Illusions of Evil

  “Hmmm,” George said, her eyes focused toward the aisle behind Nancy, “I wonder what he’s doing here?”

  “Who?” Nancy asked.

  “Rand Hagan just walked in,” George answered.

  Nancy swung around. George was right. The Riverfront engineer was heading into the courtroom. He was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket and had his trademark bandanna tied around his neck.

  When he paused in the aisle between them and Freda Clarke, Adriana caught sight of him, too.

  She looked surprised. “Rand,” she said, “what are you doing here?”

  Hagan smiled and wrinkles appeared at the corners of his blue eyes. “I’m going to testify. Why else would I be here?”

  Nancy watched Adriana stand up, a smile on her face. She stepped across the aisle toward Hagan and said, “That’s very kind of you.”

  “You’d better wait before you thank me,” Hagan said.

  “I don’t understand.” Adriana blinked in confusion.

  Nancy saw Hagan’s smile turn nasty. “I’m not here to testify for you, Adriana. I’m here to help Freda Clarke. I’m going to tell the judge what a dangerous, badly maintained place Riverfront Park is.”

  Chapter

  Fourteen

  ICAN’T BELIEVE IT!” George gasped. “He seemed like such a nice guy.”

  Nancy watched Adriana first recoil from Hagan then sink back into her chair. Carson put his arm around her. “It’s okay,” he said, trying to reassure her.

  Rand pointed his finger at Adriana and said, “Your uncle couldn’t manage the place, and neither can you. That’s what I’m prepared to state today. Riverfront needs to be in the hands of someone who knows and understands the meaning of the word safety!”

  Freda Clarke’s eyes went wide, obviously as surprised as Adriana to see a new witness come forward. She glanced at Nancy and smiled smugly, then went back to conferring with her attorney.

  “Dad,” Nancy said, leaning forward, “he can’t just show up and testify, can he?”

  Carson spoke over his shoulder. “I’m afraid he can, Nancy. This is a public hearing, and anyone can come forward to speak.”

  The judge called the hearing to order. For the next two hours Nancy squirmed as first Freda and then Hagan told their stories. Hagan reported that things had been lax at the park under Nicos Polidori, but that when Adriana came on, matters grew worse. She cut corners in an effort to save money. He said he’d tried to persuade her to upgrade the rides because they weren’t safe, but she wouldn’t do it.

  Hagan’s words had the ring of expertise. He was a compelling and credible witness. The judge’s expression was solemn as he listened to Hagan’s testimony, and Adriana paled.

  Even under Carson Drew’s strenuous cross-examination, neither witness broke down. When Carson put Adriana on the stand, Nancy was riveted as the woman told a moving story about her uncle Nicos and how he’d worked his whole life to make the park what it was. Then Adriana described her plans for the place while the judge listened intently.

  Carson finished up by explaining that new evidence had been discovered indicating that the Typhoon had been sabotaged. He mentioned the cotter pin found at the scene of Benny Gotnick’s murder.

  In the end the judge ruled against allowing Riverfront to remain open until the state inspectors arrived the following week. “They’ll make a final determination about what caused the roller coaster derailment,” he said. “Until then, there are too many unanswered questions about the safety of the park. I’d be irresponsible if I allowed Riverfront to remain open. Children’s lives are at stake.”

  With that the judge banged his gavel and called the hearing to an end.

  “That’s it?” Nancy wondered aloud.

  Carson was putting away his papers. “I’m afraid so,” he said. Then he turned to Adriana, “I’m sorry, but Rand Hagan’s testimony did us in.

  Adriana nodded sadly.

  Just then Nancy noticed Freda and Chris Clarke making their way out of the courtroom. Freda stopped as she passed Rand Hagan and shook his hand. Rand gave her a smile and then walked out with her.

  Nancy stood up abruptly, giving her father and Adriana a quick goodbye. “Come on, George.” She grabbed her friend’s arm.

  “Where are we going?” George wanted to know, hobbling behind Nancy.

  “We’re following Hagan,” Nancy said.

  “Right,” George replied, not skipping a beat.

