No longer sure why he'd been so worried, he leaned back in his chair and relaxed. All in all, this evening had turned out quite well.

"Penny for your thoughts, Frank?" his father spoke.

"Hmm?" Frank asked, coming out of his reverie.

"He's probably already trying to solve our new case," Joe teased. "You know how Frank is. One track mind. If there's a mystery to work on, he can't concentrate on anything else."

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Frank drolly replied.

"So what is your new case?" Fenton asked, helping himself to another serving of Gertrude's potato salad. He held the bowl out to Vanessa, then Nancy. As they both shook their heads at his offer of seconds, he turned to Laurie. Watching her enthusiastic nod, he spooned a second helping onto her plate. "She has a good appetite for a four year old," he said with a wink at Nancy. Turning back to his son, he asked. "Is it anything I might be able to help you with?"

Laura sighed. Life certainly was back to normal at her house. "Fenton, did it ever occur to you that maybe Nancy and Vanessa would like to hold a conversation that doesn't revolve around a mystery?"

Joe nearly choked on his lemonade. "Are we talking about the same Nancy that I know?" he asked with a grin. "C'mon, Mom. You know that Nancy Drew can't resist a good mystery. And for that matter, neither can Vanessa, providing I'm involved with it of course."

Vanessa grinned at Joe. "Don't flatter yourself, Joe. How do you know I wasn't dating you just to get to tag along on all those cases?"

Everyone laughed as Joe tried to think of an appropraite comeback. Before he could voice it; Frank answered Fenton's question.

"Well, I guess I could tell you a little about it. Chief Collig did say that he wanted this kept quiet, though. Joe and I are supposed to be working this alone, so..."

Nancy patted his hand. "We understand Frank. If you guys want to share with us, we'll keep it quiet. If you don't, no one's going to be upset with you."

Frank smiled. "There were some newspaper clippings in the file the Chief gave us to read, so I'm sure it's not something that's a complete secret anyway." He turned to his parents and aunt. "Have any of you heard of a high school teacher by the name of Emma Lawson?"

His parents both shook their heads. Gertrude Hardy looked thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the name. "Oh, my, that girl! I know exactly who she is. She's been teaching science over at Bayport High for the past couple of years. At least until last week. My friend Lorna's daughter was called to fill in for Emma at summer school. What a nasty mess." She shook her head sadly.

"What happened?" Nancy asked, setting her water glass down. "Why isn't Emma teaching anymore?"

"Because, dear, she killed herself about a week ago. Rumor has it that she took a bunch of sleeping pills and washed it down with a bottle of liquor."

"The rumors would appear to be right," Frank said.

"I don't understand," Vanessa responded, looking puzzled. "If she took her own life, why call you guys in to investigate?"

"There's some question as to whether or not she actually committed suicide," Joe answered, sliding his chair closer to Vanessa. Snaking his arm around her shoulder, he continued. "There's a possibility that someone may have forced her to take the pills. Her family believes she was murdered."

"Murdered!" Laura said, glancing at over at Laurie. "In that case, maybe we should hold this conversation later. You know what they say about little pitchers having big ears."

Laurie looked up. "I'm not little pitcher, Grandma. I'm a little girl. And my ears aren't big."

After the laughter died down, Nancy spoke. "Laurie, if you're done eating, you can play for awhile. I put a couple of your Barbie dolls in your bag before we left." Laurie didn't wait to be told twice. She hadn't seen her Barbie dolls since they'd gotten packed a few weeks ago and had been dying to play with them.

As soon as Frank was sure that Laurie was absorbed in greeting her Barbies, he outlined what little they knew about the case. Emma Lawson had been dating fellow high school teacher Steven Taylor for a little over a year. Steven was Bayport High's assistant coach for both the football and baseball teams in addition to teaching both history and American civics courses. During the course of the past month, he and Emma had become engaged. Everyone had been so happy for the couple. From what friends and family had told the police, they seemed "made for each other". That is, until Steve came in from practice last week and found Emma dead from an overdose of pills on his bed.

"She even left a note behind," Frank said. "It didn't say too much. Just enough to give the general idea that she had taken her own life." There was silence around the table as he finished the story.

"Wow," Vanessa said softly. "It sounds like she had so much to live for. What on earth possessed her to kill herself like that?" She turned her blue eyes toward Joe. "I just don't understand. Why take your own life?"

"I don't know," Joe told Vanessa, squeezing her shoulders. "I've never understood how something like that happens, either. No matter how bad things seem, there's always a way to make it better."

"I guess some people can't see that, though," Laura said. "All they can see is the hopelessness and despair in their life. They can't find their way back out."

