INTRODUCTION

Author's Name: Lady Emily

Title of Story: Dangerous Mistakes

Type of Story: Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys Crossover

Rating of Story: P

Characters in Story: F, J, ND, BM, and a few various others

Warnings: None, really. Some mild violence.

Date Story Posted: January, 2006

Plot Blurb: Frank and Joe Hardy travel to River Heights and help
Nancy Drew confront a stalker.

Splash Page: Frank offered a hand to help her up. “Good night, Nan.
Just yell if you need me. Us.” he quickly amended.

“Right. Thanks.” Nancy said, heading down the hall to her bedroom. She
had forgotten how much she liked having Frank around.
Togo followed her down the hall then stopped in her doorway and
refused to budge.

Nancy frowned. “Togo, what’s wrong?”

Togo let out a deep, rumbling growl.

Nancy picked him up. “Togo, I’d like to get some sleep sometime tonight.”
Togo squirmed in her arms. “And I’m not letting you out of my sight!”
Nancy threw back the covers and set Togo on the bed. He jumped off,
grabbing a corner of her nightgown in his mouth and heading for the
door. Nancy stood, amused, while the little dog tried to physically
remove her from the room. At last she picked him up, plunked him next
to her in her bed, and lay down. The cool sheets felt so good, and she was
so tired…

Togo jumped out of the bed and sat stiffly next to the door, but Nancy
was too exhausted to care. She closed her eyes.

Silence.

Nancy’s eyes snapped open again as she felt something cold and scaly
brush across her legs. Reflexively, she bolted upright and threw back the
sheets.

At the end of her bed was a coiled snake, fangs bared and ready to strike.

CHAPTER 1
Nineteen year old Nancy Drew walked into the River Heights Police
Station with every intention of simply getting her father’s files and
leaving. Her father, Carson Drew, was a famous criminal lawyer, and he
had asked her to go to the station and pick up some papers he would
need for his trip to Washington D.C. this weekend. Nancy waved at the
officer on duty and approached the secretary, asking for the papers. The
secretary thought nothing of it; after all, everyone knew “Nancy Drew-
Girl Detective!” She stepped back to let Nancy into the filing cabinet.
Nancy rifled through the drawers, pulling out a file marked “lawsuits.”
She was about to thank the secretary and leave when she heard familiar
voices echoing down the hall.

Chief McGinnis stepped around the corner, but what surprised Nancy
were his companions, Frank and Joe Hardy.

***

Joe raised his eyebrows. He was the only one to do so. Both Frank and
Nancy were staring at the brown tiled floor. Joe realized that this was
River Heights, but did she always hang out in the police station like this?
He realized this was unfair; after all, he and Frank had been in River
Heights for three weeks now and this was the first they had seen of her.
“Hey Nan.” he said. “Good to see you again.”

Nancy smiled at him gratefully. “You too. At the risk of sounding rude,
what are you doing here?”

Joe looked at Chief McGinnis. “Is it okay to tell her?”

The chief looked shell-shocked. “Sure, the case is almost over.” Then he
asked the question he had obviously been meaning to. “Nancy? How do
you know the Hardys?”
Nancy mumbled a response that sounded like, “They’re good
detectives…”

Frank spoke up, but was still staring at the brown tiles. “We worked
together…” But the response didn’t seem adequate and everyone knew
it. The Chief continued to look at them, confused by the tension and
awkwardness in their replies.

The four stood there in silence until Joe offered quietly, “My brother
broke her heart…” It was almost a question, like on a game show when
the contestant doesn’t know the answer and guesses anyway.

At that, Frank’s cheeks burned, and Nancy’s head snapped up. “He did
not!” she said defensively.

Now Joe looked surprised. “He did, too!” He said, before he could stop
himself.

“Like you would know!” Nancy retorted.

“I do!” Joe shot back.

Chief McGinnis looked at Frank, who smiled apologetically. Chief took

pity on him. He looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow
him. “Enough!” the chief bellowed.

Nancy and Joe stopped arguing. Nancy looked straight at Frank and
asked, “Why are they here?”

The chief briefly explained the Hardy’s case. They were investigating
counterfeiting, and their case was pretty much wrapped up. “We’ll be
leaving sometime this week.” Frank said.
“Good.” Nancy replied, but her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. “I just
came here to pick up these papers.” She waved the papers at the Chief
and walked towards the door, managing to choke out, “Nice to see you
guys.”

Joe looked after her sympathetically. She looked emotionally drained.

Frank felt sick. Had he done this to her?

CHAPTER 2

Nancy fled from the station feeling like the queen of all idiots. Why did
she have to fall apart when she looked at Frank Hardy? Why couldn’t she
keep her cool in front of him? And most of all, why did she have to argue
the point with his brother right in front of him and the head of the River
Heights police force? She was mortified. She had spent the last year
rehearsing what she would say to him at a freak meeting like this, and
none of her rehearsals had ended with her choking out a ‘nice to see you’
around a huge lump in her throat! Inserting the key into the ignition of
her blue Mustang convertible, she rested her head on the steering wheel
to calm down.

She sat up, wiped her eyes, and chided herself. She couldn’t let a little
meeting with Frank affect her. She was a successful private detective and
she didn’t need him. Not only that, but she had spent the last nine
months purging all traces of him from her life, and she was annoyed that
it was all undone, just like that. Yes, that was it, she was annoyed. Not
hurt, not angry, just annoyed. And that was it. Making a mental vow that
she would stop thinking about Frank Hardy, she maneuvered her car out
of the parking lot and onto the highway. And she put up the top. It looked
like it was going to rain.
As Nancy ’s car pulled into her driveway, she was glad she’d put the top
up. She wrapped her father’s papers in a plastic grocery bag she found in
the backseat. It would not do for her to have to go back to the police
station to get copies! When she opened the door, torrential rain
assaulted her, soaking her clothes in seconds. She ran up to the front
door and yanked it open. Her father greeted her from the kitchen and
she kicked of her wet shoes and handed him the file. He thanked her, and
she retreated upstairs to get out of her wet clothes.

Nancy appeared minutes later wearing a soft blue robe and slippers.
Carson chuckled. Nancy said, “Is there something wrong with our phone?
Upstairs I saw we had six phone messages and they were all hang-ups.”

Carson ’s smile turned into a frown. “I know. We’ve gotten two more
hang-up calls since I’ve been home. Probably just prank calls, but…”

“But you never know.” Nancy finished for him. She sat down, looking
pensive.

“Is there something else?” Carson asked. She was acting a bit unusual.

Nancy sighed unhappily, and the whole story of her meeting with the
Hardys came tumbling out. “… and then Joe and I got in this big fight
about whether or not-” She was interrupted by a loud rumble of thunder.
She hadn’t noticed that the pouring rain had become a full-fledged
thunderstorm. The thunder subsided, and Nancy yawned. She hadn’t
realized how tired she was. “Listen, can we talk about this in the
morning?” she asked her father. “Or better yet, let’s not talk about it ever
again.”

Carson smiled. “Whatever you want.”

Nancy hugged him. “Thanks, Dad.”

She went upstairs and climbed into bed before realizing she wasn’t going
to be able to sleep. So much for that whole ‘I will never think about Frank
Hardy again’ thing.

Nancy had first realized how she felt about Frank in the beginning of
summer. She couldn’t stop thinking about him… his handsome features,
his warm smile, and most of all, his deep, dark, intelligent eyes that made
her feel weak when she looked into them. She was ecstatic when he and Joe
came to River Heights to help her with a case. Her boyfriend, Ned, hadn’t
been nearly as happy.

Nancy sighed. Breaking it off with Ned had been one of the hardest things
she had ever done. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him- she did- but he
wasn’t “the one.” It sounded cliché, but Nancy just didn’t love him like he
deserved to be loved, and she had told him that.

“Ned, it’s just that, well, you need someone normal, who can focus on you
before she focuses on thieves and terrorists…”

Nancy trailed off as she realized how stupid and callous that sounded. She
tried again.

“I mean, someone who can focus on you and what a great guy you are.”

Well, that sounded a little better, but why couldn’t she stop using the term
“focus?”

She tried one last time.

“We just aren’t right for each other. Even if you don’t see it now-”

Ned had stopped her there.

“Is there someone else?” he asked quietly.

She nodded dumbly.

“Frank?”

Another nod.

Ned managed something between a sigh and a laugh. “I knew this was
going to happen.”

Nancy thought he was being sarcastic, but then she realized he was
completely sincere.

“Ned, I’m sorry. I really am.” Nancy said miserably.

Ned nodded. “I know.”

How could he be so understanding? It was just making her feel guiltier.

Ned seemed to sense that she was on the verge of tears. “Hey, Nan . It’s
okay. If you’re in love with Frank, go for it.”

Nancy was sure he was being sarcastic now.

Even now, she still wasn’t sure if that had been sarcasm.

Nancy looked up at him with a pained expression on her face. “Ned, please
don’t-”

Ned’s lips were tight. Not like he was angry, like he was resigned.
Resigned to the fact that she’d made her choice.

“Thanks for understanding.” she whispered.

“No problem.” he replied easily. He started to walk away, but Nancy

grabbed his hand.

“You’ll find the right person, Ned. I’m sorry I couldn’t be her.”

Ned squeezed her hand. “Thanks.” he said, as if she had done him a favor.

This time she let him walk away.

Looking back, Nancy knew she’d done the right thing. The longer she
waited, the more it would’ve hurt him when she realized she loved
Frank. Even if Frank didn’t love her back.

A loud rumble of thunder shook the house. She looked out the window.
The dark, wet, stormy weather reflected her mood. She had thought
Frank loved her.

About three weeks after Ned had walked away, Nancy stood on the porch,
admiring the clear night sky. She shivered happily as the warm night air
blew around her. She enjoyed the stillness, as though she was the only
person on earth. The night was almost perfect. Then she heard soft
footsteps behind her. (Turns out she wasn’t the only person on earth.) She
turned her head to see Frank Hardy. He joined her at the railing without
saying a word. As he looked at the stars, all Nancy saw was him.

“Frank?” she murmured.

He turned, and his dark eyes stared into her blue ones, drawing them
closer and closer…
“Mmm?”

Nancy’s arms encircled his neck, and she brought her lips to his. Although
the kiss was gentle, Nancy saw stars. Her body burned where it was
touching him, but it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Frank
slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. A wave
of euphoria raced through her.

Now the night was perfect.

Nancy closed her eyes, trying to relive that night. It was probably the
best night of her life. One of the few perfect times she would have with
Frank. If only he hadn’t-

The lights went off. Nancy was almost glad, as the power outage had
distracted her from her more recent, painful memories of Frank. She
didn’t go downstairs to get a flashlight; she was just going to bed and her
father was probably asleep anyway.

She lay down and watched the lightning through her window. After a few
minutes, she closed her eyes, only to have them pop open when the
phone rang a few seconds later. Nancy picked it up in the middle of the
ring.

“Hello?” Nancy asked reflexively.

“Nancy Drew?” a raspy voice came over the line.

“Yes?”

“I’m so glad I caught you at home. I’ve been calling all day.” the voice said
in a harsh whisper. Its tone was menacing.
Nancy felt a stab of panic. “Who is this?” she asked guardedly.

The voice ignored her question, but its next words sent a chill up her
spine. “Don’t you hate it when the lights go out?”

