Test 4 continued
Hotel Room, Unknown Location
"Nancy..."
"Hmm?"
She turned to face him, and her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her intently, his deep brown eyes firmly locked on her own blue ones. "Do you…ever… wonder…about-"
He was interrupted by the sound of their door swinging open. "Suppertime, kids."
The guard brought in what looked like super-sized fast food meals on a thin plastic tray. "Here ya go," he said, setting the tray down on the bedside table. "Enjoy." He left the room.
Nancy glanced in the bag, and wrinkled her nose in disgust. She had no problems with fast food in general, but her stomach was already rebelling at the smell alone. "Hope you're hungry, Frank, cuz I'm not," she said, before turning away from the food.
"There's still some crackers and light soda in the drawer, I think" he said, as he walked over to inspect their dinners. She didn't miss the slight grimace that flickered across his face. However, he dug into one of the bags and pulled out a burger anyway. "And if we wipe as much grease and salt off the fries as we can, maybe you'll be able to eat some of them," he added, before taking a bite of his sandwich.
Nancy checked the drawer, and noticed that there were very few crackers left, and only one can of soda. She resolved to save the soda for later, in case her stomach needed settling, and began to eat the crackers. Afterwards, she carried the drink from her meal to the sink, dumped it out, and filled the cup with water. She downed half of it in one gulp.
"Better lie down again, Nan," Frank commented, watching her. She shook her head.
"I'll be okay, Frank. My throat's better, really."
"Yes, but your face is still flushed," he pointed out calmly. "Look, I know that you probably hate being sick in our predicament, but it can't be helped, so you need to take care of yourself."
"And where does that leave you, Frank? You'll be just as exhausted from worrying over me and from keeping watch for signs of rescue or chances to escape."
"I'll be all right," he said quietly. "I'm not the one running a fever." Nancy could tell from his stubborn expression that he wasn't going to give in, and she sighed.
"And if I refuse?"
"Well," he said, with a faint smile, "I'd hate to force you, but if I have to, I will."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try, buster. If I recall correctly, I can still flip you in a fight."
"Ah, but that's when you're in peak condition," he pointed out. "Right now, you're weak. You're sick and exhausted, and I would win. Just lie down already, Nan. Please. I promise, I'll go to bed like a good boy at a reasonable bedtime."
Finally, Frank thought to himself as Nancy shot him one last glare before she curled up under the covers. I know she's not happy about it, but she needs her rest. He watched as she shifted, trying to find a position that was comfortable.
"Mphf," she muttered fifteen minutes later, still shifting about.
"Problems?" he asked softly.
She sighed in response. "I'm cold," she admitted. "And this bed isn't very comfortable."
Without a word, Frank got up from his seat in the chair and walked to the door. Opening it, he quietly asked one of the guards if they had an extra blanket. He came back into the room, shaking his head, and walked over to the bed. "Shove over," he ordered.
"What?" Nancy asked, startled.
"They can't get you an extra blanket for a little bit. So you're going to lean against me, and I'll keep you warm until then."
"You'll get sick too," she pointed out, shivering again, and hiking the blankets up further around herself.
"I don't care. Scoot." She shifted over, and Frank climbed into bed, and then pulled her close against him. For a moment she tensed at the contact, but as she began to warm up, she relaxed.
"Thanks," she mumbled sleepily.
"Don't mention it."
Hardy Residence, Bayport, NY
Joe let his head fall onto his desk in frustration. Two and a half days...That was how long Frank and Nancy had been missing. And the trail was running cold.
Joe sighed, and returned his gaze to the computer screen...so far, he had statements from everyone who'd been around when Frank and Nancy were taken...and almost none of it matched. This one saw two guys, that one saw three...he says blue jackets...she says green...argh!
About the only thing everyone agreed on was that Frank and Nancy, just like Joe, hadn't expected anything to happen. They recalled seeing the three get ambushed, and then, while Joe was occupied with someone, some men dragged Frank and Nancy away.
Network Building, Chicago, IL
"How are they doing?" Johnson asked over the radio.
"It's all on the video feed, sir."
"Yes, but you interact with them somewhat. You can tell me things the video feed doesn't."
"There are moments, sir. But no more than observation from previous cases has provided."
"Damn," he muttered under his breath. "I was hoping..."
