With the smile of a proud owner, Marva turned to Bess. “There’s a minikitchen behind the entertainment wall.” She motioned to a freestanding wood-paneled section of wall that held a large TV, VCR, stereo, and enough video and audio cassettes to keep anyone happy for a year. “There’s a refrigerator stocked with soft drinks and fruit, and there are plenty of munchies in the cabinets.”
“Super!” Bess jumped up. “Anyone besides me want anything?”
“Something tall and cold sounds good,” George said.
“Make that two”—Nancy turned to Marva—“three?” Marva nodded. “Would you mind filling us in before you see Lisa’s friends?”
“Not at all,” Marva said, perching on the arm of one sofa. “The sooner you know all the details, the sooner you can get started.”
While Nancy and George sat down on matching armchairs, Bess went into the kitchen. She was back quickly with a tray of sodas and a plate of crackers and cheese.
“When did these death threats start?” Nancy asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. “And how many have there been?”
Marva thought for a moment. “Actually the first one was right after Lisa and her friends arrived. I think hers was the first. At least she was the first person to come to me about it.”
“Tell me,” Nancy said, “did any of your guests leave suddenly before then? Without explanation? Or did you notice any one of them acting particularly nervous?”
“I really don’t remember.” Marva nervously ran a slender hand through her short cropped hair. “But I think that’s because so many other things were going wrong. Besides, it’s not unusual for a guest to leave at a moment’s notice. A lot of them are famous or important and their schedules are always changing.”
“You mentioned other things going wrong. Like what?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Marva answered with a thoughtful frown. “I guess they’re just the usual things that only go wrong when you’re short of money.” Marva ticked them off on her fingers. “The sauna heater went out. A guest left the water running in his tub so that it ruined the entire carpet in one of the cabins. The door to the walk-in freezer broke so that it can’t be opened from the inside. The part is on order, but it’s taking forever to get here. One of the kitchen help quit because he was accidentally locked inside for a few minutes.” She laughed bitterly. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
Nancy nodded sympathetically. “I can see that.”
“Also, my financial situation is not that great,” Marva went on. “Which is, as I explained on the phone, why I can’t call in the police. If anything leaked to the press about the threats, I’d have a hard time getting new customers, or managing to convince the old ones to come back. That would be the end of Club High Adventure.”
“I understand,” Nancy said reassuringly. “Now tell me about the threatening letters. You mentioned each was different, but maybe there’s a pattern.”
“If there is, I can’t see it. But I have them in my office if you want to take a look.” Marva went on, absently picking up her glass and running a finger down the side, making a mark in the frost. “Lisa’s was a note. Just three words, written in regular ballpoint pen. ‘You will die.’ What’s so upsetting is that the note was on my personal club stationery.”
“How do you think the writer got to your stationery?” Nancy asked. “Do you keep it where a guest or employee could get to it?”
“No. It’s expensive. I keep it in my desk drawer.”
“So either a guest ran across it while riffling through your desk,” Nancy mused, “or an employee knew about it.” She shook her head. “Too early to tell.”
“Strange,” Marva said thoughtfully. “Until now I hadn’t considered whether it was a guest or an employee. I guess I didn’t want to think about it too hard.”
“What about the second one?” Nancy prompted. Bess and George were also listening attentively at this point.
“Sara got that one. A couple of days later. She came back from the club pool and found an eight-by-ten photo of herself taped to the mirror in her bathroom.” Marva drew in her breath sharply as she remembered. “Someone must have taken it without her noticing—there was a heavy, black X scratched through her face.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Bess exclaimed, putting down a bit of cracker and cheese she’d been about to pop in her mouth.
“How about that other girl—Kirsten?” George jumped in with a question. “Did she get one, too?”
Marva nodded. “The very next day. She goes for a long run every morning before breakfast. When she picked up her Walkman one morning she found a strange cassette in it.”
Bess leaned forward, eyes wide. “What was on it?”
