When Joe Hardy arrived back at home a few hours later, he found his mom and aunt sipping tea in the kitchen. Joe placed the dry cleaners bag in the hall closet and the groceries on the table.

"How was your lunch?" Joe asked, wondering what they two women were smiling about.

"It was very nice," Laura Hardy replied, "although Gladys and Connie would have enjoyed having you with us."

"Yea, right!" Joe snorted, putting away the last of the groceries. "Think I’ll check my e-mail and see if I got anything today."

The telephone rang and Joe called out that he had it. He picked up the portable phone on the hall table.

"Hello, Hardy residence," he said politely.

"Joe, I’m glad I caught you," Fenton Hardy cried anxiously into the phone.

"Dad? What’s wrong?" asked the youth, noting the tone of his father’s voice.

"Son, I need your help. I need you to bring me a file from my office there at home," Fenton stated, "It’s the ‘Shipmart’ file. Bring it to hanger 18 at the Bayport airfield. You’ve got to come right away."

"Sure thing, Dad!" Joe replied enthusiastically. He was secretly hoping his dad would ask for his help on a case. This might be his chance!

"I’ll be right there!"

Joe quickly told his mother and aunt what the conversation had been about, and then rushed to his father’s office to find the required file, not seeing the conspiratorial smile that passed between the women. He had no trouble finding the file and headed out to the boy’s customized black van. Pushing the van to the speed limit, Joe was at the airport in 15 minutes.

Joe drove to the hanger area where his father’s small, twin-engine plane was kept. His father and Frank both had their pilot’s licenses, but Joe needed more hours before he could get a license.

"Dad?" Joe called, his voice echoing in the steel frame building. Joe almost immediately felt that something wasn’t quite right. If his dad needed the file he was holding so badly, why wasn’t he waiting outside, or at least near the door? "Dad, where are you?"

Joe moved as silently as possible through the large room, peeking into the offices and alcoves along the wall. His father was nowhere to be found. Joe then headed to the plane itself. ‘Could Dad be inside?’ he wondered. As he neared the side of the plane, Joe noticed that the door was slightly ajar. His adrenaline was beginning to pump as he carefully tucked the file folder under his arm and slowly ascended the stairs. He very slowly opened the door, and seeing no one, entered the plane.

"Welcome Mr. Hardy," said a voice behind Joe as he climbed into the small plane, "Don’t turn around. Just move into the first seat there on the right and buckle-up!" Joe was so angry with himself for stepping into an easy trap like this one. At the same time, fear nibbled at his mind – where was his dad? Did the ‘voice’ have a gun? Where was he taking him?

Just when panic had about gripped Joe’s heart, he heard a familiar voice.

"Are we all ready?" Fenton asked, trying to keep a straight face as he looked into the deep blueness of his younger son’s eyes. Joe was dumbfounded. What was going on? He continued to stare at his father, practically in shock. "I believe Joseph, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen you completely tongue-tied." Mr. Hardy stated with a chuckle.

As the other man made his way to the pilot seat and began taxiing out of the hanger, the plane’s movement jolted Joe into reality.

"What’s going on?" he hissed, trying to decide how he was supposed to feel. Fenton smiled and then laughed. "Did you set this up to embarrass me, or just for kicks so you could laugh your head off at my expense!" Joe continued, feeling his face flush.

"Neither, my dear son, neither," Fenton said, looking intently at Joe. "I am merely kidnapping you."

"What!?" Joe exclaimed.

"Actually," Fenton continued, "This was really your mother’s idea." Joe just shook his blond head in total confusion.

"I don’t understand any of this!" he said, "Please, tell me what this is all about." Fenton reached across the aisle and patted Joe’s arm. He then went on to explain about finishing his case early and the conversation he had with Joe’s mother, tactfully leaving out some of the details.

"So your mother and your aunt helped by getting you out of the house. Then I packed some clothes for us both, along with some fishing and camping gear." Fenton concluded. He couldn’t help but laugh again at Joe’s shocked _expression.

"I can’t believe this!" Joe said, his handsome, young face bursting with a huge smile. "You kidnapped me? To go camping?"

"When your mom said how much you were missing Frank, I wanted to do something special to get you through the week." Fenton smiled, "I thought this would be fun." Joe laughed at his father’s creative way of taking care of Joe’s loneliness and boredom.

"Wait ‘til Frank hears about this!" Joe smiled, "I was suckered by my mother, my aunt and my father!"

"By the way, Joe," Mr. Hardy said, nodding toward the cockpit, "another conspirator was Chuck Fisher, our pilot and a friend of Jack Wayne’s." Jack Wayne was a pilot and good friend of the Hardy’s. The gray-headed pilot glanced back and gave Joe a grin. Joe smiled back.

"So, where are we going?" Joe asked, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

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