Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

-HOMECOMING-

Saturday, 6.45pm

Fenton barely had time to brake in the driveway before Laura, Gertrude, Vanessa, Callie, Chet and AJ came running out of the house to greet them. Biff, still trying to master the crutches, came hobbling out as well. As Frank opened the rear door of the car to get out, Laura pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed his face in delight.

‘Oh Frank!’ she cried in a rush. ‘Dad told me you were okay, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw you! I’m so glad! Are you okay, honey? Are you hurt?’

‘I’m fine, mum,’ Frank assured her, once he could get a word in. Over his mother’s shoulder, his eyes met Callie’s. Unwilling to wait a moment longer, she kissed his face and put her arms around Frank, sandwiching Mrs. Hardy between them. Frank found himself laughing. It was the kind of exuberant reunion with his family he had imagined yet scarcely dared hope for while he was being held.

At the other side of the car, Vanessa pulled open the door and practically hauled Joe out. After planting several kisses over her boyfriend’s slightly bewildered face, Vanessa held him close to her and felt him encircle his arms around her waist. She sighed contentedly.

‘Baby, I’m so happy. It’s all over,’ she murmured into his ear. Joe nuzzled his face into the side of her neck and drank in the sensation of being close to Vanessa. She obviously hadn’t been told what had actually happened out there. If she had, there’d be no way she would have greeted him like this! Suddenly, Vanessa drew away from him and Joe realised that his mother, having finally let Frank go, had come to greet him.

‘Sweetheart,’ Laura said softly as she embraced him. Fenton had rung and told her the bare bones of what had happened after he had arrived at the station and spoken to Con. She could only imagine how hard this had been for both of her sons. Joe, however, wore his heart on his sleeve. She could see he was troubled.

‘I think it’s time to come inside,’ announced Gertrude at last. ‘Frank and Joe, you need some hot soup inside you. Fenton, when was the last time you had a decent meal? Biff Hooper, you can’t possibly be comfortable hopping around on one leg! Alex, give Biff some assistance please.’

Following his aunt, Frank went inside, one arm around Callie, his back being happily pounded by Chet. Biff gave up on the crutches altogether and resigned himself to being assisted into the house by Fenton and AJ. Vanessa and Mrs. Hardy, on either side of Joe, with their arms through his, brought up the rear.

Soon the large group was settled around the dining room table. Gertrude placed steaming bowls of pumpkin soup in front of her nephews. Callie and Vanessa busied themselves making hot drinks for everyone. Laura sat between her sons, understandably needing to be close to them both. Frank and Joe gratefully attacked the soup, although Joe was inwardly bracing himself for the inevitability of having to explain what had happened. Surely only his father and Frank knew the whole story. Why else would everyone be behaving so normally towards him?

‘When did you know we were okay?’ Frank asked his mother as she buttered him a slice of bread.

‘Your Dad received a call from Con,’ Laura told him. ‘He said he had both of you and that he needed to meet him straight away. Once he heard Con say you were both okay, your Dad just took off. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a speeding ticket or two in the mail!’

‘A young policewoman drove Laura, Vanessa and Callie here once your father had received the news,’ added Gertrude. And, of course, Alex was already here with me. After Chester rang three times in a row to see if there was any news, I suggested he collect Biff and come over. Much more sensible all round. It turned into an instant ‘welcome home’ committee!’

‘I still can’t believe Winston was really Winter,’ said Chet, shaking his head. ‘I mean, he was really convincing as an old guy. He had us all feeling sorry for him.’

‘That was the whole point,’ said Fenton ruefully. ‘None of us suspected he had anything to do with the sabotage of your car or the attack on Biff. His disguise allowed him to get right into the middle of us.’

Joe pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

‘Be right back,’ he mumbled. ‘Gonna get something warmer to put on.’ After he had left, Laura looked anxiously at her husband.

‘He’ll be okay,’ said Fenton. ‘He needs to work things out, that’s all.’

‘It’d be pretty tough,’ commented AJ. ‘It’s not something a person does everyday; not even you guys.’