“The voice was disguised, muffled so it was impossible to tell if it was a man or woman,” Marva said. “But the message was clear enough. ‘Keep an eye on your friends, or you might find yourself in serious danger.’ ”
“Wow!” Bess rolled her eyes.
“Hmmm. I think we’ve got a creative criminal to deal with.” Nancy chewed on her lower lip. “You mentioned there were several threats when we talked on the phone. That’s only three.”
“Yes. The others were mostly notes that turned up in the guest cabins.” Marva paused. “Every time the guest who found one swore they’d locked the cabin before leaving.”
Nancy nodded, storing away this bit of information.
“Larry Quinn—he’s a businessman from Portland—got the most recent one last night. I didn’t see it, though. He just told me about it.”
“Wouldn’t he show it to you?” George asked.
“He said he threw it away. He thought it was a stupid prank by someone who gets his kicks trying to frighten people. Like someone who makes obscene phone calls.”
“That’s one possibility,” Nancy said.
“Gil agrees with him.” Marva glanced down at the third finger of her left hand where a diamond sparkled. “Gil’s my fiancé, you know.”
Nancy thought that for someone who was engaged, Marva was smiling a little unhappily. She hadn’t known Marva and Gil were engaged, but she’d certainly noticed Lisa flirting with Gil.
“Gil sees the threats as just one more thing that’s going wrong. He’s trying very hard to convince me to sell the club.” Suddenly she balled her fists and said firmly, “But I refuse. I won’t give up.”
Marva stood up. “I really should get going,” she said. “I have to get back to work, and before that I have to stop in to see Sara and Kirsten.”
“I think I have enough to go on for now,” Nancy said.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Marva said. She walked across the living room, then stopped at the door. “And Nancy,” she said, “thanks for coming.”
“You’re welcome,” Nancy answered. “Don’t worry, Marva. We’ll catch this person.” Marva gave Nancy a hopeful smile and let herself out.
“I like her,” Bess said positively, after Marva left. “And I think whoever it is who’s leaving those death threats is one true creep.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a guy,” George said.
“Right,” Nancy said absently, obviously lost in thought. Setting down her glass, she stood up, suddenly alert. “I’m going to get right to work after I unpack and take a quick shower.”
As Nancy stood under the shower’s warm spray, she went over what Marva had told her. One fact stood out in her mind—the threats had been left in locked cabins. That, along with the theft of Marva’s personal note paper, made Nancy decide to concentrate on the employees first.
After toweling dry, Nancy slipped into a pair of denim shorts and a striped soccer shirt. Then she laced running shoes on her feet. Standing before the mirror, she gave her shining hair a few quick strokes. The first thing to do, she decided, would be to go to Marva’s office and check through the personnel records. Perhaps she would find a clue that would help her narrow the possibilities.
Nancy stepped in
to the living room. There she found a note Bess and George had left her, explaining they had gone for a short walk to explore the club.
Nancy had just put the note down when a piercing scream came from the woods outside the cabin. A moment later there was a sharp knock on the front door, which burst open before Nancy could get to it.
Marva stood there, her face pale beneath her tan. “Larry—Larry Quinn—there’s been an accident. . . .” Her voice shook. “I—I think he may have been killed.”
Chapter
Three
QUINN? KILLED?” Nancy quickly stepped to Marva’s side and put her hands firmly on Marva’s shoulders. “Where is he? What makes you think he’s dead?”
“Because he’s not moving,” Marva cried, fighting back tears. “And he’s so pale.” She looked frantically at Nancy. “He was hardly even breathing when I left him.”
“Where is he?” Nancy tried to get Marva to calm down enough to get some answers. “Where did you leave him?”
“On the cliff trail.” She pointed out through the living room’s sliding glass door. “There’s a trail in back of the cabins that leads to the main complex. Larry was right in front of me. He was walking along, and then the next second he seemed to lose his balance. He fell. He—he hit his head.” Marva shook her head, as if to rid herself of the terrible sight.