CHAPTER 3

“Who… what do you want?” Nancy stammered, desperately trying to

mask her fear.

The sinister voice laughed. “I’ll give you three guesses.”

Nancy concentrated hard, trying to analyze the voice. It was almost a

hiss. She couldn’t even tell for sure whether it was male or female.
Background noise? None that she could discern. She turned her attention
back to the conversation, if you could call it that.

“I don’t suppose you want to sell me insurance?” Nancy said weakly.

Another raspy laugh. “Not quite, Nancy .” Her own name sounded
disturbing coming from the voice. “I’ll give you a clue.” the voice
snickered, as if having to give Nancy Drew clues was the funniest thing in
the world.

By this point, Nancy was wondering if she should hang up. She could
“star sixty-nine” him or her. Or she could call the police, or her father, or
someone. She didn’t like the eerie feeling that she was alone with the
voice.

The voice proceeded to clue Nancy in. “It has to do with waiting until you
least expect it,” A dramatic pause. “And then-” The voice was sharply cut
off. The phone was dead.
Nancy sat, stunned, for a minute. She slowly hung up the receiver. A
minute later, she picked it up again. No dial tone. Knowing it was futile,
she pushed *69. When she got no response, she tried 911. No luck. With a
shaky hand, she put down the phone. She sat in the dark, wanting
nothing more than to be able to turn on the light. She didn’t scare easily,
but this was too much. Outside, the thunderstorm raged. Staring out the
window, she saw a silver car edge past her house, windshield wipers
swishing furiously. Should she wake her father? Maybe she’d better. He
himself had said, “Better safe than sorry.”

Slowly, she crept down the hall and knocked on her father’s bedroom
door. Her arms were still covered in goosebumps.

Nancy woke up in her own bed the next morning way later than she
normally did. All the lights were on. At least the power was back.

She dressed quickly and poked her head into her father’s bedroom.
Carson was almost done packing for his trip, for which he would leave
this evening.

Nancy hurried downstairs, poured herself a cup of coffee, and fed her pet
terrier, Togo . Her father joined her a few minutes later. Nancy ran out to
get the mail, sorted it, and handed Carson ’s mail to him.

Carson watched curiously as Nancy frowned and opened a large

envelope addressed to her. Nancy drew out a note and a smaller packet.
She unfolded the note first and read it silently. Her lips tightened and
she handed it to her father. He took it and examined it. It read, “Nancy
Drew, You can run, but you can’t hide. Watch your back, but it won’t do
any good.” Each letter seemed to have been cut out of a different
magazine article. Nevertheless, it was still quite menacing.
Nancy opened the packet and dumped a silver charm into her hand. It
was shaped like a horse.

“What’s that?” Carson asked.

Nancy looked puzzled. “It’s mine. Off my charm bracelet. I thought I’d lost
it a few weeks ago!” she shivered. “Or maybe it was stolen? Wait, why
would someone steal one charm instead of the whole bracelet?”

Carson answered grimly. “Perhaps so they could return it to you this

way.”

At this, Nancy was thoroughly creeped out.

Carson cleared his throat. “Okay, that settles it! I’ll be in Washington D.C.
and I won’t be able to get here at a moment’s notice if something
happens. I don’t want to go away this weekend and leave you alone with
some psycho stalker on the loose!”

Nancy smiled. “I was just going to call Chief Maginnis.”

Carson shook his head. “Good, but that’s not enough. Without a phone
number or a postmark or something, the police can’t do anything. They’ll
just tell you to keep your eyes open and let them know if it happens
again.”

“Well, I could call Bess.” Nancy said, naming one of her two best friends.
The other was Bess’s cousin, George. They were complete opposites.
Bess was pretty and blonde while George was athletic and dark haired.
Bess tended to be a bit more delicate than George. “George is teaching at
tennis camp, though.”
Carson frowned. “I don’t know if Bess is… the best choice. She’s a great
girl, but I was thinking more of something along the line of protection.”

“Like stationing police officers outside the house? Dad, really, I can take
care of myself!” she looked hurt at his apparently low opinion of her.

“I know you can, sweetie, but I would feel much better if I knew you
had… backup. I don’t think we’ll have to go as far as police bodyguards,
though.” he paused, knowing Nancy wasn’t going to like his next idea. “I
thought maybe we could call the Hardys.” He looked up at Nancy to
gauge her reaction.

“What?” Nancy burst out. “Dad! That is the last thing I want to do!” She
glared at him. How could he even suggest that? Didn’t he know how
embarrassing that would be for her?

Her father sighed. “Look Nancy , it would only be for three days, and I
would feel a lot better if I knew they were with you.”

Nancy was fuming now. “Fine. Call Joe.”

Her father was getting impatient. “I can’t very well invite Joe and not
Frank!” He saw she was about to argue, so he said, “ Nancy , please!”

“Fine!” Nancy said. “Call them, but don’t expect me to come out of my
room!” With that, she fled upstairs.

Carson sighed. He didn’t want to embarrass Nancy , but it was certainly

better than having her dead!

He picked up the phone and called the police station to report the phone
call and the note.
“Sorry,” said the officer on duty. “But without a phone number or a
postmark, we can’t do anything. If it happens again, get the phone
number and tell us. Then we can help.”

Carson thanked the officer and hung up. The next phone number he
dialed was the Hardys’.

***

Riinnng! The phone rang in the Hardys’ hotel room. Joe picked it up.
“Hello?”

“Joe? It’s Carson Drew.”

“Mr. Drew? Oh, hi! What can I do for you?” Joe said, surprise reflecting in
his voice. Frank came into the room in time to hear who the caller was.
He sat on the bed next to Joe.

“Are you two going to be here all weekend?”

“Yes. We’re going home Wednesday.” Joe replied.

“Well, I have a favor to ask of you and Frank.” Mr. Drew said slowly.

“A favor?” Joe said for Frank’s benefit. “Sure.”

“I’m going out of town this weekend. Nancy ’s been getting some
threatening messages and I don’t like to leave her by herself. I was
wondering if you’d stay here and just keep her company.” Mr. Drew’s
voice contained a pleading note.
“One minute,” Joe said. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and
turned to Frank. “ Nancy has been getting threatening messages and Mr.
Drew wanted to know if we would stay with her while he’s out of town
this weekend. What do you think?”

Frank considered a minute. “ Nancy ’s not going to like this.” he said

flatly. “But, sure, why not?”

Joe spoke into the phone. “Sure, no problem.” but he wanted to know, “Is
Nancy okay with this or doesn’t she know?”

Mr. Drew chuckled. “Actually, she just locked herself in her bedroom and
is threatening to stay there all weekend. But don’t worry,” he added.
“Eventually she’ll pass out from hunger and then you can pick the lock.”

Joe grinned. “It’s that bad, huh?”

“Apparently. Thank you so much!” said Mr. Drew.

“When do you want us?”

“I’m leaving at seven thirty tonight. Seven would be great.” said Carson .

“Okay,” said Joe. “We’ll be there.”

“Thanks guys. Bye.” said Carson . He hung up as Nancy came into the
kitchen.

“Dad, please tell me you weren’t just talking to Frank and Joe.” she said.
“ Nancy , I really don’t know why you’re acting like this. You guys used to
be best friends! Whatever happened last year happened last year!”
Nancy had never really told him what had happened between her and
Frank.

Nancy shook her head. “It will just be really awkward and humiliating.”
She poured herself a glass of milk.

“Good, good. Fortify yourself for the long weekend upstairs.” Carson
joked.

Nancy tried to glare at him but couldn’t keep a straight face. Both Drews
burst out laughing.

***

Frank lay on the bed in the hotel room for a long time after Joe hung up.
He was worried about Nancy . Threatening messages? But even worse, he
was worried about how she’d react to spending an entire weekend with
him. She probably hated him. She thought he had been leading her on all
last summer. After he had left he tried to call her and apologize; tell her
she was wrong about him, but she wouldn’t take his calls. He knew he
had hurt her feelings and her pride, but how could he fix it?

***

Nancy finished dinner at 6:45 . A few minutes later the doorbell rang. At
this, Togo leapt into action, racing around the kitchen and yipping
furiously.

Nancy glared at the dog. “Shut up!” she said sharply. She was in no mood
to be trifled with.
Togo peered up at her so pathetically that she felt guilty and knelt down
to pet him. “I’m sorry.” she said contritely. It wasn’t, after all, the dog’s
fault.

Mr. Drew answered the door. “ Nancy !” he called.

She got up and walked towards the door. “Yeah, I know, I know. My
babysitters are here.” she said, trying to sound joking but ending up
sounding bitter.

Joe greeted her with a hug. “Was that thinly veiled hostility?” he asked
teasingly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nancy grumbled good-naturedly.

After Joe released her, she and Frank stared at each other
uncomfortably. She didn’t want to hug him, but she did anyway. She
pulled away quickly and avoided eye contact.

Her father left a little later, telling Nancy to be careful. To be honest, she
wasn’t worried. Threatening messages didn’t seem to affect her
anymore.

The first thing she did was show the Hardys the threatening note and tell
them about the phone call. Joe frowned and said, “That’s creepy.” After a
pause he added, “But don’t worry, Nan , the Hardys are here!”

“I feel so much better.” she replied dryly. Then, curiously, she inquired.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have an ego problem?”

Joe looked at her seriously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nancy rolled her eyes.

***

Nancy, Joe, and Frank passed the rest of the night watching movies. They
didn’t talk much. The phone didn’t ring once.

At 11:30 the group decided to turn in. Frank pulled Nancy aside. He had
been trying to catch her eye all night, but she was deliberately avoiding
him.

“ Nan , can I talk to you?”

“You just did.” she replied evenly, inwardly smiling at his obvious
discomfort. Good, she thought. It won’t hurt him to sweat a little.

“Seriously Nan , I just want you to know that I’m really sorry and that I
would never intentionally hurt you.” Frank said sincerely. He meant
every word of it. He couldn’t stand Nancy treating him so coldly. He loved
her.

Nancy looked at him, unsure of what to say. He was having that effect on
her again; that amazing rush that she loved and wanted to hate. His
warm brown eyes were sad and remorseful, and she knew that if he kept
looking at her like that she would forgive him on the spot. She couldn’t
do that! She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let him break her heart, again! Her frosty
gaze flickered for just a minute. “I believe you.” she said impassively.

Clearly that was not what Frank had been expecting. His face showed a
mixture of surprise and relief. “Good.” he said, for lack of words.

Nancy looked at him skeptically, then turned away.

Frank grabbed her hand. “What I meant was, “Thanks.”” he said warmly.
For the first time that night, Nancy smiled at him, really smiled. Then she
went upstairs, leaving Frank alone.

***

The phone rang at three in the morning. A groggy Nancy picked it up.
“Hello?” she said blearily.

She heard one of the Hardys pick up the phone in their room and stay
silent, listening. At this point, she wasn’t even fully awake, but what she
heard next woke her up fast.

“It’s 3am ; do you know where your dog is?”

The rasping voice was back, and it scared her.

CHAPTER 4

She was cut off by a high pitched whine on the other end.

“No!” she gasped silently. With a shaking hand, she pushed the “mute”
button on the phone. “ Togo !” she called apprehensively. Maybe that
wasn’t Togo on the other end. Togo was downstairs… Wasn’t he?

