Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).
Note: This story was written around the year 2002, so technology is not as advanced as it is today. People still used landlines! Also it was originally co-written with another person, to whom I give much credit and thanks.
January Thaw
By EvergreenDreamweaver & SparksJSH
Chapter 2
The five teenagers stood watching in horrified shock, as Frank Hardy fell heavily and slammed into the piled snow at the edge of the ice. Joe reacted first, giving himself a kick-start and skating frantically toward his older brother, but he was followed closely by Biff and Vanessa; with Karen and Megan bringing up the rear.
"Frank!" Joe skidded to a halt near Frank's sprawled form, sending a spray of ice into the air. He dropped to his knees, shifting awkwardly to avoid sitting on his skate blades. "Frank?" he repeated more quietly; he hastily pulled off his glove and pressed his fingers against his brother's throat. Reassured by the steady beat he felt, Joe glanced up, met Biff's anxious gaze, and smiled encouragingly. "Well, he's not dead, anyway!"
"Biff, move! Let me through!" Megan shoved Biff aside and plopped to the ice beside Joe. "Ohhhh, no…."
"Biff, give me a hand," Joe requested. "Let's turn him over – carefully!" he added. Cautiously, the two boys turned Frank onto his back, and Megan gently cradled his head in her lap. Vanessa and Karen hovered behind her, their faces taut with apprehension.
"Frank?" Joe bent over his brother. "You okay? Come on, pal, talk to me."
Frank felt as if he were fighting his way through thick fog. The soft blackness had lightened to gray now; he could hear voices saying something…voices….Joe's voice…Come on pal, talk to me….
He blinked his eyes open, staring upward. For a moment his vision was blurred; then he focused on blue-green eyes and freckles standing out against pale skin. Megan…. Shifting his gaze slightly, he saw Joe leaning close, and heard him say again, "Frank, you okay?"
"I – guess so." Frank attempted a reassuring smile, but it changed abruptly into a grimace of pain as he tried to sit up. "Ouch! Oooh…." He pressed a hand against his ribs. "It's okay – just bruised, I think," he added hastily, hearing various gasps of alarm from the others. Megan firmly pulled him flat again.
"You hit your head on the ice," Joe reminded him. "Look at me a minute…." He stared into Frank's somewhat dazed eyes, watching the dilation. "Your vision okay?"
"Yeah." Frank gingerly probed beneath his hair, wincing as he encountered a tender spot. "I'm fine – just a couple of bumps." He looked at Biff, who was crouching at his other side. "I guess I asked for it, didn't I?"
"Oh jeez, this is all my fault!" Biff smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand, and his voice was heavy with contrition. "I'm sorry, Frank! I never should've suggested crack-the-whip…."
"Hey, I'm the one who asked for the extra-hard spin, remember?" Frank attempted once more to sit erect; this time he managed it, with some help from Joe. "It's not your fault at all, Biff!"
"I think we'd better call it a day," Megan suggested quietly.
Biff and Joe helped Frank to his feet, steadying him between them as he wobbled on his skates. Vanessa pulled Megan up, and the six teens moved slowly down the pond, heading, by unspoken agreement, towards their cars. They quickly took off their skates and changed into shoes, Frank waving away Joe's proffered assistance with some irritation.
"Joe, I'm fine! Don't hover so; you give me the jitters!" he snapped, trying to ignore the headache beginning to pound through his temples. Joe rolled his eyes, but somewhat surprisingly remained silent.
Megan quickly bid Vanessa, Karen and Biff goodbye, then climbed into the front passenger seat of the van. Frank frowned a little, but got into the middle seat with no comment, fastened his seat belt, and leaned his head back with obvious relief.
Joe gave Vanessa a hasty kiss, murmuring "I'll call you later," then slid behind the steering wheel and started the van's engine. He drove out of the parking area and headed back towards Bayport. After a few silent minutes of travel, he glanced in the rear-view mirror to check on his older brother. "You doing okay, Frank?" he asked.
Frank nodded without opening his eyes. "I'm fine," he replied. "Just kind of a headache, that's all."
Megan twisted in her seat to survey her boyfriend. "When we get to your house," she stated firmly, "I am going to go home, and you are going to lie down and rest."
Joe bit his lip hard to keep from laughing, and kept his gaze glued to the road ahead.
Frank gave her a narrow stare, but Megan raised her chin defiantly, and after a moment, Frank nodded in acquiescence. "Okay, okay," he sighed. "You're probably right." He closed his eyes again, wearily.
"Of course I'm right," she muttered, but so low that only Joe heard her. He glanced at her, turning his head only the slightest amount; catching her eye, he winked. She winked back.
When they reached the Hardy home, Megan refused to stay any longer than it took to change out of Laura's clothes, grab her backpack from the family room, and to make sure Frank had stretched himself on the couch. She kissed him very gently, promised to call him later in the evening, and departed.
