“Nice job,” Tsu said.
Nancy smiled, feeling her heart rate drop back to almost normal. “Thanks.”
Nancy watched while the rest of the group practiced falling. Eladio had a hard time because he was too worried about his new parka.
“I hope he doesn’t fall on the trip,” Ned whispered to Nancy.
Lisa obviously knows what she’s doing, Nancy thought as she watched the young woman take a fourth practice fall. She was always able to get her ice ax into the snow quickly, but she sounded frantic as she shouted, “Falling.”
“Looking good,” Kara congratulated the group after about an hour and a half of hard practice. “Now we’re going to climb up to that ledge so that we can show you some rescue procedures.”
“Rescue?” Eladio asked, sounding nervous.
“It’s just routine,” Tsu assured him; “We take every precaution on the mountain. But if anything were to happen, we want everyone to be prepared.”
After several minutes of relatively easy climbing, the group reached the ledge. “The first thing we’re going to do is a mock crevasse rescue. A crevasse is a giant crack in a glacier—sometimes they’re hundreds of feet deep,” Tsu explained. “We’ll pretend that this ledge is a crevasse and that someone has fallen in,” she finished.
Nancy carefully leaned over the edge and saw that the drop from the ledge was about a hundred feet, but it wasn’t a ninety-degree drop.
“I’ll play the victim,” Kara announced. “And everyone else, watch carefully.”
“Actually, why don’t-I do it? I’d like the practice,” Tsu responded. “You can work with the group, Kara.”
Kara nodded as Tsu began to pound a three-foot stake into the ice. “This is a picket anchor,” Tsu explained as she worked. “It’s one of the few pieces of equipment that can really anchor a person to a slope.”
Once the anchor was pounded into the ice, Tsu tied the rope around it, then stepped into a special climbing harness and tied the other end of the rope into the harness. She began to ease herself down the steep slope.
“Now, if Tsu had actually fallen, everyone on her rope would immediately go into a spread-eagle arrest,” Kara told the group. “That’s important, because your combined weight will keep her from falling too far. Once Tsu is safe, the person at the back of the—”
A sudden scream stopped Kara short. Nancy leaned over the edge of the ledge and watched in horror as Tsu careened down the slope!
Chapter
Eight
NANCY SAW THAT THE rope that had safely anchored Tsu to the ledge had snapped in two, and one end dangled lazily across the ice. As Tsu tumbled downward, she tried to get into a spread-eagle position to do an arrest, but she was falling so fast it was impossible.
After about ten awful seconds, Tsu spread her arms and legs and dug her crampons and ice ax into the snow.
“Are you all right?” Kara called down.
“I think so,” Tsu replied shakily. She clung to the icy mountainside with her ice ax and crampons. The slope was too steep for her to ease her way to the bottom. Tsu needed help.
Kara took control of the situation. “Okay,” she said. “We need to get down to Tsu as quickly, and as safely, as we can.”
“Kara,” Anne interjected, “let me rappel down to her? I could then help her to the bottom. That way you and the others can climb down the way you came up. It will be safer for everyone.”
Kara thought for a second, then smiled gratefully. “You wouldn’t mind?” she asked.
“Of course not,” Anne answered.
Nancy realized that Anne’s concern for Tsu was genuine—she was willing to take a risk to help Tsu so that Kara could stay with the group.
Within minutes Anne was standing at the edge of the ledge. She pulled on the rope to make sure it was still securely tied to the anchor. Then she fed it through a piece of metal equipment called a figure eight. The friction from the tight fit would keep Anne from descending too fast. Finally she put on a harness and looped the rope through it, tying it tightly.
Lightly holding the section of rope that was closest to the anchor, Anne let the rope slide through her glove. At the same time, she dug her crampons into the ice and “walked” backward down the mountain. She held her right hand at her side and fed the long section of rope through the figure eight, using both the tension of the rope on the figure eight and the anchor for support.
Before long she reached Tsu. Tying Tsu’s broken rope into her own harness, Anne helped her to the bottom of the slope.
