Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency Presents "In the Name of Love" by CQB

–PAST...
The man in the mask came down the hole into Joey Hardy’s earthen prison. The child was so fevered that he barely responded to the man’s presence. The man forced the child to drink a little water. He frowned as he peered into the boy’s eyes. He would need to act faster. He didn’t want the child to die; that just wouldn’t fit in the plan at all.

He removed a pair of scissors from his pocket and carefully clipped a lock of the child’s blond hair. With his gloved hands, he sealed the hair in an envelope that already contained a cassette tape. He glanced once again at the child before hurrying out of the cave.

* * *

Adam Whiteside arrived at the Hardy home early in the morning. He carried an envelope that had been delivered that morning. On the outside, the envelope bore the instructions that Adam was to deliver the envelope to Laura Hardy only.

As Gertrude Hardy led Adam to the kitchen of her brother’s home, he wasn’t surprised to learn that Fenton was already gone, chasing down a possible lead. In the kitchen, Laura Hardy sat with her 5-year-old son, Frank on her lap.

"Hello, Laura," Adam smiled warmly at the young mother. He suppressed the urge to take the woman in his arms in a comforting embrace.

"Adam," Laura greeted the man, "Would you like some coffee?"

"Ah, no," he hesitated. He wondered how she would deal with the information in the envelope. "I...um. This was waiting for me this morning." He handed her the envelope.

Gertrude, having watched the entire episode, said, "Perhaps it would be better to wait for Fenton?"

"Joey’s been gone for too long," Laura stated, staring at the package, "Time is of essence. Waiting could mean they’ll kill him. I can’t take that chance." Laura handed her son to Gertrude, while the younger woman began opening the envelope.

Laura sobbed as she stroked the lock of soft blond hair, "My baby!" she cried. Composing herself, she went to the counter and picked up a cassette recorder, popping in the tape that was in the envelope.

All three adults in the room stood rooted to the spot as they listened to the tape. First, little Joey’s tired voice could be heard proclaiming that he wasn’t tired. Laura’s soft soprano voice followed, singing the lullaby she always used to quiet her younger son. Then came the sound of Joey sobbing, and then finally, a chilling message in a muffled, disguised voice:

‘If you want your baby, Laura, you must come and get him. If your husband or the police interfere, the child will have to die. Be at the phone booth in front of the gas station on Sycamore Street at noon today. Wait for instructions.’

~ ~ ~ PRESENT...

Red Reed watched the activity in the Hardy kitchen with amused interest. He locked his house up and climbed into the Lumina, smiling as he thought about Joe working on the alternator. He pulled away from the curb and headed out of town, noticing that no one had made any attempt to follow him.

* * *

Joe Hardy had no idea how long he had been asleep when he heard the door open and Red Reed walk into the room. The man stopped just inside the door and stared at Joe. Joe glared back at him and became frustrated when he saw Red smile.

"I’ll bet you wasted a whole lot of energy yelling for help, young man," Red stated, picking up the used piece of tape that had been on Joe’s mouth. "There’s no one around for miles, Joe. Your family is quite frantic," Red grinned, peering into Joe’s angry blue eyes. "The police came over and questioned me. Of course, I explained that you left my place and apparently never made it to your own house."

Red sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It’s time to make a phone call. We’ll start with just a little reminder, alright?" The man chuckled at Joe’s questioning look.

"You were so little then," Red said, placing a cassette into a tape player, "You probably don’t remember any of it." He placed the tape player on the bed, next to Joe’s leg. Red walked across the room and pulled a disposable cell-phone from a paper bag. He placed the cell-phone beside the tape player, then retrieved the paper bag and set it on the floor, next to the bed.

"We are going to call your dear family now," Red said, picking up the phone. He placed a small black disc on the mouthpiece. Joe recognized the device as voice modifier. It would disguise Red’s voice.

Red stopped and looked carefully at Joe. He put the phone back down and pulled another piece of duct tape across Joe’s mouth, and then dialed the Hardy’s phone number.

"Hello," Red greeted, "This call is for Laura Hardy." Joe’s eyes went wide at the mention of his mother’s name. Was his mom the mysterious woman Red was seeking revenge on? "I believe she’ll speak with me." Red continued, "Just tell her this concerns her son. A certain son who happens to be missing right now."

"Hello, Laura dear," Red sounded sickeningly sweet, "Your precious baby is here with me now." Joe could hear his mother’s urgent voice on the other end of the phone, asking to talk to him.

"I’m afraid that’s not possible, however, you will hear from him in just a minute," Red continued, "But first, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?" With those words, Red pushed the button to start the tape player. A nursery song began that sounded vaguely familiar to Joe. Then, the sound of crying came through the machine, a child crying.

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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.