Sitting on the steps of the back port, he tried to overcome the shock. A bombshell had been dropped on him. He had no idea how he was to go on. The new didn’t seem real.

Joe tried to comprehend what his father had told him. After Fenton had said that Frank was dead, he quickly hold him what had happened. Supposedly, the car Frank had been taken in had crashed. The gas tank caught fire and exploded. The occupants inside had no chance of escape. When the victims had been taken to the morgue, they had been identified through their dental records.

The news had left him numb. His mother had broken into hysterics that her eldest son was gone. She had finally passed out after twenty minutes of gut-wrenching sobbing.

He still couldn’t believe it was possible. He felt that if something so tragic had happened to his brother, he would know. At least he thought he did. Part of Joe didn’t believe his brother was gone. He had this feeling that it was just a ruse to get them to stop searching.

But he had no idea where to start looking. He didn’t want to believe what his father told him. He needed some actual proof and the dental records were not doing it.

“Hey,” a voice said.

Joe turned slightly and saw Vanessa standing on the porch. Looking closely at her, he saw her red eyes and tear-stained face. He knew she had been crying.

“Van?”

Vanessa sank down on the steps beside him and wrapped her arms around him. As she started sobbing, Joe knew Vanessa had heard about Frank.

“I can’t believe it,” Vanessa cried.

“Then don’t,” Joe said.

Vanessa leaned back from Joe. She wiped her eyes and asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Frank’s not dead,” Joe said. “He can’t be.”

“Joe, he was identified through dental records. You can’t dispute that.”

Joe stood up. “That wasn’t Frank. Someone switched the records so they were a match, but I know my brother and I know that wasn’t him.”

“Joe, what are you saying?”

He turned to face her. “Frank is out there, somewhere, and I’m going to find him.”

“How are you going to do that? You have no idea who has him or where he is.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have to find my brother.”

Vanessa stood up and put her hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Joe, your Dad wouldn’t lie to you about this. He knows how close you and Frank were. He…”

“It’s not were,” Joe snapped. “We ARE close. We will always be close. If w weren’t this close, then I wouldn’t know for sure that he is still alive.”

“Joe, how do you know that Frank is alive?” Vanessa asked gently.

“I would feel it here.” Joe placed his hand over his heart. “I would know. Even though Frank and I are over a year apart, we know when something has happened to the other. If he had been killed, I would know.”

Vanessa was quiet for a moment. “So, what do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to find Frank. I know he’s out there waiting for me and I plan to find him.”

There was silence again and then Vanessa asked, “What can I do to help?”

Joe looked at his girlfriend and felt great appreciation for her offer of help. He knew that should he need her assistance, she would not hesitate to jump in. Joe leaned over and kissed Vanessa on the forehead. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Vanessa leaned back and looked him in the eye. “And I was serious. What can I do to help?”

“Well, I think you may have to do some covering for me. My Dad really does believe that Frank is gone and is going to be trying to dissuade me from searching for him. So, you may have to cover for me when they call.”

“And what will you be doing in the mean time?”

“I’ll be tracking down the thugs who took my brother. I have an idea where they might be and I’m going to find them.”

Vanessa hugged Joe and she put her head on his shoulder. “Please be careful, Joe. I know you’re very worried about Frank, but I’m worried about you and something happening that you won’t be able to stop.”

“Trust me, Van, I will be careful. I have to be for Frank to make sure he gets back home.”

Vanessa kissed Joe’s cheek.

They sat back down on the steps. As they sat there, Joe began to formulate a plan of action. He a suspect in mind for Frank’s abduction and realized that was going to be the first place he started looking. He was determined to keep going until he found his brother.

Joe looked at Vanessa. He wondered how she had found out so quickly. They had only found out about an hour earlier. “Van, how did you hear about Frank?”

“It was on the radio. I was almost home when I heard the report. I turned around and came right back figuring you’d be really upset.”

