Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Vanessa sat back from the desk, her eyes automatically drawn to the vase looking decidedly out of place perched on top of the file cabinet in her office. When she’d first arrived at work and found the dozen red roses on her desk, she automatically assumed they were from Joe. Reading the card, she’d been touched to find they were from Phil Cohen. The presentation she had worked so hard on for the past few months had paid off in a big way. The new client would be signing a contract that very afternoon and the roses had been Phil’s way of thanking her for a job well done. She chuckled, recalling Joe’s predictions of a bonus or a big raise, and wondered what his reaction would be to the roses.

Vanessa stared at the fragrant flowers and her mind began to wander. She thought back to her conversation with Joe that morning and how proud he’d been of her. She’d been proud of herself, too, and knew she’d turned a corner. True, she had needed a little help to get through the night and was now glad she’d purchased the sleeping pills, although she doubted she would need them again. This final hurdle in her recovery was purely psychological; getting past the fear of being alone, the fear of facing the darkness – and the memories – alone. But now she knew she could do it. Tonight she would sleep through the night, unaided and alone, knowing Chris Taylor would not resurface in her dreams.

Turning her attention back to her computer, Vanessa immersed herself in work and close to two hours flew by, until images of the dream she’d had the night before - disturbing and distracting - began to flit through her mind. The harder she tried to ignore them, the more forceful they were – the images, the nagging little voices, seeing Joe in another woman’s arms. She stared at the monitor as the graphics on the screen suddenly morphed into a painful image from her dreams…

Suddenly the front door of the house opened and Vanessa saw a woman standing there, shadowed in the doorway.

“Come on in, guys. Lunch is ready.”

The boy rushed to Joe’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. Slipping off his glove, Joe reached down and ruffled the boy’s hair, letting his arm fall across the child’s shoulders as they hurried to the porch. Climbing the steps, the boy ran into the house. The woman smiled as he rushed past and then she emerged from the shadows towards Joe, sliding her arms around him. Joe pulled her close and kissed her passionately. Slowly, reluctantly, they separated.

Vanessa exhaled loudly, finally giving up in frustration. Why was she so bothered by that dream? It was just a dream and she didn’t doubt Joe’s love for her or the strength of their relationship for one second, even if this child did turn out to be his son.

‘But what about Jodi?’ In an instant of clarity, Vanessa suddenly understood why she was so troubled – had Jodi ever really gotten over Joe or did she still have feelings for him? Did she harbor some secret dream of making a life with Joe and their son? If this really were their child, would she use the boy to try and manipulate Joe? Try to get him back? Vanessa shivered. Was she still in love with Joe?

Sitting back, Vanessa frowned, absently chewing on her bottom lip and wondering if she should – or even could – broach the subject with Joe. Even if Jodi hadn’t come right out and told him as much, Joe would have picked up on it if she still felt something for him. With a heavy heart, Vanessa admitted to herself asking Joe about it would not give her the security she needed. If Vanessa even suggested Jodi might still care for him, possibly using their son to ‘convince’ Joe it was in the best interests of the small boy for them to renew their relationship, he would immediately jump to her defense. He would make excuses for her, insisting she’d never do such a thing. But Vanessa knew his vocal defense wouldn’t be out of any specific knowledge or even anything Jodi had confided in him. It would be out of a sense of obligation; obligation that had its roots in deep-seated guilt.

Staring at the framed picture of Joe on her desk, Vanessa knew there was only one way to find out for sure, only one way to learn the truth – she had to confront Jodi face to face, the sooner the better.

Shutting down her computer, Vanessa began gathering up her things. Glancing at the roses, she felt a small stab of guilt, but knew Phil would understand. She’d never take advantage of their friendship by leaving work early, but this couldn’t wait. Grabbing her purse, Vanessa stood to leave just as the intercom on her phone buzzed.

“Vanessa, Callie Hardy is on the phone for you.”

‘Callie?! Oh shoot, I forgot to call her!’ Vanessa thought, remembering the promise she’d made to Callie the night before. Anxious to leave, she sighed in frustration and then picked up the phone, trying to put a smile in her voice.

“Hi, Cal.”

“Hi, yourself,” Callie responded. “I just wanted to see how you made out last night. You were going to call me…remember?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Vanessa replied sheepishly.

“So, how’d it go? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. One bad dream and then I made it through the night just great,” Vanessa assured her, pacing the length of the office with the phone cradled against her shoulder. Now that she had made up her mind to see Jodi – today – she was anxious to get going. Still, she was touched by Callie’s concern. “Hey, thanks again for bringing dinner last night, and offering to let me stay at your place. You and Frank…you guys are the best.”

“Hey, you’re family. The wedding is just a formality,” Callie joked. “So how about tonight? Why don’t you plan on coming over for dinner.”

“Oh, uh…thanks, but I’m going into the city today. Actually I was just about to walk out the door when you called.”

“Oh, going to see Kara?” Callie asked, referring to a childhood friend of Vanessa’s with whom she’d recently reestablished contact.

Vanessa winced. She didn’t want to lie but couldn’t possibly tell Callie the real reason for her sudden trip or who she was going to see – not without breaking Joe’s confidence and that was something she would never do. “Um, well, yeah…I am going to see someone…” her voice trailed off. She cringed and bit the bullet, so anxious to start her journey she suddenly felt as if she were suffocating. “Listen, Cal, I really have to get going. I’ll call you later, though, okay? Bye.”

Hanging up the phone, Vanessa tried to swallow the bad taste in her mouth, along with the backwash of guilt, and hurried out of the office.

