Joe held tightly to the steering wheel of the van as he headed to the mall. He was grateful Caren was all right, but the relief had been short-lived when he realized Frank wasn’t with her. She hadn’t gone into a lot of details, except to tell him that she needed to be picked up right away.  

When he pulled into the parking lot at the mall, he scanned for an open spot close to the door. He finally found one and quickly parked the van in the spot. He jumped out of the van and slammed the door.  

He headed into the mall and scouted the food court for Caren. He had told her to wait there in the crowd. He stopped by the chairs and scanned the faces of the people have a snack.  

Joe quickly spotted Caren sitting at a table by herself. She was constantly looking about as if she was scared of being there. Her fingers were unconsciously tapping the table. He made his way toward her. When he was a few feet from Caren, he called out her name.  

Caren turned quickly around. She jumped to her feet and hurried toward him. Caren gave Joe a hug and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”  

“Are you all right?”  

“I’m okay, but I’m worried about Frank.”  

“Then let’s go.”  

Together they hurried out to the van and got in. As Joe started the engine, Caren quickly related what had happened to them. She finished by saying, “And he told me to call you once I got to the mall.”  

“Okay,” Joe said. “Did you recognize the man who seemed to constantly want to talk to Frank?”  

“No, I didn’t,” Caren said. “But he didn’t seem trustworthy.  

“What did he look like?”  

“Well, he was an older gentleman,” Caren said. “He seemed so ordinary. He was short and had a baldhead.  

The Gray Man, Joe thought angrily.  

“All right,” Joe said.  

“Do you have any idea who this person is?”  

“He sounds familiar,” Joe said vaguely.  

“What’s going to happen to Frank?” Caren asked.  

“My dad and I will be taking care of that,” Joe said. “But I need to get you to someplace safe first.”  

“Joe, I want to help. I need to help.”  

“Caren, from what you’ve told me, you were released by that man because of Frank. He probably agreed to do something he really doesn’t want to do. And in doing so, he probably made a deal to get you to safety.” Joe glanced at her and then back at the road. “And if that’s what Frank did, I’m going to make sure you are safe.”  

Joe pulled into the driveway a short while later. He and Caren quickly got out and hurried inside. As Joe closed the door, he heard footsteps come into the hallway. He turned around and saw his father standing there.  

“Dad, I’m glad you’re home,” Joe said quickly.  

“Actually, I was just on my way out.”  

“Dad, this is Caren,” Joe said, not hearing him. “She was with Frank, but she doesn’t know where he is now.”  

“Joe, I know you think this is important, but I’ve got to go,” Fenton said. “You can tell me about it later.”  

Fenton moved past him and exited the house.  

Joe made an angry growl that his father hadn’t bothered to listen to him or question about Caren. He looked at the closed door and realized his father never said where he was going. If his father was going to solve a case, he would at least say so, even if he couldn’t tell him what the case was.  

He knew then that Fenton had heard from Frank’s abductors. Joe looked at Caren. “Stay here. I will be back as soon as I can.”  

“All right,” Caren said.  

Joe turned and quickly left the house, slamming the door behind him. He climbed in the van and started the engine. Backing out of the driveway, Joe glanced in both directions, trying to locate his father’s car. He saw it in the distance and quickly headed in that direction.  

He knew that he needed to stay far enough back so that his father’ wouldn’t know he was being followed.  

But what really matters now is that I keep him in sight, Joe thought. He has to have gotten a lead as to where Frank is and who is holding him. But who could it be? Who would be crazy enough to take Frank and then call Dad to come to that spot?  

Joe’s phone ringing aggravated him. He quickly put it to his ear as he looked around for a police officer. He knew it was illegal to drive and talk on the phone at the same time, but he didn’t care.  

“Hello?”  

“Joseph.” It was the Gray Man.  

“What do you want?” Joe asked.  

“I just wanted to inform you that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of your brother.”  

“Fine,” Joe said.  

There was a pause on the other end. “Joseph, what is going on?”  

“Nothing.”  

