LITTLE BOY LOST
by
Phoenix
Chapter 6
The Chapters
“Hey, Sport,” Fenton smiled when he saw the little boy camped out on the living room couch. The child was running a small dinky car up and down the ‘mountain’ he’d made, his bent, blanket-covered knees were the summit. “How you feeling?” He knew the boy was bored. It didn’t take an ‘ace’ dick to figure that one out.
“I’m bored,” was the honest reply.
He crouched down next to his son. “What’cha playing with?”
Frank held out the small toy. Fenton recognized it immediately and he pursed his lips in appreciation. “Joey let you play with Pal?” Of course his younger son had named the car; Joe named everything.
Dark brown eyes met his as the seven year old nodded his head, his equally dark hair falling slightly in his eyes. ‘Someone needs a haircut,’ the detective thought absently even as he answered. “He must have been pretty worried about you, kiddo, cause he never lets anyone play with Pal.”
A sudden loud crash of thunder made the child jump and his gaze skittered towards the window. The rain that pounded against it had grown in intensity over the past couple of hours – as had the storm. “I’m worried about Joey,” Frank admitted, his voice so soft and forlorn sounding it nearly broke Fenton’s heart. “He doesn’t like thunder.”
He reached out and gently pushed the hair out of his son’s pale face, “No he doesn’t.” He appraised the miserable-looking child and added. “You miss him, huh?”
Frank just nodded and Fenton once again marveled at the rather unusual sibling relationship his sons[’] shared. While they did torment each other, and bicker from time to time, the children genuinely enjoyed playing together, and were each other’s greatest champions. Frank doted on his little brother, and Joe’s hero worship bordered on belligerent at times. It was really as simple as that.
But as much as Fenton envied his sons their bond, it was times like this – when one was gone and the other seemed lost – that he wondered if maybe their closeness held them back as much as it advanced them ahead…
However when he thought about his own relationship with his older sister, Gertrude, whom he thought the world of, he found it hard to think that you could like or love too much.
“Do you mind if I played with you?” Fenton asked. “I’m not your brother but maybe we can do something to help pass the time…”
Immediately Frank’s dark eyes lit up and he smiled, wide and bright. “That would be great! You can’t be Pal though,” he warned, his tone surprising serious for someone so young, and Fenton laughed out loud:
“That’s good, ‘cause to be honest,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially and leaned in closer to the child, so that they wouldn’t be overheard, “I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of responsibility.”
Frank nodded somberly. Apparently he didn’t think so either. Fenton wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or laugh. He opted for neither. “Good. So what are we playing?”
A brief flicker of lightning followed by another boom of thunder made the little boy frown, his interest in playing anything seemingly lost. “Daddy?” he asked and Fenton felt something catch in his breath, Frank had stopped calling him ‘Daddy’ when he turned seven.
“Yes, Frank?”
“Can you go get Joey now?” The boy turned achingly expressive eyes on him. “I know it’s early but he’s going to be so scared and I—” the child paused and looked down at the small black car, “and I want him here.”
For one long moment Fenton couldn’t answer. The words were stuck in his throat by the simple earnestness of his son’s plea. School wasn’t supposed to be out for another hour, but how could he refuse…?
Reaching out he gently squeezed Frank’s knee and nodded, swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Okay, son….You just sit tight and listen to your mom and I’ll swing by the school and rescue your brother.”
The change in Frank was instant. His whole face lit up and his body shifted with animated energy. “Really?” His voice was incredulous, his smile wide. “You will?”
“I will,” Fenton winked and then stood up, “Now comes the hard part, telling your mom.”
“Oh don’t worry about Mom,” Frank absolutely gushed, “she thinks the house is too quiet without Joey too!”
“Too quiet, huh?” the detective mused as he headed towards the kitchen where he knew his wife was, “that’s a pretty good way of putting it.”
…
Laura glanced up from the potatoes she was peeling when Fenton walked into the kitchen. She gave him a smile. “How’s Frank?”
Fenton leaned against the counter and crossed his arms as he watched the efficiency with which his wife wielded that little paring knife. “He’s feeling well enough to want me to go and pick his brother up…” he waited for her to glance up at him and added. “Right now.”
The woman raised an eyebrow and then snorted softly. “Those boys.”
“I know…” the man sighed in agreement.
“So?” Laura pressed, deftly finishing the potato, dropping it into a bowl of water and then starting on the next one.
