9

Another One Down

Everything happened so fast.

"Nancy! Nancy!" Frank said, rushing to Nancy.

Joe rushed by. "What happened?"

"Wake up, Nancy!" Bess shouted, frantic.

"Whoa, her forehead is burning!" Frank shouted as he touched Nancy's forehead. "She must be having a fever. Bess! We've got to get her to the hospital! Pronto!"

Bess nodded and ran outside with the car key. As she opened it, Frank and Joe carried Nancy into the car's backseat and closed the door.

"This car only seats three people, since Nancy has to lie down at the back, so I think you and Joe should accompany her," the blonde girl said. "I'll wait here."

The older of the Hardys nodded and turned the ignition on. "We'll call you and let you know how Nancy is doing."

Bess watched as the Hardys drove Nancy to the hospital. When the car disappeared around the corner, she sighed and went into the house.

"I hope Nancy gets better soon…" she murmured as she opened the door.

Frank and Joe waited in front of the doctor's room for nearly ten minutes before the doctor came out of the room. He smiled as he saw Frank and Joe.

"It's the fever. I get people come in to my office because they got this fever that is spreading around the area. By looking at the symptoms, I can say that she got a mild case of this fever. She must have been working too hard or was stressed. It's best for her to stay in her house for at least a few days. When a person is tired, their fever gets worse really quickly."

Joe nodded solemnly. "So what about medication? Is there medicine she should take?"

The doctor shook his head. "The best medicine we have is getting enough rest. The reason people got the fever is because they didn't get enough rest or were working too hard."

"I understand. So, can we see her now?"

"Yes, she is awake but is a little shaky. She should have come here when she was beginning to feel woozy or dizzy."

Frank and Joe entered the office and saw Nancy sitting on a reclined chair. Nancy looked at them and smiled.

"Are you feeling any better now?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, I feel shaky, but other than that, I'm fine."

"But the doctor thinks otherwise," Joe said. "Nancy, you should have told us when you started getting dizzy. You shouldn't have held it for so long, especially when you were exhausted and had caught a fever."

Nancy blushed, embarrassed. "I thought it was just because I was working a little too hard on my investigation."

"I'm glad it's not too serious," Frank said, smiling. "We'd better call the Higgins about this and ask them if Nancy can stay there for a day or two."

Nancy shook her head and coughed. "No, I don't want Bailey or Mrs. Higgins catching my fever. I want to stay in a hotel room so nobody can catch my cold."

"All right, then," Joe said. "I'll call the hotel we're staying at and make and get a room for you."

Joe left the room to call the hotel clerk. When he came back, he said, "I got the only room that was available. Thankfully, a couple couldn't make it for vacation this week because of sudden change in schedule."

Nancy was glad. "But we have to go Bailey's house to get my suitcases…" She blinked and her eyes got wider. "Oh, no! We totally forgot about George! We have to call the police about this."

Frank remembered that, too. "But according to the state policy, the person must be gone for at least twenty-four hours before considered missing, unless an evidence is present that George was kidnapped at the premise. In other words, unless we can find a clue stating that George was being against her will somewhere, the police are no use."

After getting out of the hospital, Frank, Joe, and Nancy went to Bailey's house. Mrs. Bailey answered the door. When she looked at Nancy, her face got pale.

"Why, Nancy! You look like you have a fever!"

Nancy smiled slightly. "I'm afraid I do. I have to get my suitcases and move to the hotel room I'll be staying at."

"Hotel room? It was very lucky you could even find one! You could have told us that. I could have prepared for you some fruits and vegetables for dinner. But…" Mrs. Higgins looked at the trio. "Where are Bess and George?"

Nancy was about to say that George was kidnapped, but before she could do so, Frank interrupted. "They are back at the hotel room Joe and I are staying in right now." Nancy understood that he was not planning to worry Mrs. Higgins even more and decided to go along with Frank's statement.

"Oh, I see…"

"I didn't want you catching my fever, so I decided to stay by myself." Nancy looked around, changing the subject. "Where is Bailey?"

Mrs. Higgins looked at the clock. "It's still six. She is at work right now. I think she will be back at six-forty or so."

"Okay. Will you tell her about this when she comes back? Or does she have a cell phone?"

Mrs. Higgins shook her head. "Her cell phone broke two days ago, when it fell out of her purse. We are planning to get a new one for her, but right now, she doesn't have any."

The detectives then carried out all the suitcases Nancy had in the guest room. After loading them in the trunk, they drove straight to the hotel where Nancy and the Hardys would be staying.

Bess heard a knock on the door. She put down the magazine she was reading and opened the door. "Yes?"

A person stood there with a stun gun in their right hand. Bess noticed that right away and gasped. "Wha…what are you…?"

The person jabbed the stun gun into Bess's arm. She let out a short scream and collapsed on the floor. She was then dragged across the room and out the window. There, a silver car was parked, and the captor opened the door before they put Bess into the back seat. After making sure that no one was watching, the kidnapper drove away from the hotel.

The three detectives arrived just when the silver car was driving away from the hotel. They had no idea that Bess was inside the car, unconscious. They parked the rented car and entered the hotel.

Frank and Joe took the suitcases out of the trunk and went to the front desk. A man with auburn hair was at the desk. He smiled when he saw the trio. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Frank said. "We got a room for one person just this afternoon. We came here to get the key."

"Boy, you are very lucky you even got a room to stay in. Because this is Christmas season, all of our rooms are usually booked or occupied. May I have the credit card, please?"

Frank handed him his credit card. After a few minutes, the clerk took a key and gave it to Frank. "Have a nice stay."

