The Silent Confession

Chapter Ten

"Joe, are you ever going to get in the shower?" Frank asked, his eyes never leaving his computer screen.

His brother laid back on his bed, shirtless, with his arms spread wide. A smile covered his face. "Kelsey likes me."

"Um, yeah," Frank said. "She does."

"I don't know what you did, Frank, but thank you."

"Trust me, I didn't do much of anything," Frank confessed. "She already liked you."

"What?" Joe sat up. "You're kidding. Then why did she ask you out?"

Frank looked away. "She said something about wanting to make Nancy jealous."

Joe smirked. "That's actually kind of funny." He headed for the shower. "I always knew I was the better-looking Hardy."

Frank threw a pillow at his brother. "Wait-" Joe questioned. "What did you and Nancy talk about tonight? You kind of fell back."

"Um..." Frank ran his fingers through his hair, his voice lowering into a whisper. "I might have, kind of, told her how I feel..."

"WHAT?" Joe practically jumped on the bed. "Tell me everything!"

"Joe, I'm trying to research Alvin Brixton."

"Who cares?" Joe shut the computer. "The guy's dead. Meanwhile, your relationship is blooming."

"The weirdest stuff comes out of your mouth sometimes," Frank rolled his eyes. "That dead guy may have relatives whose names could open the box. I told Nancy we would find something."

"What else did you tell her?"

Joe clearly wasn't going to let up. Frank sighed. "I just told her I liked her and that I would always be there for her."

"Short and sweet. What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything... I was afraid of what she would say. I told her that she didn't have to say anything and that I just wanted her to know the truth."

"What? So, you don't even know what she's thinking?"

Frank shook his head. Maybe it made him a coward, but he had been terrified to learn how Nancy truly felt. He'd liked her for so long that any rejection would be painful. However, he was relieved that the truth was out.

No matter how he felt, one thing was certain. The choice was Nancy's.

"Well," Joe got up. "Even if you didn't get an answer, I'm proud of you and I wish you the best."

Frank smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Joe."

"Anyway... did you find anything that could open the box?"

"No..." Frank replied. "I did learn that we are not the first ones to find the box. According to an article online, it's been found before, but it's never been opened. It must have been put back in its place for the sake of the convention. I still think it's an original by Alvin Brixton. The detailing was exquisite, and it matches the image I found online perfectly."

"That means we have an edge, if it's the only clue available. None of the other detectives know about it. We're winning the race!"

"I guess so," Frank said. "But we won't have a chance at winning until we open the box. It's also unclear how many clues there are to find."