When I awoke the next morning, my first recollection of the prior day was not of the chloroform, or the bats, or even the scorpion in my bed. My first thought was of Frank's lips on mine. I smiled at the memory as I stretched before climbing out of bed. The smile on my face was cut short when I noticed the card sitting on the bureau that Ned had given me before I left for Miami. I had vowed to myself that I wasn't going to let Frank Hardy, or any other cute boy for that matter, get to me while I was away from my boyfriend. However, I seemed to be fighting a loosing battle.
As I went about my morning routine, I compared the two in my mind. They were both alike and yet so different. Both were kind, intelligent, good-looking young men who each had a special place in my heart. They both would be long distance relationships, with Frank all the way in Bayport, and Ned off at Emerson going to college. Frank and I shared a love of mysteries, whereas Ned often resented my involvement in cases. The list of pros and cons continued as I showered, dressed, and applied my make-up.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. I had gotten myself into a crazy situation. As unsure I was of what I truly wanted, I knew that I had to make a decision at some point.
But my love life would have to wait. The Hardys and I had a case to solve.
Later that night, I joined Frank in the darkened and empty cabin that we had set up to trap our suspect. We sat patiently on the floor as we waited for our suspect to appear. When Frank offered me a bite of his ham sandwich I smiled as I thought to myself what a lucky girl, his girlfriend Callie Shaw was.
Frank smiled back at me and said softly, "You know, Nancy, sometimes I wonder…"
My heart began fluttering in earnest in anticipation of what he was about to say.
But before he could continue his sentence, the sound of a passkey being swiped in the door gained our attention. It turned out to just be Joe, joining us on our stakeout, and whatever Frank was about to say was silenced.
I groaned inwardly, wondering if Frank and I were ever going to get the opportunity to figure out what was happening between us.
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During the Masquerade Ball the next evening, I had a clear epiphany regarding my case. I knew that the Russian spy, Andrei Bessmerkov, that we were searching for, could be found using the pictures Frank had taken throughout the length of the cruise. I enlisted George's help to comb through the enormous stack of photos laid out in front of us. We were hoping to find a shot of a man wearing the match to an expensive cuff link that had been lost earlier in the week. If we found an incriminating picture, we would have our man.
George and I poured through the photos in the privacy of our cabin. Frank and Joe were otherwise occupied in pursuit of the cabin thief. They were also narrowing in on their suspects, which left George and I to fend for ourselves. That proved to be an almost fatal mistake.
No sooner did we uncover Bessmerkov's identity in a picture, who turned out to be the Baron that tried to befriend Frank several times, did he appear in our cabin. He forced George and I to tie our tennis shoes together and pushed us out into the empty hallway. The other guests were attending the Masquerade Ball, and the hallways were deserted. As he led us further and further away from the populated areas of the ship, I managed to leave a trail of confetti, that I hoped Frank and Joe would find.
The Baron led us down to the anchor closet where we found Marcy Durbanville, my original suspect, and the seller of the state secrets, tied to the anchor chain. I was forced to tie George to the anchor, and when my horrible task was complete, Bessmerkov secured me to the anchor chain as well. He told us with an evil laugh that when the ship docked in Miami, we would become fish food when the anchor lowered us into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
After the Russian departed I let the other two girls know that I had left a trail of confetti for the boys to find.
"You call that a chance?" Marcy moaned. "The odds are a million to one!"
"Maybe you're right," I conceded, "but they're the best odds we've got."
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We had been tied up for hours and every few moments I silently willed Frank to find us.
Breaking the silence, I asked Marcy to fill us in on what had happened to her. She told George and I that after she met Julio she had been kidnapped by Bessmerkov and was drugged and kept in his stateroom. Eventually, he had taken her to the anchor room and tied her up, as he had done to us.
The ship's horn blared suddenly and we soberly realized that the ship was pulling into port. I insisted once more to the other two that Frank would find us. But as the chain began to vibrate and inch upward, I began to doubt my own words.
However, Frank proved me wrong and suddenly flew through the door with Marcy's friend Connor, in tow. "Frank, hurry!" I yelled, as my feet began to leave the floor.
Frank frantically began sawing at the rope with his Swiss Army knife. Marcy's bonds gave way first, followed by the ones that held George captive. By the time George broke free, I was now dangling more than a foot above the floor.
"Pull, Nancy!" he shouted. "The ropes are almost cut through. You can break loose!" He held my waist tightly against the tug of the winch. "Come on, fight!"
I thought my arms would come out of their sockets as I strained against the frayed ropes. I could hear George screaming at me to pull, and I risked a glance down at Frank.
His eyes looked at me pleadingly to keep fighting, and with one last surge of energy, I managed to break free of the binding rope.
I slid down into Frank's waiting arms and he held me tightly. George joined us, crying and laughing in relief at the same time.
After a moment of the wonderful comfort I felt being held by Frank and one of my best friends, I managed to push myself away. I told Frank and Connor Bessmerkov's identity and reminded them that we had to stop him before he left the ship.
The five of us hurried to the gangplank and yelled for Joe to stop him. Joe tackled the Baron and CIA agents swarmed the area within seconds.
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A while later, after being debriefed by the CIA agent and congratulated by the Captain of the cruise ship, we chatted with the group of diplomat's kids about the possibility of reuniting on another cruise, this time all vacation and no mystery.
I saw Frank look at me, and was wondering what he was thinking. What had George called our midnight swim? Risky – but romantic? Could Frank and I handle a cruise together that was all play and no work? I returned his glance and subtly cocked my head towards the exit.
Frank followed me out into the open air of the deck and joined me at the railing.
We looked out over the port of Miami in silence until we both tried to speak at once.
"Frank, I…" I began.
"Nancy, I…" he said at the same time.
Chuckling slightly at our predicament, I blushed and gave Frank a small smile. "You first," I said softly.
Frank took a deep breath before turning to me and taking both my hands in his own. "I'm not really sure what to say," he admitted.
"Neither am, I," I replied honestly. "But thanking you, for the third time this trip, ranks pretty high up there on my list."
Frank shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you," he said cautiously. "Nancy, I'm not sure what is happening between us…" his voice trailed off as his eyes searched mine.
"I'm not sure either," I admitted. I paused momentarily to find the right words. As I opened my mouth to speak, I heard Joe's voice call out across the deck.
"There you are! Frank, we've got to get to the airport. We don't want to miss our flight back to New York," Joe yelled.
Frank glanced over my shoulder at his brother, "I'll be there in just a minute!" he hollered back. Turning back to face me, he looked at me with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but it looks like we've got a plane to catch."
"I know. I'm sure George will come looking for me shortly, too," I answered.
"Take care of yourself, Nan," he said sincerely.
"I will," I replied. "You do the same. And keep your brother in line, too."
Frank laughed lightly, "I'll do what I can. See ya, Nancy."
"Bye, Frank," I said softly. When he turned to walk away, I turned back to look out over the city once more. I was lost deep in thought when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I twirled around hoping to find Frank standing before me. Instead, I saw George's smiling face.
"Frank said I would find you out here," she said. "You ready? We've got to head to the airport ourselves."
"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied with a smile.
I inhaled the salty air, taking one last sweeping glance around the massive cruise ship. I was proud at what the four of us had accomplished during our cruise. Not only had we captured the cabin thief, we managed to take down one of the most elusive Russian operatives that had ever existed. As successful as we had been, there was one that remained unsolved – the mystery of what was happening between me and Frank Hardy.