Fatal Ransom

  It was almost afternoon by the time Nancy and Lance got out of the hospital. The doctor had told her she’d be back to normal in a day or two.

  “I’ve never understood why emergency rooms take so long,” Nancy said. “More than two hours to tell me I have a sprain—which I already knew!”

  Lance walked her to his car. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt worse than you are.” His pace was slow, and Nancy thought she detected some kind of hesitation in his voice.

  “I guess I’ll take you back to the house so you can get your car, and then I’ll go to the police. Maybe they can find Hal.” He paused, then whispered, “Before it’s too late.”

  Nancy stopped in her tracks. “Does this mean you’re firing me?”

  Lance dropped her arm and stepped back a pace. “No. I’m not firing you. I would never do that! But you’ve been injured. I can’t ask you to stay on the case now!”

  “Lance,” Nancy said, “when I sign up for a case, I sign up for the duration. A little sprain isn’t going to interfere with my work, believe me. I’ve been hurt worse than this lots of times! It’s all part of the job. I still think I can get Hal back. You can call in the police if you want, but I’d still like to continue working. A sprained arm won’t affect my brain. It won’t even affect my physical ability that much.”

  “Nancy Drew,” Lance said, “I take it back. If you want to stay on this case, I’m all for it. And I won’t call in the police yet—in case the kidnappers meant it when they said they’d kill Hal if I did.” He started for the car again, and then gave Nancy’s left arm a gentle squeeze. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as dedicated as you. I wish Monica were more like you.”

  Nancy didn’t answer. She was thinking that the only thing she had in common with Monica was that they were both female.

  “I wish she had some direction in her life,” Lance said. “It’s so hard to get her to think about anything besides herself. If Monica were half as dedicated to something as you are to your work, she’d be—well, she’d be—”

  Nancy cleared her throat. “I’m sure Monica must have some good qualities,” she said, wondering what they might be.

  Lance held the car door open for her, then went around to the driver’s side and got in. For a minute he sat staring out the windshield at the crowded parking lot. “We used to care for each other,” he said. “But not anymore.”

  Nancy wasn’t sure what to say. “Things change,” she finally ventured.

  “Before the kidnapping we had finally decided to break up. It was hard on both of us. Harder on her, really, I suppose. That’s why I told her she could stay at the house until she found a suitable place. Of course I’ll pay for her new place until she gets a job. She’ll probably choose the most expensive apartment she can find—but at the moment it seems worth the price.”

  That explained Monica’s presence—and her attitude, Nancy thought to herself.

  As they pulled out of the parking lot, Nancy told Lance what she thought he’d like to hear: “I’m sure everything will work out.”

  It wasn’t what she believed.

  • • •

  It was afternoon before Nancy was able to investigate the mall, as she had planned to do in the morning. She and George walked together, hoping to find anything that they could use as a clue.

  “I never come over here to shop, but I see what Lance meant,” Nancy said. “This mall is a hangout for a lot of punk kids.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with punkers,” George said. “They’re just kids trying to make a different kind of statement.”

  “I know,” said Nancy, “but I am going to follow my lead on Hal’s crowd until I know definitely if they’re involved with this case or not.”

  “But just because they dress differently from us doesn’t make them kidnappers!”

  “You’re right,” Nancy said. “But Lance thinks Hal’s girlfriend, Amy, knows something about all this. And the last time Lance talked to Hal, Hal said he was going to the mall. I just feel there has to be a tie-in here somewhere.”

  As they finished their round of the mall, Nancy added, “Lance gave me a security guard’s name. I think I’ll go see if he’s on duty and check things out with him. Why don’t you go ahead and make another round while I’m gone? Keep your eye out for anyone who looks like Hal Colson or Amy Tyler.”

  “Love to, Nancy,” George said. “How will I recognize them?”

