Sinister Paradise

  Nancy nodded vigorously.

  Ned’s hand closed around her wrist. “Nancy . . .”

  She turned to face him. “I have to do this, Ned.”

  “I know.” Ned’s lips brushed her forehead. “Lisa’s out there, and she desperately needs help. Still—” All at once, he crushed Nancy to him. “I love you. Always have. Always will. Come back to me.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Minutes later Nancy stood at the marina entrance, watching the traffic roll down the boulevard. Every sound seemed unnaturally loud. The rustle of palm fronds. The chop-slosh of waves against the beach.

  Got to keep alert, Nancy thought. They’ll try to grab me soon. This is the perfect time to do it—when I’m all alone.

  Long, tense minutes passed. Then a beige Lincoln took the corner into the parking lot. Nancy caught a glimpse of the driver, a broad-shouldered man in a chauffeur’s cap.

  He rolled down the passenger window. “Ms. Drew, I’m Ramon Montanaro, Ms. Sorenson’s driver. Hop in.”

  As Nancy opened the rear door, she noticed a pair of nylon-clad legs. Amy Sorenson’s navy blue linen suit made her nearly invisible in the gloom of the back seat.

  As she sat down, Nancy smoothed the back of her skirt. Her fingertips brushed the minirecorder, switching it on.

  The driver did a three-point turn, pumped the gas pedal, and sent the limo speeding back onto the boulevard.

  All smiles, Amy remarked, “Mind if I have a look at that bond? I can tell right off if it belonged to Diana.”

  After taking it out of her shoulder bag, Nancy handed it over. Eyes agleam, Amy studied the document, then flipped it over. Astonishment washed over her face. “What is this? There’s no message on this thing!”

  Beep-beep-beep-beep! Amy froze at the harsh sound. Nancy looked down at the woman’s leather purse. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

  Amy’s mouth tightened. She said nothing.

  “This reminds me of last night at Mr. Jarman’s,” Nancy observed. “You didn’t want me to see your beeper then, either. Go ahead and answer it, Ms. Sorenson. I already know it’s a Higashi.”

  Amy clutched the purse to her chest.

  “The beeper’s listed on the shipping manifest—the one you hid inside that bearer bond,” Nancy added. “There’s no need to pretend anymore. You’re the Malihini Corporation.”

  With an ironic sigh, Amy reached into her purse, withdrew the beeper, and flicked it off. “I’ll bet it’s Ross. I knew he’d panic when he found his limo missing. I told him I was on my way to the Faulkner estate.”

  Nancy frowned. “It’s all over, Ms. Sorenson. Tell me where Lisa is.”

  “Indulge my curiosity first.” Amy tossed her hair insolently. “How did you know it was me?”

  “The pieces were all there,” Nancy explained. “It was just a matter of putting them all together. You’re Diana’s financial advisor. You knew she rarely went into the vault, so you kept all your Malihini stuff in her safety deposit box. Then Lisa cleaned it out. You panicked. Using your Malihini Corporation front, you hired Wally Cerrado to find her.” She took a quick breath. “After reading those documents, Lisa realized that you were the brains behind the Malihini Corporation. She came to you and offered to sell the documents.”

  Amy said nothing.

  “You arranged for Lisa to stay at the Ka Lae. Then you heard that Mrs. Faulkner had hired me. So you set up that booby-trapped car scheme,” Nancy continued. “When that failed, you sent Wally after me. But that’s where you made your big mistake, Ms. Sorenson.”

  Confused, Amy stared at her.

  “When I got to Honolulu, I had to sign for the car at Sunrise Rentals. I listed everyone in my party—myself, Ned Nickerson, Bess Marvin, and George Fayne. Sunrise sent a copy of that to the Malihini Corporation. When you read the names, you, quite naturally, thought George was a guy. Later, you passed on that bit of misinformation to Wally Cerrado when you sent him to spy on me. Wally was pretty surprised when I introduced him to George.” She glanced sharply at the woman. “But not as surprised as you were! I wondered why you reacted that way at Mrs. Faulkner’s. You were really shocked to find out that George Fayne is a girl,” Nancy added. “After that, it was a process of elimination. The Malihini Corporation had to be either you, Ross, or Mitsuo. I knew it couldn’t have been Ross or Mitsuo. They had met George the day we visited the bank. That left you.”

  “Very astute, Nancy.” Amy’s face seemed hewn from ice. “Now what?”

