, covering her face with one hand.

“What?” Joe demanded looking from Vanessa to his mother.

“Tony,” Laura said simply. “Vanessa didn’t want to give up the ring and the man grabbed her hand.”

“Sonofabitch!” Joe growled forcing himself to try and stay calm. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked Vanessa again getting a muted nod in return.

“He hit Tony with the gun,” Andrea finished.

“Jesus, is he okay?!” Joe’s head was swimming. He couldn’t believe all this had happened while he’d been enjoying a leisurely cookout with his father and then killing time waiting for Vanessa to get home!

“He should be,” Laura answered. “They took him away in an ambulance but he was conscious and talking. He was probably admitted because he was out of it for a minute or two initially, but my guess is he’ll get away with a minor concussion and a few stitches.”

“Anything else?” Joe asked warily, not sure he even wanted to know if there was.

“No, that’s it,” Andrea replied. She crossed the distance between them and reached out, stroking her daughter’s silky hair. “Vanessa, honey, you’re okay and that’s the most important thing. You can’t be replaced… Please try and remember that, okay?”

Vanessa sniffled and nodded, her cheek rubbing against Joe’s shirt.

Andrea looked at Joe and sighed softly. “Take care of her,” she murmured, kissed Vanessa on the cheek and turned towards the door. “Call me tomorrow honey, okay?”

“Okay,” Vanessa said softly.

Laura came over and rubbed Vanessa’s arm comfortingly but said nothing. She then looked up at Joe and held his gaze for a long moment then she too, sighed. “Just promise me one thing?” she said, somewhat cryptically.

“What?” Joe replied, wary.

“When you do find him… don’t kill him,” she said, already having recognized the look in Joe’s eyes – anger beyond rational thought. “You can’t give me grandchildren if you’re in prison serving a life sentence for murder.” Cupping his face with her hand, she nudged him downward and kissed him on the cheek. “ ‘Night, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Laura squeezed Vanessa’s arm one more time and then followed Andrea out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Two hours later Joe was still wide awake, staring at shadows playing across the ceiling of their darkened bedroom. Vanessa lay curled in his arms, having finally cried herself to sleep. She’d been inconsolable despite Joe’s best efforts to comfort her and that had been more fuel for his fiery anger.

He’d told Vanessa several times that the ring was insured and they could get another one but that had only seemed to upset her more and now Joe was beginning to understand why. Initially he was so relieved and thankful that Vanessa hadn’t been hurt he barely gave a second thought to the ring. Unable to sleep and having spent the past hour and a half alone with his own thoughts and memories, he recalled the months he’d spent searching for just the right ring. Vanessa was special, one of a kind. She’d been his Godsend, saving his sanity and quite possibly his life, given the very dark path he’d been on in the months before he’d met her. He had searched and searched, wanting to find a ring as different and special as she was.

It hadn’t taken long before Joe became an expert on diamonds, settings, cut and color and he soon realized he was seeing the same or similar rings in every store – and on every woman’s finger. And that wasn’t good enough for Vanessa. Then one day when he was helping Vanessa clean, a pile of magazines had toppled to the floor; one of them splayed open to an advertisement for a ring that grabbed Joe’s attention. While it was different than anything he’d seen up to that point, it was still in a national magazine, which meant hundreds of other women could be walking around with it on their finger. Even if he never saw one of them he’d still know… and Vanessa was much too special to be one of hundreds. That was when he’d hit on the idea of designing his own ring.

So he’d ripped out the picture and took it to Mr. Kumar in New York City who had been thrilled with the idea and honored that Joe trusted him to create the one of a kind ring for such a special occasion. It had cost more than Joe had originally planned on spending but the look on Vanessa’s face when he proposed had been worth every penny – and more. And when he told her the story behind it, she cried, unable to believe he’d gone to such lengths to make her feel so special.

Joe glanced down at Vanessa’s left hand, now bare, and felt an aching sadness. ‘Yeah we can get another ring but it won’t be the same…’ Staring at the ceiling Joe made a silent promise to himself and Vanessa, vowing to get her ring back no matter what…

*****

Dylan Bradford held the ring, small and delicate against his calloused fingers, and stared. He’d never seen anything like it before. It was special… different… beautiful… ‘Just like Tanya.’

Finally he’d found a ring worthy of her! He’d wanted to propose for months now, knowing without a doubt he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She loved him like no one else ever had, loved him for who he was – accepting the good and the bad. And because of that complete and unconditional love, he wanted to rid himself of the ‘bad’ forever.

Dylan was certain had he not met Tanya, the bitterness inside him would have grown until it consumed him, turning him into one of the heartless, soulless men he’d fallen in with. The men he’d grown to despise. Adding his share of tonight’s take with what he already had, he mentally calculated how soon he could ‘quit’ this second job; how long before he and Tanya could leave this place and start a new life – a better life – together. This life was taking too much out of him now. He could feel his moral compass straying way off track and was afraid if he didn’t stop soon, he’d never be able to get it back on course again. He’d justified the theft of money by telling himself no one had ever been hurt and the businesses could afford to lose a day or two worth of income – they were all hugely successful.

‘So how do you justify what you did tonight?’ a little voice inside asked him.

‘He’ll be okay!’ Dylan shot back silently. He hadn’t hit the guy all that hard; and after watching the news he knew the guy, while having to spend a night in the hospital, would be released tomorrow and make a full recovery.

‘And what about her?’ the voice continued.

‘I didn’t hurt her!’

‘Yes… you did… more than you know…’

“Shut up,” Dylan hissed aloud, telling himself the voice was wrong all the while knowing, absolutely, that it was right.

Ever since they’d run from the restaurant, everywhere he looked, he saw the girl’s eyes – scared… haunted… traumatized. The undeniable terror had appeared the second he grabbed her hand. He knew the look; growing up, he’d seen it too many times in the eyes of children who’d just returned from ‘unsuitable’ foster homes and later he’d even seen it in Tanya’s eyes a few times, whenever something reminded her of her pedophile stepfather. The girl who wore this ring had the exact same look. She had been abused – probably violated – at some point in her life and Dylan’s actions tonight had brought the painful memories roaring back. He clutched the ring tightly in his hand and closed his eyes, choking out an apology to the scared young woman. “I’m sorry…”

Reaching out, he opened the drawer of the nightstand and put the ring inside then turned off the small bedside light. He lay down, pillowing his head with one arm as darkness enveloped the dingy one room apartment, bracing himself for the nightly sounds that he hated. In this part of town you kept your mouth shut about what you saw and heard, he’d learned that early on in life. But it didn’t stop the sounds – flesh hitting flesh, painful screams, drunken tirades – from eating away at his soul. Dylan knew if he didn’t get out of here soon, couldn’t start the life he dreamed of with Tanya, he’d eventually end up one of them – the people with the dark, dead eyes, who long ago stopped feeling, stopped caring, stopped living…

He settled back against the lumpy mattress and closed his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering guilt and the image of the young woman he’d scared so badly. Whoever gave her the ring was probably comforting her at this very moment, he told himself. The ring alone said the guy obviously loved her deeply. And judging by the other women at the table and the jewelry they wore, these people could afford to buy another ring. Dylan admitted that maybe the way he acquired it wasn’t right but Tanya deserved something as special and beautiful as this girl did, he was certain of that.

‘Hell, it’s probably insured anyway! They’ll have a new one in a few weeks.’

He continued trying to console himself with little success, eventually drifting off into a fitful sleep where a beautiful girl with ash-blonde hair and terrified blue-grey eyes haunted his dreams…

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.