Author's Note: Yay! Another story from me! Sorry it took so long to get it up, but I got a new laptop so I had to transfer files from my old computer to this one.
Some notes about this story: It has nothing to do with Never Again or Landmine. The only thing that will be from either of those stories is an appearance by Gwen Lawson. A few years has passed since the events of those stories, and as of right now Nancy and Carson have made up.
I am bringing back the character of Randy Wolfe from the Nancy Drew File #28-The Black Widow. If you can get your hands on that and read it, it will help you understand his character better and some of the things I mention in this story will be from that book.
Nancy and Frank are 23 years old and Joe is 22 years old. Nancy and Frank are also together in this story, so there will be no Ned (sorry to all of you Ned lovers out there!)
I need to say a special thanks to my three betas-katie janeway, tesubcalle, and roswalyn. You guys have been absolutely wonderful and supportive of this story. Thanks for putting up with my ramblings and anything else I may have done to the three of you!
Now...on to the story!
Oh, I own nothing except the twisted people that come from my head...
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"And finally–Police say there are still no clues in the case of a woman missing from River Heights," a female anchor said somberly to the camera. "Twenty-three year old Nancy Drew was last seen by friends a week ago and has not been heard from since. Police are asking for anyone with information, please call the River Heights Police Department at 555-1013."
Twenty-three year old Frank Hardy shut the television off as a picture of Nancy popped up on the screen. He had seen and heard the story for a week now, and was pretty sure that he could recite the piece with the anchor in perfect unison.
It was frustrating for him to know that he couldn't find his fiancé. Even more so since he prided himself in being an excellent investigator, along with his twenty-two year old brother, Joe. They had not been able to come up with anything concrete on Nancy's disappearance. It was almost as if she had vanished into thin air.
And it hadn't been easy for anyone, especially Nancy's father. He was out of his mind crazy with worry and it wasn't getting any easier for him. He had looked at Frank and Joe expectantly every evening, just begging for some news on his daughter and they had disappointed him every day for a week. They had nothing to go on–they were just searching all over River Heights for some sign of Nancy.
But the worst thing of all was that they hadn't received one call from the kidnapper. No call demanding a ransom or to even say that she was all right. And just that one single fact was making some of them expect the worse. A little voice inside Frank's head was telling him to accept the worse, but he always pushed that thought away. Nancy was a strong, fierce woman–the strongest and fiercest woman he had ever met.
And so he wasn't about to assume the worst. They had a whole life ahead of them–a life full of love and happiness. They would find Nancy and she would soon be back with them. This, he knew for sure.
He started to think about kidnapping cases he had heard about on the news. The people that would come on and say they just knew that their loved one was still alive, even after a good length of time had passed. It was because of a feeling they had–some kind of spark that refused to be extinguished.
Well, Frank Hardy still had that spark. It was one thing that he and Nancy had always shared. On some weird mental level, they always knew if the other were in some kind of trouble. And while his mind told him that she was definitely in some kind of trouble, he knew that she would come out of it.
"Anything on the news?" Joe asked, interrupting Frank's thoughts.
Frank jumped at the sound of Joe's voice and then shook his head. "It's the same as it has been every day. 'The police are doing their best, but there are no leads.'," Frank answered.
Joe glanced at his brother and saw the fatigue that covered his face. Frank hadn't gotten any sleep since he heard about Nancy's disappearance and he was pretty sure Frank wouldn't really sleep until they found Nancy.
"I still think this is so bizarre," Joe said. "Why would someone kidnap Nancy and never contact us? I mean, she is a local celebrity, so wouldn't someone want to make a big payoff on her?"
"Maybe they don't realize who she is," Frank said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I still would feel a lot better if we just had a phone call telling us anything about her."
Joe sighed and sat down on the ottoman next to the sofa where Frank was sitting. "Have you found anything in her casefiles?" he asked.
Frank shook his head. "I have gone through these things at least a dozen times. According to everyone, she wasn't working on anything new. I've made calls with some of our contacts and as far as they know, no one that she has sent to jail has been released, paroled, or escaped."
Frank swept his arm, angrily, across the small coffee table. Papers flew everywhere, but neither brother made an attempt to catch them.
"Frank, we're going to find her," Joe said, softly.
"Are you telling me that to make me feel better or do you really believe that, Joe?" Frank asked.
"Maybe both," Joe admitted. "But hope and optimism is the only thing that we have right now."
Frank gave his brother a small smile. "I thought I was the overly optimistic one."
Joe flashed a small smile of his own. "Sometimes it's good to reverse roles every once in a while."
"Thanks, Joe," Frank said.
"For what?" Joe asked.
"Being here for me," Frank said. "I wouldn't be able to get through this if you weren't here with me."
"Ah," Joe said with a wave of a hand. "It's what brother's do. Besides, I'm sure I can think of a way for you to pay me back."
Frank chuckled at his brother. He knew that his brother didn't mean that. Joe would have dropped everything in order to help him...and Nancy. In fact, he was already skipping classes at NYU in order to help Frank. And he had always looked at Nancy as an older sister he never had.
