Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Standing before the altar at the front of the church, Joe was barely aware that the hundred-year-old building was practically bursting at the seams. It seemed as if the entire town of Bayport had been invited to witness him and Vanessa exchange their wedding vows and almost every single person had accepted. Yet Joe had eyes only for the woman standing less than a foot away from him. He couldn’t see Vanessa clearly through the filmy veil, just the shadow of her face, and he couldn’t wait for the moment he could lift it and kiss his wife – Vanessa Bender Hardy.

“I do,” he replied solemnly, feeling totally calm as he made the biggest commitment of his life.

Caught up in the intensity of the emotions he was feeling, Joe barely registered the rest of the ceremony, completely focused on his bride. They’d been through so much, at times Joe thought the wedding would never happen. Yet here they were, only moments away from the beginning of their new life together.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Joe…you may kiss your bride.”

Smiling, Joe reached out and lifted the veil to kiss Vanessa. Slowly, the grin faded away, replaced with shock. “No,” Joe whispered. He stumbled backwards repeating the single word, louder this time. “No. NO!”

Staring back at Joe, smiling serenely was Jodi Renault Hardy…

“NO!” Joe gasped, inhaling sharply as his eyes flew open. Totally shaken, he looked around the unfamiliar room, trying to get his bearings. Realizing it was just a dream – a horribly bad dream – Joe pushed himself up to a sitting position. ‘Breathe,’ he told himself. ‘Just breathe. It’s okay…it wasn’t real…’

But it had felt real! One of those dreams that felt so real it couldn’t be easily dismissed. Feeling himself physically shaking, Joe leaned over and snapped on the bedside lamp. He leaned his head back and swallowed hard. Somehow the soft glow of the lamp made the dream fade slightly. Shifting his eyes to the side, he gazed at the light and the small table, his cell phone lying next to the lamp. Picking it up, he wasn’t terribly surprised to see the phone shaking in his hand.

Suddenly he felt an overwhelming need to talk to Vanessa. She had finally called him back the previous evening but he felt there was something she wasn’t telling him. Not really lying to him, but…he couldn’t put his finger on it. She’d said she was fine and, as always, sounded more concerned about him than she did about herself. Still…something wasn’t quite right.

He looked at the time on the cell phone’s display and debated calling her. She’d be getting up for work soon anyway, so he didn’t feel too bad about waking her, but what exactly would he say? Did he really want to tell her he just dreamt he’d married Jodi instead of her? He snorted softly and rolled his eyes. Hardly…. Sighing, he placed the phone back on the table. Hard as it was, he would wait for her to wake up and call him.

Glancing towards the window he saw the first shades of pink on the horizon. Not wanting to go back to sleep and risk a continuation of the disturbing dream, he pushed the covers back and got out of bed. Stretching lazily, he decided to get an early start on the day and headed for the shower.

*****

Vanessa opened her eyes and turned to look at the bedside clock. She’d slept fitfully and wasn’t surprised to see the alarm wouldn’t go off for another fifteen minutes. Sighing softly she stared up at the ceiling. It hadn’t been memories of Chris Taylor that had periodically awakened her during the night; it had been Jodi and their awkward meeting the day before…and thoughts of Joe.

Vanessa had called him upon returning home the previous evening and the longer they spoke, the more he’d sensed that she was keeping something from him. For the first time she could ever recall, their conversation had been strained. Up until that point she was sure not telling him of her trip to see Jodi was the right thing; now she wasn’t so sure. Long ago she and Joe had promised never to lie to each other, to never keep secrets…yet here she was doing that very thing.

As tears sprang to her eyes, surprising her, Vanessa cursed Jodi Renault. Without even knowing it, Jodi was indirectly responsible for yet more secrets involving Joe, more secrets that could chip away at the relationships that meant the most to him. Vanessa saw the damage keeping Jodi’s secret was beginning to do to Joe’s relationship with his brother. It was even indirectly affecting her relationship with Frank – and Callie. Was she making the same mistake Joe had by not telling him of her meeting with Jodi? If last night’s conversation was any indication, she was. Sitting up, she vowed to learn from Joe’s mistake, from watching what it was doing to him. She picked up the phone and dialed Joe’s cell, firmly resolving to tell him about her impromptu trip to New York City.

*****

Joe heard the familiar ringtone on his cell phone – the one he had set to let him know Vanessa was calling – and rushed from the bathroom. Glancing at his watch, he frowned. Why was she calling so early?

