Fenton had returned to the office with copies of the paperwork and police reports on all six robberies. He now sat with the files spread out in front of him reviewing all the information that had been compiled by the three police agencies, wanting to brief Sam, Frank and Joe when they returned. Absently taking a bite of the sandwich he’d picked up on the way back, he picked up the report for the robbery at Prito’s.

As in all the previous robberies armed men in ski masks entered the restaurant just a few minutes before closing, knowing it would be the time with the largest amount of cash on hand and the fewest number of people to contain. According to the witness statements Laura, Andrea, Callie, Vanessa and Tony had been held in the main dining room, guarded by one man. Hearing the commotion when the men had first entered, Aldo Prito had immediately come out from the kitchen. One of the thieves, the one who seemed to be the leader, forced him back to the office where he was forced to open the safe and turn over all the cash receipts on hand. A third gunman had accompanied the bartender to the register at the bar and forced her to give him the money it held. The final gunman had held all the remaining employees at gunpoint in the kitchen.

Fenton picked up the Styrofoam cup and took a drink, gazing at the papers thoughtfully. Adding the two Bayport robberies to the ones in Southport and Kirkland, the thieves had confounded police in three towns. On the surface there appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the types of businesses targeted and with the robberies spread out over three cities the police had, as yet, been unable to find any discernable pattern. Up until the robbery at Prito’s, no one had been injured as the victims had followed the thieves’ instructions. Then again, this was the first time the thieves, ‘or one of the thieves,’ Fenton corrected himself, had robbed a customer.

He sorted through the folder in front of him and laid out the statements from Laura, Callie, Vanessa, Andrea and Tony. They were all consistent in saying that the thief hadn’t demanded Vanessa’s ring until the others had left the room and when they returned said simply that Tony had ‘tried to play hero’ and that was why he’d been hurt; they all concurred that it seemed the thief was trying to hide the theft of Vanessa’s ring from the others. As with all the other robberies, the police had no leads.

Fenton was finishing up the last of his lunch when the phone rang, with Joe checking in to say he’d be back at the office shortly. A few moments later both Sam and Frank walked in.

“Wow,” Frank said as he pulled out a chair and eyed the papers spread over the table.

“Yeah, wow,” Fenton agreed. “How’d you make out?” he asked looking first at Frank and then Sam.

“I hit every pawn shop, antique store and jeweler in Southport and for better or worse, the ring hasn’t turned up anywhere yet,” Sam said, picking up a report and absently looking it over. “And if it does, we’ll be the first to know.”

“Yeah, same thing in Kirkland. No sign of it there either,” Frank agreed, frowning as he did so.

Fenton exchanged a puzzled look with Sam. “Is that a bad thing?” he asked his elder son.

“I’m not sure.” Frank shifted a little, concentrating and Fenton recognized the look. Frank had something on his mind but wanted to gather his thoughts and go over it one more time before sharing whatever conclusion he’d come to. “On the drive back something occurred to me…”

Fenton and Sam waited patiently and a moment later Frank leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands. “Callie said that when this guy initially demanded Vanessa’s ring, Mom and Andrea offered up their own jewelry – all of it – in place of Van’s ring but the guy refused. Why? And what about Callie’s engagement ring?” Frank said a little more animated now. “No offense to Joe but I paid a lot more for Callie’s ring than he did for Vanessa’s and it’s a more traditional cut; less conspicuous. It wouldn’t attract nearly the attention Vanessa’s would if the thief tried to sell it. Plus Callie had the matching diamond-studded band. He could have pawned the matched set alone for a good chunk of change; add in Mom and Andrea’s jewelry and he could have cleaned up. Yet the guy was adamant he wanted Vanessa’s ring and only Vanessa’s ring… Why?”

Fenton sat back, thinking. He hadn’t looked at it from that perspective and apparently neither had Sam judging by the expression on his face.

“All good points,” Sam nodded. “That ring is so unique it’s going to be almost impossible for him to fence or sell without sending up red flags all over the place.”

Frank frowned again and this time Fenton recognized the look in his son’s eyes. “What?”

Frank’s dark gaze flicked from Fenton to Sam. “What if the guy didn’t steal the ring to sell it for quick cash?”

Sam pursed his lips in thought for a moment. “Well that is a legitimate question. He refused a pile of jewelry that was worth a lot more than just Vanessa’s ring and it all would have been a lot easier to pawn off, attracting much less attention than a one of a kind ring. But if he didn’t want to fence it what else would he do with it?”

Frank hesitated a moment as if he didn’t really want to voice his thoughts; as if by keeping silent maybe he’d be wrong. “What if he plans to give it to someone? What if he’s planning to propose to someone and wants to use Vanessa’s ring to do it?”

The air in the room suddenly got heavier as they exchanged a worried look. Fenton sat back and exhaled loudly. “You do realize that’s the worst case scenario.”

“I know,” Frank agreed running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. “If that is what this guy is planning the chances of getting the ring back are slim...”

