INTERLUDE:

Joe climbed slowly to his feet.  Somehow, they carried him into the bathroom where he intensely vomited into the toilet.

Joe leaned forward and closed his eyes, resting his cheek on the toilet lid and urging himself not to cry.

Don’t give him the pleasure, Joe thought.  Don’t do it, Hardy.  Just… just…

But the tears fell.

The tears of betrayal were the bitterest tears of all.  He couldn’t stand what happened.  He wasn’t sure he would, if he ever got out of this, be able to live with it.  Yet somehow, he knew he would have to try. 

I hate him, Joe thought intently.

One day, he’s going to pay.

**** **** **** ****

“I think we should head over to Cambridge from here,” Fenton glanced over at his partner who was staring intently at the cup of coffee in his hands, as thought it held the secrets of the universe and the winning lottery numbers all in one.  Sam looked up at him for a moment and back at his coffee, his eyes contemplative.

“What’s wrong, Sam?” Fenton asked Sam.

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted.  Radley finished the coffee in his cup and signaled to the server to deliver another cup.  “I’m tired of running in circles, Fenton.  We’re getting screwed by a teenager.  We go in one direction; suddenly we have to go in another direction.  This is not investigation as it should be.”

Fenton frowned and tapped his fingers on the table.  They currently awaited the arrival of their breakfasts.  They were ready to start out driving that morning but it hadn’t worked out.  There was no clear-cut direction to go now, nothing, really, to pursue.  Fenton felt searching the rest of the houses all through Massachusetts was a waste of time and Sam agreed.

“So, what do you want to do?” Fenton asked as the server sat his meal on the table in front of him.  He took a few bites of the eggs and sighed with relief.  He was absolutely starving!

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted.  “Andrew – and Cathy – planned this really well.  I still think there’s someone we’re missing.  I just don’t know that the two of them could do all of this alone.”

Fenton chewed on some pancakes; they were not nearly as good as Laura’s but good enough to curb imminent starvation.  Fenton chewed industriously on a few bites before he spoke.

“Well,” Fenton said a moment later.  “I agree with you, actually.”

He paused for a moment, considering his words.

“I’ve had this very strong feeling for the last day or so that someone – not Andrew, not Cathy, not even Rich and his daughter, are yanking our chains.  I really keep wondering just how much of this whole thing Andrew could have set-up on his own.  Even taking into account his supposed brilliance… well, anyway…”

Fenton shrugged.

“Maybe I’m paranoid,” he sighed.  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

They finished eating in silence and went back out to the car.

“So what do you think?” Fenton asked.  “ Cambridge ?  Or somewhere else?”

“ Cambridge ,” Sam agreed.  “And maybe, after that, back to Connecticut .”

“ Connecticut ?” Fenton asked.  “The mansion?”

Radley nodded as he took the car out of the parking lot and headed back toward the highway.  “Yeah,” he said.  “I have a feeling… I think that’s it.”

Fenton raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  He did, however, think for a very long time.

And, for once, he began to put things together, things that were starting, slowly, to make sense.

 

They were stuck in traffic around Boston – inevitably trapped by the multitude of cars there, when Fenton’s cell phone rang.

“Fenton,” the voice was Audrey Simpson’s.  She sounded… lost.

“Yeah,” Fenton said.  “Audrey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid we’re having to pull out.  Deanna’s team, that is.  We had… there was a problem in Virginia .”

Oh, God, Fenton thought.  What?  Not Deanna.  Please, God, Not Deanna!

“Deanna’s husband, Daniel… there was a fire in the warehouse we were searching and… he didn’t get out,” Audrey’s voice sounded thick with tears.  “I’m so sorry, Fenton.  We have to leave you on your own.  You’ll have backup from the local F.B.I. team, of course, and they will stay on the case until the end but I know Deanna would want me to apologize.  She’s never left a case early before.”

“No!” Fenton exclaimed.  “Dear God, Audrey, I’m not that cruel.  You go be with her and… and tell her I’ll be thinking of her, all right?  Go on.”

“’Kay.  Bye, Fenton,” and Audrey was gone.

“We’re on our own,” Fenton said in a dry voice to Sam.  “We’re on our own.”

*** *** *** *** ***

"Wow."

Impressed, Mandy looked up at the large, three-story house that they stood in front of, as she wondered just why it was that some people seemed to have all the luck.  This house was easily the size her home had once been, before the explosion, and stretched from side-to-side in an impressive display of size.  She looked behind her at where Connor and Sam both stood, both with matching expressions of awe on their face as Mandy checked the small piece of paper in her hand with the address.

