Joe paced the small room, waiting for his parents to arrive. He had been up since dawn, anxious to be discharged from the hospital. He was determined to get out of there, not matter what the doctor said. He had to find his brother before something happened.  

He knew he should be taking it easy, but Frank’s life was at stake. He knew had they been more cautious, this wouldn’t have happened. He began to blame himself for allowing this to happen. He had been the one to suggest going out to get something to eat. He also figure if he was with Frank, then nothing would happen. But he was wrong. Frank was taken when they were together. Joe knew he and his father needed to get moving to find Frank.  

The sound of the door opening forced Joe to stop pacing and turn around. He saw his mother standing there. He asked, “Well?”  

Laura gave a small laugh as a trace of a smile appeared on her face. “Your dad is signing the papers right now.”  

“Good,” Joe said moving toward her. “Let’s get out of here. We’ve got work to do.”  

“Slow down,” Laura said, wrapping her arm through Joe’s to get him to slow down. “You still need to take it easy per doctor’s orders.”  

“I’ll take it easy once we find Frank,” Joe said. “That is my first and only priority right now.”  

“I know you want to find your brother, but you can’t go off hot-headed,” Laura said as they made their way down the hall. “I know you and your dad haven’t worked together that much, but I know you both will do everything I your powers to find Frank.”  

“Thanks, Mom,” Joe said.  

They reached Fenton as he turned away from the desk. Fenton said. “The papers are all signed.”  

“Then let’s get out of here,” Joe said.  

When they finally arrived home, Fenton and Joe headed for Fenton’s office. They quickly got to work reviewing all the information that had been gathered on Anthony Perrelli.  

Joe scanned the reports about Perrelli’s homes and business, wondering if Frank was being held at either location. None of the papers seemed to shed any light on where Frank was. Another part of him figured Perrelli wouldn’t keep Frank that close. It would be a nail in his coffin if that’s where Frank was found.  

Setting the reports on his father’s desk, Joe knew wherever Frank was being held, it was someplace no one knew about, except for Anthony Perrelli. He let out a sigh. “Dad, there’s nothing here we can use.”  

Fenton looked up from the papers he was reading. “There’s bound to be something here,” He said. “Maybe you just need to take a break. This is all you’ve been focusing on. Some time away may help you catch something you’ve missed.”  

“Maybe,” Joe said, but didn’t move from where he was sitting.  

Fenton set the papers down and focused on his son. “Joe, call Vanessa and meet up with her. You need a break from this.”  

“Dad, we can’t wait on this. As each minute passes, Frank could be in more danger.”  

“Joe, I know that. But I also know that you haven’t stopped worrying about your brother since you woke up. A break will probably give you a clearer perspective on all this.”  

Before Joe could say anything, the door to the office opened and Laura poked her head inside.  

“Joe, Vanessa is here to see you.”  

“All right, Mom.” Joe looked hesitantly at his father.  

“Go ahead,” Fenton said. “I’ll be here when you get back.”  

Joe nodded and got to his feet. He left the office and made his way to the living room. As he stepped into the room, Vanessa got to her feet and moved toward him.  

“How are you?” Vanessa asked.  

“I’m all right.” Joe pulled Vanessa into his arms and gave her a hug.  

“Your Mom told me about Frank. Is there anything I can do?”  

“You’re doing it.” Joe released his hold on Vanessa and they moved over to the couch. Once they were seated, Joe continued, “I’m glad you came over.”  

“I’m glad I did too. Has there been any word about Frank?”  

Joe shook his head. “Nothing yet. But I know we will find him.”  

Vanessa leaned her head against Joe’s shoulder. “Of course you will.”  

Joe leaned over and kissed the top of Vanessa’s head. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Vanessa spoke up. “What do you think happened to him?”  

“I’m not sure. We know he was taken, but we have no proof as to who it was or why. We haven’t even received a phone call from these people.”  

“You and your Dad will figure this out. I know neither of you will stop until you find Frank and bring him home.”  

Joe stared at Vanessa in awe. He couldn’t believe how supportive she was being. He had a renewed sense of determination in finding Frank. Vanessa had an unwavering belief in the ability and he knew he had to put his skills to use to make sure they did find Frank.  

He leaned over and captured Vanessa’s lips in his own. When they broke apart, Joe said, “Thank you, Vanessa.”  

“For what?”  

“For believing in me.”  

Vanessa smiled the smile that seemed to melt his heart. “I’ve always believed in you. Nothing you have ever done has made me think otherwise. Joe, you are great at what you do and the way you take care of people during an investigation is what makes you the investigator you are. I have never doubted your ability and never will.”  

“I love you so much, Vanessa. I may not say it enough, but I do love you.”  

Vanessa’s smile grew bigger. “I love you, too.”  

They leaned toward one another and kissed again. When they broke apart, Vanessa said, “I’m going to go so you can get back to finding Frank. If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll do whatever I can.”  

“Thanks, Vanessa. I appreciate the offer.”  

“You’re welcome.” Vanessa kissed his cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.”  

“All right.”  

Joe walked Vanessa to the door and then out to her car. He gave he one more kiss before she drove off. Once she was out of sight, he made his way back inside and to his father’s office.  

Entering the room, he saw his father was still pouring over the papers that had been pulled from the filing cabinet. Looking at his father’s face, he could see the dark circles under his eyes. He knew his father was exhausted. He figured his father had not slept since word came that Frank was missing. He knew his father wouldn’t rest until Frank was brought home.  

“Anything yet?” Joe asked, moving over to the desk.  

Fenton looked up as he leaned back in his chair. “Not a thing. I’m hoping some of my contacts can come up with something that we can use to locate your brother.”  

“We’ll come up with something,” Joe said positively. “And we’ll find Frank.”  

“Absolutely,” Fenton said.  

“How about I get us some more coffee and we can talk about what we’ve read so far?”  

“Sounds good,” Fenton said. “I could use a break.”  

“I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”  

Joe made his way to the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee. He added three sugars to his own along with tree teaspoons of cream. He then added two sugars and one cream to his father’s mug.  

As he started to leave the kitchen, he noticed a package of cookies sitting on the counter. He grabbed them with his fingers and continued to the office.  

Entering the office, Joe stopped quickly when he saw his father. Fenton has his elbows on the desk with his face buried in his hands.  

“Dad?” Joe asked hesitantly.  

Fenton lifted his head. Joe saw tears under his father’s eyes and immediately felt sick to his stomach. He had never seen his father cry before and knew that if it was the case, word had come about Frank. And it wasn’t good.  

“Dad?” Joe prompted.  

Fenton took a breath. “They found your brother,” Fenton said with a shaky voice. “But…he’s dead.”  

Joe stared at his father, unable to believe what he had said. The two mugs and the bag of cookies fell to the floor. The mugs shattered into tiny pieces.  

 

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.