Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).
Note: This story was written in 2003, so technology was not as advanced as it is today. People still used landlines, cell phones often 'flipped shut' and texting, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat were still in the future or in their infancy. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen.
Thank you, Cherylann, Max2013 and BMSH for your kind comments!
Ghost of November Past
by
By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA
Chapter 2
When Matt Eckersley arrived in Bayport a day later, he was warmly welcomed by the Hardys. Laura and Fenton had only met him once, after Joe's graduation ceremony, but Matt's personality and enthusiasm had charmed them immediately. When the boys explained to their parents about Matt's despondency over his absent girlfriend, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy had been amused, but agreed that at the very least, a change of scene might make Matt feel a little better.
"It's nice of you to try and help," Mr. Hardy commented, eyeing his sons over his coffee cup, at breakfast the morning after Phil's telephone call. "Although I'm not sure you'll be much of a substitute for Macey." His dark eyes twinkled wickedly.
"Fenton!" Laura reproved, through her laughter.
"Yeah, well…." Frank felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a grin, for more than one reason. He wondered whom he was helping more, Matt – or Phil? "He actually might be of some use. Never can tell when a photographer might come in handy, after all."
"And I'm willing to take any and all help with this historical research project!" Joe put in. "Van is, too!" He looked meaningfully at his older brother. "You and Megan are invited along; no extra charge."
"We'll keep it in mind," Frank replied dryly. He'd had no intentions of helping Joe with his schoolwork without a good and sufficient reason, but this was beginning to sound intriguing. And it might take them both – or all of them – to help divert Matt, after all.
When they had called Phil back, the evening before, it had taken some persuasion to get Matt to consent to come to Bayport. He knew why he was being coaxed there, he announced, and stubbornly held out against Joe's pleas for professional assistance with the research project he and Vanessa were doing. But Matt admitted that he wouldn't mind seeing the Hardys, for one thing, and had finally let himself be convinced that if nothing else, shots of the Stone Point lighthouse might look good in a photography portfolio, and could be legitimately called business.
Reluctantly, he agreed to come. "I'll be there tomorrow afternoon, dudes – cameras and all."
###
When the doorbell rang, announcing Matt's arrival, Joe was the one who answered. He opened the front door wide. "Matt! Great to see you again!" And then Joe stopped, his words of welcome catching in his throat as he took in Matt's appearance. Shoot…Phil wasn't exaggerating, when he said Matt's really down!
The last time he'd seen Matt, the young man had been whip-slender, but bouncing with energy. Matt now looked painfully gaunt, instead, and unutterably weary. He smiled at Joe, but the smile didn't reach his shadowed hazel-green eyes, and it wasn't Matt's usual enthusiastic grin. "Hey, dude," he murmured, and shared Joe's fist-bump listlessly. "It's nice of you to have me here…are you sure I'm not putting you out, though…?"
"Don't be silly. Come on in," Joe invited, and stepped back. Matt picked up the duffle bag he'd set on the porch, and another, professional-looking case, which Joe surmised held his camera equipment, and entered the house.
"Matt!" Frank hurried down the stairs with his hand extended to the newcomer. As Matt bent to set down his things once more, Frank's eyes met Joe's, his dark brows winging upward in consternation. Joe gave him a little nod of understanding.
Matt stood straight and smiled again, a little more naturally this time, and clasped Frank's hand warmly. "Good to see you, Frank dude. Good to see you both. Hope I'll be able to give you a hand with your project, Joe."
"Come on, we'll show you where to dump your stuff." Frank turned and re-ascended the stairs, followed by Matt and Joe. "Right in here." He opened the door to the guest room and waved a hand. "Bathroom's there, across the hall. Want to settle in, or unpack later?"
"Uh – later, I think." Matt looked around the spacious bedroom with appreciation. "Whoa, this is nice, dude!" He set the case on the bed, carefully, and then dropped the duffle bag beside it.
"It used to be our Aunt Gertrude's room, when she lived with us," Joe volunteered. "But she lives in Florida now. Come on downstairs," he urged then.
"How was the drive from New York?" Frank inquired, as they descended the stairs once more. "Traffic okay?"
"Wasn't too bad."
Laura, who had been reading in the family room, stood to greet Matt warmly, hugging him as affectionately as if he'd been Phil or Tony or Chet, in and out of the house for years, instead of a relative stranger; and Matt's smile bloomed a little more at this sign of welcome.
"We're glad to have you here, Matt; please make yourself at home, and we'll try to treat you like family, rather than a guest," Laura told him. "In other words, you may get yelled at just like the other boys," she added, laughing softly, "or end up having to take out the garbage or clean the garage."
