Gone: A Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Mystery

11. Joe

I am so glad I volunteered for jobs sometimes. Yeah, there are sometimes when Joe Hardy wishes that he had held his tongue or didn't raise his hand. Like the time that the teacher needed someone to play the part of the tree in a school play and on the way there a dog thought I was real. Or that time when I told the villain that I was the first one he would hurt. Or that time when I jokingly catcalled my brother's girlfriend and she punched me. Maybe that wasn't volunteering, but I still regret it. My biggest regret would be when I volunteered to that Dad's mystery case and I was sent undercover to the landfill and absolutely nothing happened except for trash coming in.

But this time was a good time to volunteer. I can not wait to see Nancy. I hadn't seen her since the ball and she was hanging precariously from a chandelier. Nancy is such a good person and she is so kind and...adorable. When I met Nancy Drew she was on the least favorite people list. I had learned on that case to never judge a person by their case file, much less their cover. Once I met her, I knew that she was amazing. Spending time with Nancy was better than playing any video game or eating any pizza. If you passed her on the street, you wouldn't think anything of her. She was an average Jane, an everyday American teenager. She wasn't especially tall, she wasn't short. She wasn't big, but she definitely wasn't small. She was normal. Except she was super smart, strong and was the best female detective in the world. She wasn't a magazine model, but she was far from ugly. She had acne, she slouched and she wasn't afraid to roll around and get dirty. She was as calm as a cucumber. She was a social bug who needed her me-time. She was the whole package. And even though I tried to hide, I fell for it. She didn't or hasn't fallen for me, but I know that we are passed friends. We had known that when we first met, that is just how it is for detectives. Once a sleuth, you are part of the family. I know, I know, we haven't known each other long, but when your job almost kills you on a regular basis, you get close to the people you work with.

To say that I was eager to see Nancy was an understatement.

When I snuck in the room, Nancy was out on a cold wooden cot. I unlocked the door and picked Nancy's limp body up. I didn't expect her to be awake after Frank's visit, though I had hoped she was. I brought her out of the cell and didn't even bother closing the door. I put her down on the chair and replaced the keys on their hook before picking her back up. This would be so much easier to do without holding a hundred and thirty-pound dead weight. Not that I was complaining. If Nancy had been awake she never would have let me carry her. I opened the door, slipped out and closed it again. Looking first, I carefully crept to the door on the left. I had more chances of not being detected if I cut off that hallway. No one seemed to be I the room, which is a very good thing because I couldn't fight off someone and keep Nancy safe. I set Nancy down and ran up the few steps to open the door. I pick her up and hook my foot on the door to close it.

Carrying a dead weight was not part of A.T.A.C yearly training and I'll have to admit, at this point, my muscles burned and ached. I guess I haven't walked carrying this much weight often enough. Let's just say that I rarely carry anything while I am walking. Awkwardly I put Nancy down and stretched my muscles. I could have rested there for hours except I knew I had to get above ground. I hit Nancy's head as I moved through the stairway Elizabeth and I had taken earlier. She moaned and opened her eyes.

"Should I ask why we are here?" She smiles wearily, almost as if she has been drugged.

"You could, but you wouldn't get the whole, storybook answer."

She giggles and hiccups, solidifying my thought that Doright might have her on some medication.

"You seem awfully awake," I comment.

"Maybe I am," she grins but it never reaches her eyes.

"You want to talk walking?" I ask.

She hums softly. "Not really. I'm fine up here."