Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Frank Hardy walked through the door of Hardy and Sons Investigations and smiled. For the past few weeks, Frank had accompanied his father, Fenton Hardy, into New York City each day as the two worked on a complicated case of insider trading for the Securities and Exchange Commission. Their days were spent seated behind a desk or a conference table, poring over a mountain of paperwork. Over the weeks they had progressed from uncovering evidence to cataloguing it and then explaining it to agents at the SEC.

While Frank enjoyed that side of investigative work – finding the needle in the paper haystack – as much as he enjoyed the thrill of a chase, he now understood exactly why Joe hated being tied to a desk. The case was interesting but Frank felt he’d had his fill of paperwork for a while. Taking pity on him, Fenton had said Frank no longer needed to accompany him to New York each day, and instead suggested he return to the office and begin the arduous task of compiling a final report. More paperwork to be sure, but at least he could take a break and spend some time with Joe whenever he wanted.

Frank smiled at the thought, not having seen Joe since the previous weekend and having spoken to him only sporadically after that. Frank found as he passed the days behind a desk, mired in paperwork, he really missed Joe’s running commentary on everyday life. It was sometimes light-hearted, sometimes sarcastic, and sometimes cynical but always funny; and he was looking forward to seeing his younger brother this morning.

“Hey, Mrs. G!” Frank grinned at the older lady seated behind the large oak desk. “Joe here yet?” Frank always arrived ahead of his ‘sleep until the last possible second’ brother, but today, not having to catch the early train into the city with his father, Frank had taken a cue from Joe and slept later than usual.

“No, he’s not. Apparently he’s already working on a new case,” Edith Gresham replied, holding out a manila folder towards Frank.

“Really,” Frank said, surprised. He opened the folder and frowned. “Confidential?” he said absently and checked the date. “He just took this case last night? Did he drop this off this morning?” Frank asked, now returning his attention to Mrs. Gresham.

“No, he emailed it in.” She lifted the edge of the contract Frank was looking at and tugged on the corner of the paper beneath it. “I printed out the message, although it doesn’t give much more information than what’s in the contract.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Frank muttered, reading the three line message Joe had sent. “I’ll be in my office,” he said. Heading down the hall, he felt the slightest twinge of envy.

Walking into his own office, Frank settled in behind the desk and turned on his computer. Reaching for the phone, he dialed his father’s cell.

“Fenton Hardy.”

“Hi, Dad, it’s me.”

“Having withdrawal symptoms at not coming in to the city today?” Fenton chuckled.

“Hardly,” Frank replied dryly. “I love the city but I’ve had my fill for a while. Hey, did you know Joe took a new case?”

“No,” Fenton replied. “But with Sam on vacation he’s the only one there. Do you know what kind of case it is?”

“The file he emailed says it’s a missing person,” Frank said. “But the client requested absolute confidentiality so there’s no other information in there.

“It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.”

“Yeah, I know,” Frank sighed. “Guess I’m just curious.”

“Curious?” his father chuckled. “Or a little jealous that Joe’s out on a new case and you’ve still got a few days of report writing to look forward to?”

“Okay, you got me,” Frank chided his father, but smiled in spite of himself. “But I’d at least like to know if he’s still in Bayport or had to go out of town.”

“Did you call Joe and let him know you’d be back in the office today?”

“No,” Frank admitted.

“Neither did I. So he had no reason to expect either one of us to be there. He probably figured he could save time by emailing the paperwork in. But since he’s working alone he knows he has to check in, so you should be hearing from him soon. You can ask him where he is then.

“You’re right…as usual,” Frank muttered.

“That’s why I’m the dad, “ Fenton laughed. “But do me a favor – when you do hear from Joe give me a call.”

“Okay. Bye, Dad.”

Frank hung up and looked at his watch. Joe knew he had to check in twice a day if he was working alone, and the first check in time was less than an hour away. Spurred by his father’s observation that Joe had no reason to expect either Frank or Fenton to be in the office, Frank buzzed Mrs. Gresham and asked her to put Joe through to him when the younger Hardy called in. That done, Frank opened his briefcase, wrinkling his nose at the multitude of files and notes that he needed to turn into a coherent and concise final report, and got to work.

*****

Joe had left Bayport almost an hour earlier, taking a northwesterly route, using the directions Jodi had given him. He had intended to spend the drive formulating a plan of action and determining the best place to start his search. However his subconscious had other ideas. The thought that he might be a father was never very far away, like an echo in the back of his mind, begging for attention.

