Authors: Carolyn Keene

Fatal Ransom (13 page)

BOOK: Fatal Ransom

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“When it didn't even faze you,” Lance went on, “I knew you'd be harder to handle than I'd expected. And when Monica accidentally knocked you down the stairs and even
that
didn't slow you down, I knew I'd met a worthy opponent.”

“You're staying with the story that that was an accident?” Nancy asked.

“It was. Monica has never been in on thisâshe's too stupid. Although I'll admit, that stair business was perfect. And then the stunt with the poker! I couldn't have planned it better myself. She really came through for me, poor little fool.

“My best idea, though,” said Lance, “was the bomb in the car.” He sighed. “That was the supreme sacrifice. I loved that car.”

“Greedy people will do anything,” George said.

Ignoring her, Lance continued. “See, I knew a bomb in the car would look as though someone was after me. And it would also get you out of the wayâpermanently.”

Nancy had heard enough. She stepped closer to Lance.

“Let Bess go,” she said. “This is your last chance to give yourself up.”

“No, Nancy Drew,” Lance said. “In a while I'm going to get on that plane and fly off.” He beamed at her and George. “There's no way anyone can stop me.”

“We'll have you stopped in New York,” said George.

“I don't think so. You don't know what I have planned for you before I leave.”

Now! Nancy thought to herself. She reached down for Bess's hand to pull her out of her chair and away from Lance.

But Lance jerked Bess back into the seat and pulled the pistol from his coat pocket. “Get back!” he ordered, as he went over to stand beside her.

He jabbed the gun into her ribs. “None of you make a sound!” he ordered. “Another trick like that, and your friend is dead.”

Chapter

Seventeen

T
IME HAD RUN
out. If Nancy was ever going to make a move, it had to be right then.

“Don't worry, Bess,” she said soothingly. She stepped forward and reached a hand out to comfort her friend.

Then she looped her foot behind Lance's leg and pulled him off balance.

Seizing the moment, Bess broke free.

George rushed in and gave Lance a karate kick in the hand, which sent his pistol flying up into the air.

Nancy raced after the gun. She swooped it up before Lance managed to regain his balance.

Quickly George slammed Lance again with another karate kick. This time she knocked him totally prone onto the floor.

Nancy positioned herself over Lance as he lay motionless. Holding the gun on him, she said, “Now.
You
don't move.”

Lance grinned up at her. “I wonder why I think you won't really pull that trigger?”

“Don't even bother wondering about it,” George advised.

“Yeah,” Bess chimed in. “She'd pull it in a minute if she had to.”

Nancy smiled back at Lance. “Trust us. We never stop until a case is wrapped up.”

“And it won't be long now,” Bess said. She pointed down the corridor. “Here comes the cavalry.”

Nancy took her eyes off Lance only long enough to see four River Heights policemenâled by Nedârunning up the corridor toward them.

“Oh, no,” Lance whispered.

In a matter of seconds Lance had been handcuffed and yanked to his feet. Nancy kept the gun on him the whole time. Then she turned and handed it to one of the officers. “You may want to hang on to this,” she said.

“Yes, maybe so,” the officer agreed, smiling.

The policeman holding Lance jerked on his
arm. “Come on,” he said. “We've got a nice place waiting for you. Not quite Saint-Tropez, though, I'm afraid.”

“Bess!” Lance said as the officers started to lead him away. “I just want you to know. If things had been differentâwell, it would have been fun knowing you.”

Bess smiled bleakly. “Strange, Lance, but that doesn't make me feel too good.”

Lance turned to Nancy. “You're a good detective. I wish I had killed you though.”

“Well, it doesn't look as though you'll get another chance, does it?” Nancy answered.

The three girls and Ned watched as the police led Lance out of the airport and into a patrol car.

“Well, that's the end of him,” George said. “To tell you the truth, I'm glad this case is over. It was a little too close for me.”

“Yes, and I almost blew the whole thing,” Bess said. “You both could have been killed, and it would have been all my fault! I feel awful. This is the worst job I've ever done.”

“Don't feel bad, Bess,” Nancy said. “We all let our emotions rule our minds from time to time.”

“You don't,” Ned muttered beside her.

Nancy threw him an apologetic look. “We'll talk later,” she whispered. “Anyway, Bess,” she went on matter-of-factly, “it all worked out.

That's what's important. Come on, let's get out of here.”

