The Hardy Boys (2020) s01e04 Episode Script

1
Previously, on Hardy Boys
The other day, I met someone on the beach.
I saw a parachute,
so I'm pretty sure
it was that guy from the paper
that jumped out of the plane.
If I can get this radio fixed,
I can call someone to come get me.
I'd have to get my tools.
Your name engraved. That's cute.
You don't seem like a cop's daughter.
You don't seem like a cop's son.
Your wife was investigating something,
and my nephew Rupert was her source.
I think that whatever
he told her got her killed.
Joe, Mom signed this out
the day that she died.
There's a chapter missing.
"The Tragedy at Demon's Paw,"
written by Anya Kowalski.
The tale of Demon's Paw
dates back to 1915,
when the town of Bridgeport
had yet to be founded,
and the land was nothing
but fields and hills.
My father led an expedition
to dig the ground.
But they found something down there.
- Where is it?
- I don't have it. I swear!
Run!
I think that's what
the tall man was after.
It has powers.
I had it with me during the carnival,
and I didn't lose a single game.
The symbol Mom drew.
This was on the box that the Astghik
pulled out of the water.
Whatever Mom was working on,
this has to be a part of it.
Uh, 7C and 7B.
All right. Got it.
That's the last one.
Please no toolbox,
please no toolbox,
please no toolbox.
And that's this one, too.
Hey, Jesse, what's your status?
Just finished my search
of the fugitive's campsite, Sarge.
Gonna add these last few boxes
with what I've already got in the trunk.
Okay. Finish up and head back
to the station.
The chief needs that evidence
tagged and cataloged.
This is a high priority case.
Copy that, Sarge.
All right, guys. Let's wrap it up.
Watch your step, there. Watch out.
Please no toolbox,
please no toolbox,
please no toolbox.
Looking for something, Hardy?
Who, me?
No. The other kid poking his nose
into my mom's trunk.
Well, I, I just saw that
your mom's trunk was open,
so I decided I'd close it
before someone sketchy came around.
So, you're being a good Samaritan?
Yeah.
Hey, Joe.
- Hey, Officer Hooper.
- How are things?
Hey. Good.
It's It's all good. Um
I'm gonna go.
I, I'll see you later. Uh, thanks.
Does Joe seem a bit weird today?
Well, on a normal day, he's about
a four or five on the weird-o-meter.
Today we're looking at a solid 8.5.
Sounds like
nothing ever happens in Bridgeport.
Must be so boring.
Well, it's definitely not boring.
Great. So you're having fun.
Are you making any new friends?
Yeah, some, I guess.
Anyone I should know about?
What's that supposed to mean?
I guess I just I don't really know
what's going on with you anymore, so
Just regular stuff, Em.
Yeah. Regular stuff.
Hey, do you have any idea
when you're gonna be home?
I don't know, Emma.
It's just,
you said that last time, Frank.
Look, with, with my dad gone, it's
Everything's kind of
up in the air right now.
Yeah.
Yeah, including us.
What?
Look, Frank, I
I know you've
been through a lot,
and I know you're still
going through a lot, but the thing is, I
Em, what are you
talking about right now?
I'm saying I need to move on.
Frank!
And I think it would be
a good idea if you moved on, too.
Frank, we have an emergency!
Not now!
Frank, I really need your help.
Something crazy happened
Joe, get out of my room!
Sorry, Em. I guess
Meet me in the attic, okay?
Look, I can tell you need to go.
Em, can you just talk
for like, one second, please?
Bye, Frank.
Emma
Remember that guy
that Dad arrested for bank robbery?
Uh, Terry Kovak.
His brother went down, too, right?
I still can't believe she dumped me.
Do you need a minute?
No, I'm fine.
You know what? I'm gonna call her.
It's a bad idea. She said it's over.
I need to respect that.
Right?
Right. Back to Kovak's brother.
He got arrested, too. Remember?
Yes, because he was aiding
and abetting a criminal.
He gave him food, clothing, a bus ticket
A toolbox, by any chance?
What are you talking about, a toolbox?
Well, let's say a hypothetical kid
lent a hypothetical criminal
their hypothetical toolbox,
which the cops just found on the beach.