With Tsu safely off the ice, Kara untied the rope from the anchor, then pulled the anchor out of the ice. The group then carefully walked back down the other side of the ledge.
“Are you all right?” Nancy asked Tsu when they got to her.
“I’m fine,” she answered, wincing. “But I don’t think my shoulder is doing so well.”
Nancy took her gloves off and ran her fingers lightly along Tsu’s shoulder. “It feels like it might be dislocated,” she said. “We’ll have to get you to the hospital right away.”
Leaning over, Nancy looked at the frayed rope that had caused Tsu’s accident. “Did you notice anything wrong with this rope before the climb?” she asked.
“No,” Tsu answered. “All of the gear was fine when I checked it last night.”
This looks like another case of sabotage aimed at Kara, Nancy thought, remembering that Kara was to play the victim.
Since all of the necessary climbing skills had been covered, Kara and Alex called it a day for snow school.
• • •
Tsu went to the emergency room and Anne offered to stay with her.
When the rest of the group finally returned to Alpine Adventures, it was nearly dinnertime. Nancy and Ned had just enough time to shower and change before the pre-trip dinner at the Loading Dock, a family-style restaurant in town.
“Do you think you could give me a ride back to the hotel?” Lisa asked Nancy and Ned. “I didn’t rent a car, since I’ll only be here for a few days.”
“Sure,” Nancy responded. This would be a perfect opportunity to question Lisa, she thought.
“Where have you climbed, Lisa?” Nancy asked nonchalantly as Ned drove.
“In Europe and the Far East,” Lisa answered, gazing out the car window. “You know, the Alps, the Himalayas.”
“Right,” Nancy said. But she remembered that Lisa had messed up the names and locations of Himalayan peaks during her conversation with Kara.
“I hope the food at the Loading Dock is good,” Ned said, changing the subject. “I’m starved.”
“It’s one of the best restaurants in town,” Lisa answered. “They serve a terrific roast chicken.”
“You’ve been there?” Nancy asked, surprised. “I didn’t know you’d visited Enumclaw before.”
“Oh, I haven’t,” Lisa stammered, nervously fiddling with the end of her seat belt strap. “I’ve just heard good things about it.”
“Oh, I see,” Nancy murmured, not believing Lisa for a minute. Lisa Osterman was hiding something, and Nancy intended to find out what.
• • •
Nancy called Ned from her room and arranged to meet him in fifteen minutes to search Lisa’s room together.
As she stood under the spray of a hot shower, Nancy considered the events of the day. Anne Bolle’s reaction to Tsu’s fall had convinced Nancy that there was a good side to the woman, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t out to get Kara. And Lisa Osterman wanted Nancy to believe that she was a stranger to Enumclaw, yet she knew at least a little about the town. Could she be a suspect? Nancy wondered.
After toweling off, Nancy slipped into black wool trousers and a kelly green sweater. She gave her thick reddish blond hair a few quick strokes with the hairbrush, and added a touch of natural lip balm.
Nancy dialed Lisa’s room number. There was no answer, which meant the young woman had already left for dinner.
A few minutes later Nancy was picking
the lock to Lisa’s room while Ned kept a lookout. Slipping inside, Nancy switched on the light.
Piles of clothes were scattered on the floor and drawers hung open with more clothes spilling out. Her dresser was scattered with crumpled pieces of paper and various cosmetics.
“Wow, is she messy,” Ned commented. “How do you suppose she finds anything?”
“She’s probably used to it,” Nancy answered, laughing softly.
After picking up Lisa’s address book, Nancy found a scrap of paper with Alpine Adventures’ address and telephone number on it. It wasn’t anything incriminating, but she stuffed it into her pocket anyway.
Turning toward the closet, Nancy began to sift through Lisa’s clothes while Ned riffled through the bedside table drawers.
Nancy next sifted through the trash can, but her search turned up only an empty soda can and some crumpled napkins. Discouraged, Nancy moved to the table by the window.
