At a few minutes before seven, Frank said, “I bet a new shift starts at the hospital at seven. If it’s like most places, people stand around and talk for a few minutes before they start their shifts. I think we should get going.”
Frank told Mrs. Hardy that they were going out but that they probably wouldn’t be back late.
Bayport Reflections was only four miles from where the Hardys lived. It was surrounded by a dense growth of trees, making it almost invisible from the road. Frank turned in at the main drive and parked at the edge of the visitors’ parking lot, in a part of the lot that wasn’t well lit.
“We need to find the Newman wing first,” Colin said. “Room 342.”
“I’m sure they have security cameras. Someone could be watching us night now,” Joe said. “I say we skirt the edge of the parking lot.”
“Good idea, Joe,” Frank said. “The security cameras are usually trained on the cars, so whoever is watching can make sure nobody breaks into them.”
Once they reached the building, Joe said, “Let’s find a service entrance. They’re usually not guarded very well, because the employees are so used to seeing people in and out all the time.”
The service entrance was on the southwest side, at the end of a drive. The boys followed the road inside and stopped.
“What now?” Colin asked.
“We wait,” Joe said.
After a few minutes, a custodian opened the service entrance, propped open the door, disappeared inside, and then came out a few minutes later, smoking a cigarette. He started walking around the building, away from where the boys were standing.
“Where’s he going?” Colin asked.
“He’s going to circle the building while he smokes a cigarette,” Joe replied. “It suddenly occurred to me that most hospitals don’t allow employees to smoke inside the buildings anymore, so you see a lot of the employees milling around outside. This guy probably doesn’t have a key to the door, so he props it open while he takes his break.”
The three of them ran to the open service door and made their way through a storage area.
“Now to find the Newman wing,” Joe said.
“I think we’re in it,” Frank said. “This part of the building doesn’t look all that old.”
They came to a couple of swinging doors with round windows that allowed them to look into the next section of the building. There didn’t seem to be anybody around. Joe noticed a door at the end of the hallway that said EXIT.
“There should be some stairs on the other side of that door,” he said. “I say we check it out.”
“Well, we certainly can’t wait here,” Frank said. “That’s as good a choice as any.”
Slowly, Frank opened the swinging doors, stuck his head through, and looked in both directions. To his right, there was nothing, but to his left, farther down the hall, a couple of men dressed in white shirts and pants were wheeling a gurney—but they were wheeling it in the opposite direction of the boys.
“Looks clear,” Frank whispered.
He held the door open, allowing Joe and Colin to slip through and race for the exit at the end of the hall. He was right behind them.
They made it through the door, stopped to listen for anything that might indicate someone had seen them, and then, when they didn’t hear anything, started up the stairs.
“If anybody finds us, we’ll just tell them that we’re friends of Melanie’s,” Joe whispered, “and that we’re slipping in to see her, because her father doesn’t like us.”
Frank grinned.
They made it to the second floor and started up to the third. When they reached the door to the main corridor, Frank stuck his head through, then pulled it back quickly.
“This place is pretty busy,” he said.
They waited a few more minutes, then Frank stuck his head through the door again.
“It’s not as busy now,” he said, when he pulled his head back in. “I think we can make it. At least Melanie’s room is in the opposite direction and away from the brighter lights of the nurses’ station.”
Quietly, the three of them slipped into the hallway and started toward Room 342.
When they reached it, they found the door partially open. Frank could see Melanie inside. She was asleep.
“Well, here goes,” Frank said.
Together, the three of them entered Melanie’s room and walked over to her bed.
Suddenly, the overhead lights went on, momentarily blinding the Hardy boys and Colin.
They wheeled around.
There, blocking the door, was Mr. Johnson.
“Which one of you talked to the nurse on the phone?”
“I did,” Colin said.
Mr. Johnson smiled. “I might have known. She got suspicious and called me,” he said. “She told me about the dream ‘my wife’ had.” He laughed.
“This time you won’t get away,” he added. “I’m going to make sure of that.”
14 Confession Time
* * *
Colin stepped toward Mr. Johnson.
“I’m ready for you this time, Colin,” Mr. Johnson said. “If you try anything, I’ll break your neck.”
“What are you afraid of, Mr. Johnson?” Colin said. He was still moving toward Mr. Johnson, ignoring his threat. “What are you afraid of?”
“How dare you talk to me that way, you scum!” Mr. Johnson shouted at Colin. He almost spit out the words. “I’m not afraid of anything!”
“Oh, I think you are! I think you’re very afraid,” Colin continued. “I think you’ve got something to hide. I think you’re—”
Before Colin could finish his sentence, Mr. Johnson lunged at him and grabbed Colin around the throat.
“Daddy!” Melanie screamed. “Stop it!”
Frank and Joe immediately grabbed Mr. Johnson’s arms, trying to twist his hands away from Colin’s neck. They were astonished at how strong the man was.
Colin’s face was beginning to turn purple.
“You can’t do this to my family! I won’t let you destroy us!” Mr. Johnson was shouting at Colin.
Frank and Joe were surprised to see tears trickling down Mr. Johnson’s face.
