“Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Andresson,” Sam said, extending his hand in greeting.

“Anything I can do to help,” Marcus Andresson replied, his brow creased in a worried frown.  “I can’t tell you how distressed I was to hear Mr. Hardy had disappeared.  You still don’t have any leads?” he asked, motioning Sam, Frank and Joe towards the plush leather sofa in his office.

“No, I’m afraid not.  That’s why we’re here.”

“When you spoke to Dad yesterday, exactly what did he say?” Frank asked.

Andresson leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  “He said he’d searched Kevin Cutter’s house and found evidence that someone had been stealing money from the employees’ pension fund.  I assumed he meant it was Kevin, but he said even though that was how it appeared, he wanted to investigate further.

“He asked me not to call the authorities until he had conclusive evidence one way or another.  He was certain Kevin was involved somehow but he didn’t know if he acted alone in stealing the money, had an accomplice, or was an innocent victim who accidentally got caught up in it.  I agreed to give him a few more days to work on it before reporting the theft.

“After we finished speaking he went back to Kevin’s work area to investigate further.  I assured him he would have unrestricted access to anything he needed that might help.”

“Did you talk to him at all after that?  Do you know if he found anything else?” Joe asked hopefully.

Andresson shook his head.  “I don’t think so.  He was here all day.  He told me he’d let me know as soon as he found anything; I never spoke to him again after that.  My secretary told me she saw him leaving around six last night.  He waved and said he’d see her in the morning, so I assumed that meant he didn’t find anything and he’d be back today to continue searching.”  He stopped and looked at Sam, the worry in his eyes increasing.  “Do you think Kevin had something to do with Mr. Hardys disappearance?

“We’re really not sure of anything at this point,” Sam replied, effectively evading the question.  He looked at Frank and Joe.  “What do you think?  Do you want to stay here and check out Kevin’s computer and work area or just head over to his house?”

“I say we go to the house,” Joe replied.  “Dad obviously didn’t find anything here if he was planning to come back today.  He did find the CD at Kevin’s house and, Sam, didn’t you say after that he never really went back to finish searching the house?”

“Right,” Sam confirmed.  “He decided to come back here.”

“I’m with Joe,” Frank said.  “There might still be something at Kevin’s house that can give us a lead as to what’s going on and where Dad – and Kevin – might be.”

“Okay, then,” Sam stood up and shook hands with Marcus Andresson. “Thanks for seeing us.  We’ll be in touch as soon as we find anything.  And if you happen to remember anything else or happen to hear from Fenton or Kevin…”

“I’ll call you immediately,” Andresson assured him, holding up the business card Sam had given him with all their cell phone numbers written on the back.

*****

Vince Ellison slid into the driver’s seat of his car, waiting until his ‘chaperone’, Erik Caggiano, got in the passenger side.  The ringleader had returned to Phoenix with Vince, intending to keep Vince in sight until he had the two million dollars in his possession.  They had just left the bank, where Ellison made arrangements to withdraw one and a half million dollars, which they would be picking up later in the day.  By the time they had returned to Phoenix, Ellison was running on fear and adrenaline.  He was terrified of bringing Caggiano into his home, but had no other choice.  He’d been thankful his wife was visiting her mother out of town, saving him the trouble of having to come up with an explanation for the unexpected, and unknown, house guest.

Vince hadn’t slept at all. He hoped Hardy was right and that his sons and partner, Sam Radley, would be at Myelin.  It had taken some doing, as Erik Caggiano wasn’t stupid, but Vince had somehow convinced the man he needed to go to the office today.  Vince Ellison was known as a workaholic.  For him to call out, or simply not show up at all, would raise red flags all over the place.  He’d also convinced Caggiano that he needed to get the other half million dollars from his retirement fund, but in order to do that, he would have to go to the Employee Benefits office and authorize the transfer to his bank account in person.  He’d been holding his breath while explaining all this to Caggiano, hoping the criminal wouldn’t realize he could easily have made the transfer online from his home computer.

As he pulled in to his reserved space in front of the Myelin offices, he turned to Caggiano.  “Listen, I have a meeting with Marcus – Mr. Andresson – our CEO this morning.  There is just no way I can explain you tagging along.  It’s going to raise more than a few eyebrows as it is just to have you sitting in my office all day.  Do you really want to call any more attention to yourself?”  Ellison mentally crossed his fingers, needing to have a few minutes away from his captor to somehow get to speak to Fenton Hardy’s sons.

Caggiano chewed on the ever-present toothpick for a moment. “How long will this meeting last?” he asked warily.