He was also being plagued with flashes of memory and bits and pieces of conversations – and arguments – he’d thought were firmly in the past. The months immediately following Iola’s death were probably the darkest and most painful of his life. Joe had buried those memories and emotions long ago and hoped never to see or feel them again. But Jodi’s sudden reappearance in his life and the shocking news she’d delivered was making that all but impossible. Joe knew he couldn’t afford any distractions on this case, especially working alone, yet they seemed to be everywhere.

Glancing at the dashboard clock he sighed inwardly. It was time to check in at the office and he was thankful Mrs. Gresham would be the only one there. He still hadn’t figured out what he was going to say to Frank or his father, who would question the sketchy information he’d put on the contract.

‘At least I have until tonight to come up with some kind of explanation they might actually buy,’ Joe thought dialing the office number on his cell phone.

“Hardy and Sons Investigations.”

Joe forced a smile to his face hoping it would be reflected in his voice. “Hi, Mrs. G.”

“Good morning, Joe,” Mrs. Gresham returned the greeting. “How are you?”

“Great!” Joe lied. “Did you get the email I sent?”

“Yes, I did, thank you.”

“Good. Well, I guess that’s it. Just wanted to check in. I’ll give Dad a call tonight,” Joe said, hurrying to get off the phone.

“Wait a minute, Joe,” Mrs. Gresham said quickly. “Frank wants to talk to you.”

“He’s there?” Joe blurted out.

“Yes, he didn’t go into the city today; and he was adamant that he wanted to speak with you when you called. Hold on and I’ll transfer you.”

Joe didn’t even have time to curse the lousy timing before Frank’s voice came on the line. “Hey, bro. I hear you’ve got a hot new case while I’m stuck behind a desk typing reports.”

“You know what they say, early bird catches the worm,” Joe quipped nervously. He knew if Frank kept him talking long enough, he would eventually figure out something wasn’t quite right.

“You’ve never been early for anything in your life,” Frank retorted.

“I like to make a fashionably late entrance,” Joe said, wondering if he could distract Frank with a few wisecracks and get off the phone before Frank gave him the third degree about the case.

“So, you’re looking for a missing person, huh?”

‘So much for that plan,’ Joe thought sourly. “Right, missing person.”

“Male? Female?” Frank pressed.

“Male,” Joe said after the briefest hesitation.

“Is it local?”

Joe cursed silently. ‘This is exactly what I wanted to avoid!’

Despite the confidentiality request, Joe knew he could have – and should have – put this basic information in the contract he’d sent to Mrs. Gresham. It wouldn’t be seen by anyone outside the office and did not give away the identity of the client. Joe had been going under the assumption no one but Mrs. Gresham would be in the office this morning and she wouldn’t question the contract. That would give him all day to prepare for an interrogation about his methods from Frank or Fenton. Not having expected to speak with Frank so soon, Joe was frantically trying to figure out how to appease his brother without raising his suspicions.

“Yeah,” he answered and winced as he tried to convince himself that upstate New York was local. ‘It’s local compared to California…’ “Well…sort of…kinda...” Joe amended sheepishly and heard Frank chuckle softly.

“What exactly constitutes ‘sorta, kinda’ local?” Frank asked.

“Upstate.”

“Upstate New York is considered out of town, bro,” Frank corrected him. “Not exactly local.”

“It’s more local than China,” Joe said lamely. He heard Frank exhale loudly. ‘Yup, he’s getting suspicious.’

“So you’re searching for a male missing person in upstate New York?” Frank repeated the scant information Joe had grudgingly provided.

“Uh-huh. That pretty much covers it,” Joe said and could almost see Frank rolling his eyes.

“Exactly where upstate are you heading, Joe?”

“Sorry, Frank. You’re starting to break up. Must be getting out of cell range. Bye.” Joe flipped his cell phone shut and tossed it on the passenger seat, cringing inside. ‘Well, it’s sort of the truth…I’m sure I’ll be out of cell range at some point…eventually…maybe…’

Joe pressed the gas pedal a little harder, wondering how many more half-truths and lies he’d be telling his family before this was all over.

*****

Callie Hardy pushed the empty plate away and sat back, smiling at the young woman who was seated across from her. “That was delicious. I’m so glad you called and suggested this.”

Callie had spent the past hour chatting and catching up with her friend, Liz Webling. Liz had been in her and Frank’s small circle of close friends in high school. They had all remained friends through their college years and made the extra effort not to drift apart as they each embarked on their own lives. Liz was an investigative reporter for The Bayport Times, the local newspaper owned by her father. Callie smiled, recalling the phone call she’d gotten from Liz that morning…

“Hi, Callie, it’s me, Liz.”