“I don’t believe that,” the Gray Man said. “Now, spill it.”  

“I’m working on something for my dad. That’s all.” Joe let out a breath. “Look, I need to go. When you hear something about Frank, let me know.”  

“Joseph, the agents are taking a look into this. Your brother’s disappearance has everyone on edge. We will find him.”  

“Then do so,” Joe said. “And don’t play games. This is Frank’s life we’re talking about and I won’t let anyone hurt him.”  

“I understand,” the Gray Man said. “I’ll talk to you again when I hear something.”  

“All right.” Joe ended the call and dropped the phone onto the passenger seat.  

For more than an hour he followed his father. Joe wished he had an idea where he was going, but he didn’t. The longer they drove, the more unfamiliar the territory became.  

When his father pulled down a side road, Joe continued past. He glanced down the road and could see part of a house and barn. He wondered if that was where his father was heading.  

Joe parked a short ways down the road. He grabbed the phone and climbed out. He made his way behind the trees toward the buildings. Joe could see Fenton standing by the car. As Fenton moved toward the barn, Joe started running as quietly as he could to be backup for his father. He just hoped he wasn’t needed.  

* * * * *  

Earlier, Frank was taken from the building he had been holed up in and moved. He had been able to see where they were going. The old two-story farmhouse and barn didn’t look too safe. He figured that no one had lived on the land in many years due to the high weeds and grass, but the road to the two buildings seemed as if it was used a lot.  

When they had arrived, he had been led into the house. He had tried not to breathe in any of the dust that covered everything, but he had been unsuccessful. He started sneezing immediately, almost losing his balance on the crutches.  

After a little while, the Gray Man appeared and gave Frank a phone.  

“It’s time you made your call.”  

Frank dialed the number. But before he could punch in the last number, his crutches were kicked out of his grasp and he fell to the floor. The phone was taken out of his hand, the last number pressed and the phone returned to his hand.  

Grimacing at the pain and clenching his teeth, he barely heard it when his father answered.  

“Hello?” Fenton asked.  

“Dad?” Frank gasped, his broken leg throbbing.  

“Frank, where are you? Are you all right?”  

“I need you to come,” Frank whispered.  

“Where are you?”  

“I’m out on highway 51, past Robinson Road. It’s an old farmhouse with a barn. But come alone. There are people searching here for me.”  

“I’ll be there soon, son. Just hang on.”  

The call ended.  

Frank dropped the phone to the floor and reached for his broken leg. The pain was subsiding but he knew he could have lived without the fall. Frank looked up and angrily glared at the Gray Man.  

“You could have given me some warning before you did that.”  

“The call needed to sound genuine.” The Gray Man looked at the other men. “Now, take him to the room and make sure he is secure. Fenton Hardy should be arriving shortly.”  

“Wait a second,” Frank said. “You said you wanted my help in killing my father. How will having me someplace secure help?”  

“Frank, I do not want you interfering in this case,” the Gray Man said. “You are involved to a point. You have done your part and now we will do ours. The person impersonating your father will die today. That’s a promise I guarantee.” The Gray Man looked at the men again. “Take him.”  

Frank was roughly hauled to his feet and led out of the first floor room. He was dragged up the stairs, which creaked with each step. He was terrified the boards were going to break from their weight and they would fall through.  

Finally making it to the second floor, Frank was taken into a room. There was an old metal bed frame in the middle of the room, but there was no mattress or box spring. Just a piece of plywood on the bed. There was also a piece of plywood covering the one window. The room was full of dust.  

As he realized this was a bad situation, he was forced onto the bed on his back. Before he could fight back, his wrists were handcuffed to the metal frame above his head. His legs were then secured to the frame at the foot of the bed. A towel was then put in his mouth so he couldn’t make any noise and tied to the back of his head.  

“You won’t be making any noise for a long time,” the one man said before leaving the room.  

The door was shut behind them and Frank was left in darkness.  

This isn’t good, Frank thought, as he struggled to get loose. This is really not good. What have I gotten myself into?

 

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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.