“Marva, listen to me.” Nancy shook Marva by the shoulders. “His injury may not be as bad as you think. In any case, we have to get to him.” She looked Marva in the eye. “Pull yourself together and show me where he is.”
Marva nodded. “You’re—you’re right.” The color had slowly returned to her cheeks. “I’ll show you. Come on.” Turning, she sped out the door, Nancy at her heels.
The spot where Marva had left Larry Quinn wasn’t far—just beyond Lisa’s cabin. Nancy didn’t know what she’d find when they got there, but she was glad that help had arrived ahead of them.
Two young men in club uniforms were lifting Larry Quinn onto a stretcher. There were some bruises on his face, and a nasty-looking cut over his left eye was still bleeding. But as he was carried along the trail, Nancy saw that Quinn was breathing easily. It looked as if he’d survive. According to one of the young men, a guest had called for help.
After they’d gone, Nancy saw Marva biting at her upper lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Oh, Nancy, I feel horrible about this. I should have been the one to get help, not some guest. It was my responsibility.” A tear spilled over and slid down her cheek. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’m falling apart. Two near-fatal accidents in the space of a couple of hours. It’s too much. The death threats are coming true.” She covered her face with her hands.
“Marva, I know how worried you must feel.” Nancy put a comforting arm around her shoulders. “But you can’t break down now. You have to help me.”
“Help—you?” Marva lowered her hands to stare blankly at Nancy. “How?”
“I want to know exactly what happened. You said Quinn was right in front of you, and that he seemed to lose his balance. Do you think he might have tripped on something?”
“Ummmm . . .” Marva frowned, obviously trying to remember the details. “No. It was more like his feet suddenly went out from under him. If it had happened a few feet farther on, he might have gone over the cliff. The trail narrows and it’s a straight fall of eight hundred feet. But what I don’t understand is why Larry Quinn was on this trail alone. It’s clearly marked that no one should take it alone—except staff. It is quite dangerous in spots.”
Nancy nodded. While Quinn was being carried away, she had noticed the signs warning guests away from the trail.
“It could be as simple as Quinn losing his balance because of his shoe soles,” she told Marva. “Or maybe a pebble slid on the ground. Show me where he fell. I’d like to check out the spot for myself.”
Marva pulled herself together enough to point Nancy to a piece of the trail ten feet away. Nancy walked slowly in that direction, her eyes fastened to the ground. It was a dirt trail, solidly packed from people walking over it. Nothing looked suspicious until she reached the place where Quinn had lost his balance. There, the dirt appeared to be loose.
Looking around her, Nancy found what she needed—a stout stick. She began to dig. A few seconds later she looked up at Marva. “I think I’ve found something.”
“What is it?” Marva had joined her and was peering at the hole Nancy had dug. “I don’t see anything.”
“Here. These three round rocks.” Nancy poked at the stones she’d uncovered. “They’re not very large, but if I’m right, they were big enough to do the job. I’d guess someone deliberately dug them up, then replaced them and added a thin cover of dirt so that anyone stepping on them would slide just enough to lose their balance.” And possibly go right over the cliff, she thought.
“You’re saying it definitely was not an accident, then?” Marva turned wide eyes toward Nancy. “Someone was deliberately trying to kill Larry?”
“Well, give him a scare at least,” Nancy said cautiously.
“What are you going to do now?” Marva put her hand on Nancy’s arm. “You’ve got to hurry and solve this mystery. All those people who’ve received threats—their lives are in danger, too.”
“I’d like to start by taking a look at the actual notes,” Nancy said.
“Good idea,” Marva agreed, nodding. She seemed to have finally regained her composure. “Let’s head over to my office.”
• • •
Forty minutes later, Nancy and Marva were sitting in Marva’s office. Nancy was sitting on a sofa across from Marva’s desk, with the notes scattered around her. She held up the defaced photo of what was probably a pretty Kirsten Peterson and looked at it a last time. Then Nancy got up, picked up the evidence, and set it back down on Marva’s desk.