“Hey, Babe,” he answered. “Kinda early isn’t it? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Yeah, I know it’s early. Sorry. Did I wake you?” Vanessa asked apologetically.

“Nah. I’ve been up for a while. Couldn’t sleep,” Joe replied, settling back on the bed. “But why are you up now?” he asked, concerned.

“Couldn’t sleep either.”

“Bad dreams?” Joe asked tentatively.

“No, not that kind,” Vanessa assured him and then sighed heavily. “Joe, when we talked last night I…I wasn’t totally honest with you.”

Joe heard the guilt in her voice and ached to hold her. He knew something wasn’t quite right when they spoke but hadn’t wanted to push her, knowing in his heart if she felt it was something he needed to know, she’d tell him when she was ready. “Yeah, I kinda got the impression something was going on,” he said softly.

“I didn’t lie, really. Just didn’t tell you everything…” Her voice trailed off and she sighed again. “I went to see Jodi yesterday.”

Joe felt his jaw drop slightly and sat speechless for few seconds. “You…what?” he blurted out, adding “WHY?” before Vanessa could even respond.

“I’m sorry,” Vanessa said miserably. “I had to.”

“Why?” Joe repeated, stunned. Trying to absorb Vanessa’s confession, he was not at all sure he liked the idea of her and Jodi meeting face to face.

“I – I needed to know if…if…” Vanessa was uncharacteristically hesitant, as if she was still unsure she really wanted Joe to know all the details.

“You needed to know what?” he pressed, his voice softer now. He could hear in her voice how difficult this was for her.

“If she was still in love with you,” Vanessa barely whispered.

Joe closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall with a dull thud. Ever since their talk on the beach, when Jodi had been sending out signals Joe wanted no part of, he had been wondering the same thing.

“I’m sorry, Joe,” Vanessa apologized again, her voice stronger now. “But I had to know. If this child really is yours and Jodi still loves you…I need to know what I might be up against.”

Joe exhaled loudly. He wasn’t happy about what Vanessa had done but on some level, he understood why she did it. And he wondered…had she gotten an answer to the question that he couldn’t? “So…what happened? Did you find out if…” He really didn’t want to say the words out loud, “Did you find out if she still loves me?” He didn’t even want to think it, let alone give voice to it.

Vanessa was quiet for a moment and Joe could almost see her chewing on her lower lip and twirling a strand of silky blonde hair around her finger, the way she always did when she was concentrating. “Well, she still feels something for you, that much I could tell; although I’m not sure even she knows exactly what it is.”

Joe’s heart twisted; how complicated was this going to get? He’d never leave Vanessa for Jodi, no matter what, and he was certain Jodi knew that. But if she still felt something for him, still wanted him, and this child was his, she could make their lives very unpleasant.

“There was something else, too,” Vanessa added.

Joe braced himself, having heard the defiant tone in her voice. “Okay…”

“I wanted to make sure she understood exactly what you’re doing for her. Keeping this secret for her, not telling anyone, trying to find her child – a child who might be yours, too! – all alone with no help, no support…it might be good for her, but it’s tearing you apart, Joe! And that is so unfair I can’t even stand it!” Vanessa continued, her voice and her indignance rising. “She’s made this whole thing about her and yes, she’s had a rough life, but she hasn’t given one second’s thought to what you’re going through!” Vanessa exhaled loudly, but she didn’t back down. “I know you’re probably mad at me, but I just couldn’t sit back and keep my mouth shut anymore. Asking you to keep this confidential, to treat it like just another missing persons case…it’s not fair. She needed to know she’s not the only one who’s hurting.”

Joe had listened to Vanessa’s explanation – tirade, if he was honest – and was surprised at his own reaction. He thought for sure he’d feel angry or upset but he didn’t. In fact he almost felt proud of his fiancée; and he most definitely felt loved. Slowly, Joe realized this was one of the things he loved most about Vanessa - her spunk and her drive to protect those she loved no matter what the cost to herself. Despite the situation Joe had left her in, alone to face her own demons with no support, Vanessa had been worried about him. Suddenly the dream that had shaken him to the very core was just that – a dream and nothing more. A figment of his imagination and one that was fading fast. And he knew no matter what the future had in store for them, he and Vanessa would face it –and conquer it – together.

“Joe? You still there?” Vanessa asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Joe replied, his voice husky. “I’m here.”

