"Frank!" a female voice shouted from across the street. Frank turned to see who was hailing him and saw Vanessa crossing the street. He waited for her to catch up to him.
"How is college?" she asked, pushing a strand of her long blond hair out of her eyes.
"Tough," Frank admitted. "It's starting out easy but I looked ahead to some of our assignments later on and it's going to get rough," he informed her. "How have you been?"
"Fine," she said a bit distractedly. "Have you heard from Joe?" she asked after they had walked a bit in silence.
"We got a letter from him yesterday," Frank said. "He got to the camp and is enjoying himself."
"Did he...did he mention me?" Vanessa asked him.
"Sorry," Frank replied. It was true. Joe hadn't mentioned Vanessa once. He had thought Joe might be hurt at her refusing to talk to him before he left, but his letter had mentioned he had been in touch with Franc and had made plans to teach her how to SCUBA dive when he returned home. Frank still didn't believe Joe had done anything wrong before, but maybe Vanessa's rejection had jolted him into moving on.
"Do you have his address?" she asked him.
"Of course," Frank replied. "You want to write to him?" Vanessa nodded. "Can I ask why?"
"You sound like his big brother again," Vanessa responded. "Did you two make up before he left?"
"We made up before graduation," Frank admitted.
"I'm glad," Vanessa said, smiling at him. "Joe was really hurting."
"He was hurt when you wouldn't listen to him," Frank countered.
"Think he'll forgive me?" she asked.
"Forgive you?" Frank repeated, not sure he was hearing correctly. "Does this mean you believe Joe is innocent?"
"Of course I do," Vanessa returned. "I don't, however, believe Francessca was," she added, using the girl's name in distaste.
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded curiously.
"I think she was deliberately trying to break Joe and me up," Vanessa admitted. "Oh, she never said or did anything while I was around. And I don't think she made any overt attempts to seduce Joe, but since Joe left, she won't even return my calls."
"You want to talk to her?"
"I wanted to apologize for over-reacting," Vanessa confessed. "But I always get an answering machine. And when I ask for her to call me back, she never does."
"Got a piece of paper?" Frank asked her. She nodded and pulled one out of her purse along with a pen. Frank jotted down Joe's address at camp and gave it back to her.
"Thanks," Vanessa said, smiling back at Frank who was wondering if he should break his decree and tell Joe about Vanessa's fears concerning Francessca.
"I'm on my way to meet Callie at the park," Frank said, deciding to stay out of it. "Want to join us?"
"No, I won't intrude," she refrained.
"You couldn't be an intrusion," Frank told her gallantly.
"None-the-less, I have a letter to write," Vanessa refused. "Thanks again."
"Anytime," Frank replied and waved goodbye as she took off back in the direction she had appeared from.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Hardy asked his wife two weeks later as she was sweeping the porch. She had been doing busy work for days now and he could tell something was bothering her.
"Nothing," she replied, sighing.
"Oh, yeah," Mr. Hardy said, grinning at her affectionately. "That was a "nothing" sigh, alright."
Mrs. Hardy swatted at his feet with the broom. "I miss the boys," she admitted. "Frank has been so busy at college he hasn't been home in two weeks. And Joe has just been sending those short notes home. I know he's busy at camp and all and he hates to write, but still..." she sank onto the porch swing beside her husband.
"They had to grow up sometime," Mr. Hardy reminded her gently.
"But at the same time?" she asked. "I thought we would have Joe for at least another year after Frank left."
"We do," Mr. Hardy promised her.
"No, we don't have either of them," she corrected him. "Not for another five weeks."
"Well, since neither of the boys are going to be around, why don't we make ourselves scarce as well?" Mr. Hardy asked her.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked, smiling seductively at him.
"How about a second honeymoon?" he suggested. "I have to finish up the case I am working on but that shouldn't take more than a couple of days and then we could go on a cruise."
"Where to?" Mrs. Hardy asked, warming up to the idea.
"You choose," he answered. "You make the plans while I wrap up this case and then I am all yours for as long as you want."
"Now that's an offer I can't refuse," she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.
Two days later, Mr. Hardy left for upstate to meet with his client and inform him of the successful completion of the case. On his way home he realized Camp Broadstone was only thirty miles out of his way. He might as well swing by and pay Joe a surprise visit and tell him of his and Laura's plans to take a short vacation.
"May I help you?" asked the camp's owner and manager, Jack Jones, an athletic looking guy with short blond hair and kind green eyes.
"I'm Fenton Hardy," Mr. Hardy introduced himself to the man. "I was in the area and thought I would drop in and visit my son, Joe. He's one of your counselors this summer."
"So you're Joe's dad," Mr. Jones said, shaking Mr. Hardy's hand and smiling. "You have a wonderful son. He's so friendly and outgoing. But he really doesn't look anything like you," he added, looking at Mr. Hardy intently.
"No," agreed Mr. Hardy, liking the man. "He takes after his mother."
"I'll have Sara go and tell him you're here," Mr. Jones said, referring to the teen-aged secretary.
"Could you just send for him?" Mr. Hardy asked. "I wanted to surprise him."
"Of course," Mr. Jones agreed. "Sara, would you please tell Joe Hardy I would like to see him in my office. I have a special assignment for him."
"Sure thing," Sara agreed and left.
"Have a seat," Mr. Jones invited Mr. Hardy, pointing out a chair in front of his desk. They talked for a few minutes until Mr. Jones saw Joe coming. "Here he is," Mr. Jones told Mr. Hardy, smiling as he sat up.
The youth walked into the office. "You sent for me?" he asked.
Mr. Hardy stood up and turned around. "Surprise, Joe," Mr. Jones said as Mr. Hardy's eyes widened in shocked disbelief at the sight of the impostor.
