Gone: A Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Mystery

6. George

I am just saying, Bess and I are awesome. We separated the Hardy Boys. The inseparable ones, yeah. She had Joe sleep over at the Marvin's and Frank slept at the Fayne's. I don't know how Bess did it but I had a little trouble convincing Mom and Dad to let Frank stay but it was easier than if I had to convince them to let both brothers to spend the night. Second thought, the way my mom acted I think both would have been better. Frank slept in Sebastian's old room which unlucky for him had a harassing, annoying Scott Fayne next door.

When we met up at the park the next morning, we talked strategy. Joe and Frank acted like they hadn't seen each other in forever. I guess when they grew up they rarely left each other's side and being apart physically hurts them.

"So, how are we going to find Nancy?" I ask after we reunite.

"Well, the only way she could be alive is if she were kidnapped or she got out of the car while it rolls down the hill," Frank assures.

"I've been thinking. Do you all think it is a coincidence that Nancy and her mother "died" the same way?" Joe puzzles.

All of us shook her heads.

"This had to have been planned," Bess decides. "I think we can rule out the idea that she rolled out. She would have found us by now. She is no stranger to River Heights."

"I think that two of us should head to the library and see what research we can do on Stella Drew and the other two should check around the scene of the crash for clues," Frank suggests.

"George and I will tackle the scene," Joe decrees, grabbing my arm and steering me toward the trunk.

"That leaves us for the library," Frank chuckles.

The head to Bess's Mustang and hop in.

On the short drive to the scene I ask Joe, "What exactly does Frank think we'll find?"

"A trail of bread crumbs to a secret tunnel some psychopath using to get his lair where he is keeping Nancy and Stella."

I had to laugh.

"Honestly though, maybe we're supposed to find a truck in the woods, copy the license plate number, climb in the back and it will drive us to the lair because the criminal is so stupid he didn't even check for stowaways."

I shook my head. He doesn't have a clue what we are supposed to find. We are both complete clueless.

"If you don't know what we are looking for, why did you volunteer us?"

"I neither know or don't know what we are looking for, but, if I do know that looking at a crime scene is a lot better than staring at a computer in a library."

"Why did you choose me to go with you instead of Bess? I would serve us a whole lot better researching at the library. I could hack up anything while Bess won't be helpful at all."

"Right now I am finding Elizabeth to be very annoying with her flirting," really quickly he changes his voice back to normal, "not that I mind flirting but she never stops."

I smile. "That is very true."

River Heights may be a small town, but it is just that, a town, which means traffic is already crossing the bridge that was just a crime scene last night. I have to park a little ways away from the bridge to be safe in the recent traffic and we hike through the mud down to the ravine and the site. For about an hour we look through mud and woods. We found zip, na da, nothing, leading to a kidnapping. No secret tunnels appear out of nowhere, manholes shooting up down into an underground sewer system, or abandoned truck to drive us to a criminal liar. At one point Joe  found a muddy footprint and we both got really excited...until we realized it was mine! Sometimes detectives waste a bunch of time on a useless search; this was on of those times.