“…and none,” Sam finished for him.

*****

Driving to work, Vanessa couldn’t help but be drawn to her hands on the steering wheel and her bare finger. It seemed to be screaming at her, demanding to know where its beloved ring was. Whatever reprieve she’d gotten while visiting with Tony and Kara had vanished and she was once again barely holding it together, obsessed with the fact that her ring was gone.

Arriving at work, Vanessa stopped at the receptionist’s desk to pick up her messages, giving barely a nod in response to the girl’s cheery greeting. She wasn’t even halfway to her office when she heard the whispers start.

“She’s not wearing the ring!”

“They broke up?!”

“They must have! Did you see her? She barely said a word… and no ring!”

“She must be devastated!”

Picking up her pace, Vanessa hurried to her office, closed the door and leaned against it. In spite of her depression, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly, in awe of how quickly the office’s rumor mill switched into high gear. No one had even asked what was wrong or why she wasn’t wearing her ring. For all they knew it was just being cleaned! Yet they all jumped to the worst possible conclusion, immediately assuming she and Joe had broken up.

‘Yeah, like that would ever happen!’ she thought sarcastically.

With a shaky sigh, she pushed away from the door and walked to her desk. As she sat down, a note in the center of the desk caught her eye. She recognized her boss, Phil Cohen’s handwriting immediately:

“Van,

Joe called and told me what happened. I’m so sorry! If there’s anything I can do – anything! – let me know!

Phil”

Her eyes automatically strayed to her bare ring finger and she felt the tears well up again. ‘Stop it!’ she chided herself. ‘You can’t spend every waking moment crying about it! Joe said he would find it – he promised!’

As much as Vanessa knew he meant it and hoped with all her heart that he could, she also knew the reality of it; the chances of getting her ring back were a long shot. For all they knew it had already been sold, the thought of it sitting in a pawnshop case almost breaking her heart.

Swiping at her eyes roughly, she turned to her computer hoping work could provide her with a distraction. For the next few hours she tried to review the several projects her small team of graphic artists was working on but found it difficult to concentrate. In addition to still being devastated at the loss of the ring she found herself unusually nervous and jumpy. Whenever someone walked by her closed door or she heard the muted sound of voices, she held her breath afraid they would stop, knock on her door… actually try to come in.

‘Damn it!’

Vanessa rested her elbows on the desk, gently massaging her temples. With a shudder she recalled the days after she’d been raped, remembering how she became just a shell of herself, locking herself in the apartment and refusing to leave or let anyone come see her; her life had quickly deteriorated into a nightmare. With Joe’s love and support she was able to stop the descent and eventually climb out of that dark hole. Recovery had been slow, requiring baby steps and the occasional backslide, and through it all Vanessa had promised herself once she found her way out, she’d never go back to that hell again.

But ever since she woke up screaming in the middle of the night, having dreamt of Chris Taylor for the first time in months, she’d felt the fear returning. She thought the need to be so close to Joe all morning had worn off by the time they left the hospital, but the way she flinched every time she heard a noise outside her door said differently. Vanessa felt as if she had already started to slide back into hell and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to regain her footing.

Ordering lunch in, which she barely touched, Vanessa tried once more to focus on work but found herself, more often than not, vacillating between despair over losing her ring and outright fear. Knowing she couldn’t go on like this, Vanessa glanced first at the note from Phil and then at the phone, debating… Sighing heavily, she finally picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart but hadn’t used in a long time. After a quick conversation, Vanessa left a message for Phil that she’d be taking the afternoon off, shut down her computer, gathered up her things and left.

*****

“Damn it,” Joe muttered as he flipped his cell phone shut and tossed it onto the passenger seat next to him.

He’d spent a frustrating afternoon with Frank, Sam and his father going over every shred of paper they’d been given pertaining to the robberies. It was pretty much the way they started every case and even though he understood the necessity, he hated it. Anger at the reason they’d even gotten involved in this case and worry for Vanessa had tested Joe’s already limited patience and made him even more antsy than usual. By four-thirty his relentless fidgeting and continuous stream of muttered sarcasm had driven Frank, Sam and Fenton up the wall and his father had sent him home with orders to relax, get a good night’s sleep and be ready to go first thing in the morning.

As much as he wanted to find something in the police reports that would give them a starting point, he also wanted to get home before Vanessa so he was actually grateful for the reprieve. Comforted by the knowledge that if there was anything to find they would find it, Joe had bid them all goodbye and left. By the time he was halfway home, he’d already called Vanessa twice getting her voice mail both times.

She had woken up the previous night screaming, dormant memories having been reawakened by the robbery. Initially disoriented, it had taken several seconds for Vanessa to realize it was just a nightmare. She had settled back down in Joe’s arms, shaking and clinging to him, but it was the way she’d held him that had Joe so scared. It wasn’t out of passion or love, as was normally the case; this time she had clung to him out of desperation and fear… exactly the way she had done for months after the rape.

