Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

"Colt! What are you doing here?" Cindy Kai’s brown eyes grew wide at the sight of her older brother walking through the door of the newspaper office. Her cry brought the three Kai girls running to greet their uncle.

After hugs were handed out and pleasantries done away with, Colt Tanner and his sister Cindy stepped into the private office to talk.

"The Hardys arrived okay?" Colt asked.

"Oh yes," She replied, "and I managed to give poor Joe a near heart attack thanks to you!

Colt winced, "I know. I forgot to tell them about you. Sorry."

"No harm done, really," Cindy smiled, "So, why are you really here, Colt? I can’t imagine that you felt the Hardys couldn’t handle this on their own."

"Collin Anderson never called me back," Colt commented, "I had a bad feeling about him."

"You’re not the only one," Cindy replied, "Becky Watson’s convinced he’s in some kind of trouble or maybe hurt. Ronnie Benson, that young deputy I told you about that has his eyes on Sarah, I think he’s concerned also. Sheriff Williams is about the only one that doesn’t seem to think anything is strange about Anderson’s sudden disappearing act."

"That’s interesting," Colt pondered, fingering the brim of the cowboy hat he held in his hand. "Especially since Anderson gave me the feeling that he didn’t really trust the good ole sheriff."

"Oh, by the way," Cindy offered, "the Hardy’s, I mean the Fredricks found a place to rent while they’re here. The Christopher place. They’ve moved to Denver but still own their old place."

"If I remember right," Colt said, "that’s near Anderson’s place, isn’t it?"

"Yep." Cindy replied, "Right next door."

* * *

"So you see, Deputy Benson," Frank Hardy continued, offering an explanation to his and Joe’s presence inside Collin Anderson’s house, "When the planter fell and Joe found the key, we figured we could at least check on the dog and make sure she had food and water. Joe was really feeling bad for Lucy."

Both Frank and Joe had pasted on their most sincere, innocent expressions, hoping to convince the deputy that they only were thinking of the poor dog.

Deputy Benson sighed and sat back in his chair. He glanced at Lucy, watching her enthusiastically licking away at Joe Hardy’s fingers. He looked at Lucy’s full water and food dishes. He then looked at Frank, then Joe.

"I should bust both your butts and throw you in jail over night," Ronnie said, "but I believe you." He looked at Mr. Hardy. "Did you know they were coming over here, Mr. Fredricks?"

"No." Fenton honestly replied, "but it doesn’t surprise me that they did. Joe loves dogs. He was really worried about Lucy being alone all last night."

"Tell you boys what," the officer said, "Why don’t you hold on to that key? ‘Til I can figure out where my partner has disappeared to, you two can look after Lucy."

Frank quickly translated for Joe. The younger Hardy grinned and looked down at Lucy, gently rubbing the dog’s ears. "See Lucy?" he said, "I told you everything would be alright."

* * *

Travis Wagner picked up the hall phone as rang. Mr. Fredricks was apologizing. Their jeep had a flat and they would be a few minutes late. Wagner replied that he understood and would expect them shortly.

The rancher had just begun to wonder if the Fredricks were going to stand him up. He sighed with relief that the family was merely running behind.

Just a few minutes later, a black Cherokee pulled up in front of the Wagner home. Travis Wagner strolled outside to greet Mr. Fredricks and his sons.

"Welcome! Mr. Fredricks, it’s a pleasure to meet you," the man extended a hand to Fenton, "and these are your fine boys." Wagner eyed Frank and Joe carefully. Both boys had strong builds and seemed healthy. He noted Joe’s hearing aids and asked about them.

"I understood that Joseph was completely deaf," the man asked, "Why does he use hearing aids?"

"For extra safety," Mr. Hardy explained, using their cover story, "I’ve never allowed Joe’s disability to limit him. He plays sports, rides a bike, surfs, just about anything. The hearing aids allow him to hear very loud or sudden noises, like a car horn or fire alarm. Other than those very loud sounds, he has to rely completely on lip reading and sign language, although he is verbal and can speak quite clearly."

"He’ll know what I’m saying by reading my lips?" Mr. Wagner asked.

"Yes sir," Joe replied, smiling at his employer, "As long as I can clearly see you mouth, I can usually tell what you are saying. And Sir? If you don’t mind, I prefer to be called Joe."

"Wonderful," Mr. Wagner said, patting the blond youth on the back, "How would you like to see the horses now, 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.