Filling in the Blanks
Author's Note/Disclaimer:
I'm going to try something different this time around. The thought struck me the other night that in the Super Mystery series, there were so many unfinished moments between Nancy and Frank, that we, as readers, were left to use our own imaginations to fill in the blanks. Hence, the title of my series: Filling in the Blanks. I've taken the original stories and ran with them. I will not be telling the entire story, just condensing and using what I need to get my point across. If you haven't read the books in the Super Mystery series, I unfortunately will be giving the plots and endings away. The mysteries told within belong to the ghost writers and Simon and Schuster. I've simply added the fluff and romance that I longed to see as I read these books many years ago. Again, this is pure fluff and romance, if that's not your cup of tea, than I suggest not reading any further. In addition to the above, I'm also trying something new by telling my stories from Nancy's point of view, as if she was relating theevents as past memories.This may or may not work, but it's been a fun experience so far.
So far, I have completed my journey into Double Crossing, the first book in the Super Mystery series. I plan to continue with at least the first five books. A Crime for Christmas will be next, followed by Shock Waves, Dangerous Games, and The Last Resort. These books held the most suspense and tension for me when it came to the fledgling romance between Nancy and Frank. I eventually will tackle The Secrets of the Nile, but I plan on revisiting the other books that fell in between to see if there are any moments I want to capture.
Eventually, I will continue with my other story that begs to be completed, Unexpected Developemnts. I've hit a major year long roadblock on it, but do plan to continue it at some point. Like I said, I write fluff and romance better than mysteries, so my muses aren't cooperating with me on that piece of fiction.
Please let me know what you think of my little attempt here. I'm not begging for reviews, and I won't demand a certain number to update. I just like to have real constructive feedback and know that my stories are being enjoyed by more than just myself.
Enough chatting... on with the show!
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Double Crossing
"Frank Hardy! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed as I unexpectedly bumped into my old friend in the elevator of a cruise ship. Frank had always had a powerful effect on me every time we crossed paths, but I was determined not to let my innocent crush on Frank ruin the wonderful relationship I had back home with my long-time boyfriend, Ned Nickerson.
At first, Frank pretended not to recognize me in the elevator that day. He and his younger brother, Joe, had gone undercover on the Duchess, the cruise ship that was taking us from Miami to Cozumel and back in five days. I, for once, was not onboard the cruise liner to investigate any mystery. I was simply a guest of one of my best friends, George Fayne, who was an activities director during the cruise. Of course that all changed as soon as I ran into Frank.
I guess I'm just a magnet for the mysterious, but no sooner than Frank and Joe had let me in on their investigation, did I stumble upon one of my own. The two brothers were simply trying to uncover which crew member was stealing from the Duchess' passengers, but I discovered a much more sinister plot by accident.
My first night on board the ship, George had arranged for the passengers to participate in a Scavenger Hunt. It was during the game that I overheard a young woman and a crew member with a Spanish accent making a deal to exchange government secrets for cash!
It was the next night after an eventful day with another cabin break in, Joe taking an impromptu dip in the Atlantic Ocean, and my prime suspect completely vanishing from the ship, Frank suggested we take a midnight swim to relax and clear our minds. I agreed readily, and found myself excited at the prospect of spending some uninterrupted time with Frank. Unfortunately, the daydreams that were dancing around in my head, were not meant to be realized right then. Before Frank arrived, I found a dead body floating in the pool!
The corpse I found sharing the pool with me, belonged to a young steward named Julio. It at first appeared that he had simply drowned by taking an after hours swim alone, but I knew that there was more to the story than that. Not only had the young woman who was my prime suspect gone missing, but now a crew member with a Spanish accent, just like I heard in the stairwell the previous night, was dead.
As Frank and I spoke with the captain shortly after we found the body, Frank kept his arm around me holding me close. I was shivering not only from the cold night air and a damp swimsuit, but also from the experience of finding a dead body floating in the water with me. Frank knew that I was distraught over the evening's turn of events, and graciously offered to walk me back to my cabin.
I had thrown my jeans and sweatshirt back on but the materials clung to my damp skin. Frank kept his arm around my shoulders as we walked, keeping me warm from the chill that seemed to permeate right through me. "Are you okay?" Frank asked, concern evident in his voice.
I nodded mutely. Frank didn't respond, just pulled me closer against him. I rested my head against his shoulder as we entered the open air deck.
"Despite the earlier events, it's a beautiful evening," he commented casually, surveying the vast expanse of starlight sky that seemed to envelop the entire ship.
