HDA - Living in Darkness Trilogy - Pt 2 - The Search

"Only an idiot tries to walk in this," muttered Joe Hardy, ducking his head against the falling snow. It had seemed a good idea several minutes ago and now he was regretting it. He could hear his brother lecturing already and sighed. Joe pulled the collar of his parka up tight around his ears and looked around.

A light layer of snow coated every car in the mall parking lot. He glanced at the mall entrance and then looked at the building that had been his initial destination. Several stores had come to the Bayport Mall and some had even gone the extra step of building another structure to house stores in. With Valentine's Day just over a week away, Joe had wanted to get Vanessa something special, and one of the new stores in the new building specialized in holiday merchandise whether it was Halloween or Valentine's.

Joe sighed and decided he was closer to the mall and that he'd venture over to the other store on another day. But before he could take a step, he saw a girl, not much older than Callie or Vanessa; her dark hair waved around her heart-shaped face and plunged down her back; she was wearing dark indigo jeans and a vivid red sweater with glittery heart appliqués. She glanced at him and he saw her eyes were violet. She tossed her hair, smiled and walked on.

Joe felt his heart drop to his shoes. The girl had looked exactly like Iola. He shivered and shook his head. "No," he said softly. "That's not possible." He rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand and shook his head again. "I'm just seeing things."

He took a deep breath and watched her walk into the mall. Joe hurried after her but by the time he reached the entrance, there was no sign of her. Of course, if he had been seeing things the fact that she was gone made perfect sense.

"Hey, you look a little frozen, bro."

Joe gave a start and turned to see Frank walking towards him. For a moment, he debated telling Frank what he'd seen but considering the last time - "Yeah, too cold out there. I'll go another day."

Frank nodded. "Tried to tell you, snow is falling fast; we'll be lucky to make it home today without getting stranded." Frank kept glancing out the glass doors of the mall's entrance. "If this keeps up, it might even end up being called a blizzard."

"Snow days - I'd be happy. Where are Vanessa and Callie?"

"They went to one last store," said Frank with a sigh.

Joe gave his brother a hard look. "You were the one who volunteered us for this Saturday morning mall trip."

"Well, it's not like it’s Christmas. They loaded the back of the van then. What could they possibly buy now?"

Joe grunted. "You'd think after all the time you've spent with Callie, you would know."

"We've had this discussion before, little brother, Mars and Venus all over again. Come on, I'll buy you a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up."

Joe followed Frank to one of the food booths but kept an eye out for the girl he'd seen. When he didn't see her, he sighed. It must have been his imagination after all.

***

Frank drove carefully toward home after dropping Vanessa at her house. He slid a glance at Joe but didn't say anything. His brother was being awfully quiet and for some reason that bothered him. "Still cold?"

Joe shook his head. "No." He seemed to rouse himself and shrugged. "Just trying to figure out the perfect present for Vanessa."

Frank sincerely doubted that was it but let it go - for now. "Yeah, it's hard sometimes."

"I want it to be perfect, you know. Something..." Joe's voice trailed off and he swallowed hard. "Something really nice."

For some reason Frank felt a chill. "Joe, what exactly are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure. Vanessa's not into a lot of jewelry."

Frank shot his brother a look. Although they were talking about a gift for Valentine's not Christmas, Frank remembered that first Christmas after...her death and what had happened. "So, you won't buy her jewelry?"

"I don't know. I mean maybe she doesn't wear much because no one has given her something special."

"This is beginning to sound serious."

Joe shrugged again. "After what happened last year, I realized I couldn't bear it if I lost Vanessa."

"Joe-"

Joe looked over at him. "I know what you're thinking. Relax."

"Since when did you read minds?"

Joe grinned. "Well, considering the look on your face right now, yours is an open book." His grin widened. "I'm serious but not that serious."

Frank spared his brother a look and then nodded. "Okay." He pulled into their driveway. "So that's...all it was?"

Joe gave him a puzzled look. "What else would it be?"

Frank nodded. "Right, silly me."

Joe rolled his eyes and bounded out of the van but Frank sat there for a moment. He couldn't shake the feeling something was going to happen.

***

Monday morning dawned clear and cold; the snow from the weekend in neat rows along the roads, pushed there by busy snowplows. Frank steered into the school parking lot and looked over at Joe who was huddled in his coat with his eyes closed. "Hey, bro, rise and shine."

