Disclaimer: The characters Frank Hardy, Joe Hardy and Fenton Hardy are borrowed from the series of Hardy Boys books by Franklin W. Dixon. The characters Nancy Drew, Carson Drew, Ned Nickerson, George Fayne and Bess Marvin are borrowed from the series of Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene.

Warnings: This story includes as an on-going sub-plot an incestuous homosexual relationship between Frank and Joe Hardy. Slash Warning! While none of the scenes are particularly graphic or explicit, there's no mistaking what's going on. There is also an implied lesbian relationship between George Fayne and Bess Marvin. If these sorts of things make you uncomfortable, I strongly suggest you stop now and go read some other story.

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Chapter 1: The Body

"It's muddy out here," Joe grumbled. "We should have brought a blanket."

"And how were you planning to explain to Dad why we needed a blanket to go jogging?" Frank asked pointedly.

"Well, we're doing it on our knees, then. We can explain getting mud on our legs, but not on my back."

"That's fine."

The two young men walked carefully through the woods. It was dark, so they went slowly to avoid slipping. It had rained that day, so the ground was quite damp. Frank, the older of the two at eighteen years of age, and taller by about three inches, led the way. His younger brother Joe, a slender youth of seventeen, followed.

"Why's Dad home tonight, anyway?" Joe asked in an annoyed tone. "I thought he had an AA meeting tonight."

"He said their mediator has the flu so the meeting was cancelled. He and some of his AA buddies decided to have a Sobriety Night at our house instead."

"What the hell is a Sobriety Night?"

"That's when a bunch of former drunks get together and try to prove they can have more fun sober than drunk."

"Sounds like a blast." Joe's tone was in complete contrast to his words. "Anyway, I personally always had a lot of fun watching Dad and his old friends try to play Charades when they were loaded."

Frank laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty funny."

"And besides, once Dad passed out, we could make as much noise as we wanted and he never noticed." Joe slipped in a muddy spot. "Shit! We're gonna get filthy."

Frank stopped. "You're right." He looked around. "It doesn't look like there's too much mud under that tree. You can lean against it."

"That'll work." Joe stepped up to the tree and pulled his running shorts and underwear down. He put his hands against the tree trunk and bent forward slightly. Frank stepped up behind him, pulled down his own shorts and underpants and began rubbing himself briskly. Joe glanced over his shoulder. "You're not ready?"

"I was distracted. It'll only take a second. See?" Frank stepped close and caught Joe's hip with one hand. "You lubed, right?"

"Yeah," Joe said. "Hurry up! My ass is getting cold."

"Don't be so impatient! Good things are worth waiting for." Frank guided himself in and then clasped Joe with both hands as the younger man groaned.

Joe drew his breath in with a faint gasp. "I can always count on you," he moaned.

"Who else can you count on, if not your big brother?" Frank teased. He began thrusting into Joe, going slowly at first and then picking up speed.

"And you're a very BIG brother," Joe groaned out between thrusts.

"That's because you always get me so hard!" Frank gasped back. He fucked Joe urgently, until delicious release left them both panting with pleasure.

"Oh, that was good!" Joe sighed. "I wish we had time for more."

"Me, too," Frank agreed, "but Dad might wonder if we're out too long 'jogging'." Frank stepped back and pulled up his shorts.

Joe turned around as he pulled his own shorts up. "Dad just better not miss his meeting tomorrow night! His sobriety is practically turning us into monks! When are we supposed to fuck if he's home and sober all the time?"

"Yeah, it definitely sucks," said Frank. "Maybe we can get him signed up with a few more self-help groups."

Joe nodded as they started back toward home. The Hardy home was on a street that dead-ended against the woods. When the boys were quite young, theirs had been one of only three houses on the street, but now both sides of the street were lined with homes all the way to the end. They had had to walk quite far out into the woods to make sure no one heard them. They had just gotten close enough on their way back to see the lights of the nearest house when Frank slipped in the mud.

"Shit!" Frank grunted as he stumbled onto one knee. He flung out a hand to keep himself from falling all the way down and then let out a startled yelp. "What the hell?!" He snatched his hand back as Joe caught him by the back of the shirt to steady him.

"What is it?" asked Joe.

"It felt like a body!" Frank said.

"A body?" Joe helped Frank to his feet and then stepped past him to stare into the dark under the overhanging branches of a tree. He leaned over. "You're right. It is a body. I think it's a woman." He touched the body tentatively. "She's awfully cold."

"I think she's dead." Frank stepped up beside Joe and touched the woman. He pressed his fingers against the side of her neck. "No pulse."

"Damn!" Joe looked around. "With all this mud, there might have been tracks, but we'll have messed them up."

"I know." Frank swore under his breath. "You better get back to the house and call the sheriff. I'll wait here."

"Are you sure?" Joe sounded worried. "What if whoever left her is still here?"

Frank straightened up. "I doubt it. I think she's been here awhile. Her skin's too wet. She has to have been here since it rained."

"Right. I'll be as quick as I can." Joe hurried off through the trees.

Frank looked around. "Bring a flashlight when you come back!" he shouted after Joe.

"Will do!"

Joe burst into the house to find the Sobriety Night gathering in full swing. They were playing Twister. Joe took one look and vowed silently he would never play that game with Frank again, as much fun as it was to see if they could do it without losing their positions on the colored circles.

"Joe!" Fenton Hardy called. "Come join us!"

"No thanks, Dad, I have to call the sheriff."

