214Thanks to BMSH, MargaretA66, Xenitha, max2013, Jilsen, Candylou, fanfictiongreenirises, PanthersFan14, makebelievewithme94, and all those who read and enjoyed but didn't review.
We have reached the end of another one. I have the first chapter or so of the next written but have to work out more of the plotting and pace before posting anything. I can promise I will be back when I can. Thank you all.
Epilogue
Despite taking a few weeks off before heading back to work, and starting with shorter days so he didn't tire himself out, it was taking Frank longer to bounce back than he expected. Or wanted, which was probably more accurate. And as usual, Joe noted with gritted teeth and many bitten-back comments, his temper suffered because of it. Only this time, whenever he had what Joe called 'an attack of the sullen snarks' when he vented to Kara at the end of the day, he started controlling his eating.
The third time he caught his brother portioning off food at lunch – this time it was a burger and fries at a diner close to their office – Joe put his foot down. "That's it," he said, ripping small shreds from the napkin in his lap, "either you're calling Dr. Finley, or I am."
Frank looked up at him, startled. "What?"
He indicated Frank's plate with his chin. "You're rationing your food."
"No, I'm not."
There was a defensive edge in his brother's voice that let Joe know he needed to tone down his own attitude if he wanted Frank to listen to him.
Joe softened his voice. "Yeah. You are. Look." He pointed to the plate, the burger cut in neat quarters, one piece pushed off to the edge, and two piles of fries, the larger number grouped near the discarded piece of sandwich.
Frank blinked at his lunch a few times, then deflated, his shoulders slumping. "I didn't realize… I'm sorry."
Joe sighed. "You don't need to apologize, Frank. You need to address the issue. So… Dr. Finley?"
"I've already called him." The quiet words were spoken to the edge of the table.
"Because I swear I'll get Aunt Gert…" Joe stopped, not sure if he had heard what he thought he had heard. "Say that again?"
Frank lifted his eyes to his brother's face. "I said, I've already called him."
"Oh… I…" Joe was at a loss for words. Frank never voluntarily asked for help. With anything. He cleared his throat. "Well, good." He gathered the pieces of napkin into a pile and squeezed them into a ball, not knowing what else to say.
Carefully, Frank picked up one the piece of burger that had been pushed aside and deliberately took a bite from it, chewing it slowly before swallowing. Staring down at the food in his hand, he said, "Anna's worried about me, and I…," a faint flush crept over his still too-thin cheeks, "I don't want that. I don't want her to worry about me. Not like this."
Joe's mouth dropped open. "Okay," he said. Not knowing what else to do, he took a large bite of his own burger and chewed. "How is this going to work? Are you doing phone consultations?"
Picking up his fork, Frank pushed the two pile of fries together, spearing one with the tines, and lifting it from the plate. "I'm going to him. My first appointment is Monday morning. I'll be heading up to Massachusetts over the weekend. Probably be there for about a week." He sighed and waved the fork over his plate. "Actually, I emailed him last week. I've been feeling…"
"Like you haven't…" Joe just managed to stop himself from saying "been pulling your weight?" Because saying that would be bad, he thought and forced out, "… been yourself? Lately?"
"Yeah." Frank put the fork down, leaning back into his seat. He looked exhausted, which explained his having missed the verbal slip, something for which Joe was extremely grateful. "He and his husband were out of town, so he just got back to me this morning. I figured I'd tell you over lunch." A half-smile lightened his expression. "And, it's lunch, so I'm telling you." He cleared his throat. "I wanted to make sure you're okay with this. I haven't been around much since… since we got back."
Joe rolled his eyes. As smart as he was, his brother could be extremely dense at times. "Of course I'm okay with it. You need to take care of yourself, 'bro. Chet and I will be fine. We always are." A wide smile crossed his face. "And when you get back we can hash out the partnership details with him. Throw him a party. After this case he deserves it." At Frank's nod and small smile, he let out a breath. "So, is Anna going with you?"
Frank shook his head. "No. I need to do this myself." He shrugged. "And she's going to be in Vancouver for the next few weeks." At Joe's tilted head, he continued. "She's being scouted for a pilot."
"For a TV series? Wow. And you're okay with her moving if she gets the job?"
"If she's offered the part, it's her choice," Frank said. "We'll work it out."
Joe nodded. He hadn't expected anything less.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
One week turned into two, then three, but Joe didn't begrudge his brother the time away from the office. He knew Frank needed the help, and he was glad his brother wasn't being too stubborn to accept it.