  Nancy showed her the photo of Hal Colson. “This is Hal. All I can tell you about Amy Tyler is that she wears punk clothes and she has weird hair. Orange spiked on the left side, shoulder-length purple on the right. Shouldn’t be too hard to find, actually—even in this crowd. Meet you back here.”

  “I’ll do my best,” George said.

  They parted company, and Nancy turned off the main mall corridor and started down a hall with a sign that said Security. She walked a few feet down the short, narrow, isolated passageway, going by a couple of storerooms on the way.

  The door marked Woodland Mall Security was ajar. Nancy raised her hand to knock, and at that moment she heard a female voice. “Soon this will all be over, and you’ll be a rich man.”

  The voice was hauntingly familiar. But whose was it? And where was it coming from?

  Nancy stepped closer and tried to peek through the crack in the open door.

  Suddenly she heard a scuffling noise coming from the main mall corridor. She stepped away from the door to listen.

  “Oh, no!” a woman screamed. “She’s dead!”

  Chapter

  Five

  NANCY RACED OUT into the mall corridor. What on earth was going on?

  Once she was out in the open area, she saw a crowd gathered in front of a store across the way. She hurried over and wove her way into its center.

  “What’s happened?” she asked.

  A young pregnant woman was lying on the floor. She opened her eyes, then looked up at Nancy and the crowd in total shock. “Oh,” she murmured. “I—I must have fainted. I’m so sorry.”

  She tried to get to her feet, but only succeeded in raising herself to a sitting position. The people crowding around her began to disappear one by one, apparently disappointed that something more dramatic hadn’t happened.

  Nancy grimaced. That’s crowd mentality for you, she thought. “Are you hurt? Is there anything I can do to help you?” she asked the woman.

  “You could help me up,” she said, and laughed.

  Nancy did. Once the woman was on her feet again, Nancy asked, “Can I get you to a doctor?”

  The woman grinned. “No. I’ll be fine now. This happens to me all the time.” She thanked Nancy and walked away.

  Nancy watched for a few seconds to make sure the woman stayed on her feet. Then she looked around to see if George had been in on any of the excitement. There was no sign of her—but who was that disappearing into that expensive shoestore down the corridor? It looked like Monica! Nancy ran down the hall and burst into the store.

  “Where’s the woman who just walked in here?” she asked the haughty-looking salesman who had immediately approached her.

  “I’m sorry, miss, but you—” But Nancy had already spotted Monica in the corner, where she was trying on an expensive pair of green snakeskin boots.

  “Monica!” Nancy exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Did anyone call for Lance while I was at the hospital? Were there any messages?”

  Monica looked incredulous—and disgusted. “You followed me in here to question me?” she asked. “I didn’t stick around after you left, if that’s what you mean. I’m not your personal secretary.”

  “I asked you to stay by the phone,” Nancy said angrily. “I’d have thought it was the least you could do, since you were the reason Lance had to take me to the hospital.”

  “Well, you’ll just have to think again,” Monica purred. “Get it into your head that I don’t care anything about what’s happened to Hal. All right?”

  “But he’s Lance?
??s nephew! Don’t you at least—”

  “Could you come over here a minute?” Monica interrupted, raising her voice and beckoning to the salesman. In an instant he was at her side.

  “This girl is really pestering me,” she said. “Is it too much to ask that I be allowed to do my shopping in peace? You’d think the least you could do would be to keep people from loitering in here.”

  The salesman turned to Nancy. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave right away. You’re upsetting one of our best customers,” he said coldly.

  “But I—” Nancy began.

  “Go play detective somewhere else,” said Monica.

  “Please, miss. Before I call security,” said the salesman.

  Nancy left without a word. She couldn’t trust herself to speak.

  But at least the salesman had reminded her of where she had been heading originally. She walked back to the security office and approached the door slowly. This time, though, the door was closed, and there were no sounds coming from the other side.

  Nancy knocked lightly, and a heavyset man in a gray uniform opened the door.

  “Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find Mr. Mathers?” Nancy asked.