“ Togo ! Come here, boy!” Her only response was a fearful silence.

The hoarse voice snickered. “Don’t be silly, Ms. Drew! He can’t hear you
from here!” Then he spoke to the dog. “Can you, boy?”

A growl, presumably from Togo .

“Don’t hurt him.” Nancy warned, trying to keep her voice level.
A yelp from Togo . “Oh, of course not, Nancy ,” the voice said slowly,
mockingly. “Where would you get that idea?” The caller broke out into
hysterical giggles, bordering on maniacal laughter.

Nancy couldn’t take it. She dropped the phone, leaving the receiver
hanging off the nightstand. At the same time she leaped out of bed and
ran downstairs, flipping on every light switch she passed. At her feet
touched the cold tiled kitchen floor, she felt a draft. Whirling on the back
door, she found it standing open, the screen door swinging creakily in
the wind. Nancy didn’t bother to close it. She simply didn’t care. She
looked around. No sign of Togo .

Nancy walked to the front door and looked out the window. No Togo . She
bit her lip. What was she supposed to do next? She heard a footfall
behind her and spun around, right into Joe. Joe’s arms closed around
her, and he gave her a reassuring hug.

“It’ll be alright, Nan.” he said encouragingly. “Frank got the guy’s phone
number and he’s calling the police.”

Nancy stepped away from him and nodded brokenly. She wasn’t going to
fall apart. She did, however, allow Joe to lead her to a chair.

Joe nodded at the back door. “Did you open this?” he asked.

Nancy shook her head. “It was open when I came down.”

Joe walked over and closed it. “That must be how they got in.” he said,
stating the obvious.

Frank came down the stairs two at a time. “It was a pay phone.”

“Huh?” Joe and Nancy said in unison.

“The stalker called from a pay phone a few blocks away from here. I
called the police and they traced the number.” Frank explained, crossing
the room. He placed his hand on Nancy ’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Nancy said distractedly. “Hey, did you say ‘stalker’?”

“Yes.” Frank replied. “That’s what it sounded like to me.”

“Great. Just great.” Nancy said, burying her head in her hands.

The three detectives turned their heads as they heard a car pull up front.
Joe reached the door first and flung it open. A silver car was sitting in the
street. The passenger door opened and the car lit up, illuminating a
figure dressed completely in black sitting in the driver’s seat. The driver
grabbed a bundle lying on the passenger seat and tossed out of the car.
The door slammed shut and the car sped away. By this time, Joe was
already halfway down the driveway, running after the car and trying to
make out the license plate number.

Nancy and Frank rushed down the driveway. Nancy knelt to examine the
bundle.

“Be careful, Nan !” Frank called. “It could be a bomb!”

Nancy squinted at it and grinned. “I don’t think so.” She pulled the
squirming dog out of the burlap bag. “ Togo !” Her grin faded. “ Togo ,
what happened?”

She picked up Togo and carried him into the house. Frank picked up the
bag and followed. His eyes widened in shock. Togo ’s fur was matted
down and dripping with what appeared to be his own blood.
Nancy glanced at his alarmed expression and reassured him, “Don’t
worry, it isn’t as bad as it looks.” She dipped a finger in the sticky liquid
and brought it to her nose. “Strawberry.”

“What?” Frank said, amazed.

“It isn’t blood, it’s strawberry syrup.” Nancy set Togo on the kitchen
table. “Would you hand me that towel on the kitchen sink?” she asked
Frank. Frank tossed her the towel and she began to rub off the syrup.
Togo licked his paws. “I don’t know what kind of sicko we’re dealing
with, but I’m just relieved; it could have been so much worse.” she
mused. As if she was reading his thoughts, she told him. “If you want to
help you could fill the upstairs bathtub with water. Togo is going to need
a bath.”

“Okay.” Something in her take-charge attitude made Frank smile.

Nancy turned and saw him grinning at her. “Why are you smiling?” But
she was smiling too. “Go!” she ordered.

Frank did. Joe burst in the front door, panting. He had the same reaction
to Togo as Frank. “Is he okay?” he asked.

“Yup.” Nancy replied. “Strawberry syrup.”

Joe shuddered. “This guy is twisted.”

“What did you find out?”

“Not much. I can’t outrun a car. But I did see an Illinois license plate. I’m
pretty sure it was a rental. It had a bumper sticker with the Chicago
airport logo on it.”
“Good work! Tomorrow we can call the rental place. Did you see the
make of the car?”

“Sure,” said Joe. “It was a Saturn. Probably 1998 or 1999.”

“Great! Now we have something to go on.”

Joe flopped down in a chair. “You need any help cleaning him up?”

“Thanks but no thanks. Frank’s running the bath. I’ll take care of it. You
can go back to bed.”

“Thanks. Good night, Nan .” Joe shuffled upstairs.

***

Half an hour later, Togo was syrup-free. Nancy lifted him out of the tub
and then knelt to dry him with a towel.

Frank offered a hand to help her up. “Good night, Nan . Just yell if you
need me. Us.” he quickly amended.

“Right. Thanks.” Nancy said, heading down the hall to her bedroom. She
had forgotten how much she liked having Frank around.

Togo followed her down the hall, then stopped in her doorway and
refused to budge.

Nancy frowned. “ Togo , what’s wrong?”

Togo let out a deep, rumbling growl.

Nancy picked him up. “ Togo , I’d like to get some sleep sometime
tonight.” Togo squirmed in her arms. “And I’m not letting you out of my
sight!” Nancy threw back the covers and set Togo on the bed. He jumped
off, grabbing a corner of her nightgown in his mouth and heading for the
door. Nancy stood, amused, while the little dog tried to physically
remove her from the room. At last she picked him up, plunked him next
to her in her bed, and lay down. The cool sheets felt so good, and she was
so tired…

Togo jumped out of the bed and sat stiffly next to the door, but Nancy
was too exhausted to care. She closed her eyes.

Silence.

Nancy’s eyes snapped open again as she felt something cold and scaly
brush across her legs. Reflexively, she bolted upright and threw back the
sheets.

At the end of her bed was a coiled snake, fangs bared and ready to strike.

CHAPTER 5

Nancy was stunned for a moment as the snake watched her with beady
black eyes. She could hear the blood pounding in her head. She wanted
to open her mouth to scream, but she knew that the slightest movement
could make the snake strike.

Luckily for her, at that moment Togo scrambled onto the end of the bed,
diverting the snake’s attention. Before its sharp fangs could touch the
dog, Nancy grabbed her pillow and pressed it on top of the snake,
grabbing Togo and leaping out of the bed. The snake worked itself free of
the pillow, and Nancy seized that opportunity to scream.
***

Frank Hardy hadn’t been asleep. He was alert; on his guard. He heard
some movement down the hall, but just assumed it was Togo . When he
heard Nancy scream, he jumped off his bed and raced down the hall, his
heart hammering. What if he was too late?

Frank burst through her bedroom door, taking in the gruesome sight of
Nancy , clutching a bloody letter opener while a wounded snake writhed
on the bed.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the dying snake lashed out at
Nancy . She jerked back, away from the bed, stumbling. Frank caught her
and they both edged away from the bed.

Time returned to its normal speed as Joe appeared in the doorway. He

was alive, but whether he was also awake, alert, and enthusiastic was
debatable. His eyes widened, however, when he saw the snake in its
death throes. It hissed and gurgled in agony, bathed in its own blood.
Finally it stopped moving, and its shiny eyes clouded over.

Joe’s attention shifted from the dead snake to Nancy , wrapped in Frank’s
arms, her hand still clutching the bloody letter opener. There was blood
splattered on her hands and arms, too.

Frank looked down at Nancy , only loosening his grip on her slightly.
“Are you okay?”

Nancy gave a shaky laugh. “None of it’s mine.” she replied, referring to
the blood. In her mind, she was screaming ‘Pull yourself together!’ How
was she going to do that when she was trembling uncontrollably?

Joe looked impressed. “You killed that all by yourself?”

Nancy glared at him defiantly. “Of course! Who do you think you’re
dealing with?” she snapped, obviously taking his surprise as an insult.

“I only meant that thing’s got to be four feet long!” Joe defended himself.

“Joe?” Frank looked at Joe significantly. Joe got the message and went to
leave. Before he reached the door he stopped. “Are you going to need
help cleaning that up?” he asked, nodding at the bloodstained sheets.

“No. There’s no way I can sleep in here tonight. If I can sleep at all.”
Nancy ’s voice was timid this time. Her brain was working overtime
trying to keep her from going into shock. She was grateful that Frank’s
arms were steadying her.

Joe looked worried but nodded and left. After a while, Frank spoke. “Are
you cold?”

“Huh?” Nancy came out of her daze and realized that she was, in fact,
shaking violently. “No.” she answered his question, and then added, “I
guess my nerves are just shot.” She glanced at the snake’s corpse and
shuddered.

Frank’s arms tightened around her, and a wave of emotions broke over
Nancy . Fear, shock, relief, desperation, fatigue… She muffled a sob,
trying to keep them in check.

Frank rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He hadn’t realized how
much he had missed holding her until just now. He shook the thought out
of his head. Nancy came first; he could contemplate that later.

A few minutes later, Nancy had regained some of her composure. Frank
offered her his handkerchief, which she used to wipe the blood from her
hands.
***

Nancy decided to sleep on the downstairs couch. A couple minutes later,

she and Frank were sitting on the couch, Togo at their feet. Nancy briefly
wondered if the snake had gotten there by accident. No, she realized, it
had to be the stalker. Frank had identified the snake as a copperhead,
and very poisonous. Her thoughts were jumbled; it seemed like ages
since she had had a good night’s sleep.

Not even thinking about it, Nancy leaned against Frank’s chest. Frank
squinted down at her; stroked the hair out of her eyes, but she was
already fast asleep.

***

The first thing Nancy thought the next morning was, ‘Time to let the dog
out.’ Her next conscious thought involved memories from last night
rushing back… threatening phone calls…strawberry syrup…large
poisonous snake in her bedroom… All ending with her falling asleep on
the couch next to Frank.

At that last thought, her eyes popped open. She felt a warm blush spread
from her head to her toes as she realized that she was leaning against
him. She tried to get up. If she could get up without waking him maybe
she could avoid a situation with the potential to be more embarrassing
than the one she was already in. She carefully lifted her head off of his
chest and lowered her feet to the floor. Almost there… She stopped short
as she felt his arm around her waist. At this, she didn’t know whether to
laugh or cry. She gently freed herself and stood up. As she stepped away
from the couch her eyes were drawn to the sleeping figure. In his sleep,
Frank looked so peaceful and vulnerable and… cute.
Togo ’s frantic pawing on the back door brought Nancy back to earth. She
crossed the room and opened the door for the dog, who rushed outside.
She closed the door, then yawned and shook her head. Since when did
she have this bizarre fascination with watching people sleep? And this
wasn’t just a person; this was Frank Hardy, her kinda-maybe-sorta-
almost-ex-boyfriend.

What was with him anyway? He came to River Heights last summer and
was so darned caring and thoughtful that he made her fall head over
heels in love with him. He even made her think he loved her too! Then,
one night, he came to her and told her that it was all a mistake; that he
loved Callie Shaw, his Bayport girlfriend. Then he just left!