“I don’t know.  As long as Mr. Andresson wants it to last.  Sometimes we’re done in less than thirty minutes.  Sometimes it takes a few hours.”  He saw Caggiano frown at the vague answer.  “Look, I’ll try and make it as quick as possible.  I really don’t have a choice.  We have these meetings first thing every morning,” Vince lied, starting to get desperate.  “You’ve promised to let Hardy and Kevin go once you get the money.  And the more I think about it, the more I realize you’re right about one thing – two million dollars is a small price to pay to be rid of you for good.”  He saw Caggiano considering his plea.  “I’m not going to endanger their lives for any amount of money.”

“Fine, fine, go to the meeting.  But fifteen minutes tops.  If you’re not done by then, make up some excuse to get out of there.  Otherwise I call my partners…” Caggiano let the threat hang in the air between them.

“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Ellison nodded, exhaling with relief as he got out of the car.

Twenty minutes later he entered Marcus Andresson’s office.  His boss and friend looked up, surprised.  “Vince, good morning.  Did we have a meeting?” he asked puzzled.

“No, we didn’t,” Vince replied, closing the door behind him.  Taking a deep breath he tried to steady his raw nerves.  “Have you been contacted by a Frank or Joe Hardy or Sam Radley?”

“Yes,” Marcus replied, looking at him curiously. “They were here earlier.  You just missed them.”

“Damn,” Vince swore quietly.  Closing his eyes, he rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. ‘I missed them!  God, what do I do now?’

“Vince…” Marcus came out from behind his desk and stood next to Ellison, placing a hand on his shoulder.  “Is something wrong?”

Ellison opened his eyes and stared at Marcus.  He didn’t want to involve one of his closest friends – there were enough people in danger as it was – but he realized he had no choice.  “Marcus… please…  I need help…”

*****

Sam slowed the rental car as he approached the block where Kevin’s house was located, allowing Frank to check the house numbers.

“There,” Frank pointed.  “Two more houses up on the right.  The blue ranch style.” 

As Sam pulled up in front of the house, Frank silently cursed to himself.  An old Ford was parked in the driveway behind Kevin’s car and Frank was certain it belonged to Jeff Cutter.  He’d overheard Sam talking to Jeff earlier; Sam had specifically asked Jeff to leave the key in the mailbox and go home.  Sam had wanted to give the impression he wasn’t sure exactly what time he and the boys would arrive, but in reality he had wanted to keep Joe from having to come face to face with Jeff Cutter.  Sam had also noticed the changes in the youngest Hardy since arriving in Phoenix and he knew exactly what had caused them.

Sighing softly, Frank glanced at Sam and jerked his head towards the backseat where Joe was sitting, staring out the window and then shifted his gaze back to the car in the drive.  “Why don’t you two wait here until I see if the key is in the mailbox,” Sam said vaguely.

“Sure,” Frank agreed quickly, understanding that Sam was trying to avoid an awkward meeting between Joe and Jeff.

“I’m not that tired – or stupid,” Joe said from the back seat.  Leaning forward, he rested his arms on the rear of the front passenger seats and looked from Frank to Sam.  “Look, I know what you’re trying to do, and I appreciate it.  But it’s inevitable that I’m going to run into Cutter.  Might as well get it over with now.” Joe opened the door and climbed out of the car, waiting for Frank and Sam to follow.

“Okay, then,” Sam looked at Frank, resignedly.  “I guess we all go in.”

The trio walked up the drive to the path leading to the front door.  Reaching out, Sam knocked then stepped back and waited.  A moment later the door opened.

“Jeff,” Sam said in greeting. 

Jeff stepped back allowing Sam, Frank and Joe to enter the house and then shut the door behind him.  “Hello, Sam,” Jeff replied, looking very uncomfortable.  “Frank,” he murmured, giving the older Hardy a brief nod before locking his gaze on Joe.  “Hello, Joe.”

“Hi,” Joe responded, the one word echoing with uncertainty about the whole situation.

Frank visibly tensed; Jeff was staring at Joe as if he were powerless to look away.  Frank was surprised at the intense feeling of animosity that had suddenly come over him.  He heard Joe shifting nervously under his uncle’s scrutiny and moved slightly, positioning himself between Jeff and Joe

“Thanks for letting us in, but you can go now,” he said to Jeff, effectively dismissing him.  “If we need anything else, we’ll call.”