  “That’s me,” the man said. “Can I help you?”

  Nancy smiled. “I’m Susan Bigelow,” she said. “From WBBB.” She hoped Lester Mathers wasn’t too familiar with the local TV newscasters. “We’re doing a story about the new mall, and I thought you might be able to give me some information. Maybe a unique slant I could use to open this series. What kind of place is it to work at?”

  She couldn’t tell by his expression whether he was buying her story, but she was determined to stay with it.

  “Well,” he said, rubbing his forehead, “I have to say I can’t imagine why anyone would want to watch a story on TV about this mall. What’s there to say about it that isn’t depressing? It’s falling down around everyone’s ears!”

  “Falling down? What do you mean?” Nancy asked.

  “I didn’t mean it literally, of course. It’s just that with all these kids hanging around here and everything—”

  “The kids cause a problem?”

  “Well, it’s not anything you could put your finger on, exactly. It’s just that there are so many of them, and they all look so weird. They fight a lot, and when they aren’t fighting they just stand around and stare at people. Why’d they have to pick this mall? It’s driving business away!”

  “Do you know any of the kids personally? Do you ever talk to any of them?” asked Nancy. Maybe he’d end up helping her after all.

  Lester Mathers laughed shortly. “They don’t exactly drop in for tea, if that’s what you mean. The only ones I know are the ones who cause trouble. Why, just a few days ago I—”

  He broke off and stared strangely at Nancy. “What kind of story did you say you were doing?”

  “Just some sort of human interest thing,” Nancy said evasively. She was dying to know what he’d been about to say, but she didn’t want to make him suspicious. Instead she pulled out her picture of Hal and showed it to him. “Do you know this boy?”

  Lester looked at it for a second. “Why, that’s young Hal Colson.” He shook his head. “Michael Colson’s son. He sure don’t take after his old man. Good thing Mike’s not around to see him now.”

  “So you knew Michael Colson?”

  “Yes, I did,” said Lester quietly. “I thought the world of him too. Wonderful personality. When he was alive, this place was just getting started. Construction men all over, nothing finished—but he gave you the feeling that it was going to be the most beautiful set of shops in the world. And he knew each of us by name. He could really make you feel like a part of things.”

  He shook his head again. “Like I said, things have changed. It sure isn’t the same kind of place now.”

  “I heard somewhere that the mall wasn’t filling up quite as fast as Michael Colson must have expected,” said Nancy.

  “It’s true. The new guy just doesn’t have the right touch, I guess. Look at all those empty storefronts! He hasn’t rented out any new space in a long time. If they don’t watch out, it’ll be a ghost town around here.”

  “But Lance told me he thinks that’s only temporary,” Nancy said quickly.

  “Lance? You mean you know Lawrence Colson?” Lester’s expression was suddenly guarded.

  “I—well, I talked to him before I started work on the story, of course,” said Nancy. Inside she was furious with herself. She had wanted to defend Lance so much that she completely derailed the interview. Now Lester was rising to his feet, and he looked angry.

  “What are you trying to do, Miss Bigelow?” he asked. “Get me in trouble? Make me spill the beans on the boss? Is that what you call ‘human interest’—getting me fired?”

  “No, no!” Nancy said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I only wanted a little background—”

  “Sure you did! You reporters are all alike. Get out of my office.”

  “Mr. Mathers, I promise you, you’re making a mistake,” Nancy said, trying to sound calm. “If you’ll only listen to me for a second—”

  “I told you to leave. This is the only job I have, and I’d like to keep it. Now move! The interview is over.”

  Nancy stood up, and as she did she noticed a row of videotapes on a shelf over Lester’s head. All of them were labeled Scanner. They must be security tapes of the mall—and perhaps Hal was on some of them!

  Well, that wasn’t the exact time to ask about them. “Goodbye, and thank you for your help,” Nancy told Lester politely. “I hope you enjoy seeing the story on TV.”