"I think I understand why you're investigating," Nancy broke in, "Emma had everything going for her, didn't she? She didn't have any reasons to feel hopeless and suicidal. That's why her family believes she was murdered."

"That and one other reason," Frank said.

"What would that be?" Fenton asked.

Frank looked over at Joe. Joe responded. "It would seem that her fiance, Steven, lost his first wife two years ago in a similiar fashion."

Nancy looked thoughtful. "His first wife overdosed on pills?"

Joe shook his head. "No, she was a little dramatic about it." He glanced at Frank. Frank was silent, now staring down at his plate. "She jumped off the cliffs to her death. Not far from where your car went over, Nan. She left behind Steven and their two year old son."

"Oh," Nancy said quietly. "Did anyone witness the first wife's death?"

"Just one. Apparently a thirteen year old neighbor had went past on her bike a few minutes before she jumped. She told the police that Sara, that was the woman's name, had been standing at the railing, looking out over the water, when she'd rode by. Steven Taylor's car was parked near the side of the road. She didn't remember seeing Steven though. It seems that Steven had an appointment around that time for a physical at Dr. Greenbriar's office. Since he was there at the time the little girl said she saw Sara; he was off the hook."

"And his car?" Vanessa asked.

"He said he had it all day. The files state that no one was able to prove any different, so...." Joe's voice trailed off.

"That does look suspicious," Fenton remarked. "I assume the district attorney is looking for evidence to indight Steven Taylor on murder charges. Is that what you two are doing? Trying to find the evidence he needs?"

"Exactly," Frank said. "Chief Collig wants us to get close to Steven. We're supposed to find out as much about his life as possible, see if we can't link the two deaths." He sighed. "It doesn't look like it's going to be easy either. Everyone involved seems to really like Steven Taylor."

Joe shrugged. "If it was going to be easy, Chief Collig wouldn't have called us. He knows we're up to the challenge."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Laurie cried. Frank jumped as his heart rate nearly tripled. He'd almost forgotten that she was there. Turning quickly in his chair, he saw her running toward him, one small fist clinched tightly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

She opened her hand to reveal a small, still firefly. "Look what I found! Isn't it pretty? It was sitting on Grandma's flowers, flashing like a Christmas light."

"Yeah," Frank answered, waiting for the beating of his heart to slow down. "It's a firefly, sweetie." He looked more closely at the little insect. "I think this one's dead, though. You can't squeeze them very much. It kills them."

Tears formed on the edges of Laurie's eyes. "I killed it?" Her voice quivered.

"Now look what you've done," Joe said to Frank. "No, honey, you didn't mean to kill it. It's just that you've never seen a firefly before, so you haven't learned how to catch them yet. There's a special way to do it that keeps them from getting hurt."

Frank looked curiously at Nancy. "She's never caught fireflies before?" he asked.

Nancy shrugged. "No, Frank, she hasn't. You generally don't see them in California."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," Joe said. "I noticed that the first summer I was out there. I looked it up online and it seems that they don't like the western United States. In fact, they rarely make an appearance west of Kansas."

"Interesting." Frank stared for a moment at the dead bug in his daughter's hand. "So you've never went hunting for fireflies?" Laurie shook her head from side to side.

"It was really pretty, Daddy. Can you make it not killed? I want it to light up again."

He stroked her hair. "It's ok, Laurie. In a few minutes it'll be dark and then you'll see that there's hundreds more fireflies. In fact," he looked at his mother "If your grandmother can find us a jar, I'll teach you how to catch them."

"Yeah!" Laurie's eyes brightened. She looked over at her grandmother, who was getting to her feet.

"Well, I guess I'm going in to find a clean jar for fireflies. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As darkness fell, Frank took his small daughter into the field behind the Hardy's house and showed her how to catch a firefly by cupping her hands around them; effectively trapping them in the space between. With each firefly she trapped, Frank would tap on the lid, knocking the little insects who were trying to climb out of the jar down to the bottom, remove the lid, and help Laurie deposit the fragile insects into the jar. Then, swiftly screwing the lid back on the jar, he'd follow her across the field to the next firefly. Time seemed to fall back for Frank as he momentarily recaptured his childhood. Hours spent chasing fireflies with Joe emerged into the edge of Frank's memories. Grinning, he remembered the time that Joe had emptied a jar of these same bugs onto the lap of the little girl next door. Unfortunately for Joe, the little girl did not like insects of any kind. Frank could still hear her screams echoing in his mind.