Hypothetically speaking.
So you gave your toolbox
to the guy on the beach,
and the cops found it.
- I didn't give it to him.
- I lent it to him.
- It doesn't matter.
- It's still aiding and abetting a criminal!
- I didn't know he was a criminal!
- All right?
Great. This is great!
You don't think I should call her?
I don't know!
I'm 12 years old. I'm not a dating expert!
And I don't want to go to jail.
So, how about we just
focus on this toolbox?
There's nothing we can do.
How would the cops even know
that it's your toolbox?
I engraved my name onto
the soldering iron.
- Who engraves their name in a soldering iron?
- I like to engrave things, all right?
Point is, we need to get it back.
If they find out it's your toolbox. If.
They're just gonna assume he stole it.
You're fine!
Besides, I'd never let anything
happen to you.
I've always got your back.
Right?
You better be right about this, Frank.
'Cause I'm not going to kid jail.
All right?
- You're not going to "kid jail."
- Just focus on our next move, please.
So, the tall guy killed
all the people on the Astghik.
Probably for the idol.
And whatever it is
that was inside of it.
Him and the guy from the beach.
I think they're after the same thing.
I still don't get how any of this
connects to Mom.
Just don't know yet.
I think I know where to start.
What am I gonna do?
Just stay home.
Relax. Stay out of trouble okay?
Where are you going?
Going to work, but first
I'm gonna go to the library.
Ask about this.
Hey. You look nice.
Thanks.
Someone's in a hurry today.
Yeah. Totally.
- Seems like you're always rushing off.
- We don't get a chance to talk.
Talking now, aren't we?
Frank.
It's like, ever since the carnival,
this wall's gone up.
You're not communicating with me.
I'm so sorry, Aunt Trudy. I, I
I really didn't mean
to make you feel that way.
You know you can trust me, right?
Yeah.
Oh, look, I'm gon
I'm gonna be late.
Yeah.
Oh, your grandmother keeps calling.
She says she needs to talk
about something of the utmost importance.
Yeah, that sounds like Grandma.
I'll stop by later.
Frank?
Be careful.
She bite?
No, but she's cut from a different cloth
than the rest of us.
You mean 'cause she's rich.
There's a lot more than money
that separates
the Hardys from the Estabrooks.
Your mom was in that world,
and she left
for a reason.
She's still my grandma, right?
Yeah.
Of course.
Gotta go.
Hi. Can I ask you a question?
I don't know. Can you?
May I ask you a question?
Yes, you may.
After you observe the library's
no chewing gum policy.
Now, how can I help you today?
Um, I just,
I wanted to ask you about this book
that was taken out on June 30th.
There's a chapter torn out.
Are you responsible for this?
No. Uh, that's how I found it.
It was in my mom's stuff.
Hmm. Your mom's Laura Hardy.
I heard about the accident. I'm sorry.
Thanks.
About this missing chapter,
do you know anything about it?
Well, I do know that this book
did not leave the library like this.
This chapter was torn out after checkout.
Do you have any idea
why she would have taken it out?
I'm sure it was part of her research
into Bridgeport history.
She came down from the city
several times to access the archives.
Could I see those?
That would be against library policy.
Especially with materials
from the archives.
Is there someone
I could talk to about that?
You could talk to the archivist.
But she's on a two-month sabbatical.
Right.
- And you were here the day that she signed this out?
- Mm-hmm.
- Did she say anything to you?
- Was she acting strange?
Hmm. I remember that very clearly.
She sat at that desk over there,
pouring over this book,
drinking her coffee,
which she should have known
was against the rules.
Okay.
Did you see where she got her coffee from?
There's only one place in Bridgeport
to get a decent cup of coffee.
So Frank,
you put some more thought into coming
to play baseball with us this year?
I told you man, I don't play anymore.
Come on, man. With an arm like that?
Sitting around is just
a sad waste of talent.
It's, uh, it's complicated.
They could really use you, Frank.
To make up for Chet's deficiencies.
Oh, hold on. What
- Some girlfriend you are. Jeez.
- You know I'm your biggest fan.
Hey, uh, Wilt, you got a minute?
Yeah. For you, I got five.
Uh, I just wanted to ask you a question.
