Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Joe’s heart pounded in his chest as he scanned the report. Frantically reading the last paragraph in that entry, Joe inhaled sharply. Steven and Stephanie Kaminski had been killed in a car accident when Luke was four and a half years old. He had been returned to the custody of Child Protective Services and the Sandersville Children’s Home – where he remained today.

Joe sagged against the headboard, relief washing over him. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, surprised at the range of emotions sweeping over him. Fear like nothing he’d ever felt before, total disbelief and then a relief so all-consuming he felt utterly drained, and he wondered – was this what it felt like when a parent thought for one heart-shattering moment that their child was dead? ‘And I don’t even know for sure if he’s my son!’

Suddenly Joe had a whole new perspective on what his parents may have gone through when he or Frank had been missing or seriously injured – and a deep respect that they had let him and Frank pursue their dream of a career that put them in so much danger. He also wondered how he could have ever possibly shut them out so many years ago, a thought that triggered the aching loneliness he’d been battling and the reality that he was essentially shutting them out again now, even if they weren’t aware of it.

Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, Joe leaned forward and continued reading. The remaining entries in the report noted a few couples who’d expressed an interest in adopting Luke but none of them panned out. Joe frowned and wondered why. The notes stated repeatedly that Luke was a well-behaved, well-adjusted, loving child. Why did no one seem to want him, Joe wondered, his heart aching for the little boy.

Shutting down the computer, Joe grabbed his jacket and headed out to his car. He knew he needed Seth’s help on this, though he wasn’t quite sure how he was going to convince the friendly sheriff to assist him, given how he’d acquired this information. He’d essentially broken the law to get it. Pulling out of the parking lot, he drove to the police station and hurried inside, hoping Seth was still there.

“Hi,” he greeted Deputy Sheriff Hogan “Is Seth in?” he asked anxiously.

“Yeah, hold on and let me see if he can see you.”

Joe waited while Hogan pressed a button and held a short, murmured conversation. Hanging up the phone he jerked his head towards the office. “Go ahead in.”

“Hi, Joe,” Seth greeted him with a smile. “What can I do for you?”

Joe closed the door and took a seat, trying to quell the nervousness in the pit of his stomach. “I found him,” he announced bluntly. Joe had decided to be honest with Seth about how he’d obtained the information on Luke, and hoped the sheriff would agree to look the other way – or at the very least, not arrest him for hacking into a state government computer system. “I found Luke.”

“How?” Seth responded, surprised at the revelation.

Joe took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “I hacked into the CPS data base,” he confessed.

Seth stared at him for a moment and then leaned back in his chair. The expression on his face was a cross between disapproval and admiration. “Well, I can’t say I’m totally surprised about that. But I am surprised that you’re sitting here confessing to it. I should arrest you, you know,” he said, almost challenging Joe to give him a reason not to.

“I know and I guess I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” Joe said cautiously. He was skating on thin ice here and he knew it. Joe genuinely liked Seth and didn’t want the man to think he had just been using him right from the start.

“So tell me why I shouldn’t.”

“Remember when you asked me where the father was in this whole thing?” Joe began guardedly.

“Mm-hmm,” Seth nodded, his eyes narrowed questioningly. “You said the girl never had a chance to tell the father. That’s not entirely true?”

“Well, yes and no. She didn’t have a chance to tell the father before she left Bayport,” Joe said nervously.

“I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

“Yeah, there is.” Joe licked his lips and swallowed, his mouth suddenly bone dry. “When she came to me a few days ago I asked her who the father was. She said she wasn’t sure. She’d been serious about two guys at that time. She knows one of them is the father, she’s just not sure which one.” Joe stopped and waited, trying to gauge Seth’s reaction. If he suddenly saw Jodi as someone who slept around, unable to keep track of who might be the father of her child, would he be so quick to help find the boy? Or would he now wonder if she were even fit to raise a child.

Seth looked at Joe as if he knew exactly what was going through his mind. He shrugged and said honestly, “It’s not my place to pass judgment – on her or anyone else.” Joe exhaled in relief as Seth continued to stare at him. “So you do know who the father is now. Or who he might be,” Seth guessed.