“Hey, Nan, look at this,” Ned called from Lisa’s dresser. He was holding an airline ticket.
“It’s dated two weeks ago,” Nancy commented out loud. “She’s been in Enumclaw for two weeks. I thought she was hiding something.”
Pulling a pen and pad of paper out of her purse, Nancy quickly jotted down the Pacific Airlines flight information on the ticket, as well as the date of issue. Just as she was closing her notebook, she heard footsteps moving down the hall. The footsteps then stopped right outside the room. Nancy’s eyes grew large as a key was slipped into the lock and the doorknob began to turn.
Nancy and Ned were trapped!
Chapter
Nine
AS THE DOORKNOB CONTINUED to turn, Nancy slid the plane ticket back onto the dresser, and Ned and she ducked behind the bed. At the exact moment they disappeared out of sight, the door to the hotel room opened.
Nancy’s heart pounded hard inside her chest. Had Lisa seen them? Was anything noticeably out of order? She was grateful that Lisa wasn’t a neatnik.
It seemed forever before Lisa retrieved whatever it was she’d come to fetch. No sooner was she out the door than the phone rang.
“What now?” Lisa grumbled as her footsteps came back toward the bedside table.
Thank goodness the phone was on the opposite side of the bed, Nancy thought, or they’d have been discovered. Her nerves were thoroughly on edge.
“Hello,” Lisa said, sounding anxious and irritated. “Yes, it’s me,” she continued. “Who else would it be? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
There were a few moments of silence as the person on the other end of the phone spoke.
“I have to go, or I’ll be late,” Nancy heard Lisa say finally. “I’ll call as soon as I have some news.” A moment later Lisa put the phone down and walked toward the door. She flipped the lights off. When Lisa closed the door, Nancy and Ned finally relaxed.
“That was too close,” Ned said, standing up and brushing off his pants.
“No kidding,” Nancy agreed, turning one light back on.
“Who do you suppose she was talking to?” Ned asked.
“I don’t know,” Nancy answered. “But I’ve got a hunch it’s got something to do with this case.”
After a last-minute check to be sure everything was as they had found it, Nancy turned out the light. Within fifteen minutes they’d arrived at the Loading Dock, where Alex had reserved a small room off the main dining area for the group.
Nancy and Ned were the last to arrive. Anne, Lisa, Eladio, and Tsu were already seated at the long, rectangular table, and Alex and Kara were arranging handouts on a small side table.
“How are you feeling?” Ned asked Tsu as he and Nancy approached the table.
“Not too bad,” Tsu answered, but Nancy noticed the pain in Tsu’s eyes. “The bad part is that I won’t be able to climb Rainier tomorrow,” Tsu added softly.
Of course, Nancy thought to herself. Tsu had been looking forward to getting her certification, and now that had been put on hold.
“I’m so sorry,” Nancy said.
Tsu sighed. “There’ll be other climbs, I know,” Tsu answered. “I just have to be patient.”
Scanning the table, Nancy saw that Lisa was next to Eladio near one end. She sat close to Lisa to keep an eye on her. Ned chose a seat across from Nancy.
Dinner was delicious. A salad of mixed greens was served with a wonderful blue cheese dressing, followed by a hearty vegetable soup. The main course was pasta with a red pepper and shrimp sauce, accompanied by crusty whole-grain bread.
Eladio chatted with Alex about a new line of climbing ropes. Alex was nodding, pretending to listen intently, but Nancy guessed he was only being polite. It wouldn’t do him any good to offend a man who’d soon be writing an article about his company.
While Kara cut Allison’s pasta into bite-size pieces, she and Anne talked about past climbing competitions. Kara seemed to be enjoying the conversation. In fact, the two women even laughed together over a shared joke.
Maybe they’re no longer enemies, Nancy mused, but she wasn’t sure. Anne had gone out of her way on the climb to help Kara in a difficult situation, but that wasn’t proof the woman wouldn’t try to hurt Kara still.