Sure.
Um, did my mom come here
for coffee the morning she died?
Yeah, she did.
You guys talk?
Yeah.
Told Chief Collig about it.
He didn't seem to think
it was all that relevant, so
So you guys talked,
and you didn't tell me.
Look, I'm sorry, Frank.
I just haven't found the right time.
It's a hard topic to bring up. You know.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
I know.
What did you guys talk about?
To be honest,
from the moment
she walked in that morning,
I could tell she was upset.
What'd she say, Wilt?
Said she had a big argument
with somebody.
- Who?
- She didn't say.
I didn't want to get into
the family business.
Family business?
I think it was my grandmother.
Well, those two didn't always
see eye-to-eye, Frank.
On much about anything.
Right.
My lunch is coming up.
Do you mind if I duck out?
- No, go ahead.
- As long as you're back by 1:00.
- Thanks, Wilt.
- Okay.
Aunt Trudy, I'm heading out.
Joe, where you going?
Don't worry. I'll be back soon.
So he was shocked with the
power mains from the carnival.
That's enough juice to kill him
many times over.
But somehow he survived?
Just barely.
Have the doctors got any idea
on when he might come out of the coma?
Could be weeks. Months. Years.
If his condition changes,
call me right away.
Now, listen to me carefully.
If you adopt this policy,
it will not only prove disastrous
for the people of this city,
but for you, as well, Mr. Mayor.
Oh? My people will be in touch.
Francis Hardy!
Just the young man who I needed to see.
We have so much to talk about.
And the good news is,
it's not too late to fill out
this application to Rose grave.
But we have to hop to it.
Tempus fugit.
Before I fill this out, I was wondering
if I could ask you some questions.
Well, you already know it's the most
prestigious prep school in the country,
and that it was founded by your
very own great-grandfather
- Yeah, I know.
- Uh, it's not about the school.
It's about Mom.
What about your mother?
Do you remember the last time
you guys talked?
Well, that must be
quite some time ago, now.
I just talked to somebody in town.
He seems to think that
you guys had a conversation
the day that she died.
I remember the day very well, Francis.
I believe we did have
a conversation that morning.
I heard it was more of an argument.
Why, I don't remember it that way.
She seemed all right when she left here.
You remember what you guys talked about?
About you, my darling boy.
Uh, your future.
I, I, I made no secret of the fact
that I have always desired to see you
in a Rose grave uniform.
My mom didn't want me to go?
Well, she was
concerned about the cost.
I told her that money was no object,
especially where my family are concerned.
In retrospect
perhaps I did push a bit forcefully.
But she didn't seem that upset.
You told the cops about this, right?
Of course I did.
Wh What are you
trying to get at here, Francis?
It's just that you didn't tell
my dad or any of us
about this super important conversation.
No. No, I didn't.
But I didn't do it to
keep anything from you all.
I, I just
thought I'd spare you.
I really wish you'd let me
make that decision for myself.
You're absolutely right.
I should have.
And I shall regret for the rest of my life
that it ended up being
the last conversation
I ever had with my daughter.
It's heartbreaking.
Hi.
Sorry to interrupt.
No, not at all, Callie.
Come in, dear.
Your grandmother's been helping me
fill out the applications
to Rose grave Prep.
Doing them is a like a test
in itself.
Well, and now we have to concentrate on
this young man's application.
My lunch break is actually over.
So, another time.
Right.
Yes, of course.
Well, see you very soon, Francis.
Sit down, dear.
Can I help you?
Are you looking for something?
Looking for s? No, definitely not.
I mean, what could I possibly
be looking for here, right?
Well, it looks like
you're wasting my time.
Listen, the police station is no place
for kids to horse around.
So scram.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir, sorry.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Can I get a vanilla
butterscotch, uh, sundae?
Sure thing.
You know how to make one of those?
- Right?
- Yes. Yes, I do.
So, I'll confess.
I didn't just come here for the ice cream.
I don't mean to be nosy, but I
Usually said by somebody
who's about to be nosy.
Right.
No, you're right. Forget it.
Just messing with you, Callie.
Shoot.
When I came in earlier today, I
overheard you talking with Gloria.
It's kind of private.
