A/n: Hi everybody! hope Santa Claus was good to you all. Back from the cruise, rarin' to go. I actually have three stories going right now, but am only going to publish one at a time from start to finish. One is a little bit of excitement and adventure, one is flat out KeyStoneCops/Three Stooges and the last is going to make the next Game of Thrones novel look like a romantic comedy.
Another Fine Mess
The little bell that heralded the opening of the door jingled merrily in the relative silence. It startled Fenton Hardy, founder of Hardy Investigations(currently 2/3 retired) from his monthly review of the Agency's files, both business related and case related. While he trusted his sons completely, he still liked to keep abreast of things, even if he was no longer an active PI. He'd often be able to dispense some wisdom, accumulated over 30 plus years of investigative work, over a case's aspects. Oftentimes, he'd be able to relate a past experience to a current case, allowing his offspring and heirs to solve a case that much more quickly. Even after his semi retirement, the Agency continued to build it's reputation and they had as late had to turn down a few cases as they were swamped.
As Fenton stuck his head out of his former office( now Frank's) where he had been poring over the books, he frowned a tiny bit. The man before him looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place the face. "May I help you?" he asked pleasantly as he came through the door out int the airy reception area. Not for the first time, he mentally told himself to suggest(again) that the Boys hire a receptionist. There was plenty of room to stick a small desk in the area, and goodness knows they could use a buffer zone at times.
The young man, about Frank's age, Fenton guessed, looked a little out of place and nervous, but smiled as he thrust out his right hand. Fenton automatically reached out and shook it, noting the man's immensely muscled arms belied the delicate grip. "Mr Hardy! Nice to see you again, under much more civilized circumstances." Fenton must have continued to look confused, as after a moment, the man chuckled and said. "The airfield at Calverton." he named the small town where they had met.
Understanding dawned. "Oh! Yes! Now I remember! Bruce, isn't it?" Fenton exclaimed as he now fully recognized the man who had saved his younger son's life a while ago.
"Yessir." Bruce Hathaway replied with a grin. "Has Joe kept out of trouble?"
"Not if you count getting engaged!" Fenton laughed as he indicated Bruce should take a seat on the couch and offered him coffee, which was accepted with thanks.
"Meh. He could not have done better than Hallie. Although to hear my cousin gripe, she couldn't have done worse!" It was an open secret that Melody Harper held no love for either brother, feeling Joe was a gold digger and too charming by half, and Frank was just a polite bully. She barely kept a civil tongue when around either of them as long as Halloran Jacobs was in the room. When Joe's petite fiancee wasn't, however, it became very close to open warfare. Joe of course, liked to push her buttons just because he could, while Frank was left to deal with her more diplomatically, as he was his brother's Best Man to her Maid of Honor.
Bruce sobered as he sipped the coffee. "I'm not really here to gossip about Mellie, though. Well, I am. But not in the way you think."
"Just tell me what's on your mind, son." Fenton suggested.
Bruce took another deep breath. "I think she's in trouble."
"In what kind of trouble?" Fenton asked.
"To be precisely accurate, I think the Park is in trouble, and she can't handle it alone. But try telling her that." Bruce shook his head in exasperation. He loved his cousin, but knew all too well her stubbornness and pigheadedness. They were interrupted before Fenton could ask any more questions by the arrival of both Frank and Joe returning from a court appearance involving a recently closed case.
They spent a couple of minutes doing the round robin hand shake thing before settling down again, Bruce back on the couch, Frank next to him and Joe perching on the counter. Fenton took charge of the conversation. "What did you mean when you said the Park was in trouble?"
"Little stuff, but it's adding up to a big hassle and pain in the you know what." Bruce began. "And the new guy the Park Service finally sent is precisely that, a new guy.. his first assignment. Nice enough, but useless for anything more than signing off on permits right now." He sat forward, and the other three did so in unconscious response. He remained silent, contemplating, until the quiet was broken by Joe.
"Little stuff? Such as?" he prompted.
"Such as campers returning from a day of hiking to find their sites ransacked and not by bears or cougars. Multiple flat tires in the parking lots. Just the other day, 3 people got stranded on the wrong side of the river when the rope bridge was cut down."
"Cut? Not just frayed and it broke?" Frank interjected.
"Nope. Cut. Melody had inspected that bridge not 8 hours earlier. It was fine, having been completely re strung at the beginning of the season. Luckily the hikers had walkie talkies and she was able to direct them to a safe crossing. Mel is calling it pranks by kids and started issuing extra paperwork, warning guests that such behavior is not going to be tolerated and that the Service will prosecute. But I think it could be something bigger than that. And you all know how stubborn she is, Once she has set her mind up, there ain't no changing it." he sighed ruefully.
"What makes you think it's more than just pranks?" Frank asked, his curiosity piqued. Bruce leaned back, sighing. Shrugging his shoulders, he sat there a minute, formulating his thoughts.
"It's a small Park, as National Service Parks go. The only permits allowed are camping, and trout fishing in season.. no other hunting. I've lived there my entire life and can count on one hand the number of 'new' faces. Most of the campers return year after year, and are generational. The trout licenses go to locals for the most part. Calverton itself has nothing to offer except basic supplies. Yet in the past couple of weeks I have seen more new faces and cars in town than I have in the last 20 years."
"What's so unusual about that?" Fenton was confused. It was Joe, however, who took up the narrative.
"No offense, Doc, but Calverton is what's known as a hick town." He turned to his father. "It's tiny, off the beaten track, and the only people who go there are people who have business there. If alluvasudden there are people he doesn't recognize, something's up." He grinned. "I still get weird looks from the locals and I have been going there with my hot fiancee for almost a year."
