Chapter 2

After lunch, it took Laura and the boys just ten minutes to put a small picnic together and pack their bathing suits. The boys were eager to go straight away, but Laura insisted that they use the bathroom and change into sturdier shoes. "And bring some warm sweaters just in case," she called after them as they disappeared up the stairs.

In less than five minutes, Joe appeared at the bottom of the stairs, followed closely by Frank.

"Ready to go?" asked Laura and they nodded vigorously.

They set off through the woods in the direction of the lake. They had walked in silence for several minutes when Joe suddenly burst out, "Mom, who gets the top bunk?"

Before Laura could respond, Frank cut in with, "it should be me 'cause I'm the eldest!"

"That's not fair!" Joe protested.

"Well, I am the eldest," said Frank smugly. "I'd be more careful in the top bunk!"

"Well then, I should get the top bunk 'cause I'm the youngest," Joe stated stubbornly. "Just 'cause you're the eldest doesn't mean that you get first call on everything!"

Laura could see that this was a debate that had already started sometime before.

"Boys!" she interjected quickly before the argument could get out of hand. "We're here for eight nights. Why don't one of you sleep in the top bunk for the first four nights and then the other one sleep in it for the last four nights?"

The boys considered this suggestion.

"Okay," said Frank. "That sounds fair."

"I get the top bunk first!" Joe added quickly.

Frank scowled but didn't argue.

"Great," their mother smiled. "Now, I have some Popsicles in the cooler, who'd like one?"

"Me!" the boys chorused.

Smiling, Laura opened the little cooler and handed the boys a Popsicle each. Joe frowned at his.

"Mom, can I have another one?" he asked.

"But, Joe, honey," said Laura in surprise, "strawberry is your favourite flavour."

"Not anymore," Joe explained. "Chet Morton told me that it was a girl's flavour 'cause it was red. The boy's flavours are the green and orange, the girl's flavours are the red and yellow."

"But, Joe, you don't like the other flavours," Frank reminded him.

"And what Chet said isn't true," his mother added. "Everyone can eat any flavour they like."

Joe shook his head seriously. "That's not what Chet said, and he only eats the boy's flavours. He said that only girls eat red so I'm not eating red."

Nothing Frank or Laura said could change his mind. Sighing, Laura gave him the green Popsicle, knowing he wouldn't eat it.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later as they arrived at the lake, Joe threw the half-melted mess into a nearby bin.

Frank and his mother exchanged a look. They had seen the faces Joe made as he half heartedly licked the Popsicle, but knew he was too stubborn to admit that he didn't like it.

Pretending not to notice, Laura turned to the boys. "I want you to wait an hour before swimming, but you can look around if you want."

The boys nodded and shot off towards the side of the lake to skim stones across the water; their father had shown them how to do it on one of the rare days out that he had joined them on.

Frank was very good at it, being able to time the throw just right, but Joe's impatience meant he just launched the stones expecting them to automatically skim the water. It took several minutes of Frank's coaching before he attempted it successfully.

"Hey, cool!" Joe cried, immediately launching a large stone that was too heavy to skim and splashed into the water, showering them all with droplets.

"I think I'm just going to sit back here where it's drier!" Laura laughed, indicating a grassy patch under one of the trees.

From her vantage point on the grass, Laura sat and watched the boys playing for several minutes until the heat from the sun made her sleepy. She closed her eyes, intending to snooze for a few minutes but immediately fell asleep, tired from the long drive to the woods and the busy morning.

It was nearly two hours later when she was awakened by an impatient Joe, wanting to know if they could go swimming yet.

Laura apologised to her sons and agreed that they could go swimming. She stripped to her own bathing suit and joined them. She knew they were strong swimmers, even for such a young age, but she wanted to be in the water with them anyway, just in case.

The spent an enjoyable afternoon swimming and playing in the water, and as evening drew close, left the water and flopped on the bank to dry in the warm sun. Laura produced a towel to speed up the process and within fifteen minutes they were all dry and back in their clothes, albeit with slightly damp hair.

"I'm hungry, Mom," said Frank. "Can we eat now?"

"Of course, honey," his mother smiled.

They sat in the evening sun, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed their picnic. Laura wished for the hundredth time that day that Fenton was here to enjoy this vacation with them.

In truth, she was a little annoyed with him for cancelling the trip again. Sometimes I wonder if his career is more important to him than his family, she mused, then shivered as the evening air began to chill slightly.

"Come on, boys, I think it's time to get back to the cabin," she said as she began to pack up the picnic things.

The boys helped her and within no time they were on their way back to the cabin.

Later that evening, after they'd had supper and the boys were ready for bed, they sat by the fire their mother had lit against the chilly night air, waiting for their father's phone call.

