DISSONANCE
by
Duckling
Chapter 13
The Chapters
Part 2: The Taking
The weeks and months passed quickly. The citizens of Bayport adjusted rather rapidly to life without the elder Hardy brother, even if the Hardy family or their friends did not. Fenton continued searching for Frank, pausing at intervals to jet around the globe and capture wanted criminals. Laura threw herself even more forcefully into community affairs. Joe continued to excel in athletics, but also began to excel in academics, much to everyone’s surprise. He was still essentially his former cheerful, friendly self if somewhat subdued. But he spent much more time on his schoolwork than he ever had previously and the results were astounding.
Comments such as: Well, it’s only natural that he should shine now that his brother’s gone, poor boy; he’s always had to live in his shadow and I always knew that if he just applied himself that child could do marvels could be heard both within the school walls and without. Joe, had he heard such comments, would have disagreed vehemently. He would have pointed out that he had never been prevented by Frank from reaching his potential. He had just preferred not to compete with his brother in an area where Frank so brilliantly performed.
The gang still acted as a refuge for Joe and Callie when they needed it, but that need had steadily waned as the weeks had passed. Joe had been secretly amused to find Phil so attentive to Callie. Although Callie had just recently become aware of it, the rest of the gang had noticed almost immediately after Frank had left.
Life for Hank Hardin had been going just as well. He greatly enjoyed playing on the school football team. His grades, as always, were stellar, and he had become very close to Bix and James. He also had a part-time job at a natural science museum and observatory. With the notable exception of his brother’s absence, his life was perfect.
***
The sound of the phone ringing Saturday morning woke Joe Hardy from a deep sleep. He lazed in bed drowsily, wondering why no one had bothered to pick up yet. Finally, the ringing stopped and Joe shifted more comfortably under his covers.
Joe growled as the phone began ringing yet again. This time he lumbered out of bed, but not before the caller had hung up. Glaring at the phone in silence, Joe figured he might as well get up for the day. He glanced at the alarm clock next to his bed, and then glanced again. It couldn’t be. He rubbed his eyes once more as if that simple act would change the time. Nope. He couldn’t deny it. It was 9:50 and he was supposed to meet the guys for their weekly game in ten minutes. Jumping up from bed, Joe scooped up a clean change of clothes and hastily prepared for the day.
***
As the bright afternoon sunlight shone into the kitchen, Laura Hardy set the last of her bags of groceries on the counter. She had been a bit surprised that Joe had not come down to help her as was his usual custom. Both the car and his motorcycle were parked in their respective places. It was entirely possible, however, that he had walked over to Biff’s. He had been spending more and more time there ever since Frank’s departure. The petite blonde scanned the notice board for any note Joe may have left behind. Seeing none, she frowned slightly. Perhaps he was upstairs listening to his headset. Figuring that must be the case, she busied herself with her domestic chores.
It wasn’t until about an hour later, when she went upstairs to Joe’s room to leave his clean pile of laundry on his bed that she realized anything was amiss. But the moment the door swung open at her touch, a cold knot of fear tightened in her heart. The laundry basket fell to the floor as her hands flew to her throat in horror.
***
Biff Hooper hung up the phone thoughtfully. Ever since the night Frank had asked him to report to him should anything happen to Joe, he and Joe had agreed to an unofficial check-in system. Joe would call Biff every evening around six and Biff would call in the mornings before school. On weekends, Joe would call when he woke up. That way, Biff could be relatively sure that nothing had happened to Joe in the intervening hours.
Joe had called this morning as usual. But Joe had not called this evening. And when Biff called to check and see that everything was all right, the line had been busy.
Biff glanced at his watch. It was now 7:30; not too late to drop by the Hardys’ to see what was going on. He grabbed his keys, slipped on his jacket and yelled a quick “to Joe’s” to his father before disappearing out the front door.
***
Bix sprawled lazily across the sofa in Frank’s small but clean living room. The burly dark-haired teen was the only person who had ever been invited over to Frank’s place; considering he already knew Frank’s true identity, there didn’t seem to be any reason not to have him over.
The friendship between the two boys had strengthened, and Bix often hung out at the apartment. The two would stay up for hours discussing Plato’s Republic or playing a game of chess. Often, Frank would talk of Joe; he missed his brother terribly and was grateful to have someone to confide in.
Frank had just finished regaling Bix with yet another tale of his childhood adventures with Joe, when he realized how fortunate he was to have found such a staunch friend.
“Bix,” he said suddenly. “Thank you. You’ve been an incredible friend. And more,” he added gently. “Almost like a brother.”
Bix looked down at his large hands as his cheeks reddened slightly. After a moment, he glanced back up and stated simply: “You’re more than welcome, Frank.” And then, after a minute of hesitation, “You remind me of my own brother; my twin.”
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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.