"You get weird looks dude cuz the first time you came you had to be airlifted out" Bruce smirked. "Most excitement we'd seen in decades" he continued with a chuckle. "Joe's right though. Strangers stick out like sore thumbs. Most of us like it that way."
"Okay then what about these new faces?" Fenton asked. "Anything off about them?"
Bruce shrugged again. "Not that I could tell . Some are in typical back country clothes, jeans, flannel shirts, that sort of thing. Some are in sport coats and Dockers. A couple I have seen have been in flashy cars and suits. They come in, eat at the diner, sleep at the motel. Nobody is standing out behaviorally, which I think is pretty damn odd in an of itself."
Joe nodded. "Like they are trying to be inconspicuous. Avoiding attracting too much attention to themselves, on top of what their arrival has done on its' own."
"Exactly." Bruce concurred.
Frank wasn't convinced, and his worry showed. "I dunno. Not much to go on, and no one's been hurt. And Joe, you know how busy we are..." he began.
"No one's been hurt yet." his younger brother retorted before continuing. "And I am all too aware of just how damn busy we are. I love you dearly, Big Brother, but you work too hard. And when you work too hard, I have to work too hard. Some of us also are in the middle of planning a wedding and could use a weekend of camping to rejuvenate. Right now most of our cases are at that pesky 'wait and see' stage. Our next court date isn't for three weeks. In fact, we can pass it off as my Bachelor Party to keep Mel out of our hair. And I know Halloran would love to spend some girl time making googly eyes over bouquets and crap. We have a few beers, roast a few marshmallows, do a little poking around. Easy peasy." Joe sat back with a triumphant smirk, daring Frank to dispute his logic.
Frank, of course disputed it, just because he could. "We really do have a lot of work to do, and there's not much to go on.." he repeated, looking apologetically at Bruce.
"Nonsense." Fenton exclaimed. "One weekend away from the office is not going to cause the Agency to go under. And your brother is right, Frank. You haven't had any fresh air in weeks. Besides, I am tired of listening to him complain about how he doesn't have time to breathe lately. Go. Take the weekend. If you find something, I am sure you will figure out a way to add it to your case load. If you don't, so much the better. The time away will do you both good." And that was that. (mostly) Retired or not, Fenton Hardy was still in charge. Joe beamed like a little kid on the first day of Summer vacation, Bruce smiled in relief and gratefulness, and Frank resigned himself of the futility of arguing the point.
"Fine." he sighed. "I know when I am outnumbered." He sulked a little though, thinking there was nothing wrong with his work ethic or desire to take care of responsibilities before having fun. While sometimes he envied his brother's carefree approach to life, more often than not he was exasperated by it. As the eldest and father figure to Joe most of his life, he occasionally wished Joe would appreciate his view on life more. Joe had obviously been far too spoiled in his youth. (My own damn fault, I guess.)
"Cool! I knew you couldn't say no to me Bro!" Joe smirked cheekily, immediately ducking the half hearted swing by his elder sibling in response. "C'mon, it'll be fun! We haven't had any time to relax just the two of us in forever." Despite himself, Frank found the notion of he and Joe just hanging out like they did as kids something he rather looked forward to.
Bruce thanked them again before taking his leave, promising to join them at Halloran's cabin sometime Saturday morning. Fenton called Frank back, allowing Joe to take off amidst muttered plans involving graham crackers and Hershey bars. "Son, are you really okay with this?" Fenton asked, with a hint of worry clouding his tone.
"Yeah Dad. I just wish he'd understand my point of view sometimes is all." Frank sighed.
"Why should he, when you do nothing but give him grief about his?" Fenton asked mildly.
"Say wha?!" Frank sputtered, stung by the words.
"Well, don't you? Every time I come in here you are berating him for not doing the paperwork immediately, or taking long lunches or some other thing. Tell me. Is Joseph a good Investigator?" His father asked.
"Of course he is, one of the best!" Frank was quick to defend his brother's abilities.
"Does the paperwork get done?"
"Eventually, but only if I keep on him about it."
"Really? So why is it, last month when you were in Chicago for three weeks and he was left to his own devices, all the reports were filed when you got back?" Fenton raised one skeptical eyebrow.
"I figured Sam did 'em. Or you told him to."
"Nope. Never said a word. And he'd be hurt you assumed that. I thought you were over that? Thinking he was less than capable."
"Dad, I.." he was interrupted by a raised finger.
"All I am saying , Frank, is his method works for him. Maybe if you quit trying to mold him into your image he'd quit trying to mold you into his. You know he pushes your buttons because he knows it spins you up. Your brother is right in a way, Frank. You DO work to hard. Don't make the same mistakes I did at your age." now Fenton's voice held a note of sadness.
"Mistakes?" Frank asked, curious.
"I almost ruined my marriage, Frank. Working too hard. Your mother has the patience of a Saint but even that has its' limits. You were too young to remember the arguments we'd have. About the long hours, the missed movie dates. And don't give me that look. Maybe the reason you aren't in a relationship is that you don't give yourself enough free time to pursue one!" Fenton laid a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "Live a little, Son. Your mother and I want you to be as happy as Joe is. And part of that means a life outside of the job." With a final pat, the eldest Hardy left the office, leaving Frank alone to contemplate what was said.
A/n: This chapter, and probably the next 2 or so will be pretty slow as far as pacing goes, not much happening at all. It'll get better later. really.