Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Less than 24 hours later, Frank and Joe Hardy pulled unto the beginning of a very long driveway that they had visited too many times before. Other than the slight hum of the radio in the car, both boys were silent. Frank, sitting behind the wheel, pushed back his dark, wavy brown hair and let out a soft sigh. He couldn't believe that any of this was really happening. Could Iola really be alive? And, if she wasn't, could Joe handle the disappointment? Frank couldn't even imagine - sometimes, not knowing was the worst thing of all. Even more on his mind, though, was Callie. The thought that something may have happened to her was almost too much for him to bear. Each time he thought of her, he felt a lump rise in his throat and, he realized, he had held back more tears in the last few weeks than he had ever done in his life. He needed to find her. His own guilt was paralyzing him. How could he have sacrificed almost four years of a relationship and not realized how much torment Callie had been going through? Shaking his head to snap himself out of this reverie, Frank could only think of finding Callie. Once that was done, he knew he would never let her go again. If, he thought miserably, she gave him another chance, that is.

Joe Hardy, meanwhile, was lost in thoughts of his own. Each time he thought about Iola, which really was all of the time, he felt his heart race. If she was alive, and, Joe had to admit, that was a big IF, where had she been for all this time? Would she be okay? Would she still love him? That was the question that weighted heavily on his mind. After all, the last time had seen her, he had been quite a jerk, flirting with that Valerie girl. He knew he couldn't be fooled by clones any more. There had to be a way of telling the truth.

Joe also thought about Chet, and Callie. As horribly as Chet had acted, he really couldn't say that he wouldn't have acted the same under the same circumstances. His stomach turned as he thought that. After all, he had played his own role in Callie's disappearance. For all of the arguments through the years that he and Callie had gotten into, Joe had to admit there were a lot of laughs and good times as well. He did like Callie, although he thought she was too opinionated and outspoken sometimes. Maybe, though, that was because Callie was right. Maybe he was sexist. More than anything, he knew that Callie really loved his brother, and that Frank was pretty crazy about her as well. She and Frank had been a couple, but best friends as well, for years. Joe had to admit THAT was pretty special. Callie wasn't so bad- after all, she was a lot like Vanessa. With a groan, Joe realized that Vanessa was a huge issue here, no matter what the outcome. Slowly, Joe reached for the chain that hung around his neck that held the melted keys from the day Iola had died. He wished desperately upon them that she was alive, at the same time thinking of his Vanessa, blissfully unaware of any of this.

"Well, here we are," Joe heard his brother say.

Right in front of them stood the Lazarus mansion. To Joe, the mansion looked as ominous as ever. He saw that it had been fixed up since the last time he had been there, when the home had been turned into a blaze of fire. Curious, he stepped out of the car. He couldn't wait to get a look inside.

Frank, though, appeared to take his time, as though he was searching for something. Joe tapped his foot impatiently. Frank continued looking through the trunk. Unsatisfied, Joe then began popping bubbles, each one cracking a little louder than the next. Still, Frank continued looking. Joe, never a patient person, finally began to honk the car to some beat he knew. Finally, Frank seemed to have found what he was looking for, and stared at his brother in annoyance.

"Are you finished yet?" he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Joe countered.

"Well, just in case we wanted to be discreet, I think you just sent out a formal announcement that we're here."

"Oh, come on, Frank. Lighten up. I don't see anyone here, do you? Anyway, what were you looking for?"

"A flashlight."

"I could've seen."

"With what? Your x-ray vision? And Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't it concern you in the least that you DON"T see anybody?"

Joe had to admit he hadn't thought of that. But, he wasn't going to wait around all day and trade quips with his brother when there was potentially some very serious work to be done.

"Let's go," he finally said.

As the boys approached the front door, Joe was about to knock. Frank immediately caught his hand.

"WHAT are you doing?" he asked incredulously. Sometimes, Frank appreciated his brother's spontaneity. Now was not one of those times. "You might as well say, 'Kill me please- I'm standing right here'. Think sometimes!"

Joe blushed. "Well... Oh, come on!" he said, and shoved the door open. Much as he had suspected, the mansion appeared empty.

"I guess we better split up," Joe said to Frank.

Frank hesitated.

"What's the matter now?" Joe asked. There were times Joe wondered how he and Frank were even related.

