"I’m Detective Allen. What can I do for you?"

"I’m Frank Hardy and this is my bother, Joe. We are looking for some information."

"If you want information, go to a phone and call the operator."

"We’re investigating some events at the high school. We’re detectives hired by Mr. Andrews to find out how the guns appeared at the school. We were recommended to do this by our father, Fenton Hardy."

Detective Allen looked at them both. "You said your last name is Hardy? Are you related to Fenton Hardy?"

"He’s our father."

"But how do you know about the guns?"

"Mr. Andrews told us," Joe said.

"We were wondering if you knew who the guns belonged to," Frank said quickly.

Detective Allen remained quiet and Frank and Joe figured he was not going to tell them anything. He finally spoke. "The guns we found were reported stolen two weeks before they were found in the school."

"Do you know who the guns belong to?" Frank asked.

"The guns were stolen from two homes. The Lights and the Morgans."

Frank looked at Joe and knew his little brother saw the connection. Frank asked, "They guns were reported stolen before they were found, right?"

"That’s correct. Both homes kept guns in locked glass cases. The parents were the only ones who had keys."

"It’s possible that if they have children, they could be able to steal the keys and get the guns out of the case, right?"

"It’s a possibility. But we talked with the kids and they denied taking them. The children were out of the house at the time of the reported theft."

"Were there any prints on the guns?" Joe asked.

"No prints at all."

"Were the kids given lie-detector tests?" Joe wondered.

"There was no reason for it. The kids denied taking the guns and their parents believed them."

"What can you tell us about the families?" Frank asked.

"Both families are well-know in the community and have respecting positions in the local government. Their children are well behaved. I can’t believe the kids would do anything to hurt anyone. Someone else is responsible."

Frank remained quiet. He had a feeling the detective was wrong. He had this feeling that Matt and Ashley were involved. Frank looked at Joe. He could tell Joe didn’t believe the detective either.

Frank got to his feet as Joe did the same. Frank thanked the detective for his time and left the police station with Joe.

Once they were outside, Joe said, "That was a waste of time."

"No it wasn’t."

"The detective didn’t give us any useful information."

"Yes, he did."

Frank saw Joe looking at him with wide eyes. Joe asked, "Were we talking to the same detective?"

"Yes, we were." Frank looked at his watch. "Come on. We need to meet Nancy. I’ll explain later."

* * * * *

Half an hour later, Frank and Joe returned to the hotel. A few minutes later, Nancy arrived with a bag of snacks. As they munched on the snack, Frank told Nancy and Joe what the detective had said.

When he finished, Frank said, "I believe Matt and Ashley are involved."

"Why is that?" Nancy asked.

"Both of them had the opportunity to take the guns from the glass cases in their homes."

"They did have the opportunity, but it doesn’t prove they are involved," Joe said.

"I know it doesn’t prove anything, but hear me out." Frank took a breath. "Suppose Matt and Ashley really dislike the other students for a reason they only know. They want to make the other students pay. So, they steal their parents’ guns and take them to school as preparation to get even with them in the future. I mean, we have heard all those stories about students who have been teased and treated poorly. They then take matters into their own hands and go into a school shooting."

"Why did they put the names on the list?" Nancy asked.

"I think they did it as a warning to let people know what was coming."

"Some people may see the information and they might not know what is really going on," Nancy said. "The warning might not get passed along."

"That’s a possibility," Frank said. "But whoever made the list has a strong dislike for the others."

"But why would someone go to such great lengths to get someone else?" Joe asked. "It doesn’t make sense."

"I don’t know, but we will figure this out."

"Frank, can you pull up that list so I can see it?" Nancy asked.

"Sure." Frank pulled his computer out and searched for the information.

* * * * *

A half hour later, the information came up on the screen. Nancy was looked at the screen over Frank’s shoulder. After a few minutes, Nancy said, "Whatever is going to happen is going to happen on Friday."

"We really need to figure out who is involved and stop it before anything happens," Frank said. He looked at Nancy. "I have an idea on how to check that out."

Frank looked at Joe, who was sitting on the bed. Joe looked at Frank, then at Nancy and back to Frank. Joe said, "Forget it."