"Cool!" Matt's eyes twinkled briefly, and Joe, watching, nodded silent approval at Frank. Good for Mom!
Laura didn't linger with them, but shortly excused herself, leaving the three to get reacquainted with each other. Matt was anxious to hear about the Hardys' latest investigations, and listened to their recital of the Bayport Community College's disturbed arsonist, openmouthed.
"Whoa, that guy was one seriously sick dude!" he exclaimed. "I'm sure glad everything turned out okay."
"So am I," Frank replied quietly, but with heartfelt emphasis.
"And your football team's like actually won three games, man?" Matt turned to Joe, a teasing light briefly aflame in his eyes. "Totally rad!"
"Three more than I thought we'd win," Joe admitted, grinning. "We've got four left to play. But Matt, I want to hear about your photo shoots! C'mon, spill! Have you gotten to meet any famous fashion models, or sports figures?"
Slowly, they drew Matt out of his careful 'company manners' and the dejected reserve he had arrived with; slowly, he began to relax, and the engaging grin showed more and more frequently on his face. The familiar gesture – shoving back a wayward, dangling lock of hair – made its appearance, and the equally familiar slang phrases slipped into his speech.
"How'd you like to see the rest of the house?" Frank asked, when they reached a lull in the conversation about Matt's latest job.
"That'd be cool," Matt nodded and got to his feet. "Lead the way, dude."
Since it seemed logical, Frank led the way first to the basement, and after a cursory cruise through storage closets and laundry facilities, they stopped at the door to the little darkroom.
"Don't laugh," he eyed Matt warningly. "I realize this is nothing, compared to what you're used to, but—"
"Dude, I am not going to laugh!" Matt vowed. "I'm impressed that you have a darkroom at all!" After inspecting the room, and making admiring noises, Matt added a further comment. "You don't need my help with the pictures for your project, Joe dude, this proves it!"
"Hah!" Joe snorted derisively. "We can develop pictures we take. That doesn't mean we take good pictures! Artistic pictures. An A-on-the-project pictures. I'm counting on you for that, Eckersley!"
Matt chuckled a little, and let the subject drop.
Disregarding logic for once, Frank proceeded to lead the little procession up two flights of stairs to the second floor, and he and Joe escorted Matt through all the various bedrooms and baths located there.
"Oh man, what a setup!" Matt gazed enviously at the stereo system in Joe's room. "How loud can you crank it up?"
"Louder than necessary," Frank inserted the dry comment before Joe could reply. "It rattles the stuff on the walls!"
Joe, standing out of eyeshot, stuck his tongue out briefly at his older brother's back. "We'll wait until there's no one else in the house, Matt, and then I'll show you," he offered.
"Dude!" Matt grinned approvingly and walked through the shared bathroom to Frank's room. "Wow, you've got almost as much computer stuff as Phil!"
Frank chuckled. "Not quite. And not the same caliber."
Making their way back to the main floor, the boys went on with the house tour. They showed Matt Fenton's study, then cruised through the dining room. Matt stared about appreciatively.
"Really nice," he murmured, almost to himself. "It's so – pretty. And – I don't know, it just…feels nice." Frank and Joe exchanged smiling glances; they liked their home, and it was always a good feeling when other people appreciated it too.
They finished in the kitchen, where Laura was working on preparing supper. She greeted them with a smile that included all three; Matt blushed, seemingly unable to take his eyes off his hostess.
"Mom, when's dinner?" Joe opened the refrigerator door and gazed into the interior reflectively.
"As close to six as I can hit it, assuming your dad is home," Laura replied. "Keep that in mind, if you three are going to start munching now!"
"I wasn't going to start munching unless dinner was going to be late," Joe defended himself, and closed the refrigerator door. "Matt, want to unpack now, before dinner's ready?"
"Yeah." Matt followed his escorts from the room, glancing back at Laura, who gave him another sweet smile. His soft comment drifted back to her: "Dude, your mom's really nice…."
###
Matt unpacked while regaling the Hardys with more anecdotes from his job situations, and a few comments regarding what had been transpiring with Phil and himself in the past months. He didn't bring up the subject of Macey, but when Frank gently alluded to it, Matt smiled wistfully.
"Yeah – I miss her, man. She's loving every second of it, over there; I am like so happy for her…. But I miss her like crazy."
"She'll be home soon. March isn't that far away," Joe offered a crumb of comfort, realizing how lame his words sounded.
Before Matt could reply, they heard a voice through the open door, calling from downstairs. "Frank, Joe, Matt – dinner's ready."