Joe, returning from hanging up their jackets, nudged Frank gently to get his attention. "Here." He held out a glass of water and a couple of aspirins. "Take these."
Frank pushed himself to an elbow and swallowed the tablets. "Thanks. Do you know where Mom and Dad are?"
"They went out; Mom left a note. Some sort of holiday thing…you'd think holiday parties would be over with now, wouldn't you?"
Frank set his glass of water on the floor next to the couch and lay back down, putting his arm across his aching eyes. "Yeah, but I guess any excuse for a party."
"Can I get you anything else?" Joe inquired, shoving Frank's feet to one side so he could perch on the end of the sofa. "Ice, or anything?"
"Don't mention ice!" Frank shuddered.
Joe chuckled. "You sure got the ride you wanted with crack-the-whip, big brother! Next time maybe you'll be more careful what you ask for!" He laughed harder.
Frank lifted his arm to gaze at Joe. "You can be replaced, you know," he said coldly. "I'll just ask Dad to get a nice German Shepherd…"
Unfazed, Joe continued chortling. "I know, I've heard the story for 16 years now; you wanted a puppy, but you got ME instead…."
Their banter was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Frank winced and shut his eyes; Joe got to his feet and picked up the cordless phone from the table.
"Hardy residence…oh!…yes, this is Joe….Yes, he's here. Hold on." Blue eyes wide, Joe held out the telephone to Frank. "Frank," he whispered. "It's Mrs. Shaw – Callie's mother!"
Frank sat up, blinking in bewilderment. Callie's mom? he mouthed to Joe, who nodded vigorously. Frank put the telephone to his ear. "Hello?"
Mrs. Shaw sounded tense. "Frank, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had happened to see Callie today?"
"Uh – no, I haven't," Frank replied. "Was there some reason you thought I might have?" He shook his head, realizing how stiff he sounded, but still – Callie's mother thought he might know where she was?
"No, Frank, not really – it's just that she's been gone quite a bit longer than she said she would be, and I was beginning to be concerned."
She does sound worried – wonder what Callie's off doing now? Frank thought. Aloud, he said "Well, I haven't heard from her or seen her, Mrs. Shaw. I'm sorry I can't help you. I have no idea where she might be."
"Thank you anyway, Frank. I just thought I would check, and make sure. I suppose I'll just have to wait until she comes home or calls."
"Uh – yes, that's probably the best thing to do," Frank said, feeling terribly awkward. He couldn't exactly say Mrs. Shaw, I haven't the slightest interest in where your daughter is! "If I hear anything from her, I'll certainly let you know."
After hanging up the phone, Frank turned to Joe, who had been sitting and listening unabashedly to half the conversation. "She wanted to know if I'd seen Callie."
"Whew!" Joe whistled in astonishment. "Why would she think you'd seen that little bit-" He broke off when he saw Frank scowl. "Okay, okay, I won't go there."
"You really iced Callie with all the gang, last fall, you know." Frank lay back down and covered his eyes once more.
"Good," Joe muttered. "She deserved it."
Frank didn't reply, but smiled a little. Brother mine, you have your faults at times, but lack of loyalty certainly isn't one of your failings!
Joe, sensing that his older sibling wanted to rest, got up and quietly left the room. Frank settled himself a little more comfortably on the couch, waiting for the aspirins to kick in and ease his headache. Lying there, he let his mind slide back a few days…back to the day after Christmas….
"Why, oh why did I decide to come here today? This is absolutely crazy!" Frank said to himself as he shoved his way through the crowded Bayport Mall. Since it was the day after Christmas, half the population of Bayport had decided to either exchange their disliked or wrong-sized Christmas presents, or take advantage of the post-Christmas sales.
Frank had known it was going to be crowded, but Joe's Christmas present to him had been a gift certificate to the computer store in the mall, and he wanted to check out all the possibilities as soon as he could. Joe had recoiled in horror when Frank mentioned braving the mall crowds, and firmly declined to accompany him. "Not a chance!" he'd declared, and flopped onto the couch to watch a football game.
Looking over the items at the computer store took only a short time, and Frank decided he might as well head for the food court at the far end of the mall before he left, and grab something to drink; pushing through the hordes of determined shoppers made him thirsty. He made his way slowly past the various stores, stepping around mothers pushing strollers and carrying huge shopping bags crammed with their finds.
The crowd was only slightly smaller at the food court. Frank managed to get to the counter, ordered a Pepsi, and waited for it to be brought to him. When he received his drink, he stepped back, only to bump into a person directly behind him. Thankful that there was a lid on his cup, Frank turned to apologize to whomever he had jostled.
"Sorry, didn't mean to; it's so crowded…Callie!" Dumbfounded, Frank found himself gazing down at the blonde hair and brown eyes of his former girlfriend. Callie Shaw stared up at him, her eyes widening in surprise. Frank automatically stepped backwards again, and found himself pressed against the counter.