  Nancy looked her in the eye. “Just tell me where Lisa is.”

  “Not a chance!”

  “Have it your way, then.” Nancy tapped the chauffeur’s shoulder. “Forget the bank, Ramon. Take us back to the marina. There’re a couple of detectives there who’d like to talk to Ms. Sorenson.

  Thump! The rear doors locked automatically. Nancy grabbed the door lever. It wouldn’t budge!

  “His name is Lew, and he works for me,” Amy said, flashing a wicked smile. She took a small automatic pistol from the driver and leveled it at Nancy. “So you want to find Lisa, eh? I think we can arrange that.”

  The driver gave a sinister chuckle. He steered the limo down the off-ramp, heading for the airport.

  Ten minutes later the car pulled up at a ramshackle hangar. Unfazed by the takeoff roar of the jetliners, Amy and Lew marched Nancy into the building. Turning on the light, Amy called, “Company for you, Lisa!”

  Footsteps sounded behind Nancy. Turning, she saw a brown-haired woman in boat clothes and a teenage girl with brownish blond hair and striking blue eyes. Lisa Trumbull looked quite a bit different from her photos—rumpled, tired, and very, very frightened.

  Amy smiled wickedly. “Has she been behaving herself, Marilee?”

  “She knows better than to give me any problems,” answered the other woman.

  Lew locked the outside door. Nancy’s gaze circled the room at lightning speed. Secondhand furniture. Heavy-duty wire barred both windows. No way out!

  “Why don’t you girls get acquainted?” Amy suggested mockingly. “I’ll be back.” Her two henchmen followed at her heels.

  Lisa Trumbull eyed Nancy timidly. “Who are you?”

  “Nancy Drew. I’m a friend. Are you all right, Lisa?”

  “How—how do you know my name?”

  “I’m a detective. Your grandmother hired me to find you.”

  Lisa’s chin lifted warily. “How do I know you’re not working for her?,’

  “You don’t. You’ll just have to take my word for it.” Nancy drew the wire over her head, then wrapped it around the plastic case. She grinned at Lisa. “This is a miniature tape recorder, property of the Honolulu police. Now I’ve got to trust you. If you still think I’m Amy’s spy, tell her about it. She doesn’t know I was wearing it. Do you want to take that chance?”

  Shaking her head, Lisa whispered, “No! I trust you.”

  “Good!” Nancy looked around desperately. “Where can I hide this thing?”

  Lisa lifted the cushion of the beat-up sofa. “Here! Nobody will—”

  Nancy heard the sound of high heels approaching. Hurriedly she tucked the minirecorder under the cushion, then smoothed it with her palms.

  Amy strolled into the room. Aiming her pistol at them, she snapped, “On your feet, you two!” She glanced at Marilee. “Search and handcuff them.”

  The woman pinioned Lisa’s arms behind her back, then snapped on a pair of shiny handcuffs. Marilee’s hands drifted down Nancy’s back. “She’s clean!” Nancy shivered. Close call! If she’d still been wearing the minirecorder . . .

  Amy gave the pistol to her henchman. “You know what to do with them, Lew.”

  Lisa spat, “You won’t get away with this, Amy Sorenson!”

  “I’ve already gotten away with it!” Amy flashed a tigerish smile. “You two are just loose ends that need tying up, that’s all.”

  Marilee unlocked and opened the door. Lew shoved Nancy rudely. “Step lively there, Drew!?
?? he muttered. “You’re going sight-seeing—courtesy of the Malihini Corporation.”

  At that moment, an ominous noise overshadowed the background hubbub of the airport—the sound of a helicopter’s rotor blades. A Huey helicopter touched down, and the side hatch slid open.

  As Nancy climbed aboard, Lisa cried out, “Watch out for the doughnut ring!”

  Quickly Nancy stepped over the thick circular cable on the floor. Then Lisa climbed aboard, followed by Marilee. The pilot turned in his seat, saw the girls, and frowned in bewilderment. “Hey! What is this? The boss told me cargo, not passengers!”

  Lew put his pistol to the pilot’s head. “Want to be a dead hero?”

  Gasping, shuddering, the pilot shook his head.

  “Smart guy.” Keeping the gun on him, Lew climbed into the cockpit and buckled himself into the copilot’s seat. “Get us airborne—fast!”

  “I have to tell the tower our destination.” The pilot flicked overhead switches. Turbines whined. The cabin began to shake.

