Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency

"Vanessa? I’d like to talk with you if I may?" asked Phil Cohen into the telephone mouthpiece. He felt like a two-timing snake, calling Joe’s girlfriend behind his back.

"This is about Joe and Frank, isn’t it, Phil?" Vanessa said in reply.

"Something weird is going on," Phil continued, "I want to corner Joe and get some answers. If someone has poisoned Frank, maybe they have threatened Joe or are blackmailing him somehow."

"Phil, can you come over now? Why don’t you pick up Callie on your way? I just spoke with her and she’s practically a basket case, worrying about Frank," Vanessa stated, "Joe’s on his way here. We’re suppose to be going to lunch, but I’d much rather find out what’s going on with him."

"I’m on my way," Phil said, already heading for the door.

* * *

"Hi, Babe," Joe smiled at the beautiful girl that answered his knock on the Bender’s back door. Vanessa smiled in return and motioned for Joe to come inside.

"I thought we were going out to eat?" Joe asked, noticing sandwich fixings spread out on the kitchen table. "You know I’m not crazy about being here like this without your mom around."

"Not to worry, Joe," Vanessa said, leading him to a chair, "Have a seat. Some friends are coming over to join us for lunch." Just then, the front door bell rang and Vanessa disappeared down the hall to answer the door.

Joe looked up as Callie Shaw and Phil Cohen walked into the kitchen. Joe wasn’t sure if he should be angry or relieved at what his friends were doing.

"Joe, don’t get mad," Phil began, looking into Joe Hardy’s deep, blue eyes, "The girls and I care very much about you and Frank. We know something’s going on and Frank’s in no condition to help you. So, we want to; after all, we’re kind of already involved." Callie and Vanessa stood beside Phil, nodding their heads in agreement.

Joe frowned as he eyed the three of them. ‘What do I do? How will telling them affect the outcome of this ‘game’? They’ve all helped before on cases and I really could use the help.’ Joe sighed. He rubbed his hand across his eyes and leaned forward in the chair, his elbows coming to rest on his knees. Phil, Callie and Vanessa looked at each other, but then went to Joe’s side. After a few minutes, Joe started talking.

"The Assassins are poisoning Frank," Joe began, sitting up again and looking at his three trusted friends who were now sitting in chairs across the table from Joe. "They’ve been in contact with me. They have told me that the poison will kill Frank if I don’t get the antidote for him."

"What do they want in exchange for the antidote?" Callie asked, understanding where Joe was leading. Vanessa had her hand over her mouth, not wanting to say anything to interrupt; yet knowing this was going to be bad.

"I-I’m not sure yet." Joe’s eyes dropped to stare at his lap.

"I think maybe you do," Phil prodded, watching the reaction on Joe’s face. Joe looked up at Phil, tears brimming his blue eyes.

"I t-think they want me to kill someone," Joe said.

* * *

Frank Hardy felt sluggish, but was sick of being sick. He wanted to do some of his schoolwork. He knew Joe had brought some of his books home, so he went through the bathroom, into Joe’s room. ‘This is a disaster area!’ Frank thought, seeing the unmade bed, over-flowing hamper and scattered belongings laying around.

"There they are," Frank said as he spied his books on Joe’s desk. As he lifted the books, a pencil rolled off the top of the pile, into the partially open desk drawer. Frank pulled the drawer open to retrieve the pencil, and caught sight of a typed letter zipped into a clear, plastic bag. Frank read the first letter Joe had received from the ‘Game Master’, and stood in shocked silence. ‘The Assassins? Poison? How?’ Frank wondered.

All thoughts of homework forgotten, Frank sat at Joe’s desk and carefully pulled out the plastic bag. With the edge of his shirt, he looked into the bag and took out a second sheet of paper. Frank read it, curious as to what Joe must have found in the bus terminal locker. A third sheet of paper revealed the answer, as it said Joe would receive further instructions on a cell phone. ‘That phone must have been what was in the locker.’ Frank surmised. Since there were no dates on the three letters, Frank had no idea how much time had passed or how long Joe had been carrying this information. Frank put everything back where he had found them. ‘Alright, Little Brother,’ Frank decided, ‘It’s time we had a talk!’

Frank knew Joe was probably out with Vanessa or one of the guys. He decided to make some phone calls to track his brother down and walked back into his room to use his cell phone. Suddenly Frank was seized in excruciating pain, ripping across his abdomen and lower back. The pain was so bad, that Frank collapsed on the floor before reaching his bed, the darkness of unconsciousness engulfing him.

* * *

Joe Hardy jumped as his own cell phone rang.

"Aunt Gertrude? What’s wrong?" Joe asked, gripping the small phone tightly, "What? When? I’ll meet Mom and Dad there. Thanks!"

Joe looked like he was about to go into shock. "Frank collapsed. He’s back at the hospital!" he informed Callie, Vanessa and Phil.

Vanessa grabbed Joe’s hand and headed out the door. The four climbed into the Hardy’s van and Vanessa drove to the hospital.

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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.