Back at the Hardy home, Joe was stretched out on the couch watching one of the sports channels. He had told Frank he was going to rest, and he was, although his definition of resting varied considerably with Frank’s. But Joe knew he had slept for most of the day and as long as he wasn’t running around, he figured watching some television wouldn’t be a bad thing.  

As the sports show came to an end, Joe began flipping channels to see if there were any games on. He was anxious to see some live action.  

The slamming of the front door made Joe jump off the couch and he turned to the entryway. He was surprised to see Frank standing there, his face pale and he was breathing hard.  

“Frank, what is it? What’s wrong?”  

“Where’s Dad?” Frank asked, looking about the room.  

“He’s not home yet,” Joe answered.  

“Yes, I am,” a voice said, making Joe jump.  

“Geez, Dad, you could’ve made a little more noise,” Joe said.  

“Sorry, son,” Fenton said. He looked at Frank. “Did you need me for something, Frank?”  

“Here.” Frank handed his father the folded piece of paper.  

Joe moved to Fenton and watched as he opened the paper.  

Revenge: Oh, so sweet!!!

 

“Where did you get this?” Joe asked.  

“It was in my car,” Frank said. “I think it broke off the brick when it hit the floor.”  

“Hold on a second,” Fenton said. “What brick are you talking about? And what happened to your arms?”  

“Why don’t you sit down, Dad,” Frank said. “Then I will explain.”  

They gathered in the living room and Frank related to his father what had happened earlier in the day, all the way up to returning home. When he finished, Frank said, “This appears to have been done on purpose.”  

“But why?” Joe asked. “We haven’t been working on anything in over a month. We’ve been focusing on our studies.”  

“As of right now, it could be any number of possible reasons,” Fenton said. “But until we can figure something out, you better keep an eye out, Frank.”  

“Do you really think Frank needs to be that cautious?” Joe asked.  

“It’s better to be cautious than dead,” Fenton said. “Whoever threw this is after your brother for a reason. We just need to figure out what that reason is.”  

“And then we will know who,” Joe concluded.  

“Probably,” Fenton said. “Why don’t you two go get some sleep? You’ve both had a couple busy days and could probably use a good nights sleep.”  

“You’re right, Dad,” Joe said, glancing at Frank.  

“Are you going to check the paper for prints?” Frank asked, keeping to the topic at hand.  

“I can check, but I’m not sure we’ll find anything,” Fenton said. “Do the police have the brick?”  

“I believe so,” Frank said.  

“Well, I will check with them and keep you posted.” Fenton got to his feet and left the room.  

Alone once again, Frank let out a sigh. “This is perfect timing.”  

“We’ll figure this out.”  

“I hope so.” Frank got to his feet and headed for the stairs. “I’ve got to get some studying in. I’ll see you in the morning.”  

“Night,” Joe said and watched his brother head upstairs.  

When he was alone, Joe wondered why someone would throw a brick at his brother while he was driving. Sure, it could have been a bunch of kids out having a good time, but I very much doubt that is what happened, he thought. Something isn’t right about this, but I wish I knew why I felt this way. I guess I’m just going to have to be very attentive and try to keep Frank in my sights to make sure nothing happens to him. But I have to agree that the timing for this is the worst. We are just a couple weeks away from finals and should be focusing on that. And Frank should be focusing on graduating from college and taking steps toward his future.  

* * * * *  

The next morning, Joe rolled out of bed when the alarm went off. He knew he needed to get up and head to the campus. He figured he could go early with Frank since he was without transportation for the time being.  

After getting ready, Joe grabbed his bag and made his way down to the kitchen. Stepping into the room, Joe wasn’t surprised to see Frank sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal and reading the morning paper.  

“Hey,” Joe said, heading over to one of the cupboard and retrieving a bowl.  

Frank looked up. “Hey yourself. You’re up early.”  

“I figured I would head to the campus early.”  

“You’re kidding, right?”  

Joe turned away from the cupboard. “I’m not kidding. I figured I could head over early and go with you. I know you’re without wheels and thought we could go together.”  

Joe glanced at his brother’s face and saw that Frank’s mouth was hanging wide open. “What?”  

“I really appreciate the offer, Joe.”  

“It’s no problem. Besides, I can meet up with the coach and talk to him about our last two games.”  

“Do you think you should be playing?”  

“I did talk to the doctor the other night after you left the hospital and questioned him about playing. He told me I needed to be careful, but as long as I was feeling all right, he didn’t see a problem with me playing.”  

“Your team is probably anxious to hear how you’re doing,” Frank said.  

“We’ve worked hard to get where we are this year and I think we’ve got a good chance at being champs again.”  

“I think you’re right.” Frank refolded the paper. “Whenever you are ready to go, I’m set.”  

