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

–PAST...
Laura Hardy was suddenly terrified for the life of her 4-year-old son. Adam Whiteside’s eyes had taken on a look of sheer madness.

"Adam, you’re right," Laura smiled at the man. "I’m just so worried about Joey that I’m not thinking straight. Joey should be our main concern now." She looked into Adam’s eyes and was relieved to see that her words had pacified him somewhat.

"Let’s go get your son, then," Adam Whiteside smiled.

* * *

Sam Radley drove along Shore Road, staying well behind the maroon Buick. He had a bad feeling that the man in the car might panic and hurt Laura if he knew he was being tailed.

~ ~ ~ PRESENT...

‘Where are you baby brother? Who is Red Reed, really?’ Frank pondered as he sat in the dark living room of their house. It was late, about nine o’clock, but still too early for bed. Joe had been missing for two days and Frank felt frustrated. Frank was startled by a sudden knock on the front door. He sprang up and ran to open it, coming face to face with a pizza delivery boy.

"We didn’t order any pizza," Frank said, as he began to shut the door.

"Look, sir," the pimple-faced boy began, "Someone came in, ordered a large pepperoni pizza to be delivered to this address, paid for it in advance with cash and said to deliver this box with the pizza."

"What did the man look like that ordered this pizza?" Frank asked. The boy gave a perfect description of the man Frank knew as Red Reed. He reached out and took the pizza and the other box from the boy. Fenton reached the door just as Frank was giving the kid a tip.

"A late night snack, Frank?" Fenton asked curiously.

"A present from Reed," Frank answered. Fenton frowned as the pizza and the other box were carried into the kitchen and placed on the table.

"Honey?" Laura asked, walking in and smelling the garlic and tomato sauce, "who ordered pizza?" Sam and Ethel Radley, as well as Officer Austin Lane, who had recently relieved Con Riley, followed in Laura.

Frank explained what the delivery boy had told him. Fenton cautiously opened the pizza, to find an ordinary looking pepperoni pie. Just to be safe, he immediately tossed the pizza in the trash. Next, he moved to open the other box but stopped short. It was addressed to Laura Hardy. Fenton looked into the weary, worried eyes of his wife. "Laura, this is from Joe’s kidnapper and it’s addressed to you."

Laura moved close to Fenton as he opened the box. Inside was a large jar tucked inside packaging peanuts. Fenton lifted the jar out of the box and set it on the table.

"No, oh God, no!" Laura gasped as she stared at the jar. Ethel Radley gagged at the sight of the jar full of spiders, but quickly composed herself and led Laura out of the room.

"I don’t get it, Fenton," Sam said, shaking his head. Officer Lane and Frank both looked at Fenton questioningly, also. "What’s with the spiders?"

Fenton picked up the jar with a trembling hand and peered at the arachnids inside. "When Joe was kidnapped as a small child, he was kept in a cave. The cave was crawling with these spiders. Joe had gotten bit by so many that he’d developed a reaction to them and was quite sick."

"Joe’s never liked spiders," Frank said softly, and then looked at his dad, "It’s because of the cave, right?"

"I don’t think Joe remembers what happened in that cave," Fenton answered, "but he’s always had a subconscious fear of spiders. It’s an embarrassment to him, but I don’t think he can help it."

"Man," Frank said, tears in his eyes, "I’ve teased him about that hundreds of times. I’m sorry Joe, I didn’t know!"

* * *

It was almost 11 p.m. when Andrew Whiteside returned to the room where Joe Hardy was being held captive. He smiled as he pictured Laura Hardy’s face when she saw the jar of spiders. He’d learned about the spiders when he and Adam were kids. They knew these particular spiders, commonly known as "blind spiders", lived in caves. After Adam’s death, Andrew had visited the cave that Joe Hardy had been held captive in for three days. The place was crawling with the blind spiders.

Quite by coincidence, Andrew learned that Joe was afraid of spiders. He’d heard a conversation between Joe and Laura, as they were working in the yard one day. A spider had crawled onto the edge of Joe’s shoe. He’s called out to his mother for help. She brushed the spider away and Joe, crimson with embarrassment, thanked her. It was then that Andrew remembered the spiders in the cave.

Whiteside walked into the room. Moonlight was shining in through the window, despite the drawn drapes. The filtered light rested on the still form of the youth that was securely tied to the bed. Andrew peered at the sleeping boy, not turning on any lights.

He picked up the disposable phone and dialed the number of the Hardy residence. He placed the voice modifier on the speaker. When Frank answered, Andrew asked to speak with Laura. Frank immediately signaled to his father that it was the kidnapper. Fenton ran and got Laura, though she was terrified, he knew she would do whatever it took to get Joe home safely. She picked up the phone at the same time that Fenton picked up the extension in the hall.

"Hello?" Laura said tentatively.

"Did you get my present?" the man asked.

"Yes," Laura said, "Why are you doing this? Where’s my son?"

"I have another jar of lovely spiders right here," Andrew said, lifting a jar from his shopping bag and setting it on the nightstand beside Joe.

"This jar of spiders is for your Joey. Don’t you think he’ll enjoy this little present?"

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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.