An Instinct For Trouble Part 3

Jennifer and Alicia nodded to Bess. Jack glanced at her, smiled broadly, and held out his hand to shake hers. "h.e.l.lo there, I'm Jack Billings. Boy, does Ned Nickerson have some great-looking friends."

Bess blushed but said nothing.

Nancy got to her feet. "Someone obviously wanted something. Is all the equipment still here?"

Alicia had been studying the computer ta- ble. "It doesn't look as if anything was taken."

Nancy crossed to the supply room. Every- thing looked much as it had when she had seen it a couple of hours earlier. Then she noticed the hypodermic syringe and several vials of tranquilizer were missing.

"Did anyone take a syringe and some tran- quilizer vials out of here?" Nancy asked over her shoulder.

Alicia stepped inside and checked the shelf.

"Oh-they are missing. But who would have taken them?"

Nancy's thoughts raced. First the group had discovered fifty marmots missing, and now someone seemed to have stolen tranquilizers that could sedate more marmots. Was some- one planning to tranquilize the fifty stolen creatures so they could be quietly shipped out of the park?

Before she could ask more questions. Nancy saw Professor Trainey at the doorway.

"Now what?" he demanded, slightly out of breath. "Can't I leave this project for five minutes without-" His voice faded as he noticed Ned on the floor.

"Someone hit Ned over the head," Jennifer told her father. "And tranquilizers are missing from the supply room."

Trainey's eyes widened as he knelt beside Ned. "We've got to get you up to the hospital in Gardiner as soon as we can." He glanced around the room, clearly upset. "Can someone drive him there? We can't take chances-not with a head injury."

"I'll go," Nancy quickly offered. "Where is it?"

"Gardiner is just over the state line in Montana, right outside the north entrance of the park. I'll ride along and show you the way," Jack offered. "Just give me a couple of minutes to clear it with headquarters."

Nancy remembered the object she had stashed in her pocket. She slipped it out un.o.b- trusively. It was a Phi Beta Kappa key. Turning it over, she saw the initials D.T. engraved on the back. Dan Trainey.

She leaned down to pat Ned's shoulder, then crossed the room.

"Professor?" she said quietly. "May I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Frowning, Trainey followed her outside.

"If you're concerned about Ned's care, don't be," he began.

"It's not that," Nancy replied. She showed him the gold medallion. "I found this just now under Ned. It's yours, isn't it?"

Trainey took the key from her palm and examined it. "Yes," he said. "I noticed I'd lost it a few days ago. Thanks."

"How do you suppose it came to be lying under Ned-now?" Nancy asked.

Trainey flushed. "What are you implying?"

"Professor Trainey," Nancy said, "I'm a de- tective. Something strange is going on here.

Ned asked me to help find out what it is."

"Now, look here," Trainey said impatiently.

"I have a research a.s.sistant in the hospital, another of my students on the way there, fifty marmots missing, and a crucial deadline com- ing up in a couple of days. The last thing I need is an amateur detective in my hair. Do I make myself clear?"

Nancy remained calm. "Do you realize,"

she asked, "that someone from your group could be behind all the trouble?"

Trainey's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?

Knowing she finally had his full attention, Nancy continued. "As I understand it, each marmot's transmitter has its own distinctive code, right?

"Yes, of course," Trainey replied, his voice ominously low.

"So someone could use the computer to pin down an animal's location at any given mo- ment?" she pressed.

"That's what the equipment is designed to do-if you know the codes," Trainey replied.

Nancy fixed her eyes on the professor's face.

"And who knows them?"

Trainey shrugged. "Everyone here, I sup- pose. The list is in the computer. ..." The professor's voice trailed off as he realized the significance of what he had just said.

"It all points to an inside job, professor,"

Nancy said quietly.

Trainey scowled. "Look, Ms. Drew, are you suspecting me of jeopardizing my project?

That's insulting and crazy."

"I'm not saying-" Nancy began.

The professor interrupted her. "I don't have time for this. Why don't you go sightseeing or something?" he barked, then stalked away.

As Nancy returned to the shed, she thought that it was unlikely the professor would jeopar- dize his own project, but until she could prove otherwise, he had to be a suspect.

When she got back to the command post, Ned was sitting up near the computer. Nancy was glad to see that his color was better. "Can you walk?" she asked him.

