Flirting with Danger (2 page)

Josh gripped his mother's trembling hands in an effort to calm her. “Ned and Nancy are right, Mom. You and Dad should go home. We'll try to find Rachel and catch a ride later.”

Allen Kline wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. “Josh is right, honey. If Rachel is having a problem, she'll probably try to call us. We're not doing any good here.” He turned to Josh, Nancy, and Ned. “We'll be waiting to hear from you,” he said, and he led his wife out to the parking lot.

The applause from inside the auditorium
told Nancy the graduation ceremony was about to conclude. In another few minutes the hallway and gymnasium would be crowded with people, and that would make searching for Rachel even harder.

“Let's fan out and check inside the building again,” she suggested. “If we don't find her, we'll search the grounds, too.”

Ned glanced down at his watch. “Let's meet in the parking lot in half an hour and compare notes.”

Nancy nodded thoughtfully. “I'd like to talk to some of Rachel's friends, find out when they last saw her. Do you know any of them?”

“There's Beth Hanford,” Josh answered. “She's Rachel's best friend, so she'd know everybody they hang out with.”

“Is there a special guy? I heard Rachel talking to someone this morning—I think his name was Dennis.” If she could find Dennis, he might know where Rachel was.

Josh shrugged. “I don't think I've heard Rachel mention him, but Beth would know.”

“Good—” Nancy began.

The wave of laughing graduates coming through the swinging doors of the auditorium interrupted Nancy. Soon parents and other well-wishers were crowded around them, taking
pictures and offering hugs and congratulations.

“We'd better start looking for her,” Ned said, nudging Josh.

“Right,” his friend said. While the boys went in opposite directions to look for Rachel, Nancy approached one of the graduates and smiled.

“Excuse me,” she said to the girl, who was adjusting the tassel on her cap, “but could you tell me where to find Beth Hanford?”

“Sure,” the graduate replied, looking around. “That's her over there. The one with the dark hair and big hoop earrings.”

Nancy spotted Beth standing between two happy people who were probably her parents. She made her way over through the milling, delighted crowd.

“Beth?” she said, smiling and holding out one hand. “My name is Nancy Drew, and I'm visiting with the Klines. I was wondering if you've seen Rachel today.”

Beth's bright smile faded, and she shook Nancy's hand distractedly. “No,” she answered slowly. “I thought it was weird that she didn't show up when they called her name.”

“Did you speak to her at all today?” Nancy asked.

Beth's pretty face had virtually drained of color. “No. What's wrong? Has something happened?”

Mr. Hanford spoke up then. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“I don't think so. Rachel seems to be missing, but her brother and my friend are looking for her.”

“I hope she's okay,” Mrs. Hanford said. “I'm sure her mom and dad are really worried.”

Before Nancy could answer, Beth broke in. “I'd like to stay here and help look for Rachel,” she said to her parents. “Would that be okay? I mean, is it all right if we celebrate later? I'd feel awful if I didn't try to find her.”

Mrs. Hanford smiled gently. “Of course, dear. Your dad and I will be at home. Let us know if we can help.”

“Thanks,” Beth said to her parents. Then she turned to Nancy, pulling off her graduation cap. “The first thing I want to do is get out of this gown,” she said. “It's really hot.”

Nancy followed Beth into a room where special clothing racks had been set up and helped her out of the gown. Underneath it she was wearing a bright yellow dress with a high collar.

“Beth, do you think Rachel could have run away?” Nancy asked.

Beth appeared to be troubled for a moment. She started to say something, then stopped herself. Finally she murmured, “No. Rachel wouldn't run away.”

“You're sure?” Nancy prodded. Was the girl covering for her friend? Beth seemed as if she might be holding something back.

She shook her head resolutely. “I'm sure. Running away is dumb, and Rachel knows that. Besides, things are good for her at home.” She stared off for a moment, then met Nancy's eyes again. “I'm ready. Let's go.”

Nancy led Beth back into the crowd of graduates milling around in the gymnasium by a table spread with sandwiches and sodas. “Does Rachel know anybody named Dennis?” she asked as the girls scanned the group for any sign of Rachel. “I heard her talking to him this morning, and she sounded pretty upset.”

Beth's face paled visibly. “Dennis,” she said to herself in a whisper. When she saw Nancy looking at her, though, Beth recovered quickly. “He's just a guy she hangs out with sometimes. No big deal.”

“Did he go to school here at Ocean Highlands, too?” Nancy asked, being careful to
keep her voice light. She didn't want Beth to get defensive. The girl seemed reluctant enough as it was.

“No,” Beth answered as she and Nancy approached a group of kids. “I mean, yes, but he's older. He graduated last year.”

“I see,” Nancy replied, still trying to put Beth at ease. “Are he and Rachel serious about each other?”

Beth's eyes came quickly back to Nancy's face and widened. “You mean, are they in love?”

Nancy nodded, waiting.

Beth's expression was troubled. “They've been dating for a while, but I don't think they'd elope or anything like that. Rachel's parents would have a fit.”

Nancy knew Beth was right. Even if she was in trouble, Rachel didn't seem like the type to just run off and worry her parents unnecessarily. If she had wanted to go off with Dennis, and her parents didn't approve of him, she might not have told them, though. Dennis seemed like the logical link to Rachel's disappearance.

“Did you see Dennis around this morning?” she asked.

Beth shook her head. There was still a scared expression in her eyes. Nancy found herself wondering again what the girl was hiding.

She was about to ask Beth another question when a good-looking guy with wavy brown hair and blue eyes came up to them. He was still dressed in his cap and gown.

“Have you seen Rachel?” he demanded angrily before Beth could say anything.

“No. I was hoping you had,” Beth said. “Mike, this is Nancy Drew, a friend of the Klines. Nancy, Mike Rasmussen.”

