As Frank opened the door, he heard static and a voice say, "FH calling H1 and H2."

Frank picked up the radio and said, "H1 here, Dad."

"I hate to interrupt your time with your friends, but I need you and your brother home ASAP."

"We’ll be there soon." Frank put the radio down and closed the door.

He made his way through the park wondering why they were needed at home so quickly. He wondered if a case had come up. He easily spotted Joe, Vanessa and Callie standing off to the side of the stage. He wrapped his arms around Callie’s waist when he reached them.

As Callie leaned back against him, Joe asked, "What took you so long?"

"Dad called on the radio."

Callie groaned. "Not another case."

"I don’t know," Frank said as Callie and Vanessa turned to face him. "He just needs us to get home."

"I can give Callie a ride home," Vanessa said.

"That’s great," Frank said. "I appreciate it. Then you can fill us in on the rest of the concert."

"Okay," Callie said. "Call me later."

"I will."

After saying good-bye to the girls, Frank and Joe hurried to the van. Frank got behind the wheel and headed for home.

"I wonder what’s so important that we had to leave the concert early?"

"I don’t know," Frank admitted.

When they arrived at the Hardy house, Frank and Joe went inside. They went into the den and saw their father, Fenton Hardy, sitting at his desk. There was another man in the room. The man was in his fifties, wearing a navy suit. He had on a pair of thick glasses and had very little hair on his head.

"Sit down, boys," Fenton said. Once they were seated, he continued. "I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Andrews. He’s superintendent of schools in Woodbeam. He has a problem at the high school in his district."

"What’s the problem?" Frank inquired.

"There have been several students who have found threatening notes in their lockers, threatening their lives."

"Could the notes be pranks?" Frank asked.

"I thought so at first, but then I changed my mind, especially after several parents brought these notes into my office for me to see. I also realized it wasn’t a prank when we had dogs come to the school. There had been rumors circled that there were guns hidden in the school and we had the police come in. We found several guns in some unused lockers." Mr. Andrews looked at Frank and Joe. "I have this feeling that trouble is brewing."

"Why do you think that?" Frank asked.

"I’ve seen trouble at other school with students going after their classmates and teachers. I have this feeling that trouble is coming our way." He took a breath. "I want the students to feel safe at school. I want them to feel the school is someplace they don’t feel in danger. The district is not in a rough neighborhood, but there are students who do go and hangout with the wrong crowd." Mr. Andrews looked at Frank and Joe. "I’d like you to come to the school and find out what’s going on. I have a strong feeling some of the students may be involved. I want the kids to be safe."

Frank looked at Joe. He could see Joe’s eyes were wide. He knew his brother was interested in the case by the look in his eyes. He knew Joe was trying to stay still instead of jumping to his feet to take the case. Joe nodded his head ever so slightly, giving acknowledgement that they should take the case.

Frank looked at Fenton, who had his elbows on the desk, looking at them. Frank looked back at Mr. Andrews. "We’ll look into it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Frank could see Joe was smiling. Mr. Andrews said, "I’m glad you’ll be helping. I hope this can be solved as soon as possible."

"When do we need to leave?" Frank asked.

"I have a ticket for a midnight flight," Mr. Andrews said.

"I’ll call and see if there are any more seats available," Fenton said, picking up the phone. "You two should go pack so you’re ready to go."

"Got it," Joe said and he went upstairs with his brother.

Frank and Joe made their way up to the school the following morning. They had arrived a few hours earlier and instead of going and getting some sleep, they figured they would get started. The school was two stories high and made of brick. They made their way through the front doors as students moved about, talking to friends or heading to their lockers.

They found the main office and stepped inside. They saw the secretary sitting at her desk answering the phone. She put the phone down and asked, "Can I help you?"

"We’re here to see Principal Meyer," Frank said.

"Go ahead in," the secretary said, pointing at the door.

As they stepped into the office, they saw a man in his forties, talking on the phone. He motioned for them to close the door and that he would only be a moment. Frank looked around the office, catching sight of the certificates of achievement and diplomas. He also noticed the stacks of papers piled on the desk.

Principal Meyer had dark brown hair starting to go gray at the ends. His suit coat was hung over the back of his chair. He put the phone down and looked at the Hardy’s.

"I’m Principal Meyer. You must be Frank and Joe."

"That’s correct," Frank said.

"Please have a seat." Frank and Joe sat down across from the principal. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I think Mr. Andrews is more concerned than he needs to be regarding this situation. I don’t think there’s going to be any trouble."

"Mr. Andrews believes there is," Frank said. He decided to get right down to business. "Principal Meyer, has there been any threats to faculty members?"

"Not that I know of. The only threatening of any kind has been the notes found by students."

"Could the faculty be ignoring the threats if they’ve received them?" Frank asked.

"It’s a possibility."

"Have you noticed a change in any of the students?" Joe asked.

"Not that I have seen."

"Are there any gangs here at school?" Joe asked.

Principal Meyer shook his head. "We have no gangs here and that’s what concerns me. Without the gangs, I wonder who brought the guns to school. We need to find that out instead of who is picking on other students. I think the guns are more of a priority."

Principal Meyer shuffled the papers on his desk. He pulled out several papers. "Mr. Andrews insisted the two of you look into this matter. These are your schedules and maps of the school." He handed the papers to them. "There are also several hall passes so you can roam around the school during your free periods. If you need anything, feel free to stop by."

Frank and Joe nodded, as there was a knock on the door. The door opened and the secretary poked her head in. She said, "There’s a new student here to see you."

"All right," Principal Meyer said. He looked at Frank and Joe.

"Thanks for seeing us," Frank said, getting to his feet with Joe.

They turned and left the office. As they left the office where the secretary was on the phone, they both saw a red-headed girl sitting in a chair along the wall. The girl lifted her head. Frank and Joe realized the girl was Nancy Drew.