Logan was telling Ned about Tsu’s first winter climb on Rainier. “She was amazing,” he said. “Didn’t get any altitude sickness and climbed faster than I did. The woman is a natural.” Tsu smiled at Logan, but Nancy sensed the kind words weren’t making her feel better. No matter how good a climber Tsu was, she wouldn’t be climbing Rainier tomorrow.
“I always get terrible altitude sickness,” Lisa chimed in. “I pressure-breathe like crazy, but it never seems to do much good.” Nancy watched Lisa’s face as she spoke. It was virtually the first thing she’d said during dinner. Nancy felt that Lisa was a prime suspect, but she needed proof, and so far she wasn’t getting any.
After three-berry pie and ice cream, Alex and Kara gave each person a handout that described the route the group would be taking up the mountain. They’d climb the mountain from the south, starting at the National Park Service lodge at Paradise.
“We’ll go over climbing procedure when we hike in tomorrow,” Kara said. “But it’s important to understand that Rainier is a big mountain with power all its own. We know the mountain, and as your guides it’s our responsibility to make sure we all make it safely to the top. The most important aspect of this is to work together as a team, just as we did today when Tsu fell.”
“The first day will be just a few hours of easy snowshoeing,” Alex said. “Day two will be longer, but not much more difficult. The real work will come on day three, when we’ll spend six to ten hours on the move, some of it in darkness.”
“We won’t be doing any technical climbing with ropes and rappelling,” Kara said. “Getting to the top of Rainier only requires hiking and snowshoeing. But the mountain has many crevasses and snow bridges, which make it tricky. We know where these crevasses and bridges are and can navigate the mountain. But what you need to do is stay alert. . . .”
“This trip isn’t about getting to the top as fast as we can,” Alex added. “It’s about the magic of Rainier and the experience of climbing it. It’s an incredible mountain, and not everybody can make it to the top.”
As Nancy listened to Alex and Kara speak, her pulse raced. She and Ned had come out West to go skiing, and instead they were setting out to climb one of North America’s best-known mountains. She just hoped that none of them would be in danger on the climb.
When the meeting was over, Nancy asked Ned to wait for her while she went to the rest room.
Kara was washing her hands when Nancy went in. “You and Anne looked like you were having a nice time,” Nancy commented.
“We were,” Kara answered, reaching for a towel to dry her hands. “And I wanted to tell you that I was wrong in suspecting she was responsible for the threats and the break-in.”
And all of the accidents, Nancy thought to herself.
“After Anne and Tsu
got back from the emergency room,” Kara continued, “Anne and I had a good talk. She apologized for being so nasty to me when we were competing. She said that her obsession to win had made her blind to her own mistakes. I think she was being sincere, Nancy,” Kara said solemnly. “And I don’t think she’d do those horrible things.”
“I’m glad you’re getting along better,” Nancy said, knowing she had to tell her that Anne could still be a suspect. “She could still be up to no good.”
Kara’s eyes widened. “I don’t think so,” she said earnestly.
“I hope you’re right,” Nancy said, “but we have to be careful.”
Kara nodded. “I know,” she said softly.
“Listen,” Nancy said, changing the subject. “I need to talk to you and Alex about the case. Can we meet in the dining room for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” Kara answered. “I just need to take care of a couple of things first.”
A few minutes later Nancy walked back into the dining room. Allie was quietly playing with a puzzle in the corner. Logan and Alex talked beside her. Sensing that the two men were discussing something serious, Nancy approached them until she was within earshot, then pretended to tie her shoe while she listened to their conversation.
“With everything that’s been going on, I really need you to stay behind and keep an eye on the office,” Alex was saying.
“Tsu can watch the office,” Logan said, so quietly Nancy had to strain to hear.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alex answered. “She’s been through a lot, and I think she needs time to rest her shoulder.”
“But you need another guide on this trip, and it should be me.” Logan paused for a moment as Nancy straightened up. “And if you won’t let me go,” he continued, “then maybe I should tell Recreational Gear that I’m available to start the European circuit immediately.”