Frank could feel both Sam and Joe staring at him, and with good reason.  Frank himself was surprised at the cool tone in his voice.  He didn’t remember his uncle all that well, and once the Cutters left Bayport, their name was never mentioned in the Hardy home again – ever.  How could he have developed suchan intense dislike so quickly, for someone he barely knew?  Feeling Joe fidgeting behind him, Frank understood exactly how it could happen.

Glancing at Joe, Frank saw he was obviously uncomfortable, and wished Sam had been able to convince Joe to stay in the car until he got rid of Jeff.  Wondering how he could get rid of Jeff before the situation deteriorated, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another car coming to a stop in front of the house. 

They all turned towards the door expectantly as a car door opened and then slammed shut.  Hurried footsteps echoed up the front walk. Seconds later the door flew open and a young woman in her early twenties strode into the room.  Jeff gasped and reached for her arm, but she deftly evaded him.  Stepping closer, she gave Sam and Frank a cursory look, before turning hard blue eyes on Joe. 

‘Damn!’ Frank thought irritably, as he suddenly realized who she was.  Her gaze was so bitter and malevolent that Frank actually took a few steps towards Joe without even realizing it, stopping when he bumped into Sam who had done the same thing. 

“You don’t look too traumatized to me,” she spat out giving Joe a very long, once-over.

“Kelly!” Jeff gasped.  Jolted out of his daze, Jeff grabbed his daughter by the arm and pulled her back.

Joe paled slightly, taken completely off guard by her nasty comment, but Frank was ready to kill; the look in his eyes was murderous.

Yanking her arm out of her father’s grasp, Kelly took another step forward.  “What’s the matter, cousin?  Cat got your tongue?  That’s okay, you can just listen.”

“No!” Jeff yelled, this time pulling Kelly back several steps.  “Get out, Kelly. Go home.  There’s no reason for you to be here.”

“No reason?  How about getting reacquainted with my cousin? We could share stories about our childhood.  You know, the one I never had because of him!”  Kelly screamed, her arm flashing out as she pointed an accusatory finger at Joe.  Spinning in her father’s grip, she glared at Joe. “Did your family stay in that nice big house you had?  Is that where you grew up?  I had a house like that once, too. Even after we moved here…for a little while anyway.”

“Kelly, that’s enough,” Jeff desperately tried to drag his daughter away from her captive audience and out the door.

“But then Dad started to drink and Mom got hooked on some drug that was supposed to keep her from being depressed.  And you want to know why they were so sad that they needed drugs and alcohol to forget?  Because of YOU!  They cared more about you, than me or my brother!”

Sam flinched as the words flew from her mouth.  Joe seemed to be frozen in shock by her absurd rantings, and Frank was furious. 

“YOU!” she screamed again. “YOU let yourself be kidnapped and they took the blame for it!  You were a cop’s kid! You should have known better!  It wasn’t their fault you were too stupid to—”

“KELLY!”  Jeff’s shock turned to anger as he violently yanked his daughter around to face him. “I said that’s enough!  They are here to help—”

“Help?!” Kelly sneered, and then laughed mockingly.  “Like their father helped?  Not only could the great Fenton Hardy NOT find Kevin, he disappeared himself!  Now he needs his own kids to try and find him!”

Despite his anger, Frank felt his mouth drop open; he felt like he was watching some bizarre movie.  Kelly was clearly out of control and out of touch with reality.  Her own little world revolved around her and only her.  Still, he was amazed at the depths of her hatred for Joe.  If not for her cruel accusations, he might have found it in him to feel a little sorry for her.

Stealing a glance at Joe, Frank was relieved to see the shock and disbelief on his face had turned to indifference.  Joe jerked his head ever so slightly and Frank leaned in close to him. 

“She’s nuts.  I’m gonna go start searching the bedroom,” Joe murmured softly. Frank nodded and, with a roll of his eyes, Joe disappeared towards the back of the house.

“COME BACK HERE!”

Frank winced at Kelly’s piercing shriek, wondering if he’d lost any hearing because of it.  He watched in complete disbelief as Kelly actually tried to follow Joe, only to be dragged backwards and out the front door by her father.  Hearing Jeff’s raised voice, he exchanged a look with Sam – would Jeff be able to get rid of her for good?  Frank actually held his breath until Jeff returned – alone.

“I don’t even where to begin… I am so sorry.” Jeff looked at them, thoroughly embarrassed.  “Please, if you need to hate someone, hate me.  I’m the reason she turned out like that.  I neglected her…and Kevin….  It’s no one’s fault but mine, although she is convinced that Joe…” Jeff paled several shades.  “Oh, my God.  Where…where’s Joe…? I need to apologize.”  He took several steps towards the kitchen before Frank snagged his arm, pulling him to an abrupt stop.