Joe nodded, feeling as if Seth could see right through him, into his soul. He held Seth’s steady gaze as the sheriff leaned forward on the desk, his voice softer now. “You’re one of those two guys she was serious about,” he guessed. “This child you’re looking for – he could be your son.”

Joe nodded, again saying nothing. He leaned back in the chair and rubbed a hand over his face suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the consequences of the decisions he’d made in the last forty-eight hours – and the decisions he’d made seven years earlier. Isolated from his family, Joe hadn’t realized until just now how comforting it was to have Seth on his side, and he knew he was dangerously close to losing that support. ‘Heck, you’re dangerously close to getting your ass tossed in jail!’ Joe reminded himself. ‘And wouldn’t that make Dad proud…’ he thought acidly.

“So,” Seth’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Question is, how do we get you in to see the kid and explain to the staff that his biological mother wants him back without letting on how you got the information that he was even there?”

Joe raised his eyebrows, hoping he hadn’t misunderstood. “W-we?” he repeated.

“Yeah, we,” Seth grinned, even as he pointed a finger at Joe. “Make no mistake here. I do not approve of your methods by a long shot. But given the… extenuating circumstances…I do understand them.” He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment. “I think our best bet might be just to head over to the children’s home. Getting a court order giving us legal access to the boy would be ideal but I can’t for the life of me figure out how I could explain any of this to a judge.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “We might be able to sneak it by the staff without too many questions, though. I’m guessing that once we tell them we’ve located Luke’s biological mother – who incidentally never agreed to give him up for adoption – and that she’s anxious to reunite with him, well I think they’ll be so excited about that, they’ll forget all about asking exactly how we were able to track him down. By the time they do think to ask about it, we should have the DNA results proving your client is the boy’s biological mother.”

“Really?” Joe asked, stunned. He’d hoped that Seth would still be willing to help him, but didn’t honestly expect the man to go this far for him. “I mean what if they do ask questions.”

“If it comes down to that, you’re a private investigator who showed up here looking for a kidnapped child and I offered to help. You didn’t tell me how you came into any of this information and, assuming you obtained it legally, I didn’t ask,” Seth grinned wryly.

Joe smiled gratefully. “That sounds more than fair.”

“Have you been tested yet?” Seth asked almost hesitantly. “I mean we do have results of a DNA test sitting in the evidence room….You could find out for sure before we leave.”

Joe hesitated unsure of how to explain exactly why he hadn’t been tested yet. “No, not yet. There really wasn’t time before I left Bayport and once I got here…” he shrugged. “How would I explain to a small town doctor my sudden need to get a DNA test?”

Seth regarded him with sympathy – and compassion – in his eyes. “Perfectly understandable.” The sheriff glanced at his watch and stood up. “We better get going. I’m not sure what time the office staff leaves and they’re the ones we need to talk to.”

Following Seth in his own car, Joe had plenty of time to think during the nearly hour-long drive to Sandersville. Up until now the boy hadn’t actually seemed real to him. But now he was about to come face to face with the child who could be his son, and Joe found he was mass of contradictory emotions. If this boy really were his son, his life was about to change in a big way. He loved kids and always wanted to be a father….‘But not like this,’ he thought apprehensively.

He thought of the many nights he and Vanessa had lain awake, talking in hushed whispers about their future together and the family they hoped to raise. They’d both agreed they wanted several children, but neither of them had planned on one of those children belonging to Joe and another woman. How much of a strain would it put on his relationship with Vanessa if Luke were his child? Joe had no doubts she’d welcome the boy into her life, love him and nurture him, but he would be a constant reminder of Jodi.

Joe felt the nervousness in his stomach well up again. ‘Jodi…’ Joe had gotten the distinct impression she still felt something for him, and Vanessa’s impromptu visit all but confirmed it. If it was just an old dream of Jodi’s – a fantasy that had had helped her cope with the life she’d been dealt – they could get past that. But if she still loved him, really loved him… How could that not affect his relationship with Vanessa? And how much could he realistically expect Vanessa to put up with? Everyone had their breaking point where they had to say enough is enough, if for no other reason than to save their own sanity. How much could he ask of Vanessa without risking their future together?