"It is," I agreed softly. I looked up into the night sky and saw the bright moon shining down upon us, its soft light bathing the deck in a romantic glow. Pushing the gruesome thoughts out of my mind, I turned to face him. "So much for our relaxing evening," I said wryly.
"We can still unwind," Frank insisted, stopping in his tracks.
I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And just how do you propose to that, Mr. Hardy?"
"May I have this dance?" he asked, stepping away from me and holding out his arms in invitation.
I laughed at him and said, "You're certifiable, Frank. There's no music!"
"Yes there is," he insisted. "Just listen."
Sure enough the faint sound of fifties music could be heard coming from the disco on the deck above us. A slow romantic melody was playing and my heart skipped as I stared at the handsome young man in front of me.
Wordlessly, I stepped into his outstretched arms. His right hand tightly clasped mine, and his left arm circled my waist protectively. We silently swayed to the music, and I felt myself relaxing into his arms. I buried my head in the crook of his neck, inhaling the wonderful scent of his subtle cologne. His left hand moved from my waist and began gently rubbing circles on my back which relaxed me even more. All too soon, the slow music ended, and was replaced with a much more upbeat number.
Frank lifted my chin with a finger and his dark chocolate brown eyes stared down at me intensely. I could see his face inching closer to mine, and without thinking, I closed my eyes in anticipation of feeling his lips on mine. But before our lips met., a loud group of passengers stumbled out into the open deck, breaking the spell that had been cast over us.
I sighed audibly and after the rambunctious crowd had passed, I finally spoke. "It's late. I probably should get back to the cabin." I regrettably stepped out of his embrace and put some much needed distance between us.
"George is probably waiting up for you," he agreed. "And I need to fill Joe in on what we found tonight." He cocked his head toward the end of the deck. "C'mon, let's get you back to your room."
We walked together in silent comfort until we reached my cabin door. I pulled my pass key from the back pocket of my jeans and nervously tapped it against my other hand. The air around us still crackled with electricity, and I was worried about the strong feelings I was having for Frank. Pushing the thoughts away, I impulsively leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thanks," I whispered softly.
Frank's gentle smile beamed down at me, and he pulled me to him and embraced me in a comforting hug. "Anytime," he whispered into my hair. Before I could change my mind, I quickly let myself into the cabin and found George waiting up for me.
When she began questioning my intentions of a late night swim with Frank, I cut her off by explaining the corpse we had found in the pool. That changed the course of the conversation dramatically, and I was saved from revealing the details of what had almost happened between Frank and me.
When I laid down in bed that night, the comforting thoughts of dancing with Frank lulled me into a peaceful slumber. Despite everything else that had transpired that day, I slept better than I had in a long time.
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The next day didn't go any better than the day before. In fact, it only got worse. Shortly after breakfast, I was locked in a storage closet by a girl who I knew better than to trust. Luckily, it was only a few minutes before Joe Hardy came to my rescue. Shortly there after we docked in Cozumel, and Joe and disembarked the ship and went to the local ruins where we were hoping to catch the people involved in my espionage case. Again, as fate would have it, things didn't go as planned.
Joe and I somehow got separated, and I ended up being duped! I was chloroformed and dragged into a cave and left for dead. Luckily, I regained my senses, and was able to drag myself out of the cave and the local police found me shortly after I began the long hike back to the town and to the ship.
Finally, hours later, I was safely back on board the ship, and after I brief but informative meeting with the Captain, I went in search of Frank and Joe. Not finding them easily, I gave up and decided to head back to the cabin and sleep off my rotten day.
But sleep was not to come so easily – the scorpion I found in my bed had other plans for me! I managed to kill it before it struck, and saved myself from a fate worse than death, for the third time that day.
Not bothering to change out of the shorts and tank top I chose to wear to bed, and on the edge of having a nervous breakdown, I went in search once again for Frank and Joe. I needed to find them, Frank specifically. They had returned to their room only moments before I knocked on their door. They were both surprised and delighted to see me, and assured me they had done everything within their power to look for me before the ship left Cozumel. The brother's were visibly relieved at my safe return, but their relief turned into concern as I informed them of my crazy day.
The three of us brainstormed for a while before formulating a plan to out one of our suspects. It required stalling one of the passengers so I gain access to his cabin and search for the missing disks that contained the state secrets that were being sold. Frank promised me that he would keep the suspect occupied so that I had enough time to complete my search. When he handed over his all-access crew passkey to me, he let his hand linger in mine a little longer than necessary.
