"What do you mean 'it's gone'?" Candice screeched. "You left it running?"
"Yeah, I did, but Nancy and Brandi were in it." He was puzzled.
"Maybe they took it somewhere," Candice suggested.
"Maybe," Frank replied doubtfully, "but they were asleep when I left them."
Just then the Infiniti pulled to a stop in front of them. "Did you miss us?" Brandi asked through the driver's window. At Frank's glare she laughed. "We woke up and decided to give you a scare," she explained while Nancy opened the back door for Frank to put Candice in. Frank did so as Nancy climbed out.
"My car is right over there," she told him. "Why don't I follow you guys to this mysterious warehouse?"
"I have a better idea," Frank said. "Why don't Candice and Brandi go back to the warehouse and you and I can take your car and go get some groceries for my hungry agents?"
"That sounds like a plan," Nancy said and Brandi quickly agreed.
"All right," Frank said to Brandi, "we'll see you in a bit."
They all said their goodbyes and Nancy led Frank to her car.
"Nice ride," Frank said appreciatively as he examined the unmarked Camaro. "I'll bet this thing can move."
"I recognize that gleam in your eyes," Nancy said with a laugh. She held out the keys. "Want to drive?"
Frank snatched the keys out of her hand. "Definitely," he said as he opened the passenger door for her. She sat down and he quickly closed the door. He walked swiftly around the car and hopped into the driver's seat. He turned the key in the ignition and grinned as the powerful engine roared to life and then settled down to a throaty purr. He put the car in gear and pulled smoothly out of the parking space.
"Now the hard part," Frank said, "finding a grocery store that's still open."
"I know a place," Nancy said. "I've had to use it a few times myself." She directed him to the store.
As they walked into the store, Frank said, "We'd better get two carts. We're going to need a lot of food."
Half an hour and several hundred dollars later, Frank and Nancy had enough food piled in the carts to feed their small army.
"I hope there's enough room in my car for all this," Nancy laughed as the two pushed the overloaded carts through the parking lot.
"If not, we can always strap you to the top," Frank teased.
"You're horrible!" Nancy exclaimed as she slugged him in the arm. Frank just laughed. After a few moments of feigned hurt, Nancy joined him.
They reached the car and Frank opened the trunk. They began to load the groceries into the car. They were both putting the last bags in at the same time when they lightly banged their heads together. They laughed softly as they straightened up. As their eyes met, the laughter stopped. Frank leaned down and his lips met Nancy's. The kiss deepened as his arms encircled her waist and hers wrapped around his neck.
Finally they broke apart. "Wow," Nancy said with a twinkle in her blue eyes.
"Wow yourself," Frank said with a grin. He picked her up. At first she squealed in surprise but it quickly turned into a giggle as he carried her to her seat in the car.
Frank took the carts to the cart return and hurried back to the Camaro. He quickly started it up and drove out onto the street. "So…," he said.
"So what?"
"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked.
"No. I think you pretty much said it all back there," Nancy replied dryly. "Let me tell you what I think you said and you can tell me if I'm right. Your kiss, no, make that your amazing kiss said, 'I like you, Nancy. I think that you like me and I've known this for a long time but I finally acted on it.' That about right?"
"I think that about covers it," Frank agreed.
"Good," Nancy said, "then we're on the same page."
"I guess that means you like me back, huh?" Frank said.
Nancy rolled her eyes. "You can be so dense sometimes, Frank Hardy! Yes, I like you! I have ever since I met you!"
Frank's grin almost split his face. Suddenly the grin faded.
"What's wrong?" Nancy asked.
"We have cops chasing us again," he motioned to the flashing lights behind them, "and I wasn't even speeding!"
Nancy whipped her head around to look at the car behind them. She laughed. "It's just George," she told him. At Frank's blank look, she explained, "She is a state trooper now and she and I have a standing bet. She can give me a ticket if she can catch me, otherwise she has to pay for the pizza at the end of the week."
"Huh?" Frank said.
"In other words," Nancy said slowly, "you had better step on it or we're in trouble!"
"Gotcha," Frank said as he stomped on the accelerator. "Any rules?"
"Yeah," Nancy answered wryly, "don't kill anybody."
"Easy enough," he said as he swerved around a slow moving car. The speedometer passed 100 miles per hour.
"Watch out!" Nancy called, noticing that all of the lanes were blocked by semi trucks.
"Hang on," Frank replied calmly. He forged ahead. Suddenly he yanked the hand brake and twisted the steering wheel to the left. The rear end of the Camaro skewed around as the car slid through a police turn around on the interstate. When the car stopped sliding, it was facing the other way on the opposite side of the interstate. Frank floored the gas pedal and the car sped down the interstate away from Trooper Fayne.
"How's that?" he asked with a grin.
"Other than scaring me half to death," Nancy said breathlessly, "it was pretty good." She reached over and flipped on one of the radios set into the dash. She changed the frequency and then said, "You're going to have to do better than that, George."
"What in the world was that?" George yelled over the radio. "I know that wasn't you driving, Nancy Drew!"
Nancy laughed as she pushed down the microphone button. "You're right," she said. "I want you to meet someone. Meet us at the next turn around back." She pointed to the turn around and Frank pulled to a stop in it.
"10-4," George replied. "I'll be there in a minute."
In just over a minute the Chevrolet Lumina Police Cruiser that George was driving pulled in beside them. All three of them got out of their cars.
"Frank Hardy!" George exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"That is a very long story," Frank said, "that I am sure Nancy will explain to you in detail later."
"All right," George agreed. She looked suspiciously at Nancy. "Come here, girl," she ordered. Nancy obeyed and George whispered in her ear. "What is going on?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you are positively glowing." She gasped as a thought came to her. "Did you and Frank finally hook up?"
"What do you mean, 'finally'?" Nancy growled.
"Oh, come on," George said, "it has been obvious to everybody else how you two feel about each other. Now answer the question."
"Maybe," Nancy said evasively. She grinned.
"You did!" George exclaimed. "You have to tell me all about it." She looked at the cars streaming by. "After I take care of that drunk driver," she added. She sprinted to her car.
"Bye, George," Frank called as she opened her door.
"Bye, Frank. Nice to see you again," she said as she flipped on her flashing lights. A moment later she had entered the flow of traffic after the erratically weaving driver.
"Shall we?" Frank asked. "The others are probably wondering what happened to us."
"Let's go," Nancy agreed.
They climbed into the Camaro and reentered the traffic. They had only gone about a mile down the road when they passed George beginning to give her quarry a sobriety test. From the looks of it, he was failing miserably.