The Silent Confession

Chapter Seven

Nancy ran down the hall, her cell phone in hand. She had just gotten back to her room when she received the call, Frank's worried voice filling her with dread as he informed her of Mr. Smithers' disappearance.

Nancy wished she had checked on the man when she had the chance.

Police surrounded Fenton and Bill's hotel room. Frank, Joe, and Fenton stood around Mr. Richardson. "He is fine," Nancy heard Mr. Richardson say as she approached.

"Who is fine?" Nancy asked hurriedly.

"Mr. Smithers," Mr. Richardson explained. "Well, he's been better, but he's alive and currently residing in the hospital. I received a call from the front desk while we were visiting the city and returned early to see him."

"What happened?" Nancy asked, her eyes wandering to the police.

"Well," Mr. Richardson continued. "According to Mr. Smithers, someone broke into his room and attacked him while he was resting. He didn't recognize the person, as the criminal apparently covered his face with a mask."

Fenton looked up, his face still lined with worry and his eyes displaying confusion. "Bill is sure it was a man?"

"Yes, he is fairly certain. The attacker was very strong, and Bill suffered injuries. On top of the sickness he was feeling, he received cuts and bruises as well as broken ribs. His leg was hurting him too."

"Oh my gosh," Nancy gasped. Her mind was whirling with questions. Who could have attacked him, and why? Was it someone in the hotel or an intruder?

Fenton rubbed his eyes. "I'm going to go to the hospital to see him."

"We can come with you, Dad," Joe said.

"The doctors asked me to limit the amount of visitors for now," Mr. Richardson said. "Mr. Smithers needs some time to recover first."

"I'll be alright," Fenton reassured.

"Are you sure?" Frank asked.

"Don't worry, sons. It's not my first time dealing with something like this." Fenton offered a small smile before saying goodbye. Mr. Richardson patted Fenton on the shoulder before approaching the police officers that stood inside the mess of a hotel room. "I'll have to make an announcement about this..." he mumbled.

"We called the police as soon as we saw the mess," Frank explained, turning to Nancy. "A few officers came to explain what happened. Bill had called the police earlier today after the attacker disappeared."

"He disappeared?" Nancy questioned.

"According to Mr. Smithers," Frank continued, "the man was only there for a few minutes, after breaking in and causing the struggle. Then, he just ran off, leaving Bill in his room with his injuries."

The information only brought on more questions. "Was anything stolen?"

"Nobody thinks so, which is strange. What else could be someone's motive for attacking Bill?" Joe asked. "Did someone just want to get in a few swings for the heck of it? I guess he could have some enemies, being a detective, but why attack him during the convention?"

"I'm worried that it was someone from the convention," Nancy said, watching the police investigate the room and take fingerprints. "Did the police find anything suspicious?"

"They were searching the room earlier today after Bill's call, once an ambulance picked him up. The blood on the floor is Bill's, and other than that, not many traces were left behind besides that of what was in the room before the intrusion," Frank said.

"Maybe Dad will let us do a bit of investigating in his room when he comes back. The police already told us to keep our distance... for now," Joe added quietly.