"Frank! I – uh – I…" she stammered, and her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Frank gathered his composure. "Please pardon me, I'm sorry if I bumped you. As I said, it's very crowded." He glanced about at the milling crowd. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"
"Frank – wait a minute." Callie laid her hand on his arm. "Could – could we talk for a minute?"
"I was just leaving, actually," Frank said stiffly, "and I don't know that we have anything we need to talk about, Callie."
"Please," she insisted. "Can't we just sit down and talk?"
Frank drew in a long, careful breath and let it out slowly. "Okay," he finally said. "Just for a few minutes."
He waited while Callie ordered and received her drink, and then the two of them made their way to a small table that was just being vacated. They sat down, each eyeing the other cautiously.
"What did you want to talk about?" Frank asked, sipping his drink. He appeared calm, but inside he was seething with emotions; the strongest one at the moment being curiosity. He wondered just what Callie had been doing with her Christmas vacation…she certainly hadn't spent time with any of their old crowd! He had heard from Vanessa that Callie had called her; however, Vanessa had pleaded being 'terribly busy' and unable to chat more than a minute or two. Tony had mentioned seeing her once with her mother, having lunch at Mr. Pizza before Christmas, but other than that, Frank hadn't seen or heard anything from or about Ms. Shaw.
"I – uh – just wanted to hear how things were going for you, Frank." Callie took a gulp of her soda, then raised her eyes to meet his. "And I wanted to apologize for the way I – for what I – "
"Never mind, Callie," Frank interrupted her. "It's okay. You did what you had to do. You have other interests now; I understand that."
"Yes, well…but I…Frank, what did you do to turn everyone in Bayport against me?" Callie's voice sharpened. "I haven't had a civil word from anyone in our old crowd since I got home from Colorado!"
"I? I haven't done anything," Frank defended himself. And it's true, he thought. I didn't do anything – Joe did it for me! He hid a smile by hastily taking another sip of his drink.
"Look, I understand how you must feel, but—" she broke off, playing with her straw for a moment. "but can't we be friends at least? I never said I wanted to not be friends with you anymore…." She glanced up at him hopefully. "We could get some lunch and talk – maybe smooth things out a little…?"
Frank had never been so delighted to turn down an invitation to lunch. "I'm sorry, Callie, but I have other plans for this afternoon," he said quietly. "I'm dating someone else now, and I'm meeting her in a couple of hours."
"You're – dating someone else?" Callie's voice was very small.
"Yes, I mentioned it to you in my last message. It's someone I met at college. Her name is Megan." Frank squared his shoulders and gazed levelly across the table. "I love her very much, Callie…and she loves me."
"Oh – well – that's very nice, isn't it? I'm – so happy – for you." Callie managed a brittle smile. "I guess I'd better be going, then, hadn't I?" She rose to her feet. Out of habit, Frank courteously stood, but she motioned him to re-seat himself. "No, no, don't get up." She smiled again; this time it was more genuine. "I wish you all the best, Frank. And I hope that we can be friends again." She leaned across the little table and pressed her lips briefly against Frank's cheek. " I doubt that we'll be seeing each other before I go back to Colorado, so I'll say goodbye now."
"Goodbye, Callie. Enjoy your next term." Frank cleared his throat. "Best of luck—"
"Thanks. You too." She picked up her drink cup, turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Frank stared after her, thoughts whirling. For a moment he was remembering their years as a couple; all the things they had done together and what they had meant to each other. And then he shook his head slightly, as if dispelling a bad dream, for a vision of red-gold hair and turquoise eyes filled his mind. "Oh, Megan," he whispered to himself, "I am so glad I found you!"
Frank sighed, and found himself yawning. The aspirin had done its work; his headache was starting to ease up, and the only thing he wanted was to sleep for a little while. And then have dinner, he thought, drowsily aware that his stomach felt somewhat empty.
The telephone's ringing startled him in the middle of another yawn. Frank reached for the phone and pressed the button to connect.
"Hardy residence."
"I want to talk to Frank Hardy," an unfamiliar voice said. It was a grating, irritating voice, speaking in a harsh whisper.
Frank tensed instinctively. "This is he."
"Hey there, Frankie-boy," the sinister voice continued. "You have a very pretty girlfriend, do you know that? We're getting to know her real well. You know what, Frankie-boy? You're going do exactly what I tell you – or little Miss Girlfriend's going to die!" A rasping chuckle sounded in his ear. "I'll be calling you back in a little while, and I'll give you a chance to talk to her for a minute…just to prove we mean business. In the meantime, you don't tell anyone about this, understand?"
For a moment, Frank was too stunned to reply.
"Understand?" the voice snarled, again.
"Yes – yes, I understand!"
"That's better. I'll be talking to you again, real soon." There was a click as the phone was hung up on the other end.
Frank lay motionless on the couch, clutching the telephone so tightly his knuckles were white. Megan! Someone's kidnapped Megan again! Oh God, Megan!