He smiled and a.s.sured her that he could.

"All right, we can go," Jack said from the doorway. As they walked across the camp- ground to the parking area, he moved to Bess's side. "Are you coming to the hospital, too?"

Bess nodded, and Nancy noticed the interest in her friend's blue eyes.

"Good," Jack continued, opening the door for Ned and then the back door of the car for Bess. He slipped in next to her.

As they started off in the direction of the north entrance, Ned asked, "What were you talking to the professor about?"

"The problems the study is having," Nancy replied, being deliberately vague. "He seemed tense."

"He has a right to be," Ned said. "His reputation is riding on the success of this project."

For the rest of the trip. Nancy concentrated on her driving while Jack pointed out land- marks. Ned leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed.

At the hospital the group easily found the emergency room. After Ned and Nancy spoke with the nurse there, an orderly led Ned into an examining room, explaining to Nancy that only the patient was allowed inside. The rest of the group found seats in the waiting room.

"I am totally starved," Bess announced.

"It's dinnertime."

"There are some vending machines down- stairs," Jack said.

"Is this the hospital Brad is in?" Nancy asked after Bess borrowed some quarters and headed for the elevator.

"Yes," Jack replied.

"I wonder if he's allowed visitors yet."

"I don't know," Jack said. "We can ask. I hope he isn't badly scarred. Burns can be pretty awful."

As he spoke, he rubbed a reddish scar on the back of his left hand. "So, tell me about you and Ned. You seem to know each other pretty well," he continued.

Nancy nodded. "We've been going together for a long time."

"Too bad," Jack said with a charming smile.

"If Ned weren't such a nice guy, I'd ask you to the square dance tomorrow night at the Old Faithful Inn."

"That's where we're staying," Nancy re- marked.

"Then you've got no excuse for missing it,"

he said, casually draping an arm across the back of Nancy's chair.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you to go with me?" Jack asked teasingly.

Nancy felt flattered but shook her head. "I have a feeling Ned wouldn't like that too much," she answered lightly. "But maybe I'll see you there."

Jack gave a mock sigh of disappointment.

"Too bad. Ned's a lucky guy."

From the doorway Ned said, "I sure am. The doctor says I'll be fine. No concussion or anything-but I had to have a few st.i.tches."

He gestured to the bandage wrapped all the way around his head. It gave him a roguish look.

Just then Bess came rushing up. "Are they done with you already?" she asked. "Can we go now?"

"I'd like to meet Brad," Nancy replied. "If they'll let us in to see him."

"Good idea," Ned said.

They asked for Brad's room number at the front desk, then filed into the elevator. At the nurse's station they learned that he was con- scious and able to receive visitors. A couple of minutes later the group piled into Brad's room. His face and arms were heavily ban- daged, but his eyes lit up when he saw them.

"Ned, Jack!" he said, and grinned. "It's great to see you!" He turned his gaze to Nancy and Bess.

"This is my girlfriend. Nancy Drew, and her friend Bess Marvin," Ned explained.

"Nice to meet you," Brad said. Then he noticed Ned's bandage. "Hey, guy, what hap- pened?"

Ned told him.

"We are some hard luck bunch," Brad said.

"First me, and now you."

"Don't forget that marmot that nipped me on the nose last week," Jack interjected with a laugh.

"That's right," Brad replied. "Maybe you should watch your step if you're going to hang around with us. Nancy."

Ned filled Brad in about the missing mar- mots. "After the stove exploded I asked Nancy to come out to look into it. She's a detective, and if anyone can figure out who's causing all the trouble, she can."

"Tell me about your accident, Brad," Nancy began.

"There's not much to tell. The first thing I did when I went on duty was make a cup of coffee."

"Of course," Ned said, grinning. "He's a caffeine addict."

Brad smiled back, then continued. "When I went to light the stove, there was a whoosh, and then flames were everywhere. The next thing I knew, I woke up here."

"How terrible!" Bess exclaimed.

Brad's face hardened. "Yeah, well, I'm not so sure it was an accident. I saw someone sneaking out of the hut as I walked up the path."

Nancy leaned forward eagerly. "Could you tell who it was?"

Brad stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

Finally he said, "I hate to say it, but it looked an awful lot like Dan Trainey."

Chapter Five.