The current of electricity that had been there the night before was back full force once more. I saw the concern had for me written all over his face. I gave him a soft smile to let him know that I was okay, and then announced that I was going back to my cabin for some shut-eye.
"Want us to come sweep the room for any more creepy crawlies?" Joe joked with a short laugh, in attempt to lighten the mood.
I shook my head at the younger Hardy's feeble humor. "I've already faced bats and one scorpion today, I think I can handle anything else that comes my way," I retorted.
"At least let me walk you back to your room," Frank interrupted.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Frank silenced me by saying, "Don't even think about saying no."
I shot a quick look over to Joe who wore an amused expression on his face. "Is he always like this?" I questioned.
Joe laughed. "It's his damsel in distress gene. He can't help himself."
Frank glared at his brother good-naturedly. "You think mine's bad? You ought to see Joe's." He winked conspiratorially at me, as he offered his hand to helpme stand up. Turning back to his brother, he instructed him to phone the steward on call to remake my bed.
I placed my delicate hand gratefully in Frank's larger one, as he helped me to my feet. He steered me towards the cabin door and I threw a "Goodnight, Joe" over my shoulder as we entered the hallway.
"Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Joe hollered out with a loud laugh before we could shut the door.
I laughed lightly at Joe's morbid humor before turning to face Frank. "This really isn't necessary," I insisted as he shut the cabin door.
Frank looked at me pointedly and said, "Just humor me, okay, Nan?"
Seeing the concerned look still plastered across his face, I begrudgingly conceded defeat. We walked in companionable silence the entire way back to my cabin. I was exhausted and my brain had slowed to the point where I found it tiring to carry on polite conversation.
When we reached my cabin, Frank took the passkey out of my hands and swiped the card for me. I smiled at him gratefully as he cautiously opened the door. We found the room empty and the bed freshly made.
"Thank god for small favors," I sighed as I looked at my bed. I involuntarily shivered at the thought of what almost happened earlier.
"Good as new," Frank said as he eyed the bed. He glanced at me briefly before taking a few steps across the room and pulling back the comforter and sheets. He shook them a few times for good measure and even inspected the pillows as I watched on with amusement.
Even though I found the situation slightly funny, it warmed my heart to see Frank checking for more "creepy crawlies" as Joe had called them. The care and concern he was showing me at that moment made my heart flutter momentarily in my chest.
It fluttered even more a few seconds later when Frank carefully folded back the bed sheets and motioned for me to climb in.
I raised one eyebrow in question as I said, "Don't you think I'm a little old to be tucked in?"
Frank smiled gently and said, "A little pampering never hurt anyone. Especially after the kind of day you had."
"You sure know how to treat a lady," I retorted playfully, as I crossed the room to where he stood.
He shrugged his shoulders with a grin, "I try."
I sat delicately on the edge of the bed and swung my legs up onto the mattress. I could feel Frank's heated stare on my long lean legs, as I lay my head on my pillow.
He swallowed noticeably and subtly shook his head before gently pulling the covers up over my body. He sat down on the edge of the bed and asked me with a smile, "Does the lady need anything else?"
"Sleep," I answered, unsuccessfully fighting the yawn that threatened to escape.
Frank chuckled lightly as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Sleep tight," he whispered.
As he moved to stand, I willed my self with the last little bit of energy I had to sit up. I clutched the covers to my chest with one hand, and put the other hand on the side of his face. "Thank you, again," I said softly. Not stopping to think about my actions, I closed the distance between us and our lips met in the kiss that we had meant to share the night before.
Frank returned my kiss and pulled me tightly to him. I dropped the sheets that I was clutching to me moments earlier, and wrapped my arms securely around his neck. I relished the feeling of being in his arms and lost myself in his embrace.
A few minutes later, which seemed like eternity at the time, we stopped kissing long enough to breathe. Frank rested his forehead against mine as he took in a ragged breath. "Sleep," he managed to say finally. "You need your sleep."
I nodded mutely knowing that he was right, and hating it at the same time. Whatever was happening between us deserved to be explored carefully, not under the stress of the last two days.
"Good night," I whispered, leaning back on the mattress once more.
"See you in the morning," Frank said, standing up slowly. He crossed the room and considerately turned off the light before leaving the cabin.
As the door let out the familiar click, I sighed. Elation and fatigue battled violently in my head. The two emotions called it a draw, and I succumbed to a peaceful sleep for the second night in a row.
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