Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Joe slammed his foot on the accelerator and the van lurched forward. Frank could have sworn the dump truck passed within an inch of the back bumper of the van. Frank took a deep breath and looked at Joe.

Joe spared him a glance. "Hey, unavoidable. Not my fault. You can't ban me from driving."

Frank sighed and shook his head. "Not that. The brakes. When's the last time they were checked?"

"Oh no you don't. A week ago." Joe held up one hand, his forefinger raised, the other fingers curled against his palm. "One week ago. I changed the oil, the filters, checked the power steering, everything."

"Okay, okay." Frank took a deep breath. "Can you slow down at all?"

Joe glanced at the speedometer. "If I go up a hill, I'll stop on a dime."

"You're going to go looking for a hill?"

Joe shot his brother a look. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"Heavens, no. Why should I? You're doing fine on your own."

"That was sarcasm, big brother." Joe twisted the wheel and drove onto a dirt road. The further he went, the slower the van got until it slowed to a stop. Joe pointed to the road ahead of them. "Small hill."

"It's an incline."

"Same difference." Joe shifted to park, turned off the van and got out. "I've got an extra can of brake fluid in the back." Joe reached down and popped the hood and shut the driver's side door.

Joe lifted the hood as Frank came around the other side, a can of brake fluid in one hand and a flashlight in the other. "It's not completely dark yet but you may need this."

Joe nodded and pulled the plug on the brake fluid container. When he didn't see any liquid, he stuck his finger in. "Dry." He stood back and took the flashlight. In a minute, he scooted under the van. "Found it."

"Repairable?" asked Frank, resting his forearms on the edge of the van's fender.

"Yeah. Electrical tape should work for now. I'll take the van in tomorrow morning."

Frank nodded and went to get the black electrical tape. He bent down and handed it to his brother. "See, watching reruns of MacGyver paid off."

"Oh please." Joe scooted back out from under the van and got to his feet. He filled up the container and sighed. "Sliced clean, Frank. Not a big slice though. Almost as if whoever did it knew the pressure of braking would rip it further."

"I'm glad it didn't go until after we got the girls home."

"Yeah." Joe brushed off his jeans and then his hands. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Frank, we're not working on a case. Why cut our brake lines? I may be a little paranoid these days but I don't see Sheridan doing it. I mean that's pretty drastic revenge for you backing into him."

"Unfortunately, you're right." Frank slammed the hood down and dusted off his hands. "Which means one thing."

Joe turned serious. "We do have a case."

***

Frank stared at the computer screen, frustrated. He'd tried to run a background check on Jesse Sheridan himself but the computer kept saying no such person existed. Frank grunted and pushed away from the desk. Something wasn't right here – he just knew it.

He stood up, paced for a moment, and then decided he wanted to discuss this with Joe. He cut through the bathroom they shared but stopped shy of pushing the door open when he heard his brother talking.

"...really? Yeah, I know...I think I saw him in that movie about drag racing...That's okay. Okay, have fun...Bye."

Frank walked into his brother's room, noting the unmade bed, the piles of clothes scattered everywhere. "I can't find crap on Sheridan."

Joe hung up his phone and looked at Frank. "Sure, you can come in. I wasn't on the phone."

Frank rolled his eyes. "You do it to me all the time."

"And your point is?" Joe glanced over to his window and realized the blinds were still raised although it was dark outside. He walked to the window and reached for the cord to lower the blind.

Frank walked over to sit at his brother's desk. "Something's not right here, I just know it."

"And I—” Joe broke off as something smashed through the glass. He fell backwards, hit the side of the bed and crashed to the floor.

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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.