165I do not own the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, the characters solely belong to Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon. I'm just using their awesome characters to write my own fan fiction.
Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for hanging in there during my move. Sorry it took longer to post then what I thought, but it's been a little crazy for me to find the time to write even though I knew what needed to be written. Then when I sat to write, I kept having brain freezes. Anyways here's chapter 18, sorry it's not more. I will try to update sooner, but still going to be plenty busy over the next few months, but I promise to do my best because I hate having to leave you guys waiting too long. Thanks again for all who are reading this story and reviewing, you guys are great and always help to put a smile on my face to hear that you are enjoying this. So without further delay here it is:
Chapter 18
Frank Hardy stood stiff as a board against the frigid night air, but it wasn't the cold that chilled him. Since his arrival at Bayport Harbor, he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone, and he just knew it was Nancy's stalker. He flexed his good hand, turning at the littlest sound. It made him even more nervous that Nancy wasn't here next to him, he felt completely out of control of the situation, but he knew she was in good hands. After all, if he couldn't trust his brother who could he trust.
He could feel George shift next to him and he turned slightly to see that she was scoping out the situation as well. Frank had to stifle a chuckle at the sight of George with a reddish haired wig on, she looked so unlike the tomboy that he'd come to know.
George caught sight of the slight grin on Frank's face and whispered, "You laughing at something, Hardy?"
Frank shook his head negatively, and returned to look in the direction of the docks as he waited for the signal that it was time to move out.
"You know this guy probably will figure out I'm not Nancy..." George whispered behind Frank and he sighed.
"I know, but hopefully it'll stall him enough for Joe to get Nancy on the Sleuth safely. And maybe by then dad can see if anybody's following the Napoli or not." Frank replied back softly, repeating what had been said many times before since they had first come up with the plan three days ago. Though, because the stalker seemed to know exactly what was being said in the house, they had only been able to go through the plan a few times at police headquarters and in car rides. Frank just hoped everything would go without a hitch for once, but knew it wasn't going to be so with Nancy's stalker already here.
A few blinking lights from the direction of the Napoli caught Frank's eye and he quickly nudged George to alert her to the signal. Sharing a quick look, they stood up from where they had been crouching and began making their way towards the boat dock. Frank sensed more then saw the undercover cops placed strategically around the docks and he felt grateful for his father and how Fenton was able to pull extra security for this night, where most people might have a hard time with it.
George kept up to pace with Frank as they slowly walked, wanting to give Nancy's stalker every advantage to show himself now before they headed out onto the water. But there was no interruptions and they arrived at the Napoli safely. Tony Prito, one of Frank and Joe's close friends, was ready at the helm of the motor boat when they arrived. Frank helped George into the boat but before entering himself, he sneaked a look around once more, wishing beyond anything he could see Nancy to assure him of her safety right now; but he was not afforded such an opportunity.
As he started entering the boat, a sudden movement caught his peripheral vision, and he glanced up toward the roof of the boat house where he thought he saw a fleeting glimpse of a man's shadow. Frank sat down quickly while saying, "Now, Tony! Get out of here,"
Tony revved the engine and began maneuvering it into the waters of Bayport Harbor. Frank turned his head slightly to try and catch another glance without appearing conspicuous. George caught Franks sudden tenseness and began to look back but Frank quickly pushed her head down a little. "Don't look back, I don't want him to get a look at your face." He said quietly, then reaching into his pocket for the walkie talkie, he quickly pulled it out and turned it on.
"Napoli to Base Headquarters, do you read, over?"
After a few moments of static and Frank repeating the call, they finally heard his father's voice, "Base Headquarters to Napoli, we read you, what have you got Frank?"
"Mayday, a suspicious figure on the roof of the boathouse."
It was a moment silence before Fenton came back with, "I just sent some men to check it out, what's your progress?"
Frank turned to see they hadn't made too much of a headway since Tony made it to open water. After consulting with Tony, Frank replied, "Since we just started, about twenty knots, we'll keep you updated on the Napoli's radio from here on out and will let you know when we reach the checkpoint, over."
"All right, be careful out there, over and out." Came Fenton's reply before Frank turned off the walkie talkie and pocketed it again.
"It's a good thing we didn't have to use that more then once!" George exclaimed about the walkie talkie and Frank felt the exact same sentiment, glad they hadn't had many problems yet. As he settled in for the twenty minute ride, his mind turned to Nancy once again and he closed his eyes sincerely wishing this night was over and he and Nancy were safely in Idaho.
It had been ten minutes since Fenton had radioed Nancy and Joe that Frank, George and Tony were off. Nancy blew into her hands, having once again forgotten to bring her gloves, as she sat with her back to the boxes across the dock from the Sleuth. She and Joe had been instructed to move closer to the boat in case emergency measures were needed, since Frank spotted the figure on the boat house and the undercover police couldn't find any sign of anyone. So she and Joe had spent the last ten minutes slowly and quietly sneaking over here. Nancy glanced up towards the boat house's roof but couldn't make out anybody there. She sighed with relief, though knowing it was probably only momentary.
Joe sat next to her, checking his watch for the fifth time in the past few minutes. "Should be about fifteen minutes now till we leave, do you think we can hold out till then?" He whispered.
"Do we have a choice?" Nancy whispered with a slight chuckle, "Besides shouldn't I be more worried about you sitting tight, after all it's been how long since you had your last meal?"