"I'll rise but I refuse to shine," muttered Joe blinking against the bright sunshine. "Why couldn't it have been a blizzard? I'm seriously ready for a snow day or two-" Joe opened up his door. "Or five."

"Since that's a whole week that would be right up your alley."

Joe snorted and hurried toward the school. Frank grinned and got out of the van. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the front doors. Once inside he found several students still huddled in their jackets. He spotted Joe talking with Chet and hurried over to them. "It's cold in here."

Chet nodded, still bundled up as if he'd walked the entire way from his house. "Central heat is broken. We'll have to wear coats and hats in class."

"If this was a one-room school house, there'd be a pot-bellied stove and there'd be no problem," muttered Joe.

Frank bit back a grin and sighed. "Joe, it won't kill us to be cold."

"And obviously you've never listened to a single word Aunt Gertrude ever said."

Frank started to say something but the first bell rang. He grunted and shot Joe a look. He'd get his little brother later, he thought and headed to his homeroom.

Joe saw Chet grin as they headed for their homeroom. It was the first year he didn't share homeroom with Frank. "What?"

"You're funny when you're cranky. In case you didn't know."

"Who said anything about me being cranky?" Joe pulled open the door to the classroom.

"You always are this early in the morning." Chet looked like he was going to say something else but he shook his head instead. "Sorry," he mumbled and darted into the classroom.

Joe stood there for a moment, thoroughly puzzled. What the hell had just happened? he wondered. Somewhat dazed, he walked into the room and sat down in the back where he usually sat.

Chet was seated halfway across the room and several desks further up. What had-? Joe felt his breath hitch in his lungs so hard it hurt. Iola - she'd said that once when he'd had to pick her up early for school. He shuddered and forced his gaze outside to the snow and bare trees.

Joe took a deep breath as he heard the tardy bell ring and then forgot to breathe as he saw a girl walk across the school yard. She was wearing tight-fitting black jeans and a white ski parka with turquoise and purple trim. A small knit cap was on her dark hair. Iola. Without realizing it, he hurried to the window like he could walk right through it. Iola...

"Mr. Hardy," said his teacher. "Please sit down."

He blinked, turned to look blankly at the teacher and then looked back out the window. The girl was gone. A shiver passed over him and through him. Was he going insane?

"Mr. Hardy-"

Joe nodded and made his way to the desk, noting that everyone else in the classroom was striving to ignore him. Instead of making him feel better, it made him feel worse. Only Chet was looking directly at him and Joe felt like a bug under glass suddenly. He tore his gaze away from Chet and glared at his notebook. Was he going insane?

***

Frank heard it from Callie who heard it from Tony who said that Biff had talked with Chet during study hall. It was lunch time and Frank held a tray of barely recognizable food in his hands. He scanned the tables looking for Joe but didn't see him.

"Frank, you're holding up the line."

Frank glanced over his shoulder to see Callie. "Sorry. Where do you want to sit?"

"You always sit wherever Joe is." She gave a shrug and gestured carefully with her tray. "Go."

"I don't see him."

Callie nudged him aside and looked herself but she didn't see that familiar blond hair or those broad shoulders. "Maybe he's back in the line."

"Callie, Joe is always first in the line."

Callie grunted. "Not always, Frank. Something may have kept him from jumping to the front." When she saw Frank's lips tighten, she sighed. "Yeah, I guess it did. Come on, we'll find a table and Joe will find us."

Frank made his way over to an empty table and set his tray down. Callie sat down beside him. In a matter of minutes, Vanessa, Biff, Tony and Chet joined them. Ten minutes later, Liz, Sarah and Karen were seated at their table. But there was still no sign of Joe.

Frank sat down and looked over at Chet. "Okay, what happened?"

Chet looked embarrassed. "I was telling him that he was funny when he was cranky and that he's always cranky first thing in the morning."

Frank nodded but wasn't sure he really understood. How could that bother Joe? He was always telling Joe he was cranky first thing. "And?"

Chet looked down at his food. "I almost said that Iola had once told me that."

Silence fell on their table as everyone stared at Chet. He turned red and pushed his tray away. "I'm...s-sorry."

Vanessa reached across the table and patted his hand. "Oh Chet, don't be. Iola was your sister." Vanessa looked up and down the table at the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "What, no one can say her name?" she asked, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

Callie shook her head. "No, but Joe went so ballistic after-" She looked at Frank as if wondering if she should say anything more.

Frank sighed. "We just don't mention her much, Vanessa," he said softly, almost sadly. "It just seems easier that way." He took a deep breath and nodded to Chet. "Then what happened?"