I know. I
I was in the foyer minding my business.
But the doors were wide open
and I could hear you guys talking.
What exactly did you hear?
I heard you talking about this argument
on the morning of June 30th.
I was there that day.
Waiting to meet with Gloria.
And I heard her arguing
with this other woman.
She had long brown hair and
was wearing a green backpack.
Um, my mom was wearing
a green backpack the day she died.
Did you hear what they were arguing about?
- I don't know.
- There was a lot of yelling about
secrets and lies?
Your grandmother told you
that their argument was about you, but
it wasn't.
Do you remember anything else?
I remember how it ended.
Your mom yelled, "This all has to stop,"
and she just stormed out.
She said it was just some
disgruntled employee of hers.
I believed her, of course.
She lied.
She lied to me.
Biff!
Wow.
Can you help me?
I could.
But
not until you tell me what's going on.
Fine. Just, just help me up first.
- I'm running away.
- What?
- Come on, Bridgeport's not that bad.
- It's not Bridgeport I'm scared of.
- It's juvie.
- Why would you be going there?
The toolbox, genius.
- Your mom found it on the beach.
- So?
She doesn't know whose it is.
My soldering iron's inside it.
The one with your name on it?
All the evidence she needs
to prove that I was helping that guy.
You're a kid. They're gonna find you.
Yeah. I'd rather spend
the rest of my life on the run
than doing hard time in kid jail.
Do I look like a criminal to you?
You look like a marshmallow.
Or a bunny. Only less threatening.
Thank you, Biff. That's so nice.
Look, juvie's a rough place,
but they will find you if you run away.
It's not gonna help your situation.
But this is your situation, too,
isn't it?
You're just as guilty
of helping him as I am.
- I didn't know he was a criminal.
- Yeah, neither did I.
So why should I be the one
spending time in juvie?
It's not like I can walk into
the police station and steal it back.
But Joe,
it is your soldering iron.
So if we did sneak in,
and take it back
it's not really stealing, is it?
I like the way you think, Biff.
I really like the way you think.
She shouldn't have lied to you
about that fight with your mom,
but that doesn't mean you have to question
every single thing she says.
- Doesn't it?
- No. Of course not.
Look, before my mom's accident,
she was writing an article.
I think she was trying to expose
Bridgeport and its secrets.
What secrets?
I don't know, but she was
looking through the city archives,
and I need to know
what she was looking at.
So let's do it.
We can't. That's the thing.
The library's closed,
and the archivist is on sabbatical.
I might know a way.
What do you mean?
Coming, or what?
Keep a lookout.
I've got it.
Impressive.
Don't act so surprised.
Got a habit of breaking and entering?
No. Just the library.
Must be an avid reader.
I just sneak in
for the air conditioning.
Really?
I imagine there's
a lot more to do in the city?
Not really. Just go to movies with Emma.
You don't talk about Emma very much.
Must be hard being this far away.
I don't not talk about Emma.
Okay.
You're the one who brought it up.
Wow. Following library rules
after breaking and entering
Just shh.
- Callie, no one's here.
- We can be as loud as we want!
- Frank!
- Come on. This way.
The archive log should be in there.
Bottom drawer.
I'll go grab the keys to the archive room.
This librarian's beyond thorough.
She kept files from like, decades ago.
Laura Hardy.
Got my mom's file.
- And I've got the keys.
- This way.
They're gone.
Joe. They usually keep
the evidence boxes in the evidence room.
Ixnay on the oxbay, Iff-Bay.
Stop talking in Pig Latin,
and let me handle this.
All right.
Hey, Sarge. Is Mom around?
Nope. Out on patrol. Back soon, though.
Hey.
Weren't you in here earlier today
wasting my time?
- Yes. Yes, I was.
- But I was actually just looking for Biff.
- And then I found her.
- Then he found me.
- That's a riveting story.
- How can I help you, Biff?
Uh, well, we're actually here
to pick up a donation box.
We're collecting stuff
to raise money.
For who?
- Kittens.
- Orphans.
Orphan kittens at the animal shelter.
I don't know anything
about a donation box, Biff.
You're just gonna have to wait
until your mom gets back
so she can help you.
Remember the prints
you pulled at that guy's campsite?