"How is college?" she asked, pushing a strand of her long blond hair out of her eyes.
"Tough," Frank admitted. "It's starting out easy but I looked ahead to some of our assignments later on and it's going to get rough," he informed her. "How have you been?"
"Fine," she said a bit distractedly. "Have you heard from Joe?" she asked after they had walked a bit in silence.
"We got a letter from him yesterday," Frank said. "He got to the camp and is enjoying himself."
"Did he...did he mention me?" Vanessa asked him.
"Sorry," Frank replied. It was true. Joe hadn't mentioned Vanessa once. He had thought Joe might be hurt at her refusing to talk to him before he left, but his letter had mentioned he had been in touch with Franc and had made plans to teach her how to SCUBA dive when he returned home. Frank still didn't believe Joe had done anything wrong before, but maybe Vanessa's rejection had jolted him into moving on.
"Do you have his address?" she asked him.
"Of course," Frank replied. "You want to write to him?" Vanessa nodded. "Can I ask why?"
"You sound like his big brother again," Vanessa responded. "Did you two make up before he left?"
"We made up before graduation," Frank admitted.
"I'm glad," Vanessa said, smiling at him. "Joe was really hurting."
"He was hurt when you wouldn't listen to him," Frank countered.
"Think he'll forgive me?" she asked.
"Forgive you?" Frank repeated, not sure he was hearing correctly. "Does this mean you believe Joe is innocent?"
"Of course I do," Vanessa returned. "I don't, however, believe Francessca was," she added, using the girl's name in distaste.
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded curiously.
"I think she was deliberately trying to break Joe and me up," Vanessa admitted. "Oh, she never said or did anything while I was around. And I don't think she made any overt attempts to seduce Joe, but since Joe left, she won't even return my calls."
"You want to talk to her?"
"I wanted to apologize for over-reacting," Vanessa confessed. "But I always get an answering machine. And when I ask for her to call me back, she never does."
"Got a piece of paper?" Frank asked her. She nodded and pulled one out of her purse along with a pen. Frank jotted down Joe's address at camp and gave it back to her.
"Thanks," Vanessa said, smiling back at Frank who was wondering if he should break his decree and tell Joe about Vanessa's fears concerning Francessca.
"I'm on my way to meet Callie at the park," Frank said, deciding to stay out of it. "Want to join us?"
"No, I won't intrude," she refrained.
"You couldn't be an intrusion," Frank told her gallantly.
"None-the-less, I have a letter to write," Vanessa refused. "Thanks again."
"Anytime," Frank replied and waved goodbye as she took off back in the direction she had appeared from.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Hardy asked his wife two weeks later as she was sweeping the porch. She had been doing busy work for days now and he could tell something was bothering her.
"Nothing," she replied, sighing.
"Oh, yeah," Mr. Hardy said, grinning at her affectionately. "That was a "nothing" sigh, alright."
Mrs. Hardy swatted at his feet with the broom. "I miss the boys," she admitted. "Frank has been so busy at college he hasn't been home in two weeks. And Joe has just been sending those short notes home. I know he's busy at camp and all and he hates to write, but still..." she sank onto the porch swing beside her husband.
"They had to grow up sometime," Mr. Hardy reminded her gently.
"But at the same time?" she asked. "I thought we would have Joe for at least another year after Frank left."
"We do," Mr. Hardy promised her.
"No, we don't have either of them," she corrected him. "Not for another five weeks."
"Well, since neither of the boys are going to be around, why don't we make ourselves scarce as well?" Mr. Hardy asked her.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked, smiling seductively at him.
"How about a second honeymoon?" he suggested. "I have to finish up the case I am working on but that shouldn't take more than a couple of days and then we could go on a cruise."
"Where to?" Mrs. Hardy asked, warming up to the idea.
"You choose," he answered. "You make the plans while I wrap up this case and then I am all yours for as long as you want."
"Now that's an offer I can't refuse," she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.
Two days later, Mr. Hardy left for upstate to meet with his client and inform him of the successful completion of the case. On his way home he realized Camp Broadstone was only thirty miles out of his way. He might as well swing by and pay Joe a surprise visit and tell him of his and Laura's plans to take a short vacation.
"May I help you?" asked the camp's owner and manager, Jack Jones, an athletic looking guy with short blond hair and kind green eyes.
"I'm Fenton Hardy," Mr. Hardy introduced himself to the man. "I was in the area and thought I would drop in and visit my son, Joe. He's one of your counselors this summer."
"So you're Joe's dad," Mr. Jones said, shaking Mr. Hardy's hand and smiling. "You have a wonderful son. He's so friendly and outgoing. But he really doesn't look anything like you," he added, looking at Mr. Hardy intently.
"No," agreed Mr. Hardy, liking the man. "He takes after his mother."
"I'll have Sara go and tell him you're here," Mr. Jones said, referring to the teen-aged secretary.
"Could you just send for him?" Mr. Hardy asked. "I wanted to surprise him."
"Of course," Mr. Jones agreed. "Sara, would you please tell Joe Hardy I would like to see him in my office. I have a special assignment for him."
"Sure thing," Sara agreed and left.
"Have a seat," Mr. Jones invited Mr. Hardy, pointing out a chair in front of his desk. They talked for a few minutes until Mr. Jones saw Joe coming. "Here he is," Mr. Jones told Mr. Hardy, smiling as he sat up.
The youth walked into the office. "You sent for me?" he asked.
Mr. Hardy stood up and turned around. "Surprise, Joe," Mr. Jones said as Mr. Hardy's eyes widened in shocked disbelief at the sight of the impostor.