Frank looked at the paper bag that Joe had brought in. "Tell me you have something to eat in there," he said.
Joe grinned. "I figured you were starving yourself." He grabbed the small bag and handed it to Frank. "It's just a burger and fries, but it's better than nothing."
Frank grabbed the burger out of the bag and tore into it hungrily. Joe was right–it really wasn't much, but it was more than he ate in the last twenty-four hours. He was almost finished with it when there was a knock at the door. Joe stopped Frank from getting up, and answered the door.
"Mr. Drew," Joe said, and opened the door further to let him in.
"Joe," Carson Drew said. He looked over at Frank as he entered the Hardys' hotel room. "Frank."
Frank balled up the wrapper from the burger and put it in the bag. "Mr. Drew."
Every time Frank saw Carson Drew, it seemed as if another piece of his soul had died with him. And today was no exception, except his eyes looked even more exhausted and desperate. And that's when it hit Frank–something else was wrong with Carson tonight. He wasn't there for progress on the case; he was there to tell them something.
"Did something happen, Mr. Drew?" Frank asked.
"Did they find Nancy?" Joe asked, hopeful.
Carson sadly shook his head and sat down on the sofa, next to Frank. It seemed as if he was trying to find the right words to say. Finally after a few moments, he spoke.
"I just got a call from Chief Hawkins. He's asked if I would be willing to call off the search for Nancy," Carson said, softly.
Frank exploded. "What! How can he even ask you that?"
"Yeah, I thought he and Nancy were extremely close!" Joe chimed in.
"They are," Carson assured them. "But the mayor is breathing down his neck. All of the squad has put all of their time into the search for Nancy, and it's costing the city too much money to keep the search going."
"But this is crazy!" Frank said. "They can't give up on her now. We can't give up on her now."
"There's no evidence to keep the search going. All of the officers have conceded that there's no chance in finding her alive, especially after a week," Carson said.
Frank looked at Carson in astonishment. "Do you believe that?" he asked.
Carson looked at Frank and shook his head. It was then that Frank saw the tiny bit of determination in Carson's eyes. "I won't give up hope on my daughter, Frank. Just as I know you and Joe won't, either. She's out there and we're going to bring her home–where she belongs. No matter how long it may take, I will find my daughter."
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When will the darkness ever go away?
Will it ever go away?
How long have I been here?
These were the questions that plagued Nancy Drew. But the way she figured, if she didn't have those three questions floating in her head at all times, she would go crazy. She was starving, dehydrated and in an incredible amount of pain. But most of the time, they kept her drugged so she forgot about everything else.
Even how long she had been there. She knew it had to have been at least a couple of days, but other than that, she had no clue. The kept her in a dark room the entire time. The only times when she had been aware of anything was when they came and got her and brought her to him.
And unless she was calculating wrong, they would come and get her soon.
Nancy supposed it was her fault mostly. She refused to give him the information he wanted. But she now had to admit that it was getting hard. The first few times, she stayed defiant and would only do her best to anger him. That's where most of the pain had come from–she had forgotten that he didn't like to be provoked.
Funny, considering the last time they had met, he almost killed her. And this time he might actually succeed in doing just that, she thought bitterly. She never even knew that he was out of prison. She had succeeded in putting him there five years ago, and the last time she heard he was supposed to be serving a life sentence.
It was crazy how the world worked sometimes...
Her fuzzy thoughts were interrupted by the door being unlocked and opened. They had now made sure the door remained locked since she had attempted to escape two times already. If they hadn't started to drug her, she was sure she would have tried it a few more times.
A bright light went across the room and Nancy had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. Two sets of hands grabbed her roughly from the floor and tied her hands in front of her with a cable tie. She was still unstable from the drugs, so they half-walked and half-dragged her down the long hallway. Soon, she was in another room, being shoved into a chair.
"You guys should really learn how to treat a lady," Nancy said, shooting a dark look at them.
"Save it," one of the men said.
Nancy's memory was now starting to clear, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be for long. It always seemed to clear when he wanted to talk.
Almost two minutes later, he walked into the room and smiled at her. Nancy returned his stare with an icy glare.
"Not too chipper today, I see," he said.
"It's pretty hard to be when you keep me drugged," Nancy said.
"I already explained that was your fault, Nancy," he said. "You shouldn't have tried to get away from me."
Nancy scoffed. "What? Am I supposed to stay here and tremble with fear the entire time? I thought you knew me better than that."
"I know more about you than you would feel comfortable with," he said. He sat down across from her. "Like right now, I know you want to go home. And I really want to do that for you, Nancy. But you've got to help me."
"We both know you have no intention of letting me go," Nancy said.
He chuckled. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."
"How about you answer something for me?" Nancy asked.
He chuckled. "Why not amuse you?" he asked. "Ask away."
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
"A week," he answered.
Nancy looked at him with a mixture of shock and anger.
"Yep, I reckon a couple more days and you won't be able to stand any longer. Not many are able to live without much food. You've held out longer than I've given you credit for," he said.
"What can I say?" Nancy said. "I'm a fighter."
"Yes, you are," he agreed. "But you can't fight forever, Nancy. Sure you can speak the words, but if it came down to it, you wouldn't have the strength to fight."