Joe had at first been crestfallen. Then, as he and Chet had fallen over laughing at the "great joke" Joe had played on the "dumb" girl; Joe had joined in on the laughter.

"Daddy?" Laurie asked, holding out her firefly to him.

"What?" he asked, removing the lid for her. As the firefly joined his brethren in the jar, he closed the top.

"Grandpa's been waving at us for a couple of minutes."

"Then we should probably see what he wants." Frank picked his little girl up and carried her back over to where everyone else sat, watching the entire time. He put Laurie down next to Nancy, carefully placing her jar of fireflies away from the candles on the table that his mother had lit as it grew dark.

"Did you see us, Mommy?" Laurie turned and reached for her twinkling jar. "That was fun!"

"I saw you," Nancy replied, hugging her close. "I remember doing that as a little girl. I loved catching fireflies."

"You did?" Laurie asked.

"Um, hmm," Nancy answered, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. "I did." She looked up at Frank. "It looked like your dad had fun doing that too."

"I did, actually," Frank said. "I'd forgotten how much fun catching bugs can be."

"Good," Fenton said. "You need to spend some quality father-daughter time together. In fact," he continued, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, "I promised Laurie that you'd do some tonight. She is in need of a new coloring book. She used hers up on the airplane trip." He looked over at his granddaughter, who was beaming with joy at him. "I'd like you and Joe to run over to the department store with Laurie and pick her a new one up. They'll be closing in about an hour, so you two need to do it now."

"What's the big hurry?" Joe asked. "It's getting late enough that she probably won't be able to color in it until tomorrow anyway...."

"Joe," Laura interrupted. "Humor us."

"Ok," he drawled out. Taking Laurie by the hand, and taking the bill Fenton offered, he threw Frank a look. "Come on Frank. They want us to get lost for awhile." He looked at his dad. "Are we taking Vanessa too?"

"Sure," Fenton said. "She can keep the two of you out of trouble." He looked at Nancy. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to stay awhile. You can keep us company."

Vanessa shot Nancy a look of sympathy and waved as she half followed, half pushed Frank out of the yard. Nancy listened for the sound of the car starting up, and then turned to face the three remaining Hardys.

"So," she started. "I assume this is where we discuss the way I left here five years ago and why I didn't come back."

"Not exactly," Fenton said. "I've heard that story. I even understand your reasons. I'm not saying I agree with what you did, or that I'm happy about it. But I do understand how it happened."

"Okay," Nancy breathed. "Thank you."

Gertrude Hardy stood up. "This would be my cue to go to my room. I believe I have a date tonight with a new James Patterson novel."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay, Gertrude?" Laura asked.

"No," she said, smiling. "This is between the three of you." She turned to Nancy. "I'm happy to see you again, Nancy. Quite happy that you're still in one piece and delighted with my great-niece. Whatever sentiments are shared here tonight, I back them fully. However," she paused for a second, "I will be watching you. Do even one little thing to hurt Frank, and you'll answer to me before these two ever get the chance to deal with you. Now, good night dear." Gertrude patted Nancy's hand and headed toward the house.

"Well," Fenton said. "Short, sweet, and to the point." He tilted his head to look at Nancy. "My sister doesn't beat around the bush." He glanced at his wife, who had moved from one of the patio chairs to sit next to Nancy at the picnic table.

"Nancy," Laura said. "We want you to know that there's no hard feelings between us over what you did. Yes, you hurt everyone, especially Frank, by letting us think you were dead. But I think you know that already. And I don't think that causing so much pain was your intention."

Nancy shook her head. "No, it wasn't. I..." she stopped, unsure of what to say next. "You know, I had this all worked out in my head this morning. Exactly what I wanted to say to you guys. A full apology." She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked Fenton straight in the eye. "I betrayed everyone, including both of you. You treated me as if I were your daughter, and in my confusion and fear, I walked out on that. Somehow, saying I'm sorry just doesn't seem like enough."

Fenton nodded. "Good. I'm glad you feel that way." Laura frowned at him. "I'm not wanting you to feel bad," he added hastily. "I just want you to understand the seriousness of what you did."

"I do," she said. "I should have come back sooner. I realize that. I realized that after Laurie was born. I just couldn't find the courage to face my mistake. It took Joe to help me find that."

Laura reached out and took Nancy's hand. Nancy looked into the face of the woman that had been so kind to her and was amazed that Laura could still smile at her despite how she'd treated her everyone. "I want to know exactly why you're back in Bayport, Nancy." she said. "I'm glad you're here and I'm looking forward to spending time with both you and Laurie. But, I need to know exactly what your reasons are for being here."

Nancy smiled. "Do you mean am I here for Laurie? Or for Frank?"