- Yeah.
- Feds just sent us a case file.
- We got a name.
- That's great.
Drop the case file off on the chief's desk
before you go?
- Yeah. You got it.
- Thanks.
- And you're still here.
- And you're still busy.
The donation box is in the back,
so we'll just go grab it,
and we'll be out of your hair.
You're not gonna festoon the chief's desk
with toilet paper again, are you?
No. No, I solemnly swear. No festooning.
Okay. Be quick about it.
No horseplay. This is a police station.
It's locked.
Of course. Why didn't I think of that?
- Good thing I did.
- You own a lock-picking kit?
Dad wanted to know
how the thieves did it, so
Bought himself a kit.
A week later, I showed him how,
and he let me keep it.
Did you label it, too?
Any time, Hardy.
- I'm going as fast as I can.
- Go faster.
You know, if I get distracted,
I go slower.
Okay, fine.
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.
You know, that's really annoying.
So is getting caught
sneaking into an evidence locker.
Pretty sure it's a felony,
so will you please hurry up?
You were saying?
All right. We're good.
- Hey, Sarge.
- Hey, Jesse.
Biff's in the back.
Brought a friend with her.
That's my mom. Run!
- What's she doing here?
- Joe, come on.
- I need to get the file from the guy on the beach.
- Why?
- It'll help me and Frank find him.
- Why do you need to find him?
He might have answers.
Take this. I'll meet you
out back in ten seconds.
You're gonna get caught. Joe!
Everything else here okay?
Yep. Just living the dream.
Joseph Hardy.
So you think you can just
waltz into the chief's office?
This is a private area. No kids allowed.
What on Earth has gotten into you?
Where's Biff?
I don't know.
Come on.
Remember that chapter
torn from the book written by Anya?
Find something?
Yeah. An old letter from
a man who claimed
he witnessed the event at Demon's Paw.
It says, "The calamitous events
"unearth an object of such uncommon power
"that no one man can be
trusted to hold it,
lest he, too, be corrupted."
"Lest he too be corrupted?"
There's more.
"Long after the dust settles,
"the land will remain accursed,
and will forever persist in making
its ghastly emanations."
Weird.
You think that's weird,
I've been following my mom
down the rabbit hole.
Seems she was really big into researching
the explosion of 1915 and its aftermath.
Check this out.
This is a map of the region in 1914.
There's nothing there.
Yeah. Exactly.
Before the explosion, this area
was dried and dusty and barren.
You couldn't pay people to live here.
Then the explosion of 1915 happened.
Things must have got even worse.
That's what you'd think, right?
But the opposite happened.
It went from dry and dusty
to green and fertile.
Property values skyrocketed,
population increased.
There's a new age of prosperity
in Bridgeport.
Check this out.
It's an op-ed from 1934.
"From the ashes of the explosion
at Demon's Paw
"arose a group so powerful
"it would control Bridgeport
with an iron fist
behind a wall of secrecy."
A group?
The editor who published this article
was fired in the same month.
If this group's still around,
they're keeping it pretty quiet.
So you're telling me
there's a secret group in Bridgeport
that's controlling everything?
All I know is, my mom was secretly
looking into this stuff.
We all have our secrets, Frank.
I lied to you before.
I don't sneak into the library
for the air conditioning.
I sneak in here to study.
That officially makes you
the nerdiest criminal ever. That's
- Shut up!
- I know, it's just my dad.
He really wants me to stay
in Bridgeport and take over his store,
but what I want to do is become a doctor.
Well, what kind of dad doesn't want
their daughter to become a doctor?
My mom left us when I was real young,
and so my dad raised me by himself,
and I'm all he's got.
He really wants me to stay in Bridgeport.
I don't think he ever got over
my mom leaving.
Do you miss her?
Sometimes.
You miss your mom a lot, don't you?
I do.
All the time.
The police think my mom's death
is an accident.
I don't.
So I've been retracing her steps,
trying to figure out what
she's been investigating,
'cause it might lead me to who killed her.
Oh, wait.
Move, move, move. Quick, quick!
Quick! Frank!
Come. Frank. Frank! Over here.
I think that's enough
excitement for one night.
Got that. Yeah.