“Hi, Liz!” Callie said excitedly. “Where have you been? I was starting to think you fell off the face of the earth!”

“Working on a five part series for the paper. I love it but it’s had me swamped! Luckily I’m done with the research and investigative part, so all I have to do now is actually write it!” Liz laughed. “I was wondering if you had plans for lunch?”

“Today? No, why?” Callie asked a little warily. Liz was a good friend but since she started working for the paper full time, she wasn’t above utilizing her friendships to get a good story or a scoop on the other papers. “And if you’re looking for information on the case Frank has been working on in exchange for a free lunch, save your money. It’s still in the confidential stages. All I know about it is I haven’t seen my husband for more than five minutes at a time in almost a month!” Callie griped.

Liz laughed good-naturedly. “No, it’s not about that. Nothing professional at all. Although I do want an exclusive when he is allowed to talk about it! It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you. Thought we could have a nice lunch and catch up.”

“In that case, I’d love to!”

“The Bistro at twelve-thirty?” Liz suggested.

“Sounds good. See you then!”

And it had been a nice change of pace for the middle of the work week. Callie and Liz had gotten caught up on each other’s lives and the lives of their friends, yet Callie got the feeling something was bothering Liz. She had seemed a little out of sorts but Callie couldn’t quite put her finger on why. Checking her watch, she realized she’d have to leave soon and get back to work. Not wanting to leave if there really was something bothering Liz, Callie decided to try the direct approach.

“Liz…is something wrong? You’ve been acting…I don’t know…like there’s something you want to say but…” Callie sat back and spread her hands helplessly, hoping it would give Liz the opening she needed.

Liz stared at her for a few seconds and then chuckled. “Is that what happens when you live with a detective? You learn how to tell when people are keeping secrets?”

“No, but I can sense when a good friend is conflicted about something,” Callie said sincerely. “Wanna talk about it? I’ve got a little time left.”

Liz sighed heavily and looked at Callie for a long moment. “I – I don’t know. It’s one of those things that you don’t really know if you should say anything. I mean it’s really none of my business so I should keep my mouth shut. But then again if a friend is having trouble and I don’t do anything to help….God, I don’t know, Cal. It’s one of those things that I might be better off pretending I never saw…”

“If it’s bothering you this much can you really just pretend it never happened – whatever it is?”

“No,” Liz agreed sadly. “But I’m not sure it’s my place to say anything about it anyway.” She was quiet for a moment, staring hard at the polished surface of the table. Then she raised her head and asked a question that seemed to come out of left field. “When’s the last time you saw Joe and Vanessa?”

“Joe and Van? Um...it was Sunday,” Callie answered, bewildered at the sudden change in subject. “We all went over to Frank and Joe’s parents’ for dinner. Why?”

“How did they seem to you?” Liz pressed, ignoring Callie’s question.

“Disgustingly happy. Just like they always are. Couldn’t keep their hands off each other.” Callie replied. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Liz picked up a napkin and began shredding it, seemingly unaware she was doing so. “I saw Joe yesterday, at the beach.”

Callie shrugged. “It was nice out yesterday. Frank and Mr. Hardy have been in New York every day, Sam Radley left on vacation…Joe’s the only one in the office. Maybe all the crooks took a day off and he decided to play hooky. You know, sneak away somewhere he could be alone and have some privacy, where he didn’t think anyone could see him.”

Liz’s face drained of all color at Callie’s choice of words.

“Liz, what is it? Come on, you’re starting to make me really nervous.”

“You know, I think I shouldn’t have said anything,” Liz began backpedaling. “Why don’t we just call it a day, huh?”

She reached for her purse and tried to slide out of the booth when Callie reached across the table and grabbed her arm. “Oh, no. You can’t just start asking me all kinds of cryptic questions and then just up and leave. What is going on, Liz? You saw Joe at the beach yesterday and…”

“Really, Cal…I’ve got no right sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Liz tugged half-heartedly, trying to extricate her arm from Callie’s grasp.

“You’re a reporter, Liz. It’s your job to stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong. And now you’re really not leaving without telling me,” Callie insisted, getting a very bad vibe from Liz. Was Joe in some kind of trouble? Liz wouldn’t hesitate to try and help if he was. “Joe was at the beach and…”

Liz slid back into the booth, sighing in defeat. “He wasn’t alone. He was with a woman…and it wasn’t Vanessa,” she said, looking both guilty and relieved at the same time.