He rose out of his chair and kneeled next to her. "Let me end this for you, Nancy. Just tell me what I want to know, and I promise, all of this will be over."
Nancy looked at him, confused. She did want this to be over. And she didn't want to tell him that he was right–there was no way she could fight. She was surprised she could really even function like a normal human being. All she had to do was tell him what he wanted and this would be over.
But who's to say he would actually let her go. He would just as soon kill her than let her get away and go to the police. He had to know that's what she would do. But what about her father? And Frank? They had to be worried sick about her, and she could finally give them closure. Even if that closure had to be the discovery of her body.
"All right," Nancy whispered.
He smiled at her, leaned closer to her, and listened as she told him what he wanted to know. When she was done, he nodded at his two lackeys and they grabbed her out of the chair.
"What are you going to do with me?" Nancy asked, fear ebbing into her voice.
He gave her a cold smile. "Rule number one, my dear Nancy–never trust a criminal." He looked at the two men holding Nancy. "Get rid of her," he ordered.
They both nodded and started to usher her out of the room. "You son of a bitch!" she screamed, as she struggled valiantly to get away.
He just started to laugh, but Nancy forced the men holding her to stop walking. She turned her head and looked at him.
"What if I lied to you?" she asked. "Did you ever think about that?"
"So what if you did?" he asked. "I'm at least getting rid of my biggest problem. And besides, I'm pretty sure you told one of your little friends or perhaps your fiancé. I wonder how long it would take to get them to crack?"
"No!" she screamed. "You leave them alone!"
"That all depends on you," he said. "How would they like to know that you were still able to force them to give their lives from the grave?"
He turned his back on her and stared out the window as they forced Nancy out of the room. "Oh, and guys? Make sure she's found. After all, we wouldn't want to keep her family in suspense for much longer."
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"Where are we going?" Nancy asked from the backseat.
"Don't worry about it," said the man who was sitting beside her. It was the only reason why she hadn't tried to escape from the car. The man was keeping a firm grip on her arm and a gun pointed in her side.
"I will worry about it," Nancy said. "After all, since I'm going to die, I might as well know where my final resting place will be."
"Haven't you ever heard of the element of surprise?" the man in the front seat asked.
"I've never been one to like surprises," Nancy said.
"Come on, Barry," the man beside her said. Apparently he was not the leader of the two. "Satisfy her curiosity."
"That's what got her in this position in the first place, Johnny," Barry said. "But since she wants to know so badly, we're taking to the River Heights Municipal Park. Boss wants you to be found, so what better place?"
Well, I got my question answered, Nancy thought. She turned her head to look out the window at the familiar sight of River Heights, her town she had called home for twenty-three years. Would this really be the last time that she would get to see all of this? Would she never drive these streets again? Would she never see her family and friends again?
A few minutes later, the car stopped at the park. Unfortunately for Nancy, no one was around so she had no chance of seeking help. And she still felt so crappy from the drugs that she couldn't fight her way out of it, either.
Johnny got out on his side and pulled Nancy along. For some reason, she had a tiny feeling that he didn't want to do this. Maybe he had been pressured into this, Nancy thought. Was there an actual way to get out of this?
The walked her to the edge of the woods and Johnny pushed her to the ground. With her hands still tied in front of her, she had no way to catch herself.
"Are you ready for this, little brother?" Barry asked.
Nancy looked back at them fearfully. What was going on here?
"I told you I could do it," he hissed, pointing the gun at Nancy.
"Don't let me down," Barry said. He started to walk back to the car.
"You're not staying here?" Johnny asked, nervously.
"It doesn't take two people to kill one broad," he said. "Just make sure you get it done. I'll keep the car running."
Nancy watched Barry as he made his way back to the car and then turned her desperate gaze onto Johnny. She had to reason with him, see if she could break him.
"You don't t really want to do this, do you, Johnny?" she asked, quietly.
"You don't understand, lady–I have to," he said, still nervous. "My brother doesn't think that I can do it."
"So you have to kill an innocent person just to prove your brother right?" Nancy asked, slightly disgusted. "Tell me, Johnny–do you have a family?"
Johnny nodded. "A wife–with a kid on the way."
Yes! Something I can work with! Nancy thought with some mild satisfaction.
"What if your wife were in my position?" Nancy asked. "Would you want someone to kill her just because they were ordered to?" Nancy lifted her bound hands up to show her engagement ring. "Look, Johnny...I have a fiancé who is worried sick about me. We were getting ready to finally start a life together. We're finally able to be happy."
Johnny started to shake his head and Nancy wondered if she was starting to lose him. "Please, Johnny–I'm begging you. Please let me have my life."
Johnny was about to say something when the blare of a car horn blasted through the still night. Johnny looked back towards where the car was parked and seemed to reach a decision.
"Get on your knees," he ordered.
Nancy felt a sharp stab of fear go through her as she rose on her knees, her back to him. This is it, she thought. This is what it all comes down to.
The sound of gunshot could be heard echoing through the night.
Sorry for any typos that may have escaped me! Please review!