"I always knew you were a smart girl," Fenton said. "That's exactly what we're wanting to know. We don't want to see Frank get his heart broken again."

"He won't," Nancy said. "Right now, we're just friends. I won't lie to you and say that I don't have any feelings for your son. I do still love him. I never stopped. But we have to get to know each other again. What seemed so right five years ago may not work anymore thanks to my actions. I have to work at regaining his trust in me. And I don't intend to put Frank in a position to get hurt by me again."

"So, you're not dating or anything?" Laura queried.

"Not that I know of," Nancy said, smiling. "We agreed to try being friends first. If we reach a point that we think we can pick up where we left off, then..." her voice trailed off. She managed a smile. "Who knows what the future holds, right?"

Fenton sat back in his chair. "Ok, then. That's what we needed to hear. Frank told us pretty much the same thing when we talked to him about this a few months ago."

Nancy grinned. "So, did we get our stories straight?" she asked.

Fenton grinned back. "Pretty much. You were a little more honest than Frank, though."

"How so?" Nancy wanted to know.

"You admitted to still being in love with Frank. He danced around that issue." Fenton replied.

"Really?" Nancy said. "Interesting."

"Yes," Laura said. "But I know my son. He still cares about you very much."

Nancy nodded. "He told that. But it's the me from five years ago that he loves. So we'll see how it goes with this me now." She contemplated what she'd said. "Did that make sense?"

"Yes, it did," Gertrude's voice came down from an open window above. "Ok. She's told you what you wanted to hear. Now wrap it up before the boys get back."

Laura laughed. "Let's go, Nancy. I know you're probably tired, but you can help me out a little in the kitchen cleaning up while we wait for Frank to get back and take you home."

Nancy nodded and followed Laura toward the house. Turning around, she looked back at Fenton. "Are you sure you're ok with me being here?" she asked. "Because I'd understand perfectly if..."

Fenton smiled. "I'm fine. Besides, I already promised Carson to keep an eye on you while you're here. And I don't intend to lose track of you this time. So my sister won't be the only one keeping tabs on you. Now go in and help Laura. If she's got you doing the dishes, it means I don't have to help tonight." He smiled as Nancy disappeared into the house. Blowing out the candles, he sat back and stared up at the stars. Nancy had seemed quite sincere in her words. Fenton felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Knowing that Nancy planned to give everyone time to regain their trust in her would allow him to enjoy having his granddaughter in Bayport. He wouldn't have to spend as much time worrying about what Nancy was up to.

Hearing Frank's car in the drive, he picked up the little jar of fireflies and went inside.

Passing the kitchen, he could hear Laura and Nancy talking. Pausing for a moment, he made a face. Childbirth. They were discussing childbirth. That had to be Laura's choice of conversation. Shuddering, he went into the living room.

"Grandpa! Look, it's a Spiderman coloring book. Uncle Joe talked me into getting this since I've got so many Barbie ones."

"I see that," Fenton said, his eyes twinkling. Sitting on the couch, he picked Laurie up and began to leaf through the coloring book with her.

Frank glanced around the living room. "Um, Dad?"

"If you're wondering where Nancy is, Frank, she's in the kitchen with your mother. We didn't run her off, despite what you may have thought. And your aunt is upstairs, reading her new book."

"Ah," Frank said. He stood still for a moment, then moved toward the kitchen.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Fenton cautioned. He pointed to a page and spoke quietly to Laurie. Laurie giggled.

"Why?" Frank asked, pausing in the doorway to the dining room.

"When I passed by a few minutes ago, they were bonding over childbirth stories. Your mother was telling, in great detail I might add, about the night you were born. So, unless you want to hear about 18 hours of labor..."

"Ew," Joe said. Turning to Vanessa, he grinned. "I think if we leave now, we could just catch the last showing of that romantic comedy you wanted to see. What do you say, Vanessa? Want to go?"

"Sure," she said. "If that's what it takes to get you to volunteer to see a romantic movie, let's go. Before you change your mind." Seeing the stricken look on Frank's face, she shrugged. "Sorry, Frank. But sometimes a girl's got to take what she can get when she can get it." Joe and Vanessa turned and vanished into the night.

"Traitors," Frank muttered. He turned to his dad and Laurie, considering taking Laurie out for a walk. They were completely engrossed in the coloring book. Looking back at the doorway that would lead him to the kitchen, he sighed. There was no way he was going in there. Flopping down onto the couch, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "I guess when she's ready to go home, she'll come find out and find me."

Fenton looked over at his son. "Welcome to family life, Frank."