So, explain this to me again.
I talked Biff into helping me sneak in.
Why?
We wanted to see if the police
had found anything
on that guy from the beach.
See, that's what I don't get.
Why do you need to know more about him?
Joe, you can talk to me.
You promise not to freak out?
I can try.
All right.
There's been a ton of weird stuff
happening in Bridgeport,
and it seems to all have started
around the time that beach guy got here.
That might be true,
but it doesn't mean he's behind all of it.
Well, maybe he has answers.
Maybe so.
That's why we've got
every available officer
from here to Dixon City
looking high and low for him.
And we'll find him soon enough.
When you do find him
and get some answers out of him,
would you tell Frank and I
what you guys find?
Joe, I can't do that.
I'm a police officer,
and you're just kids.
We're really good at keeping secrets.
And what secrets are you keeping?
Well, I wouldn't be very good
at keeping secrets if I told you,
now, would I?
Come on.
I'm driving you home.
Let's go.
You don't need to hold my arm.
I'm not a criminal.
Only 'cause you're Biff's friend. Come on.
I was wondering when
you'd decide to show up.
I was working.
- Your shift ended hours ago.
- Where have you been?
- I was just hanging out with Callie.
- Is everything okay?
It's pretty far from okay, Frank!
Your brother got in
a lot of trouble tonight.
What kind of trouble?
That kind of trouble.
Joe Hardy, get in that house right now.
- Aunt Trudy, I can explain.
- Not another word.
Frank, take your brother inside
and wait for me in the living room.
Come on, buddy. Come on.
- I'm so sorry.
- He's out of control.
Well, the longer we stand out here
looking serious,
the more it'll sink in
how much trouble he's in.
What did you do?
I got my soldering iron back.
- Joe.
- I didn't get caught.
Until I tried to steal the file
from the guy on the beach.
- Would have been useful.
- Yeah. No duh.
What was he doing at the police station?
He was looking for information
about the man from the beach.
He's his father's son.
Thank you.
You know,
as mad as I am at Joe right now,
it's Frank that I'm worried about.
- Why?
- Joe at least talks to me.
With Frank, it's like I have no idea
what's going on in his mind.
He's a 16-year-old boy.
Remember when you were 16?
Unfortunately.
Kids need limits.
Yeah, I guess.
You're gonna be fine.
Come here.
All right. Goodnight.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
Listen.
I'm not used to taking care of boys.
Or anyone.
Tend to treat kids
the same way I treat adults.
But obviously, this isn't working.
I think it's working.
You're the son of a detective,
and you got caught snooping
around a police station?
- I'm sorry.
- I don't want your apologies.
I want you to follow the rules.
What rules?
The ones I'm implementing right now.
One: You will treat me with respect.
Two: You'll clean up after yourselves.
I'm an artist. I'm not a maid.
And three: Open lines of communication.
I'm looking at you, Frank.
I don't want to call your dad.
Now go to your rooms.
Hey, Biff.
Hi, Joe.
I brought you a gift.
It's not even my birthday.
"My First Letters."
Wow.
You know, I really would have
loved this book if I was four years old.
There's something inside it.
You made a copy of the report.
Ixnay, Joe.
Whoa, Biff, this is awesome.
How'd you get this?
I made a copy when
my mom wasn't looking.
It wasn't easy, believe me,
but I can't resist a challenge.
- Nice work.
- Thanks.
You owe me, Hardy.
I owe you.
All right, well, I better get going
before my mom notices.
Talk to you later, Hardy boys.
- See ya.
- Thanks.
All right. There's our mystery man.
JB Cox. That's a weird name.
We gotta take this to
Dad's partner, Sam.
Right.
Will you kindly find someone
who knows how to properly steep tea?
Thank you.
Have you followed up
with the foreign minister?
Yes. He made quite the impression.
- He's agreed to your terms.
- Good.
Then our business here
is our only concern.
Uh, would you let Gloria Estabrook know
we've returned?
Do you think she's recovered
her property yet?
- Trust me, Nigel.
- When she finds it, we'll know.
How bad do you expect things will get?
How bad depends on
more than just Gloria,
but certainly, not everyone will be safe.
Will you bring the car around, darling?