  “Then we’re going to find Ned,” Nancy added. “I’ve waited long enough.”

  Out in the parking lot, Rand Hagan was getting into a beat-up pickup truck. Nancy and George rushed over to her Mustang and pulled out just behind Hagan.

  “Don’t get too close,” George warned her as they cruised to a stop right behind Hagan.

  “Don’t worry,” Nancy said. The light turned green, and after going through it, Nancy allowed another car to come between hers and Hagan’s. “I’m a pro at this, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” George asked.

  Hagan led them on a tour of downtown Conklin Falls. Nancy and George waited while Rand went to the bank, picked up his dry cleaning, and stopped by a video store. After the last errand, though, Hagan got on the main road out of town, headed toward Riverfront.

  “He’s making for the park,” George guessed.

  “It looks that way,” Nancy agreed. Since there was little traffic, she hung back, just keeping Hagan’s pickup in sight.

  “There’s one thing I don’t get,” George said. “What made Hagan betray Adriana? Didn’t you say she trusted him completely? And he seemed like such a nice man! He even rescued us!”

  “I know,” Nancy replied. “The only thing I can think is that Vince Garraty got to him and convinced him to testify against Adriana. Garraty wants to buy Riverfront. If the place is closed down and gets a lot of bad press, Adriana’s more likely to sell out—for a song.”

  George let out a deep breath. “I see what you mean,” she commented. “But why would Garraty want to buy the property if it can’t be rezoned. What’s he going to do with it?”

  Nancy frowned. “I don’t know. But I keep thinking about those tunnels.”

  “That’s so weird,” George went on. “Who’d ever have thought there were underground passages beneath Riverfront?”

  Nancy nodded. They were pulling into the park entrance now. Clouds had covered the sun, and it looked as if it was about to rain. Hagan’s pickup was in the parking lot, but Rand had disappeared by the time Nancy steered her Mustang into a spot.

  “Nancy, look!” George pointed to a corner of the parking lot. “Isn’t that Ned’s car?”

  Nancy saw Ned’s familiar sedan. “But why—” She tried to make sense of what could have happened.

  “Do you think he came up here after he talked to Matthews and got into trouble?” George asked.

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Nancy said. “And that’s to find Rand Hagan!”

  Nancy marched toward the park’s main gate. It was locked, but she quickly scaled the chain-link fence, then helped George with her clunky cast. When they got to the other side, George took hold of Nancy’s arm.

  “We should be careful,” she warned. “Hagan could be dangerous.”

  Nancy nodded in agreement. “You stay here. Keep out of sight. If I’m not back in half an hour, call Pulaski. I hate splitting up like this, but it’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t nab us both.”

  “Okay,” George agreed. She planted herself beside the ticket booth and checked her watch. “I’ll wait right here. Good luck, Nan.”

  Nancy gave George a hug, then went off down the midway. She kept low and out of sight. She wanted to spot Hagan before he caught sight of her.

  There was no sign of Rand at any of the booths or by the merry-go-round. She veered off the midway to the roller coaster, but it was quiet, empty, and rather forlorn. The Whirl-o-Looper was still, too, and so was the tea-cup ride. Nancy was about to give up on finding
Rand, when she noticed that the entrance to the Tunnel of Love was open.

  “That’s strange,” she said to herself, heading for the door.

  Adriana hadn’t gotten around to reopening the Tunnel of Love, but Nancy remembered the ride from when she had come to the park as a kid. It was shaped like a big volcano with a moat encircling it. Inside, a train of cars took riders through decorated rooms. Nancy remembered one that looked like an underwater grotto, complete with a mermaid and sea monster.

  Now, as she stepped inside, Nancy saw that the ride had fallen into disrepair. There were cobwebs everywhere. The cars were standing by the front entrance. They looked as if they hadn’t been used in years.

  Nancy made her way into the Tunnel of Love carefully, trying to keep the soles of her shoes from making any sound on the floor. It was cold and dank in the passageway, and Nancy pulled her jacket closed. Just as she rounded a bend, Nancy spotted a beam of light up ahead.