The four of them walked out of the airport terminal and onto the sidewalk.

“The thing is,” Bess said wistfully, “he seemed like such a nice guy.”

“Nice, maybe, but not too smart,” George said.

“I know,” Nancy agreed. “How did he think he was going to get through airport security with that gun?”

“Oh, he had that all worked out,” Bess said. “He told me about it on the way to the airport. I guess he was just so sure he had the perfect plan that he just had to tell somebody.”

“Well, tell
us,”
said George. “How'd he plan to beat the security checks?”

“It wasn't that brilliant, actually. He was just going to ditch the gun before he went through the metal detector,” Bess said.

The four friends were outside then, and the morning sun was well up in the sky. It suddenly occurred to Nancy that she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

“Hey, let's celebrate the closing of this case with some waffles for breakfast,” Nancy said. “I've really worked up an appetite.”

“Sounds great to me,” George agreed.

Bess frowned and turned away. “I don't know,” she said softly. “I really don't deserve
to be a part of this celebration. Why don't you go on without me?”

Nancy, Ned, and George looked at one another in concern. Nancy was sure they were all thinking the same thing: if Bess was turning down food, she must be even more upset than she sounded.

“We're certainly
not
going on without you,” Nancy said.

“You're being crazy,” George agreed, poking Bess in the arm. “We've humored you all we're going to. Besides, you know you love waffles. If you're going to pass up those warm, buttery goodies that melt in your mouth, you deserve to be left alone.” She grabbed Bess by the shirtsleeve. “Now come on.”

A broad grin spread across Bess's face. “Wellâ” she said. “Maybe just one.” She thought for a second. “And some bacon. And maybe some orange juice. Oh, and of course, a cup of coffee.”

They were all grinning by then. They decided to let the police pick up the motorcycle, and they all climbed into Bess's car.

“We're going to eat those waffles. But tomorrow we're going to have to go on a diet,” Nancy said, looking at Bess and trying to hold in her giggles. “We really need to lose about five pounds.”

“How did you know?” Bess asked innocently.

They were all laughing hysterically as they drove off.

â¢Â â¢Â â¢

Breakfast was over. Bess had dropped Nancy and Ned off at Nancy's house, and they were sitting on the front porch togetherâthe same porch where they'd spent a happy time together just a few weeks before.

Now, though, Nancy wasn't feeling nearly so happy. Ned had seemed quiet at the restaurant, and she wasn't quite sure what to say about the past few days.

It was Ned who finally broke the silence. “So,” he said, “what's going to happen to Hal?”

Nancy sighed. “I don't know. He's really had a pretty rough time. I'm not saying he handled things the right way, but I realize now that it's not all his fault. It must have been awful having a guardian like Lance.

“Anyway,” she went on, “I'll call my father tonight and tell him all about this. I think Hal's going to need a lawyerâespecially now that he doesn't have a guardian anymore. Maybe my dad can take the case.”

“And speaking of calling peopleâ” Ned began.

Nancy looked down. “Oh, Ned, I've been feeling so terrible! I didn't want to tell you about thisâand I didn't want to keep it a secretâand I guess I just made a mess of everything.”

“Why didn't you want to tell me about the case?” Ned asked, his voice carefully neutral.

“I told myself it was because you had to write your paper. But, Ned, it was really because I didn't want another big discussion about my job.”

“That's what Bess thought. She filled me in on everything while we waited outside that apartment. And I have to admit that at first I was pretty mad that you'd kept this a secret.”

“I was afraid of that,” Nancy said softly. “But I was also afraid you'd want me to drop the case.”

“Well, I might have,” Ned answered. “But when I got to the airport and saw you standing over Lance with that gun, I realized you can handle pretty much anything that comes your way. I decided it would have been awfully patronizing of me to tell you to stay away from the dangerous cases.

“And you know what?” he said, taking her hand in his. “I think that we should both stop worrying about what I think of your job and just let you do it. Let's try anyway.”

“Oh, Ned!” Nancy felt light-headed with
relief. She threw her arms around his neck. “That would be great,” she said. “And you know what? I think that right now we should both stop talking about my job. Remember how I said we'd have to come up with a way to celebrate the end of your paper over the phone? Well, there are probably a lot more ways to do it in person, wouldn't you say?”

Ned smiled and kissed her gently. “I can think of a few,” he said.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.