Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Chapter Title: Car Thieves

Conrad began to talk about what his sister being alive meant to him, but Fritz cut him off, "We can’t sit around here talking about it!"

Conrad was hurt at the interruption from his friend, but thought maybe he did have something in mind to help his sister. Conrad bent down and peered at the crumpled front passenger fender and the flat tire underneath.

Conrad sadly concluded, "We can’t go anywhere."

"I can’t ride the motorcycle with a flat front tire, but cars carry a spare. You do have a good spare, don’t you?"

"Yes. I don’t like those little spare tires and my car has a huge trunk, so I carry a full-sized spare."

"Move over and let me take a look at your car."

After Fritz took a good look, he said, "John and I were out in a Jeep in the back country once when something like this happened against a big boulder. He had a clever way to deal with it. It worked and we drove out of there."

"I think the only way my hot rod is moving is with a tow truck."

Fritz stuck his head under the fender, "This is an old car with a frame rather than unibody construction. That’s good. What kind of jack does it have?"

"Huh?"

"John told me most jacks come in the types ladder, scissors, or hydraulic. I’m hoping it isn’t a scissors."

Conrad answered, "I have the kind that goes under the bumper. Ladder, I think it’s called."

"Good. Let’s get it out," Fritz ordered.

Conrad looked at the passenger fender and remarked, "The tire is not just flat, the fender is cutting into it. If we put the spare on, it’ll just ruin it too."

"We’ll take care of that."

As Conrad watched Fritz set up the jack, Conrad said, "You can’t lift the car from the fender. It’s not strong enough to support the car’s weight."

Fritz frantically worked the jack lever and said, "Watch."

Conrad was right, of course. Rather than the car lifting, the fender bent. It bent upwards, away from the wheel well.

"Oh, I get it," Conrad said.

"Get the spare tire ready while I finish."

Fritz repeated the process a few times. When he was done, the fender was mangled even worse than before, but it no longer pressed in on the wheel. Fritz then used the jack the way it was designed to be used. He and Conrad changed the flat wheel. The new wheel rolled fine now that the fender had been bent away. Fritz and Conrad then lifted John’s motorcycle and put it in the car’s trunk. The motorcycle stuck out, but Conrad had some rope. They got it securely tied. They then got in the car, with Conrad in the driver’s seat.

Conrad remarked, "Aren’t we supposed to stay and report this accident to the police?"

"That’s unimportant right now. Besides, Chief Clymer is in on this, so will help with any difficulties."

"He knows you and John aren’t dead?"

"Most of the force doesn’t know, but he and Officer McCormick helped arrange it. Remember, this time, John and I are working for the cops, not competing with them. There’s a problem, though. The bad guys seem to have a source of information in the police department! Let’s get going."

Conrad accelerated his car out into traffic. The car handled decently despite the damage from the accident. Fritz directed Conrad which exit ramp to take.

John came to the peephole of the door when he heard the knock. He expected it to be Dr. Ruby, but was surprised to see Fritz. His reaction went far beyond mere surprise when he saw Conrad standing next to Fritz. John opened the door.

Fritz told John the bad news.

John said, "I’ve got bad news too. On the news at noon, just after you left, Aunt Grace was interviewed. She was really distraught."

Fritz countered, "She’s can’t be on TV. She’s down in Florida with Mom and Dad."

"Ever hear of a satellite?" John responded.

Fritz’s face showed he understood. It was obvious, but had not occurred to him.

Conrad thought about this, "If the reporters found her, they can find your parents."

Fritz said, "I kept thinking of how Christine would react. I hadn’t thought of Mom and Dad. Not this soon."

"The early evening news is just about to start. I expect we’ll see them being interviewed about our deaths."

Conrad mentioned, "It was a very ugly scene when my parents learned about Ivana’s death. They refused to believe it. They still don't believe it, which is why they bought Suzy."

"Suzy?" John asked.

"We’ve got a horse," Conrad explained, knowing Fritz had heard this but John had not.

"Ivana always wanted a horse," John remembered.

Conrad pondered, "I wonder how my parents will react when they learn Ivana really is alive."

Fritz sympathetically said, "You can’t tell them, Conrad. Soon, but not yet. Promise?"

Conrad reluctantly gave his word that he'd wait. Both Fritz and John were relieved at that response. For all his faults, Conrad never went back on his promises.

John turned on the television. As he feared, it wasn’t long until his parents.

"Something’s not right," John said as soon as he saw his parents.

Conrad pointed at the screen, "Your mother looks like she’s pretending to cry."

Mr. Hardly told the reporter how sad they were. Although he was saying the right words for a grieving parent, he did not sound convincing!

Fritz speculated, "It’s got to be Dr. Ruby! He let them know we aren’t really dead!"

John agreed, "What a relief!"

There came a knock at the door. John opened it and Dr. Ruby came in, then did a double-take.

Dr. Ruby said, "Conrad Morrow, I presume?"

"Yes, sir. I used to help the Hardly boys on many of their cases."

Dr. Ruby turned his gaze to Fritz.

Without being asked, Fritz said, "He knows his sister’s alive."

Dr. Ruby nodded at this, then asked, "Where are Jason, Joyce, and Ivana?"

"I lost them, but I have a description of their new car and it’s license number."

Conrad broke in, "It’s all my fault Fritz lost them, sir."

Dr. Ruby made a hand motion for Conrad to stop, "Fritz, get the laptop onto the phone line and upload the car description to Entangle’s computers. Then, forward it to the Port City Police. It may get leaked to the bad guys by whoever is in league with the Obliterators, but it is our only hope of finding the car in time."

Fritz rushed to comply.

John said, "Thanks for not letting our parents think we were dead."

Dr. Ruby asked, "What are you talking about?"

John explained about how his parents hadn't looked convincingly sad.

"I had nothing to do with that," Dr. Ruby said. "I wish they had been truly upset. It makes for a better illusion that you really had died."

"That’s a cold attitude," Conrad judgmentally commented, realizing this man in the gray suit was likely the one responsible for him thinking his sister was dead for the past year and a month.

"It’s a necessary one in this line of work. Mr. Morrow, did you contact Fritz and John’s parents?"

"No, sir. I was as surprised as Fritz and John."

Dr. Ruby asked, "How’d you figure out they were alive?"

Conrad began his explanation.

In another part of Port City, a dented but new white rental car pulled into a parking lot of a mall. Jason, Joyce, and Ivana got out, leaving it behind.

Jason commented, "This is what we should have done in the first place rather than messing with renting a car. I’ll bet Agent Snuff was watching the car rental places at the airport."

"We should set a trap for Gordon Snuff," Joyce said. "I remember that Tomlin wants to capture an Entangle agent alive and question him about all sorts of operations."

Ivana knew perfectly well that Gordon Snuff was not an Entangle gent. She wasn’t going to tell them that the person they had really seen was her own brother, though.

"We’ll deal with Gordon Snuff later," Jason said, then gestured at the hundreds of parked cars, "Which car do you like, Karen?"

Ivana said, "Tomlin said we needed a car with a good sized trunk."

Joyce pointed at a large brown car with an enormous trunk, "How about that one?"

"Looks good," Jason said, pulling out some lockpicks.

In just two minutes, Jason was in the brown car and had the engine going. They headed back onto the road. This was about the same time various Port City squad cars were notified, because of Fritz’s e-mail, to be on the lookout for the white car with the dented fender.