Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Bruce didn’t bother searching the back roads – he knew where Gray was heading. Instead he drove to a field where a helicopter was waiting for him and Linda Green. They boarded the copter and headed for San Antonio.

*****

It was hot inside the empty storage car; Joe had kept the door open hoping they would get a slight breeze as the train zoomed across the tracks. There were a few empty plastic crates that they used as makeshift chairs. Joe had also found some musty, tattered blankets stuffed in a couple of the crates – making him wonder who else had gotten on for a free ride.

Later that night, Joe couldn’t sleep. He listened to Vanessa’s deep breathing as she slept. He could see the Gray Man’s shadow as he stood by the open door. Moving carefully, Joe got up and went over to the Network agent.

“Vanessa thinks we’re out of danger since we haven’t seen any Assassins. What do you think?” he asked Gray in a soft voice.

“I’m sure you already know my answer. Bruce isn’t going to give up searching for us. He’s not going to bother looking for us in every town – he’s heading straight for San Antonio.”

“Yeah, I was afraid of that.”

They stood in silence looking up at the sky. Every few minutes Joe would turn and check on Vanessa. It was too dark for him to really see her but just being able to glimpse her shadowy form was enough for him.

“You know, Joe – we’re a lot more alike than you think.”

The Gray Man’s remark caught Joe by surprise. As the younger Hardy stared at Gray, he could see a faraway look in the older man’s eyes. Joe waited for Gray to continue but when he didn’t say anything more, he reluctantly turned away. A minute later he lay beside Vanessa and went to sleep.

Gray knew that Joe was waiting for him to elaborate further but he couldn’t bring himself to continue. Instead he stared out into space as his thoughts wandered to his early days with the Network. He was vaguely aware of Joe leaving his side. He waited several minutes before he returned to his corner of the storage car, where he closed his eyes and slept.

*****

Laura was worried about Joe and Vanessa but still wanted Frank and Callie to have a fun vacation. She had faith that Fenton would find the missing two, so the next morning she informed her oldest son that they were going sight-seeing. Frank wanted to protest but then he realized this was Laura’s way to cope with her fears. If Fenton found any new information he could reach them on their cell phones.

Frank ended up following Laura and Callie through the Rivercenter Mall, which was three blocks away from the hotel. This was not the older Hardy brother’s idea of sight-seeing! Laura and Callie had entered another clothing store so Frank waited for them outside in the mall. He found a bench and sat down, arranging their many bagged purchases around himself. He checked his cell, reassuring himself that it was fully charged. Replacing the phone in his pocket, Frank watched the different people walking by. He noticed a young man, possibly a few years older than he, loitering nearby.

At first Frank didn’t pay attention to the young man – he was too busy worrying about Joe and Vanessa and what was taking Laura and Callie so long! After awhile though, he couldn’t help but notice how the young man seemed to looking his way. Frank wasn’t really sure but he thought it was odd that every time he turned his attention towards the store where the young man was standing, the man would suddenly turn away.

Frank bent down to search through a few of the shopping bags. He took out a book on Texas ghost stories. Turning slightly to one side and leaning back against the arm of the bench, Frank opened the book. It appeared that he was skimming over the pages of the book, but Frank was actually ‘spying’ on the young man. The man was dressed casually, wearing a brown pullover shirt and jeans. His light brown hair brushed past his collar. Frank wasn’t sure how tall the man was but he guessed about 5’10” to 6 feet in height.

“Are you ready to have some lunch?” Frank looked up to find Laura standing in front of him.

“Where’s Callie?”

“She found a cute pair of earrings that she wanted to purchase – she should be out in a few minutes.”

Frank put his book back in the bag and with Laura’s help gathered up the rest just as Callie walked out of the store. They headed downstairs to the food court where Frank found a table. Callie saw a burger stand and decided that was what she wanted for lunch. Laura thought that was a good idea.

“Why don’t you and Callie sit and rest, I’ll go get our lunch,” said Frank.

“Thank you, sweetie!” Laura smiled at him.

Getting their orders, Frank walked over to the burger stand. He got in line and patiently waited for his turn. He happened to glance to his left and saw a familiar man dressed in a brown pullover.

“Excuse me, sir – can I take your order?”

“Huh? Sorry…yes, I’d like three number two combos with cheese. Two regular Cokes and one sweet tea.”

While Frank waited for his lunch order, he searched the food court but lost sight of the young man. His order number called, Frank took the tray filled with food over to Laura and Callie. He almost dropped the tray when he saw the young man sitting at the table across from them. This was too much of a coincidence for Frank. Trying to appear composed, he calmly brought the food over to Laura and Callie.

Sitting down with his mom and girlfriend, Frank kept up a steady chatter while casually glancing over at their ‘shadow’.

“You know, Mom – with all these bags we should call a cab to get back to the hotel.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed slightly – she sensed that Frank was up to something. She had noticed how his eyes kept wandering over to a young man in a brown shirt. Laura lowered her eyes then stared straight at Frank.

“That sounds like a good idea, Frank. I do feel a little tired after all this mall walking.”

Callie looked curiously at Frank and Laura. She had also noticed how Frank kept glancing around. But she was unable to see who or what he was looking at without turning her head. If it was a ‘who’, Callie did not want to alert that person by turning her head towards them. She just quietly got up from her chair and gathered a few bags before following Frank and Laura out.

Laura remembered that the hotel offered a car service so she had Frank call the hotel instead. They waited out front for Sheraton Hotel’s car. A small white van with the hotel’s name written on the side pulled up five minutes later. The driver got out to help with the bags, while Frank helped Callie into the van. He turned to assist Laura when the man in the brown shirt ran up and grabbed hold of her!

*****

Fenton Hardy waited in the reception area of the Grayson PaperWorks building. He was waiting to see Mr. Anderson, one of the vice-presidents of the company. Grayson PaperWorks was no ordinary paper factory – it was actually a front for the Network. Fenton tapped his fingers on the briefcase and a small smile came to his face when he realized what he was doing. It was such a ‘Joe’ thing to do.

“Excuse me, Mr. Hardy?”

Fenton looked up. A blonde, blue-eyed young woman stood in front of him. She was dressed in a severely-cut navy blue pantsuit; her blonde hair was cut short and slicked back.

“Mr. Anderson will see you now – please follow me.”

Fenton kept his face impassive when several other men who were waiting frowned. Though PaperWorks was a front it did have a small working factory – several times a week there were sales reps who came in to discuss business. Fenton followed the girl into an elevator. She took out a key and inserted into the panel, and suddenly the elevator plummeted downward. The elevator came to an abrupt stop, and the doors opened to reveal another reception area. This one contained one lone desk with a female agent to greet them.

The blonde agent – who Fenton learned was Agent Grades – showed her ID badge. The agent behind the desk buzzed them in. Fenton walked down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway was a key pad, but he didn’t see a door. Agent Grades placed her hand over the top part of the key pad; she then punched in a coded number. The wall slid open.

One received an impression of controlled chaos; there seemed to be a small crowd walking to and fro as Fenton and Agent Grades entered the Network offices.

Fenton felt like a lab mouse as he followed Agent Grades through what seemed like a maze. They finally arrived in a more quiet area.

“Mr. Anderson is just down that hallway, Mr. Hardy. He’s ready for you.”

“Thank you.” Fenton walked down the carpeted hallway, knocked softly on the door and went in.

“Mr. Hardy, it’s nice to see you. Now what is so urgent that you needed to speak to me personally?”

“Your agent Mr. Gray has been kidnapped by the Assassins...as has my son, Joe.”

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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.