Do I Want To Know?

Chapter 24- To the Rescue!

   ***content warning/trigger warning for guns!***

   "It really is Cedric." Nancy nearly whispered. Frank put a hand on his forehead,

   "Joe's gonna say I told you so..." He muttered, with a pang to his chest as he quickly remembered the blood on the floor. Frank put the photo down on the table, turning to go further inside the house for the first time since they'd arrived.

   "So he wants revenge on Guy for putting his dad away..." Nancy remarked. Frank let out a sigh as he nodded in agreement,

   "Maybe it started as trying to get him out of the industry. But it's gone way past that now." He swallowed nervously.

   "Kidnapping, murder attempts. Has he just lost his patience, or-?" Nancy was cut off by Frank's phone buzzing once again in his pocket. He pulled it out with near lightning-quick reflexes, immediately deflating when it wasn't Joe's contact.

   "Any news?" He answered his dad's phone call with a mumble. Nancy raced over to him,

   "Put him on speaker." She whispered. Frank did so instantly. Fenton Hardy's voice blared throughout the living room mid sentence,

   "-Bayport police told me-"

   "Dad, you're on speaker." Frank interrupted casually, and Fenton paused for a moment as if collecting himself,

   "Frank, don't interrupt me if you want me to keep my train of thought."

   "Nancy Drew's here." Another pause from Fenton.

   "Oh. Hello Nancy." He suddenly said a lot more pleasantly. Nancy glanced up at Frank, suppressing a grin as he rolled his eyes in return.

   "Hi Mr. Hardy. What've you got for us?" She asked, and Fenton clicked his tongue on the other line.

   "Right. As I was saying, the Bayport police let me know that Benjamin Ramsey is scheduled to be released tonight. 9 o'clock to be exact." He explained. Nancy and Frank's eyes widened practically in sync.

   Tonight? Nancy thought to herself, chewing her lip as she tried to put it all together.

   "Throws out my theory that he's working in cahoots." She said to Frank.

   "Well, that doesn't matter. We know it's Cedric. So-"

   "Wait a minute Frank. Remember what Babs told us? Cedric said today was really important." Nancy interjected hurriedly. Frank felt his heart pound in his chest,

   "He was probably talking about the release of his father." He followed up just as fast. And then a dark thought came over him,

   "If he has Joe and Guy alive... Who knows what he's planning to do to them." They both seemed to have forgotten Fenton was on the phone with them, who was beginning to voice his confusion,

   "Frank, what's this about Joe and Guy? Do you need me to come down there?" Frank shook his head, frustrated, even though his dad couldn't see him,

   "No time, dad. Stay on standby, we have to go." He hung up before Fenton could get another word in, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

   "We have to go? Frank, we don't even know where he took them." Nancy said with her hands on her hips. Suddenly, she remembered the paper wedged beneath the couch.

   A potential clue! She thought excitedly. Instantly, she waved Frank over to the couch,

   "Help me lift this." She demanded, and Frank wasn't about to question it. The two of them pried the couch up until it was back upright, and Nancy grabbed the paper off the ground.