Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Joe wasn’t sure how many hours had passed since Jodi had said those words. He wasn’t even sure when she had left, but he knew he had been alone on the beach for quite a while now. Alone with those words, that reverberated in his head over and over again.

He remembered calling Vanessa at one point, telling her he had a last minute meeting with a potential client and wasn’t sure what time he’d be home. Understanding him like no one else could, she sensed right away that something was wrong, and asked if he was okay. Joe couldn’t even remember what he had mumbled in reply, but he’d quickly ended the call.

Since then he’d been sitting on the beach, almost frozen in place, listening to the hypnotic sound of the waves and trying to wrap his mind around the fact that there was a very distinct possibility that somewhere out in the world he had a six year old son. He couldn’t even begin to figure out how he was going to explain this to Vanessa. Jodi and her parents had already left Bayport by the time Vanessa had arrived in town and Joe had never once mentioned her to Vanessa. Given the fact that his family and friends had disapproved of his short relationship with Jodi, he doubted anyone else had told Vanessa about her either.

‘Please don’t tell your family about this, Joe. Not yet. Not until we’re sure.’

While Joe understood Jodi’s trepidation at the prospect of having to tell Fenton and Laura Hardy there was a chance they might be grandparents, he wasn’t sure he agreed with her. Despite Jodi’s plea for absolute secrecy, Joe was insistent on telling Vanessa. If there was even a remote chance he had a child, Vanessa had the right to know. Jodi reluctantly agreed, knowing Joe would tell his fiancée regardless of whether she wanted him to or not, and understood even more clearly why she had never completely gotten over him.

With Fenton and Frank devoting every waking moment to the complicated insider trading case, Joe knew they wouldn’t be at all surprised should he announce he’d taken on a new case by himself. He had seen them only in passing for days now, and knew he could at least begin a preliminary search for the child that might be his son, without having to divulge many details. His father and brother wouldn’t even bat an eye at another routine missing persons case, fully confident Joe could handle it without them.

Feeling the stiff breeze of the ocean whipping through his hair Joe shivered, realizing night had fallen. Looking at the stars that lit up the dark sky, he prayed for the right words to try and explain everything to Vanessa, hoping she would understand. Standing up, Joe stretched his cramped muscles. With one last look at the ocean, he returned to his car and headed for home.

*****

Vanessa stared at the computer screen intently, focusing on the images there. With fierce determination she studied the new graphic designs, fighting the urge to look with everything she had but it was no use. No matter what she did she couldn’t control it. It was automatic. Every few minutes, no matter how hard she tried not to, her eyes darted to the lower right corner of the monitor and she found herself staring at the time. Sighing heavily, she rubbed her eyes and finally admitted defeat. The distraction just wasn’t working.

Ever since Joe had called her late that afternoon Vanessa had been on pins and needles. She had picked up on it instantly. Even though she couldn’t pinpoint what it was, she had heard it clearly – the tone in his voice had changed. It was different than anything she’d ever heard before. Anger? Fear? Anxiety? She had dismissed those possibilities almost immediately. Defeat? No, that wasn’t it either. Replaying their brief conversation in her head, Vanessa concentrated not on the words, but on the edge in his voice, when it hit her.

“Disbelief!” She suddenly said out loud.

That was it! Joe sounded as if he’d just heard the kind of news that was impossible to comprehend. The kind of news that left a person feeling dazed and confused, as if their life had suddenly been completely altered without their knowledge or consent. But he said he’d been meeting with a potential new client. What could this client possibly have said to have that kind of an effect on him?

Hearing a key in the door, Vanessa felt a strange mixture of relief and anxiety. Joe was finally home but what kind of state would he be in? The vague and distracted phone call and the way he had so obviously wanted to avoid coming home was totally out of character for him. Hurrying down the hall, Vanessa walked into the living room just as Joe shut the door behind him.

Standing just a few steps inside the apartment, Joe stared at Vanessa, not moving at all. Vanessa thought he almost looked shell shocked. Having been with him for so many years gave Vanessa the confidence to follow her instincts, knowing she would do the right thing without even having to think about it.

With a look in her eyes that said “I love you no matter what,” Vanessa closed the gap between herself and Joe and put her arms around him, pulling him close. She held him tightly, almost protectively, not saying a word. Vanessa smiled, slightly relieved as she felt his arms slip around her waist.

Joe rested his head on her shoulder and tried to lose himself in her embrace. He knew Vanessa wouldn’t move until he did, and wondered if he could stay in that moment forever. Once he let go of her, Joe would have to tell her what he’d learned and he knew it had the potential to change their lives – their relationship – forever.

Knowing the longer he waited the harder it would be, Joe finally began to loosen his hold on Vanessa. Very slowly, barely an inch at a time, he separated from her, desperately afraid of losing the physical connection he needed right now. At the last second he grasped her hand, his subconscious telling him not to let go of her completely.