  Hagan, she thought, identifying the man and hugging the wall so he couldn’t see her.

  The light moved off again. Slowly she crept forward, keeping Hagan in sight.

  What’s he doing here? she wondered.

  Suddenly a rectangular patch of light appeared in the darkness, and Nancy realized that Hagan had opened a door leading off the tunnel. Once the door was closed again, Nancy made her way to the spot. She counted to thirty, giving Hagan time to get ahead of her, then she opened the door.

  What Nancy found surprised her. Near her head was a dim lightbulb revealing a rickety flight of steps, leading into the darkness below.

  “The bootleggers’ tunnels!” she murmured. Obviously, Hagan knew about them. Could it be that they were why Vince Garraty wanted to buy the place? Maybe Hagan had been in on some kind of a plot with Garraty all along . . .

  Could this be where Ned was? What if Ned had come here to search and had been caught by Rand?

  Nancy had to find out. She stepped carefully onto the steps and slowly descended. When she reached the bottom, she started walking into the gently sloping tunnel. Searching through her shoulder bag, Nancy found her flashlight. Careful to keep the beam low, she made her way deeper into the tunnel’s dark cavity.

  She walked for a long time and began to despair of finding Hagan. Maybe he hadn’t come this way at all.

  Then, in the distance, Nancy spotted a dull glow farther down the tunnel. She made her way toward it, hugging the side of the tunnel to keep out of sight.

  When she finally came to the end of the passageway, Nancy was shocked to see that the tunnel opened into an enormous chamber as large as a warehouse. Light fixtures strung along its ceiling glowed eerily. Several other passageways led off from the chamber at various points along its walls. Most were narrow, like the one Nancy had traversed, but one was big enough to drive a large truck through.

  Rand Hagan stood with his back to her in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by fifty-gallon drums. Each drum had a familiar crosshatched symbol stenciled on it. Nancy’s jaw dropped open when she realized what they held—hazardous waste!

  The sound of an engine startled her. It was coming from the big tunnel. She pressed herself against the wall just as Hagan turned to wave a truck full of more drums into the chamber. The truck had Garraty’s name and slogan painted on its side. Behind the wheel was Vince Garraty himself!

  Chapter

  Fifteen

  VINCE GARRATY WAS DUMPING illegal waste underneath Riverfront Park, Nancy realized. And Rand Hagan was helping him!

  “Hagan!” Garraty called out, jumping down from the cab of the truck. “Help me with this stuff!”

  While Hagan and Garraty unloaded the truck, Nancy’s mind raced. The two men had obviously been working together all along. Hagan must have found out about the tunnels and told Garraty. What better place to dispose of hazardous waste than in underground tunnels?

  No wonder Garraty wanted to buy the place, Nancy thought. When Adriana took over the park, he must have figured that he’d be found out—especially when she starting redeveloping Riverfront as a modern magic theme park. Nancy clicked off her flashlight and leaned into the chamber to get a better view. As she reached out to grasp a rock ledge, her flashlight fell from her hand and clattered to the ground.

  “Hey!” Garraty called out. “Who’s there?”

  “What do you mean?” Hagan demanded.

  Nancy saw the two men looking in her direction. She pressed herself against the wall and froze.

  “Someone followed you,” Garraty said angrily.

  “No way,” Hagan assured him.

  “Just like that kid yesterday never came by,” Garraty said.

  Ned! Nancy guessed. She watched in horror as Garraty started walking in her direction. She had to get out of there and fast.

  How? The only choice was back up the tunnel. In a flash Nancy spun on her heels and took off as fast as she could. She didn’t even have time to pick up her flashlight. She’d just have to find her way in the dark.

  “I told you there was someone there!” came Garraty’s voice. “Get her!”

  Her heart racing, Nancy put on speed. She could hear the men’s footsteps behind her, gaining fast. She kept running, though all she could see in front of her was a dark hole. If she could just keep going she was sure she could outrun them!

  Then she stumbled and fell to her knees. A quick glance behind her told Nancy that Hagan was practically on top of her. She struggled to her feet, but before she could take off running, Hagan grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him hard.

