It was New Year’s Eve day. Ned drove to the tuxedo rental shop to pick up their clothes before heading over to Nancy’s house. When they arrived, the girls were just getting up. Frank, Ned and Joe volunteered to cook them breakfast.

As they guys cooked, the girls sat around the table talking about the ball that evening. All of a sudden, the phone rang. Nancy reached over and answered. “Hello?”

“Is this Nancy Drew?”

“Yes, it is,” she replied looking at Ned.

“This is Officer Stifflen.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the man who attacked you at the festival.”

“What about him?”

“We were able to identify him as Marcus Allen. He’s a local thief. He’s been brought in several times for shoplifting. But he seems to have changed his profession. Now, he attacks people.”

“But why?”

“Unfortunately, we’re not sure. Officers have checked his residence. They found several newspaper clippings dealing with cases you’ve solved and the announcement of your engagement.”

“Why would he have articles on me?”

“We unfortunately haven’t found that out yet. We wanted you to be warned in case you me up with him again.”

“I think we may have crossed paths two days ago.”

“What?” Officer Stifflen asked.

Nancy told the officer what had occurred at the restaurant. The officer wondered if she was able to distinguish anything about him. Nancy admitted there wasn’t anything she could pick out except that his voice seemed familiar.

Officer Stifflen encouraged Nancy to be careful. No one had any idea why he was going after her or his reason. Nancy promised she’d be careful and hung up the phone.

“So?” Ned asked, facing Nancy.

“Our nut is still on the loose. The police haven’t found him yet.”

“Do the police know anything about him?” Frank asked, turning away from the stove.

“Well,” Nancy began. “He’s a local thief. His name is Marcus Allen. He slipped out of police custody and they are searching for him.”

“They have no idea where he is, do they?” Ned asked.

“They have no clue. But they did check out his home and found something peculiar.”

“What?” Ned asked.

“It seems Marcus has a collection of articles about cases I’ve solved and our engagement.”

“Why would he have those?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know and neither do the police.”

“Nancy, you know, with all that’s happened, I don’t think we should go to the ball tonight.”

“Ned, I don’t want to hide. Marcus won’t be able to get into the country club. Only those who were invited will be able to get through the doors.” Nancy looked at Ned. “Everything will be all right.”

“I hope so,” Ned said.

“Come on. Tonight will be a night we’ll all remember.” Nancy hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt.

* * * * *

They spent all day relaxing at the Drew house. Around noon, Bess and George arrived. All five girls went upstairs to start getting ready for the ball while the guys watched a football game on the television.

It was almost six o’clock when the guys finally got into their tuxedos. They were adjusting their ties when the girls came down the stairs. Bess and George came down first.

Bess was wearing a long, black evening gown with short sleeves. She had on black flats. He hair was pulled up off her neck in an elegant twist.

George wore a dark blue dress with inch thick straps on her shoulders. The dress came down to her ankles, which showed the black flats she was wearing.

Vanessa came down next stunning Joe. She had slipped into a tight fitting dark green gown with long sleeves. Her hair was curled around her neck. She had on a pair of black heels.

Callie came down next wearing a strapless blue gown with a Bolero jacket and matching shoes. She brown hair was softly pulled away from her face with a barrette and curled at the ends. Frank’s eyes went wide as she slowly came toward him.

Nancy was the last to come down. Her hair was pulled up in a loose knot revealing her long neck. She wore a tight fitting white gown that went down to her ankles. Three spaghetti straps on each shoulder acted as a perfect backdrop for the pearl chocker that once belonged to her mother.

As Nancy reached the bottom, Ned took her hand. He helped her down the last few steps gazing into her eyes. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you,” Nancy said and gave Ned a kiss.

“All you girls look stunning,” Carson said. “I feel like I’m underdressed compared to all of you.”

“Dad!” Nancy exclaimed and Carson smiled.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Carson went to the door and opened it. A man wearing a long black coat was standing there. “Your limousine is waiting, sir.”

“Dad, I didn’t know you got us a limo.”

“I thought it would be better than driving. We’ll all be up late and we don’t want anyone falling asleep at the wheel.”

“Good thinking, Mr. Drew,” Ned said.

“If we’re ready, let’s go,” Carson said.

“All right,” Nancy said.

After helping the girls get their coats on, the guys offered them their arms as they made their way out to the limousine. Once everyone got in, the driver headed to the country club.

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.