Trial By Fire

Chapter Seven

“Think you can get away from him?” Bess asked, her voice cracking with strain.

“Piece of cake,” Nancy said and hoped she sounded convincing. They were in a tight spot, and it was up to her to get them out of it.

Fear had dampened her palms. She scrubbed one, then the other against her thighs to dry them. Her hands ached from her tight grip on the steering wheel. Drawing a deep breath to calm herself, Nancy settled down to outdrive her opponent.

“Hold on,” she told Bess, who had braced her arms against the dashboard.

Keeping an eye on traffic in the lane on her left, Nancy darted into it the first chance she had. As she knew it would, the van followed. A tractor-trailer that had been behind the van in the right lane sped up. Nancy glanced up quickly to see the driver curiously peering over at them from the cab of his huge rig.

A plan began to take shape in her mind. “Bess, open your window and wave to that truck driver. Hurry!”

Bess followed orders, her blond hair whipping in the wind. “Uh-are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked in a nervous quaver.

The trucker edged alongside, and Nancy smiled up at him. She wanted him to remember them-and, if possible, supply a little help.

“Nancy, have you flipped?” Bess asked. “The guy behind us is trying to kill us-and you’re flirting with a truck driver?”

The man grinned down at them, then tilted his head toward the van behind her, his brows raised in a silent question.

With one hand, Nancy signaled that she wanted to get in front of him. He nodded. She could have performed the maneuver without his cooperation since there was enough room, but having the trucker in on the scheme was an added safety factor.

Flooring the accelerator, she shot ahead, then slipped in front of the rig. It moved up behind her, preventing the van from easing over between them.

Very, very gradually, Nancy decreased her speed. Finally the driver of the van had to pass hen He was in the fast lane with an oil tanker coming on hard behind him. A hundred yards farther, he moved over in front of her.

“Right where I want him!” Nancy shouted in triumph. With a beep of thanks to the trucker, she began to edge up closer to the van.

“What are you doing?” Bess shrieked.

“This guy left hidden mikes all over my uncle Jon’s house yesterday,” Nancy said. “It’s a cinch somebody was listening when he decided to confess. They killed him before he could talk.”

“You think the killer’s driving that van?”

“It’s a possibility. We know he’s capable of it. He tried to kill us, didn’t he?”

“Why are you chasing him, then? We should get off the highway and phone the police.”

“I plan to. I wanted to have a license number to give them, but it’s smeared with dirt. And I must have made him nervous. Look at him.”

The van was edging back into the fast lane again, coming dangerously close to causing an accident. He sped up, changed lanes, and, without using his turn signal to telegraph his intention, zipped off at the next exit.

“Now can we go tell the police about him?” Bess asked.

“We’re on our way. Maybe this time they’ll listen to me,” Nancy said. “This time I have a witness. And, Bess-you can close the window now.”

By the time Nancy got home from the police station, it was after dark. There were no lights on in her house. Carson Drew had heard the news about his friend’s murder and had left a note saying that he would be at the judge’s house if Nancy needed him. Hannah was still there, too.

Bess lingered in the kitchen for a few minutes, wearing a worried frown. “I wonder where Ann is,” she asked, fretting. They had called the hospital from the police station and been told the reporter had checked out. No one answered at her apartment.

“The police may have stashed her somewhere. If she can phone us, she will. Want something to eat?”

Bess looked tempted, but shook her head. “I think I’ll head home. You’ve had a rough day.”

“I’m okay,” Nancy said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks again for getting my car for me.” Then Nancy shooed Bess out the door.

Before Bess got into her car, she looked back at Nancy and grinned. “Hey, I forgot to tell you-George called. She’s having a ball.”

“That’s great.”

“She doesn’t feel so bad about her dress anymore. She said she still looks like a frilly giraffe in it, but the rest of the bridesmaids look even worse.”

Nancy laughed. “Poor George.”

Bess sobered. “I didn’t tell her what was happening here. I figured it would spoil things for her.”

“You did the right thing. Talk to you tomorrow.” Nancy stood outside the door until Bess’s headlights disappeared.

The dark house felt big and empty to Nancy. She wasn’t frightened, just a little lonely and very, very worried.

The events of the day had shown her the kind of people she was up against. It was obvious they’d do anything to find out who had led Ann to Mid-City Insurance.

But what difference did it make who’d done it? The articles in the Morning Record had put them out of business immediately. There was nothing left to hide.

Or was there? “What if Mid-City was just the tip of the iceberg?” Nancy said out loud. Suppose the insurance scam was a part of a larger scheme? Suppose there was a great deal left to hide? It was the only thing that made sense. “What else could they be up to?” she asked.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Nancy jumped. Steeling herself, she peeked out the window-and saw Ned’s tall frame silhouetted against the amber glow of the streetlights.

Joyfully, she opened the door. Before she could say hello, he had swept her into his arms and was kissing her. Nancy returned the kiss eagerly. She decided he had just showered. His hair was still damp, and he smelled of soap and a woodsy cologne.

“That’s the nicest thing that’s happened to me all day,” Nancy said when Ned lifted his head.

He looked down at her solemnly. “I’m not surprised, considering what you’ve been through. I’m so sorry about the judge.”

“Was it on the news?” she asked, leading him to the sofa.

“That, and the fact that there’s an all-points bulletin out on a white van with a twisted fender.” He took a seat and pulled her down to sit beside him, nestling her against his side. “Are you all right?”

“I am now,” Nancy said with a smile. She tucked her head under his chin and relaxed against him. “I’m glad you’re here. Did you have any luck finding a job?”

“Nope. Hunting for a place that will hire me for two weeks is the pits. So far, I haven’t found anything. The way things are going, I should hire myself as your bodyguard. No charge, either.” He nuzzled her ear. “I love you, Nancy Drew.”

Nancy felt so content that she was ready to purr. She and Ned had had their problems recently. They’d even dated other people for a while. But it hadn’t felt right to either of them. Now there they were, together again. “I love you, too, Ned Nickerson,” she said. “Probably always will.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me.” Ned kissed her again, but broke off abruptly to exclaim, “Hey, is this a date? Have we finally managed to work in an evening together like a regular guy and girl?”

“That’s what it seems like to me,” Nancy said.

But Ned suddenly dropped his teasing tone. “I shouldn’t have said that. You’re not a regular girl. You’re a detective saddled with the most important case of your life. Our date can wait, Nancy. You’ve got to clear your dad. Want to talk about it?”

“Ned, you’re terrific. Yes, I do want to talk about it. Something just occurred to me before you came in.”

“Let’s hear it,” Ned said.

Nancy began to talk. For a couple of hours she talked about the case. Ned was a good sounding board. His quick mind and active imagination fed her own ideas.

By the time she drove him home, Nancy was beginning to focus her plan. She was almost positive she was on the right track.

“I’ve got to be,” she muttered into the darkness. She couldn’t afford to be wrong. If she was, her father’s career would be over-and she just might be dead.