"Hoping what, Johnson?" The Gray Man asked. Johnson jumped. He hadn't heard the other agent enter the room. "Hoping to find that the moment they are alone for extended periods of time, Frank and Nancy will fall into each other's arms?" the agent continued in a mocking tone.
Johnson scowled. "Why aren't you back in New York, Gray?"
The other man smiled. "My flight doesn't leave until tomorrow, Johnson. And I enjoy watching these kids frustrate you as much as they've frustrated me."
"Yeah, well, I don't want you in my office."
Gray shrugged. "Suit yourself. But don't underestimate them, Johnson. Those kids are good, even if you won't admit it." He walked out, seeming not to care that Johnson was glaring daggers at his back.
Hotel Hallway, Unknown Location
"You know, from everything the boss told us about this pair, I expected them to be snogging each other senseless by now," Hank commented to Larry.
They were the pair that Frank Nancy referred to as Guard Set 1, the ones who had been on duty when Frank and Nancy first awoke in their little hotel room.
"Yeah, well," Larry shrugged. "Guess they keep their hormones in check better than the big man thinks."
"Or maybe they know we're watching them?"
Larry scoffed. "Please. Anytime Hardy sticks his head out, we've had the monitor covered. And I saw them sweep the room for bugs and cameras - they didn't find anything."
"Or maybe that's what they're letting us think."
Larry rolled his eyes at his partner. "Hank, you're being overly paranoid. These two know nothing. My guess is that the boss heard about some sort of spark between them, and figured that meant they were two horny teenagers always eager for a go at each other. And that's all we're saying on that particular subject."
Hotel Room, Unknown Location
Nancy is really a grump when she's sick, Frank thought in exasperation. Nancy was one of his friends, definitely, and when he let himself admit it, there was the chance they might one day be more than friends...but that didn't mean he was going to tolerate much more of this. Doesn't she get it that I'm just as bored as she is? And since she can scarcely talk thanks to her sore throat, all I get to do is sleep, think, or watch her glare at me...
He glanced over at the titian-haired detective-in-question, and sure enough, she did not look happy. Then again...maybe it's my imagination. She might not be glaring at me...but whether she's angry or not, that is not the sunny face of Nancy Drew that I know and love...Frank rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what to do. He'd asked the guards for a book, a crossword puzzle, anything that might cure their boredom...and received a very uncaring "No" in response.
Whatever idiot put us in this situation should just make up his blasted mind what to do with us already, he grumbled inwardly. While Nancy didn't seem to be seriously ill, she wasn't exactly able to do much beyond sleep and empty the contents of her stomach now and then...and neither of them did well with boredom, given how exciting their lives usually were. Joe, whatever you're doing to find us, little brother, you better do it faster...
Hardy Residence, Bayport, NY
There was a knock on his door. "Come in," Joe called, without removing his head from its resting place on his desk.
"Any luck, son?" Fenton asked as he entered. The younger Hardy sighed.
"It's hard, Dad...all of the witness statements are conflicting...and even though I searched the scenes for clues, I didn't really get anything."
"Son, have you checked to see if any of the stores in the area have security footage of the incident?"
Joe nodded. "But I have to wait a bit...none of the stores will show me their footage until Chief Collig speaks to them."
Friendly's Hardware, Bayport, NY
"Luck be a lady," Joe muttered the next day, as he sat in the back room of Friendly's Hardware, and slid the security tape into the VCR. He licked his lips nervously as he hit the play button.
"Come on," he groused as he fast-forwarded the tape, looking for the right time. He nearly missed it, but he managed to hit pause just in time.
The fight played out much as Joe remembered it. As the end of the fight drew near, he began to play the tape frame by frame.
"Bingo," he whispered as one of the men responsible for Frank and Nancy's disappearance glanced in the direction of the camera. He grinned. "Now the police can make a printout of your face, buddy."
He held his breath, continuing to watch and hoping that one of the other men would also be caught on camera. None of them turned enough to get even a partial glimpse of their face, except for that first man. However, Joe felt a surge of elation as he realized, when the man faced away from the camera again, that he had lettering against his jacket.
Joe paused the tape, and leaned forward, squinting. A surge of triumph ran through him as he realized that the lettering was actually easy to read. "Guyman's Gas and Auto Repair," he read aloud, as he pulled a notebook and pen from his back pocket. Quickly, he wrote the words down, and then he ejected the tape. Time for a trip to the police station.