*****

Joe had no idea how long he sat staring out the windshield, trying to find answers to impossible questions. Ever since Jodi had first told him about the boy, Joe had had one single-minded goal – find the child. Once that was done, he could be reunited with Jodi, and Joe could find out for sure whether or not he was a father. So focused on accomplishing this, Joe hadn’t allowed himself to think about anything else, or see anything other than a happy ending. Seth’s blunt observations had brought all his idealistic notions crumbling down around him.

Joe recalled seeing cases like this on the news. A man suddenly finds out about a child he never knew he had, a child he never consented to give up. Or parents who had agreed to give their child up for adoption, months later, change their minds. Ugly, heart wrenching court battles ensued and no matter how it turned out, there were never any winners. Joe had always wondered if the adults involved seriously considered what was best for the child, or if they were so focused on getting what was ‘theirs’ or being ‘right’, that the welfare of the child fell between the cracks. He’d always felt sorriest for the child involved, rather than either set of parents. And now here he was, preparing to do the same thing. Yet rather than having a clearer perspective on an impossible situation, Joe felt himself more confused than ever.

‘How can I do this?’ he thought, recalling a heart wrenching scene he’d once seen on the evening news – a screaming child being ripped from the arms of the only parents he’d ever known and being turned over to his biological parents – total strangers to the frightened child.

And he thought of Jodi’s heartrending story, the desperation in her eyes, her voice, how badly she wanted her child back…someone to love. ‘How can I not do this?’

Finally he thought of himself and the possibility that he might be a father – something he was still having trouble grasping – and how that could affect his relationship with Vanessa. He had no doubts that if this little boy was his son, Vanessa would open up her arms and her heart to the child. Still, he wasn’t naïve enough to think it wouldn’t cause tension.

‘Tension?’ he laughed bitterly. ‘That’s the understatement of the year!’ Leaning back in the seat, he closed his eyes in despair. Jodi, by default, would become a permanent part of their lives. Jodi, with that look in her eyes, the one that said she might still have feelings for Joe; deep feelings. Could she hide that from Vanessa? Would she even bother to try? Joe’s eyes shot open. Would she try and cause trouble between him and Vanessa?

Joe considered the possibility for a brief moment and quickly shook it off, realizing he was getting much too emotional, something he could not afford to do. He pushed the tangled feelings away, temporarily burying them. Joe didn’t try to kid himself that they wouldn’t need to be dealt with eventually, but now was not the time. He needed to think clearly – unemotionally – to find Jodi’s son.

‘Jodi’s son…JODI’s – not mine…’ Joe repeated it to himself over and over, finding it was a little easier to pretend this was just another routine missing persons case if he refused to let his mind acknowledge the little boy might be his. Still, somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a little voice. A little voice that was determined not to let him forget the mistake he’d made so many years ago in a moment of blinding grief… ‘YOUR son!’

Shaking his head to try and silence the voice, Joe reached to turn on the car and his glance swept the dashboard. His gaze locked on the clock and he exhaled loudly in disgust. It was time to check in with the office. Even knowing that meant another game of cat and mouse with his brother, he didn’t even consider not calling. Dreading the inevitable, Joe pulled out his cell phone and slowly began to dial.

*****

Frank slammed the phone down and, in lieu of his brother, glared at it.

“Damn you, Joe!”

This time, he’d been the one to abruptly end their conversation. He’d tried, he really had. No direct questions, no prying, no trying to trick information out of Joe. While Joe’s one word answers had annoyed him, he didn’t act on that annoyance, instead changing the subject to one he thought was safe – Vanessa. ‘HA!’ he thought, scowling darkly.

It had started out well enough. Joe’s attitude had brightened and he’d thanked Frank profusely for inviting Vanessa out to dinner the previous evening. It was only when Joe had told him about Vanessa’s call that morning, telling him how she’d made it through the night alone, and how proud he was of her that something snapped inside. Did Joe even realize why Vanessa had spent the night alone? Alone and isolated, with nothing but her own demons for company?

Joe hadn’t been there the night before; he hadn’t seen the fear in Vanessa’s eyes. Frank knew she didn’t want to stay alone but felt she had no other choice. She’d never betray Joe’s secret, yet she felt just as strongly that she couldn’t face the people she loved – people who loved her – while keeping that secret. She hadn’t stayed alone because she felt ready, but because she felt forced into it – forced by a promise Joe had elicited from her to keep whatever he’d confided to herself. Clearly she wasn’t comfortable doing that but she would, no matter what it cost her personally.

And the fact that Joe seemed oblivious to all that was what had finally set Frank off. Joe loved Vanessa more than life itself, and it seemed all the hardships they’d been through together had only brought them closer – something Frank would have thought impossible if he hadn’t seen it for himself. So why was Joe so clueless now, when Vanessa really needed him to understand what keeping this deep, dark secret of his was doing to her? Who was this mysterious woman who seemed to be at the center of everything? And why did she suddenly seem to be taking precedence over Vanessa?

Feeling a sudden overpowering need to protect Vanessa – from Joe, of all people – the words had flown from his mouth before he realized it.

“Do you have any idea what she’s going through, Joe? What she’s doing – for you?!” Frank demanded, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. “She didn’t stay alone last night because she was ready; she did it because she didn’t feel right keeping secrets from the people she loves – people who love her, and you. She turned away from everyone and did something that terrified her to protect you! You and your damned secret! Whatever your big secret is, Joe, I sure hope it’s worth it,” Frank finished quietly, disappointment excruciatingly clear in his voice.

There had been silence – deafening, painful silence. Frank knew his words had cut Joe to the quick, but the fact that Joe hadn’t even tried to defend himself or his actions let him know there was some truth to them. And that worried Frank. Worried and scared him. For the first time he started to fear that whatever this big secret was – and the mysterious woman at the center of it – might slowly tear Joe and Vanessa apart.

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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.