Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, and am not making any profit from the writing of this story.
"Do you see any patterns here, Hannah?"
Hannah Gruen, housekeeper of the Drew household, squinted over the papers, maps, and photographs spread out on the desk for a long moment. "Patterns like what?" she asked finally.
Nancy Drew folded her arms over her chest and blew a strand of hair out of her face in frustration. "I don't know! I feel like I've hit a dead end on this case already! Chief McGinnis asked me to consult on this string of robberies, but they're never in the same part of town, the same time of night, not even the same type of store... There's no common M.O. We're not going to catch these guys if we're missing a link, and I just don't see one."
"There, there." Hannah patted the agitated girl on the back. "Why don't you take a break? I'll make some coffee, you can have a slice of the pie I made yesterday, relax, and come back to it later with fresh eyes."
"That sounds good, Hannah." Nancy admitted, sinking down on her bed. "Fresh eyes... fresh eyes!" She sat up suddenly. "That's it! I'll call Frank, he's so good at this sort of thing." She glanced quickly at the clock. Ten-thirty. Not too late to call. "You're brilliant, Hannah!"
Hannah quickly hid her knowing smile at Nancy's abrupt change in mood upon the arrival of Frank Hardy into the conversation. Hannah had met Frank and his brother Joe several times and thought they were both very nice young men- Frank was certainly a perfect gentleman, and quite as good a detective as her Nancy. And Nancy- Hannah had seen for years that this girl she had come to think of as a daughter had special feelings for the older Hardy in particular, and vice versa. Although Nancy, Frank, and Joe had known each other since childhood, it was Frank who always seemed particularly protective of Nancy. The two touched subconsciously- a hand on the arm, a head on the shoulder- without even seeming to realize it. They'd even made a habit of finishing each other's sentences, working together in perfect tandem. If anyone could help Nancy with her present dilemma, Hannah had no doubts Frank would be the one. In fact, Hannah thought slyly, there were probably a few other problems Frank could help her solve too, if they weren't both too stubborn to acknowledge their feelings for each other!
"You're welcome, dear. I'll run down and get the coffee. Tell Frank I said hi." Hannah left the door open a crack to make sure she wouldn't intrude at an inopportune moment later, although she knew that while on a case, Nancy and Frank would both stay strictly focused on business.
Nancy crossed her legs and took a deep breath before dialing Frank's cell phone number... which went straight to voicemail. Nancy dialed it one more time, with the same result, before sitting up straight, her face creased with worry. Frank always kept his cell phone on. She remembered that he'd called her last week for help on a case of his own, but she hadn't heard from him since then. Was he still busy with the investigation? She could think of one person who would know, and quickly dialed Joe's number, sighing in relief when it, at least, began to ring.
"Hello?"
Nancy started in surprise at the unexpected female voice. "Hi, this is Nancy Drew, I'm trying to reach Joe-"
"Nancy! It's me, Vanessa." Nancy had met Joe's girlfriend Vanessa on her last trip to Bayport and the girls had instantly hit it off. "I'm sorry, but Joe's finally getting some decent sleep for the first time in five days. I stole his phone so he wouldn't wake up."
"Five days!" Nancy repeated. A feeling of dread crept into her. "What happened to Joe? Is he okay?"
"I think he's okay, just tired and anxious." Vanessa reassured her. "Frank's condition is taking its toll on everyone, but especially Joe, of course. He's barely slept a wink since Frank was kidnapped and now that Frank's... well..."
Nancy was still absorbing Vanessa's last sentence when her reluctance to finish the next caught her stunned attention. "Frank's... condition?" she repeated through lips that suddenly felt numb. "Now that Frank is what?" She almost heard it in the silence on the line. Dying. Please don't say dying.
Vanessa made a slightly strangled sound as she realized that Nancy had not heard the news. "Oh, Nancy... I didn't mean to tell you like that, I thought you knew. I thought someone must have told you."
"Told me what?" There was a muffled sob from the girl on the other end and the vague feeling of dread Nancy had experienced earlier hardened into a cold lump of fear. Vanessa was crying. "Vanessa, please!"
"I'm so sorry, Nancy." Vanessa was saying, audibly trying to keep her voice steady. "Frank was kidnapped last week, and he somehow sustained some sort of... knife wounds... and by the time Joe and Fenton got to him they were... infected, and he'd lost so much blood..."
"Van... is he..." Nancy was gripping the phone so hard her knuckles were white. "Will he be...?"
"He's at the hospital now, and he's being treated... Oh, but Nancy, the doctors say they've never seen a more stubborn infection, and with lying on the floor in some dirty basement for three days... It's not good, Nancy."
Nancy's mind was in a whirl. "Okay." she said, almost mechanically. "Okay. Thank you. Bye." Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped her cell phone before she could hang it up. She picked it up and tried again, this time successfully. She sat for a moment on her bed, breathing deeply and trying to collect herself.
Hannah entered with two cups of steaming coffee. As soon as she set eyes on Nancy, she set the cups on the desk and hurried to her, putting a warm hand on her forehead. "Nancy! Are you all right? You look as if you've seen a ghost!" She had never seen the poor girl so pale, and trembling! "Are you sick?"
Nancy pushed Hannah's hand away. "It's Frank." she said flatly. "He's in the hospital. It's serious."
Hannah made a sympathetic noise and sat next to her on the bed, pulling the young woman into her arms and stroking her hair. "Now, now. Frank's a strong young man. He'll be all right in the long run. Everything's going to be okay, my girl."
After a moment of relaxing into her embrace, Nancy whispered into Hannah's shoulder, "I have to go."
"I'm sure he's in good hands, Nancy." Hannah soothed. "He wouldn't want you running out in the middle of the night..."
Nancy rose and went to her closet, pulling out a heavy jacket and draping it around herself. "I have to go to him." she repeated. "I have to... I have to tell him-" Her voice broke.
Hannah's heart broke with it, and she nodded mutely. "The airport." she suggested finally. "Grab a flight to New York City. I'll tell your father when he gets home, and Chief McGinnis if he calls."
Nancy was packing her wallet and a change of clothes into a tote bag. She turned to the housekeeper and pecked her on the cheek. "Thank you, Hannah."
"You just call home tomorrow and tell us where you are." Hannah reminded her softly.
"I will." Nancy whispered. She picked up her bag and fled the room. Hannah sank down on her bed, listening to the front door slamming, and Nancy's car roaring to life in the street outside.
A/N: Please review!