"He was just sitting at his desk and then all of a sudden, he rushed to the window like he'd seen someone. For a minute I thought he'd run right through the glass and concrete." Chet shuddered. "It took a good five minutes for the teacher to get him to respond."

Frank scanned the cafeteria but still didn't see his brother. "I'm going to look for him."

Chet cleared his throat. "I'll go with you."

Frank winced. "Chet, I-"

Chet turned red again. "Oh, yeah, I guess not."

"Chet, it's not you. It's just you'll make him think of her."

Chet nodded but didn't look convinced. Instead, he picked up his tray and got to his feet. "I'm not so hungry today," he said and walked over to where they dumped the trays.

Vanessa got to her feet. "I'll go with you, Frank." When Frank hesitated, she shook her head. "No. I'm going with you - or I'll go look for him myself."

"All right."

Frank and Vanessa left the cafeteria, knowing they only had about twenty minutes before the bell for the next class rang. "I'll check the locker room," said Frank. "You check his last class."

"You really think he's still in his Chemistry class?"

"Maybe the teacher's got him doing something, I don't know."

Vanessa nodded and headed for the classroom. Frank veered for the gym and the locker room. The room was dark and cold as he entered the locker room. It smelled of old sweat and damp clothes, thought Frank as he walked past the rows of lockers. "Joe?"

There was no answer and Frank wondered if he'd been mistaken assuming Joe would come here. He continued on to where the communal showers were but the area was completely dark. "Joe?"

There was a sound of a door opening and a voice called, "Who's there?"

Frank recognized Coach Drummond's raspy voice. "It's Frank Hardy, Coach, is Joe here?"

Coach Simon Drummond, a tall black man flipped on the master light and the entire area flooded with fluorescent light. "Frank?" He looked around the large room. "I haven't seen Joe since practice last Friday."

Frank finally caught sight of Drummond and nodded. "Okay, thanks, Coach."

Frank sighed and left the locker room. Where the hell was Joe?

***

Vanessa walked up to the classroom and tapped on the door. When no one called out, she pulled open the door only to find the room inside was empty. She pushed the door shut and looked up and down the hall, trying to figure out where Joe was.

She started to head back to the cafeteria, walking slowly. Her eyes drifted to the double doors that led to the library and shook her head. Joe wasn't one to haunt libraries, she knew. But she veered for the double doors anyway. She pulled one open and walked into the softly lit room.

The librarian looked at her and Vanessa walked over to her. "Did you happen to see a blond guy come in here?" she asked softly.

The librarian arched an eyebrow and then pointed to the back of the library. Vanessa smiled her thanks and headed toward the back. She stopped when she saw Joe sitting at a microfiche machine, glaring at the screen intently. For some reason seeing him staring so hard at the screen freaked her out. She took a deep breath and walked over to him. "Joe," she said softly.

Joe jumped a good inch off his seat and then looked at her, his blue eyes wide. "What - Vanessa?"

"Joe, are you okay?"

He blinked, flicked his gaze to the screen and took a deep breath. "Yeah, sure, I'm fine."

Vanessa looked at him. "We missed you at lunch."

"Wasn't hungry." He darted another look at the screen and his right hand hovered over the switch to flip from page to page.

"Researching something?" asked Vanessa casually.

"Oh, yeah." He focused his gaze on a midpoint and wouldn't look at the screen or Vanessa. "Just a little searching, I'm almost done."

Vanessa reached out and touched his left hand. "Joe, look at me."

Slowly, he swiveled his head and looked directly at her. Before he could look away, she smiled. "Joe, I love you."

He started and blinked and then really looked at her. "Vanessa-" He looked around the library with something akin to surprise. "What-?" His gaze rested on the microfiche screen and he frowned. "Why am I looking at this?"

Vanessa allowed one quick look. It was a newspaper article about a local girl killed in a terrorist attack. It was dated over two years ago and Vanessa saw the girl's name was Iola Morton. "Memories?" she asked quietly.

Joe looked at her and shook his head. "She's the past. You are my present." He flashed her a grin. "No wonder I like you so much."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." Joe got to his feet, gave the screen a disgusted look and switched the machine off. "Just dandy. Let's go."

Vanessa stood up. "Frank was looking for you too. We'll have to find him and let him know everything's okay."

Joe nodded vigorously. "Yeah." But he didn't sound all that convincing.

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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.