Just then, Mrs. Johnson, accompanied by an orderly and a nurse, rushed into the room.
The orderly grabbed Mr. Johnson around the waist and started squeezing him. That did the trick. Mr. Johnson turned loose of Colin’s neck.
Joe and Frank pulled Colin back over toward the wall, far away from Mr. Johnson’s reach, in case he decided to attack Colin again. They checked Colin out to make sure he was all right.
Mr. Johnson had sunk to the floor and was on his knees, sobbing.
The Hardy boys and Colin were stunned by what they were now seeing from a man who just moments before had been one of the biggest bullies in Bayport.
Mrs. Johnson was kneeling on the floor beside her husband. “It’s over, Robert! It’s over,” she was saying to him softly. “I never thought it would work. We made a terrible mistake, and we’ll have to pay for it.”
The Hardy boys and Colin looked at each other. What was Mrs. Johnson talking about?
Mrs. Johnson cradled Mr. Johnson’s head on her shoulder and started patting the back of his head. “It’s over, Robert. It’s over,” she repeated, this time more softly.
“What are you talking about, Mrs. Johnson?” Frank said. “What’s over?”
Mrs. Johnson looked up him, blinked, then looked back down at her husband. “I think you need to call your lawyer, Robert,” she said.
After a few moments, Mr. Johnson nodded. The orderly helped him up off the floor. He turned to Melanie, who now was standing beside her bed, pale and shaking. “I’m sorry, baby. I did what I thought was right,” he said, tears streaming down his face. To Colin and the Hardy boys, he said, “Melanie is free to go. I’d appreciate it if you’d take her wherever she wants to stay tonight. If it’s a hotel, she’s got her credit cards. If she wants to stay at a friend’s house, then I’ll
certainly understand that. But if she wants to come home, it’s still her home and always will be. Tomorrow, I’d like to see all of you at my lawyer’s office. Melanie knows the address.”
With that, he and Mrs. Johnson followed the orderly and the nurse out of the room.
Melanie stared at them as they left, her eyes now almost swollen from crying. Colin walked over to her and put his arm around her.
“This is not exactly how I thought this night would end,” Joe whispered to Frank.
“Me either,” Frank said. “I’d say we’re in for a big surprise tomorrow, except I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.”
Joe nodded.
It took several minutes for Melanie to regain her composure. When she finally did, she told the Hardy boys that she wanted to stay over at her friend Bonnie Blake’s. She stayed over there so often that she kept several changes of clothes and toiletries there.
Colin and the Hardy boys waited outside the room while Melanie dressed and repacked her small suitcase. They used the same stairs the boys had come up to leave the hospital. No one said anything to them on their way out.
Once in the van, Colin said, “Are you sure you’re going to be all right, Melanie?”
Melanie nodded. “Yes. I’m just tired.”
The rest of the trip was made in silence. When they got to Bonnie’s house, Melanie said, “You’ve given me back part of my life, Colin, but I’ll still need your help getting all of it back.”
“I’ll be there for you, Melanie,” Colin said.
Melanie didn’t want anyone to walk her to the door, but the boys waited until she was inside Bonnie’s house before they headed home.
The next morning, the Hardys and Colin drove to the offices of Stanley, Stanley, and Stanley, high-powered corporate lawyers whose modern building was in a new development north of downtown Bayport.
Frank parked the van, and he, Joe, and Colin headed into the building, which was five stories of tinted glass. A receptionist greeted them by name with a gleaming smile that would have sold a lot of toothpaste.
“I’ll take you to the conference room,” she said. “Everyone else is already there.”
“Are we late?” Joe asked, looking at this watch. “I thought Mr. Johnson said—”
“No, no, you’re not late,” the receptionist said, interrupting him. “Everyone else is early.”
The Hardy boys looked at each other. It was obvious that the Johnsons wanted to get this taken care of as soon as possible.
The elevator took them silently to the top floor. When the doors opened, they were turned over to another receptionist whose job it was to take them to the conference room.
“Things have certainly changed within the last twenty-four hours, haven’t they?” Joe whispered to Colin. “I think I prefer being on Mr. Johnson’s A-list instead of his Z-list.”
Colin nodded, but Joe could tell that he was starting to get really tense.
Joe patted him on the shoulder. “It’s going to be all right, Colin. We’re no longer the enemy.”
When the second receptionist opened the door, they weren’t greeted by their idea of a typical conference room, with a long table surrounded by chairs. This conference room looked more like an exquisitely decorated living room, with soft couches and chairs strategically but unobtrusively placed where everyone could see everyone else. Coffee tables were stocked with plates of muffins and rolls, bottles of water, and different kinds of juices.
Mr. Johnson walked up to the Hardys and offered his hand. “Good morning,” he said.
Frank thought it was more businesslike than friendly, but it certainly wasn’t unfriendly.
Joe noticed that Melanie was sitting with Bonnie on a sofa close to the front of the room. She waved at them, but she didn’t get up. She still had a strained look on her face. Joe doubted that she had gotten much sleep the night before.