Frank was thinking the same thing. However, he turned to his brother and said, "Joe, you know, the last time I was here, you weren't with me. Remember our case, Dead of Night? Well, Callie said the same thing you just said to me. The next thing I knew, I thought she was dead when some pendulum came and appeared to cut her in half." He shuddered. "Thank God that turned out to not be real, but I just think we ought to stick together on this one. Okay?"

Joe sighed. Yeah, he remembered that case, all right. Yet another time he began to believe that Iola had been alive. Joe was about to argue with Frank, but when he saw the look of sadness and concern on his face, he decided to give in. Besides, he could always use the backup.

With that, the brothers began a long search of the mansion, covering room by room.

At the end of an hour's time, the found themselves back at the entry way.

Although both boys physically looked differently, they now wore identical expressions on their faces, ones of shock and disappointment.

The mansion was empty. Callie and Iola were gone.

***

Meanwhile, Callie and Iola were struggling to find their way to some form of rescue. They had tried to remain in high spirits, although certainly there was nothing to be remotely happy about. About two days had passed, and both girls were tired, hungry, and rapidly losing hope. For Iola, she could only take each moment in amazement, for it had been a long, long time since she had been outside and free. She had almost forgotten what that word meant.

Callie, on the other hand, was trying as hard as she could to think of some way to go that would get them somewhere, and fast. She had managed to hide it from Iola pretty well, but when they stopped to rest, Callie often felt pain throughout her body that seemed to grow increasingly worse each time. She felt incredibly weak, and found her hands shaking. She also realized how dire this situation was. She knew she couldn't concentrate on the fact that she could literally be dying, or she knew she would break down. On the other hand, she didn't know how much longer she could go on without slowing Iola terribly. All she knew was that she had to find a way out of here.

"Iola?" she said, causing her friend to turn around.

"Are you okay, Callie?" Iola asked.

Callie had to smile at that one. "Well, all things considered..."

Iola looked concerned.

"Iola," Callie began. "I think we need a game plan here. Let's face it. We have no idea where we are. I have an idea, although it is kind of dangerous. But... I think it's our only hope. I think we need to go back to the mansion, and find a road or something that leads up to it. I mean, we had to get there someway, and that means that we can follow that back and hope, above anything, that it leads to somewhere concrete. Either that, or we have to find a stream. Like a road, that has to lead somewhere. And, well, we could use some water." Callie was suddenly taken by how susceptible to harm they were. There they were, two young girls dressed only in gray sweat-suits, with nothing to protect them against whatever might be out there. She held back tears.

Iola sighed. Callie was right. She was starving, and at this point, she was pretty much willing to do whatever it took to live. "You're right, Cal. Let's go."

As the girls traveled, Iola stopped for a moment to pick at some berries on a tree. A she was about to swallow them, Callie suddenly reached out and smacked them out of her hand.

"What are you doing?!" she asked angrily.

"Those could be poisonous."

"Well, you know what, Cal? I'm pretty much willing to take that risk now. The current alternative isn't so appealing, is it?"

Seeing the look on her friend's face, Iola immediately felt badly. "I'm sorry. I'm just getting agitated, that's all. I'm hungry. I'm tired. I don't even know if we're headed in the right direction. Gosh, I wish we would have left crumbs or something as a landmark back to the house, like in Hanzel and Gretal or something."

At that. Callie started to laugh. She didn't know if it was out of delirium, weakness, or the lack of anything funny thus far, but she actually had to sit down to calm herself. Iola just stared at her, which made Callie laugh even harder.

"I.. I'm sorry, Iola, " she gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes. "That was too much! If we did that, first we'd leave a trail right for the bad guys, or any wild animals that just so happened to want to follow us. Two, I personally, at this point, would have eaten anything with crumbs, wouldn't you?" She smiled.

Iola laughed, too. Callie had been such a rock for her so far. She was right. The idea was crazy.

Putting an arm around her friend's shoulders, they continued to work their way back towards the mansion. At long last, they saw it in the horizon.

Although it was getting dark, the girls decided to follow the road from the house, but at a distance, running parallel to it. All they needed was for guards or other people to find them and shoot them. And so, they walked. And they walked. And they walked.

"Cal!!!" Iola called out. Callie stopped. "I think I found something! Maybe it's an outlet!"

Hurriedly, the girls rushed over, chattering in excitement.

Then, all at once, they stopped talking, and all color drained from their faces.

After hours of walking, there was simply a swamp in front of them.

They had reached a dead end.

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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.

hardy boys fan fiction