  “The Big Island.” Lew pulled his seat belt tight. “I’ll give you more details when we get there.”

  With a roar of power the Huey lifted off, rising slowly into the night sky. Nancy’s ears popped. Peering out the side window, she watched the lights of Honolulu fall away. She knew the police hadn’t had time to get to them. Amy had had them whisked away so quickly.

  Sobbing, Lisa shook her head. “I—I’ve made such a mess of things. . . .”

  Nancy tried to cheer her up. “You kept me from getting hurt a moment ago. How’d you know that ring was there?”

  “This is an old army chopper. They used them in Vietnam. Soldiers used to clip their rappel ropes onto that ring and then slide down to the ground.” Tears trickled down Lisa’s face. “Nancy, I—I’m sorry . . .”

  “Don’t be.” Nancy gave her a sympathetic look. “You didn’t invent the Malihini Corporation. Amy did! She used you, Lisa.”

  “I realize that now.” Lisa’s voice was taut with anger and remorse. “I—I never meant any harm. Honest!”

  “You can’t give up hope, Lisa,” Nancy said softly. “We’ll get out of this, you’ll see. I’m not the only one looking for you. My friends, your grandmother, your mother—”

  “My mother?” Lisa echoed.

  “You bet. Your mother loves you very much. You know what she told me? She said she’d burn one of her paintings if that’s what it took to bring you home.”

  “My mother said that?” Lisa replied incredulously.

  Nancy encouraged the girl to talk about herself. She knew that would keep Lisa from getting panicky. While she listened, Nancy’s agile fingers explored the wall behind her, seeking an object she could use as a makeshift lock pick. In a few minutes her thumb discovered a loose electrical brace—a tiny metallic pin used to hold the wiring in place.

  Wiggling the pin into the handcuffs’ keyhole, Nancy began working at it painstakingly. Easy does it! She closed her eyes. Any lock can be beaten, she told herself. All it takes is patience.

  Over an hour passed. Marilee was no longer watching them. She slumped in her seat, sighing and dozing. Nancy managed to wheedle her pin past a tumbler in the handcuff lock.

  All at once, a new sound intruded on the helicopter’s droning—a low-throated rumble, like the thunder of a distant storm. The noise grew steadily louder. Curious, Nancy glanced out the side window.

  Moonlit hills rolled away beneath the chopper’s skids. Ahead, flashes of scarlet lit up the horizon. Then the rumble transformed itself into the earsplitting sound of gas explosions.

  Nancy stared down in horrified fascination. Fiery sparks circled a cone-shaped peak. Plumes of red-hot lava shot into the night sky, and billowing clouds of steam drifted toward them.

  “Kilauea . . . the volcano!” Lisa cried.

  Lew left the copilot’s seat. “Bring her right over it,” he ordered. “Then hold her steady.”

  With a flick of his wrist, he disengaged the safety lock and pulled the hatch open. Stinking vapor flooded the cabin. “Come over here, Drew.” He flashed Nancy a grin of sheer evil. “I want you to get a real good look at Kilauea!”

  Nancy fought down a surge of terror as she felt the lock’s second tumbler give way. Her heart began to pound. One more tumbler to go!

  Suddenly the helicopter swayed from side to side. Yelling, Lew grabbed a static line with his free hand. Its snap-link went flopping out the hatch. Aiming his pistol at the pilot, he snapped, “I told you to keep it steady!”

  “I can’t!” The pilot held the control column with both hands. “Too much steam! The updrafts are too strong!”

  Lew turned his gun toward Nancy. “Let’s get it over with.”

  Nancy took a careful step forward. The pin began to slide in her sweaty grip. She felt faint. If she lost it now . . . !

  Taking a deep breath, Nancy gave it one last solid push.

  Click! She felt the handcuffs loosen on her wrists. Her right hand wriggled free.

  Lew made a grab for her. “Come on, Drew! Don’t take all night!”

  Nancy let his hand close around her collar. Then, cocking her fist, she stumbled against him and planted a hammer-blow on his thigh.

  Roaring, Lew collapsed on top of her.

  Nancy chopped his Adam’s apple. Lew gasped, tackled Nancy, and threw her to the floor. Nancy’s knee bashed his stomach. Lew rolled away, his breath exploding out of him. His pistol swung toward Nancy. She threw herself on his arm, grabbed his wrist, slammed it repeatedly against the bench. His trigger finger tightened—

  Blam! A bullet smashed the window beside Lisa.