To the detectives' surprise, the room Nancy got was right across the hall from the Hardys'. But what surprised them even more was that the door of the room where Frank and Joe were staying was open.

"What in the world happened here?" Frank said. He looked at the lock. It didn't seem to be picked or was opened by force. He went inside with Joe and Nancy. It was empty and quiet. Bess was nowhere in sight.

"What could have happened to her?" Nancy said, alarmed. Her eyes went to the open window. She looked down. There was a pair of footprints leading from the window to the nearby parking lot. She bit her lips. These footprints were made less than fifteen minutes ago. Suddenly, she imagined the silver car they passed when they were entering the hotel parking lot. Maybe Bess was in that car! But that was a slight possibility. She turned to the Hardys.

"Frank! Joe! We have to call the police right away. Bess must have been kidnapped, and I have a hunch it was the same kidnapper as the one who kidnapped George!"

Joe was already dialing New York police department on the phone in the room.

"Hello? I would like to report a person missing, well, actually two."

The voice on the other line was that of a woman with husky voice. "Two? Are they gone for more than twenty-four hours?"

"No, they are not. They have been missing since today. One was gone from a theater this afternoon and the other disappeared just a few minutes ago."

The operator said sternly, "I'm sorry, but unless those persons are missing for more than twenty-four hours, we cannot declare them missing yet, unless you have a proof stating that they were held against their wills."

"Oh… okay…" Joe bit his lips.

"Because there are many teenagers who are running away from their parents or are playing some kind of prank, we just cannot simply assume that a person is kidnapped or taken away against their will. Please, we would like you to call again after waiting for a day. If those two persons don't come back, then let us know."

"All right." Joe hung up.

"See? I knew they weren't of any help!" Frank shouted in anger, throwing his arms up. Then, he noticed Nancy's expression. Her face was so pale he thought she was going to faint with shock.

Actually, she did.

Frank ran up to her and caught her just before her head hit the floor. "Nancy! We've got to put you into a bed. You have such a high fever!"

Joe helped Frank carry Nancy into her room and lay her on the bed. "She'll wake up in a few hours," Joe said. He tore a piece of paper from the notepad and scribbled a note. It read: "Nancy, call us as soon as you read this note. FH and JH."

"That'll do," he said, placing it right beside Nancy's pillow. "Now let's investigate the disappearance of George Fayne and Bess Marvin."

But before they could open the door, Nancy's cell phone that was in her purse started ringing. Frank answered the call. "Hello?"

"Frank?" It was Bailey. "I'm at home right now and Mom told me about Nancy. Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She's been working pretty hard on her investigation. I'd say too hard."

"Oh… Mom said that she had a high fever. She has a secret medicine that could cure any cold in a snap. It's her specialty chicken soup. My grandmother Juliana Higgins taught her how to make the soup that was cooked by the Higgins for centuries. I used to catch cold all the time, but most of the time I got better after I finished that delicious chicken soup."

"That's nice. I'll bet Nancy would love that. Unfortunately, she is still sleeping right now, and we have some minor problems concerning Bess and George."

"Bess and George?" Bailey asked, not understanding the meaning. "What do you mean? Are they there?"

"No," Frank said. "They are missing, and the police can't cooperate because those two haven't been gone for more than twenty-four hours. They think that those two are pulling a prank or are running away from their parents."

"That… That's pathetic!" Bailey shouted. "They'll never run away or pull a sick prank like this, worrying their friends! Something must have happened to them…"

"I know. Joe and I are both thinking the same thing, but we need a clue, a lead. We don't even know why the kidnapper—"

"—or kidnappers," Joe interfered.

"…Yeah, we don't even know if one person was responsible for the kidnappings or not. Two criminals who even don't know each other might be involved. Who knows?"

"Well, right now, Mom and I are making the chicken soup for Nancy. Where is she staying, anyway?"

Frank gave the address of the hotel and the room number. After he made sure Bailey copied them down, he said goodbye and hang up. By the time he put the cell phone into Nancy's purse, she was opening her eyes.

"Ugh…my head is pounding and I feel chilly," she said, coughing. "I heard you talking with someone. Who was it?"

Frank and Joe told Nancy what had happened after she fainted. Nancy was thrilled to hear that she was going to have a chicken soup.

At seven fifteen, the doorbell rang. Joe opened the door to find Bailey and her mother standing in front of the door holding the dinner they made especially for Nancy. Nancy's face lit up as she saw her friend come in.

"I really wish you'd get better soon," she said, putting down the bowl of chicken soup on the table right next to the bed. Frank, Joe, Bailey, and Mrs. Higgins pulled up a chair at the table and started eating with Nancy. To her delight, the soup was amazingly delicious and she was not surprised to find herself feeling a lot better after eating the soup.

"Thanks, Bailey. Thank you, Mrs. Higgins. I'm so glad I could taste something this delicious! Why, it reminds me of Hannah's cooking."

It was already eight o'clock by the time the guests went out of the room. Mrs. Higgins and Bailey both said that they were going to be waiting for news about Bess and George and went out to their car.

Nancy waved goodbye as they opened the door. Frank and Joe said that it was getting dark, so they should go back into their room.

Nancy turned off the lights and went back in her bed. Outside, she saw Bailey and her mother go into the car. Nancy yawned and closed the curtain. But before she could put her tired head onto the pillow, she saw someone standing outside, leaning against the tree and reading the papers.

The girl detective knew the person. He was in his early twenties and had light brown hair. It was frighteningly familiar to her.

She gasped. The person was the man she met in front of the theater just yesterday. His name was Kendall. Then, another chilling question came into her mind.

Was he stalking me?