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The Divine Right of Kings	By : vinsmouse Category: G through L > Hardy Boys Series Views: 5917 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hardy Boys, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

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Chapter 43
Joe stared at Agent Martin. "You think…" he couldn’t complete the question. This was unreal, why would the FBI think he had been involved with killing anybody? Just the thought was enough to make him feel sick. He glanced at his father, did he suspect him too? Something must have shown on his face because his father was answering before Joe could verbalize the question.
"I know Agent Martin is wrong son, you would never do anything like this." Fenton spared an angry glare for the agent before turning back to his son. "Unfortunately my certainty isn’t enough to spare you being questioned."
Joe nodded. "But if you know I didn’t do anything wrong why is Mr. Samuels here?"
Tom Samuels answered this question. "Joe it doesn’t matter that you’re innocent. Anytime law enforcement wants to question you concerning possible criminal activity you should have a lawyer present to protect your rights. I don’t say that Agent Martin would do this but there are some in law enforcement who would twist your words in order to gain a conviction or who might pressure you to answer questions you have every right to refuse."
"So you being here doesn’t mean that Dad thinks I did anything wrong?"
"Not at all Joe," Tom assured the boy. "Your dad is just making sure that you don’t end up being blamed for something you didn’t do."
"Tom’s right son, I only called him to make sure you’re protected," Fenton laid a supportive hand on his son’s shoulder.
Joe nodded, "So what happens now?"
"Now Agent Martin asks you some questions and if you’re not sure about answering you ask me. We’ll be recording the interview; this is a procedure that is in place to protect both you and law enforcement."
Jack turned on the recording equipment, the camera positioned to encompass everybody in the room. "I am FBI Agent Jack Martin questioning Joseph Hardy in the matter of the murders of Mark Miller, Roy Davidson, Billy Dierksen and Zach Stellins. Present are Joseph Hardy, his father Fenton Hardy and legal counsel Tom Samuels. Mr. Hardy before we begin I must advise you that you have the right to remain silent and anything you say could be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?" He didn’t need to recite all of the boy’s Miranda rights as he wasn’t under arrest.
"Yes," to his mortification Joe could hear a slight tremor in his voice in spite of his efforts to keep his fear from being heard.
"Did you know Mark Miller and Roy Davidson?" Jack asked, referring to the first two victims.
"No sir."
Jack raised an eyebrow at this. "No? You’re sure of that?"
"I don’t know anybody by those names," Joe truthfully responded. He hadn’t recognized the names when the agent had mentioned them at the beginning of the recording either.
"So you deny that they were harassing you at the Bayport Mall shortly before they were murdered?"
Joe paled, was that who they were? "There were some boys at the mall that said some stuff but I don’t know their names."
Jack frowned and pulled two photographs from his briefcase, these were school pictures. "Were these the boys who harassed you?"
Joe nodded, "But I didn’t know them, they recognized me from the paper."
"They were murdered on the same day they harassed you, where did you go after leaving the mall that day?"
"I came home."
"Can anybody verify that?"
"My brother was with me and our mom was here when we got home."
Jack nodded, "What did you do after you came home?"
Joe closed his eyes, thinking back to that day. "I took a shower and then I laid down until supper time."
"Did anybody see you in your room?"
Joe shrugged, "I fell asleep but knowing my brother he probably checked on me more than once."
Jack couldn’t help thinking that was awfully convenient. "Why would he have done that?"
"He worries about me and he knew I was upset. He didn’t know what had happened but he knew something had upset me."
"You had supper with your family, then what?"
"I watched television for a little while and then came upstairs and went to bed."
"Were you alone?"
"When I went to bed? Yeah."
"And your family would have gone to bed how long after that?"
"I don’t know."
"Did you leave the house after your family had gone to bed?"
"No."
"You admit these two boys harassed you?"
Joe glanced at Mr. Samuels, he wasn’t sure if he should answer the question but he already had, hadn’t he? The lawyer, however, nodded permission. "Yes."
"So you had a motive to kill them?"
Joe’s eyes widened. "I didn’t kill anybody."
"My client has covered his movements the day of the murders," Samuels interrupted. "Unless you can disprove his statements I suggest you move on."
"Alright then did Billy Dierksen also harass you?"
"Yes."
"And where were you the day he was murdered?"
"I don’t know, home probably."
"Probably?"
"I don’t go out very much anymore and I never go anywhere alone."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Establishing alibis, I see."
"No, I’m not, that isn’t what I…"
"Don’t say anything more Joe," Tom stepped in. "Agent Martin my client never suggested that he was establishing an alibi. If you are going to twist his words than this interview is over."
Jack swallowed hard at the twin glares he was receiving from the other men in the room. "I apologize, believe it or not I really am only interested in getting to the truth and preventing any further killings."
"More? You think more boys will be killed?" Joe asked his voice barely audible.
"I don’t know," Jack replied. He was pretty sure he wasn’t talking to the killer at the moment, unless Joe Hardy was a better actor than he gave him credit for. Nevertheless he continued with the questioning. "Why is it that you don’t go out alone or often Joe?"