Frank had been surprised at his ability to control his anger and not pummel his cousin like he really wanted to.  The fact that after the initial shock wore off, Joe didn’t seem to take her accusations too seriously, helped.  But Jeff was different.  Frank knew that might not be the case with Jeff.  Joe was okay and refocused back on their reason for being there, at least for the moment.  He didn’t want Jeff talking to Joe and allowing long-buried memories to resurface and torment his brother, not when Joe needed every ounce of concentration to find their father.

Jeff jolted to a stop and stared at Frank, surprised. “He’s working.  Don’t bother him.  He’ll be fine,” Frank said.  Jeff opened his mouth as if to speak and then stopped.  “We’d really prefer to do this alone.  If we need anything else from you, we’ll call.”  Frank stood, watching for Jeff’s reaction, still loosely holding his arm.  Jeff stood a few seconds longer, then meekly pulled his arm away, turned and left the house without uttering a word. 

Relieved, Frank actually felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders relax, not realizing how much he had physically tensed.  While he wasn’t sure what convinced Jeff to leave without argument, the coldness in his own voice had shocked even Frank, and he assumed that’s why Jeff acquiesced so easily.

“I’ll start in here,” Sam murmured.

Frank nodded in agreement and headed for the kitchen in search of Joe. 

*****

Joe hurried through the small house, looking for the bedroom.  Finding it, he walked in and closed the door behind him, somewhat muffling his cousin’s biting accusations.  Sinking down onto the bed, Joe took a deep breath, only now realizing his heart was racing.  He heard an unfamiliar male voice raised in anger, the front door open and close and then… silence.

Joe thought back a few days earlier to the comment he’d made to Frank. ‘Something about a simple missing persons case… yeah, right!’ he snorted softly to himself.  Joe heard voices again, and strained to make out what they were saying. While he couldn’t hear the words clearly, he knew it was his uncle speaking.  Suddenly out of nowhere, Joe got a flash of memory…

“And when you pull it out like this, it changes into something completely different!”  Jeff handed the brand new toy to his nephew, delighted that Joe seemed so enthralled with it.  He’d originally purchased it for Kevin, but his son had shown little interest in it.

Six-year-old Joe Hardy squealed with delight, taking the hard plastic toy from his uncle’s hands.  “Thanks, Uncle Jeff!”  Joe looked up, his blue eyes bright with excitement.  “Will you play with me?  Mommy packed my best Transformers in my bag!” He scrambled off the bed, grabbed his overnight bag and dragged it back to his uncle.  Opening it up, Joe’s head disappeared inside the bag while clothes, pajamas and socks went flying out in every direction.  Finally he emerged triumphantly with a toy in each hand.  “See?!  Will you play with me?  Please??”

And he had, Joe recalled.  For what seemed like hours Jeff had sat on the floor in the bedroom, indulging Joe in an endless and ever-changing game of Transformers.  That had been the night before he was grabbed by Tilghman’s men, yet the last memory Joe had of his uncle was a happy one.  ‘Funny…’ Joe thought ironically.  Swallowing, he realized how dry his throat was.  Listening intently, Joe heard nothing but silence, and decided to take a chance and venture out into the kitchen for a drink of water.

*****

As Frank hurried through the kitchen, he glanced out the window and stopped dead in his tracks.  His heart suddenly started pounding in his chest as the anger flared again.  Kelly was in the side yard, pacing back and forth while throwing angry glares at the house.  That was enough to light Frank’s fuse.  Grabbing the doorknob, he flung the back door open and stormed out of the house and down the steps of the deck. 

Moving in almost total silence was so ingrained in Frank, that even in the heat of anger he didn’t make a sound.  When Kelly reached the end of the yard and turned to start on the return trip, she gasped and stopped short, startled at Frank standing less than two feet away from her.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“This is my brother’s house.  I have every right to be here,” she shot back, having quickly recovered.

“But your brother isn’t here,” Frank reminded her.

“No thanks to your father,” she sneered.

Frank took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and then took another.  He was not going to let this self-absorbed little bitch get to him!

“Go home, Kelly.”

“No,” she replied defiantly, reminding Frank of a petulant two-year-old.

“Look, we both know the only reason you’re still here is so you can tear into Joe again.  Well, guess what – it ain’t gonna happen. Okay?”

“And who’s going to stop me… you?” she almost laughed.