Not liking where this line of thinking was headed, Joe was grateful when he saw Seth’s patrol car slow and then turn into the parking lot of the Sandersville Children’s Home. Joe followed, parking next to Seth, and slowly got out of his car. He stood there for a moment taking in the long low building to the left that resembled a bunkhouse. On the far side of it he saw a small playground with various pieces of equipment for the children to play on. His gaze stopped on a shiny jungle gym and his heart flip-flopped in his chest. His eyes were automatically drawn to the top where he swore he could see two images sitting side by side....He blinked and swallowed hard. ‘God, I wish Frank were here…’

“Ready?” Seth asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Joe replied, his voice shaky. “Let’s go.”

Climbing the steps to the front door, Seth knocked and stepped back. A moment later the door was opened to reveal a women in her mid-forties. Her black hair with graying streaks was pulled back in a long braid and her pale blue eyes were kind but wary. “Yes, can I help you?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m Sheriff Seth Connor from over in Corner Ketch. This is Joe Hardy,” he began, pulling out his I.D. and handing it over to her and nodded at Joe to do the same. “Mr. Hardy is a private investigator and he’s been hired by a woman to find her missing son. She was told the boy had been stillborn and didn’t find out until a few days ago that wasn’t true. Essentially the boy was stolen and turned over to CPS as abandoned without her knowledge. She was only eighteen when he was born, but had no intention of giving him up for adoption. That was done without her knowledge or consent, and she desperately wants him back. We have reason to believe he’s here and we were hoping to talk to someone in the office and see him, if that’s possible? His name is Luke Kaminski.”

The woman stared first at Seth and then Joe, and then looked down at the pieces of identification they’d given her. She studied them carefully before handing them back. “I’d love to help you, Sheriff. Luke is a wonderful little boy and deserves a happy home. Lord knows he’s been through enough already. Still has such a sweet personality, though, and a wonderful disposition. Unfortunately the majority of people who adopt are looking for infants.” The woman sighed, sorrow in her eyes. “But I’m afraid the office is closed for the day. I’m one of the housemothers. It’s my responsibility to take care of the children, but I’m not allowed to give anyone access to them without specific instructions from the office staff.” She shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry, but there’s really nothing I can do. It’s out of my hands. You’ll have to come back in the morning when the office staff is here.”

Joe’s heart plummeted. He hadn’t realized how much he’d gotten his hopes up about seeing the boy. “Please,” Joe heard his own voice and it surprised even himself. It was as if he were watching the scene play out from somewhere outside his own body. “Can we just see him for a moment? Talk to him, maybe?” Now that he was so close, Joe suddenly had an overpowering need to see this child! His own son could be only a few yards away, cut off from him by a few walls of brick and cement. Joe was desperate to see the boy, talk to him, convinced if he could just do so, he’d know if Luke were really his or not.

“I’m sorry,” the woman repeated.

“Please, you don’t understand,” Joe begged, taking a step forward, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Joe,” Seth said softly, squeezing his shoulder. Joe felt a sudden sense of déjà vu and turned to the sheriff, half-expecting to see his brother standing there. “We’ll come back tomorrow – first thing, okay?”

Joe stared at Seth, at the look on his face – compassion, support and a warning look in his eyes to let it go for now. ‘Oh my God, I’m losing it…’ Joe thought, suddenly feeling himself shaking. “Right,” he said hoarsely. “Tomorrow.” He turned to look back at the woman. “Thank you for your time.” Abruptly, Joe spun around and hurried to his car, fearing that if he stayed there one more second, he’d force his way inside, unable to stop himself until he was holding his son in his arms.

Putting his hands on the roof of his car, Joe leaned forward, dropping his head. His breath was ragged and his heart was racing and it hit him like a sledgehammer – for the first time, without an inkling of doubt, he’d thought of Luke as his son…

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.