"I’m not comfortable. I’m working on it, but after what happened last summer it’s hard to go outside. It feels like people are watching me, some of them thinking things like those boys said."
"I see," and he really did see. Jack doubted he would have wanted to be around people either if he had gone through what this boy had. The questioning regarding Zach Stellins revealed nothing new. He would of course check on the boy’s movements but Jack was sure that Joe Hardy had nothing to do with the murders at least not directly. "Joe I’m going to ask you one more question and I would like you to think very hard about your answer. Can you think of anybody who would attack these boys in an effort to protect you?"
Joe’s mouth dropped open in shock. Was that why the boys had been killed? It made sense in a twisted way he guessed. The problem was the only people he could think of who would kill to protect him were his father and brother, maybe his mom, but they wouldn’t murder anybody. They would only kill if somebody was threatening him, trying to kill him. The only person he could think of that might murder to protect him from being harassed was dead himself. He said as much to Agent Martin.
"Hmmm," Jack rolled that over in his mind. The dental records had been checked twice, there was no doubt Alex Tomlinson was dead. He did wonder though why Joe thought he might kill to protect him.
Joe ducked his head. "He was talking to me, before the trial."
"What?" Fenton shouted causing Joe to flinch. Seeing this, the elder Hardy took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "What do you mean he was talking to you son? Why would you talk to him?"
"It was only online."
Fenton stared in disbelief. "Only online?"
Joe nodded. "Instant messaging. He sent me a letter, apologizing for his role in the things Red did, not just to me but to the other kids. He put his email in it and we started talking."
Fenton ran his hand through his hair. "I don’t understand Joe, why would you want to talk to that man?"
"He was helping me," Joe whispered. He had never intended to tell anybody about the communications with Alex. He knew they wouldn’t understand and the man was dead now so it wasn’t as if it really mattered.
"Helping you?" Fenton shook his head. "He was the reason you were hurt in the first place."
"And he apologized; besides he came up with that to keep Red from killing everybody."
"What?" He couldn’t have heard his son correctly.
"The first family they went after Red was going to kill the whole family and take the girl with them. He planned to kill her later, Alex talked him out of that," Joe explained.
"I don’t believe you…how could you believe anything he told you? Don’t you realize he was just playing you?"
"Why?"
"Why? He was probably hoping to convince you not to testify or maybe he just got his jollies by keeping you angry with us. I don’t know his motives Joe and I don’t want to try to get into his head long enough to figure it out but I am certain his reasons weren’t pure."
"He’s the reason I agreed to testify," Joe yelled. Seeing the men staring at him, the teen shrank back in his chair. "I wasn’t going to but Alex said I had to. He said it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t because Mom, Frank and Phil would and if I didn’t it would just make them mad at me." He turned to his father, desperate to make him understand. "You were there in the courtroom Dad, you saw what he did. If he was playing me then why did he stand up and change his plea when I was testifying? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Dad but I knew you wouldn’t like it that he was helping me, he understood what I was going through because he knew what had happened."
"Fenton," Tom laid a hand on his old friend’s arm, "maybe you should calm down. What’s done is done and Tomlinson can never hurt Joe or any other child again."
Fenton nodded, forcing himself to calm down; again, he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "You’re right. Joe, son, I’m sorry for yelling but the thought of you talking to that man…"
"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before." He wouldn’t apologize for talking to Alex; he had needed him at the time.
"Joe, you said Tomlinson apologized for letting the other children be hurt too," Jack stepped in.
"Yes sir."
"Do you think he could have been talking to some of the other children?"
"I don’t know. He never mentioned it."
"What are you thinking Agent Martin?" Fenton asked.
"I’m not sure but it does seem as if the killer is targeting boys who have harassed Joe; there has to be a connection." A germ of a plan began to grow in Jack’s mind, but would either Hardy agree to it? Would his superiors agree? Giving himself a mental shake he turned off the recording devices and retrieved the tapes. "Thank you for your time Joe. I will have to check on your alibis of course but I don’t believe you killed anybody."
Joe nodded, "Thanks," he whispered.
"I’ll just see myself out," Jack said. He would run his idea past his superiors first and if they approved he would ask the Hardys for their permission. With any luck this would be the key to drawing the killer into the open.
"Bradley Cooper," Joe gasped.
"Excuse me," Jack said, turning around.
"He’s another boy at my school. He harassed me too, but he apologized."
"You think he might have decided to go after the other boys?"
Joe shook his head. "No, but he might be a target. I mean we don’t know who is doing this and I was never sure he meant the apology so the killer might go after him too."
"Damn," Jack cursed. "I’ll arrange protection. Can you think of anybody else?"
Joe thought carefully. "No, there’s been some looks and whispers but nobody else has really said anything to me."
"If you think of anybody or any other kids start harassing you let me know," Jack handed him a card with his number on it. Jack quickly took his leave; he had a protection detail to arrange. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
TBC...
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The Divine Right of Kings