Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency

Joe Hardy woke up on Saturday morning to silence. He padded softly into the bathroom and opened the connecting door to Frank’s room. He could see the top of Frank’s dark hair on the pillow under the dark green comforter. Joe sighed at the unnaturalness of Frank ‘sleeping in’.

Joe slipped back into the bathroom where he shaved and showered quickly. ‘Why haven’t they called me? It’s been 24 hours since I found the letter and key in the van,’ Joe wondered as he toweled his hair dry, ‘Do they know I told Phil, Callie and Vanessa about the poison? Was that a mistake that will cost Frank his life?’ Joe felt overwhelmed and helpless.

As Joe began to dress, the disposable cell phone chirped and Joe leaped across his bed to answer it. "Hello?" he said hesitantly into the mouthpiece.

"Good morning Joseph," said a hollow sounding voice. Joe realized that the caller was using some kind of device to distort his voice. "You seem a bit jumpy. How is Frank this morning?" Joe felt his face flush red with anger but quickly let it pass. ‘A hot temper right now could be enough for them to cut off any chance of saving Frank,’ Joe thought.

"I believe you already know the answer to that question." the blond boy answered carefully.

"Of course, you are correct," the voice echoed, "We know everything that is going on with you and Frank. We are watching."

"What do you want me to do?" Joe asked. He heard hollow laughter on the other end of the phone.

"Anxious to play some more, Joseph?" the voice said, "I have a question for you to answer. I will call in 24 hours for your reply. Are you ready to play, Joseph?"

"Yes," Joe replied, gritting his teeth, "Ask me."

"We are wondering how far you will go to save Frank," the hollow voice stated, "Would you kill someone to save your brother’s life?" A loud click sounded in Joe’s ear. He stared at the phone, then ran to the bathroom and threw up.

* * *

Frank Hardy distinctly heard someone retching. He forced himself out of the bed and walked to the bathroom. The sound continued.

"Joe? Are you alright?" Frank asked, leaning against the door for support. Joe heard Frank’s voice, and began throwing up again.

‘Kill? Did he really say kill? Like murder? To save Frank’s life!’ The thought kept repeating in Joe’s brain.

"Joe? Answer me!" Frank cried weakly, turning the handle on the bathroom door. Joe was standing at the sink, rinsing his mouth out with water. His face was white and covered with the sheen of perspiration. "Oh, Joe; don’t tell me you’re coming down with this bug, too." Frank said, walking to his brother’s side.

Joe nearly jumped out of his skin when Frank’s image appeared beside his in the bathroom mirror. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts, that he hadn’t seen or heard Frank come in the room.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Joe asked, gazing into the mirror at his brother’s reflection. Frank looked so thin and frail; it made Joe want to run to the toilet again.

"I heard you being sick. Are you okay now?" Frank asked, leaning heavily on the sink counter.

"I’m fine," Joe replied, frowning at Frank’s worsened condition. "Let’s get you back to bed." Joe curbed Frank’s questions about his being sick by dismissing it as ‘something he ate’. Frank seemed pacified.

"What are you going to do today?" Frank asked as Joe started back for the bathroom after tucking Frank back in bed.

"Nothing special," Joe replied, thinking, ‘Except try to figure out who’s poisoning you and playing mind games with me.’

"Joe? Before you go," Frank asked, "could you bring me a glass of juice, please?"

"Sure," Joe answered, turning to give Frank a smile before going out the door and down to the kitchen.

Joe opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a clean glass off of the dish rack. He poured grapefruit juice into the glass. As he was about to put the lid back on, Joe noticed a yellowish crust around the threads of the neck of the container. He lifted the container to his nose and sniffed. All he could smell was grapefruit. ‘Maybe it’s old juice,’ he thought, looking for an expiration date. ‘According to the date, it should still be okay. I’ll ask Frank if it tastes all right. Maybe this crusty stuff is normal.’ Joe put the juice away and took the glass to Frank’s room.

"Frank," Joe said softly as he entered Frank’s room, in case his brother was sleeping again. Frank Hardy was leaning back on several pillows, but his eyes were open, watching Joe come into the room. "Hey, Bro. Taste this stuff and see if it’s okay. There was some crust on the cap and bottle. I’m worried that it might be getting old or something."

"It tastes fine Joe, thanks," Frank replied with a grin. "Go have some fun for both of us today, okay?" Joe could only nod his head as a lump formed in his throat. He quickly escaped Frank’s room and left the house, determined to find some answers before the day was over.

‘H-mm. Maybe Joseph is more clever than I gave him credit for. Why was he checking that container so closely?’ thought the man whose eyes had witnessed Joe’s actions in the Hardy kitchen. ‘Perhaps this game will be more challenging than we originally thought.’

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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.