And next year, what does he do? He comes back to River Heights , of
course! And again, he acts so considerate and sweet that she was falling
for him all over again! What was wrong with him? Couldn’t he be
satisfied with breaking her heart once? Did he really need to come back
and do it again? More importantly, what was wrong with HER? Hadn’t
she learned her lesson the first time?

She glanced back over at him and her stomach twisted. Apparently not.
Another glance confirmed it. No, she had not learned her lesson. Well,
she decided, she wouldn’t let him know that. He would not catch her with
her defenses down again!

By now, Nancy desperately needed an aspirin. All of the emphatic

sarcasm and war metaphors flying around in her head were giving her a
migraine. Fortunately, the appearance of Joe distracted her, and her
headache subsided.

“Morning, Joe.” Nancy said.

“Morning.” Joe replied. He wisely refrained from saying anything about
Nancy ’s apparent fascination with his sleeping brother, as well as
avoided comments about their sleeping arrangements.

Nancy directed Joe to the assorted breakfast foods. She herself, however,
would be surprised if she ever ate again. “I’m just not hungry.” she
assured him.

***

Half an hour later the three teens were all up and dressed.

Frank was trying to persuade Nancy to eat. “Really, Nan , you should at
least eat something.” He looked down at her, concern in his eyes. “Are
you feeling all right?” he asked gently.

Nancy was annoyed at the look he was giving her. He was genuinely
worried. About her! Well, she thought, she was in better shape now than
she was when he left her alone last summer. Why should he worry now?
she thought bitterly.

The doorbell rang and a resigned looking Frank squinted through the
peephole. Seeing Nancy ’s friend Bess Marvin, whom he had known for a
while, he opened the door.

Bess stepped inside. When she saw Frank, she looked utterly confused.
Then she gave him a half-smile and walked past him, into the kitchen
with Nancy .

In a surprised tone, she asked, “Was that Frank Hardy?”

Nancy gave her a look. “No, it was Celine Dion.” Then she rolled her eyes.
“Of course it was him.”
Bess frowned. “You’ve gotten really sarcastic lately, you know that?”
Then her curiosity made her shake off her confusion. “I knew it was him!
What I meant to say was, ‘What is he doing here?’”

Frank was amused. Why was she talking about him like he couldn’t hear
her? He was standing not eight feet from her! “Joe and I are helping
Nancy out on a case.” he explained.

“Oh. A case.” Bess said, disappointed. She looked at Nancy , “Does that
mean you’ll be going on your blind date tonight?”

Nancy sighed. Bess had been trying to set her up since last summer. After
several blind dates, Nancy had met no one whom she was interested in
seeing again. Ever. However, tonight was not a good night for a blind
date. The stalker could be back, and she had to be ready for him.

Bess watched Frank out of the corner of her eye while Nancy considered.
He was trying to look like he didn’t care one way or another, but he was
failing miserably.

“Bess, tonight’s really a bad time for me. Would you mind letting him
know?”

Bess swore she heard Frank let out a breath. Nancy didn’t seem to notice.

Nancy laughed, “I’m such a terrible person, I don’t even remember who
I’m supposed to be going out with in the first place.”

Bess grinned. “Alright. I’ll call him. His name was Bobby Wilson, though.
A friend of a friend. Oh, by the way,” she continued, “I found this on your
doorstep.” Bess handed Nancy a large white envelope.
Nancy ’s breath caught, and she looked at Frank. He examined it for a
moment. “I don’t think it’s a bomb.” he told her.

Bess gasped. “A bomb!”

Frank shook his head. “Not a bomb.” He looked at Nancy , his brown eyes
mirroring caution. “Do you want to open it, or should I?” he asked gently.

In response, Nancy picked up the envelope and opened it to reveal a

smaller, brown envelope, addressed in a scrawling hand to Miss Nancy
Drew. The crimson ink did a good imitation of blood.

Nancy opened this envelope, too. She pulled out a sheet of ordinary
white paper and read the message aloud. “ Nancy , congratulations. If you
are reading this it means that you are not dead. Yet.” The opening sent a
shiver down her spine.

She read on. “The snake was a gift from me. Although being the pretty,
smart, talented girl that you are, you had probably already figured that
out. I know that your friends, the Hardy boys are there. Say hi to Frank
and Joe for me. I’m not worried; they can’t help you.”

Nancy looked up at her friends as she read the last sentence. “No one
can.”

CHAPTER 6

Bess was frowning. “What’s going on, guys? Why did Nancy get this?”

Nancy studied the letter. “I wish I knew.”

Just then, Joe entered the kitchen. “Hi Bess!” he said. Then he spotted the
letter. “Whoa! How many magazines died to make that thing?”

Nancy gave him a look. “Joe, I’m worried. Whoever wrote this knows who
you are and why you’re here…” she trailed off.

Bess spoke up. “Does this have to do with the case you were talking
about? What’s going on? What do Frank and Joe have to do with it? What
are you going to do now?”

Nancy was obviously used to Bess’s impromptu interrogation sessions,

because she replied, “Yes, it has to do with the case. I’ve been getting
threats from an unknown person or people and the Hardys are helping
me figure out who it is. And Frank, Joe, and I are going to the Chicago
airport to find out who rented a silver ’98 or ’99 Saturn.”

Bess nodded, quickly absorbing the information. She added one more
question. “What about me?”

Nancy smiled. “Did you want to join us?”

Bess grinned. “You bet! After I cancel your date, of course.” As she made
her way to the phone she said, “I was just saying to myself, ‘It’s been
almost a week since Nancy ’s been in trouble…’”

Nancy laughed and grabbed her purse. “Go ahead and call, we’ll wait in
the car.” she said to Bess. She walked out the door and the Hardys
followed her. After a few minutes, the four of them were on the road,
Nancy and Joe in the front seat, Frank and Bess in the back.
Bess was telling them about the strange reaction she’d gotten from
Nancy ’s would-be date. “When I told him you couldn’t make it, he
freaked out! He was really angry and he cussed and hung up on me! How
bizarre is that? I mean, it’s just a date…”

Bess continued to talk but the three detectives weren’t listening. They
were all wondering if it was just a coincidence or if Nancy ’s “blind date”
could have been the stalker. Had Nancy unwittingly foiled the stalker’s
plan by not meeting him that night? So many terrible things could have
happened... Or, it could have been a coincidence, plain and simple.

Bess’s voice entered their thoughts. “Are you guys okay? You all seem
really quiet.”

The others assured her that they were fine as Nancy pulled into a
parking space in front of the airport. The foursome got out of the car and
walked into the busy airport.

“The Chicago Airport is always crowded.” Nancy explained as a woman

wheeled a suitcase over Joe’s foot.

“Ow!” he complained, but the woman didn’t even look back.

They finally reached the car rental desk and stood in a long line to see
the desk clerk, a petite, dark-haired woman of about thirty with thick
glasses. Nancy asked to see the rental records. The woman bluntly said
no, that she wasn’t authorized to let people see their records. Nancy
explained their situation, but the woman didn’t budge. Not only didn’t
she budge, but she told them that they were holding up the line and that
if they weren’t renting a car they should leave. The people in line behind
them grumbled in agreement.
Nancy led the group out of the way, not discouraged at being denied a
look at the records. “I have to make a phone call.” she said, glancing
around for a pay phone.

“Who are you calling?” Joe asked.

Nancy grinned. “I have a friend on the police force and I’m hoping he can
help.”

Bess cleared her throat. “Friend?” At that, Nancy blushed and hurried to
the phone booth.

Frank turned to Bess. “What was that about?” But Bess refused to say
another word.

Nancy came back to the group. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.” she told
them.

Fifteen minutes later, a tall, dark haired man approached the group.
Nancy ran up and hugged him. Frank nudged Bess. “Does she greet all
policemen like that?”

Bess’s expression was unreadable. “Just Detective Sam Fanelli.” she

answered.

Sam listened intently to Nancy and Joe’s description of the letters, the
phone calls, the dognapping, the silver car, and the uncooperative
airport employee.

Frank and Bess stood back a little. Bess watched Frank study Sam. Sam
was tall, about 6’2”, with an athletic build, brown hair, and soft brown
eyes to rival Frank’s. He also looked about twenty five. Bess knew that he
was, in fact, twenty six.
“Isn’t he a little old for her?” Frank muttered.

Bess might have been a romantic, but she knew jealousy when she heard
it. “Yes.” she replied. “And Nancy knows that. She isn’t serious about
him.” Bess didn’t want Frank to get too comfortable, though, so she
added, “At least, I don’t think so.” With emphasis on the “think.”

Frank started. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. He frowned at Bess

and the two of them went to join Joe, Nancy, and Sam.

Detective Fanelli looked questioningly at Nancy . She realized he wanted

an introduction. “This is Joe’s brother, Frank.” she said.

Sam shook his hand and asked, “Another detective?”

Nancy answered. “Yes, he is. Frank, Joe, and I have worked together
several times. We’re old friends.”

“Ouch.” Bess murmured in Nancy ’s ear.

Nancy looked at her confusedly. “What?”

Bess wore an amused expression. “I feel sorry for Frank. He’s so jealous
and you’re killing him.” She said it in a low voice so no one else could
hear her.

Nancy frowned at Bess, then Frank. “Excuse me,” she said, grabbing
Bess’s sleeve. “I need to talk to Bess for a minute.” Sam nodded and
smiled at her, and Nancy was blushing as she pulled Bess to a corner.

Bess laughed. “You just did it again!” Nancy looked confused again, so
Bess said, “You’re flirting with Sam!”
“I am not!” Nancy retorted. “Now tell me what you were talking about.” It
was a command, not a request.

“Come on, Nan ! Frank is jealous of you and Sam! I’m surprised you
couldn’t see that.” Emphasis on the “you.”

“He is?” Nancy said. Her expression was a cross between disbelieving
and scared rabbit.

Bess nodded. “He still loves you. And you still love him. Right?”

“No… Yes… I’m so confused! What did I do to deserve this?” Nancy said in
exasperation.

“I’d say you have it all under control. He’s probably only inches away
from confessing his undying love for you as it is and you’ve still got the
next few days to work on him.” Bess was enjoying being the one with the
answers, for once.

“I don’t want to work on him, I don’t want to make him jealous, and I
don’t want him to confess his undying love for me! I just want to find out
who drives a silver ’98 Saturn!” Nancy ’s outburst caused a group of
Indian women to glance at her worriedly and shoo their children past.

“Or ’99.” Bess earned a death-glare for that one.

Nancy glanced back at the group of guys and saw that they were all
watching her. She panicked. “Bess, what should I do? I like Sam, and I
don’t want to use him.”

“Well, you can turn tail and run and I’ll explain to the guys that you
contracted bronchitis in the airport restrooms…”
“Bess, be serious!” Nancy pleaded.

Bess patted her friend on the shoulder. “Okay, pretend we never had this
talk. Just do what you were doing. Keep your mind on the case.
Everything will turn out fine.”

“Right.” Nancy put on her confident face and headed back to the group.

“You okay?” Frank asked her.

Nancy smiled at him. “I’m fine.” she said. “Let’s go!”

***

Half and hour later the five of them were standing around a computer
screen in the back of the car rental booth. The dark-haired woman had
no problem with giving out records as long as it was “police business.”
Sam had flashed his badge and gotten them a private viewing of the past
week’s rentals. They slowly scrolled down the list looking for models,
colors, and makes that met Joe’s description. Whenever they found one,
Frank wrote down the person’s name and rental and license plate
numbers. By the time they were done the list they had twenty seven
silver Saturn drivers.

