“I’ll handle this guy,” Joe told them after they left Caleb’s house,  “I’ll drop you off at Vicki’s house. Besides, you two need to check for bugs. We don’t want these people to know any more.”

          The girls agreed to that point and were watching Joe pull away from Vicki’s house a few minutes later. He promised to call if he got any news from Caleb’s friend, Ron Davenport.

          Vicki and C. J. entered the house. While C. J. checked the phone, Vicki decided to check the items left by the intruder. They just might contain bugs themselves, that they hadn’t thought to look for.

          Sure enough, all the above items contained the electronic devices. A few pieces of furniture around the house also had hidden bugs. These were quickly destroyed.

          A few minutes afterwards, Vicki’s cell phone rang. Seeing that the number was Joe’s, she picked up. She hung up a second later and turned to C. J.

          “Ron wasn’t home,” she said to C. J.’s questioning glance, “Guess we’ll have to check later.”

          C. J. nodded, “Did you check your room?”

          “Yeah,” Vicki answered, “I found all the bugs. Also, I went through my photo albums…several pictures are missing. More than likely, they’re the ones that Joe got.”

          “It’s probably the same in my room,” C. J. said, “but since we have nothing else to do, I say we check out another suspect.”

“Who,” Vicki asked, turning to her friend.

“Chris Gate,” C. J. replied and continued before Vicki could protest, “He arrived exactly when everything started happening. Plus, he didn’t show up for lunch today. Yesterday, he seemed perfectly happy at a table full of girls. I just realized today that he’s in my History class.”

“You think he left the note in your textbook,” Vicki questioned. C. J. reluctantly nodded, “He could have just moved in at the wrong time”

“Maybe,” C. J. agreed, “but that fact doesn’t seem to help him out much, does it? Until we can figure this whole thing out, he’s a suspect.”

 

The night passed by without any danger and the next morning, Vicki arrived early to Photography class. She found Chris already in his spot, talking to one of the girls that sat nearby. Vicki sighed, knowing what she had to do, but hating it all the same. Approaching, she tapped him on the shoulder.

Chris turned quickly in surprise, but smiled when he saw who it was, “Hey Vicki. Want to join us?”

“I have to talk to you,” Vicki told him, “It’s important.” His smile slowly faded, but he stood up and followed Vicki to the other side of the room.

“What is it,” he asked.

“Have you noticed anything suspicious the last few days,” she questioned, “Especially around C. J. and me?”

“I don’t think so,” he answered, “Why? What’s going on?”

“Some weird things have been happening,” she replied, “and your sudden move into town doesn’t look good for you.” 

“You think I’m responsible,” he asked in shock.       

”No,” Vicki answered truthfully, “but it doesn’t change the fact that you moved here when everything started happening. It looks suspicious.” She paused, “C. J. tells me that you’re in her History class.”

“Yeah,” Chris replied, “I sit a few seats behind her. Wait, does this have anything to do with a note?”

  Vicki looked at him in slight surprise, “You saw this?”

Chris nodded, “I thought it was nothing at first, but now that you mention it, it does seem suspicious.”

“What did you see,” Vicki asked, trying to be patient.

“Some girl put a note in C. J.’s backpack yesterday,” he replied, “I thought they were friends, but now I remember that they never talked to each other. Then why would she leave C. J. a note?”

“Who was it,” Vicki questioned, “This could be who we’re looking for.”

“Her name was Jenna…something. I’m not too good with names right now.” Vicki nodded, trying not to show her disappointment too much. At least they had a first name.

“Well, I’ll ask C. J. when I see her at lunch,” Vicki told him, “She probably knows and I don’t want to give it away if she finds out before class starts. Speaking of lunch, where were you yesterday?”

“I decided to sit at a different table yesterday,” he explained, “Just until I can meet new people, make some friends.”

“I understand,” Vicki said, then smiled, “but you might want to talk to C. J. about that. That is what put you on the suspect list.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of their conversation and the start of the class. Students entered in the door to the classroom, and the two returned to their seats.

“I’ll be there today,” Chris promised before the announcements sounded over the speaker system.

“You better,” Vicki said, pretending to be serious, but failing in that attempt. She smiled, but quickly looked to the front as the teacher called for her attention.

 

“Lunchtime, I’m starving,” Vicki yelled out, reaching the group’s usual table. Stephanie, Sarah and Catlin were already sitting down. Chris and C. J. had yet to arrive. The three looked at Vicki strangely, even though they should have been used to her weird behavior by now, “The teacher made everyone stay behind for a minute.”

“Where’s C. J.” Sarah asked, knowing that the two girls rarely came to the cafeteria without the other.

“She was here this morning,” Vicki replied, “and I know that Chris is here too.”

At that moment, C. J. and Chris approached the table, talking quietly to each other. They looked up, troubled, and gestured for Vicki to join them. She stood up quickly.

“What’s going on,” she asked.

“Chris told me what happened yesterday,” C. J. told her, “I know who he’s talking about, Jenna Harvey. She moved here a month or two ago. But what could she have against us?”

“She doesn’t look familiar,” Vicki asked. C. J. shook her head.

“I’ve never seen her before, but people can change their appearances,” she replied, “I can’t guarantee that we haven’t seen her before.”

“Is that all you know about her,” Vicki questioned. The two nodded in unison, “Then I know exactly how to find out more.”

“How,” Chris asked, confusion on his face.

“Chris,” Vicki stated, “How would you like to go undercover?” 

 

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.