Frank took a step forward, smiling inside when Kelly instinctively took a step back.  “Yes, me.  Everyone else may be intimidated by you, but I’m not.  And there is no one here who is interested in what you have to say.  So go home.”  Frank knew she wouldn’t leave simply because he asked, but he hoped she’d blow up at him and get it out of her system.  Joe was fighting to stave off another bout of depression.  Even if Joe knew Kelly’s accusations were ridiculous, he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to just dismiss them so easily if he heard them a second time.  They could be the final push that would send him into that black hole, and God knew how long it would take for him to crawl out this time.

“STUPID!” Kelly screamed.

‘Yes! Thank you!’ Frank thought triumphantly.  He figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to goad Kelly, but still, he was shocked at the depth of the malice she held for Joe.

“He was a stupid kid!  If he’d come with Kevin and me instead of staying with those bratty kids from the orphanage, he never would’ve been kidnapped!  Whatever happened to him was his own damn fault!”  Kelly spat out venomously.

‘Joe’s fault!’ Frank thought, incredulous.  ‘JOE’S fault?!  He was a little kid, for God’s sake!’  Weary of his cousin’s narcissistic attitude, Frank let the anger he’d been keeping well-contained boil over.  “So it’s all Joe’s fault?”

He watched stone-faced as Kelly nodded smugly.

“Really?  Well, if you hadn’t needed to be the center of attention, your father would have been watching Joe – like he was supposed to – instead of you.  When you look at it that way, this whole mess is your fault,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest, silently daring his cousin to respond.

Kelly’s expression turned murderous, her eyes blazing with fury.  As she took a step towards him, Frank could see her shaking with rage.  An expert at reading people, Frank knew she was going to hit him – or try to – even before she did.  Her hand flashed towards his face, but Frank was ready.  Grabbing her wrist he held on tight, rather amused at the absolute shock in her eyes.  Frank held firm as she tried to pull away, embarrassed at her inability to escape.  He gave a gentle tug, pulling her a little closer.  He stared into her eyes as he spoke, his voice low and deadly. 

“Stay away from me, stay away from my brother.  And if I ever find out you said Joe’s kidnapping was his own fault again, you will regret it.” He finally released her wrist, but never took his eyes off her.

Rubbing her wrist, Kelly backed up a few steps, putting a comfortable distance between herself and Frank.  “Is that a threat?” she scoffed.

Frank waited a beat and smiled dangerously.  “Yes.”  Turning on his heel Frank returned to the house.  His first thought was to find Joe.  He needed to make sure Joe hadn’t taken any of Kelly’s ludicrous accusations to heart.  Walking into the kitchen he saw Joe standing in front of the refrigerator, a glass of water in his hand.

“How ya doing?” Frank asked tentatively.

Joe finished off the glass of water and looked at his brother, puzzled.  “You mean Kelly?” he finally asked.

Frank nodded.

Joe made a face and shook his head.  “Her elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top floor!”

Frank couldn’t help but chuckle at the description.  “Good. I was afraid you might actually believe some of the crap she was throwing at you.”

“Are you kidding?” Joe cried out.  “She hates the whole world; I just happen to be at the top of the list.”  He stopped and gave a mock shudder.  “Kinda scary to think we share the same DNA, huh?”  He grinned at Frank, his eyes sparkling in that way they did when he was about to land a zinger.  “Just think, you coulda gotten her for a younger sibling instead of me.  Kinda makes you appreciate me all the more, doesn’t it?”

Frank rolled his eyes, though grateful to finally see Joe smile about something, even if it was to get in a dig at his expense.  “Your modesty is underwhelming.” He jerked his head towards the hallway that led to the bedroom.  “Why don’t you get back to work before your head is too big to fit through the doorway?”

Before Joe could respond in kind, they heard the doorbell.  “Geez, for a house whose owner has been missing for two weeks, this place is busier than Grand Central Station!” Joe said, following Frank out of the kitchen.

As they entered the living room they saw Sam closing the door, an envelope in his hand.

“Who was that?” Frank asked.

“Delivery,” Sam held up the envelope and then tore it open.

“Uh, isn’t it illegal to open other people’s mail,” Joe observed.

Sam grinned as he pulled out a folded sheet of paper.  “Yes, but as far as I know it’s not against the law to open your own mail,” he said wryly.  “This was addressed to us.”

“Us?” Frank rushed forward with Joe on his heels.  “Who knows we’re here?”

Silence fell over the room as Frank and Joe read the contents of the letter over Sam’s shoulder.  Joe finished first.  He looked at the other two, excitement in his eyes.

“What are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”