Laura was furious with Fenton. He had promised the boys that he would call no later than seven thirty to see how their day went, and here they were at five to nine still waiting for his call. He knew that the boys bedtime was at eight, and that they would be exhausted from the early start and long drive they'd had that day. Laura had even tried calling home herself, but there had been no answer.

And now Frank's yawns were becoming more protracted by the second and Joe's eyes were drooping heavily.

Simmering silently, she watched the small boys struggle to stay awake just so they could speak to their father.

Fenton doesn't appreciate his sons, he really doesn't! Laura fumed. She was ready to throttle her husband.

Suddenly the phone rang and Joe, instantly awake, ran to answer it.

"Hello?" he said breathlessly into the receiver. His face broke into a smile. "Dad!"

Frank scrambled off the couch and ran to the phone. "I want to talk to him too!"

Laura watched a little sadly at her sons' eagerness to share their news with their father. She wished Fenton appreciated how lucky he was. Finally, after ten minutes of watching Frank and Joe take it in turns to tell their father about the day, Laura shooed them off to bed.

"I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in," she told them. "I just want a word with your father first."

Laura took the phone and waited until Frank and Joe had gone upstairs before speaking.

"Hello," she said quietly.

"Hi, honey," the tired voice of Fenton Hardy sounded on the line. "Sounds like you had a busy day."

"Yes, but it was fun too," Laura answered. "I wish you could have been here."

"Me too," answered Fenton. "But I'm making real headway on this case and I just can't leave right now."

"I suppose that's why you were late in calling?"

"Yeah, I was at the station. One of Chief Collig's men had picked up another member of the gang and I wanted to talk to him myself."

"It would have taken just ten minutes to make a phone call from the station," Laura pointed out. "The boys were exhausted but wouldn't go to bed without hearing from you."

"Laura, this case is important," said Fenton, a little impatiently. "You know that."

"More important than your family?"

There was shocked silence at the other end of the line for several seconds before Fenton answered. "That's not fair, Laura, nor is it true."

"What do you expect me to say, Fenton?" asked Laura tiredly, her anger still simmering beneath her calm composure. "How many times have you let me and the boys down over a case?"

"You know I don't have a choice…"

"Yes you do!" Laura interrupted in a flash of anger, attempting to keep her voice low. "You run your own business, you're your own boss! You should be able to dictate your own hours! And now you have Sam Radley to pick up the slack."

"Sam's still new. I don't know if I can trust him to handle this case on his own…"

"Sam Peterson recommended him, didn't he?" Laura interrupted her husband again. "Surely that should be good enough for you?"

"This isn't the time for this discussion," said Fenton sharply. "When you get back, we'll sit down and talk about it."

"What do you mean when I get back?" Laura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Then realisation dawned. "You're not coming out here, are you?" she accused.

"No, I really can't. There's too much going on here right now…"

"Fine!" said Laura shortly. "I'd better go, I want to tuck the boys in."

"Laura…"

"Just make sure you ring before seven tomorrow evening!" Laura warned him. "Goodnight, Fenton." And without waiting for an answer, she hung up.

With a heavy heart, Laura made her way up the stairs. During nine years of marriage, she had spent many nights away from her husband, but she'd never gone to bed angry at him before. At the back of her mind echoed an old saying of her mother's; never let the sun go down on your anger.

Laura pushed open the bedroom door to her sons' room. The bedside lamp was on and she saw Frank sit up in the bottom bunk as she entered the room.

"Joe's asleep," he whispered.

Laura looked at the small ball in the top bunk. A mop of blond hair was visible just above the covers. She leaned over and kissed her youngest son.

"Night, honey," she whispered as Joe grunted in his sleep.

Laura then sat down on the bottom bunk to tuck Frank in, and was surprised to see the strained look on his face.

"Frank, what's wrong?" she asked.

Frank bit his lip. "What did you and Dad fight about?"

Laura's heart quickened a little. "We didn't fight, sweetheart. I was just a little annoyed at him for calling so late."

"He's not coming out here, is he?" said Frank dejectedly. "I heard you say it."

"Honey, I'm sorry." Laura hugged Frank tightly. "But he's just so busy with this case. He promised to make it up to you," she added.

"He always promises that, and he always breaks it," said Frank miserably. "Chet's dad took him to the circus last week, and Biff's dad goes to all of his baseball games. Why does our dad have to be different?"

Laura had no answer. Instead she hugged Frank tightly again and looked him in the eyes. "I'll talk to your dad, okay? And hey, why don't you, me and Joe go exploring tomorrow? I think there's some caves around here, just beyond the lake. We can look at the map tomorrow."

This suggestion cheered Frank up considerably. His dad might not always be there, but they had the best mother in the world.

"Okay," he agreed happily. "Night, Mom."

"Night, honey," she replied, kissing his forehead as he snuggled down.

Turning off the light, Laura crept quietly from the room.