Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the HDA - Brain Child

Joe wished the little man inside his head would stop jumping up and down on his brain. What time was it anyway? Damn! He’d probably slept in and would be late for his first day at the gym! Attempting to move he quickly realized he wasn’t at home in his bed. His wrists and ankles were tied. A mask was across his eyes. Fighting the urge to panic, Joe managed to vaguely recall walking into the staffroom at the gym and passing out. ‘Okay, calm down Hardy,’ he told himself. ‘Try and think like Frank. Use your senses.’ He seemed to be lying on soft bedding, and his head was resting on a pillow. The bed linen smelt fresh and clean. Strange, given that he was a captive, thought Joe. He couldn’t see anything through the mask. He strained to hear any sound at all. Faintly he could hear something. Something chinking. Like bottles maybe? Joe tried to swing his legs around to sit up but found that whatever he had been given to knock him out was more than chlorophorm. His muscles felt weak and unresponsive. The pounding in his head continued. Ruefully he tried to relax and wondered where the hell he was… and how long it would take his brother to find him!

Back at the Hardy residence, the tension was palpable. Laura sat in the lounge room by the phone, terrified but hopeful that someone would suddenly ring with good news about her missing son. Fenton had just returned home and was again on the separate telephone extension in the den. Frank sat near his mother but was carefully studying the photographs of Joshua Cousins, Stephen Riley and Joe for what seemed like the millionth time. He couldn’t explain it, but his instinct told him that the answer was somehow in those pictures. Besides, they had nothing else to go on. He looked at his watch. 11.00pm. Joe had been officially missing for 28 hours.

Startling them both, there was a sudden knock at the door. Laura stood up and Fenton came rushing out of the den to stand in the hallway as Frank opened the door to reveal Biff Hooper.

‘Biff,’ said Frank, extending his hand in greeting. Biff took his friend’s hand and clasped it with both of his.

‘Frank, I had to come over. Has there been any news? Can I do anything?’

Frank closed the door and ushered Biff into the lounge room. When he saw Laura standing there expectantly, Biff lowered his eyes to the floor.

‘Mrs. Hardy, I..I..I’m so sorry,’ he stammered.

Laura stood in front of her sons’ friend and kindly took his hands in hers. He managed to look her in the eye.

‘Biff, please don’t blame yourself. You have been such a wonderful friend to Joe. I know you’d never let anyone hurt him. Stay and keep Frank company. I’ll make some coffee.’

Leaving Biff with Frank, Laura went into the kitchen where Fenton joined her. While Laura was still furious with her husband for involving Joe in the case, her anger was buried beneath layers of concern for Joe and the desire to protect Frank from witnessing any further hostility between his parents. Frank had more than enough to deal with!

Biff looked at his friend. It was obvious that Frank hadn’t slept. Neither had Biff. If Frank had been missing instead of Joe, Biff knew that Joe would be tearing around the streets looking for him. He would be angry and explosive. In stark contrast, Frank calmly invited Biff to sit beside him and look at the three photographs.

‘What do you see?’ asked Frank.

Biff looked at the images of the three young men, his heart constricting when he took in Joe’s jovial face.

‘All blonde. All fit. Great skin. Any girl would think they were all hot,’ offered Biff, thinking out aloud. Frank shut his eyes and sat back against the couch, massaging his temples with one hand. He could hear his parents being infuriatingly polite to one another in the kitchen.

‘I don’t think I could handle anything awful happening to him again,’ Frank whispered confidentially to his friend. Images of the aftermath of Iola’s death flashed into Biff’s mind. While they had all supported Joe, there was no doubt that Frank had saved Joe’s sanity in the months that followed. Frank had been the only thing standing between Joe and self-destruction. Biff wondered who could possibly stop Frank spiralling dangerously down into depression. Biff swallowed hard and gripped his friend’s shoulder.

‘I’m here whatever happens Frank,’ he promised solemnly.

The jangling of the telephone shattered the sombre silence in the room. Frank reached to snatch the receiver up.

‘Hardy residence….. Yes…. When? …. Just the two of them? …… We’ll be there in ten.’

Biff, Fenton and Laura stared at Frank impatiently as he put the receiver down. Frank’s eyes shone with new intensity as he announced:

‘Stephen Riley and Joshua Cousins just walked into Bayport Police Station.’

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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.