Joe was starting to doze off when his guard struck him across the face. The guard smiled as he shook his finger at him. To be honest, Joe didn’t mind being kept awake – it was the method that bothered him. The young teen preferred to be alert – he didn’t want to see the images that kept running through his mind whenever he closed his eyes.

It was bad enough that he couldn’t stop hearing the report of the gun. But Joe thought he could handle it as long as he didn’t have to keep seeing Laura lying on the ground – a pool of blood spilling out. Seeing his mother was awful – Vanessa taking her place was – terrifying!

Joe winced in pain; his back ached, as did his shoulders. He had been sitting for hours with his hands tied behind his back. He shifted in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position but there wasn’t one. His mouth felt dry – he hadn’t had anything to drink since a quick gulp from the water fountain at school. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since lunch - and Joe wasn’t exactly sure how long he had been held captive.

The door opened, and Roger and another man dressed in a lab coat walked in.

“Morning, Joe!” said Roger with an insincere smile on his face. “This is Dr. Kline and he’s fixed a nice cocktail for you!”

“What – what is that?!” asked Joe as he eyed the amber liquid in the syringe.

“Oh, just a little something to keep you under control!” When Roger smiled, this time it reached his eyes.

*****

The weekend passed too fast for Biff, and now he sat in his English class staring out the window. A substitute teacher was in today, and Biff was still trying to comprehend that Charlie Manders was a Network agent. He sighed; they had spent the whole weekend searching for the van that was used in Joe’s kidnapping. Vanessa and Callie had taken turns sitting with Mrs. Hardy, allowing Gertrude some rest. Biff wondered if Frank was having any success confronting Roger Covington.

Frank had voiced his suspicions about Roger to Charlie – Frank suspected that Roger was an Assassin. Biff thought it was possible; if Charlie could be a Network agent, Roger could be an Assassin! He glanced down at his watch – three more minutes till the end of class, then he could call Frank.

Chet was also counting the minutes for his class to end. He was going to meet up with Biff and they were going to call Frank. The stout boy hoped that there was good news to be heard. Chet heaved a heavy sigh – he was very worried about his friend. Both Hardy brothers had been his best friends since kindergarten. Chet smiled as he fondly recalled noticing his sister’s crush on Joe. A cold chill of fear coursed down his back – Assassins. They were the ones responsible for the bomb – the one that killed his sister, Iola. And now – now they had Joe!

Chet almost jumped out of his seat when the bell rang signaling the end of class. He quickly gathered his books and ran out of the class room.

*****

When Frank entered his English Lit class, he was only slightly surprised not to find Roger at his desk. He had to wait till class ended to question his professor about his missing teaching assistant.

“Excuse, Professor Wells – I was wondering where Mr. Covington was,” Frank asked in a casual voice.

“I wish I knew!” replied the professor angrily. “He was supposed to meet with me early this morning! I tried calling him this weekend to remind him but he’s not answering his phone!”

Thanking the professor, Frank quickly left the classroom. He needed to get hold of Fenton and Charlie.

Fenton was feeling frustrated. The van used in Joe’s kidnapping had been found in a ditch outside the Bayport city limits. It had been wiped clean of prints. A partial tire track had been found, but Fenton wasn’t sure if it was left behind by the Assassins.

He ran his hand over his face, letting out a heavy sigh, and looked over at Laura, who still hadn’t regained consciousness. The doctors had assured him that Laura would come out of this coma. It was just a matter of time. Fenton gently took her hand, being mindful of the IV.

“Laura, sweetheart – I need you to open your eyes,” Fenton whispered softly. He caressed the top of her hand with his thumb.

“Laura, sweetheart…” She wanted to respond to the loved voice. Laura could hear the pain and worry – could feel the loving touch. As she succumbed to the comfort the voice and touch brought her…suddenly the sound of a gun caused her to flinch.

“Laura?” Fenton had been gazing at Laura’s face when he thought he saw her flinch. The sound of her heart monitor caused Fenton to hit the emergency call button.

“Fenton.” It came out like a sigh that he wasn’t sure he heard. Fenton turned his attention back to Laura – he saw her eyelids flutter and then slowly open.

She looked uncomprehendingly at her surroundings – her eyes roamed the room, stopping when she saw the worried features of her husband. A puzzled expression crossed her face, then sudden dawning.

“J-Joe – where’s Joe?!” she whispered frantically.

*****

Joe, his chin resting on his chest, slept for a few seconds before he was rudely awakened.

“Why did you kill your mother?”

“Dad?” he spun his head trying to find his father. “I didn’t – I didn’t kill her!”

“She’s dead because of you!” Frank’s voice rang out.

“Iola died because of you – are you going to kill me too?” Vanessa sadly asked him.

“No – I would never let that happen to you! I love you!”

“You loved Iola but look what happened to her,” Chet said in an accusing voice.

“I’m sorry, Chet – I’m sorry,” whimpered Joe.

“Why Joe – why?” Iola’s voice floated in the air. “Why did you have to flirt with that girl? I thought you loved me!”

“I did – I do love you!” Joe tried to yell out but his mouth was so dry it came out like a croak.

The room became eerily silent, then the lights went out, leaving Joe in the dark. He tried to loosen his bonds but that only caused him pain, as his wrists were already sore from his other attempts. His shoulders ached from having his hands tied behind his back. Joe had a crick in his neck. He was thirsty and hungry – and he wanted to go home.

“Frank, help me – please help me,” he whispered desperately. He waited to hear his brother’s voice. When Frank didn’t answer, Joe felt a deep sadness overwhelm him.

While Joe sat sobbing with despair he didn’t see the tiny red dot high above the corner of the room.

Roger stood watching the video monitor; he turned to the man standing next to him.

“How much longer do you want to keep this up?”

“One more day – that will give us enough time to bring in his brother.”

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency 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.