Matt leaped from his seat on the bed, smiling with relief at the timely interruption. "C'mon dudes; I'm starving!"
When they reached the dining room, they found Fenton Hardy already seated, and Laura just setting the last serving dish on the table. Frank and Joe quickly sat in their accustomed places, and Matt slid into the indicated seat, which happened to be between Joe on one side and Fenton around the corner of the table.
"Hello, Matt! Nice to see you again! We're glad to have you here." Mr. Hardy extended a hand and gripped Matt's warmly.
"Hey, Mr. Hardy, it's nice to be here." Appreciation glowed again in Matt's eyes at the sincere welcome.
Dishes started circulating about the table, and for a few minutes the conversation consisted of brief phrases such as "Mmmm, I love these," "Matt, that's hardly enough; take more," "Pass the butter – and the salt and pepper," and "Dibs on the biggest one!" Finally everyone settled down to eating, and eventually conversation resumed.
"Matt, how long have you been a free-lance photographer?" Laura directed the question to their guest as she passed the dish of scalloped potatoes to him, offering second helpings.
"Uh – it's been…" Matt paused, evidently mentally counting time. "Two years now, give or take a couple months." He glanced at Laura and blushed again. "I worked as an assistant while I was still in college, and then started out on my own after I graduated." He served himself more potatoes, then passed the dish across the table to Frank, who had held out a hand in request. "Mrs. Hardy, this tastes so good – I mean, I haven't had a home-cooked dinner that wasn't made by Phil or me in a long time! And neither of us qualifies as much of a cook. Alli tries, sometimes – but she's not too good at it either."
Laura smiled her appreciation. "You don't go home to visit your family often, then?" she enquired. "Where does your family live, Matt? Somewhere close? Tell us about yourself."
"Ah, they're alive and well, at 'Surfside'," Matt smiled wryly, took a quick gulp from his water glass, and continued speaking. "That's in California – Palisades. That's where I was born and raised."
"You're a long way from home," Fenton commented quietly.
"Yeah – well, my dad's like, this corporate bigwig." Suddenly words were tumbling out of Matt in an unchecked spate. "My mom, she like does the socialite, corporate wife thing. Lady of the manor, and all that. All the right boards and charities and fundraising dinners. Neither of them is home much. And I don't have any siblings."
A defensive note crept into Eckersley's voice. "My folks don't really like each other all that well, you know? They stay married because of money – and social standing. My dad won't divorce my mom because he doesn't want her to get half of what he's got…and Mom won't leave because she'd lose all the prestige she's got by being married to him."
"Matt, I'm sorry; that's very sad," Laura murmured softly. Frank and Joe exchanged quiet glances across the table.
"Yeah…" Matt nodded soberly. "I spent all my free time on the beach, in high school. Didn't want to be home any more than I had to. When I finished, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. New York was as far away as I could get." A sudden wry grin creased his narrow features. "I really love New York, you know? Except for the lack of real beaches. My dad put me through NYU, I love the photography gig, and I'm on my own. And I like it that way!" he added, a trifle defiantly.
Suddenly realizing just how much he'd inadvertently revealed, Matt smiled sheepishly around the table, feeling the color rising in his cheeks. "Jeez, I said a whole lot more than I'd intended to – sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry for being such a blabbermouth. I had a great childhood, I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't! And I'm cool with my parents, really. We do love each other. We just…get along better when they're there – and I'm here."
"Matt – it's okay, we understand," Fenton said quietly, and when Matt glanced uncertainly at him, still embarrassed, the older man smiled with such warmth that somehow, Matt felt the words weren't just empty politeness. Still flushing, he looked at the others – and got the same feeling. He relaxed, his mouth quirking into another reluctant smile.
"Thanks…." Matt cleared his throat and addressed Joe. "So, man, tell me more about your project, that you want me to take pictures for," he requested.
"Well…" Joe pondered a moment. "Stone Point's located on the far curve of Barmet Bay. It's one of the oldest lighthouses around here. It's been there since the old days of the mooncussers."
Matt frowned in confusion. "Whoa, dude, the whats?"
"Mooncussers," Joe repeated. "A sort of pirate – they'd lure ships onto the rocks to wreck them and then take the cargo."
"But why such a weird name?"
"Because," Fenton interposed, "their plans only worked when there wasn't a moon. When there was, the ship's people could see the rocks and not be fooled by the false lights. So, the story goes that the pirates cursed the moonlight – hence the name."
"Oooh!" Matt shivered briefly, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Totally rad!"
