Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

It took no more than five minutes to arrive at the scene, though to Frank, it had seemed an eternity. Screeching the van to a shuddering stop, he took little notice of the two police cruisers that were there, or even his father's sedan that was parked haphazardly behind the cruisers. He did notice, however, the ambulance with its still spiraling lights.

At the sight of the ambulance, his heart stopped for several painful seconds before resuming its beat in a pounding, dizzying pace. Panic vied with relief as Frank tore out of the van. If an ambulance was there, then they had found Joe, but it also meant that his brother was hurt. A darker possibility crept into his mind, but Frank pushed it aside resolutely. They had found Joe!

His headlong dash toward the cordoned-off entrance was stopped by a police officer.

"Hey, you can't go in there! This is the site of a police investigation," the officer said, not unkindly.

"My brother's in there!" Frank exclaimed, trying to push pass the officer's arm.

Suddenly a restraining hand grasped his shoulder. Frank whipped around, ready to swat off the offending appendage that was keeping him from Joe. It turned out to be Sam Radley.

"Frank, take it easy. We can't go in there right now. There's not enough room," Sam said gently. "But they have found Joe. Your father's in there with him, along with the paramedics."

"Paramedics?" Frank echoed fearfully. "Is he all right? He's alive, isn't he? Isn't he?"

Sam placed a reassuring arm around the trembling teen-ager. "He's alive, Frank. Joe is alive, but he is hurt. They are getting him ready for the transport to the hospital."

"How badly is he hurt?" Frank demanded. "He's going to be all right, isn't he?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know the details. I haven't seen him." Seeing the renewed panic in Frank's face, he added quickly. "I'm sure he'll be fine. The paramedics will make sure he gets the help that he needs. And your father is with him. He'll be fine, Frank."

Frank suddenly felt somebody slip an arm through his. He turned and saw that Callie was at his side, looking at him with quiet encouragement. His other friends had also formed a tight semi-circle around him, lending him their silent support. Frank nodded at them briefly, grateful for their continued presence.

"What's taking them so long?" Frank fretted as he stared unblinkingly at the entrance of what appeared to be a boarded up store of some sort. "What is this place?"

"Looks like it used to be a corner store; Ribera and Scala had Joe in the basement of the place," Sam said. "The police had to forcibly remove the door, as it was padlocked." Sam shook his head. "We would have never been able to find this place if Jason had not told us about it. This neighbourhood is like a total maze, with all sorts of nooks and crannies. There must be hundreds of hiding places if one wants to disappear in here."

Frank shivered involuntarily. If Jason had not turned himself in …

At that moment, there was a flurry of activity at the entrance and two paramedics appeared, carrying a stretcher between them. Without a second thought, Frank pushed himself forward, shaking off the restraining arms of the officer and Sam.

"Joe!" he cried as he ran forward. He caught a brief glimpse of his brother's dirt smeared face before the paramedics quickly loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. Frank attempted to climb in behind them but was firmly held back.

"You can't come in here," one of the paramedics said. "There's no room."

"That's my brother!" Frank protested.

The doors of the ambulance closed in his face.

"Frank!" A familiar voice called out behind him and he suddenly felt the familiar presence of his father as Fenton pulled him into a brief hug.

"Dad? How is he? Is he all right?"

Fenton looked at his son grimly, his face drawn and pale. "Let's follow the ambulance to the hospital."

"How is he, Dad?" Frank persisted.

Fenton shook his head. "I don't know, Frank. We will have to see what the doctors have to say. Come on, let's get to the hospital."

"Umm, Frank, give me your keys to the van and I'll follow with the rest of the gang," Biff said. "You go ahead with your dad."

"Thanks," Frank said in a daze as he passed the keys to his friend's outstretched hand.

"Fenton, I think you better let me drive," Sam also spoke up. "You and Frank just take it easy."

Fenton nodded at his long-time partner and friend. "Thanks, Sam. Really appreciate this."

Sam shook his head. "Not even worth mentioning."

Frank felt himself being guided toward his father's car and then pushed gently into the back seat. Someone climbed in after him and he immediately felt his father's steadying arm around his shoulder.

"You okay, son?" his father asked him gently.

Frank nodded numbly. "But Joe --"

Fenton shook his head. "Let's not speculate here. We will just wait to hear from the doctors as to how your brother is."

"But how did he look to you?" Frank was not to be put off so easily. "You saw him. How did he look?"

Fenton let out a long breath. "He did not look good, Frank. He's lost a lot of blood."

"He's going to be all right, isn't he, Dad?" Suddenly Frank was desperate for any kind of reassurance from his father.

Fenton looked at his normally collected and confident older son, who had always carried on in a manner that belied his youthful years. Now that same son looked no more than a fearful boy who wanted nothing more than to have his father take away the fears and doubts and make everything all right again.

