Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Saturday, New Year's Eve, dawned cold and wet. Joe Hardy stared out at the sleet falling and sighed. He hadn't slept well last night and he knew why. The wait was getting to him. He shuddered. God knows what this is doing to Vanessa, he thought.

"Hey, Joe," came his brother's voice, muffled by the door between his room and the bathroom. "Breakfast is ready."

Joe told himself he had to eat, but at the moment his stomach didn't want to cooperate. He shook his head and grabbed his robe. He pulled it on and tied the sash. This was going to be one hell of a long day.

Just as he left his room, the hall telephone rang. He snatched it up. "Hello?...I don't see why not." Joe took an experimental sniff of the air. "I think Mom might even send some pancakes your way...Vanessa, what's wrong?...I'll be right there."

Joe hung up the phone and headed back into his room. He pulled on a sweatshirt, jeans, socks and shoes in record time. He grabbed his jacket and keys with one hand, veered into the bathroom for a heartbeat and then rushed down the stairs.

Frank was at the door, waiting for him. "Who was that?"

"Vanessa, she's getting a bad case of nerves. I'm going to calm her down."

"I'll go with you."

"Frank." Joe gave his brother a hard look. "No."

Frank frowned. "I don't think you heading out alone is such a good idea."

"No one is after me. I'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I'll call you when I get there."

Frank shook his head but Joe sidestepped him and opened the front door. "See you later."

Frank sighed and watched his brother get into the van and back out. Frank heard footsteps and saw his father hurrying toward him. "Where's Joe going?" asked Fenton.

"He said Vanessa's getting really nervous and he's going to calm her down." Frank took a deep breath. "He said he'd call when he got there."

Fenton scowled as he watched the van disappear from sight. "Give him ten minutes. If he doesn't call by then, we're going out there."

Frank arched an eyebrow and glanced in the direction the van had gone. "All right, Dad." Slowly, Frank closed the door and took a deep breath. He didn't like this, his brother going off alone. He couldn't shake the feeling something horrible was about to happen....

***

Joe's mind was on the music and partially on keeping the car on his side of the road when she jumped out from behind a half-rotten tree stump. Joe slammed on the brakes and winced when the seat belt dug into his shoulder and chest. Then he got a good look at the girl that nearly scared the shit out of him, and his eyes went wide.

Joe pointed to the passenger door and she nodded. She opened the door and climbed in. "Oooh, cold out there."

"Maybe if you'd worn a jacket before coming out to scare me to death, you'd be warm and toasty." Joe took a deep breath. "Hell, Vanessa-"

"Joe, I have to get away. It's stifling in there. I just need to get away for a little while. Let's go."

Joe frowned. "Go where?"

"Anywhere. I don't care." She shivered and made a shooing gesture with one hand. "Just go."

Joe started to shake his head but the mutinous expression on Vanessa's face made him shift gears and back up enough to make a U-turn. He drove back toward town and glanced over at Vanessa. "What happened?"

She shook her head slowly. "The walls were closing in, Joe, I couldn't stand it." She gave him a relieved smile. "Thanks for coming."

Joe shrugged. "No problem. I told Frank to tell Mom and Dad I was going to spend some time with you."

Vanessa gave him a slightly guilty look. "I told Mom I was going to your house."

Joe took a deep breath. "Vanessa-"

"Just drive, please. Let's just go somewhere for a little while, just the two of us."

Joe sighed. This probably wasn't such a good idea, he thought as he headed for the parkway. Not a good idea at all.

***

Ten minutes came and went and when Joe didn't call, Fenton called Andrea. Three minutes later, he hung up and glanced at Frank. "Apparently Vanessa told her they were coming here."

Frank felt a chill run down his spine. "Joe wouldn't-" He frowned. "Joe wouldn't take off like that, Dad. And he wouldn't lie - not about something like this."

"Joe didn't want Vanessa to do this to start with," said Fenton. He looked down at the cordless phone in his hand and grunted. "Neither did I."

"Dad-"

"It's too much to ask of anyone to put themselves in that kind of danger."

"But now they're out there - alone."

"Damn it," muttered Fenton. "I know that. Byron James could grab them both at any time."

"We have to find them."

Fenton nodded and handed the cordless phone to Frank. "Start calling your friends - we'll need everyone to help search."

Frank took the phone, still stunned Joe would risk Vanessa's life like that? A sudden thought made him shiver. What if James already had them - and forced them to say that?

Frank clenched the handset so hard it was a wonder the plastic casing didn't crack. He had to find his brother. Taking a deep breath, he started calling his friends. In a matter of only half an hour, they had a plan.

Since Chet lived the farthest out, he was going to check out that way and come into town. Tony was at Mr. Pizza and he, Sarah and Liz would check out the mall. Callie and Karen were going to leave Vanessa's house and search out that way, as they too headed into town. Biff and Phil would search the other most likely places Joe and Vanessa might go.