“Any of these names sound familiar?” Frank asked Nancy .

“Well,” Nancy paused to read the names. “This one sounds vaguely
familiar, but I can’t place it.”

Frank glanced down at the name she was pointing to. Daniel Morgan.
Rental 6048193, plate number DEM1148.
Sam jumped into the conversation. “We could go back to the station and
see if this Daniel Morgan has a record.”

“That’s a start.” Nancy said, trying really hard not to meet Sam’s gaze.
“Um, if you don’t mind, I’d rather not drag everybody to the station, so if
you don’t mind, the rest of us can go back to my house and make sure it’s
still standing and everything and you could just call and let me know the
results of the check, if you don’t mind?” Nancy smacked herself mentally.
She wasn’t even sure if that made sense. She wanted to kill herself and
save the stalker the trouble. And why was everyone staring at her?

Both Hardys were looking at her like she’d just sprouted a second head.
Bess bit her lip. Poor Nan .

Sam just laughed and said, “I don’t mind. I’ll go run the check and call
you when it’s done. I know your number.” He winked and took her
hands. “Take care of yourself, Nan . Be careful, and if you need me, just
call, okay?”

Oh, please, Frank thought. What a line.

Nancy smiled despite herself. “Right. I know your number too. Nine-one-
one.”

Sam looked at the Hardys. “Nice meeting you. Bye, Bess.” Then he walked
off.

***
Around nine o’ clock that evening, the phone rang, interrupting a game
of crazy eights. When Nancy and the Hardys had returned from the
airport, Nancy ’s front door was open. Nancy wouldn’t let Frank and Joe
go in without her, so the three of them ventured in and found that
whoever had been there was certainly not there now. Nothing seemed to
have been disturbed. They were beginning to doubt if the stalker had
been there until Nancy discovered that the threatening letters were
missing. The stalker must have returned to get rid of the evidence. Nancy
was on edge. The Hardys had made it their personal mission to keep her
mind off the stalker. Since then, they had played about every board game
she had. Sorry!, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, three-hour game of Monopoly, you
name it. After that, they had played gin rummy, poker, “spit,” and “go
fish.”

The phone rang again. “I’ll get it.” Nancy said flatly, but she didn’t move.
Ring. Nancy sighed, put down her cards, and picked up the phone. She
held it to her ear and breathed a sigh of relief. “Sam.” she mouthed. She
listened for a minute, then said, “Alright. Thanks anyway.” Sam said
something else, and Nancy blushed and said, “I will. Bye.”

Nancy hung up the phone and groaned. “No criminal record.” She told
Frank and Joe. “All they know is that Daniel Morgan is around our age
and lives in Colorado .”

Frank ran a hand through his dark hair. “So we’re back to square one?”

Nancy slumped next to him on the couch. “Looks that way. If only I could
remember why he sounds so familiar…” She sounded frustrated.

Frank squeezed her hand encouragingly. Nancy turned to him; stared

into his eyes. “Your turn.” she muttered grumpily. She really did
appreciate Frank and Joe’s distracting her, and she had had fun, too, but
she knew she had hit rock bottom when she lost at “go fish” six times in a
row.
She leaned her head against the back of the couch, suddenly realizing
how tired she was. “I’m done.” she said, throwing her cards on the table.
“Joe wins. Again.” At this point, she considered Joe to be the luckiest
person on the planet. He had won at least three fourths of all the games
they had played. Then she scooted over and stretched out on the couch.
“I just wish I knew who Daniel Morgan was. It’s driving me crazy.” she
said.

“Maybe he’s from one of your previous cases?” Frank suggested.

“Probably. But no one obvious. I would remember. But I’ve met so many
people…”

“Right.” Joe said. “We know what you mean.”

After a few minutes of silence, Frank pointed out, “ Nan ’s asleep.”

Joe nodded. “She was wiped out. I think I’ll head to bed, too.” He nodded
at Nancy ’s sleeping figure. “Should we bring her upstairs?”

Frank shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. I have an idea I want to try first.
You go on up.”

Joe left. “Good night.”

“’Night.” Frank headed over to Nancy ’s computer and turned it on. He

logged on to the internet and typed in “Daniel Morgan.” He groaned as
over two hundred entries popped up on screen. Apparently Daniel
Morgan was a fairly common name. Daniel Morgan, revolutionary
soldier. Dr. Daniel Morgan, plastic surgeon. Daniel Morgan Middle School
. Nothing that would help him. Then some businesses. Morgan’s Motors.
Morgan, Morgan, and Farmer publishers. Morgan Mining, specializing in
anthracite coal.
Frank was getting irritated by now. He knew Nancy wasn’t being stalked
by a revolutionary soldier, a plastic surgeon (he was too old, Frank had
checked), or an auto repair shop. He was positive that she wasn’t being
stalked by a middle school. This was getting him nowhere.

Frank turned the computer off and looked at Nancy . She had shifted and
her shirt had slid up slightly, revealing her flat stomach. Her blond hair
framed her face. She looked serene, at ease for the first time in days.
Frank almost didn’t want to disturb her, but he had to. If the stalker
came in the middle of the night, she would be a sitting duck down here.

He walked over to her and gently picked her up, resting her head on his
shoulder. Despite that she was only a few months younger than him; he
had little trouble carrying her up the stairs and into her room. As he bent
to put her on the bed, her eyes opened slowly and she smiled tiredly at
him. “Thanks.” she whispered, leaning toward him, their lips only inches
apart.

A flash of light illuminated the room and Frank and Nancy jerked apart.

That was no lightning, Nancy thought. Her eyes met Frank’s, and she
knew they were both thinking the same thing. That light had come from
a flashbulb. Someone was photographing them!

CHAPTER 7

Nancy ’s first instinct was to duck, but almost immediately she felt
stupid. Being shot at with a camera was, of course, different than having
a gun shot at you. Camera flashes were still going off, one after another,
illuminating a tense-looking Frank. Before she knew what was going on,
Frank had grabbed her hand and was pulling her out of the room.
Nancy knew what to do next. She and Frank, without even consulting
each other, raced through the hallway and down the stairs. Nancy flung
open the front door, hurrying outside. Even in the darkness, she could
see a shiny metallic ladder propped under her window. A bag sat
underneath it, a camera flashbulb poking out from under the flap. Nancy
out of the corner of her eye, Nancy saw a black-clad figure disappear into
her backyard. She made a split-second decision to follow the figure and
come back for the camera later.

Nancy pursued the figure into the backyard and was amazed by how
dark it was. An eerie, oppressing, shadowy kind of dark. As Nancy stood
in the middle of the yard with no idea where the stalker had gone, she
realized that Frank wasn’t behind her. She was alone.

Not entirely alone, she corrected herself as she heard a twig snap
somewhere to her far left. She sprinted in the direction of the sound, not
bothering to wait for Frank, wherever he was. The stalker’s outline
appeared in front of her. She could hear his feet pounding the ground.
They were no longer in her backyard, but running through her
neighbors’ yards. The stalker made a sharp left turn and darted between
the houses, toward the street, where, to Nancy ’s dismay, a car pulled up
along the curb. A silver car. A getaway car.

Nancy ’s heart sank as the passenger door swung open and the figure
dove inside. The car’s interior darkened again and the car sped away,
but not before a third person had taken another picture from the
backseat.

Nancy wanted to scream. Or sob. How could she have let him get away?
Again! She was so frustrated with herself that she didn’t even notice it
was raining until she was drenched. The silver car was long gone, but
Nancy muttered after it, “You’d better run, because when I get my hands
on you, I’ll kill you. And it will hurt.”
Nancy stood, rooted to the spot and soaked to the bone. After a few
minutes, when she was done feeling sorry for herself, she looked down
at herself. “You’re a mess, Drew.” she said. Her soaked clothes were
plastered to her body, and her wet hair was dripping down her neck. She
realized that if she didn’t get off the grass she would be ankle-deep in
mud. Before she could move, though, she heard footsteps, and a
flashlight beam swept over her.

Thinking the stalker was back, and not wanting him to have the
advantage, Nancy bolted. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a
voice. “Wait, Nan , it’s me!”

Nancy turned and saw Frank jogging after her, flashing the light on
himself. “He got away.” she gasped.

“I know.” Frank said sadly. He looked around, but could only see
blackness. “Look, let’s discuss this back at the house before it starts
raining harder.” Not that it could, he thought, listening to the sound of
the rain splashing off the pavement.

As Frank and Nancy walked toward her house, Frank said softly, “I was
worried when I couldn’t find you.”

Nancy was touched by the raw emotion in his voice. “Sorry.” she
whispered.

Frank took her hand. It was cold as ice. He looked at her in the light of a
nearby streetlamp and noticed for the first time how wet she was.
“Cold?” he murmured. He knew her answer from the way she was
shaking.

Nancy nodded. Frank noticed how wisps of wet hair stuck to her face.
Automatically, he reached over to brush them away and was amazed at
the sensation he felt when his fingers made contact with her skin.
Unthinkingly, Nancy leaned in. Their lips touched, softly. Warmth
washed through Nancy ’s entire body. Her hands found their way up to
rest on his shoulders. Frank kissed her again, deeper this time. Frank...

“Frank?” Nancy murmured.

“Mmm?”

“You’re wet.”

Frank pulled back disbelievingly. “So are you!” he pointed out. They
stared at each other for a second, and then burst out laughing.

“We’d better get out of the rain.” Nancy said when she had caught her
breath. Still smiling, the two went inside.

***

Five minutes later, Frank came downstairs in dry clothes. Nancy was
talking on the phone and holding a cup of hot chocolate, and when she
saw Frank she covered the phone and said, “I made you some too.” she
said, gesturing to a steaming mug on the countertop. Frank smiled his
thanks, then took his mug and sat down, listening to Nancy talk.

“Sam, really, I’m fine.” she was saying. Frank scowled. Sam.

She listened into the receiver for a minute, then said, “Yes, I’m annoyed,
but I did the best I could. I just called you because I thought you’d like to
know.”
Frank bit his lip and waited as Nancy said goodbye and hung up. He and
Nancy went and sat on the couch in the living room. They sat in silence
until Frank took the plunge. “ Nan ?” he said. “What happened tonight…
does that mean we’re back together?”

Nancy choked on a sip of hot chocolate. Frank waited anxiously while

Nancy had a brief coughing fit. Regaining her composure, she exclaimed,
“No!”

“Oh.” Frank said, hurt. He hadn’t expected her to say no.

Nancy glanced over at him. Real graceful, Drew, she thought. Let ‘em
down easy. She really hadn’t meant to be so blunt. Oops.

Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “Good night.” he said, ending the
conversation after an awkward silence. He stood up and left.

***

Nancy woke up early the next morning and got the envelope she had
been expecting in the mail. As usual, her name was scrawled on it in
blood-red ink, but this time, there was no note. Only pictures.