Fenton looked surprised. "What's up?"

"Frank and I found a body in the woods."

"A body?!" Fenton exclaimed in surprise. And then he frowned. "What were you two doing in the woods? I thought you were jogging."

"We were, but we took a short cut." Joe went into the kitchen to use the phone there. "Don't let me interrupt. I'll just make the call and head back out."

Fenton followed him. "Did Frank stay with the body?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps I'd better come back with you. It might be dangerous."

Joe sighed. "Frank didn't think so, Dad. Anyway, you shouldn't leave your friends when you're the host."

"But a body…"

"It's all right, Dad. Frank and I can take care of it. Go back in the living room. I need to make the call." Still frowning, Fenton went back into the other room. Joe could hear him explaining to his guests as he punched 911. Fenton Hardy had not been the same since his wife left him. That's what had started him drinking. Joe missed his mother, but he had to admit not having her in the house and having their father drunk all the time had made it much easier for him and Frank to engage in their favorite pastime. But now their father had decided to be clean and sober and it was definitely screwing up their screwing around.

"Bayport Emergency Services. How may I direct your call?"

"I need to talk to the sheriff. My brother and I found a body in the woods near our house."

"Is this Joe Hardy?" The woman on the other end of the line sounded much too perky to be a police dispatcher.

"Yes, this is Joe."

"I'll put you through to the sheriff, Joe."

"Thanks."

The sheriff answered the phone in his usual gruff manner. "Sheriff Becker speaking."

"Sheriff, this is Joe Hardy. Frank and I just found a body in the woods near our house."

"A body? In the woods?" The repetition sounded a little silly, but Joe knew that Sheriff Becker was writing the information down. "Whereabouts, exactly?"

"It's about a hundred yards off the end of Elm."

"All right. I'll be over there in just a few minutes. Wait for me."

"Yes, sir." Joe hung up and then rummaged under the kitchen sink to snag the big flashlight. When he re-entered the living room, the Twister game was over. His father's guests were putting on their coats and getting ready to leave. "I'm sorry we messed up your evening, Dad."

"It's not your fault, son," Fenton said. "This is important."

"I'm going out to wait for the Sheriff." Joe went back out and trotted down to the end of the street. He watched as his father's guests drove away. When the last had left, Fenton came out with his coat on and walked down to join Joe.

They didn't speak as they waited for the sheriff. Joe shifted uncomfortably as Frank's cum dampened his underwear and made it chaff. He preferred staying naked after sex, at least for a few minutes, but that was not going to happen tonight. Sheriff Tom Becker arrived only five minutes later, a benefit of living in a small town. His patrol car was followed by another patrol car and the coroner's wagon. All three cars pulled in at an angle at the end of the road.

"Evening Fenton," Sheriff Becker said as he stepped out of his car. "Joe, you better take us right along to that body."

"Yes, sir," said Joe. "This way."

Joe flipped on his flashlight and led the party into the woods. In addition to the sheriff, there were two deputies, the coroner and her two assistants. The sheriff and one of the deputies also had flashlights.

"Over here!" Frank called almost as soon as they had gotten into the trees.

The group hurried to reach him. Joe paused in surprise. What he had not been able to see before was revealed by the flashlight. The victim was naked. Her bare, pale skin was unmarked as she lay on her back with her arms neatly folded across her chest and her legs straight and together. Her hair was spread out in a smooth fan around her head. If not for the fact that she was clearly dead, the pose would have been quite artistic.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Sheriff Becker exclaimed.

"I'm afraid we'll have muddied the crime scene a little," Frank said, "if you'll pardon the expression. We stumbled across the body in the dark."

"What were you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Deputy Corbin Hill asked.

"Jogging," Frank said calmly.

"In the woods?" Deputy Hill looked surprised and suspicious.

"It was a shortcut."

"You didn't see or hear anything, did you?" the sheriff asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Frank. "Like I said, we literally stumbled onto the body. We didn't see or hear anyone."

"Well, let's look around to see if there are any clues before it starts raining again."

The group searched the area, but nothing was found. If there had been tracks, they had been washed away by the rain. There was no sign of the victim's clothes, nor were there any other items to be found. There was nothing but the woman's body.

"This is a real strange one," Sheriff Becker said, scratching his head. Rain began to drip down through the trees. "Well, you'd better pack her up Doc," he said to the coroner. "How soon can you get me a cause of death?"

"I'll try to have it for you by tomorrow, Sheriff."

"I'll right. Let's get 'er bagged and loaded."

The coroner's two assistants wrestled the victim into a body bag and lugged it back to the coroner's wagon. The two deputies roped off the area where the body had been with police tape and then everyone headed back.

"Frank and Joe," Sheriff Becker said, "I'll probably want to talk to you again tomorrow, after we get a cause of death, all right?"

"Sure, Sheriff," Frank said. "We'll put our heads together and see if we can remember anything."

"That's great. I'll see you tomorrow, then." The sheriff climbed into his patrol car, backed out and drove off down Elm behind the coroner.

Deputy Hill stared suspiciously at the Hardy boys before climbing into his patrol car and following the sheriff.

Fenton regarded his sons thoughtfully. "It still seems kind of odd that you'd be that far out in the woods."

"We just wanted something a little more challenging than the roads, Dad," Frank said offhandedly. "But let's get inside. I'm starting to get cold."

"Me, too," Joe agreed. "And I could use a shower." He grinned at Frank behind Fenton's back. "My butt feels wet."