Frank hung up the phone and went to get in his father's car where Fenton already had the engine running. It was forty minutes and counting since his brother had taken the van and gone to meet Vanessa. Frank just hoped that somehow, someone would find them before it was too late.

***

The little strip mall in Eastport was nowhere near the size or quality of the Bayport mall, and trying to keep an eye on everybody as he and Vanessa wandered from store to store was making Joe somewhat aggravated. He followed Vanessa into one store that was nearly dark inside, lit only by neon and black light.

Something blared to life as he walked in and he jumped, ready to pummel whoever it was, when he realized the clerk had yet to take down a life-sized animated Santa who was now singing Jingle Bells. Joe glared at the plastic thing and went to look for Vanessa.

"Joe, can you believe this stuff?" asked Vanessa, pointing to T-shirts, key rings and other things. Spencer's apparently liked a shocking and almost crude sense of humor and most of the merchandise was in that vein. Although a quick look through the posters had Joe seriously considering buying the Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven poster.

Vanessa touched his shoulder. "You're mad at me, aren't you."

"This was risky, Van. I mean I'm sure by now - uh-oh."

"Uh-oh what?"

Joe groaned. "I was supposed to call home when I got to your house. I bet they're frantic. We have to go." He grabbed her hand and started for the entrance.

"But don't you want that poster? You love that song."

"Maybe some other time. Both our parents are going to kill us, Vanessa. I'm sure by now your Mom has called to talk to you and - man." Joe tugged harder on her hand and they both left the store practically running.

Vanessa pulled her hand free as they approached the van. "I'm sorry, Joe. I just-"

Joe shook his head. "Don't. We'll just have to deal with the consequences. Hopefully, we won't be grounded for longer than a week."

Vanessa managed a laugh. "I think I can handle that."

Joe unlocked the van and they got inside. Joe started the engine and backed out of his parking space. He shifted into drive and headed for the highway. He wasn't looking forward to going home because he knew he was probably in very serious trouble.

Vanessa touched his arm. "I'll tell everyone it's my fault."

Joe shook his head. "Forget it, Vanessa, I can deal with being in trouble. Not like it's the first time ever." Joe groaned inwardly. He'd be lucky if he wasn't grounded for a whole year after this stunt.

Joe glared out the windshield, angry with himself for letting Vanessa talk him into taking off. What made it worse, they'd long since gotten rid of the old cellular phone in the van when Frank got a cell phone. Joe had gotten one once as well, but after forgetting to charge it and finally losing in the bay on a fishing trip, it had been decided that they could share Frank's phone. He glanced over at Vanessa. "You wouldn't happen to have your phone with you, would you?"

"No. I was afraid if I left the house with a coat or my purse or my phone, Mom would think something was up."

Joe groaned inwardly as he sped up . Although the speed limit on the parkway was seventy, he knew the police allowed for a five-mile variance. He had to get them back to Bayport and Vanessa's house before something happened.

Flashing lights up ahead alerted him to a possible wreck or trouble. Joe slowed down as he came up on an old dilapidated farm truck and a fancy dark green Jaguar. Both drivers were slumped over the steering wheels, and due to the angle of the vehicles, Joe's way was blocked.

Vanessa leaned forward. "Oh no, do you think they're hurt?"

"We have to find out. Maybe one of them will have a phone and we can call 911." Joe braked to a halt, shifted to park and got out of the van. Vanessa got out right after him.

Joe's all-too-brief stint as an EMT came back to him as he headed for the farm truck. The man looked to be about sixty and there was a dark bruise on one side of his face. Joe tried the door handle but it wouldn't open. Something about the driver bothered Joe but he couldn't place what it was. Something that didn't fit the old farm truck or the old threadbare overalls and flannel shirt.

He heard a brief squeal and spun around to see Vanessa being pulled into the back seat of the Jaguar. Joe stared, stunned, then headed over to the car just as something slammed into his skull and the blackness claimed him.

***

Fenton headed for the nearest on-ramp of the parkway just as his own cell phone rang. He flipped it open. "Yes?" His face went white and he nodded. "All right." He pressed the end button and flipped the phone closed with a shaking hand.

Frank didn't like the bleak look on his father's face. "Dad?"

"Seems someone called 911 about an accident on the parkway involving an old farm truck and a dark green Jaguar. Two people in a black van stopped to help-"

Frank groaned. "Joe and Vanessa."

"Someone in the backseat grabbed Vanessa while the driver of the farm truck knocked Joe out. They must have had a third accomplice, because someone drove the van away with the other two cars."

Frank shook his head. "No. Of all the stupid, idiotic things Joe has done-" Frank swallowed hard. "We have to find them."

Fenton got onto the parkway and pulled into the stream of traffic. "The two people in the van both had blond hair."

Frank closed his eyes and groaned again. "Byron James has them both now." He opened his eyes and looked at his father. "So what are we going to do about it?"

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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.