He was working on a camera layout for a new art show at the Chrysalis gallery, one of their regular clients, when Chet stuck his head in the door.
"You got a second?" There was a slightly puzzled look on his face.
"Hmmm?" Joe looked up from the cafe-height table he had recently moved into his office and blinked a few times, trying to focus his eyes. "Uh, sure. What's up?" He put his hands to the small of his back and stretched. "New client?"
"Maybe?" Chet reached up a hand to scratch at the side of his head. "She looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I've seen her before. She wants to talk to you and Frank. Late twenties, early thirties, really expensive looking clothes, looks like…" He shrugged his shoulders as his voice petered out. "Honestly, she looks kinda like Frank at the moment. She gives off that vibe."
"Did she give a name?" Joe asked, straightening himself up and unrolling his sleeves."
Chet shook his head. "She said she'd only give it to you."
"Interesting." The fingers of Joe's left hand started tapping on the side of his leg. "Well, show her in. May as well see what she wants…" He went and sat behind his desk, his fingers now tapping out a staccato beat over his knee.
He stood when the woman appeared at his door, just in front of Chet. Average height, curly auburn hair cut to her shoulders, hazel eyes, and cheekbones that stood out on her face like cut glass. Chet was right. There was something about her that reminded him of Frank, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss…"
She shook her head. "You're not the one," she said, a faint look of disappointment on face. "It's Wh… Pierce. Celia Pierce." She walked over to the desk, draped her wrap – which Joe was pretty positive was silk – over the back of the chair placed there for clients, and sat, pulling what looked to be an extremely expensive leather handbag onto her lap.
Joe's mouth opened. Then closed. He cleared his throat and resumed. "I'm sorry if I'm not who you thought you'd find, but how can Hardy Investigations help you, Ms. Pierce?" He swallowed, then choked, a memory flashing through his brain.
Sitting in Frank's office, Chet's voice coming through the speaker of Frank's phone. "And the one who is being treated by Dr. Nash right now – Celia Whitson – her husband was here to talk about her treatment the other day. And now, according to the papers I filed this morning, her health has suddenly taken a turn for the worse."
His eyes widened. The reason she reminded them of Frank suddenly coming very clear.
"I see the penny dropped," she said, as small smile hovering around the corners of her lips. "Yes, I was also a patient at Hargreaves."
"Like my brother," he breathed.
"Yes. Like your brother." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, further emphasizing the sharp lines of her cheekbones against her pale skin. "I read about your involvement in what happened at the Manor. Your investigation saved my life." Her voice was matter of fact, her eyes steady. "My father only came to see how I was doing because of the news stories." Now, her lips twisted slightly. "He wasn't the most attentive parent when I was growing up – he was always busy with the business – but he does care." Her head tilted up, a gleam appearing in her eyes. "As a matter of fact, he has found me a very good divorce lawyer who is going to take my soon-to-be ex-husband for everything he's got. Including his family's foundering business." She smiled at him.
Joe found himself liking this woman very much. "Congratulations," he said, sincerely meaning it.
She nodded, acknowledging the sentiment as well as the word. "This will probably not come as a surprise to you, but, unsurprisingly, Jason isn't taking it well, and given that he's the one who put in Hargreaves, I am not feeling secure about my safety and well-being."
Despite the lightness of her tone, a worry line appeared on her forehead, and Joe felt a sudden urge to tell her everything would be all right. But I can't promise her that, he thought.
"As such," she continued, "I would like to put your agency on retainer – upgrade the security at my apartment and my weekend house, check the computer systems at my company," – Joe noted the emphasis of the her description – "run background checks on my staff, and accompany me to my court cases. Are these services your firm offers?"
Joe's mind was racing. "Yes," he managed to choke out. "Although, they aren't something we have performed for any one client before. I'll need to talk to my brother about what a fair rate would be for ongoing…"
As he spoke, she reached into the handbag and pulled out an envelope. "Mr. Hardy, my safety is very important to me." She handed him the envelope and nodded at him to open it. "This is what I feel would be fair." A smile graced the corners of her mouth as she watched his eyes widen at the amount written on the check. "This is an advance of the first month's payment. If I find your firm's work satisfactory, I can have my lawyer draft a contract."
