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).

This story was originally written in the early 2000s. There are many technological differences from today's world. It takes place shortly after the end of "Death on the Fourth of July."

Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen.

Thank you very much, Cherylann and Max2013, for your feedback on Chapter 1.

Ides of August

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 2

Laura Hardy moved a few steps forward in the line wending its way up the boarding ramp to the Royal Tahoe. Behind her, her tall, dark-haired husband Fenton moved also, keeping in close enough contact to ensure they weren't separated in the crush of people. She glanced back at him, and smiled, her blue eyes alight with pleasure.

"I'm really looking forward to this," she confided. "This cruise sounds so elegant – taking off from Emerald Beach, and stopping here and there at points along the south shoreline…the scenery is spectacular, no matter where you are, on the water – and then that luscious-sounding buffet!"

He nodded. "I'm looking forward to it, too. We were lucky to be able to get tickets; usually these cruises are sold out months in advance. I understand there were some cancellations, and that's why some space was available."

Laura brushed a strand of blonde hair back from her face, where it had been tossed by the fitful lake breeze. "This is almost like a second honeymoon," she observed, with a demure smile. "The kids are old enough to fend for themselves, and we can do just about whatever we please."

"What were they intending to do, did they say?" Fenton asked. He smiled reminiscently. "It's more like a first honeymoon," he added. "If you'll recall, the first one got postponed – and then interrupted!"

"They didn't say, although I believe they were starting off with something simple today, like a walk on the beach," Laura replied. "And yes, I remember – but I wasn't going to bring it up if you didn't."

She thought back to those long-ago days. First, the quiet little wedding, after Mother and Judge Daddy died…and then we had to put off a real honeymoon because of Fenton's job with the NYPD. And when we finally managed to get away – two weeks in the south of France! – he gets called back because of an emergency case! Well, I've gotten over that, a long time ago. She repeated the last words aloud, "I forgave you for that years ago, darling. And we can make up for it this time around," and tiptoed to kiss him. Fenton put his arm about her and snuggled her close, once again marveling at the good fortune which had blessed him with Laura Whittier for a wife.

They moved forward again, slowly. Immediately in front of them, a couple approximately the same age as the Hardys half-turned to face them, as the line came to a halt once again.

"We couldn't help overhearing—" the woman said, with a friendly smile, "that you're considering this a second honeymoon. We are too." Taller than Laura, with dark, curly hair and dark eyes, she cast an amused glance at her husband, a man of medium height, with thinning reddish-brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. "A much-overdue vacation, I might add."

"Randall Claremont." The man introduced himself, extending his hand to Laura and then Fenton. "And this is my wife, Lisa. We're from Sacramento." He grinned ruefully. "I'm in the corporate business world, and this is the first time I've managed to get away from the office for any length of time in five years!"

"And it took an incredible amount of planning and preparation to do it this time!" Lisa Claremont confided to Laura with a laugh, as Fenton introduced himself and Laura, the two men shook hands, and they began to converse.

"I know just what you mean!" Laura responded, and the two exchanged knowing looks. Being married to super-achievers created an instant bond. "We keep attempting to schedule them, but it seems like something always interferes!"

"Randall keeps checking in with his office, by phone, but so far they've managed to struggle along without him – he can't imagine how they're doing it!" Lisa confided. She added, sotto voce, in an aside to Laura. "Maybe he'll figure out he can do this more often, and his business won't go up in smoke!"

The two couples chatted amicably as the line moved slowly toward the cruise ship. The Claremonts, too, had gotten tickets at the last minute, and were congratulating themselves on their incredible luck.

"I wonder why this one cruise ship suddenly had vacancies," Fenton commented curiously. "All the others were booked solid, but this one had available tickets for any day."

Randall Claremont frowned a trifle nervously. "You don't suppose there's anything…wrong…with this boat, do you?" he asked. "I didn't hear anything bad about it – did you?"

"No." Fenton and Laura both shook their heads. "Not a word. Maybe it's just a coincidence that people had to cancel their plans at the same times."

Finally, they moved up the boarding ramp and made their way onto the ship. Lisa and Randall went down to the enclosed lower salon, where the large picture windows offered waterline views of the lake. Laura and Fenton, however, opted to remain outside for the moment, on the upper deck. They walked around the whole ship, while the remaining passengers boarded and settled into their places. Laura was constantly snapping photos with the digital camera her sons had given her for a birthday gift, even managing to catch a rather sheepish-looking Fenton relaxing, drink in hand, in one of the leather chairs in the lounge surrounding the captain's helm.

At long last, a whistle blew a breathy, dual-toned note, the gangplank was drawn up, and the ship moved slowly out into the lake. Laura rapturously watched the shoreline recede, leaning out over the railing and letting the breeze ruffle her blonde hair.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" Loudspeakers came to life throughout the ship. "This is Captain Aaron Lawson, welcoming you to Royal Tahoe's premier lake cruise. As you know, this is a four-hour cruise, combining both sightseeing stops at various points around the southern portion of Lake Tahoe, and a buffet luncheon, served in our lower-deck dining salon at three o'clock.. The buffet is included in your ticket price, and all beverages are complimentary. At some point during the next hour, we suggest that you locate your table, for later reference…." The captain went on to enumerate the various places they were to stop, mentioned the glass-bottomed viewing area on the main deck, and concluded by wishing them a pleasant voyage.

#####

An hour later, Fenton and Laura found themselves seated in the beautifully-appointed dining salon. Although they had discussed reserving one of the private alcoves for their 'honeymoon' luncheon, the Hardys had finally opted for eating at one of the larger tables, sharing with several other diners. They discovered their seats were within conversational distance of the friendly Claremonts, with whom they had joined forces during the stops the boat had made, and the four of them avidly discussed the things they had seen.

