MAKING IT OFFICIAL
by
RM
Chapter 15
THE CHAPTERS
“We
are not going to die,” Frank said, turning about and pulling Caren into
his arms. He could feel her trembling and knew she was scared. “We are
okay. If there is a fire above us, the smoke will rise.”
“But
we will be burned to death,” Caren said quickly. “There’s no way for
us to get out of here. We’ve been locked in the dark with no hope for
escape.”
“Caren,
calm down,” Frank said softly. He kissed the top of her head. “We will
be all right. More than likely, Joe has figured something is up and is
looking for us. We don’t need to worry. Our back up will be coming
soon.”
“How
can you be so sure?”
“Because
I know Joe. We are probably long overdue for the rehearsal diner. He is
probably out looking as we speak.”
“But
he doesn’t know where we are,” Caren said.
“He wasn’t awake when we left your house.”
“Caren,
Joe will figure it out, even if we didn’t leave any clues. I know he
will.”
“I
hope so, Frank. I really hope so.”
“Don’t
worry. We’ll get out of here. I know it.” He hoped he sounded more
reassuring than he felt. He just hoped his brother would come through for
them.
*
* * * *
“Where
are they?” Vanessa asked as they scoured the streets.
“I
don’t know,” Joe said, turning onto the road that traveled along the
bay. “This is frustrating. Frank is usually so punctual and he is only
late if something happens.”
“Then
something has happened to them,” Vanessa stated.
“I
hate to admit it, but I think so,” Joe said. “The couldn’t have just
vanished.”
“But
what happened? Where are they?”
“That’s
what we need to figure out.”
They
rode in silence for several minutes. Both of them were trying to figure out
where else they could look to locate Frank and Caren.
“Joe,
do you see that?” Vanessa asked.
“See
what?”
“Pull
to the shoulder and look.”
Joe
pulled onto the shoulder of the road and put the car in park. He looked out
the windshield in the direction of Vanessa was pointing. He could see a
light in the distance changing colors and appeared to be jumping around.
“That’s
a fire,” Joe said, putting the car in gear again. He pressed down on the
gas pedal. “And it’s at the
Fieldstone Estate.”
“Wasn’t
that where you were doing the investigation?” Vanessa asked.
“Yes.”
Joe pulled out his phone and handed it to Vanessa. “Call it in. From the
looks of it, the fire is bad.”
“Do
you think Frank and Caren are there?”
“I
hope not.”
Joe
focused on the road in front of him as he made his way toward the
Fieldstone Estate. He was barely listening to Vanessa as she talked to the
emergency operator. He was hoping with all his might that Frank and Caren
weren’t there.
“The
crews are on their way,” Vanessa said.
“Good.”
A
short while later, Joe turned to pull into the driveway of the Fieldstone
Estate. He slammed on the brakes when he saw Caren’s car sitting on the
side of the road in a ditch. The car was empty.
“This
is not good,” Vanessa said.
“It’s
not.”
Joe
pressed down on the gas and took off down the driveway. He knew someone
would have to direct the crews toward the burning structure. He pulled to a
stop by the path and unhooked his seatbelt.
“Stay
here and direct them through the field.”
“Where
are you going?”
“I
have to make sure Frank and Caren are not in there,” Joe said as he took
off at a run.
He
crashed through the shadows on the path going as fast as he could. He hoped
Frank and Caren were outside, waiting for help to arrive. Joe pushed
himself to go as fast as he could to get to the building.
Finally
reaching the clearing where the building stood, Joe slid to a stop. The
entire building was engulfed in flames. He knew no one could survive the
blaze.
“Frank!
Caren! Frank! Caren! Answer me!”
There
was no response.
He
wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there when the fire trucks
finally pulled into the field. From where he stood, Joe knew there was no
way to save the building. It was old and the wood was dry. He figured that
it might have been saved if the fire crews had been close by. But too much
time had passed.
“Joe?”
He
turned and saw Vanessa standing there. She put her hand on his arm and
moved closer to him.
“They
won’t be able to save it,” Joe said. “It’s too far gone.”
“Have
you seen Frank and Caren?”
Joe
shook his head.
They
stood in silence as they watched the firefighters try to contain the blaze.
But it was a losing battle. Within fifteen minutes of the firefighters
arrival, the roof collapsed and the sides fell in.
Joe
felt as if he was going to be sick. He had this terrible fear that he had
just lost his brother.
At
that moment, Joe’s cell phone rang. Looking down at the ID, he saw the
number was from home. He knew it was his father. He swallowed the lump that
had formed in his throat and put his phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Joe,
where are you?”
“I’m
at the Fieldstone Estate.”
“Did
you find Frank?”
Joe
remained quiet.
“Joe?”
“Dad,
I found Caren’s car on the road outside the Fieldstone Estate. But
neither Frank nor Caren were inside.”
“Okay.
I’m on my way.”
“Dad,
you should know something.”
“What’s
that?”
“Bayport
firefighters are battling a blaze right now in the house that Frederick
Fieldstone lived in.”
“Stay
put,” Fenton ordered. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
Joe
ended the call and put the phone in his pocket. It was going to be a long
night.
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Disclaimer
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.