Joe’s thoughts were whirling around his head. He had not questioned his father as to who had found Frank. All they knew was there had been a car accident and he had supposedly ended up dead. Something wasn’t right.

He released his hold on Vanessa and got to his feet without a word, leaving her alone on the porch. Joe made his way into the house and sought out his father. Reaching his father’s office, Joe saw the door was opened slightly. Looking in, Joe saw Fenton leaning back, staring at the pictures on the mantle. Fenton looked defeated.

Joe took a breath. “Dad?”

Fenton turned away from the mantle to look at him. “What is it, Joe?”

“Dad, who was it that told you about Frank?” Joe couldn’t say the word ‘dead.’

“I got a phone call from the police station,” Fenton answered. “Why?”

“Well, Vanessa told me she had heard the news on the radio. She said they had used his name. I mean, wouldn’t they hold off on the specifics until we were notified?”

“They usually do wait,” Fenton said. “They usually want the family to know before they go public.”

“Dad, who found the car?”

“I’m not sure,” Fenton said.

“Didn’t you ask?” Joe was beginning to get angry. He couldn’t believe his father would forget about everything he had learned in his years as a private investigator.

“I didn’t,” Fenton admitted. He picked up the phone and dialed. “But I will find out.” Fenton put the phone to his ear. “May I speak to Chief Collig? This is Fenton Hardy.” He paused. “Thank you.”

Joe stood patiently, waiting to get some information.

“Hello, Chief.” Fenton paused. “Thank you.” He paused again. “The reason I called is to find out who went to the media about this before we were even contacted.” Fenton looked at Joe. “Well, it did happen. Vanessa Bender heard it on the radio and came to the house less than an hour after hearing the news and we’ve known for less time than that.”

Joe began to tune out his father’s side of the conversation. He thought, What if this was just a ruse to get us to stop looking for Frank? Whoever took Frank probably figured we’d be so distraught that we wouldn’t even bother considering that this call was a hoax. The abductors would be free to do whatever they wanted to Frank and no one would be any wiser. And if Frank did end up getting killed, we would have to go through the torment of losing him again as well as living with the guilt that we had left him alone instead of rescuing him. That has to be what’s going on.

“Thanks, Chief. I appreciate it. I just wanted to let you know what happened so that it doesn’t happened to any other family.” Fenton was quiet again. “I’ll let you know. Bye.” Fenton put the phone back in its cradle.

“A misunderstanding?” Joe asked.

“That’s what he said,” Fenton answered. “They usually wait until the family is notified before sending out a release. But what happened was there was a reporter there who was working on another story and overheard two officers talking. The reporter flew out of the station and called the radio. In minutes, the news was on the air waves.”

Joe knew he needed to be straightforward with his father, even if Fenton didn’t believe what he was about to say.

“Dad, I’ve been doing some thinking and was wondering what you thought about something.”

“What is it, son?”

“Well, this was an awfully elaborate way to get even with the family,” Joe began.

“What do you mean?” Fenton leaned toward his desk, placing his elbows on it as he propped his chin on his intertwined hands.

“Well, what if the accident was just a ploy to have us think that Frank was…” Joe couldn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t even think it was possible.

“Go on,” Fenton said, understanding what Joe meant.

“If they think we are in mourning, they probably assume that we won’t come looking for the ones who have Frank. They would probably go ahead with whatever they have planned for him. And when they’ve done, Frank would turn up again and we’d go through this roller coaster ride again.”

Fenton leaned back in his chair and stared at Joe, tapping his left index finger on his chin. Joe tried not to squirm as his father look at him. He was anxious to know what his father thought. The silence was maddening.

“Well,” Joe prompted.

“I think you may be onto something,” Fenton said. “All this seems to be falling together too easily.”

“What should we do?” Joe asked. “We need to do something. Frank is counting on us.”

“We are going to continue what we started earlier. And we will find your brother.”

“Then let’s get to work.”

 

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.