"This is it?" Connor asked, stunned.  "Geez, and we thought the Andiron mansion was huge!"

"This is it," Mandy showed him the piece of paper.  "According to Lindsey anyway.  Come on, let's go inside and check it out."

"Just how big is it?" Frank asked curiously.  "I mean, it can't be all that big, can it?"

"Frank, do you remember our house?" Mandy asked him.

"Well, yeah," Frank said.  "Of course I do."

"This is about twice the size of that."

Frank was definitely impressed by that, at least it seemed so by the expression on his face.

Mandy turned to the door and checked through the window.  She pinpointed where the security alarm was located before she scouted the bushes lining the front of the property until she found a small key.  She used that to open the door then raced to the touch pad for the security alarm and keyed in the number given to her by Lindsey.

"Okay, we should be clear now," Mandy turned back to the others.  "Let's go check this out."

It looked like the kind of place her very wealthy cousin would inhabit, not just own.  Inside the trappings were as luxurious – and modern – as anything Mandy had seen.  Definitely masculine with just a hint of curve to it, it had obviously cost Andrew quite a bit of money to furnish just this one room.

"Holy Moses," Connor breathed as he closed the door behind him.  "Man, look at this place!"

"I'm looking," Mandy said.  "He spent a pretty penny in here.  Over a hundred thousand if I know anything about design."

"Interesting," Frank murmured as Sam led him into the room and helped him locate the first of the sofas.  "Feels expensive too."

"Do you think he means to live here, sometime?" Samantha asked as she sat down on the sofa.  "I mean… there has to be a reason it's so… well done.  Right?"

"Right," Mandy agreed.  "I think he does mean to live here.  Let's look at the rest of the place."

The next room was a dining room, just as modern as the living room, just as fanciful and expensive as well.  The room beyond that was the kitchen which was also attached to a very large family room.  The kitchen was the best kitchen Mandy had ever seen, with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, mahogany cabinets and pillars all throughout.  The island was bigger than their kitchen back in Bayport had been, and that hadn't been even remotely small.

Connor opened up the refrigerator and whistled when he saw the food inside.

"There's enough here to feed a small army," Connor commented.  "Why would he have so much stuff stocked if he didn't mean to stay here?"

"He does mean to stay here," Frank said.  "It's obviously the place he has set-up for himself… and probably Joe.  Let's check the bedrooms and see what we find."

"Yeah," Mandy agreed.  "Let's do that."

They walked up a large, grand staircase that took them up to a circular hallway that several doors went out of.  Mandy opened a set of double French doors that went into a very spacious master bedroom.

"Whew," Connor gasped.  "My God, Mandy, look at this place."

It was a place of modern luxury and… romance.  It reminded Mandy of a magazine she'd seen once with a bedroom set-up to look like ancient Rome – but a very modern ancient Rome .  Modern appointments, a four-poster canopy bed, all in dark colors.  There were four columns about the room and little niches cut into the walls filled with bric-a-brac and tchotchkes. 

Mandy went to the next set of double French doors and opened them, finding on the other side a very large master bathroom with a two-person spa tub, a separate two-person shower, and a double vanity.  It was done all over in marble on the floors and walls and dark granite on the counters and more dark mahogany on the cabinets.  Beyond that were two more separate doors, each leading into walk-in closets.  Both closets were filled with clothing for young men, shirts, pants, jeans, jackets and even a tuxedo a piece, along with shoes. 

Mandy let out a gasp when she saw that plaques bearing the names of each person were hanging from one wall in each closet.  One said 'Drew' and the other 'Joe'.

"That sick S.O.B.," Mandy declared hotly as she looked about the room.  "I'm going to kill him."

"What is it?" Frank asked.  Mandy told him and he flushed a little, going red.  "Too bad he won't get to use it, huh?"

"Yeah, too bad," Mandy agreed numbly.  She looked away again and poked through the bathroom cabinets.  They spread out and looked through the different drawers for any paperwork Andrew might have left behind but they found none of it in the bedroom.

"Okay, gang," Mandy said to Frank and Sam.  "I'm going to go take Connor and go through the other rooms.  I want to find an office, if he has one.  You guys be alright up here for a bit?"

"Yeah," Frank nodded.  "We'll be fine."

Mandy led Connor out of the room and down the hall.  They poked their heads into various doors on the floor where they stood but saw nothing of interest.  After not finding the office on this floor, they went back down to the main floor and searched, finally finding a lush den located at the back of the house on the main floor.

