Ok, I got another Hardy Boy idea. :) I am pretty busy of late, so I can't guarantee when the next chapters will be released, but I will promise to try and make it worth the wait.

I call this one…

Mystery Party
A Hardy Boys Fan fiction
By Time Guardian

Chapter One - One Thing Leads to Another...

"Welcome to Entertainment nightly news, I am your anchor, Starleigh Hudson, on location in Hollywood. Though the writer's strike is now over, tonight's top entertainment news comes from the SBN studios where our own Bradley Watson is standing by with some news on the reality TV front. Bradley, are you there?"

"Yes I am Starleigh. I am on scene with the reality show Mystery Party, SBN's number one rated show where last night strange happenings happened on location. Behind me is the authentic Victorian style house that they built on the Studio lot to host this show. The premise of the show has ten contestants, shut into a Victorian style replica mansion that is on the studio lot. Each are told that there is a murderer in their midst, and their job is to get into their roles all the while finding which of them is the one responsible."

"The show, being in its second season, had started off with it's live premiere episode last night, but tragedy befell the set when in a seemingly locked room two of the contestants vanished. Upon video playback of last night's coverage, all ten contestants can be seen sitting around a table reading the first clue given them when the lights go out. When the lights came back on a minute later, the two contestants were unaccounted for. It was then quickly decided by the network to end the broadcast and air a repeat instead."

"The producers and creators of the show had no comment, and local police have been consulted. Back to you, Starleigh."

"Bradley, have they released the names of the contestants?"

"Yes they did. One was Amber Johansen, an IRS accountant from Washington, and Joe Hardy, an amateur private detective from Bayport-"

Eighteen year old Frank Hardy used the TV remote to shut off the television in disgust and lounged back in his hotel bed to stare at the white speckled ceiling. So much had gone wrong since he and Joe had come to help his father, and part of the frustration was not knowing where to start looking.

Fenton Hardy was supposed to be working behind the scenes of the show under an assumed name as a technical advisor, and Joe was supposed to be on the show posing as a season two contestant looking for anything out of the ordinary. Frank was doing the legwork, interviewing people and checking out leads that were uncovered. Instead, Joe came up missing with no clues, no signs of foul play, nothing.

C'mon little brother, give me a sign here.

The old dial style phone on the bedside table rang loudly, startling him out of his thoughts. Frank snatched at the receiver quickly and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

His father's urgent voice came over the line. "You saw?"

"Yes," Frank replied eagerly. He knew that his dad might be calling from the studio set, so staying in character was crucial. Still, what they needed now was a plan. "What do we do?"

"The Starlight roadside diner in an hour. We can eat and talk."

"I'll be there. Be careful."

Frank replaced the receiver back on the cradle and fell back on the bed. When their father had pitched to them the idea of them helping on this case, he had nearly balked. Reality TV seemed anything but. He had seen the interviews of the contestants from the first season and all they seemed concerned about was the minute or so of on air time they were getting with the various reporters that were chatting them up. However, the network execs that had called them in on this case insisted on the highest security, lest it slip that they were running anything dangerous or putting anyone in any unnecessary danger.

Frank sighed. This latest incident on live TV was but a string of events that had brought them to Hollywood in the first place. They had not pinned down a motive as of yet, but maybe if they stepped up their efforts, they could get the information they wanted and hopefully it would lead to Joe.

Pushing himself into a sitting position on his bed, he regarded his brother's unopened suitcase on the opposite bed.

Don't worry, Joe. Dad and I will get to the bottom of this. I promise.

---

The Starlight diner was located off of a highway exit about an hour away from Hollywood. Fenton had agreed to the location with his sons because it was only a mile away from their hotel and be far enough away from any prying eyes.

Frank sat in a corner booth and picked at his food while waiting for his father. The sun was setting, but fewer people came into the diner save for the regulars. Frank had been in often enough to recognize each of them.

"This seat taken?"

He looked up at the question to find that his dad had arrived and slipped into the opposite seat in the booth. Frank noticed that his father wasn't wearing the disguise he had been using while on the set, and yet Fenton looked as haggard as he was feeling.

Frank gave his father a moment to put in an order with the waitress before getting onto business. "Has the studio found anything?"

Shaking his head, Fenton replied. "Nothing. Studio security has made a complete sweep of the house they use for the filming and they haven't found any sign of Joe or Amber. They've now broadened their search to the surrounding buildings and stages. Did Joe get a chance to tell you anything about the contestants before the premiere?"

Frank shook his head. "Joe barely had enough time to get me a list of contestants that morning before he had to report back to the set for the preparation for the live premiere. I don't get it, this is supposed to be 'reality' TV: why is there so much prep work involved?"

"Because as much as they want you to believe it, they are still presenting an image," his father replied. "In the instance of a game like 'Mystery Party' they have to work out the clues and pacing in advance, and then make sure the contestants don't go out of that pacing."

"But that's why we are here isn't it?" Frank asked as he finally started taking bites of his food.

The waitress returned a few moments later with Fenton's food, and for a few minutes they were silent as they made short work of their dinner.

Fenton pushed his plate aside and regarded his son intently. "The reason we are here is to see about the allegations of cheating on Mystery Party. This being SBN's number one rated show, the executives don't want any slipups."

"I would say two contestants going missing is a big slipup," Frank muttered. "Come on, dad. The execs suspected this from season one, had indicators that it was going to happen on season two, and we were able to do nothing. None of the season one contestants will even talk to me even before the season two premiere. Now that this has happened-"

"We have the confidentiality agreements to thank in part to that. They of course have become null and void since these allegations have come to light. Let's take this from the beginning then." Fenton explained while pondering their options, "With filming suspended, they do not need me onset anytime soon, so I can check the season one contestants out further. They don't know me yet, so I may be able to make some progress. In the meanwhile, you have a legitimate purpose to be on the studio set: I got the producer to agree to an open formal investigation into the disappearances and that is where you come in. Get in there, nose around, and interview the remaining season two contestants."

Frank nodded, and then decided to voice the one worry left on his mind. "Do you think Joe is okay, dad?"

Fenton smiled. Frank could see that his father was tired, but could also hear the determination in his father's voice. "Joe's a fighter, Frank. He won't give up and neither will we."