“Is something wrong?” Joe asked, seeing Callie’s mortified expression.

“Um..uh..no,” she replied shaking her head. “I just didn’t realize dad had left anything behind,” Callie explained looking at the clothes Joe was wearing.

“Your mom insisted she didn’t want them around any more and since I was covered in oil...” he broke off as he noticed his words didn’t seem to be sinking in. “I can bring them back,” he offered.

“No, no,” she said, finally looking at his face and giving him a half smile. “You and dad are about the same build. There’s no point in the clothes going to waste.”

“Are you sure?” Joe asked, still feeling uncomfortable.

“Positive,” she replied, picking up her bracelet from the nightstand.

“How was the movie?” Joe asked as he followed Callie from the room and downstairs, his own clothing folded and in one arm.

“Not too bad,” Callie answered with a shrug. “Not as good as the critics made it out to be though.”

“Glad I didn’t go then,” Joe said with a grin as they reached the living room where Frank was waiting after having found the garage deserted.

“Thank you again for fixing my car,” Mrs. Shaw said to Joe, giving him a quick apologetic look that neither Frank nor Callie saw.

“It was my pleasure,” Joe replied. “I love working on cars.”

“Well, we will be off now,” Frank said, his gaze resting briefly on Joe’s new attire before landing once again on Callie. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised as she came close to him.

Callie kissed him lightly on the lips aware her mother and Joe were watching. “Thanks for the movie,” she said.

“Maybe next time we can add dinner to the itinerary?” Frank suggested softly. Callie nodded before moving to her mother’s side. Since her father’s departure she hadn’t wanted to leave her mother alone for long periods of time. Even though her mother seldom cried in front of her, she could hear her at night. It made her despise her father all that much more for leaving them.

“It’s still early yet and I’m starved,” Joe commented once the two were in the van.

“Me too,” Frank admitted. “But someone spilled some soda on me at the theater. How about we run home, and I change, then we head to Mr. Pizza for something to eat?”

“Sounds like a winner to me,” Joe agreed. “I think I will change too. Wearing Mr. Shaw’s clothes is a bit awkward.”

The boys stopped off at home and hurried inside to change. Joe dumped his soiled clothing in the hamper then went into his bedroom for some clean ones. He removed his wallet, keys, and change from the clothes he was wearing and put them into the pockets of the clean ones he was about to put on then changed and carried Mr. Shaw’s clothing into Frank’s room.

“What should I do with these?” Joe asked. “Mrs. Shaw didn’t want them back.”

“Put them in the hamper,” Frank replied with a shrug after pulling a clean tee shirt over his head. “She may change her mind later or Callie might. At least mom can wash them and they will be clean.”

The two arrived at Mr. Pizza a few minutes later and joined blond and beefy Biff Hooper and rotund Chet Morton, two of their best friends. The two were sitting in the back of the restaurant at two tables that had been pushed together. “Where are Callie and Vanessa?” asked blond headed Chet.

“Callie’s at home with her mom and Vanessa went on a trip with her mom,” Frank answered. “Where is everyone?” he asked, looking around.

“Karen, Helen and Bethany went to the bathroom,” Biff said, naming his, Chet’s and Phil’s dates respectively. “And Phil went to get something decent on the jukebox.”

“Hey guys,” Phil said, coming up to the table. “Where are...”

“Not here,” Biff said, cutting him off. “The guys are free tonight.”

“On a Saturday?” Phil demanded, lifting his eyebrows.

“Vanessa’s out of town and Callie’s been spending more time with her mom since Mr. Shaw left,” Frank explained.

“Understandable,” Phil commented as he sat down. “How could Mr. Shaw do that? I mean, I know people leave their spouses all the time but his daughter too?”

Frank shrugged. “I never expected him to do it either,” he asserted. “He just didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would do something like that.”

“Are you positive he did?” Joe asked, still remembering the teary Mrs. Shaw when she confessed how much she missed him. “I mean, what if he was kidnapped or something?”

“Then all of this things wouldn’t be gone,” Frank pointed out logically. “And he did leave a note.”

“I suppose,” Joe admitted, looking down at the table a bit uncomfortably.

“Frank’s right,” Biff put in. “There’s no mystery there,” he insisted. “My aunt left my Uncle Tom and cousin Jeffery when Jeff was only three. The next time Uncle Tom saw her was two years later when she came around asking for a divorce. She never even wanted to see Jeffery.”

“That’s crude!” Joe snorted and Chet nodded empathetically.

“Hi,” said Helen arriving at the table and taking her seat beside Chet. “Where are...”

Frank shot Joe a look. “We were just leaving,” Frank said as he stood up. Biff smothered a snicker knowing they just didn’t want to have keep repeating themselves.

“It was nice seeing you all again,” Joe said as they shoved off, leaving before Karen and Bethany arrived.

“How about burgers?” Frank asked once they were back in the van and on the road.

“Sure,” Joe agreed, pulling out a handful of change. He dropped several coins when Frank hit a pothole and quickly shoved what remained back into his pocket. “I would have had enough without busting a twenty,” Joe commented wryly.

“Don’t sweat it,” Frank told him. “I’ll treat.”

Frank pulled to a stop at Barney’s Burgers and the two boys got out and went inside. Forty minutes later after a double cheeseburger combo a piece, they left the restaurant and returned to the van.

“I’m beat,” said Frank, rolling his neck as they neared the van.

“Watch out!” Joe shouted as four men came from the other side of the van.

Frank automatically dropped into a defensive stance but it was too late; the man closest to him brought his arms forward and Frank saw in a brief flash of horror a tire iron flying straight at his head.

“Frank!” Joe shouted, seeing his brother fall to the ground with blood beginning to ooze down the side of his face.

Ignoring Frank, the four men advanced on Joe. Joe took a step back but stopped as something crashed down onto the back of his head. He saw a brilliant bright light and then only darkness.

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.