Shuffling through the pictures, she noted that they were all of her, her
house, or her car. One of her talking on the phone, sleeping on the couch,
with the Hardys, with Bess, with her father. One of her car parked
outside of the airport. Also, there were the ones taken last night; a few of
her and Frank in her bedroom, and one of her standing in the rain that
had been taken as the car pulled away.
Nancy shivered and looked around. She had been oblivious while most of
these photos were being taken; maybe she was being photographed
right now. It really bothered her to know that there was someone here,
someone she couldn’t see, but they were still here…

She almost had a heart attack when she heard Frank come down the
stairs, followed closely by Joe. Wordlessly, she handed the photos to
Frank, who flipped through them with a grim expression on his face.

Joe squinted at the pictures over Frank’s shoulder and inhaled sharply.
“This is not good.”

“Think so?” asked Nancy , whose face was buried in her hands.

CHAPTER 8

The phone rang, shattering the sullen silence in the Drew house. Nancy
stiffened before sighing and picking up the receiver. “Hello?”

The tension evaporated when she heard her father’s voice. “Hi,
sweetheart, it’s me. How are you?”

Nancy considered carefully for a moment before replying. “Fine.” I’m still
getting those messages, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.” She looked up
to see Frank and Joe staring at her incredulously, but ignored them.
“How are things up in D.C.?” she asked brightly.

“We’re not doing so well.” her father answered. “It might take longer
than expected to clear this up.” He paused, sounding uncomfortable. “Are
you sure you can handle it? You really shouldn’t shrug off death threats
too easily…”
“Really, Dad, everything’s under control. You don’t have to rush home.
We’ll be here.” Nancy said reassuringly.

“Okay,” Carson replied, obviously still worried. “But if you need me, just
call and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Someone was calling his name in
the background. “Sorry, honey, but I have to go. Call if anything happens,
okay?”

“Alright.” said Nancy . “Love you. ‘Bye.” she hung up and turned to face
the Hardys.

“Under control?” Joe said, quirking an eyebrow.

Nancy sighed. “You don’t understand. This case is really important to my

dad, and he has it hard enough without having to worry about me.”

“Maybe you need to be worried about!” Frank exclaimed, running a hand

through his hair.

“Maybe you do enough worrying for everybody!” she retorted.

“She’s got you there, bro.” Joe said, neatly avoiding a standoff. When
Frank glared at him, he said to Nancy , “But, um, we still have to be
careful.” Frank didn’t seem satisfied, but at least he stopped glaring.

Nancy opened her mouth, but before she could protest, the phone rang
again. She groaned impatiently and grabbed it. “HELLO?”

“ Nan ?” It was her other best friend, George Fayne, evidently calling from
summer camp.

“Sorry, George.” Nancy said sheepishly. “What’s up?”

“Don’t you ‘what’s up’ me, Nancy Drew!” George said teasingly. “I know
you’re on a case.”

“Yeah?” Nancy said amusedly.

“Yup. I was talking to Bess.” George replied. “So are you gonna tell me
about it?”

Nancy gave her a brief version of the phone calls, the letters, the break-
in, the dognapping, and the snake.

“Aww. Poor Togo !”

“Poor Togo ? What about me?” Nancy laughed.

“Well, you’re used to it by now, right?” Nancy could hear George

grinning. “And I also heard that Frank’s with you.” she added
suggestively.

Nancy could feel her face reddening. Honestly, she thought. “Yes, they’re
here.” She said carefully, seeing as that they were watching her.

“In the room with you, huh?” George asked merrily. Suddenly her
demeanor changed. In a somber voice, she asked, “Is there anything I can
do to help? I mean, from up here in Havenwood Tennis Camp?”

Nancy smiled at her willingness to help. “Not unless you know who
Daniel Morgan is.” she said dryly.

“Wait, Daniel Morgan…” George thought for a minute, and then

exclaimed something in an excited voice that the Hardys couldn’t make
out.
They watched the blood drain from Nancy ’s face. “Oh my gosh, you’re
right!” she murmured in an upset voice. Oh, gosh… Yeah, thanks, George,
you’re the best… ‘Bye.” Nancy hung up and fell into a nearby chair. “I
know who Daniel Morgan is.” she told Frank and Joe in a breathless
voice.

Frank was concerned by her paleness. “Are you okay, Nan ?”

Nancy either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him. She launched right
into her explanation while the Hardys listened attentively. “A couple of
years ago, Ned, George, and I were in Colorado visiting one of Ned’s high
school friends. Bess was supposed to go, but she got sick at the last
minute... oh never mind! Anyway, Ned’s friend- his name was Eric- had
an older brother who worked in a mining company as a land surveyor.
Weird things started happening at this company, embezzlement was
discovered, and Eric’s brother- I forget his name, Richard, maybe? - Well,
the brother got framed for the crime. George, Ned, and I stepped in to
clear him, of course, and, eventually, we found out that the embezzler
was none other than Colleen Morgan, the owner’s wife. Mr. Morgan had
no idea, and he was so ashamed... Colleen went to jail, and I think Mr.
Morgan, er, it might have been Mr. Christopher Morgan, I think he filed
for divorce…”

Joe cut in. “Is Daniel Morgan their son?”

“Yes,” Nancy replied. “He must be. I never met him, though. He was away
while I was there. I think he was visiting his grandparents in Guatemala
or Yugoslavia or China or something.”

Frank recalled something he had read last night on the internet. “Morgan
Mining, specializing in anthracite coal.” he murmured thoughtfully.

Nancy gave him a look. “Right.”

RING.

“Geez, Nan , your phone bill’s gonna be through the roof!” Joe said
jokingly.

“It doesn’t usually ring this much.” Nancy replied. “I’m thinking of getting
it disconnected!” Nevertheless, she answered it, only to hear the sinister
voice that had been haunting her since she had first heard it.

“Congratulations, Nancy Drew.” the voice wheezed.

Nancy decided to try for a reaction. “Hello, Daniel.” she said calmly. She
pushed the speakerphone button so the Hardys could hear.

The voice gave an evil laugh. “You’re such a hot-shot detective; I knew
you would get it eventually. Shame it’s too late for you to do anything
about it.” The voice- Daniel’s voice- resumed its spine-chilling cackling.

Nancy glanced at Frank, who was staring at the phone with a furious look
on his face.

Nancy ’s eyes widened as Daniel continued ominously. “Oh, Miss Drew,

you were so close to getting full marks... My grandparents live in
California , not China .”

CHAPTER 9

Nancy ’s lips tightened, and her brain snapped into action. If he could
hear her comment, it must mean that her house was bugged. Either that,
or he was in the vicinity somewhere… She didn’t like either choice.

“…Just leave her alone!” Frank was saying angrily into the phone.
Nancy shuddered as Daniel’s cold voice laughed once again. “Ah, Frank
Hardy. I thought Joe was the hot-headed one. But then, what else could I
expect from Nancy ’s-” Nancy silently hung up the phone before he could
finish his sentence.

She turned to Frank and Joe. “I think we all know what we need to do.”
she said quietly. Frank and Joe nodded and began to search the room
while Nancy picked up the phone receiver again and unscrewed it. As
she expected, a small metal microphone winked up at her, a microphone
that wasn’t supposed to be there. She plucked it out and silently handed
it to Frank, cursing herself for not thinking to search for bugs in the first
place.

Frank took the bug, glancing at Nancy worriedly. He knew this entire
fiasco was working on her nerves. “What should we do with it?” he
mouthed. Nancy merely shrugged.

Joe was having trouble removing a bug he had found puttied under the
kitchen table. He carefully extracted it from the sticky substance and
placed it next to the one Nancy had found.

When they were done bug-hunting, they had a total of six bugs lying on
the kitchen counter. The two they had found in the kitchen, plus one
from the den, one from the living room, one from Nancy ’s bedroom, and
one from the room the Hardys shared. But what to do with them?
Outside, away from the bugs, they discussed a solution.

“I hope we got them all.” Joe said tiredly. Bugs were tricky; it had taken
nearly two hours to find the ones they had.

“Me too.” Nancy said. “But let’s face it, Daniel knew that we would find
the bugs. That must mean he doesn’t need them anymore.” Then she
looked sick. “Which must mean he’s going to do something soon.”
Frank nodded. “He did make the fact that the place was bugged pretty
obvious.”

Joe shrugged. “Maybe he’s just nuts.”

“I hope not.” Nancy said flatly. “The crazy ones are the ones that scare
me.”

“I know what you mean.” Joe stated. “They’re so ruthless, and you can’t
reason with them.”

Frank scowled at his brother. Couldn’t he see that Nancy was already on
edge without him scaring her? He broke in. “What will we do with all
those bugs?”

“We could smash them.” Joe suggested.

Nancy grinned. She didn’t know what Frank would do if Joe tried to
smash the expensive electronic bugs. He’d always had a weakness for
technology. “Or we could bring them to the police station.” she said,
more to Frank than Joe. “Sam goes on duty in about twenty minutes.” she
added. Frank couldn’t believe she knew that off-hand, but given the
choice between smashing the bugs or giving them to Sam, he chose the
latter.

“Alright,” Joe said. “let’s go.”

“No way.” Nancy said. “We aren’t all going. If we leave my house alone,
who knows what kind of scum will be in it when we get back! I’ll stay
here.”

“Not alone.” Frank said sternly. “I’ll stay too. You okay going to the
station by yourself, Joe?”
“Sure,” Joe said. He retrieved the bugs and made to get in the rental car.

“You can take mine, Joe.” Nancy said quickly, tossing him the keys to the
Mustang.

“Thanks.” Joe said, catching them easily. “You sure you’re okay here?”

Frank and Nancy nodded. As the car sped out of the driveway, Frank
asked, “Why your car?”

Nancy shrugged uneasily. “I had a hunch.” She walked to the rental

which was parked on the street, and slowly, carefully, lifted the hood.
She gasped and took a step back. “I was right.” she murmured in horror.

Frank stepped up and saw the delicate web of wires which had been
placed under the hood by someone- Daniel Morgan, no doubt. “A bomb.”
Frank turned to Nancy . “Joe could have been…or you…”

“Or you.” Nancy finished. “It could have been anyone. Do you think it
will blow up by itself, or is it wired to blow when the car door opens or
something?”

Frank had a lot of experience with bombs, so after a few minutes of

careful examination, he informed Nancy that it wasn’t going to detonate
until a key was turned in the ignition.

“Oh, god.” Nancy murmured, her face in her hands. She had only just
realized what could have happened. “He tried to kill me, and now he’s
trying to kill you.”
Frank nodded calmly, although his face was a shade paler than usual. “I
think we should wait for Joe to get back with the police before we do
anything. I could probably deactivate the bomb if I had to, but I don’t
really want to chance it.”

Nancy stood straight and collected herself before opening the car door as
Frank watched in horror. “Relax.” she smiled. “I’m only locking the
doors. What we don’t need is for anyone to set off the bomb
accidentally.” She stepped away from the car and shut the door. Then
she hooked her arm into Frank’s and led him back up to the house.

“You’re amazing, Nan .” Frank said slowly. “How did you know about the
bomb?”

Nancy looked him in the eyes. “I expected him to try something like this.
I was worried that he was going to try to kill you and Joe.” she said softly.
“It’s harder for him to mess with my head while you guys are around.”

Frank noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears, and he pulled her
into his arms. “You don’t have to be strong all the time, you know.” he
whispered into her ear. She nodded noiselessly, and Frank could feel
her tears through his sweater.

