Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

“Oh, no reason,” she responded lightly. “It just would be a real shame if you and Frank were to leave for that appointment, but never make it because of minor car trouble.”

Callie sat up in interest.

“I don’t know Van,” Joe said, “If it’s minor, mom or dad will expect me to be able to fix it pretty quickly. If it’s serious, one of them would set out to rescue us.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

“But what if it isn’t just one minor little thing, but a whole heap of minor little things,” Callie suggested, smiling at the other girl.

She felt Frank squeeze her hand in approval.

“And you wouldn’t necessarily know, Joe,” Vanessa added, taking to the idea, “if it really was one minor little thing or many. Until after you’re too late to take the picture, that is.”

Joe looked around at the other three, purposefully meeting contact with what he thought were his brother’s eyes, before leaning back against his seat.

“You’re right, it is getting late,” he at last responded, “Perhaps you should go home before your mom gets worried. I think Frank and I will stay here a bit longer while I work on my physics.”

“Super!” Vanessa jumped up from her seat happily. “You don’t mind if I borrow your keys to the van, do you? I think I left my sweater in there.”

Joe tossed his girlfriend the keys with a slight smile. “Will you be able to figure out what that last ingredient is, Van?” He asked seriously. He was still upset at the girl, but had worked through the worst of it. At least Frank was still there; he hadn’t been wished away forever.

The tall blonde nodded her head vigorously. “I’ll work on it tonight. Maybe I’ll have better luck once I examine it under my microscope.”

Callie gathered her books, having decided to leave as well.

As the girls stepped out into the hall, Joe turned back to where he believed Frank to be. “Well, bro, I sure hope this works. ‘Cause I haven’t the faintest idea how to talk our way out of this one.”

***

Vanessa peered underneath the open hood of the van, a wrench in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.

“Wonder where this hose goes?” She mumbled softly.

“Why don’t you cut it and Joe can find out,” Callie suggested helpfully, a screwdriver in her hands.

“I wouldn’t want it to be the brake line or anything,” Vanessa responded, worry in her eyes.

“I don’t think the brake line is up front,” the other girl answered. “I think it’s underneath or something.”

“Besides,” urged Callie, “Joe knows that we’re going to do something; if it is the brake line, he’ll make sure to get off the road quickly.”

Vanessa didn’t look too convinced.

“We could leave him a note,” Callie added. “Tell him to check under the hood before he gets going, that way he’ll know exactly what to prepare for.”

This suggestion seemed to resolve the issue for the taller girl and she snipped the hose decisively.

“What if I loosened these bolts?” she asked. “Or disconnected those wires?”

“Sounds good to me.” Callie replied.

“Should we puncture the tires too?”

Callie grinned. “Why not. The whole point is to make them late for that picture.”

Vanessa caught the other girl’s grin. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” She asked in amusement.

“And you aren’t?” Callie countered. “But yes, I am,” she conceded with a happy sigh. The girls exchanged devilish grins before getting back to work.

***

Half an hour later, Joe Hardy and his invisible brother made their way to the school parking lot. Frank had kept his hand on the younger boy’s shoulder to reassure him that he was still there. Both teens were extremely grateful that Frank still had the sense of touch.

“Well, big brother,” Joe said softly as they approached the van, “Let’s see how far we can go before we have problems.” He noticed the small square of notebook paper Callie left for them and scanned it quickly. The girls had left the keys in a small metallic box Frank had bought for such a purpose and had placed under the running board.

In order to keep up appearances, Joe decided that it would be better to check under the hood after he had tried starting the vehicle. He retrieved the keys and quickly unlocked the van on the driver’s side. Then remembering that Frank couldn’t open the passenger door, he walked over and held the door for his brother.

“I’m going to count to five,” Joe warned Frank after what he hoped was sufficient time for the other boy to get in and seated, “before I shut this door.” Joe counted to five aloud and then gently eased the door closed. He almost ran around to the driver’s side, eager to make sure that he hadn’t harmed his brother.

As he slid into his own seat, he felt Frank signaling that he was okay. Joe sighed in relief. The blond boy was about to start the van when he remembered to lean over and fasten his brother’s seatbelt for him. Although he couldn’t see it, Frank smiled over at him, touched by the younger boy’s thoughtfulness.

Neither brother was surprised when the motor refused to turn over.

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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.