In silence, they moved to the couch and sat down, instinctively sitting as close together as possible. Vanessa held onto Joe’s hand firmly, the simple gesture telling him he wasn’t alone. She waited patiently, knowing he would tell her everything only when he felt ready. When Joe finally began to speak, his voice was low and his eyes downcast.

“I accepted a new case today. The client is an old friend from high school. Someone I knew before I met you. She left Bayport a few months before you moved here.” Joe suddenly looked up and stared at Vanessa almost fearfully. “You know how much I love you, don’t you, Van? You know nothing could ever change that, right?”

“Of course!” Vanessa quickly assured him, her heart skipping a beat.

“Okay. Good,” Joe said a little distractedly. “Jodi – the friend – she asked me to find her son. He’s missing.”

“Oh, no!” Vanessa exclaimed, immediately concerned for Joe’s friend. “How long has he been missing?” she asked knowing the longer someone was missing, especially a child, the less likely it became that they’d ever be found.

“His whole life,” Joe replied sadly. “She had a rough labor…complications…so she was pretty out of it. She was told he was stillborn.”

Vanessa stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend how anyone could be so cruel. “My God, who would do something like that?”

“Her father,” Joe said, his voice hardening with anger. He had never really cared for Jodi’s father, but now he hated the man with such an intensity it scared him.

Joe went on to explain about the will, the stipulations and the million dollars Jodi’s father stood to lose if anyone found out about the baby. After he told her how Jodi accidentally found out her son was alive, Vanessa sat back and tried to grasp it all, thinking she finally understood the reason for Joe’s strange behavior.

“Van?” Joe said softly, getting her attention. “There’s a little more you need to know…”

There it was again. That strange tone in Joe’s voice. Vanessa suddenly felt chilled and realized she was about to get the same potentially life-changing information that Joe had obviously received earlier.

“I met Jodi about two months after Iola died. I hadn’t really dealt with my feelings about her death – just pushed everything down and tried to stop feeling. I was confused…out of control…. She seemed to understand things in a way no one else did. And it was easy just to forget when I was with her. I wasn’t really thinking clearly at the time. We started dating when we should have just stayed friends.

“My parents didn’t really like me going out with Jodi. She was kind of the school outcast. The other kids – they were downright cruel to her. Things were getting pretty bad at home. I felt like no one understood me but Jodi. One night it all just exploded. I had a huge fight with my parents and I left. Went to Jodi’s. I was so close to losing it that night I even scared myself. Ending it all was looking pretty good….” Joe closed his eyes for a moment, thinking how close he’d come that night. What was it people said about suicide? A permanent solution to a temporary problem. He shook off the terrifying feeling that now felt completely alien to him and continued.

“Jodi – she just wanted to help me forget everything for a little while. It was a mistake. We shouldn’t have done it. We should have stopped…” Joe looked at Vanessa almost guiltily, as if he had cheated on her. “But we didn’t.”

Vanessa listened, trying to decipher the vague references and figure out exactly what Joe wasn’t saying and how it related to Jodi’s missing son. It was apparent Joe was trying to tell her he and Jodi had slept together that night without actually coming right out and saying it. What she couldn’t figure out was why and then it hit her. More like it ran over her.

“How old is Jodi’s son?” Vanessa heard the words leave her mouth but she didn’t recognize her own voice.

“Six,” Joe replied and then abruptly, it seemed to her, continued on. “The next day Jodi and I had a long talk. We had made a mistake and I didn’t want it to get worse. I knew I’d never love her the way she wanted me to. We agreed it would be best if we were just friends.

“About two weeks later she started going out with a guy from Southport High – Todd Harmon. He treated her like a princess. She was really happy with him. And the kids at Southport didn’t know about the rumors circulating about her at Bayport High. They accepted her into their circle right away. She and Todd were a perfect couple.

“And she and I did remain friends. I talked to her every day at school. She told me all about Todd and how well he treated her. Then one day she just…disappeared. I kept looking for her at school but she never showed up. I just found out today what happened. Her father picked up and moved her and her stepmother to upstate New York – right after she told him she was pregnant.”

Just like Joe did earlier in the day, Vanessa had done the math and was about to panic when Joe had mentioned Todd. When she realized Jodi and Todd were pretty serious, she started to relax a little, until Joe revealed the reason for Jodi’s abrupt departure from Bayport. Suddenly the panic was back.

Trying to remain calm, Vanessa realized Joe had stopped talking and was now staring at her. Watching him, she was reminded that even though he could keep his true feelings completely hidden from strangers and acquaintances, when it came to the people he loved that was all but impossible. He wore his heart on his sleeve and his emotions all over his face. And right now the primary emotion was fear at how she was going to react to the news.

“Jodi seems pretty sure that Todd is the father. But there’s a chance – a small chance – that it…it could be…” Joe began.

“It could be you,” Vanessa finished for him.

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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.