Frank looked around the room. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were there, of course, as well as Melanie and Bonnie. There were several people in the room Frank didn’t recognize. He assumed they were members of the law firm.
“Would everyone please be seated?” Mr. Johnson said.
Almost as if it had been choreographed, the entire gathering was in place within a few seconds.
Joe helped himself to a little muffin and a glass of orange juice. Frank took a glass of apple juice but nothing else. Colin ignored the food, not taking his eyes off of Melanie. She glanced in his direction from time to time, always with a smile on her face.
“I am here to make a confession. I could have certainly done this at home, but I wanted to make sure nothing I said could be misinterpreted or misunderstood,” Mr. Johnson said. “What I am about to say will be a legal deposition.” He looked at Melanie, cleared his throat, and continued. “I kidnapped my daughter when she was two years old.”
There was an audible gasp from Melanie.
The Hardys had been prepared to hear those words, but they still somehow sounded totally out of character for Mr. Johnson.
Frank noticed that Melanie had now bowed her head and was crying. Bonnie had put her arm around Melanie’s shoulders.
What followed was an incredible admission.
Mr. Johnson had divorced Melanie’s mother before Melanie was born, because he found out his wife had kept some significant secrets. She had been in prison for writing hot checks. The divorce took place before Mr. Johnson knew that Melanie’s mother was pregnant. When Mr. Johnson found out that he was going to be a father, he tried to get his former wife to let him have the baby to raise. She refused. After Melanie was born, Mr. Johnson tried to get partial custody of her, but again, his former wife refused. When Mr. Johnson discovered that Melanie’s mother was not only writing hot checks again, but had remarried someone he considered a very unsavory character, he couldn’t stand the thought of his beautiful child living with them. He legally changed his name; then he went to his exwife’s home one night, and when she and her new husband were asleep, Mr. Johnson took Melanie.
He then moved to New York City with his young daughter, where he met the current Mrs. Johnson. He confessed to her what he had done and together, they decided to get married, move to Bayport, and start a new life. They knew that everyone would just assume that Mrs. Johnson was Melanie’s mother. Mr. Johnson had completely lost touch with Melanie’s real mom.
When Mr. Johnson finished, there was total silence in the room—until Melanie walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
“You did what you thought you had to do, Daddy,” Melanie said. “I love you. I’ll always love you.”
Then everyone in the room watched as Melanie joined Colin and the Hardy boys. “Can you help me find my real mother?” she asked. “I think I’d like to talk to her.”
“I think I can, Melanie,” Colin said. “I honestly think I can.”
15 Hostage!
* * *
The next morning at breakfast, Colin picked up the copy of the Bayport Times off the dining room table. He quickly scanned it, and said, “I thought there’d be something in the newspaper this morning about Mr. Johnson’s confession.”
“Nope,” Joe said. He took a bite of scrambled eggs. “I’m sure his lawyers have seen to it that it’s kept under wraps.”
“So nobody knows about it?” Colin said.
“Oh, I’m sure they do,” Frank said. “I’m sure it’s all over Bayport—but it’s just not going to be on the national news.”
“Or even the local news,” Joe added.
Colin shook his head. “It’s amazing what money can buy.”
“I’m sure Mr. Johnson doesn’t see anything unusual about it,” Frank said. “He confessed, so now he’s the good guy.”
“I talked to Melanie this morning. She hasn’t changed her mind,” Colin said. “She still wants me to help her find her mother. I told her we’d come over this morning.”
At ten thirty, the Hardys and Colin got in the van and headed over to Melanie’s house.
Joe laughed. “You know, doing this is making me a little nervous. I keep thinking that as soon as we get there, Mr. Johnson is going to come charging out of the house holding a gun.”
“I think those days are over,” Frank said, “but I’m not expecting a really warm welcome.”
“Dad talked to some of his contacts in the Bayport Police Department about the case. He told me about it this morning before he left for New York,” Joe said. “They’re uncertain as to how they should proceed—or even if they should proceed.”
“What Mr. Johnson did was illegal,” Colin said. “He didn’t have custody of Melanie.”
“I know,” Joe said, “but from what the Bayport Police learned, Melanie’s mother didn’t even file a missing persons report. She just left town. There’s no telling where she is.”
“She probably knew what had happened—that Mr. Johnson had kidnapped Melanie,” Frank surmised. “She probably knew that she’d have a hard time getting her back.”
“I have a feeling she might have wanted the kidnapping to happen,” Joe said. “Maybe she had decided that Melanie shouldn’t be around her new husband. Or maybe she just didn’t care.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Colin said.
“What do you mean?” Frank asked.
“Melanie wants to find her mother. Sometimes these missing relatives don’t exactly want to be reunited,” Colin explained. “Many times it’s better if you just forget it.”
“You know Melanie’s not going to be able to do that, Colin,” Joe said. “She’s clearly looking for some closure. I think I’d feel the same way.”
“I know, I know,” Colin said. “I just wanted to let you in on what might happen.”
Frank turned onto Melanie’s street, drove a couple of blocks, parked in front of her house, and the three of them climbed out of the van.
The Case of the Psychic's Vision Page 10