Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Frank yawned and pointed the remote at the television, flipping idly through the channels. He’d slept fitfully and woke up early, feeling tired and drained rather than refreshed. As he waited for Joe to shower and get dressed, the muted sounds of water in the shower were oddly soothing, and he felt his eyes sliding closed. Just as he started to doze off, the sound of Joe’s favorite rock song jolted him awake.

Sitting up he glanced around for a moment and then grabbed Joe’s ringing cell phone off the nightstand. He checked the caller ID and felt a flicker of resentment when he saw ‘J Renault’ displayed above the phone number. Pressing a button he lifted the phone to his ear and answered impassively, “Hello.”

There was a long silence and then a female voice, sounding very tentative. “Joe?”

“No,” he replied with the same emotionless tone. “He’s not available at the moment.”

“Who is this?” she asked, nervousness clear in her voice.

He waited a beat and then said simply, “Frank.” He heard a soft intake of breath and smiled bitterly. Right now all he could think of was the gulf that had opened up between him and his brother because of Jodi’s demand for secrecy. Childish as it might be, he was glad to cause her even a fraction of the discomfort she had caused Joe.

“Frank….What – what are you doing there?” she stammered, obviously having realized he already knew who was calling.

“Working,” he replied curtly. He could almost feel the temperature drop over the phone. Her voice was chilly when she spoke again.

“I see,” she said, having regained some measure of composure. “I thought I had requested absolute confidentiality.”

“You didn’t request it, you demanded it – and you got it!” Frank bristled at the implication that Joe had betrayed her confidence.

“Really?” she challenged coldly. “Then what are you doing there?”

Frank felt the rage bubbling up and didn’t even try to control it. “Don’t you dare think for one second that Joe broke your confidence!” he said savagely. “Ever since he took your case he’s been distant and distracted and has been acting way out of character. I was worried about him so I tracked him down and came up here to check on him. Do you have a problem with that? My being concerned about my brother? Because you obviously weren’t, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked him to find a child who might be his own son but forbid him to tell anyone who might be able to give him some support!”

“He obviously told you!” she accused angrily.

“Damn, what is with you?! He didn’t tell me a thing! I can read, Jodi! I saw the files. From there it was just simple math to figure out Joe could be the father,” he replied. Rapidly losing patience his voice dripped sarcasm. “Believe it or not, I figured it all out on my own. Joe protected your secret no matter what it cost him. And believe me, it cost him!

“But now that I’m here and I know what’s going on, I figured I’d try to help. I assume it’s more important to you to find your son as fast as possible, than it is to pull Joe’s strings,” he snapped, not bothering to give her a chance to reply. “Now is there a specific reason you called?” he asked bluntly.

The ensuing silence lasted so long for a minute Frank thought she’d hung up. He was about to flip the phone shut when he heard her voice, chastened but still bitterly angry.

“Joe called me last night—”

“To give you a progress report,” Frank interrupted wanting to make sure Jodi knew he wouldn’t stand for – or believe – any insinuations.

“Yes,” she replied in a clipped voice and Frank swore he could picture her gritting her teeth as she spoke to him. “He said he had a really good lead and asked if there was any way my DNA test could be rushed.”

“And?”

“I called my doctor and he said he’d talk to a friend at the lab. He just called and said they’ll have the results late this morning. He wants to know where to send them.”

Frank thought for a moment and then cursed silently, realizing just how much of an outsider he really was in this investigation. It would be best to have the results faxed to Joe’s contact at the sheriff’s office, where they had the results of the child’s DNA test but Frank had no idea who that contact was. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath. He’d hoped to handle the call from Jodi without Joe ever having to get involved, but it was looking like that was wishful thinking. Then his eyes lit on the messy pile of papers on the table. “Hold on.” He dropped his hand to his side and quickly crossed the room.

Laying the phone on the table, he began rummaging through the files. “Come on, come on,” he muttered, “it’s gotta be here somewhere.” His eyes lit up triumphantly when he came across a standard Corner Ketch sheriff’s department form with the fax number imprinted on it.

He picked up the phone. “Write down this number,” he ordered. Knowing he was barely giving Jodi time to scramble for a pen and paper, he barked out, “716-555-8361. That’s the fax number for the sheriff’s department here. They have the results of a DNA test done when the baby was turned over to them.”

“Um…yeah, okay,” Jodi stammered.

“Okay then, I’ll call you as soon as they can compare the results. Bye.”

“Wait!” Jodi cried out.

“What?!” Frank asked, his patience gone.

“I want to talk to Joe,” she demanded.

“Why? You said you called to find out where the results should be sent and now you have that information,” Frank challenged her. “Why do you need to talk to Joe?”

Jodi didn’t speak for a moment but when she did, Frank heard her voice shaking with anger. “That’s none of your business.”

“Look, you are the one who asked him to find your missing child, hit him with the announcement that he might – or might not! – be the father, and then forbid him to tell anyone about it, expecting him to treat it like any other missing persons case because that’s what was best for YOU!” Frank railed, no longer caring about keeping his temper in check. “And if that’s the way you want it, that’s the way you’ll get it. On any other case Joe’s partner – that would be me – would be helping him out. In fact I’m the one who usually deals with the more mundane details with the client, so from here on out you can talk to me.”

Given the tension that had hung thick in the air between him and Joe after he returned from his walk the previous evening, Frank was momentarily surprised at the vehement protectiveness he was suddenly exhibiting. That surprise quickly vanished when Jodi spoke again.