“I thought if I saw these”—she waved a hand at the pile of crumpled notes—“I’d find a lead. But they’re not telling me any more than you already have.”
After seeing the disappointed look on Marva’s face, Nancy added a hopeful note, “But, look, sometimes I’ll see something and not actually realize where it fits in until much later. It was still a good idea for me to go through these.” She smiled, trying to give Marva some encouragement.
Marva was about to answer when the door opened and Gil Forrest walked in. After acknowledging Nancy’s presence with a quick hello, he turned to Marva.
“Thought you’d be glad to know the doctor’s given Lisa a clean bill of health,” he said impersonally. “Nothing more than some minor bruises. Apparently the ground was soft enough where she landed, and even though her helmet came off on impact, it did protect her head. But he suggested she stay the night in the infirmary to get some rest.”
“That’s good to hear,” Marva replied, clearly scanning Gil’s eyes for some sign of emotion. “I’m relieved Lisa wasn’t seriously hurt. But how about Larry Quinn? How’s he?”
“Larry?” Gil stared at Marva in confusion. “What about him?”
“He had an accident. He was hurt. Badly.” Nancy noticed an edge creeping into Marva’s voice. “If you were really at the infirmary, like you said you were, you must have seen him. That’s where Josh and Ken took him.”
“Well, I didn’t just come from there,” Gil said, frowning at the way Marva was treating him. “What happened?” He looked from Marva to Nancy.
“Actually, accident would be the wrong word to use,” Marva went on. “He almost went off the trail.”
“There were some loose rocks on the trail,” Nancy explained. “He lost his balance, slipped, and hit his head on a rock. That’s really all we know right now.”
“Just how bad is he?”
“I don’t really know,” Marva admitted. With a shaking hand she picked up the phone. “I’m not even sure if he got to the infirmary safely. What’s wrong with me? I should have called.” She punched out the infirmary’s number.
“If he’s
up to it, I’d like to talk to him,” Nancy told her.
Marva answered with a quick nod.
Nancy tried to overhear the conversation, but Marva kept her voice low. From what she could tell, however, it didn’t look good.
“Well, he’s going to be all right,” Marva said with a sigh after she had hung up. “But Dr. Hill said it is fairly serious. He wants to take Larry to the hospital in Newport for X rays. And he wants him to spend the night—just in case.”
Swiveling in her chair, she faced Nancy. “I’m sorry, but Dr. Hill said Larry wasn’t in any shape to talk. Not now. Maybe tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Nancy replied. “He might have been able to give me a clue.”
“Clue?” Gil lifted his eyebrows. “Come on, Marva. Aren’t you letting this get out of hand? I think you’re overreacting. Some jerk with a warped sense of humor sends a few guests fake death threats. Then there’re a couple of accidents. And you’re building it up into some kind of murder plot.”
“Gil!” Marva’s voice was shrill, her eyes glittering with the beginnings of real anger. “You don’t understand—”
“No!” Gil held up a hand, stopping her. “You don’t understand, Marva. Club High Adventure is devoted to risky sports. That’s what we’re all about, remember? We’ve had accidents before. And we’ll probably have them again.”
“I know all that, Gil. And I still say I’m not overreacting. These ‘accidents’ are different.” She leaned forward in her desk chair and stared hard at him. “The problem I see is that you’re not reacting at all.”
“Marva—” Gil tried a soothing smile.
“Stop that, Gil.” She pointed a finger at him. “Stop treating me as if I were one of your pretty little students who can’t tell the difference between up and down. What’s happening here should be as obvious to you as it is to me—and Nancy.” She nodded once in Nancy’s direction. “Those threats weren’t the work of some sick prankster. They’re real.” She slapped her desktop with the palm of her hand, sending papers scattering. “Real!”