  “Just get out of here” was his answer.

  Out in the corridor again Nancy stood still, thinking. She had to get hold of those tapes, and as soon as possible. But what was the best way to do it?

  “Nancy!” Bess and George were heading toward her. “I just caught up with George,” said Bess breathlessly. “I wanted to tell you right away—my friend called me, and the blood type in the car was A negative. At least we have that much to go on.”

  She shook her blond hair back and rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you something else too. If this weren’t such a life-and-death situation, I wouldn’t care if this case never ended. That Lance Colson is a hunk.”

  Nancy and George glanced quickly at each other, trying to conceal their smiles. Nancy knew they were thinking the same thing—Bess was in love again.

  “How’d you make out with that security guard?” George asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “I didn’t. That is, I started out fine, but he clammed up when I mentioned Lance. I don’t think he’ll say anything more. But I’ve got to get back into his office. Let’s go get something to eat while I think of a way to do it.”

  • • •

  A chocolate shake apiece later, Nancy had come up with a plan, As the girls walked down the narrow corridor that led to the security office, she told Bess and George, “Remember, make it sound like a big deal.”

  She slipped into one of the storage rooms and listened as George and Bess went racing past her. Frantically they pounded on Lester Mathers’s door.

  “Help!” Bess shrieked. “Fight!”

  He jerked open the door. “Where? What’s going on?”

  “There’s a big fight down at the end of the mall! A whole bunch of kids. They’re trashing the place!” Bess said.

  “We came to get you as fast as we could,” George added.

  Nancy smiled to herself. She could always count on Bess and George to give great performances. They’d almost managed to convince her something was wrong.

  “Come on!” said Bess. “We’ll show you where it is.”

  Lester, Bess, and George dashed past Nancy’s hiding place. Lester was hurriedly pulling out his walkie-talkie to speak to his guards.

  “Fight!” he radioed. “B section. I’m on my way.”

  Quickly Nancy slipped around the corner and through the security office
door, which had been left open by George. George had made sure she was the last one out, so the door hadn’t been deadbolted.

  Nancy darted to the rack of videotapes above Lester’s desk. All of them were dated. Perfect, Nancy thought. She followed the dates until she found Sunday’s tape—the tape of the day that Hal had vanished. “This might show us something,” she murmured, slipping the tape into her oversize shoulder bag. She grabbed the tape from the previous Wednesday, too, just to have something to compare Sunday’s tape to.

  Carefully she rearranged the tapes in that section of the rack so Lester wouldn’t notice that two were missing. Then she glanced around the office to see if there was anything else there that might be useful.

  Nothing she could see. She was starting to get nervous because she didn’t know how long Bess and George could keep Lester occupied. But she knew it was time to get out of there. Quietly she opened the office door.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Lester Mathers said, looking her straight in the eye.

  Chapter

  Six

  NANCY HAD BEEN right. It had been time to get out of there.

  “Sorry to bother you again,” she said. “I—I think I left something in here. My notebook. Have you seen it?”

  Lester walked past her into his office. He sat down at his desk and leaned back in the creaky swivel chair, staring at the ceiling. “Now, why is it that I don’t believe you?” he asked slowly.

  “I know it was dumb of me,” Nancy said with what she hoped was a convincing giggle.

  “No, Miss Susan Bigelow, it was dumb of me,” he answered. “You set up that fight, didn’t you? So you could snoop around in here. What are you, some kind of spy for Colson?”

  “No! Of course not! I had nothing to do with that fight! I’m just trying to do my job!” Nancy said. It’s truer than you know, she thought.

  “Well, don’t come around here anymore, job or no job, or I’ll see to it that you never set foot in this mall again.” He stood up. “I’ll walk you out,” he finished grimly.

  As she exited from his office, Nancy suddenly noticed a pay phone just outside the door. It made her remember the girl’s voice she had overheard earlier. If only she’d had a chance to follow up on that!