Nancy felt better after a short cry, and she and Frank curled up on the
couch without talking. Neither of them felt the need to talk. Nancy
leaned into Frank’s chest; her arms were around his waist and his arm
was draped over her shoulders. She sighed quietly. For the time being, it
didn’t matter that she was being chased by a homicidal maniac or that he
had just tried to blow up her friends. It didn’t even matter that she and
Frank weren’t officially ‘together’ anymore. She couldn’t deny it; she just
loved being with him.

“You’re so perfect.”
Frank quirked an eyebrow. “You said that out loud.” he informed her.

“Did I?” Rats.

“You bet.” Frank teased. “But, if it makes you feel better, you aren’t so
bad yourself.”

“Well, thanks!” Nancy grumbled good-naturedly.

The door opened suddenly, causing Nancy and Frank to jump up. Bess’s
head poked in, promptly followed by the rest of her. “Hi guys!” she said
brightly. She glanced pointedly at Frank, who still had an arm around
Nancy . “Guess I’d better start knocking, huh?” she added sheepishly.

“It’s okay, Bess,” Nancy said unblushingly. “You just scared us; I am being
stalked by a lunatic, you know!”

“Gotcha.” Bess grinned.

Soon Nancy ’s Mustang pulled into the driveway, followed by a police car
containing Sam and his partner, Officer Lisa Sheffield, a short brunette
girl with gray eyes who looked to be about two years younger than Sam.
Together, Frank and Nancy explained about the bomb and Officer
Sheffield made a call to the police station for bomb technicians, who
arrived shortly thereafter and disabled the bomb as Frank, Nancy, Joe,
and Bess watched.

They were so busy outside, in fact, that no one heard the phone ring. No
one heard the answering machine pick up, and no one heard the
ominous message that was left.
“I see your friends are in luck, Nancy Drew. They didn’t die today…yet.
Fear not, though, for the hour draws near, Nancy Drew. The hour draws
near…”

CHAPTER 10

The deactivation of the car bomb was further complicated by a freak

rainstorm. As Nancy trudged inside with her friends, she noted how well
the weather matched her mood.

The group, which consisted of Nancy, Bess, the two Hardys, Detective
Sam Fanelli, and his partner, Lisa Sheffield, waited tensely in the kitchen
for the bomb technicians to finish their job.

Apparently someone had filled Officer Sheffield in, because she asked no
questions and restlessly paced the floor. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m
just nervous, I guess. I’m new on the force, and this is my first real call.”

The rest of the group nodded wanly at her explanation. It had been a
long weekend.

Joe suddenly jumped up. “I think I’ll go see what’s taking so long.” Lisa
immediately volunteered to go with him; she was obviously as impatient
as he.

A tense stillness filled the room after they left. Nobody had anything
cheerful to say, so they kept their mouths shut.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nancy spotted a gleam in Bess’s eyes
as they darted from her to Frank. Sure enough, she stood up, saying, “I
don’t think it should take this long! We’re going out to see what’s up.”
Grabbing Sam’s shirt sleeve, she fairly dragged him to the door.
Nancy snorted at Bess. “Don’t worry; you aren’t being obvious at all!”

The door slammed shut behind them, and several seconds later Nancy
and Frank heard a muffled scream.

“Bess!” they chorused, racing to the door. No one was in sight.

“No one!” exclaimed Frank. The bomb technicians were no longer

outside, and Bess, Joe, Sam, and Lisa were nowhere to be seen. Frank
grabbed for the doorknob, but Nancy seized his arm.

“You can’t go out there!” she gasped urgently. “What if you disappear
too?” Her eyes looked haunted, and there was more panic in them than
he had ever seen.

“I won’t.” Frank assured her. Then, however, their attention was

diverted as the lights went out. Sure enough, the rainstorm had evolved
into a full blown thunderstorm.

“Perfect.” Nancy groaned. “I have a flashlight upstairs. I’ll go get it.” She
looked back at Frank. “Please don’t leave while I’m gone.” she begged
fearfully.

Frank was torn. His brother was out there somewhere, and Frank was
fairly sure he was in trouble. However, there was no way he was leaving
Nancy alone. He smiled at her weakly. “I’ll do you one better.” he said.
“I’ll come with you.”

Nancy looked grateful. “Thank you.” She led the way upstairs and found
the flashlight. Feeling safer with the light, she asked, “Should we call the
police?”
“I don’t know.” Frank admitted. “The police are already here. At least,
they were!”

Nancy picked up the phone and listened for a dial tone. Her voice
quavered as she said, “I don’t think we have that problem anymore.” She
handed him the receiver. “It’s dead.”

Frank listened, stifled a curse, and hung up. “No power, no phone, no
backup… Looks like it’s just us.”

Nancy was about to agree, but then froze. She put a finger to her lips.

A crisp, lonely noise cut through the air. Somebody was whistling, and it
was coming from downstairs!

Nancy and Frank looked at each other in alarm. “He’s down there.” Nancy
murmured.

“And we’re trapped up here. Unless you want to chance climbing out a
window?” Frank said softly.

“I don’t want to be out there any more than I want to be in here. Who
knows what happened to Joe and Bess!” Nancy muttered frantically. She
paled visibly as the whistling drew louder. The whistler was coming
closer! His tune was slow and sad, and incredibly terrifying. “Oh, god,
Frank. He’s coming upstairs!”

“We have two choices.” said Frank, ever calm. “We can try to hide, or
confront him.”

Nancy shuddered. “We can’t hide.” Frank suspected that her eyes were
full of tears.
The whistling stopped abruptly. “Come out, Nancy Drew! I know you’re
here!”

“No…” Nancy whimpered.

Frank wrapped his arms around her. “Should we go face him?”

A change came over Nancy . She wiped her eyes, and her composure
seemed to return to her. “What if,” she asked curiously, “I go down now,
and you stay here and be my backup?”

Frank didn’t like the way this was going. “No.” he said firmly. “This guy is
crazy! You can’t go down there alone!”

“Yes, Frank, I can!” Nancy said, a little coolly. “Look, if I have to die I don’t
want it to be hiding behind you!”

Frank raised his eyebrows. “You’re not going to die, Nan . People like us
don’t die.” He knew it wasn’t true, but that was how it felt. People like
Nancy, Joe, and him were invincible.

“There’s a first time for everything.” Nancy countered. “Frank, can’t you
just stay here and be safe?”

“That’s the way I feel about you.”

Nancy ’s cheeks burned. “We don’t have much time. How about if I go
down and you wait a bit, so you can help if I get into trouble?”

“Okay.” Frank still didn’t like it, but it was the only compromise they
would be able to reach.

“ Nancy ! Don’t make me come up there!” The whistler warned smugly.

Nancy reached for the doorknob, a steely look of determination in her
eyes. As she turned it, she paused, just for a second.

“Be careful, Nan .”

That was what did it. She turned and ran back to him, throwing her arms
around his neck. And then she kissed him, urgently and passionately,
until they heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. She drew away. “I
will.” Then she stepped quickly into the hall, towards possible death, and
leaving a confused and very worried Frank behind.

CHAPTER 11

Joe awoke to a dull throbbing in his head. Ow, he thought, wake up and
smell the chloroform! After his eyes were properly focused, he glanced
down to confirm that his wrists and ankles were tied. They were.

Trying to ignore the pain in his head, he took in his surroundings. He

was in a dark, enclosed space, probably the back of a truck, he guessed.
He could tell that it was moving, too, hearing the crunch of gravel under
the tires.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out other figures also
bound and lying on the floor. Squinting at the faces, he could see that one
was Bess. That surprised him. When had they gotten her? He supposed
that Officer Sheffield was probably here too somewhere.

Impatiently, he searched for Frank or Nancy, realizing that they would

better be able to help him than anyone else, but they didn’t appear to be
here. Sighing, he scooted over to the nearest figure- Bess- and elbowed
her gently. “Bess? Bess, wake up!” He leaned over and put his ear near
her mouth. She was breathing slowly and peacefully, still under the
effect of the chloroform. “Come on, Bess!”
She didn’t move. “Officer Sheffield?” Joe called. “Wake up! Bess? Lisa?
Anyone?”

Nobody stirred. Joe groaned. He was going to have to do this on his own.
If only he could get free of these ropes! He grinned suddenly as he
remembered the lockpicking kit hidden in his shoe. There was a
miniature saw in it that he could use to cut the ropes. Twisting around,
he endeavored to reach it and failed. It would take someone else to get it.
If only someone else were awake!

Scooting over to the next figure, Lisa, he first checked to make sure she
was breathing. She was, and he reached for her belt as best he could with
his hands bound. Hopefully there was something attached to the belt
that would enable him to cut the ropes. He felt the holster, but her gun
was gone. Of course, their assailants wouldn’t let them keep their
weapons. The other attachments were also missing.

Just then Joe spotted a third figure- a man’s. “Frank?” A closer inspection
revealed that it wasn’t Frank, but Sam. Sam was also breathing, and
stubbornly unconscious. “Sam!” Joe shook him urgently, and a blue light
appeared beneath him. Joe was puzzled for a minute before he realized it
was Sam’s watch glowing.

Peering at it, he saw that he’d only been out for twenty or twenty-five
minutes, not long for chloroform, he thought. He wondered if he was
becoming immune to chloroform. That would explain why no one else
would wake.

He checked Sam’s belt the same way he’d checked Lisa’s, finding nothing
but Sam’s retractable metal baton. That’s weird, he thought. Did they just
forget to take the baton?
Hearing wheezing from the corner, he followed the sound to another pile
of bodies. The bomb technicians. Their belts had also been stripped of
any useful instruments.

He heard a rustle in the back of the truck. A frightened voice echoed

through the truck. “ Nancy ?”

“Bess!” Joe said in relief. “You’re awake!”

“Joe? Is that you?” Bess asked in a small voice. “I’m over here. I’m tied
up.”

Joe started crawling over to Bess. “Don’t worry, Bess. Just lie still; the
headache will start to subside and your eyes will adjust.” Finally
reaching her, he said, “I have a miniature saw hidden in my shoe, and I
need you to get it for me. Do you think you could turn around and reach
it?”

Bess twisted around and, after several minutes of fumbling around in

the darkness, she came up with Joe’s lockpicking kit.

“I’ll do you first.” Joe said, and Bess gratefully agreed, sitting still while
Joe carefully sawed through her bonds.

***

Nancy padded cautiously down the hall, more uncomfortable than she’d
ever been in her own house. She could hear her heart pounding in her
head. Just around any corner could be a homicidal maniac, and she felt
anything but ready to face him.

“Miss Drew?” said a chilling voice from behind her. The voice that had
haunted her nonstop for the past week.
Nancy whirled around to see a tall, dark-haired boy of about her age. His
eyes were beady, and he was wielding a baseball bat.

She didn’t even have time to scream as the bat came down on her head,
knocking her to the floor, unconscious.

Bess heard her bonds snap, and she pulled her hands apart, massaging
her sore wrists. “Okay, give me the saw.” Joe handed her the saw and
held up his wrists.

Bess began to saw through the bonds. Suddenly, the truck lurched as it
rounded a corner, throwing Bess into Joe. Joe gritted his teeth as the
sharp saw bit into his palm.

Bess righted herself. She gasped as she felt blood on his hand. “Joe!” she
cried. “I am so sorry!”

“It’s okay, Bess. You just keep sawing.” Joe said calmly, ignoring the
burning in his hand. He could tell that the cut was deep by the amount of
blood he felt dripping off his fingers.