“So…what?” Fenton drawled out.
“So what are you doing here? I’d have thought you’d be halfway to the school by now.”
The detective laughed, truly in awe of just how well his wife knew him…and her boys. “Just how do you do that?”
“Do what?” it was Laura’s turn to feign ignorance.
“Know everything?”
“Oh sweetie,” the pretty blond put down her knife and reached a warm hand up to cup his cheek. “I’m the Mom. It comes with the job.” She gave him a wink. “Now go get my baby – you know how much he hates storms.”
Fenton leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “Yes I do,” he whispered and then pulled away. “I’d better call the Hoopers and see if they want me to pick up Biff at the same time.”
“Why don’t I call them?” Laura offered, “You’ve got your cell, right?”
“Yup,” the detective checked his pocket just to be sure. “Thanks, love. I’d like to be back before it gets much worse.”
His wife agreed and was already moving towards the kitchen phone as Fenton walked out the door, and before he’d even backed out of the driveway, the order had been placed to pick up two small, blond-haired boys.
Fenton couldn’t wait to see the looks on the children’s faces when he showed up to spring them from school an hour early.
He’d get Biff first. And then really surprise Joe.
Ten minutes later though, the surprise was on Fenton.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Laura Hardy watched the family car pull out of the driveway with a growing feeling of unease.
Something just didn’t feel right…
“Mom?” Frank’s voice from behind her startled her and she jumped around then forced a smile for the little boy:
“Hey Frank, you’re getting very good at walking without making any noise,” it was a game that the boys played with their father at times. Fenton encouraged his sons in their pursuit to be stealthy. She leaned over and gave the top of his head a soft kiss. “I didn’t even hear you coming!”
The dark haired child gave her a shy smile but didn’t say anything. He was so different from his brother, the blond woman couldn’t help but think, a much more quiet, solemn boy. “Is something wrong?”
Frank half shrugged as he chewed on his lip and it didn’t take Laura much to figure out what the problem was. “Don’t worry, sweetie, your Dad’s gone to get your brother and they’ll be back soon.”
The boy’s dark eyes flicked towards the kitchen window, a shadow of doubt aging his young face. “It’s not very nice outside.” A rumble of thunder punctuated his statement.
Laura crouched down so she could look her son in the face. “It’ll take more than a storm to keep them away. Now why don’t you help by getting the baby carrots out of the fridge? You know Joey, he’s going to be ‘starved’ as soon as he gets in thru the door.”
That brought a wisp of a smile to Frank’s face as he nodded and moved towards the fridge.
Laura started to open the cupboard to get the small plate she used for veggie snacks and then paused, her gaze caught by the reflection in the rainy window. The reflection was of her with Frank moving behind her and for some unknown reason, the image filled her heart with an aching melancholy.
Swallowing hard, she glanced at the phone, as a sudden and powerful urge to call Fenton and make sure he had Joe overwhelmed her. But she didn’t call.
Instead she dismissed herself for her foolishness and grabbed the plate instead.
They’d be home soon.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
The school receptionist smiled brightly when she saw the tall, handsome investigator hurry inside. The man quickly folded his umbrella and grinned. “So much for the nice sunny day they were forecasting… I think the weather guy is on crack.”
The woman laughed. “Mr. Hardy? I’d ask how you’re doing but I think you’ve already answered my question. Let me guess? You wanted to beat the 2:50 parking lot rush today?”
“Something like that,” Fenton admitted as the woman stood up and moved away from her desk.
“Biff and Joey today?” she asked as she leafed through the attendance rosters, “or just Joey?”
“Double or nothing,” the man teased, the smile dropping from his face when he saw an odd look cross the woman’s. “Is there something wrong?”
“Uh… no,” she looked up at him for a moment and then gave him a very obviously forced smile. “Can you just wait here for a second?” She was gone before he even got a chance to answer.
Fenton frowned, not liking the brief flare of panic he had seen on the woman’s face… his concerns were substantiated moments later when the woman, Hilda something or other, returned, her face flushed looking. “You said you’re here to pick up both Biff Hooper and your son Joey?”
“Yes,” the detective’s tone was clipped as he involuntarily stiffened. “I am.”
“But Mr. Hardy,” Hilda paused and then rushed out, her tone apologetic. “Joey didn’t come to school today.”
Six words.
Six little words –
And Fenton’s life changed…
Forever.
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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.