Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency Presents "Quality Time" by CQB

Phil Cohen dropped Frank off at his house, making sure his friend promised to call as soon as there was any word about the plane. Frank rushed into the house, dropping his luggage inside the front door.

"Mom? Mom, where are you?" the dark haired youth frantically called out.

"Frank!" Laura Hardy came into the hallway and embraced her son. It felt overwhelmingly wonderful to have him home. She finally let go and looked into Frank’s dark brown eyes. They were as red as she knew hers had to be, and she fell against his chest, feeling fresh tears coming on.

"It’s going to be okay, Mom." Frank stroked her slim shoulders reassuringly. "They will be all right. We have to believe that."

Gertrude Hardy came into the hallway behind her sister-in-law. Despite the circumstances, she smiled at the scene before her and slipped back into the kitchen.

* * *

Jack Wayne was often hired by Fenton Hardy as he investigated various leads on his cases. In recent years, Jack found himself flying Frank and Joe Hardy almost as much as their father. The teenage boys had become very good detectives in their own right, sometimes working with their father, and sometimes working cases of their own.

Jack had come to think of the Hardys as ‘family’ and he knew them well. He had made plans to fly to Wyoming as quickly as he could. Weather was a problem as spring thunderstorms were keeping the sky tumultuous across the states Jack would have to cross to get to Wyoming quickly. Because of the delay in take-off, he now had a partner heading west with him. His dark eyes peered through the hanger door, awaiting the arrival of a familiar vehicle.

After being nurtured at home with a hot meal and a few hours of rest, Frank Hardy had called Jack Wayne to get all the details on the missing plane for himself. When Jack let it slip that he was heading to Wyoming to help with the search, Frank insisted on going, too.

It took a lot of begging and pleading for Frank to convince his mother and aunt that he needed to be involved in the search and rescue of his father, brother and the missing pilot.

Con Riley, a young Bayport police officer and a friend of the Hardy family, emphatically agreed to Frank’s request of driving him to the airport to meet Jack Wayne. Since the boy’s van and Fenton’s car were both at the airport already, Frank didn’t want to take his mother’s car and leave the women stranded at home without a vehicle.

As the squad car pulled up in front of the hanger at the airport, Frank caught sight of Jack standing anxiously just inside the door. Frank thanked Con, who wished them good luck and promised to look after the Hardy women. Within the hour, the two young men were in a twin-engine plane, following the same route Chuck Fisher had taken the previous afternoon.

* * *

"Joe," Chuck called out, pulling the boy from the darkness that threatened to swallow him, "You’ve (cough, cough) got to turn on the emergency tracer Jack had installed." Joe looked over to Chuck. Blood was running from the corner of the man’s mouth, he was deathly pale and his eyes were glassy-looking. ‘He’s dying,’ Joe thought, ‘His insides are probably all tore up and there’s nothing I can do to help him.’

"Kid (cough)," Chuck’s voice was weak and raspy between wet sounding coughs, "there’s a bright, yellow dial (cough, cough) on the other side of the cockpit, (cough) under the co-pilot’s throttle. Turn it ‘til it locks on."

Joe forced himself to the co-pilot’s seat and began searching under what had once been the instrument panel. He felt a large, round button-shape that seemed out of place. He lay down flat to look more closely, ignoring the protests of pain from his shoulder and ribs. It looked yellow, so Joe turned it until he heard a soft click. He scooted back and looked at Chuck to see if he had done the right thing. Chuck Fisher’s mouth was slack and slightly open. His head was tilted back, but Joe could see the pilot’s lifeless eyes staring through the shattered windshield. Joe Hardy turned away from the dead man and threw up.

After being sick, Joe somehow managed to crawl back to his father’s side, despite the pain and nausea, with the first aid kit in tow. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. After checking his father’s vital signs, Joe lay down on the floor of the plane and promptly cried himself to sleep.

A few hours later, Joe awoke to see the warm late-afternoon sun shining through the windows of the broken plane. His weariness temporarily abated, and the pain dulled from inactivity, Joe took stock of their situation.

His own injuries were not life-threatening in themselves, how-be-it, he was still losing blood from the leg wound, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before and he was probably dehydrated. His father had a head injury that was obviously quite serious, being he had not regained consciousness since the crash the previous evening. His dad’s other injuries, as far as Joe could tell, were less serious. Lack of water was probably their greatest enemy at the present time.

Joe gazed out the window again, and noticed how the warm, spring sunshine reflected off of the snow that still clung to many of the rocks.

‘Snow!’ Joe thought. He immediately crawled toward the side exit door behind his father’s seat. The movement brought to life the pain that racked his body, but Joe pressed on, knowing the melting snow could save their lives.

Joe released the safety-bar and pushed his uninjured shoulder against the door, praying that it wasn’t jammed shut. The door swung open to reveal a layer of untouched, cold, white snow within reach. But it wasn’t the salvation of the snow that caught Joe’s sapphire blue gaze. About 400 yards away from the wreckage, across a wide ravine, sat a log cabin.

Let the authors know what you think of this story

Home Library Authors Rogue's Gallery Vehicles Chums Message Board Rap Sheet Links Contact

Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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.