She rose, and Joe stood with her, mouth still agape at the dollar figure written on the piece of paper in his hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Hardy, and I look forward to meeting your brother." A more serious expression crossed her face. "Thank you for saving my life. My next court hearing is in about a month. I'll let you know the date, time, and location, and I'll set a time with your office manager about having you come look at the current security on my apartment." For a moment, she looked younger, more fragile. "I'm looking forward to whatever you can do so I can get a good night's sleep again." Then she wrapped herself in the silk and walked out the door.
A few minutes later, Chet returned, a shell-shocked look on his face. "That was… I didn't recognize her."
Joe nodded and held out the check. "She wants to put us on retainer."
Chet looked at the check, then looked at Joe and nodded. "Well, she's getting the best." Slowly a grin covered his face. "I guess this means I can replace that printer that keeps breaking down?"
"I think we can spring for that," Joe said. "Let's call Frank."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Frank had returned from his sessions with Dr. Finley looking much more like himself. Joe would have said relaxed, but he wasn't sure Frank was ever actually relaxed. That said, he was pleased to have his brother back and even more pleased when Frank read over the contract Celia Pierce's lawyer had sent to them and immediately grabbed a pen to sign it.
"We can still do other cases, be solvent, and provide Ms. Pierce with peace of mind. It's a win all around."
The celebration for Chet's partnership took place a month later at Bayport at Tony's restaurant in one of the smaller banquet rooms. "I can't have you people making too much noise and chasing away my customers," Tony had said.
Kara and Anna had stayed home, insisting they would much rather have a spa weekend than intrude on the festivities, so Frank and Joe went up alone to visit their parents. Biff had managed to finagle a weekend off, so he came up to join them. Phil's new business venture had gotten far enough along that he could take an evening off, and Tony made sure someone else was in charge of the kitchen so he could be with his friends rather than behind the scenes.
After what seemed like a mountain of food had been demolished – and Joe was pleased to see Frank eating without paying attention to every bite – Frank picked up his fork and tapped on his wine glass.
"Tonight we are here to celebrate our new partner at Hardy Investigations." He paused as their friends whooped and patted Chet on the back. "We wouldn't be where we are now without Chet. Without all of you, actually."
"Yeah," said Tony, his dark eyes dancing, "but none of the rest of us are crazy enough to want to work with you." He indicated Chet with a tilt of his head. "He's the only one who's that nuts."
Biff laughed. "Hear, hear! You won't catch me getting involved in one of their cases. At least not more than peripherally. I had enough of that in high school."
"Thanks so much for your words of confidence." Frank's lips twisted as he tried not to laugh. "Anyway… To Chet Morton. Long may our partnership continue."
The others lifted their glasses to Chet, who stood, glass in hand. "Thank you," he said, then he took a deep breath. "And I hope you'll all be with me to celebrate the next big event in my life." At the quizzical glances from around the table, he continued. "Last night, I asked Marisol to marry me. She said yes."
For a moment, there was stunned silence, then congratulatory whoops filled the room.
"The first of us to fall," Biff laughed. "I like being single, but good for you!"
Chet smiled at them all. "My dad's going to be best man, but I hope all of you will stand up with me. Marisol's family is huge, and I'm going to need all the support I can get." A faint flush blossomed on his cheeks. "And you guys are my best friends. I can't do it without you."
The party broke up not long after Chet's announcement. As they were leaving, Biff pulled Joe aside. "Hey, you got a second?"
Joe looked over and saw his brother arguing with Tony about the check, or lack of the same, and nodded. "Sure. What's up?"
Biff pursed his lips together. "I don't know how to ask this, but is Frank really back to being Frank?"
"Yeah. Why?" He waved at Phil as he left, his phone in one hand, the other pressing buttons on the screen.
Rubbing a hand against his chin, Biff let out a long breath. "You know how I've been spending a lot of time in the Singapore office?" Joe nodded for him to continue. "There's something fishy going on there. The numbers aren't… They aren't right." A faint gleam of worry appeared in his sky blue eyes. "Do you think there's a chance he might be willing to visit the office and take a look at the spreadsheets?"
Joe looked over at his brother, who was now trying to hand Tony money that their friend kept pushing back at him. "I'll talk to him in the morning," he promised. "We'll schedule a time for you to come to the office and talk."
A look of relief spread over Biff's face, his shoulders relaxing. "Good. And thanks." He glanced over at Frank and Tony, Chet now standing between them obviously trying to mediate their discussion, and smiled. "Not for tonight, though. Let's go continue the congratulating."
"Definitely." Joe flashed him a grin. "Then we can plan the bachelor party."
Biff slung an arm around his shoulders. "Oh, this should be fun."
They went over to join the others, laughing.