"Anyway, we're supposed to do a full research project," Joe continued, "with historical data, pictures, interviews – and it's worth half our grade! Vanessa and I are going to go to the city historical society office tomorrow, to do research and arrange interviews, and see about getting access to the lighthouse." He grinned at Matt. "The photographs are where you come in!"
"Do my best, man," Matt promised. "I'll do my best."
"That sounds like fun, Joe," Laura commented. "I haven't been out to Stone Point for years, but I remember going there for a Fourth of July celebration when you boys were small. There's quite a bit of land there, and trees – and the fireworks display was incredible! You two loved it—" Abruptly, she stopped speaking, and the enthusiasm in her eyes dimmed slightly. Fourth of July…am I ever going to be able to think of that date again, without remembering Linda? Without seeing her…? A gentle squeeze on her left hand recalled Mrs. Hardy to the present, and she smiled gratefully at Frank, who had somehow sensed her disquiet, and reached beneath the table to take her hand in his. "Well – if everyone's finished, I'll bring in dessert." Quickly, she got to her feet and started clearing the dinner plates off.
Obeying a slight gesture from his father, Joe rose to help, shaking his head when Matt started to do the same. "Stay put, Eckersley; you'll get your chance to help later!"
In a few minutes Laura and Joe returned; Joe carrying small plates and Laura bearing an enormous chocolate layer cake. Frank murmured an appreciative 'Yum!' and Matt's eyes bulged as he beheld the dessert.
"Mrs. Hardy, that's like the hugest cake I've ever seen in my life!" he exclaimed in awe.
Laura laughed. "I can't take credit for it; it's from a place called Das Bäckerei. I'm experimenting with their stuff in preparation for Frank's birthday."
"Dude, you got a birthday coming up?" Matt eyed Frank expectantly.
"Uh – yeah." Frank nodded, watching as Laura served the multi-layered cake.
"He's turning 20!" Joe chortled. "Gettin' old, bro!"
Matt turned to Joe and swatted him gently. "Watch it," he warned. "Twenty's like, still a kid, ya know!"
Recalling that Matt was nearly four years older than Frank, Joe subsided, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.
Laura and Fenton took their dessert plates into the living room to catch the last of the evening news, but Frank, Joe and Matt remained at the dining table, and the conversation again returned to the Stone Point lighthouse and Joe's research project.
"I talked to people at the historical society today," Joe reported, "and someone from there is going to go with Vanessa and me out to the lighthouse, to give us a quick tour, after we get some preliminary information from the record books. We can go back," he added, "but this is just a first-time run-through, to sort of get acquainted with the place." He looked from Matt to Frank. "If we could all go – maybe late Saturday afternoon, after the game? – we could really start scoping the place out. Whaddya think, Frank? Would you and Megan like to come?"
Frank looked a little dubious. "I have a flight in the morning," he temporized, "but if I get back in plenty of time – sure. If Megan wants to. I think she will; she likes stuff like that – historical things. But we're not going to do your project for you!" he added in warning. "You've already got enough people helping you, without adding Megan and me into the mix!"
Joe just grinned.
Deciding to surprise Laura, the three carried their dishes to the kitchen and proceeded to load all the dinner dishes into the dishwasher. Then they raided the refrigerator for glasses of apple cider.
"It's stopped raining," Frank observed. He opened the back door and looked out. "The stars are out. Want to go outside for a little bit?"
After a brief detour for jackets, they took their drinks and went out to the back patio, turning on a few outside lights. The outdoor furniture had been put away for the winter, but they perched on the edges of planter boxes and continued their desultory conversation. It was chilly, but not too cold, and the rain's cessation was a welcome change.
Matt looked about admiringly. "Dudes, you have a righteously cool house, you know that? Do you suppose your 'rents would mind if I took some pictures of it, tomorrow? The way the lights and shadows fall, with the big trees, and all that – totally rad! I'd love to make use of it!"
Frank and Joe looked at each other and grinned. This wasn't something they'd expected, but…
Frank nodded agreeably to Matt. "I'm sure the ''rents' won't mind if you take photos of the house," he said with a soft chuckle. "I'll bet Mom would be very flattered that you wanted to!" Absently, he noticed a light tickling sensation on the side of his neck, and lifted his hand to brush at it. Must be a little bug, or something….
"Oh, man, I am like totally psyched…" Matt's excited voice suddenly choked off, and he narrowed his eyes, his gaze riveted on Frank in the soft light. "Dude…Frank-man…." His voice was tight and stifled down to a near-whisper, and the Hardys saw beads of sweat suddenly pop out on their guest's face. "Frank – you so totally do NOT want to move right now, man….Trust me, man – DON'T MOVE!"