"I haven’t even told you my idea."

"It doesn’t matter," Joe said. "Because in the end, I’ll end up doing something stupid."

"You won’t." Joe raised his eyebrows.

"What’s the idea?" Nancy asked.

"Joe gets close to Ashley and tries to find out as much as possible."

Joe stared at them. Frank knew Joe would accept his assignment and smiled when Joe said, "Ashley will be putty in my hands."

"Just be careful, Joe," Frank said. "If Ashley is involved, we don’t want to alert her that we know she’s involved."

"I’m always careful."

Frank and Nancy looked at each other. Frank said, "We know how careful you are."

"Do you think we should contact the authorities?" Nancy asked.

"We don’t have anything to give them. They will want proof."

"I hope we get the proof in time."

"So do I, Nancy. So do I."

* * * * *

The next morning, Frank and Joe arrived at the school early. While Frank went to the library, Joe wandered around looking for Ashley. After looking for ten minutes, he finally spotted her standing by an open locker.

Joe moved toward her. When he reached her, he said, "I’ve been looking for you."

Ashley turned to him smiling. "I’ve been right here."

"I’ve been thinking about you since yesterday," Joe said, leaning against the locker. "I was hoping to get to know you better."

Ashley smiled even more. "I’m glad you finally came to your senses."

"Why don’t we go outside to talk?" Joe suggested.

"All right." Ashley closed her locker and they went outside.

They found a bench outside and sat down. Ashley turned to Joe. "You know, Joe, I’m glad we got this chance to talk. The first time I saw you I knew I wanted to get to know you better."

"How come?"

"Every new student interests me. No one knows where they come from. It’s a nice way to learn about other places that I may never see."

"I see your point," Joe said.

"Where are you from?"

"New York."

"I can’t understand why you’d move away from a place like New York."

"It’s not my choice. My parents are moving down here. They are driving down with all our belongings. They sent us ahead so we wouldn’t miss any school."

"You must have had a girlfriend back home."

"I did, but I broke off the relationship before we left. I didn’t want a long distance relationship." Joe looked at Ashley. "I wanted a new start and a chance to meet new people."

"You are different from the guys around here."

Joe pushed Ashley’s hair behind her ear. "How am I different?"

"You seem interested in a lot of things. You don’t focus on just one item."

"What’s that one item?"

"Most of the guys here are only interested in guns."

"Guns aren’t that important."

"The guys here believe they are. There are several clubs for guns in town. A lot of kids bring guns to school too."

"Doesn’t that make you feel uncomfortable?" Joe asked.

"Sometimes. But I’m fine when I have a gun in my hand."

"You know how to shoot?"

"Of course. My father taught me."

"I can’t picture you holding a gun."

"I do. And I shoot really well too."

"Your parents must keep the guns locked up."

"Not really. They keep the guns in a glass case, but the case is left unlocked. I could show you the guns if you’d like."

"I’m not interested. Guns can be dangerous if they are in the wrong hands. And besides, I can solve my problems with words, not guns."

"Guns are only dangerous if you don’t know how to use them. Would you like to learn?"

"No thanks. I don’t want anything to do with guns."

Ashley leaned over and gave Joe a kiss. When they broke apart, Ashley said, "You really are different."

"You’re different from the girls I’ve known in the past too," Joe said.

The bell rang at that moment. "We should probably head back so we don’t get detention for being late."

"All right."

As they walked back toward the building, Joe said, "Let’s hang out together after school."

"I’d like that."

"Let’s meet at the basketball court."

"I’ll see you there," Ashley said as they walked inside. She turned and walked away from Joe.

Joe made his way up the stairs. He reached the top and saw Frank was waiting for him. He moved to Frank as he asked, "How did it go?"

"I’m meeting Ashley later. But I did find out she has easy access to her parents’ guns."

"Are you sure?"

Joe nodded. "Ashley even knows how to shoot."

"This isn’t good."

"I know I’ll find out more this afternoon. We’re going to hang out together."

"Just be careful," Frank said. "We don’t need her to find out about us."

"I’ll be careful."

"Good. Now get to class."

Frank and Joe headed to their classes.