Joe did cut school before the last class had begun. He had told AJ about Darcy getting heavy. AJ had been sympathetic but not surprised. Apparently, Darcy had put the hard word on several students, extracted confessions, and had even expelled some students. Joe thought that playing truant fitted in with Joe Hooper’s profile, but he had to admit to himself that he felt pretty average.

As he entered the apartment, Joe took the two envelopes from his jacket pocket and looked at them thoughtfully. The one with the information from his dad he decided to keep in his jacket pocket. The one from ‘Aunt Vanessa’ he decided he just didn’t have the energy to deal with at the moment. There was too much going on in his head. He put it in the kitchen, grabbed an apple, and laid wearily onto the couch.

He had only been in the apartment for about half an hour before Biff arrived.

‘Hey,’ he greeted Joe. ‘School finish early?’

Joe slowly sat up and filled Biff in on what had occurred. Biff was almost as shocked and indignant as Frank had been.

‘What are you gonna do?’ he asked Joe.

‘Not much for now’, admitted Joe. ‘I reckon you’ll get a call though. Make like you haven’t spoken to me though’

Biff nodded and peered at Joe’s neck, shaking his head.

‘Does Frank know about this?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ replied Joe, ‘but mum doesn’t need to know about it. If she pulls another social worker stunt, make sure you don’t say anything about this.’

Some time later, Frank, minus moustache, glasses and nerdy hairstyle, walked anxiously into the apartment as soon as Biff answered the door.

‘How’s Joe?’ he asked, his eyes scanning the room. As if in answer to his question, Joe walked from the kitchen munching on a sandwich.

‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ he insisted. ‘Did you hear anything in the staffroom?’ he asked, as he sat down on the couch. Not put off that easily, Frank sat down next to him.

‘Let me see,’ he insisted. Joe sighed heavily as Frank inspected the now purplish-black bruises around his brother’s throat.

‘Bastard,’ muttered Frank under his breath. ‘What about your leg?’

Knowing that non-compliance was just going to delay the inevitable, Joe stood up impatiently and lowered his jeans to reveal the ugly bruise mid thigh. Frank shook his head.

‘If nothing else, we have enough proof to get this guy sacked,’ Frank stated. ‘Tell me in detail what happened.’

Joe relayed the events of that day, including AJ’s comments about the DP expelling other boys after their confessions.

Frank rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He informed his brother that he had rung their father from school that afternoon to ask him to run a check on the DP. His father had rung back to say that the man’s record was clean as a whistle.

‘What do you think of AJ?’ Frank asked his brother. ‘Do you think he’s involved in the crimes?’

Joe shook his head.

‘I don’t think so. He’s a bit rough around the edges, and he’s clearly into tagging and stuff like that, but… I don’t know. I’d just be really surprised if he was involved. I reckon he likes people to see him as tough, but his heart is in the right place.’

Frank nodded, his face serious. His brother’s gut feeling was enough for him.

‘Oh, by the way,’ added Joe, delving into this jacket pocket, ‘our social worker delivered this today.’ He handed Frank the envelope with the information from Fenton in it.

‘It’s info about the ‘bad boys’ I’m currently hanging around with,’ explained Joe, and then went on to relate how their mother had come to the school personally to deliver it.

‘She was great, Frank,’ said Joe with admiration evident in his voice. ‘You would have sworn she was the real deal.’

‘We’ll probably be seeing her on Days Of Our Lives if we’re not careful,’ chuckled Frank as he opened the envelope. As Frank scanned the information he shook his head slightly.

‘None of these guys have done anything serious,’ he said. ‘AJ’s been busted for marijuana use and was once kept overnight by the police for his own protection, but the others are pretty much squeaky clean. I guess they just LOOK like crims.’

‘Yeah, well you can’t always judge a book by its cover,’ said Joe. ‘I mean, take yourself for example. You LOOK intelligent and patient, but ...’ He ducked as Frank threw a cushion at his head then wearily stood up.

‘I’m taking a shower,’ Joe announced, and headed off to the bathroom. Frank continued to peruse the sheets of paper. Biff cleared his throat, unsure of whether he should divulge something to Frank.

‘Your mum passed something else to Joe,’ Biff told Frank quietly. Frank responded with a half-interested ‘Yeah’ as he was still scanning the document in his hand.

‘It was a letter from Vanessa,’ continued Biff, feeling a little uncomfortable. He felt like he was telling tales, but Frank needed to know.

‘Doesn’t surprise me,’ chuckled Frank, his eyes still on the page. ‘She’s as crazy about him and he is about her.’

‘That’s what I thought,’ said Biff, ‘but Joe hasn’t even opened the letter. It’s on the top of the microwave – still sealed.’ Frank finally looked up, a slight frown on his face.

‘He probably just forgot about it, what with what happened with Darcy and all,’ Frank suggested, not really believing what he was saying. At the mere mention that Vanessa was on the phone Joe would normally be breaking records running down the stairs!

Biff lowered his voice as they heard the shower being turned off.

‘I can’t put my finger on it Frank, but Joe’s been a bit… well a bit moody. He’s been going all quiet and then I hear him pacing up and down in his room after midnight. Don’t get me wrong; he’s been the usual Joe Hardy most of the time, but I’ve never seen him like this. Is he usually like this when you guys are on a case?’

Frank rubbed his eyes and forehead. He didn’t really want to tell Biff that he had lived with the quiet and moody Joe Hardy for most of the past year. Vanessa had made a huge difference to Joe’s preoccupation with Iola’s demise, but the old demons still managed to make the odd appearance. It did concern Frank that Joe had ‘forgotten’ to read Vanessa’s letter, but he wasn’t going to bring it up with his brother so soon after Joe snapping at him the night before.

‘Just leave him be,’ Frank told Biff quietly. ‘If he wants to talk, listen. If he doesn’t initiate conversation, don’t push him.’

‘Don’t push who to do what?’ asked Joe brightly as he returned in sweat pants and a t-shirt, toweling dry his blonde locks.

‘Biff shouldn’t push Darcy into telling him what happened in his office when he rings,’ replied Frank without hesitation.

As if on cue, the phone rang. Biff gratefully picked up the handset.

‘Hello? Yes, this is Biff Hooper speaking. Oh hello Mr. Darcy.’

As Frank and Joe exchanged looks, Biff listened to Darcy’s version of why he believed Joe was involved in the theft of the cameras.

‘Well, yes, I am very disappointed to hear that my brother is a suspect, Sir, but Joe’s said nothing to me about you speaking to him today…. Yes, I’ll search his room,’ he agreed, rolling his eyes at Joe and Frank. ‘Yes, but until you give me more proof that Joe was involved, I’m not convinced he’s guilty… Well because he’s my brother and I doubt he could be bothered ripping the school off like that…Okay, I’ll tell him.’

Biff put the phone down.

‘He said to tell you that he’ll be watching you like a hawk,’ he informed Joe.

‘I’ll text Dad and update him further. He wanted to know if you were okay,’ announced Frank, getting his mobile out. Joe put his hand on Frank’s arm before he could begin.

‘Promise me that mum won’t find out about this,’ he implored his brother. ‘She’ll pull the plug on this case for sure. I’m fine, really. Darcy just shook me up, that’s all. And until we work out who’s behind the crime, let’s just leave Darcy where he is. If I make a formal complaint, it might upset the power balance.’

Frank smiled wryly.

‘It’s a deal bro, but if Darcy pulls another stunt like that, I’m not sure I won’t be blowing my own cover by punching him in the nose myself!’