Bess tentatively started sawing again, more slowly and gentler this time.
Joe fought back an impatient sigh. She was going to go slowly to avoid
cutting him again. This would take forever.

***

Nancy let out a muffled groan. How her head hurt! She could feel ropes
binding her hands and tape over her mouth. Opening her eyes, she
jerked back as she saw the tall boy leaning over her.
He laughed. “I’m so glad you’re awake. I didn’t mean to hit you that
hard!” His eyes twinkled, not merrily, but shiny and cold.

Nancy ’s stomach twisted. She was convinced of his insanity. Only a

lunatic would club her with a bat and then apologize for hitting her so
hard! Should she try to talk to him? Deciding it was worth a shot, she
nodded her head to indicate that she wanted to say something.

The boy squatted to her level. She realized then that she was lying on her
own living room couch. Grimacing, Nancy thought of what Hannah would
do if her head bled on the white couch.

“If I take off the tape, do you promise not to scream for your boyfriend?”
Nancy ’s eyes widened, but she nodded. Great, she thought. He knows
that Frank’s upstairs. He laughed again as he ripped the tape off roughly.
“Yes, I know that Hardy’s upstairs. As a matter of fact, I just sent
someone up to deal with him.”

Nancy paled visibly. “What did you do to him?” she whispered fearfully.

He shrugged, knowing that leaving her in doubt was the best way to hurt
her. Then he smiled. “Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself.”

“I know who you are.” Nancy said coldly. “You’re Daniel Morgan. Mind if I
call you Dan?” she snapped bitterly.

“Yes, I do.” Daniel replied icily, “And you, Nancy Drew, have no reason to
be bitter. I’m the only one here who has reason to be bitter!” He was
getting angry now, nearly shouting. “I didn’t deserve-” He stopped
suddenly at a noise from upstairs.
Nancy ’s skin crawled at the familiar smack of a hard punch. Her lips
tightened as she heard Frank’s voice cry out, and then a thud. The sound
of a body falling to the floor. Nancy started to tremble from a mixture of
fear and anger.

Daniel was gauging her reaction. He smirked at her and said, “Would you
like to know why?”

“Why what?” Nancy snapped angrily.

“Why I went to all this trouble to find you, torture you, and kill you?”

“I know why.” Nancy said haughtily. “Because I got your mother sent to
jail.”

Daniel laughed harshly. “You don’t know the half of it.” he growled.

Nancy glared at him. “Fine. Explain.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “It’s almost like you forget who’s in charge
here.” His expression changed to rage and he slapped Nancy ’s face. “You
ruined my whole life.”

Nancy ’s cheek stung, but she held back the tears. “Your mother was a
criminal!” she retorted defensively. “She stole from her own husband’s
company!”

Daniel slapped her again. “Don’t even talk about my mother! You ruined
her, my father, and me!”

“Don’t make this my fault!” Nancy said heatedly.

“You want the story?” Daniel spat. “It starts with a fifteen-year-old boy
whose mother embezzled from his father’s company. She got caught by
some hotshot girl detective, and that’s when all of my troubles started!”

He glared at Nancy before he went on. “My father loved my mother, and
he paid the bail to keep her out of prison. But he was so ashamed of her
that he couldn’t stand having her around. He filed for a divorce, and they
were both heartbroken. He went into a deep depression. He couldn’t
stand anything that reminded him of her. He donated our money to
charities because he worried that it was stolen. He wouldn’t even look at
me because I was my mother’s son!”

His voice turned bitter. “The day the divorce was finalized, my father
committed suicide.” His glittering eyes bored into Nancy .

“Oh.” Nancy said, temporarily at a loss for words. “I’m sorry, but that
doesn’t make it my fault.”

“It is your fault!” Daniel roared. “My father left all of his money to
charity, leaving nothing to my mother and me! My mother overdosed on
pills a few weeks later!” His voice quieted. “She’s dead too.”

Nancy was stunned by the anger in his words. She’d had no idea he’d
been through so much.

Daniel turned to her. “I knew what I had to do. I had to avenge my

parents! And who better to punish than the girl who sent this chain of
events into motion?! You!”

“No!” Nancy cried. “All I did was keep an innocent man from being
framed!”

“You ruined my mother! You hurt my father! You killed them both!”
“You’re crazy!”

Daniel grabbed her by the throat, but his voice was calm. “Do you have
any idea how long I’ve been watching you?”

“Two weeks?” Nancy choked out.

Daniel laughed and squeezed her throat, causing spots to swim in front
of her eyes. “Try two years!”

Nancy was dizzy. She couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning; getting
darker and darker…

Daniel released his hold on her throat. She coughed and gasped, feeling
the air rush into her lungs. Her eyes refocused, and the world stopped
spinning. He continued to talk to her calmly. “After watching you for a
while, I took the first part of my revenge. I found the thing that made you
happiest, and I took it away.”

Nancy ’s face reflected confusion. What had he taken away?

Daniel rolled his eyes. “More clues, then? Alright. Think about last
summer. What happened then that made you unhappy?”

Nancy thought, but her brain was still fuzzy from the lack of oxygen.
“Uh…”

Daniel was getting impatient. “Think about a certain Hardy boy.”

“Frank!” Nancy exclaimed. “Wait, Frank?”

Daniel smiled. “He broke up with you, right?”

Nancy still didn’t get it. “Wha- what?”

“Did you think he dumped you because he wanted to?” Daniel mocked.

***

“Alright,” Bess said, “Pull.”

Joe yanked and the rope broke. Thank God. He rubbed his wrists, which
were stinging. The cut on his hand was still sore, but the blood had
finally clotted and it was no longer bleeding. “We have to get out of here.”
he told Bess.

“But how?” Bess wanted to know. “And what about the police?”

Joe rubbed his chin. Trying to get four unconscious officers out of a
moving truck could prove to be a problem. “Let’s try to get the door
open.” he suggested.

He and Bess walked carefully toward the back of the truck. “It opens
from the bottom.” Joe told her.

They bent and tried to lift the metal shutter. “There’s not enough
leverage.” Bess grunted. “We’ll never be able to get it up without a
crowbar or something!”

“You’re right.” Joe admitted. “Hey, wait a minute!” he ran into the front of
the truck and knelt next to Sam. He groped around for Sam’s baton.
Finding it, he made his way back to Bess and extended it. “This close
enough?”

Bess grinned at him. “Let’s do it!” She poked the end into the crack of the
door and pushed. Nothing happened.
“Jump on it.” Joe advised.

Bess did, and the door lifted slightly. Joe grabbed the bottom of the door
and started to pull up, grunting when he put pressure on his injured
hand. “Help me, Bess!”

Bess grabbed the door, too, and pushed it upward with all her strength.
Slowly, the crack grew wider and wider until the door latched into an
open position above their heads. The two teens looked out the back of
the truck, realizing that they were on a deserted dirt road; there were no
other cars to be seen.

“Just great!” Bess exclaimed. “There’s no one here to help- AAH!”

The truck had bounced, throwing Bess off balance. She was going to fall
out of the truck!

***

“He…he didn’t want to break up with me?” Nancy asked in confusion.

“Of course not!” Daniel scoffed. “I sent him anonymous messages

threatening to kill you if he didn’t leave you alone. He knew he couldn’t
keep an eye on you all the time, so he gave up and left. Smart boy, he is.”

Nancy would have jumped him then and there if she hadn’t been tied up.
“That was your fault!?” she yelled.

“Yes.” Daniel said smugly. “Brilliant, wasn’t it?”

***
Joe reacted quickly. With one hand, he grabbed the side of the truck.
With the other, he grabbed Bess’s flailing arm and pulled her back into
the truck.

“Thanks, Joe.” She gasped.

“Anytime!” Joe said. Then he winced. “Sorry for bleeding on you.”

Bess looked at the bloody smear on her elbow. “I’m fine. Let me see your
hand.”

Joe showed her. “It’s fine.”

Bess frowned. The cut was deep; it had reopened and was bleeding
furiously. “I think it needs stitches.” she told him worriedly.

Joe shrugged it off. “Nothing we can do now. Now we have to get off this
truck and help Frank and Nancy!”

Bess nodded. “How are we going to get these guys out of here?” she
asked, nodding at the four unconscious figures.

Joe bit his lip. “We could push them out, and then jump for it.”

Bess shrugged. “What have we got to lose?”

CHAPTER 12

Nancy forced herself to calm down. She needed an escape plan, but she
had nothing, so she decided that her best chance was to keep him talking
until she came up with something. “What about my friends? Bess and
Joe? Sam? Where are they?” she finally asked. Did she want to know?
“Mmm.” Daniel said noncommittally.

“What happened to them?” Nancy asked again, growing pale.

Daniel checked his watch. “They’re probably swimming in Lake Michigan

by now.” he said matter-of-factly.

“No.” Nancy moaned softly. That was criminal talk for saying they were
drowning someone. She felt her stomach turn to ice. Bess and Joe?
Drowned? She tried to breathe deeply, but she felt a tear roll down her
cheek.

“Yes.” Daniel said triumphantly. In one sudden movement, he swooped

down and lapped the salty tear off Nancy ’s face. “I’ve wanted to do that
for so long…” Her tears tasted the same as his…

Her eyes widened as she choked back a gasp. He was crazy! Who knew
what he was going to do? She shuddered as she looked at him. He’d
wanted to taste her tears? She tried to stop crying, but tears streamed
down her face of their own accord. Daniel leaned in again to lick her
tearstreaked face, and she shut her eyes tightly, repulsed.

***

“Now!” Joe shouted. His muscles strained to lower the unconscious bomb
squad technician onto the dirt road below, being careful of the tires. Bess
had him around the waist, keeping him from tumbling from the truck.
Letting go of the man’s body, he heard it hit the ground with a soft thud.
Bess pulled him back up. “He’ll be okay,” Joe said. “Provided no one runs
him over.”

“What kind of monster would run over a human?” Bess asked

rhetorically.
Joe gave her a look. “The kind that would stalk a girl, chloroform her
friends, and take them to an unknown location to dispose of them?”

Bess scowled at him. “Yeah. Okay.”

Joe frowned. “We’re slowing down. Hurry, you next.” They had already
lowered the other officers out onto the road. “Look, when you get out, be
careful to stay down. Hopefully they won’t notice you in the mirror. Go
back to the others and get the others off the road, just in case the truck
goes back to look for them, okay?”

Bess nodded, looking terrified. She didn’t want to jump from a moving
truck!

Joe understood how she was feeling. “Just remember to keep your arms
in, cover your face, avoid the tires, and roll, and you’ll be just fine.”

Bess nodded breathlessly. “Arms in, face covered, no tires, roll. Got it.”

“Go!” Joe said.

Bess did as Joe said, covering her face with her hands, keeping her
elbows in, and jumped far enough out to clear the tires. Joe heard her
grunt as she hit the ground and rolled to the side. She stood up, brushed
herself off, and waved to Joe to jump.

Joe nodded, but before he could jump, the truck hit a bump, knocking
him off-balance. He was thrown backward into the truck. Bess shouted
something, but he couldn’t hear over the roar of the truck. Suddenly, he
heard the shutter on the back of the truck come unlatched and he
watched helplessly as it slammed down, closing out the light and
trapping Joe inside!