Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Officer Con Riley sat in Damian Iago’s office, behind the dead man’s desk, and just shook his head. Like the rest of the department he was still reeling over the news of Smuff’s betrayal. He might have never thought highly of the man, but he certainly would have never taken him for being dirty. None of them would have.

Rubbing his face tiredly, Con leaned back in the chair and sighed. He’d been one of the officers who responded to Sam Radley’s call after the shooting and had spent most of the night at the scene. Then earlier this morning Chief Collig had sent him to ‘Another Fine Gem’ to oversee the search of the office, and he’d been there since. Short on manpower due to scheduled summer holidays, many of the officers, Con included, were working double shifts.

Glancing at his watch – one p.m. – the cop tried to remember the last time he’d eaten something decent and not donut-based! But he had another reason for not going home – he had a personal stake in this, and felt he owed it to the boys to be here. The cop had known and been friends to both Frank and Joe since they were younger, trailing into the precinct after their famous father. And the more he learned about all this, the more bothered he was. The idea that a nine-year-old had been forced to watch something as heinous as a murder did not sit well with him at all. The only relief he got was when he reminded himself that Oscar Smuff was dead; two bullets from Sam – each lethal in itself – and then a third, in the shoulder, from Frank.

Con shook his head, hardly believing that the young man he had known for so long had shot someone – been forced to shoot – to protect himself and his brother from a man who had sworn to serve and protect. This saddened and wearied him; and he fervently hoped that the incident wouldn’t haunt Frank in the way he’d seen it do to many a rookie officer after their first shooting. ‘But then again,’ he mused, finishing the last of a cold cup of coffee, ‘most people don’t have the kind of family Frank has.’

He sighed again and then stared at the computer monitor, a bit surprised that the system hadn’t been taken apart yet. Like most everything else, the computer would be packed up and taken in as evidence, its hard drive thoroughly combed by computer technicians for anything useful. Although both Smuff and Iago were dead, the police needed to try and determine if anyone else was involved.

After giving a cursory glance to the icons on the monitor desktop, Con’s curiosity was piqued by one folder in particular - My PICS. He wondered about this jeweler – what kind of man he had been – and clicked on the icon, opening up the file.

One by one he gazed at the pictures, and wasn’t surprised to see that many of them were of the teams that the Little League coach had worked with over the years. But not all of them were, and he frowned when he got to the picture that Frank had found of Iago, Smuff and Tex at the ‘secret place.’ He shook his head in disgust. “Assholes,” he growled before continuing to peruse the folder, opening up picture after picture. And then as IMG_0711 flashed onto the scene, Con blinked in shock, his finger freezing over the mouse!

“What the-?” he whispered, leaning in closely to the monitor to get a better look. His heart pounded in his chest. “No,” he felt all the blood drain from his face, “it couldn’t be…” Quickly, he enlarged the picture and just stared dumbly at it. It shouldn’t be…but it was! He was sure of it!

Hastily, Con clicked PRINT and then waited impatiently for the picture to print. Snatching it off the printer he headed towards the door. “I’m gone to see the Chief,” he called over his shoulder to the two other officers in the office on his way out.

Collig needed to see this, right away!

* * *

Sam Radley stared at the vending machine in disgust. He was half tempted to kick it when a soft voice from just behind him, made him whirl around, his face quickly coloring.

“Kicking it won’t help.” It was Ethel Morris, looking even more beautiful today; beautiful and rather amused.

“E-Ethel,” he stammered, running his hand nervously through his hair, “I didn’t see you.”

“Obviously,” the pretty brunette teased, “or else I don’t think you’d be considering committing ‘assault’ on a poor piece of office equipment!”

“I wasn’t—”

Ethel raised her eyebrows in disbelief and Sam sighed, “Okay, maybe I was, but that stupid machine has it coming!”

“Ah,” the woman’s smile lit up her whole face and the detective found himself smiling back in return. Although he suspected his smile made him look rather goofy! “It has offended thee by taking thy purse but not divulging thy goods?”

Sam just stared at her.