The morning hadn’t been much better with Vanessa needing to be as physically close to him as possible. While they were always ‘touchy-feely’, especially when they were alone, this need for closeness was, again, due to fear.

By the time he arrived home, Joe was worried sick. He’d tried calling Vanessa a few times throughout the day in addition to the calls he made while driving home and again, had gotten her voice mail. He knew she’d taken the afternoon off, having called her at work first. He’d taken a few moments at the time to talk to Phil who said Vanessa had seemed depressed about the loss of her ring and holed up in her office with the door closed all morning, then asked to take the afternoon off although she didn’t say why.

Joe couldn’t help but chuckle to himself thinking back on what else Phil had told him. Apparently people noticed right away that she wasn’t wearing her ring and the rumor quickly started that she and Joe had broken up.

‘Those people don’t know us at all!’ he thought sardonically, shaking his head. Still, it couldn’t have been easy for Vanessa to hear.

Knowing the truth Phil had tried to put a stop to the rumor but by then it had already spread like wildfire. He’d suggested to Joe that maybe she just got tired of the whispers and needed to get away.

Still, Joe thought, it didn’t explain why she hadn’t answered her cell. She had to know he’d be frantic by this time, given what happened the last time he couldn’t reach her for this long.

Walking into the kitchen Joe’s eyes lit on the cell phone charger – with Vanessa’s phone resting snugly inside it – and let out a small sigh of relief. ‘At least that explains why she hasn’t answered…’

Just then he heard a key in the lock and exhaled audibly… she was home.

Rushing back out to the living room just as Vanessa was closing the door, Joe almost crushed her with a hug before she even got two steps inside the apartment.

“What’s wrong?!” she asked, alarmed, then it quickly dawned on her. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled against his shirt as she hugged him just as tightly.

“It’s okay,” Joe replied, his voice still tinged with an edge of fear. “You’re okay,” he amended, giving her one more, tight squeeze before loosening his grip and stepping back. “You are okay… right?”

Vanessa gave him a small smile and nodded, her eyes reflecting a touch of guilt. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, brushing a hand across his cheek. “I thought I’d be home before you so I didn’t think to call.” She rolled her eyes and threw a disgusted look towards the kitchen. “Not that I could have even if I wanted to since I forgot my phone!”

“I wanted to make sure I was here when you got home,” Joe said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. “Where were you?” he asked as they settled down next to each other.

Vanessa sighed and pursed her lips, thinking for a moment before answering. “I just… I didn’t like where my head was, you know? I didn’t like where I was heading…” She stopped again and shrugged, letting out a soft sigh. “I mean you noticed how I was acting this morning, so much like I did after—”

“Yeah, I did,” Joe cut her off. After all this time he still couldn’t take hearing that word in association with Vanessa; he wasn’t sure he ever would. She gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hands, knowing exactly why he was so abrupt.

“Yeah… I thought it’d get better when I got to work but if anything, it was worse. When I wasn’t obsessing on my ring I was jumping out of my skin if anyone even walked by my office door. I was terrified they’d actually come in. And I know these people! It’s not like they’re strangers!” She blew out a breath of air in frustration. “I just didn’t want to go back there and the harder I tried not to the worse it got. Finally I gave up trying to figure it out myself and called Dr. Jennings.”

Joe’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the therapist Vanessa had seen almost every day after the rape, and continued to see for almost a full year. Joe knew she still called the woman sometimes but Vanessa hadn’t actually felt the need to go see her in… Joe honestly couldn’t remember how long. “So… that’s where you were all afternoon?”

“Most of it,” Vanessa acknowledged. “I mean she squeezed me in so I had to wait a little bit but we talked for a long time.”

“And…” Joe asked warily.

Vanessa flashed a brief but genuine smile. “And she said considering what happened last night I’m pretty much normal.” She stopped and laughed when Joe exhaled audibly. “Seriously though, she said I’d probably feel apprehensive and afraid, yeah and clingy, for a few days, but as long as I recognized that it was just a reaction to the robbery and dealt with it accordingly, I didn’t really have to worry about ‘relapsing’.

“She said if sticking close to you is what makes me feel safe then that’s what I should do. That and use whatever coping techniques worked for me before. Basically she said that being grabbed by a stranger in a violent situation may have forced me back a step or two, but I’m strong—”

“Damn straight,” Joe murmured proudly.

“She also reminded me that I’m surrounded by people who love me and that I have a very strong support system. She said not to think about it too much – about totally backsliding, because that’s very unlikely to happen – and predicted it wouldn’t be long at all before I’m moving forward again. So yeah, I may be a little… clingy for a few days,” she said with an apologetic shrug.

Joe held her hands tightly in his. “Hey, when have I ever complained about that?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Never,” Vanessa agreed with a smile.

Joe pulled her into his arms, resting his forehead against hers and gazing into her eyes. “And I never will…”

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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.