Frank Hardy stepped out of the bathroom freshly showered, a towel wrapped about his waist. Another hung around his neck, capturing the water dripping from the ends of his hair. He went to the dresser in search of clean socks and underwear, then found a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. As he dressed, Frank wondered how long his younger brother would be sleeping in. It was almost nine a.m. Frank could smell fresh coffee brewing. Slipping on a pair of sneakers, before he went downstairs for breakfast, Frank knocked on Joe’s door.

“Time to wake up, little brother!”

He heard a grunt and some mumbling coming through the door. Frank couldn’t help but smile – Joe had never been a morning person. Opening the door, he peeked inside the dim room – the curtains were closed to keep out any sunlight. As his eyes wandered around the room, he noticed Joe’s attempt to keep the place clean. The laundry hamper was overflowing with dirty clothes – although there were a few shirts and jeans scattered on the floor. There was a stack of comic books stacked haphazardly at the end of the bed. Opening the door wider, Frank walked inside, went over to the window, and flung the curtains open. He heard Joe groan, and turning, he saw his brother bury himself deeper in his blankets.

“Is he still asleep?”

Frank looked at the door and saw his Aunt Gertrude holding a laundry basket.

“I was just about to get him out of bed, auntie.”

“Don’t bother; I know exactly what to do!”

Setting the laundry basket down, in three quick long strides, Aunt Gertrude was standing next to the bed. With one swift movement Gertrude had the blankets off her sleeping nephew.

“Frank!” Joe yelled; he sat up and glared at his older brother. His expression turned to one of horror when he realized his aunt was in the room. His eyes grew wide and his face turned crimson as he remembered that he was wearing nothing but his underwear. Joe jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

As he slammed the door shut Joe could hear Frank laughing.

“Oh for the love of Fred! It’s not like I’ve never seen you not wearing clothes! I use to change your diapers!” chortled Aunt Gertrude. “Well, now I can finish the laundry.”

Gertrude stripped Joe’s bed, telling Frank to remind Joe to put clean sheets on his bed. A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened a crack. All Frank could see was one blue eye staring at him.

“Is she gone?”

“Yeah,” chuckled Frank. “And she wants you to put clean sheets on your bed.”

Joe stepped back into his room, a towel wrapped around his waist. He took out some clean clothes before going back to the bathroom.

“Might as well take my shower….Tell Mom I’ll be down in twenty minutes,” he said before closing the door.

Joe walked into the kitchen, and as soon as he saw the smiling faces of his family, he glared at Frank. “You had to tell them what happened, didn’t you?”

Going over to his brother, Frank draped his arm around Joe’s shoulders. “It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it!”

Joe let out a snort then playfully elbowed Frank in the ribs. The brothers laughed, then sat down to eat their breakfasts.

*****

Joe loved summer vacation. Sleeping in late...well, as late as his mother would let him! Going to the beach…girl watching at the pier! Although today Joe was waiting for one particular girl! Normally he would have picked up his girlfriend, Vanessa Bender. But she had gone into New York City with her mother. She was driving straight to the pier after she dropped Mrs. Bender back home.

“Here, Joe.”

Joe turned to find Callie standing next to him holding out a cup.

“You look like you could use a cool drink,” she smiled at him.

“Thanks, Callie! Where’s Frank?” Joe took a sip and let out a sigh.

“He’s still inside – he bumped into some guy who was in his Criminology class. Frank’s telling him where all the hot spots are in Bayport!”

“I didn’t think Frank knew where the hot spots were!” Joe teased Callie. “OW!”

“That’s what you get for dissing my man!” said Callie after punching Joe in the arm.

Joe just smiled, then took another sip of his drink. He saw Frank come out of the burger place. When his brother got closer he pointed at Callie. “Frank – Callie hit me!”

Callie let out a gasp and slapped Joe in the stomach.

“See – she’s vicious!” laughed Joe as he backed away from Callie.

Frank just shook his head as he laughed at his younger brother and girlfriend. He “rescued” his brother by wrapping his arms around Callie’s waist, pulling her close as he kissed her cheek.

“I’ll pound him later at home,” he whispered in Callie’s ear.

“What kind of trouble are you getting into now, Joe?” A throaty laugh followed the question.

Joe spun around, a huge grin on his face – he knew that laugh.

“Vanessa!” He enveloped the leggy blonde in a bear hug, holding her tight and enjoying the fruity scent of her shampoo. “I missed you,” he whispered before he kissed her.

“Okay, break it up you two!” said Frank with an exaggerated sigh.

Taking Vanessa’s hand, Joe walked down the pier towards the beach, with Frank and Callie following.

*****

The young woman stood silently staring out the window. This place was different from her last residence. There were bars overlapping the screen. The window itself didn’t open very far, merely wide enough for a person to stick a hand out. The room was bare, no nice amenities here. Just a bed with a thin mattress, a sink with a small vanity mirror and a small toilet hidden in the corner. There were two shelves that held one picture frame, two well-worn paperbacks and one photo album.

The woman moved away from the window and took down the photo album. Instead of photos there were numerous articles inside. She took out the latest article and stared at the picture on the front page. Although the photo was in black and white she could imagine the blond hair – feel the silky softness of it on her finger tips – see the sparkling blue eyes that reminded her of sapphires – feel the softness of those lips as they pressed against hers.

Her gaze fell on the other male in the picture – she remembered his dark brown hair; although her fingers never ran through it, she knew it would be soft to the touch. She closed her eyes and could see his chocolate brown eyes burning with his desire for her.

She blinked in surprise when she felt something wet fall on her hand. She stared at the drop of water, then slowly raised her hand to touch her face…she felt another tear slide down her cheek. Slamming the photo album shut, the woman stared out of her room. They had lied to her – they had both professed their love for her but it was a lie! She let out a scream as she threw the album across the room. She continued screaming, her outrage awaking her fellow inmates.

“Crap, she’s having one of her fits again!” the female guard sighed to her partner.

“Don’t worry, the doc left a sedative; he had a feeling she was going to have an episode.”

“Lets get this over with before she gets everyone howling.”

Picking up the syringe, the two guards unlocked the door and walked down the hallway. They waited till the screaming woman had her back towards them before rushing in and tackling her to the floor. While her partner held the offender down, the female guard stabbed the syringe in the offender’s arm. A minute later the two guards were lifting the woman off the floor and onto her bed. They left soon afterwards, locking the bars behind them.

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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.