Iola sprang into action. She made her way back over to where Joe laid face down in the rushing ice cold water.  While the coldness was starting to get to her, Iola dug deep inside of herself to find the strength to go on. There was no way that she was going to let Joe drown in front of her eyes.  She struggled to get a good foothold and immediately tried to pull Joe up and out of the water. However, the current was just too strong.   

“JOE! COME ON, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!” Iola screamed out in frustration as she kept her arms around the younger Hardy. She was able to lift him out of the water a little, but the current just kept flipping his body forward with such force that she could not overcome it.  Iola felt Joe trying to get up, but it seemed like something was holding him back. It was then that she spotted his feet.  Letting go of Joe’s body, she immediately tried to free his foot from the rocks. The cold water rushed over her shoulder and up around her neck as she bent down and grabbed a hold of Joe’s knee. She tugged with all of her might until his foot was freed from the entrapment.  

By now, Joe was almost motionless.  Iola knew she had to move quickly because hypothermia could be setting in.  As she lifted Joe out of the water, Iola heard him mumble something.  Even though she was not able to understand him, she was relieved to hear him because it meant he was still breathing.  

“I am going to get you out of here baby,” Iola said as she dragged the helpless young man out of the frigid water and to the bank.   

She wanted to stop and catch her breath and get her second wind, but she knew that they had to get to shelter to get warm and out of their cold clothes. Relentlessly, Iola kept on dragging Joe up the steep hill to the small cabin that she spotted in the woods. Every time she thought about stopping or that she could not make it, she recanted the thought.  

“Just a few more steps… just one step closer and we will be okay,” she kept repeated over and over to herself as she made her way to the cabin.   

As she reached the door, she sat Joe down and prayed that the door was unlocked. Thankfully it was. Not waiting a second further, she opened the door to the rustic A-Frame house and helped Joe inside.  

Even though it was dark inside, there was still enough light from the one small window that she spotted a small bed to the right of the door. Iola dragged Joe over to it and placed him on top of the bed. Joe was mumbling something, but Iola could not understand him. She just knew that he was very cold and she had to get him warmed up.  Iola scanned her new surroundings. It was a very small cabin, definitely a hunting cabin so there were no extra frills. Just a small grill inside a fireplace, a table with chairs a basin to haul water to from the creek and a closet. She quickly made her way to the closet. Inside, she found canned goods, old flannel shirts and jeans and spare sleeping bags. Iola grabbed the clothes and sleeping bags and went back over to Joe. Since she was a volunteer at a local nursing home, she had a lot of training in first aid not to mention a lot of survival skills thanks to her father and the Hardys.  She knew she had to get the cold clothes off of Joe and dress him in the warm clothes and blankets.  

“Joe, I am going to put some clothes on you and get you warm,” she said as she started to undress him quickly. While it was difficult to get his pants on, she managed to get Joe fully dressed and placed the sleeping bag over top of him.  The young girl gave him a small peck on the cheek as he laid there with his eyes closed and shivering uncontrollably.  He was still mumbling, but she had given up trying to understand what he was saying.  Knowing that she needed to change as well, Iola quickly put on the flannel shirt and jeans. She found pieces of rope in the closet and used them to make a belt for the large jeans.  

“I am going to have to thank whoever owns this place. They certainly have maintained it well,” as she made her way to the fireplace.  There on the mantle were matches and a stack of firewood lay to the side of the hearth. Since her own home had a fireplace, Iola knew exactly what to do. With in no time, she had a fire started and the cabin started to warm up.  By now, Joe was just shivering. Iola went over to the bed and checked on him. He was still alive and seemed to be warming up, but he was still shaking.  

“Its okay baby,” she said as she gently kissed him on the forehead and slipped into bed next to him.  She held on to him, resting her head on his chest so she could feel him breath. It was then she realized how cold she was. She wanted more than anything to just lay there and treasure the moment. She had missed snuggling up to Joe over the years. It was one of two places outside her family that she felt safe and loved. She looked up to see the handsome face she once knew.  Joe had changed a little over the past two years, but to her, he had just grown even more handsome than she had remembered. “Let’s just get some rest. We are both exhausted,” she said gently as she laid her head back down and fell into a deep exhaustive sleep.  

