The following morning, they were just finishing breakfast when there was a knock on the door. Kevin went to answer it. A moment later he returned to the kitchen with Nancy.  

Kevin said, “This girl wants to see Frank and Joe.”  

Frank and Joe stood up. Nancy said, “I’m Nancy. I hope I’m not interrupting.”  

“You’re not,” Glenn said. “Have a seat.”  

Frank and Joe sat down as Nancy sat across from them. “So,” Glenn began, “why do we get this visit?”  

“I came by to see how Frank was feeling,” Nancy said. “I was there when he fell off his horse. I wanted to make sure he was okay.”  

“I’m feeling much better,” Frank said. “I’m glad you were there to help.”  

“I was glad to be of assistance.”  

“How do you know William?” Glenn asked.  

“William is my grandfather. I’m here spending some time with him.”  

Frank could see Glenn keeping quiet. Frank said, “I’m glad you came by.”  

Nancy looked at her watch. “I need to be going. Like I said, I just wanted to make sure Frank was all right.”  

“I’ll walk you out,” Frank said.  

Nancy got to her feet as Glenn said, “It was nice to meet you.”  

Kevin and Lisa chorused, “It was nice to meet you.”  

Frank and Nancy left the house. Frank saw a car parked in front of it. They moved to the car and Nancy leaned against it. Frank said, “I have to admit that I was surprised to see you yesterday.”  

“I felt the same way,” Nancy said. “So, what are you doing here?”  

“A case.” Frank smiled. “Glenn is having cattle stolen. He wants to know who is involved.”  

“Our cases are connected,” Nancy said.  

“Really?”  

“William is also missing cattle.”  

“This is confusing,” Frank said. “Glenn thinks William is stealing his cattle.”  

“It can’t be. William is missing a hundred cattle. Besides, I found the spot where the cattle are being taken from. I found tire tracks that possibly belong to a trailer.”  

“Where did you find the marks?”  

“Along the fence of William’s property. Part of the fence had nails with the wire wrapped around it. There’s probably a spot on Glenn’s fence that looks the same.”  

“We’ll check it out,” Frank said. “Do you have any idea who is involved?”  

“I’m not sure,” Nancy said. “But something weird went on last night.”  

“What happened?”  

“Last night I went looking for Stan after dinner. He was going to point out the different constellations to me, but he was nowhere to be seen. I looked everywhere.”  

“Do you think Stan is stealing the cattle?”  

“I don’t know.” She shook her head as she looked at her watch. “I need to get back.”  

“I understand. Holler if you need any help.” Frank heard a door close.  

“Move closer,” Nancy said softly.  

Frank took a step toward Nancy. She took his face in her hands. She pulled Frank’s face closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Nancy leaned back and said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”  

“I’m glad you were there to help.” Frank opened the door and watched Nancy get in. He closed the door behind her.  

Nancy started the engine. She said, “Bye, Frank.”  

“Bye.” Frank stepped back from the car.  

Nancy put the car in gear and drove away.  

Once the car was out of sight, Frank turned back to the house. He saw Jennifer standing on the porch with her arms crossed in front of her chest. He made his way up the steps.  

“I never saw two strangers kiss,” Jennifer said.  

“It was just a kiss on the cheek,” Frank said.  

“I don’t believe you.” Jennifer turned and went inside.  

As Frank stood at the door, Joe came out with Glenn and Kevin. Joe asked, “Did Nancy get off okay?”  

Frank nodded his head as he looked at Glenn. “Joe and I are going to look around again.”  

“Do you want to take the horses?” Glenn asked.  

“No, thanks,” Frank said. “It’ll be a easier for us to find clues if we’re on foot.”  

Glenn nodded at the two of them as they made their way toward the edge of the ranch.  

Once they were out of earshot, Joe asked, “What did Nancy have to say?”  

Frank told Joe about the clues Nancy had given him. When he finished, Joe asked, “Is she sure about the fence?”  

“Nancy was sure. She also saw tire tracks by the fence. We need to look for that. Then we’ll know where the cattle will be taken from.”  

They made their way along the fence. They reached an area out of view of the house and barn. Frank spotted the fire tracks on the other side of the fence. Frank climbed through the fence. He got down beside the tracks. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and sketched the tread marks.  

He glanced at his brother. Joe was walking around looking at the ground. Joe stopped.  

Frank moved over to Joe to see what had caught his eye. Frank asked, “What are you looking at?”  

Joe pointed at the ground. Frank could easily make out the footprints in the dirt. The footprints were molded into the dry ground. Frank looked closer to the footprint and realized the marks were from a sneaker or shoe. He knew it wasn’t from a boot since there was no space between the ball of the shoe and the heel. Frank sketched the footprint onto the back side of the paper that had the tire print.  

Frank stood up. They followed the tire tracks into the woods. They walked about a mile into the woods. They came across a dirt road. They both wondered where the road led to. Frank said, “Glenn may know about this road.”  

“This had to be where the cattle are taken from. We just need to find out who.”  

“We might as well head back,” Frank said.  “We need to pass this information onto Nancy.”  

“All right,” Joe said and they made their way back to the house.  

As they walked, Frank said, “Our cases are definitely linked. I wonder if Nancy saw any footprints.”  

“You’ll have to check with her,” Joe said.

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.