“You have no right—“

“No, YOU have no right trying to dictate to Joe who he can confide in and when!” Frank yelled. “YOU have no right forcing Joe to isolate himself from everyone who cares about him, leaving only you to talk to! YOU don’t get to decide whether or not he’s allowed to turn to his family for support!

“You wanted him to treat it like any other case and he did. Now that that isn’t working in your favor anymore, you suddenly want to change the rules. Sorry, honey, but you can’t have it both ways. From here on out you get exactly what you asked for – you’re just another client and this is just another case. Which means when you want information you talk to me; when we need information from you, you’ll talk to me; and when we find your son, you’ll hear from me. Got it?”

Frank heard nothing but silence and then a soft ‘click’. Pulling the phone away from his ear he saw the call had been disconnected. “Thank God,” he muttered, wearily sinking into one of the chairs. He flipped the cell phone shut and laid it on the table, suddenly realizing the shower was off. “Ah, crap.” He closed his eyes and sighed, wondering just how much Joe had heard…

*****

Reluctantly Joe turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, glancing back at it almost longingly. It was the only place he’d been able to push everything out of his mind and just forget for a few moments. The hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach reminded him his few moments of peace were over, as the emptiness and sense of loss he’d felt during the night returned.

Grabbing a towel, he worried that today the gulf between him and
Frank would only widen, when he was suddenly assaulted by Frank’s raised voice. He froze, listening to his brother obviously arguing with someone on the phone. While he couldn’t make out every word, he understood enough and his heart tightened – Frank was arguing with Jodi!

Joe quickly dried off and pulled on a pair of jeans. He’d promised Jodi he wouldn’t tell anyone but Vanessa, he’d given her his word! Wondering if there was anything he could say to make Jodi believe Frank’s appearance was as much a shock to Joe as it was to her, he reached for the doorknob…and then stopped. Hearing Frank again, he leaned closer to the door listening intently.

“Ever since he took your case he’s been distant and distracted and has been acting way out of character. I was worried about him so I tracked him down and came up here to check on him. Do you have a problem with that? My being concerned about my brother?”

Joe stared at the door his jaw dropping slightly. He knew that’s why Frank had originally come, because he’d been so worried. But Joe assumed after Frank’s stunning revelation and mistaken belief that Joe didn’t trust him as much as he claimed, that he’d begun to regret his decision. The distance Frank had put between them – both physical and emotional – certainly seemed to bear that out. Yet Frank hadn’t left and was now, in fact, voicing his concern aloud.

“He didn’t tell me a thing! I can read, Jodi! I saw the files. From there it was just simple math to figure out Joe could be the father. Believe it or not, I figured it all out on my own. Joe protected your secret no matter what it cost him. And believe me, it cost him!”

Joe told himself to move, to get out there and try to diffuse the situation, but he seemed almost transfixed. Frank, his calm, cool, level-headed brother who rarely lost his temper, sounded angrier than Joe could remember – and it was all in defense of him. And that realization touched Joe deeply. Despite the apprehension that had been hovering over them since the previous night, Frank had jumped to Joe’s defense, apparently at warp speed, at the first sign that Joe was being unfairly attacked.

With his hand on the doorknob Joe leaned his forehead against the door, feeling a surge of warmth – and gratitude. He hadn’t been in the best frame of mind before Frank arrived, and their disagreement the night before combined with Frank’s subsequent coldness had sent him that much closer to the edge. Joe knew he was rapidly reaching his limit, and he realized the last thing he wanted to do was have to explain to Jodi why Frank was suddenly involved.

“No, YOU have no right trying to dictate to Joe who he can confide in and when! YOU have no right forcing Joe to isolate himself from everyone who cares about him, leaving only you to talk to! YOU don’t get to decide whether or not he’s allowed to turn to his family for support!

With only the slightest twinge of regret he let his hand drop from the knob, content to let Frank handle her.

‘Thanks, bro…’

*****

Hearing the bathroom door open, Frank looked up. While the heated conversation with Jodi had given him an outlet for his anger he hadn’t been sure that making himself a barrier between her and Joe was really the best thing to do until he got a look at his brother’s face. His normally expressive blue eyes were dull and listless and he looked drained…empty.

“Hey,” Joe said softly as he rummaged through his duffel bag.

Frank frowned as he watched. Joe’s whole demeanor seemed subdued, almost submissive, two words Frank would never use to describe his brother. That made him certain his decision to make Jodi go through him to get to Joe was the right one. He waited a moment, to see if Joe would mention overhearing him on the phone but he remained silent. While Frank would have preferred to pretend it never happened if that’s what Joe wanted, he had no choice. Joe’s contact at the sheriff’s department needed to be alerted to expect a fax from Jodi’s doctor and Frank wasn’t exactly sure who that was.

“Jodi called while you were in the shower,” Frank said.

Joe momentarily stopped what he was doing but didn’t look up. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Her doctor said he’d have the results of her DNA test late this morning. She wanted to know where to have them sent.”

This time Joe looked over his shoulder hesitantly. “Do I need to—”

“No. I took care of it.” Frank waved his hand over the pile of papers on the table next to him. “You do need to call your contact at the sheriff’s department though. Tell him to be on the lookout for it.”

Joe nodded and gave him the ghost of a smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Frank held his brother’s gaze, hoping Joe could read what was written in his eyes. ‘Doesn’t matter what happened last night…I’m here…and I’ve got your back.’

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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.