Callie sat back and blinked. “That’s it? You saw Joe at the beach with someone who wasn’t Vanessa? What’s the big deal about that? Maybe it was a friend or a client, or a total stranger he met there.” Callie threw out any number of logical scenarios. “Come on, do you know anybody who talks more than Joe? I can easily see him talking the ear off a total stranger.”

“Callie…they weren’t talking,” Liz said quietly.

Callie stiffened, not liking what Liz was implying. “Okay…what exactly were they doing?”

“They were sitting on a blanket, with their arms around each other. She looked like she was holding on to him for dear life. And…I think they were kissing,” Liz shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe what she’d seen. “Callie, I don’t know what was going on, and I’m trying really hard not to make any assumptions, but this was not two people having a friendly chat to pass the time. Are…are you sure Joe and Vanessa aren’t…I don’t know – having problems?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Callie snapped. “Are you sure it was Joe? It could’ve been someone who just looked like him from a distance.”

“Black Mustang convertible; vanity tag that says ROMEO,” Liz said softly, knowing Callie would recognize the license plate. Vanessa had gotten it for Joe as a joke when he bought the Mustang and dared him to put it on the car. Never one to back down from a dare, Joe had done exactly that. “I know it was Joe. When I realized it was him, but the woman he was with wasn’t Vanessa, I didn’t get out of the car. I mean, what exactly is proper etiquette in a situation like that?” Liz tried for a half-hearted joke.

Callie just stared, the food in her stomach feeling like lead. “You’re absolutely sure it wasn’t Vanessa?” she asked, her voice sounding small.

“I’m afraid so. I couldn’t see her face but she had dark brown hair. Definitely not Van.” Liz took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “I’m not trying to gossip or start rumors or anything. I mean Joe and Vanessa are my friends. But I just can’t get it out of my mind. Joe and this woman…they looked pretty…intimate.”

Callie shook her head, knowing something was very wrong with the picture Liz painted. “Look, I have no idea who she was or what Joe was doing with her, but I know he would never – NEVER – cheat on Vanessa,” Callie said, her voice shaking slightly. “There’s got to be some other explanation. I mean, if there’s one thing we all learned in the past year it’s that you can’t believe everything you see, right? I mean, you see something, jump to a conclusion that might seem to make perfect sense and you find out you were totally wrong…right?” Callie slumped down in the booth. “God, I’m babbling.”

“Now do you see why I wasn’t sure I should say anything?” Liz asked, imploring Callie to understand how uncomfortable she was with the whole situation. “If it’s totally innocent, telling anybody what I saw could cause a lot of trouble for Joe and a lot of unnecessary pain for Vanessa. And if it isn’t, I’m friends with both of them – how do I face Vanessa after seeing Joe with another woman?”

“Joe is not seeing another woman!” Callie snapped. A few heads turned in their direction and Callie cursed herself. Lowering her voice, she continued. “Joe is completely and totally devoted to Vanessa. He’s so crazy in love with her it should be against the law.”

“I know that. Which makes what I saw yesterday all the more bizarre.” Liz leaned forward, fixing Callie with an intense gaze. “I know you guys are really close, you and Frank and Joe and Van, but… are you absolutely sure they’d tell you if they were having problems?”

“Yes, pretty sure… I think so… God, I don’t know,” Callie said miserably. “But Joe tells Frank everything! If he and Van were having any kind of problem – which I don’t think they are – who’s the first person he’d go to for advice? Frank.” Her voice faded for a moment. “But I really don’t think that’s it, Liz. I mean, come on, we’re always teasing Joe and Van about how affectionate they are, telling them to get a room. They’re so open about how much they love each other, I just can’t believe they could be having problems and not one of us noticed something was wrong!” Callie shook her head, a look of determination flashing in her eyes. “No. Nope. I know there’s another reason for what you saw. I have no idea what it could be, but I know there is a logical, rational explanation that does not involve Joe cheating on Vanessa.”

“How are you going to find out?” Liz asked, seeming relieved at having shared her burden. “You can’t come right out and ask them…can you?”

“Well, I could but I’m not sure that’s the best approach,” Callie responded, her mind already considering different possibilities. “But I’ll come up with something.”

“I hope you’re right about this,” Liz said. “You have to be…because the alternative is…”

Callie and Liz looked at each other letting the unspoken thought hang between them. Silently, they gathered up their things and left the restaurant.

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.