 

Meanwhile, not far from the cabin, a search party was getting organized. Mr. Morton was on his way with Chet and Biff in tow. Not wanting to get his wife’s hopes up, Mr. Morton told his wife that Mr. Hardy and Frank needed assistance. They would be there at anytime barring no problems or weather delays. Usually the interstates were kept very clear; it would be the small gravel road that would hold them up. It was now covered with a thin sheet of ice and was dangerously slick.  Some of the agents had problems getting out of the area because of the road conditions. But that did not stop Frank. He knew his brother could be out there somewhere and he was going to find him.  

“It is going to be dark here soon,” Sergeant Davies stated as he glanced around the scene.  

“I am going to start walking back to that other road,” Frank replied, figuring that Davies was going to suggest aborting the search.  

“Frank, it is too nasty out here to go tracking around here at night, not to mention dangerous. There are drop offs, fast moving streams and plenty of ice to slip and fall on out here,” Sergeant Davies answered sternly.  “You are not going to do anyone any good if you get hurt or lost chasing ghosts!”  

Frank felt his anger start to swell again.  “That GHOST is my brother and he needs me NOW. If you want to wait, wait. But don’t expect me to wait with you,” the older Hardy smirked as he turned and started to carefully walk down the road.  The ice was very slick and treacherous.  

“FRANK! I will not let you risk your life. You don’t know where you are going!” Mr. Hardy spoke up.  “I don’t like this no more than you do, but IF Joe is out there I know he is going to be fine. Iola might be with him and together they will get through the night, IF they are still alive. You can’t believe everything you hear from someone like Rawlins. He could be sending you on a wild goose chase! We can start the search tomorrow, or at least wait until the weather gets better.”  

“Yes, we can remain stationed out there in case someone does make an appearance or if the weather lets up, we can see if there are any signs of truth of what Rawlins stated,” Sergeant Davies stated, backing Fenton up.  

Frank could not believe his father’s words. He stopped and turned towards his father.  “Dad, I can’t believe you said that. How can you even think of leaving him out them out there like this?”  

“Frank, that is not fair,” Mr. Hardy replied with a firm voice.  

“I’ll tell YOU what is not FAIR. I have always had a lost feeling here in my heart ever since you told me Joe was gone. Now, for the first time in a long time, I feel that part of my heart beating again. I know he is alive out there,” Frank answered, grabbing his coat over his chest. “You have just given up on him. You are relying on facts.”  

“Isn’t that what we all rely on Frank? Good detectives rely on cold hard facts,” Fenton angrily spoke out. “We don’t rely on the words of an Assassin.”  

Frank sighed and he could not help but smirk. “I seem to remember a good detective that relied on his instincts. I used to tease him about it, but now I see just how important it is to listen to your heart as well as your brain.”  

“Frank…” his father interrupted.  

“He never gave up on Iola. Even when I tried to convince him that she was gone, Joe never fully lost all hope that she was alive,” the dark haired young man said in a calm voice. “For the past two months, I feel like I have walked in his shoes. I have lost two months trying to believe what others have told me. Right now, I feel that I need to listen to what I feel deep down inside.  Joe is alive and I am going to find him and bring him home… with or without your help.”  Then Frank turned and started to walk back down the road to Tucker’s Branch. He was not sure how he was going to find his brother. As he glanced down the road surrounded by wilderness, Frank felt isolated.   

“This is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he thought to himself, but he walked on.  The air was cold and the ice pellets bounced off of his hood. He felt the chill try to run through him, but he kept on going.  

He had only walked a short distance when he heard footsteps walking behind him.  

“Your mother would never forgive me if I would let you walk out here by yourself,” Mr. Hardy said in a soft voice.  Frank knew what he was saying. His father was not known for sharing his feelings openly.  

“I thought you wanted to stay and investigate the scene with the rest of them,” Frank asked, not looking over at his father.  

“They can handle it. Right now I need to help out one of the best partners I have ever had,” Mr. Hardy replied, placing his arm around Frank’s shoulders.  

With that, both Hardys walked together up the ice covered road to the branch in the road known as Tucker’s Branch.

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.