“Hi, Mike,” Nancy said.

Nancy saw Mike's eyes take in her turquoise sundress. “Hi,” he replied with new interest.

Beth was tapping her foot. “Never mind the flirting, okay, Mike? Nancy and I need to find Rachel. We're really worried about her, and her parents probably are, too. Haven't you seen her at all?”

Mike frowned. “She was here earlier. I saw her when I came to pick up my cap and gown.”

“Was she alone?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah,” Mike answered. His tone told Nancy he thought it was a stupid question.

“Did she seem to be worried about anything?” Nancy asked, choosing to ignore his attitude.

Mike thought for a moment. “Well, she was a little rushed. Now that I think about it, she didn't take her cap and gown at all. She just hung around for a few minutes, then left.”

Nancy glanced at her watch. “I've got to meet Josh and Ned in the parking lot,” she told Beth. “Maybe they've had better luck than we have.”

“I hope so,” Beth said, almost in a whisper. “I really hope so.”

She and Nancy made their way through the diminishing crowd to the front doors of the high school. It was a big school, clean, well designed, and well built, and Nancy paused for a moment to admire the view of the ocean. She and Beth started toward the parking lot. There were still a lot of cars around, but she didn't spot Ned or Josh.

“Have you and Rachel been best friends for a long time?” Nancy asked.

“Since first grade,” Beth confirmed. She stared down at the pavement for a few seconds. “She tells me everything—or I thought she did. You'd think she'd have mentioned it if she planned to skip graduation.”

Nancy shaded her eyes from the bright afternoon sunshine and scanned the parking lot for Ned and Josh. Wherever they were, she hoped Rachel was with them, safe and sound. “Maybe something came up,” she said. “Are you absolutely sure Rachel wasn't in any kind of trouble?”

Beth hesitated for a long time before answering. “Yes,” she said finally. “I'm sure.”

“Nancy!” a familiar masculine voice called. “Over here!”

Nancy spotted Ned calling to her. “Come on! I think we've found something,” he shouted.

She and Beth sprinted toward the two boys, who were standing beside a silver Camaro in the far corner of the parking lot.

“It's Rachel's car,” Ned explained when they caught up.

“There's no way she would have left her car behind,” Josh stated. “It's practically like her baby.”

Nancy didn't know what Josh had expected to find in the car. Was he hoping that Rachel would be sitting inside, waiting? Nancy knew Rachel's brother had been disappointed, though. It was empty.

Josh looked first at Ned, then at Nancy, his handsome face full of strain. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“What's that?” Nancy asked, studying his face.

“That my sister's been kidnapped!”

K
IDNAPPING ISN
'
T
the only possibility, Josh,” Nancy said gently, noticing that the keys were still in the ignition. She tried to catch Beth's eye. It appeared more and more likely that Rachel's friend was wrong about the girl not being in some kind of trouble. Rachel must have been in a big hurry if she'd left the keys in the car.

“Let's go back to your place and find out if your parents have heard anything,” Ned said, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. “Maybe Rachel's there, and we're all standing around worrying for nothing.”

Josh checked out the silver Camaro again. “She's even left the keys in the ignition,” he pointed out with a frown. “I don't like the look of this at all.”

“Ned, why don't you and Josh take Rachel's car back to the house? Beth, can you drop me off?” The girl nodded. Nancy wanted another chance to try to find out what Beth wasn't telling her.

Josh nodded distractedly as he and Ned climbed into the Camaro. Beth led the way to a yellow Volkswagen.

Once they were in the car, Beth gave a little sigh and reached up to drape the tassel from her graduation cap over the rearview mirror. “This day isn't turning out at all like I thought it would,” she said.

“No, I guess it isn't,” Nancy said, feeling sorry for the girl. “Are you sure you've told me everything?” she ventured.

Beth swallowed hard. “I'm sure.” Her expression told Nancy that she wasn't going to say anything more. Beth started the car.

“Everything will be okay” was all Nancy could say. She just hoped she was right.

When Nancy and Beth pulled into the Klines' driveway, Ned was waiting for them. Josh had probably gone inside to be with his parents.

“Is she here?” Beth asked eagerly.

Ned shook his head. “No. And the Klines were really upset when they found out Rachel had left her car.”

Ned and Nancy and Beth found Josh watching his father talk on the telephone when they went inside. Mr. Kline was on the phone with the police, trying to file a missing persons report.

Nancy glanced at Ned. They both knew from experience that the police wouldn't be able to do a thing for twenty-four hours. Until that much time had passed, a person wasn't considered legally missing.

“I'm telling you, her car was found in the school parking lot!” Mr. Kline yelled into the receiver. “The keys were in the ignition! Now, that indicates that there is at least a possibility that our daughter has been kidnapped!”

“Where's your mother?” Nancy asked Josh in a quiet voice.

“Upstairs, in Rachel's room,” Josh said. “She's pretty shook up.”

Nancy excused herself and went upstairs with Beth close behind.

Karen Kline was sitting on Rachel's bed, crying softly. She looked up hopefully at the noise, but when she saw it was Nancy and Beth her face fell.

Beth sat down on the bed beside Karen Kline and said, “Please don't cry, Mrs. Kline. Rachel's probably going to come walking through the front door at any minute, with a perfectly good explanation.”

“Has Rachel ever run away before?” Nancy asked, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible.

Karen Kline looked shocked. “Oh, no!” she said quickly. “We've never had any trouble with Rachel at all.” Her face became pale again. “I'm so afraid she's been kidnapped,” she said, as though she was afraid even to speak the words. “Allen and I aren't rich, even though we live very well. All our money is tied up in the house. Someone must have gotten the idea that we could pay a king's ransom—”