‘It’s not every day I get told by one of my sons’ friends to ‘shut up’ either,’ Fenton remarked.

‘I’m SO sorry about that, Sir,’ said AJ quickly, blushing furiously.

‘Perfectly appropriate under the circumstances,’ Fenton assured him, smiling. ‘I know you were just trying to do what Joe had asked you.’

Gertrude put down her mug and stood up.

‘I just remembered something. I’ve had so much nervous energy to burn up while I’ve been in this house, I tidied up Joseph’s room. He’ll never find what he’s looking for on his own.’

With that, she bustled up the stairs leaving the others to listen to Fenton’s story of the phone call from AJ.

Through the open door, Gertrude could see her nephew standing at the window, looking out at the night sky. At her soft knock, Joe turned.

‘Hey Aunt G.’

‘Thought you might need some help,’ she said.

‘With what?’

‘Finding what you’re looking for,’ she said, gesturing towards the floor of his room that was now totally clear of all clothes. It was obvious to Gertrude that Joe hadn’t even noticed until now.

‘I don’t remember the carpet being that colour,’ he commented quietly, giving her a small smile. Gertrude opened the closet and handed him a soft jacket. After putting it on, Joe returned to looking out at the night.

‘Aren’t you coming back downstairs?’ asked his Aunt gently.

‘Soon,’ Joe told her. Gertrude folded her arms and looked at him over the top of her glasses.

‘Young man, you did what you did. It was very unfortunate, but it’s healthier to be with people who love you during times like this; not distance yourself.’

Joe looked at his aunt, surprised at the tone she had taken with him and at what she had said.

‘What do you mean “what I did”?’ he asked her.

‘Killing that awful man,’ replied his aunt.

Joe’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

‘You know about that?’ he managed to ask, incredulously.

‘Of course,’ said Gertrude. ‘Your father rang and gave your mother the details, just before he drove you both home. Everyone was so anxious to know. We were so relieved.’

Joe sat down on the edge of the bed as what his aunt had said sunk in. So Vanessa, his aunt and his mother had known he’d shot and killed Winter!

Gertrude sat down next to her nephew and put her arm as far across his shoulders as she could.

‘I still don’t approve of you helping solve mysteries at your age, Joseph, but I am extremely proud of you. We all are.’

‘But I took someone else’s life,’ said Joe miserably. ‘How can you be proud of that?’

‘Look at me Joseph,’ directed his aunt in her ‘no nonsense’ tone. He reluctantly met her eyes.

‘Two things,’ said his aunt. ‘One, there have been many people throughout history who have taken the life of another under extreme duress; in war, defending their families, maintaining law and order, whatever. Are they murderers? No. Joseph, you were under extreme duress. Are you a murderer? No. Two, am I proud of you for shooting Winter? No. It distresses me greatly that you found yourself in such an unenviable position. What I am proud of is the way you conduct yourself. We can all see that pulling that trigger has profoundly affected you, even though it meant dear Frank’s life was saved. Had you felt no inner conflict or distress nor questioned yourself about what you had done, then I would have been very surprised and disappointed. As it is, I couldn’t feel more proud of you or your brother.’

Joe felt a lump in his throat, but it seemed as though some of the weight that had been pressing down on him, had lifted from his shoulders. Remembering that Aunt Gertrude had delivered the majority of the lectures and verbal tongue-lashings he had received in his short life, her words of encouragement and approval were like gold.

Seeing she had got her message across, Gertrude patted her nephew’s hand affectionately before standing up.

‘Let’s go back downstairs to your friends,’ she said, back to her officious tone. ‘They came to see you and Frank. It’s terribly bad manners to keep them waiting.’

Grinning despite himself, Joe followed his aunt back to the dining room.

Upon Joe’s and Gertrude’s return, Frank was struck by the change in his brother’s demeanor. His whole manner was more relaxed. As he took his seat between their mother and Vanessa, Joe smiled at a relieved Laura. He put his arm around Vanessa’s shoulders, his girlfriend responding by snuggling closer to him. Aunt Gertrude began collecting up the empty bowls, winking at Frank as their eyes met.