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

PAST...
Adam Whiteside looked carefully at Fenton Hardy, suddenly not trusting the man. He quickly turned to glance at Laura Hardy. Noticing that her eyes were fixed on her husband, Adam became enraged.

"Him! How can you even look at him!" Adam screamed, grabbing Laura with his right hand while keeping his left arm locked around her 4-year-old son.

"Adam! Please!" Laura started to beg for Joey’s freedom, but Adam viciously pushed her toward Fenton, tightening his grip on the boy. Officers Collig and Riley drew their weapons and held them ready, but didn’t dare fire for fear of hitting the child.

Adam stepped back closer to the edge of the path. Twenty feet below him, the salt water of Barmet Bay crashed against the rocky shore. Adam glanced down to the bay, but then looked back at Laura Hardy.

"How can you love him, Laura? After I found your son?" Adam cried in a whiney voice, "I loved you but you never loved me back!"

Both Laura and Fenton tried to speak softly and reasonably to the man. He ignored their words, but it bought time for Collig and Riley to move in a bit closer.

"I should have killed your brat the night I took him!" Whiteside cried venomously.

~ ~ ~ PRESENT...

"Andrew Whiteside doesn’t know we’re on to him," Fenton Hardy stated to the assembled group in the Hardy living room. Frank Hardy sat on the floor with his girlfriend Callie Shaw. She had come over to offer support to her boyfriend’s family. Sam and Ethel Radley sat on the sofa with Gertrude Hardy. Laura Hardy sat in Fenton’s over-stuffed armchair while Fenton paced the floor.

"That’s to our advantage," Sam Radley added.

"But, how are we going to find him?" Laura asked, still shaken at discovering who had stolen her 17-year-old son.

"You know, Dad," Frank commented, running his fingers through his dark hair, "Red told Joe and me that he stayed in a motel just outside of Bayport before he moved in the house next door. I’m wondering now if that was idle talk or maybe a slip-up."

"Good thinking Frank. It’s a place to start," Mr. Hardy responded, giving his eldest son a smile, "Why don’t you start going through the phone book and make a list..."

"Already doing it!" Frank said, dashing into the hallway to get the telephone directory from the drawer in the hall table.

"Sam?" Fenton questioned his friend, "Do you think you could find the cave where Adam kept Joe 13 years ago?"

"I’m sure I can find it again," Sam answered confidently. "Do you really think Whiteside might take Joe there?"

"I’m willing to bet that’s where the spiders came from," replied Mr. Hardy.

"I’ll call Collig and get one of his men to go with me," Sam said, standing up. "I’d better see if he can send someone over here to stay with the ladies, too."

"Good idea, Sam," Fenton agreed, "That will free me up to go with Frank and check out the motels."

Within the hour, a female officer arrived to stay with the women at the Hardy’s house. Sam Radley and Con Riley headed out of town on Shore Road as the Hardy men headed off toward several motels on the outskirts of Bayport.

* * *

Andrew Whiteside had let Joe use the bathroom before securing the youth once again to the four bedposts with duct tape. After he taped Joe’s mouth, the man left the room again.

Joe Hardy was relieved that Whiteside hadn’t inflicted another torture on him. The knife wound in his right shoulder still throbbed with each heartbeat and the thoughts of those spiders brought tremors to Joe’s body. He quickly got his mind focused on one thing alone – escape.

Joe began working his left wrist back and forth, pulling it in every direction. After almost two hours, the duct tape was stretched enough for Joe to pull his hand free. Joe twisted his body and began pulling the tape off of his right wrist.

When both wrists were free, Joe was feeling euphoric. ‘I might get out of here yet!’ he thought, reaching to un-tape his ankles. Soon, Joe was free and got to his feet. His legs felt weak from not standing for the past three days, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. Joe looked around for his shirt and shoes, but couldn’t find them. Giving up, he quickly slipped out the door of the motel room.

Joe recognized the old mote lodge. It was about eight miles from downtown Bayport. Joe was mystified as to why no one was around or why Andrew had said no one would hear him if he yelled for help. Surely there had been other guests.

Joe decided his best bet would be to get in the office and call for help on the phone. Without shoes, he wouldn’t be able to make much headway walking.

When Joe reached the office, he found the door locked. That was really peculiar. He walked around the side of the office and found a back entrance. No one came in response to Joe’s knocking. Testing the knob, Joe found that the door wasn’t locked. He stepped tentatively inside.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Joe called out. He was struck almost immediately by a putrid stench. Joe made his way to the lobby. When he saw the bloated body of the motel owner, Joe staggered towards the back door but didn’t make it before he was violently sick.

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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.