“It took your money but didn’t put out?” she reworded, and to his horror, Sam turned even a deeper shade of red. Now Ethel actually laughed – again that musical sound that churned his insides into mush. “You are precious Sam, absolutely precious. Now about tonight—”

“Yeah about that – actually about that phone call. Last night – yesterday? Yesterday! Ethel, I am sooo sorry! I never meant to put you on hold and then forget about you! I would never – well, I can’t really say never now, can I, since I did—” Sam knew he was rambling, but at a complete loss of how to stop. He didn’t want Ethel to think he had forgotten about her on purpose! “but Fenton called – and Joe was missing and—”

Ethel put a soft finger against his lip, cutting Sam off mid-rambling. She smiled at him and spoke softly. “It’s okay, Sam.”

“It – it is?” he managed a moment later, grateful that she had interrupted him before he’d had a chance to embarrass himself much further.

“It is,” she assured him. “You told me it was Fenton, and when you didn’t get back to me, I figured something had happened—” Her face saddened. “It’s all over the station – about Detective Smuff and what he tried to do….Those poor boys.” She sighed and then added, “I really wish I had been wrong.”

“Me too…” he said, wearily, giving her a weak smile, “and thank you.”

“For what?” she asked, her light brown eyes searching his face.

“For just now…for stopping me,” he admitted. “I don’t know what it is about you – but you have this way of bringing out the stupidest person in me. I open my mouth and wonder when I regressed back to Neanderthal man - not in a bad way though—” he rushed to assure her when he saw a hesitant look cross her face, “in a nervous way…a good nervous way. I haven’t met anyone like you in a very long time – a very long time.”

“So I’ve heard.” The hesitancy was replaced by a warmth that melted him.

“You’ve heard?” he repeated slowly and then a wry smile crossed his face and he shook his head. “Joe.”

Ethel laughed. “Don’t be too hard on the kid. Somehow I get the impression that you’d have never gotten the nerve up to call me otherwise.”

“True,” Sam admitted, shocking himself and then added, “I am very sorry about hanging up on you, though. But about tonight—” He paused briefly and hoped this wasn’t going to kill any chance he had with her. “I just don’t think I could….Fenton, Laura and the boys are all the family I have, and I wouldn’t feel right leaving them right now. I might not be able to do anything…but at least I’ll be there.”

The brunette’s smile was gentle as she reached out and touched his cheek with her hand. He felt a shiver thrill through his body as he closed his eyes and swallowed. Her touch was so warm…so soft…so imploring.

“Sam,” Ethel’s voice; low and compassion-filled: “I can wait. You take care of your family – they need you…. And when you need a little taking care of yourself—” he opened his eyes and stared deeply into the light brown ones, burning with an intensity that left him trembling. Her voice was husky. “—you call me.”

And then she turned and walked away…

Sam watched her go and felt her take his heart with him. There was no doubt in his mind – he would call her. This was one woman he was not going to let get away!

The investigator was still standing by the vending machine a minute later when Con Riley brushed past him, in an obvious hurry. The cop called over his shoulder to Sam, “Come on – you’ll want to see this too!”

Immediately Sam fell in step beside him, wondering what Con had found.

* * *

“Come in,” Ezra Collig called out when he heard a quick knock on the door. Instantly his office door was pushed open and a breathless Con Riley burst in, followed by a curious looking Sam.

“What?” the chief police demanded, recognizing that something was up.

Wordlessly, the younger cop passed him the picture and Collig just stared at for a few moments, the unasked question hanging on his lips. But then recognition slammed into him and he glanced up at Con and barked sharply, “Where’d you get this?”

“Right off Damian’s Iago’s computer!” Riley answered, his voice rising with excitement and unperturbed by his boss’s abruptness.

* * *

Sam, his interest piqued, leaned across the desk to see the picture and then his head snapped up and he locked eyes with Collig. No, it couldn’t be, could it?

“It is, isn’t it?” Riley demanded, his gaze darting from Sam to Ezra, “I’m right, I know I’m right. It has to be!”

An unvoiced confirmation passed between the two older men as they each took a moment to look at the picture again. The police chief finally addressed his officer as Sam sat down heavily in one of the visitor chairs in front of the desk, and scrubbed his tired face with his hands. Damn, Iago to hell…it was…

“You’re right,” Ezra Collig said grimly. Sitting back in his seat, he let out a weighty sigh and let the picture drop onto the desk; a picture of a woman, three young children and a dog…a very large black dog. “It’s Hero.”