Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

“Frank’s studying his brain out for a big Trig test and Callie is supposedly ‘helping’ him,” 17-year-old Joe explained, “Otherwise, I’m sure they would have come to the Morton’s farm with us tonight.” Just then the porch light flashed off and on again.

“I’d better go before she comes out here and drags you inside!” Joe said with a shake of his blond head. He gave Vanessa one last kiss before walking out to the black van he and his year-older brother Frank shared.

It was a longer than usual walk from the Bender’s farm house because Joe had needed to park on the road, rather than the driveway. With the build-up of snow, Mrs. Bender’s driveway was reserved for the employees of her animation studio only.

Joe whistled softly as he walked across the snowy lawn toward the road, reflecting on the Friday evening he and Vanessa had spent at their friend’s house.

Joe had known Chet Morton almost all his life. Both Joe and Frank considered Chet a good and trusted friend. Chet’s sister Iola was a special friend of Joe’s as well. Though confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak because of permanent damage to her vocal cords, she was bright and funny, always smiling. She had been Joe’s first love.

Joe frowned slightly recalling how they had all believed that Iola had died in a car bombing over a year ago. Then just a few months ago, Joe had found out she was alive. It was discovered that she had been living under the name of Hope with Luke Martin’s family. She had been badly hurt in the bombing, but had miraculously survived. Now she was home with her real family in Bayport, receiving special physical therapy. Iola recently had reconstructive surgery on her face, arms and neck, giving her more movement.

‘She looks a lot prettier, too,’ Joe thought, picturing Iola’s dark eyes and smiling face. He also recalled how Luke was always hovering over Iola. There was definitely some chemistry going on there. Luke was living with the Mortons since his parents were killed, and he had developed a special relationship with Iola. Joe shook his head. Meeting Luke had brought about a whole lot of changes in their lives.

Joe was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice the figures crouched low in the evergreen shrubbery beside the road, a few feet from the van. As he reached to open the van door, Joe heard a rustle of sound behind him.

Joe turned defensively and felt a fiery burning prick. His head began to swim and the world tilted precariously as he pulled a tranquilizer dart from his neck.

Darkness consumed him and Joe fell against the side of the van. Two glove-clad hands reached the youth before he slid to the ground. The man took the keys to the van and, hefting Joe over his shoulder, he walked to the back of the van. He laid the unconscious boy on the floor in the back, and then climbed in the front passenger seat. Another figure sat in the driver’s seat.

“Let’s go. We’re supposed to meet Davis on Mill Road at midnight . We’ll transfer the kid there,” said the passenger.

The black van pulled away. A few seconds later, it passed a blue mini-van parked along the road. The mini-van pulled onto the road, directly behind the Hardy van, following closely all the way to Mill Road.

Back at the Bender’s house, Vanessa was practically hysterical. “I know what I saw!” the lithe blond cried, “Mom, I saw two men step out of the bushes and one of them shot Joe!”

* * *

Frank Hardy stood up from his desk and stretched. He had a serious kink in his neck from being hunched over his Trigonometry textbook for the past several hours. He glanced at his bedside alarm clock and was surprised to see that it was nearly midnight . His girlfriend, Callie Shaw had been studying with him, but had left about ten o’clock .

Frank ran a hand through his thick dark hair and suppressed a yawn before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. He had just put toothpaste on his toothbrush when he heard his brother’s bedroom door open.

“Hey, Joe!” Frank called out, poking his head into his bother’s room. Frank’s warm brown eyes opened wide as he saw not his brother, but his petite blond mother standing just inside Joe’s doorway.

“Do you know where he is?” Laura Hardy demanded, hands planted firmly on her trim hips. “Joe promised to be home by 11 and it’s now ten-of-twelve. We have to get up at five in the morning to be at the high school in Clearwater by seven for the ‘Challenge Race.’”

Frank remembered that he and Joe had pledged as volunteers with their mother to help at the special swimming event for physically and mentally challenged athletes.

“Let me call his cell phone,” Frank offered, “Maybe the van got a flat or something.”

* * *

On the deserted Mill Road, a black van sat. A curious gray cat stealthily approached the vehicle, whiskers twitching nervously. The stray dashed for cover as the notes to the old theme song for ‘Gilligan’s Island ’ sounded loudly inside the empty vehicle.

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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.