"Yes, Frank, your brother will be all right. I am sure of it," Fenton said quietly, and prayed that he was not lying to his son. He felt a slight relaxation of Frank's body against his and Fenton cringed inwardly, knowing how much Frank was relying on his words of reassurance. Oh God, Joe! You better not make a liar out of me.

Giving Frank a final squeeze on the shoulder, Fenton pulled out his cell phone to make that difficult call to his wife. The familiar sense of guilt was suddenly overwhelming, and not for the first time, Fenton Hardy wished he had never encouraged his sons to follow his footsteps.

He was not being fair to himself. He never overtly encouraged the boys to follow in his profession, but neither did he discourage them. He had been pleased, of course, when Frank and Joe, even from an early age, showed more than a passing interest in what their father did for a living. When their interest not only did not wane over the years, but also seemed to take on new proportions as the boys grew older, Fenton began to seriously entertain the idea that someday, his sons would join him at his side in the world of detective work.

He and Laura had discreetly spoken about this topic on a number of occasions, all out of earshot of their sons, and they had both agreed that if detective work was what Frank and Joe wished to do, then they, as their parents, would not stand in their way. He knew Laura always harboured a silent fear for the boys' safety in this line of work, but he also knew that his wife, being the doting and unselfish mother that she was, would never allow her fear to interfere with her sons' aspirations. Just as she had never once, in their long years together, spoken to him of her fears for his safety, though he knew how much such fears ate at her each time that he was involved in a case that demanded total incommunicado with all those close to him. His wife was a very remarkable woman, he thought with a warming sense of pride and joy. And a very remarkable mother.

Fenton stared at the phone in his hand and let out a noiseless sigh. At times like this, however, parental instincts took precedence over any pride and pleasure he might have in his chosen line of work. As he dialed the number to his home, Fenton Hardy wished he had somehow prevented his sons from ever taking their first step in following in his career as a detective.

In near silence, they waited in the starkly lit waiting room. Their numbers had dwindled with the passing hours. Tony and Phil had been the first ones to leave, then followed more reluctantly by Chet, Biff and Callie. None of them had wanted to leave the hospital without knowing the condition of their friend, but Fenton and Laura had gently reminded them of their own worrying families and the lateness of the hour. After extracting a promise from the Hardys that they would telephone as soon as there was news from the doctors, the five young people each took their leave, with Biff assuring Frank that he would drive Callie home himself and would drop off the van at the Hardy residence.

"They are such good kids,' Laura said as they resumed the endless wait with Sam and Ethel by their side.

Fenton nodded. "Yes, Frank and Joe are very fortunate to have such friends." He turned to his silent son and winced inwardly at the worry that was consuming the youthful face. "So, I don't suppose you want to tell me why all of you were down in the neighbourhood today, instead of being in school?"

Frank's brows tightened. It had seemed an eternity ago since the six of them had decided to take an early leave from school. "I'm sorry, Dad. I knew you told me to stay in school, but I -- I just couldn't do it. We all felt the need to be out there, looking for Joe."

Fenton smiled a little wryly. "I'm surprised you went to school at all."

Frank stared at his father and managed a small, sheepish grin. "Yeah, well, I didn't want to disobey you completely. I'm Frank, remember, not Joe?"

His father's smile widened. "It looks like the two of you are rubbing off each other. Remind me to include you in the lecture when I speak to your brother."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Frank apologized. "I should have listened to you. We wasted hours down there today coming up with zilch."

Fenton patted his son on the shoulder. "I know how hard it must have been not to be doing anything so even though I can't say I condone what you and your friends did, I have to admit that I understand your desire to be doing something." He glanced over at his partner. "Sam and I also spent hours coming up with zilch. As did the police, so don't feel too bad. If it wasn't for Jason, we'd still be chasing after our own tails."

Frank frowned. "Where is Jason now?"

"He's in police custody," Fenton answered.

"What else did he say?"

Fenton shrugged. "I don't know. The only information that Ezra passed on was where Joe might be held. Anything else, we will have to wait to find out later. Though at the moment, I don't really care what else this Jason has to say. I am just thankful that his information led us to Joe."

Frank pressed his lips into a hard line. "He could have turned himself in sooner. Then we would have gotten to Joe sooner."

Laura reached across her husband and grasped Frank's hand. "We found Joe, and for the moment, it's all that matters. We will worry about what Jason has to say later."

Frank nodded glumly and once more turned his eyes toward the closed doors behind which the doctors were working on his brother. Hey, kiddo, we're all rooting for you out here so you better get your act together and not disappoint us. You better be fighting every damn inch of the way to get back to us as I expect nothing less from you. You've always been the fighter, so keep fighting, little brother.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.