“Let me eat and then we can head on out,” Joe said.  

“All right.”  

* * * * *  

An hour later, Frank and Joe arrived on campus. After parking the van in one of the lots, they climbed out and made their way toward one of the buildings. They had not gotten far when they heard their names being called out. Turning around, they saw Caren and Vanessa making their way toward them.  

When the girls reached them, Caren gave Frank a peck on the cheek while Vanessa gave Joe a lengthy kiss on the lips.  

Joe and Vanessa finally broke apart when they heard Frank clear his throat. Joe glanced at Vanessa’s face and could see she was slightly flushed.  

Joe glanced over Vanessa’s shoulder at his brother and said, “We could have lived without the interruption.”  

“You two were becoming an attraction,” Frank said.  

“You’re real funny,” Joe said sarcastically. “Maybe you should be a stand up comic.”  

“Right.”  

“So, how are you feeling?” Vanessa asked.  

“I’m all right. No headaches or anything.”  

“That’s good to hear,” Caren said. She looked at Frank. “How are you doing today?”  

“I’m all right,” Frank said.  

“That’s good.”  

“So, what are you two doing here this early?” Joe asked. “I didn’t think you had classes until later.”  

“Actually, Caren and I have been meeting up every morning since the snow melted and have been jogging around the campus for an hour.”  

“I didn’t realize you were doing that,” Frank said.  

“We’ve both been a little stressed as finals approached and thought this would be a great way to relax and get energized for the day,” Caren explained.  

“And it’s great exercise,” Vanessa added.  

“If we had known, we would’ve joined you,” Frank said.  

“We know,” Vanessa said. “But…”  

“I don’t think they were trying to exclude us, Frank, but they were enjoying the time of it being just girls.”  

“Are you mad?” Vanessa asked.  

“No,” Joe said. “If you want to do something with just Caren, I don’t have a problem with it. It’s just like when I want to do something with Frank. It’s not a problem, babe.”  

“What about you, Frank?” Caren asked.  

“I think it’s great that you two are spending time together. And I don’t have a problem with it either.”  

“That’s what we wanted to hear,” Caren said. She looked at her watch and then Vanessa. “If we want to get our hour in, we better go.”  

“Got it,” Vanessa said. She gave Joe a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the quad for lunch.”  

“Sounds like a plan.”  

Vanessa and Caren took off in a job toward the parking lot.  

“You know,” Joe began, “it’s really nice that Vanessa and Caren get along so well.”  

“I know. It is nice.”  

“I mean, Van was a little lost when Callie was accepted out of state. But ever since she met Caren, she’s been the Vanessa I’ve known and loved.”  

“The two of them have become best friends and hopefully their friendship will remain in tact after graduation.”  

Joe looked at Frank quizzically. “What are you talking about? Is Caren leaving Bayport after graduation?”  

“I don’t know,” Frank said. “You know, never mind. I need to get to class. I’ll see you at lunch.”  

As Joe watched his brother head to one of the science buildings that housed several labs, he wondered if something had happened between Frank and Caren.  

The two of them have been acting naturally, he thought. So, they probably haven’t been fighting. But maybe Caren has decided to head south once again. And that could be what Frank meant by his comment. It would be sad to see her go. She has become one of the gang. Well, since that seems to be the case, I think we may need to get a party organized before she does go. Vanessa would probably be more than willing to help. That will have to be for later. As for right now, I need to go see the coach and find out what’s happening in the next couple of days.  

Joe made his way to the athletic department and found the coaches office. He knocked on the door and entered when he was told to do so.  

“Hey, Coach,” Joe said.  

“Hey, Joe. How are you feeling?” Coach Ross asked.  

“Better,” Joe said. “I spent a night in the hospital for observation and got a few stitches. The doctor said I’m fine.”  

“That’s good to hear,” Coach Ross said. “The team was pretty shook up after the incident.”  

“What happened to the guy who hit me?”  

“He was ejected from the game and the last I heard, he was close to being expelled from the college.”  

“That’s a rough punishment,” Joe said.  

“It may be rough, but he almost killed out.”  

“I have a hard head. I may get knocked down, but I’m never out for long.”  

“That’s good to hear,” Coach Ross said. “Now, about the upcoming games.”  

“Am I still able to play?” Joe asked. “These last two games are tough and we really need a united front.”  

“I don’t have a problem with you playing, but we will need a written document from your doctor clearing you.”  

“I think that can be arranged,” Joe said.  

Before anything else was said, there was a loud explosion outside that shook the entire building. The fire alarms went off.  

“Head outside, Joe,” Coach Ross said getting to his feet.  

Joe headed out of the office and then out of the building.  

Stepping into the quad, he saw smoke billowing out of one of the buildings across the way. His heart stopped when he realized it was the building Frank was in.

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.