  Blam! A crater appeared on the back of the pilot’s seat. His hands flew upward. “Aaaaaaaaagh!” he screamed.

  In desperation, Nancy lashed out with a straight-legged kick. Her heel clobbered Lew’s jaw, and he bellowed with rage. He rolled toward her, bringing his fist around in a vicious left hook. The punch caught Nancy on the chin. Next thing she knew, she was spread-eagled on the floor.

  The pilot stood shakily, arching his back in agony. A bright red stain blossomed on his coveralls.

  Still stunned, Nancy watched helplessly as Lew staggered to his feet. With a snarl of rage, he lifted his pistol high. He was about to crush Nancy’s skull with a single blow!

  That same second the wounded pilot slumped over the controls. The Huey’s nose dipped suddenly. The floor tilted crazily to the right.

  The momentum of Lew’s upward swing threw him off-balance. He backpedaled awkwardly, like a cartoon character, heading for the open hatch.

  Nancy saw him framed in the hatchway for a split second. Then he was gone. His shrill death scream faded into the rumble of the volcano.

  The chopper floor continued to tilt. Nancy realized that she, too, was sliding down the incline. The open hatch rushed to greet her.

  The doughnut ring! she thought frantically.

  Nancy lunged at the steel cable. She missed it.

  With a wild yell, Nancy felt herself hurtling into space. The cabin’s rim rode up her legs, over her stomach—all the way to her armpits. Lisa’s terrified scream echoed in her ears.

  Then Nancy was falling through thin air—right toward the volcano!

  Chapter

  Seventeen

  NANCY HAD A sudden horrifying glimpse of Kilauea’s fiery vent. Geysers of lava blossomed out of the crater.

  All at once, the helicopter’s skid swung into view. Nancy’s clawing hand grabbed it. She dangled there for an impossibly long moment—buffeted by blasts of steam, watching the dark sky and the erupting volcano change places with each other. Then she doubled her grip.

  Without a pilot, the Huey began to fly round and round in crazy circles. Nancy felt as if she were on a nightmarish merry-go-round. No way out this time! she thought, gritting her teeth against the blasts of steam. If the volcano doesn’t kill me, the helicopter crash will!

  She thought of Lisa, handcuffed and helpless—

  Lisa! Lisa was a pi
lot! She could fly the helicopter and save them!

  All Nancy had to do was get back inside.

  But each turn of the chopper sent her swinging off to the side like a circus trapeze artist. Get back in? It was all she could do to hold on!

  Just then something tapped her wrist. Looking up, Nancy saw a line dancing back and forth.

  Nancy rode out the next freewheeling swing. Then, as her body slowed, she hooked her leg over the skid. Acrid smoke smothered the helicopter, and she felt faint. Her drenched hands began to slip. Uttering a breathless gasp, she shimmied down the skid and caught the line as it whipped past.

  Nancy tugged on the line to make sure it was secure just as a glowing piece of jellied lava, as big as a basketball, splattered the chopper’s belly. Nancy grabbed the line with both hands, her body spinning round and round like a yo-yo at the end of its string.

  Wheezing and coughing, Nancy pulled herself toward the hatchway. Her grasping hands inched their way up the thick rope.

  Now she’d climbed up past the skid. Her foot lashed out and caught it. That provided some support. Her head peeped over the rim of the hatch. Where was that doughnut ring? As she lunged into the cabin, her right hand closed around it. Thank you, U.S. Army! she thought.

  “Nancy!” Lisa shrieked, bracing herself against the cabin wall. “The pilot’s unconscious! Get me loose! I can fly this thing!”

  The bucking helicopter was about to shake Nancy loose again. Summoning her last reserves of strength, she tightened her grip on the ring and pulled herself all the way into the chopper.

  A jet of boiling lava sailed past the open hatch. Rising to her knees, Nancy slammed it shut. Then she crawled over to Marilee’s jump seat.

  Marilee was screaming hysterically. Nancy shook the woman’s shoulders. “The key! Give me the key!”

  “My necklace . . .” Marilee wailed.

  The key dangled at the end of a tiny chain. Ripping it loose, Nancy stumbled across the seesawing cabin toward Lisa.

  Lisa’s handcuffs clanged as they struck the floor. On hands and knees, she and Nancy scrambled into the cockpit.