Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency

Dr. Bates insisted that Frank stay in the hospital over night, promising to release him the next day. They knew now that the toxin in his blood wasn’t infectious at all. They would try to isolate the toxin with a few more tests in the morning, before Frank was discharged.

Joe Hardy had wanted to stay through the night with Frank, but his parents insisted that he go home and rest because he had school the next day. At first, Joe had protested, but finally agreed; realizing that it would be Friday and he’d be home with Frank all weekend. His parents stayed with Frank a while longer, so Joe took Phil home, then returned home himself.

When Joe walked in the front door, he noticed the mail on the hall table. He quickly rifled through it, and then stopped when he saw an envelope addressed to him. Joe frowned. He rarely got mail except for birthday cards or post cards from his friends when they were away. He picked up the business-sized envelope and his frown deepened. There was no return address and his name and address were neatly typed in uppercase format.

Joe carried the envelope up to his bedroom and laid it on his bed while he undressed. When he was ready for bed, he picked up the envelope and held it to the light. There appeared to be a folded paper inside, but nothing else was distinguishable. He carried it to his desk and carefully slit the end open with a pocketknife. He shook the envelope until the paper fell free. Seeing nothing unusual, he picked up the folded paper and opened it. Joe’s tired body and mind became instantly alert as he read the neatly typed page.

Dear Joseph,

By now you have noticed that your dear brother Frank has not been feeling very well. Let me assure you that his condition will not improve unless we intervene. The Assassins have given him a few doses of a very toxic poison. The doctors may be able to temporarily relieve his symptoms, but will not be able to rid his system of the poison. The poison will begin to kill him within 10 days if he does not receive the antidote. You are the only one who can get the antidote for him. If you involve the police or your father, you will not hear from us again and Frank will die.

The game begins tomorrow. To win the antidote, you must follow every clue we give you. Follow the instructions precisely. One mistake will eliminate all future contact from us. We look forward to playing with you.

Sincerely,

The Game Master

Joe read the letter a second time. He looked at the envelope again and realized there was no stamp or postmark. ‘It was delivered by hand and stuck in with our regular mail.’ he surmised. Wishing he hadn’t handled them, he carried the letter and envelope to the boy’s lab above their garage. Joe carefully dusted both for fingerprints. He frowned as he saw that all the prints were the same; all were his own.

* * *

The next morning, Joe got out of bed and dressed for school. He had not slept more than a couple of restless hours and his head was pounding in protest. He was afraid to go to his desk. ‘Maybe the letter was a dream,’ he hoped. He slowly pulled open his desk drawer. The letter lay exactly where he had put it the night before. Joe closed the drawer and sat down in the chair, burying his face in his hands.

"Don’t tell me you’re not feeling well either!" Laura Hardy cried as she poked her head into her younger son’s room. Since Frank wasn’t there to wake Joe, she was checking to see that he was up. Joe jumped at his mother’s voice, almost falling out of the chair.

"No, Mom, I’m fine," he gave her the best smile he could muster, "I didn’t sleep very well, that’s all." Laura looked at his drawn face and the dark circles under his deep, blue eyes.

"You’re worried about Frank, aren’t you?" she guessed, gently rubbing Joe’s back. "I’m sure Dr. Bates will figure out what is causing Frank’s tiredness and then Frank will be fine! You can’t worry so much or you’ll be the one who ends up sick."

Joe went downstairs with his mother and had a bowl of cereal before going out to the van to drive to school. His parents would be bringing Frank home later that day, if he was any better.

Joe opened the van door and saw a white business envelope sitting on the drivers seat. He picked it up and climbed into the van. Joe drove about a block from his house, and then pulled to the side of the road. He tore the envelope open and pulled out a letter and a key.

The letter read:

Dear Joseph,

Take this key to the bus station. It will open a locker there. Take the package that is in the locker. There will be further instructions inside the package. Leave the key in the locker door.

Sincerely,

The Game Master

Joe turned around and headed back into town toward the bus terminal. He parked and walked purposefully to the locker area. He found the coordinating locker and used the key to open it. Inside was a 9" x 12" padded envelope. Joe took a quick look around to see if anyone was paying particular attention to him. Not noticing anyone, he pulled the package from the locker, put it under his arm, closed the door with the key still in it and left the terminal.

Once inside the van, Joe exhaled loudly, not even realizing that he had been holding his breath all the way out of the bus station. He opened the package. Inside was a ‘throw-away’ type cell phone. There was a note that said he would receive his next set of instructions on the cell phone and he should keep it with him at all times.

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Started: June 4, 2003

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Disclaimer

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 original characters without express permission of the authors.