“You’re mad at me. I knew it,” she said sounding despondent.

“No, no I’m not.”

“But you’re so quiet. Don’t you have anything to say?” she pressed.

Joe smiled, feeling Vanessa’s love wrap itself around him in a protective cocoon, and wished they were having this conversation face to face. Sometimes they could communicate so much more easily without words. “Yeah, I have something to say,” Joe answered. When he spoke again his voice was soft and low. “I love you, Babe...”

After talking to Vanessa, Joe had settled in for another computer search. Hacking into the system at the Division of Child Protective Services had proved to be much more of a challenge than he’d had the previous evening. He’d been searching fruitlessly for two hours when he took a break to have breakfast with Cindy and her family, and returned to his room. After checking in with Mrs. G he felt refreshed and ready to try again. Hours later, when he finally broke into CPS’s system, Joe smiled and thanked his own inherent stubbornness which, at the height of his frustration, was the only reason he didn’t give up.

Once in the system he began searching the files, quickly becoming overwhelmed at the sheer number of children under the protection of CPS. At one point he’d simply stopped, realizing just how grateful he was for the loving home he’d grown up in. Thinking of how happy his childhood had been and how easily his family shared affection only made his heart ache for the children whose names were passing endlessly on the screen. Had they ever known the security of parents who loved them unconditionally, maybe even when they themselves felt they didn’t deserve it? Did they know the joy of having a brother or sister they could turn to for anything; one in whom they could confide their deepest fears and secrets?

‘But you didn’t…’

A little voice in the back of his mind reminded Joe he hadn’t shared everything with his brother; not seven years ago and not now. He’d alienated Frank back then, when he’d turned to Jodi for comfort, and he was doing the very same thing now.

“Whatever your big secret is, Joe, I sure hope it’s worth it.”

Frank hadn’t even tried to disguise his disappointment and that weighed heavily on Joe. Acutely aware of the growing distance between himself and his brother, Joe suddenly felt an urgent need to end this case as soon as possible. Just how much was he willing to risk losing in order to keep a secret that wasn’t his? One that may have been unnecessary right from the start? Luke might not even be his son…

Joe was rapidly overwhelmed with the need to wrap this case up and go home so he could work on repairing whatever damage he’d done to the cherished relationship he had with his brother. Refocusing on the computer screen he realized searching for one name among the thousands upon thousands in the CPS database could take days. He exhaled loudly and leaned back in frustration. When he glanced back at the screen one word clearly brought home just how much the emotional toll of this case was distracting him.

‘Search? SEARCH!’

Checking a few different areas of the CPS system, it took only a few minutes for him to find the search feature. Typing in the name ‘Luke’, Joe hit enter and waited. As he thought, there were several pages of children named Luke in the system. It would take most of the afternoon to search each file but, Joe reminded himself, at least he’d narrowed it down considerably from the thousands he’d had a few moments ago.

Reviewing each file carefully, Joe eliminated those that didn’t fit the criteria and several hours later he found what he was looking for. He checked and double checked the dates, not wanting to make a careless mistake when he was so close. Satisfied that this was indeed Jodi’s son, he took a deep breath, clicked on the file and began to read.

When Luke was nine months old, he had been turned over to the couple who would eventually adopt him – Steven and Stephanie Kaminski. Shortly after Luke’s first birthday, he was officially adopted by the Kaminskis. Officials from the children’s home kept in close contact with the couple for the first year, each report reflecting the same glowing praise. The Kaminskis were loving, caring parents who adored their young son. Luke was their only child and they doted on him, making sure he wanted for nothing, least of all love.

Joe’s heart grew heavy and he felt a crushing hopelessness as he continued reading. Luke was obviously a happy, well-adjusted little boy whose parents’ whole world revolved around him. Joe swallowed hard as he stared at the monitor, the words blurring together. ‘What right do I have to take that all away from him? What’s the right thing to do? Is there a right thing to do?’

As Joe struggled with the moral and ethical questions swirling in his head, he glanced down at an entry dated almost two years earlier. His eyes grew wide and he stared in shock as three letters jumped out at him.

He stared for a moment and then repeated them out loud in voice soft with disbelief. “D.O.A.?”

His heart pounded in his chest. Had he come all this way only to find out the child who might be his son was dead?

Let the author know what you think of this story

Home Library Authors Rogue's Gallery Vehicles Chums Message Board Rap Sheet Links Contact

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.