Hardy Boys -2: Secret of the Old Mill

Some Info

The boys were up bright and early. They had offered to bring their parents to the train station before heading towards their meeting at the bank. Their parents and aunt were already up when the boys made their way down the stairs, eating a pretty big breakfast.

Joe gasped. "You didn't wait for us?"

Trudy scoffed. "And let you have a chance of eating everything before your parents even get a chance? I think not!"

"Aw, come on Aunty, we would have left them something."

"The scraps from their own table, that's what."

Fenton chuckled. "OK, Trudy, give it a rest. I'm glad Jack is going to be staying over. I need him here just to keep the peace!"

Frank and Joe shot each other sly grins. If anything, that's exactly what their aunt wanted. Sure, the two of them, Nancy, and Chet knew that Jack and Trudy had a thing for each other, but did Laura and Fenton know? The boys knew they hadn't told them, though Joe did wonder why they made that deal with their aunt. It wasn't like she was making this any easier on them, at least for him, to keep their mouths shut.

"There is enough food for you too," Laura said. "Now hurry up and eat or else your father and I will call a cab."

"Yes ma'am," mumbled the boys. They practically dove into the food and ate as quickly as they could. Fenton had already brought the luggage to the car, so when the boys finished eating, the whole family walked out to the car. Fenton got behind the wheel. It wasn't until they got about halfway to the station that Joe finally spoke up.

"How, how long are you going to be gone?" The fact that both parents were leaving to solve a mystery finally hit them like a ton of bricks. They were excited that their mother was helping their father, but it was the first time both would be gone. "Having Jack over would be great and all, but I don't know how long I can stand being around Aunt Trudy by herself," he quickly added.

Fenton chuckled softly. "You'll be fine."

Laura turned in her seat and patted Joe's hand. "Think of it this way, since I'm with your father, we'll solve this mystery in no time."

Fenton scoffed. "Are you saying I'm getting slow on the job?"

Laura turned back around in her seat. "No dear, it's just you really do need me as I notice things you don't. After all, two heads are better than one," she said, even though there was a twinkle in her eyes.

Fenton laughed. "Touche, touche." He patted her leg, and the next minute their fingers were intertwined. Joe beamed, it always made him feel so warm and glad when his parents showed their love to each other. He glanced at Frank, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Hello, Earth to Frank . . ."

Frank snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, um, what?"

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"If you actually paid up, I might tell you more often. You must owe me five bucks by now."

Joe's mouth dropped. "What?" Frank grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Laura and Fenton laughed.

"Good one, Frank," said Fenton. "But I too am curious about your thoughts."

Frank became a little more serious. "Well, I was just thinking, maybe we could find out a little more about our counterfeiter. We could at least find out where he got off at, see if they just make it seem like they're from out of town and operate in town, or if they really do operate out of town."

Fenton nodded. "That's definitely a good place to start."

"Maybe we can even find out if they operate a lot at the station," said Joe, "or if they just hit a place and disappear until things cool down."