"Hey, who do you take me for, Chet Morton?" Joe asked softly pretending to act offended but Nancy knew he wasn't and smiled, glad for the comic relief in this suspenseful situation.
She blew into her hands again as she tried to think about how good it would be to see Hannah and Daniel Wilson, Hannah's husband, again. It'd been hard for them to coordinate visits when one party or the other wasn't busy, and it'd been well over a year since she'd seen her beloved housekeeper. Hannah's presence was missed more then Nancy let on, so she could hardly wait to get there. And having Frank come along did more then lift her spirits. Even though she knew the reason why they were leaving was a serious matter, and she hated thinking she wouldn't be along every step of the way in solving this mystery, she still couldn't deny the fact that she was schoolgirl giddy to think of her and Frank almost alone in scenic Island Park.
"Thinking of Frank?" Joe whispered breaking her from her thoughts. Nancy blushed and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a sound, a paper airplane from above landed at their feet. Nancy's eyes widened and she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She briefly noticed Joe turn and look above and she assumed that he was scoping out where it could have come from, but her eyes barely left the folded piece of paper.
It was only when Joe grabbed it that Nancy came to her senses as she too scanned the area above but it was hopeless because by now whoever it was surely would have hidden himself from view. Joe sighed as he read the note, causing Nancy to peer over his shoulder. With the little light that the moon was able to give out, she made out a short typewritten message:
Peek-a-boo
I'm coming to get you
Nancy gasped as Joe crumpled it quickly before he stood and pulled Nancy up with him. Grabbing her hand he started moving across the dock to the Sleuth all the while pulling his walkie talkie from his pocket.
"Mayday, Sleuth to Base, received contact from stalker, departing early, over..." Joe spoke hurriedly as soon as he had turned it on. All the while he helped Nancy into the Sleuth before climbing in and positioning himself in the driver's seat.
Just as Joe started the engine, Fenton's voice came over the walkie, "Copy that Sleuth, commence departure immediately, will make contact with Napoli and notify of change, keep in contact on Sleuth radio from now on, will send men out to the area, over..."
"Copy that over and out." Joe replied before handing Nancy the walkie to turn off. He swiftly and skillfully maneuvered his way into the Harbor and into the open water. Nancy looked back and saw men running about the boat house, searching, but she couldn't see any signs that her stalker was about or was attempting to follow.
She should have felt relieved, but couldn't feel anything other then uneasiness. The chase was on for him and she knew from past experience that her stalker was not one to make idle threats. What chilled her more was not knowing whether it was Wade or Ned or someone else behind the note. Not knowing who was coming after her was more terrifying then the idea that her stalker was coming to get her in the first place, considering she already figured he would anyways. Whoever it was was clever enough to put the note in typewritten form, and she was worried about what could lay ahead for them in the next twenty minutes till they reached the Napoli. She rested assured that as least Frank, George, and Tony were safe for now since they had quite a lead already.
After a few communications were made between Base Headquarters and the Napoli, once the boat reached the checkpoint, Frank anxiously sat and waited, keeping his gaze in the direction that the Sleuth would be coming from. Though he had briefly been able to talk to Joe and Nancy to assure himself that they were all right for now, he was now more on edge then ever, especially knowing her stalker must now be on the move.
George sighed as she played with the wig she had since taken off, as she too kept returning her gaze to the spot where the awaited arrival of the Sleuth would be. Frank figured it wouldn't be too much longer now, if his calculations were correct, and if they hadn't run into any trouble. It was killing him to not be there to physically protect Nancy should anything come up. He just consoled himself with the idea that if they were able to make it through this night and get to their destination, he wouldn't have too much reason to leave her side till this was all over.
Before Frank could lay much thought to the idea of what would happen when this was all over, he saw headlights in the distant water.
"Hey, I think I see them!" He announced causing George and Tony to turn and search the waters. Sure enough within minutes the sound of the Sleuth's motor came within hearing range and Frank felt an ounce of relief.
It wasn't long before the Sleuth speed was reduced as it approached the Napoli. Frank grabbed the rope that was by his feet and roughly seized it. Weighing it in his hands he waited for the Sleuth get close enough to throw them a line so that he could bring the boats close enough to climb aboard. From there it would hopefully be smooth sailing to Baltimore.
As soon as Joe cut the Sleuth's engine, Frank's eyes found Nancy's face and he smiled. He saw her stand up and cup her hands to her mouth before shouting something. Frank strained to hear what she said but it was still a little muted against the slight wind and the distance between the boats.
"Did she just say something about a beef stew?" Tony asked sporting a puzzled look on his face.
Frank shook his head negatively and was about to reply when an unusually deep rumble exploded from underneath the surface of the water. Frank was knocked to his knees by the sudden mass of waves as the Napoli pitched back and forth. It was all he could do to catch hold of the side rail to make sure he didn't fall in.
"What was that?" Frank heard George ask, but he didn't respond as he looked up and saw the Sleuth careening violently. Forcing himself to stand up despite the continued swaying of Napoli, he attempted to regain his balance while turning his eyes towards the floundering boat again. He gasped as he felt his heart drop because Nancy and Joe were no where to be seen.
Well I hope it was worth the wait, I know there was a lot of action in this chapter and another cliffhanger, sorry. It was hard for me to get the tone and what I was going for in this chapter to be just the way I wanted, but it came out in the end I guess. Plus it got me caught up to where I need to be for the next chapter. Anyways R&R please and thank you, and till the next chapter...