  “You!” Hagan said, the beam from his flashlight casting eerie shadows on his face. “You’re just too nosy for your own good.”

  Nancy spun her other arm around and slammed her fist into his stomach. He groaned and dropped to his knees.

  Nancy turned and ran for the end of the tunnel, clambering back up the steps. She had just reached the door and was throwing it open when a hand came down on her shoulder.

  It was Garraty. He had a fierce gleam in his eyes. “Not so fast, Nancy Drew,” he growled.

  Then he raised his arm above his head and brought the butt of a gun down on her head. Everything went black.

  • • •

  When Nancy awoke, she realized the tightness at her arms and legs meant she was tied up. At her back, she felt warmth and movement. She still felt dazed but gradually she became aware of someone calling out her name.

  She recognized the voice. Twisting around, Nancy saw Ned tied up with his back to her.

  “Ned!” Nancy cried with relief. “Are you okay?”

  “I should ask you the same thing,” he said. His hands were bound just as hers were. “I saw them drag you in here and watched them tie you up. There was nothing I could do.”

  “It’s okay,” Nancy murmured. “But I was so worried,” she said.

  “Me, too, Nan,” he replied. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”

  “Where are we?” Nancy asked, looking around.

  “Don’t you recognize the place?” Ned asked. “It’s the prop and pyrotechnics room just off the auditorium.”

  Nancy noticed the long worktables and the flame retardant tank she’d checked out the night they’d seen the show. At the far end of the room was a door marked Danger: Explosives. “Have you been tied up here ever since yesterday?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “They locked me in a storeroom in the Tunnel of Love. But they came and got me a few minutes ago and brought me here.” He smiled slightly. “You were unconscious when they carried you in, but was I ever glad to see you!”

  “But, Ned,” she cried, “why did you come to the park yesterday? I got your message about the tunnels and then nothing. Your folks are so worried.”

  He sighed. “When I left the Hall of Records, I went back to Matthews’s, like I said. He wouldn’t tell me a thing. But I kept thinking about the tunnels and how important it was for you to know about them. I came to Riverfront, hoping that you might have ended up here. Then I ran
into Hagan—and like a fool asked him about the tunnels. He seemed like such a good guy . . . .”

  “Oh, he’s a great guy,” Nancy said, shaking her head in disgust.

  “After he tied me up, he told me everything. He sabotaged the ride, Nan, and put kerosene in the tank over there. He’s teamed up with Vince Garraty because Garraty wants Riverfront. The two of them have been storing toxic—”

  “I know, Ned,” she cut in, squirming against the ropes that bound her wrists. “We’ve got to get out of here,” she said. Then she remembered George. More than half an hour had to have passed by now. Her friend was sure to have called the police.

  Before Nancy could tell Ned that George was waiting for them, the door flew open and Hagan and Garraty appeared.

  “We came to say goodbye,” Hagan announced. He knelt down to check Nancy’s rope, giving both her and Ned a withering look.

  Garraty pried open the door that had the danger sign on it, went inside, and emerged carrying an armload of dynamite. Hanging from his arm was a spool of fuse wire. He handed the dynamite to Hagan, who propped several sticks beside Ned and Nancy.

  Nancy watched in horror as Garraty fastened the sticks together with the wire.

  “You’ll never get away with this,” she warned them, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. “The police are on their way.”

  “Sorry, but you’re wrong,” Garraty told her. “The hick cops around here won’t be able to figure out what happened, but they’ll find two dead kids and that’ll be enough to shut this place down forever.”

  When Garraty was certain that the explosives were secure, he stood back and surveyed his work. “See, here’s what the cops are going to think,” he explained. “You two broke in, started messing around with stuff you shouldn’t have gone near, and accidentally set off a great big explosion. Riverfront Park closes forever, Adriana Polidori sells out to the mystery buyer, no one ever finds out what’s in the tunnels.”

  “End of story,” Hagan said with a wicked smile. He ran a length of fuse out toward the door. “What do you think, Vince—is that enough?”