HDA - Where Troubles Melt by Cherylann Rivers Introduction

The next morning, Joe and Frank sat in their room ready to begin the day. Frank had called over to Callie’s room, and had been informed that the girls would be ready in about ten minutes. Frank checked his watch, and glanced out of the corner of his eye at his brother. He was still shocked by Joe’s comments from the day before. All these years, he’d put up with Callie and Joe bickering, and he had known that it was both of them who instigated the fights. Since their most recent case, though, and as he and Callie had grown closer, Frank had always sensed that his brother and his girlfriend really did care about each other, despite their outward displays to the contrary. Now, he was totally shocked and bitterly disappointed in his brother. Callie needed not only him to be there for her, but the support of her friends and family. And, now that Joe had the opportunity to help Callie, he was turning his back on her. He couldn’t forgive that.

Frank bit his lip as he stared out the window. Callie was ill, although she was demonstrating tremendous strength that he didn’t know that he would have. He tried to ignore it, but he knew the doctor’s results from the biopsy were only a few days away, and he could think of little else. He knew he wasn’t giving his all to this case, and that he needed to; but somehow, when faced with the foreboding and horrific idea that he really could lose the girl he loved, nothing else seemed important. Frank watched the clouds sail by and the rushes of the wind through the trees outside, and choked back tears knowing that, in a few days, he might never see life this way again, so innocent and pure.

Joe, meanwhile, watched his brother. He wanted to speak with him; to apologize for mouthing off last night, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Frank needed some guidance, and Joe was prepared to give it. He knew what marriage and a child could do to his brother’s life, and he couldn’t understand why Frank was being so tight-lipped about it, and so close-minded. If, after REALLY thinking about it and planning a viable solution, Frank still decided he wanted to go ahead with this, then so be it. But Frank was acting like he had already decided to go ahead with this thing because he had to—and, in the end, Joe really feared that his brother’s, not to mention Callie’s, life, would be ruined by a poor decision.

He plopped back on the bed. He just wished he could talk to his brother; but Frank’s reaction to his words last night really threw him, and he couldn’t read his brother. That was, to him, the most frightening thing of all.

There was a knock on the door. Joe got up to answer it, and found Iola and Callie standing there.

"Hi," he said to them, looking specifically at Iola. Somehow, he couldn’t meet Callie’s eyes. He didn’t know why.

At that moment, Frank came up to them and gave Callie a quick hug. He turned to his brother.

"Joe," he said, as he kept an expressionless face. "Here’s the plan. Callie and I will go to the home of the Wilkins family. It’s about an hour’s drive from here, so we’ll take the car. We’ll also check out the home of Chris Ramses, who lived about a half an hour from Wilkins’ home before he died. You and Iola go to the Smith home. Find out any information that you can regarding the last time that he was in contact with his family members. I know this has all been done before, but we need to verify everything. Remember, Smith was a computer expert.; our guy, Ramses, was also into computers, and Wilkins was an architecture expert. Again, we’ll take the car, since the homes of our guys are further away. You take the "L" or a cab, since Smith’s home is only about fifteen minutes from here."

"Fine," Joe replied. He didn’t care to argue at this point.

"While you’re at it," Frank continued, "For the heck of it, check out Shelley Butler’s home. He was the literature buff. He lived about five minutes from the Smiths. Here’s his address." Frank handed over a sheet of paper to Iola, who, glancing at Joe, took it.

"Why do we have to go to two places? AND, what good is going to Butler’s home? He was the guy who was a literature scholar, I know, but he’s dead. And, our father put him away." Joe wanted to at least have a clue as to why he should even bother with this.

Frank looked agitated, and Callie lightly touched his arm. Surprised, he looked at her and forgot his anger for a moment. Callie took the opportunity to speak. "Joe, when you go to both houses, just like when Frank and I go to ours, you obviously can’t identify yourself as ‘Hardy.’ That’s probably the key word that will make the families NOT speak with you. I’m sure you knew that, though." Callie smiled at Joe, glad to have been able to pre-empt an argument. Whatever was going on between Frank and Joe, it wasn’t good.

Joe, however, totally misinterpreted Callie’s intention. He replied, sarcastically, "Obviously, Callie. Right. I’m sure you had faith in my detection abilities, as always. Come on, Iola, let’s go." He grabbed her hand, and half-dragged her out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Now, he was determined to solve this case first, and on his own. He’d show Frank that he was just as capable as him, and that Frank couldn’t solve a case when he wasn’t thinking correctly. Maybe that will make him start to think about the direction his life is headed, Joe thought to himself.

Left behind in the room, Frank felt the color rush to his cheeks. How dare Joe speak to Callie that way! He was getting ready to go after his brother when he felt Callie’s hand on his shoulder.

"Don’t, Frank," she said to him, quietly but sternly.

"He can’t…" Frank began, but he was cut off instantly.

"Look, Frank. I don’t know what’s troubling you now, and why you’re fighting with Joe. If you want to tell me, fine. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. I’ve never asked you to betray a confidence with him. However, we are here to solve a case. Three armed robberies, of a very bizarre nature, have occurred. Your dad might have a lead. If he’s right, which he generally is, then you might be in danger, and that’s not… good… with me. So drop it with Joe, okay? We have a long trip to take, and we need to think of something to say to these families. Let’s go." She headed out the doorway.

Frank stared after her. She was right. If Callie could concentrate on a case right now, with everything else going on, then so could he. A sudden thought hit him; he needed this case, and he would solve it. Frank swallowed, hard. If he could concentrate on this case, then he could NOT think about Callie. The case was his link to sanity right now. At once, the need to crack it dominated his thoughts, and he felt a calming energy come over him. For the moment, the only problems that existed for him were external.

Callie waited for him in the hallway. "You okay?" she asked.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he nodded. "Yup. We’re going to find some answers today, do you know that?" He was totally convinced of his own words.

"I think Joe is, too," she responded.

Frank’s face clouded over. "Well, we’re going to find them first."

Callie glanced at her boyfriend, and noticed the look on his face and his unusually child-like reply to her statement. She shook her head as they reached the car. Frank opened the door for her, and then went around to the driver’s side. As they began to drive, Callie gently place her hand over Frank’s.

"We may find answers, honey, but you and Joe need to find each other again. I have a bad feeling abut this whole thing."

Frank, hearing Callie, ignored the tugging in his heart.

"Frank?" She questioned again.

Putting himself solely into "detective mode," he stared straight ahead, leaving Callie’s unanswered question hanging in the air. He knew she was right, and that he really might be on his own in this one. He’d never solved a case alone, and he was worried.

Gently, Frank squeezed her hand in return. "It’ll be all right," he said to her, keeping his eyes on the road.

With an inward sigh, Callie could only hope that he was right.

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The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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 them without express permission of the authors.