"Aren't these pretty?" Laura proudly displayed a set of coffee mugs she had purchased in the ship's little gift shop. "And can you believe it? – I took so many pictures, I actually used up my whole digital card! But the gift shop had them in stock."

Her husband groaned expressively. "At a nice mark-up in price, no doubt," he grumbled, but the twinkle in his brown eyes belied his comment. He was wholeheartedly delighted to see Laura having a good time. He surveyed his overflowing plate with contentment. "This food is excellent!" he added.

Laura nodded, taking a bite of her pasta salad. "This is marvelous – but I admit, I'm nuts about buffets, so I was anticipating it!" She sipped her wine, then pushed one of the baskets of warm bread nearer Fenton. "Here – eat this, so that I won't!"

"If I keep eating up all the bread, I won't have any room for all this on my plate!" Fenton protested, but took more, all the same.

They continued with their meal, occasionally chatting to the other diners around them, but mostly just enjoying the food, the wine, the soft music provided by a jazz combo in the corner of the salon, and the gentle motion of the cruise ship. They were seated near one of the wide windows, and the view of the sun sparkling on the blue lake waters was breathtaking.

The dessert table was nearly overwhelming in its abundance. Cakes, pies, pastries, cookies, puddings….Laura protested that she shouldn't, she really shouldn't…and then succumbed to the meringue shells filled with sliced, sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. Fenton took German chocolate cake, and murmured to Laura that really, it was better than Gertrude's, but for heaven's sake, not to tell her he'd said so!

When their plates were finally empty, Laura pushed her chair back with a long sigh. "I think I'd better walk around for awhile, darling, or I'll fall asleep right here at the table! And napping during a cruise is not what I want to do!"

"Sounds fine to me," Fenton replied. "Let's go up top. Too bad it isn't dusk," he added, with a significant look. "I'd like to watch the sunset over the lake, and then wait for the stars to come out." He intertwined his fingers with Laura's as they made their way out of the dining salon and up the narrow stairs to the upper deck. The jazz combo had stopped playing, once the luncheon was over, but now soft guitar music was being piped through the ship's sound system. They drifted over to the nearest railing and watched the water purl backwards away from the boat.

"Look!" Laura pointed to a small flock of birds skimming across the water's surface. "Aren't they graceful?"

"Mm-hmm!" Fenton's reply was muted as he slapped at another winged guest – this one a mosquito bent on its own lunch buffet – one which featured sanguis a la Hardy! "I thought these bloodthirsty little beasts only came out after dark! Let's keep walking, so they at least have a moving target!"

As they neared the bow of the ship, Fenton and Laura heard several voices raised in fretful-sounding conversation. Curious, they approached the sounds, and found a family sitting near the railing; parents and two young children. One of the children, a girl about ten years old, was curled miserably in a chair, arms wrapped about her stomach, and tears streaking her face. A younger brother hovered near, patting her in an effort to be comforting. The mother and father appeared somewhat concerned, but their worry was tinged with irritation.

"Is something wrong?" Laura asked, walking toward the little group. "Can we do anything to help?"

"Thanks, but I don't think so." The woman gave Laura a grateful smile. "Erin has a stomachache, that's all. I guess the buffet didn't agree with her. Maybe she over-ate."

That Erin wasn't feeling well was abruptly made very evident, as she suddenly got to her feet and made a dash for the railing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Laura commiserated. "Is the motion of the boat making it worse?"

"Maybe." Erin's mother sighed. "But it's really a very calm day; I didn't think getting seasick would be a problem. She doesn't usually get carsick."

Regretting that they could do nothing for the unhappy family, Laura and Fenton resumed their stroll along the railing of the cruise ship. Before long, they reached a point where they could see lovely little Fannette Island, with its picturesque stone tea house. Laura reached for Fenton's hand.

"Isn't that island adorable? Can you imagine having afternoon tea there? That's what the owner did; she and her friends would take a boat over for tea, in the 1930s!"

He squeezed her hand and smiled down at her indulgently. "I'm not all that big on afternoon tea, but yes, it's very beautiful. Very…secluded." One dark eyebrow elevated significantly, and Fenton reached to slide his free hand through Laura's soft blonde hair, and pull her closer.

Her eyes widened. "Secluded? Fenton, you sound more like one of your sons than yourself!" she teased. "I think vacations must be good for you."

"Too bad it's not dark…" he murmured, but just as he was leaning down to kiss her, the sound of hurrying feet rapidly approaching alerted them to the presence of others. Before they could move, a shout of "Coming through!" resounded, and to their shock, a man rushed past them, and was violently sick, over the rail.

"For heaven's sake!" Laura exclaimed softly. "What in the world? The water's not rough – how very strange!"

"I wonder what's making people so sick?" Fenton mused, glancing back toward the bow, where the little girl had been, then over at the man still draped over the railing.

"Honey…" Laura's voice held a warning note. "Curiosity killed the cat, remember? And yours will get the best of you, yet!"

Fenton was about to make a laughing rejoinder when they heard another commotion near the railing ahead of them, and yet a third person – this time a young woman – was seen to be miserably vomiting into the waters of the lake.

"There's something going on," Fenton scowled. "People don't just suddenly start getting nauseous like this without a reason. If the water was choppy, I could understand it, but…." He and Laura made their way to the nearest stairway, and descended, amid the obviously-shaken passengers who had seen the two people become ill.

When they stepped into the dining salon, the room was buzzing with voices raised in excited conversation. At first it was difficult to make out definite words, but as the Hardys neared the center of the room, a single voice rose and made itself clearly heard:

"This isn't the first time you've tried to poison someone, either! You cheating scoundrel! I demand my money back!"