"Wow," Mandy echoed her earlier words.  "My dad would love this."

"So would Joe," Connor said softly.  "Heck, I love it – except who it belongs to."

Mandy nodded and went began to search drawers.  Except for pens, notepads and a stapler, the drawers of the large mahogany desk were empty.   Even the filing cabinets were empty.

"Look at this, Mandy," Connor motioned to the large armoire, which housed a large television and assorted other pieces of electronic equipment.  "Doesn't it look like it's set out from the wall a bit?"

"It'll take an army to move this thing," Mandy said.  "Are you sure it's worth trying?"

"I'm sure," Connor agreed.  "Look, I can manage one side.  If we go get Samantha, you and she should be able to move the other side enough for you to get a closer look.  I'm pretty sure I see an alcove in the wall behind.  It might be for the TV.  Then again, it might not."

"Alright," Mandy agreed.  "I'll go get Sam and we'll check this puppy out."

** ** ** ** **

"You know, Frank, it's scary," Sam murmured after Mandy and Connor wandered off.  Frank was feeling his way along the walls again, tapping carefully in certain spots to try to find any empty or echoing spots that might prove to be a hidden room.

"What is?" Frank asked, distracted.

"Just how much Joe would love this house – in other circumstances," Sam sounded sad, very sad.  "He would love this house, I think."

"That is scary," Frank agreed.  He found and pulled Sam closer and kissed her.  He stroked her hair for a moment before he let her go.  "Feel better?"

He stroked her cheek and felt her smile.  Sam touched his own face and he smiled back at her, appreciating the gesture.

"Let's head down the hallway, maybe we can find something in the other bedrooms," Frank suggested a few moments later.  They went down the hallway to the next room and did a careful search of that room and the next one over but found nothing at all that would help.

They were about to move to the room across the hall when footsteps pounded up the stairs and came down the hallway toward them. 

"Will you be okay for a minute, Frank?  I need to borrow Sam," Mandy asked.

"Sure," Frank leaned forward on his cane.  "What for?"

"Girl power," Mandy said.  "Let's go, Sam."

They left, leaving Frank to continue his upstairs search.  Using his cane to tap his way along, he made his way into the room across the hall and used it to locate the bed.  He slid along the bed until he found a nightstand and he opened up the top drawer to feel inside.  Finding it empty, he searched the bottom drawer and found it empty as well. 

Frank sat back on the bed in frustration.  This whole house was proving to be a dead-end.  He had no reason to believe Mandy found anything, even though she took Sam to do something or other.  He rubbed at his nose and frowned when he got a whiff of unfamiliar perfume. 

Frank turned in the direction where he remembered the door lay and was about to stand when he felt something cold, metallic and round pressed against his forehead.

A gun barrel.

"Hullo, Frank," a vaguely familiar female voice said.  "Looking for something?"

Frank froze in place, hands at his side, one holding on loosely to the cane.  He tightened his grip on the curve of his cane, ready to use it for a weapon if he needed it.

"Don't move," the woman – he realized with a start that she was his aunt, Cathy.  "You and I are going on a little journey.  If you cooperate you stand a good chance of living through this.  If you don't, I'll kill you and take Mandy.  It doesn't matter which, really, so long as I distract people long enough to allow Andrew to make his final move."

"I…" Frank started to say.

"Not.  A.  Word," Cathy ordered.  She grabbed Frank's arm.  "If we're still here when the next person walks through that door, I'll kill them.  Got it?  Let's go."

They walked.

She made him duck down once.  They went down a narrow hallway, down some even more narrow stairs and Frank realized that they were in the hidden room he had been looking for earlier.  They were only there for a moment because soon he could feel fresh breeze on his face.  He shivered slightly and pulled his jacket more tightly around him as she pushed him forward.  He stumbled over an unseen rock on the ground but she kept him from falling by holding onto the back of his jacket. 

A car door opened and Frank was shoved inside and through to the other side.  He immediately reached for the other door but it was locked.  She had the gun against him in an instant.

"Don't be stupid, Frank.  I mean it," Cathy ordered.  "Don't try me.  Put your seatbelt on.  I want to hear it click."

Frank tried to stall, to give the others more time to find him but when it took too long Cathy took the buckle and fastened it herself.

"Now, put your hands on the dash.  Don't think I can't drive with one hand, Frank, because I can.  Do anything, and I mean anything, stupid and I will shoot you.  I promise you that."

Frank believed her.  He didn't have to see her face to hear the resolve in her voice. 

He put his hands on the dashboard as the car started and they drove away.

 

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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.