SUMMER BELLS
by
RM
Chapter 3
The Chapters
He looked around the ground for some clue as to what happened. He searched the water’s edge, straining his eyes in the darkness, trying to find some sign of Nancy. But there was nothing.
The officer spoke getting Frank’s attention. “There are officers searching downstream.”
Frank looked at Ned. Even in the darkness, Frank could see Ned’s face was pale. He looked as if he was going to be sick. He knew Ned was thinking the worst.
“Have you contacted Mr. Drew yet?” Ned asked trying to control his voice as he looked at the car.
“We were waiting for verification of the license plate,” the officer said.
“I’ll...I’ll call him.” Ned made his way toward his car.
Frank looked back at the water. He couldn’t believe this happened. He knew there was more to what happened than they knew.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joe step up to the guardrail beside him. Joe asked, “What are you thinking?”
Frank looked over his shoulder. He saw Ned sitting in the driver’s seat of his car with the phone to his ear. Frank looked at Joe. “I want to find Nancy.”
“We’ll find her,” Joe said. “She’ll give us a clue.”
Frank tried to believe what Joe was saying, but he still had an uneasy feeling he couldn’t shake. He looked back at the car. He couldn’t understand why Nancy wasn’t in there.
* * * * *
As the night dragged on, they waited for some word about Nancy. Carson Drew arrived earlier and was shocked by the sight of Nancy’s car. Everyone was wondering where she was.
As the sun began to rise, there was still no sign of Nancy. Frank noticed Ned and Carson were exhausted from worry. They appeared to be trying to put on a brave front and believe Nancy would be found soon, but their hope seemed to be faltering as more time passed.
Frank moved away from Carson and Ned. The uneasy feeling he had was increasing. He tried to keep his mind open for something to lead them to Nancy. He knew there was a chance, a slim one, that she wouldn’t be found. But he knew Nancy. He knew she could get out of any situation. He knew she’d find a way out. He knew she’d contact them somehow.
Frank looked at the water in the morning sun. He could see the current moving swiftly. He knew Nancy wasn’t in the car. He knew that meant she could be anywhere. He also knew with the sun up, it would be easier to spot any clues. He wondered if Nancy had left them any. He wondered if Nancy had survived the crash. He knew he had to stop thinking the worst.
“Here,” Joe said breaking into Frank’s thoughts.
Frank looked at Joe, then at his brother’s hands. He saw Joe was handing him a cup. Frank took the cup and took a sip. Frank asked as he lowered the cup from his lips, “Is there any word?”
“There’s nothing yet,” Joe said. “What are you thinking, Frank?”
Frank remained quiet. He knew he could talk to Joe, but right then, he was confused and worried. He knew he couldn’t tell Joe what he was thinking because he wasn’t sure himself.
* * * * *
“NO!” They heard Carson cry out a half hour later. Frank and Joe looked at Carson. They could see his face was white. They hurried to Carson as Ned sat down beside him. A police officer was standing in front of them.
As Frank and Joe slid to a stop, they saw the officer had a bag in his hand. The bag was dripping with water. They watched the officer reach into the bag and pull out a wallet. The officer opened the wallet. Frank was able to see the driver’s license. The license belonged to Nancy.
The officer handed the wallet to Carson, who took it with a shaking hand. Carson looked at the wallet and said softly, “This is Nancy’s.”
“I’m sorry,” the officer said.
“Is there any sign of her?” Carson asked keeping his eyes on the wallet.
“No, there isn’t, I’m afraid. The current is moving swiftly and we’re not exactly sure how much time passed from when the car went through the guardrail to when we got the call and finally arrived on scene.”
As the officer walked away, Frank looked at Ned and Carson. They were in shock. He couldn’t believe this was the end.
Joe asked quietly and slowly, “Does this mean Nancy’s dead?”
Frank looked quickly at Joe, who also appeared shocked. He couldn’t believe his brother had asked a question like that. “I can’t believe you asked that. We won’t know for sure until Nancy is found. I’m going to keep searching. I’m going to find her.”
Carson spoke quietly. “The arrangements will need to be made. The wedding plans need to be cancelled.”
Frank couldn’t believe Carson was giving up so easily. He thought Carson would do everything in his power to find his daughter. Frank glanced at Ned hoping he would be more optimistic, but he saw Ned’s face was even paler than before. Ned was staring at the wallet. He knew Ned believed the worst.
Frank turned away from Caron and Ned. He couldn’t believe they were giving up so quickly. He thought, they might want to give up, but I’m not going to. I will keep looking until she’s found. I won’t give up.
He walked down the road away from them. He wasn’t able to believe she was gone. He wasn’t going to believe it. As he walked, he thought about the good times he’s had with Nancy.
He smiled slightly as he recalled the time when Ned had caught him and Nancy together. At the time, Ned thought Nancy was in love with him, but they were able to set Ned straight. Ned had understood when they finally did, but he was still cautious when he was around.
Frank then thought back to when Nancy told him she was engaged. He had been shocked at first, but finally grew to accept it. He knew Nancy loved Ned and nothing could change that. He knew there was nothing romantic between him and Nancy. We just work well together. We seem to always think along the same lines.
He continued to walk. He couldn’t believe everything that happened. He knew things should’ve been different. He knew Nancy was supposed to be married the following day and that she should be preparing for her wedding.
Frank stopped. He looked at the water. He knew he had to do something. He knew he needed to find the person responsible. He had to do what he could. He had to do this for Nancy.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency 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.