"I'll stay here," Nancy said, nodding.
Jeremy coughed again, and Nancy reached in and took his hand.
"Jeremy," she said, "it's Nancy Drew, and we have an ambulance on the way. Can you hear me?"
Jeremy stirred slightly, and his eyes fluttered open. "What's the password?" he mumbled.
"You can hear me!" Nancy said. "Oh, Jeremy! We'll have you out of here soon, I promise."
As she spoke, the wail of a distant siren sounded, and far down the road, Nancy could see the flashing lights of the approaching emergency vehicles. "They're coming. Are you okay?"
"My arm hurts," Jeremy said, "but Fm okay. I'm glad you're here, Nancy."
"Me, too," Nancy said, patting his head.
It didn't take long for the paramedics to load Kamla and Jeremy for the trip to the hospital. After giving their report to the officers who arrived at the same time, George and Nancy got into the truck and drove back to town.
"Do you mind if I go by the police station?" Nancy asked. "I want to give Sam an update."
"Only if they have a cafeteria," George said.
"That's right! I guess we didn't eat," Nancy replied. "Well, they do have one. And it's probably the only one in town open at this hour."
It was after two in the morning when Nancy steered into the station parking lot, but it could have been noon. All three floors of the building were lit up, and she had to wait for a car to leave before she could park. They asked for Sam at the desk, and the duty officer checked his log.
"He's down in the cafeteria," he said.
"Let's find him," George said, clutching her stomach and heading for the stairwell. "I don't think I can hold on much longer."
Grinning at George's theatrics, Nancy followed.
Sam was at a table with John Spanos when they came in and, with a surprised glance, he motioned them over. Dark circles from lack of sleep ringed his eyes, and his mouth was taut. As Nancy reached the table, he managed a weak smile, but she could tell it had been a rough night for him. "Sam," she said, "Jeremy's safe! And so is Kamla!"
Sam got up so fast his chair fell over.
"They've been taken to the hospital," Nancy continued. "Jeremy was in Kamla's car. The paramedics say they'll be okay."
Sam stared at her as if she was speaking Greek, and then grabbed her around the waist and swung her around in a circle. "Hallelujah!" he yelled, beaming at George and the other officer.
Breathless, but still grinning, Sam planted a big kiss square on Nancy's lips, plopped her down in a chair, and pulled out a chair for George.
"If I sit down," George said, smiling at Sam, "I'll be too weak to get up. I'm heading that way first." She pointed to the cafeteria along the wall. "Can I bring anybody anything?"
Sam shook his head. "Got mine," he said, indicating his tray.
"I'm on my way back upstairs," Spanos said, getting up. "But thanks. Sure is nice to get some good news around here once in a while."
"A big bowl of soup and a roll, please," Nancy said. As George headed for the line, Nancy grinned at Sam. "Who goes first?" she asked.
"You can," he said, squeezing her hand.
He listened intently as she related the events of the evening.
"We were pretty sure they were going to kill Kamla at Brady Crossing, but we had no idea when we headed out there that Jeremy would be in the car, too," Nancy concluded, shaking her head at the memory of the close call. "Now it's your turn," she said to him. "Tell me what happened at the drop site."
"I really thought we'd blown it," he said, shaking his head. "Nan, you can't believe how I felt when we didn't get Jeremy."
She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "But you did get Shelley Lawson?" she asked.
"Oh, yes. We picked up Shelley Lawson and Frank Devine, but they didn't have the boy, and we couldn't get anything out of them. They just weren't talking. I don't know how she thought her scheme would work if she didn't have Jeremy to exchange for the money. But she didn't want Jeremy around to spill the beans about her, and I guess she thought we'd surrender the money anyway out of fear for his safety."
Nancy nodded, knowing how distressed Sam must have been.
"That is one professional outfit that woman runs," Sam went on. "Would you believe she was in a floatplane waiting upriver. Best as we can figure, they were going to take the small plane to
Montreal and then get on a commercial flight. We found tickets in her purse for a flight from Montreal to an island in the Caribbean."
George arrived with their food and sat down to listen.
"Nan, I apologize," Sam continued. "If I'd had a car easily available I would have sent it out there, but there were so many emergencies tonight, we didn't have enough people to cover them all. And the train dispatcher said the storm was interfering with their radios. He also said it would be a big deal to stop a freight train going at that speed, and so he wanted us to be certain . . ." Sam's voice trailed off as he spoke of the harrowing night.
"It's not your fault," Nancy reassured him. "We were running out of time. I knew we had to get to that crossing before the train. It turned out okay. We called 911, and a squad car came with the ambulance." She paused. "One other thing. Shelley's men were at the crossing when we approached. Maybe the man named Bert or Ken, or both. I don't know the make of car they had."
"We'll track it," Sam said. "We have two eyewitnesses now in Kamla and Jeremy. That will help. They should be able to clear up some of our questions." He pushed his chair back. "I have to get back upstairs," he said. "Did someone call Edwin Wright about Jeremy?"
George nodded. "The officers at the scene said they would. What will happen to Wright?"
"That's up to the district attorney." "Oh, Sam, one other thing. Have somebody search the Olympia oflSce building for a janitor who may be locked in a closet or something."
The next morning, Nancy followed George, who was driving the truck over to Duke's place.
"Whoa!" he said when he came out and saw the bumper. "You ladies are into a streak of bad luck, what with a stolen battery and now this. 'Course with that weather last night, I can understand you slidin' into something. But that sure looks like a pretty hard slide."
George bit back a grin.
"Got yourself a new battery, I see," Duke said to Nancy, nodding toward the Mustang. "Hope this one sticks around awhile."
"Me, too," Nancy said. "Thanks again for the loan of your truck last night. It was literally a lifesaver. And I'm sorry for the bumper damage, but my insurance will cover it."
"Accidents will happen," Duke said.
"The most deliberate accident I've ever seen," George said to Nancy as she slipped into the passenger seat of the Mustang. "But worth it. Where now? The hospital?"
When they arrived at Kamla's room in River Heights General, it looked as though a party was in full swing. Baskets of cut flowers and a huge balloon bouquet decorated the room, and excited chatter drifted out to the hall. Jodi Fontaine was sitting by Kamla's bed, and Jeremy, with his arm in a cast supported by a bright red sling, was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Sam was standing off to one side, holding a clipboard.
"Nancy! George! Come in," Kamla said when she saw them in the doorway. She introduced Jodi, who hugged both of them.
"I can never thank you enough," Jodi said, barely able to keep back the tears, "for saving the two most precious people in my life. You both deserve a medal of honor."
Kamla, looking pale but happy, echoed her thanks. Jeremy merely stared at them both and said, "I knew all along that you'd find me."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Nancy said. "How's the arm?"
"Cool," he said, admiring his sling. "Doesn't hurt now. At least not much."
Sam grinned at Nancy and reached down for his briefcase. "Do you mind if I conduct a little business?" he asked Kamla, snapping it open. "I brought some photos for you and Jeremy to look at. This is informal. We'll have a lineup for you down at the station when you're released, but this would be he
lpful for me." He divided a stack of photos in two groups and handed one to Kamla and one to Jeremy. "Just take a look through these and see if anybody looks familiar. You can trade stacks when you're done."
When they were through making selections, Nancy and George were asked to go through the same procedure. All four of them picked the same photos: Shelley Lawson, the men known as Frank and Bert, the phony janitor, Ken, and Jack Farmer.
A nurse came to take Jeremy for some tests, much to his displeasure, and Nancy and George promised to visit him before they left. Before she left, the nurse shyly asked Jodi for her autograph.
"Gladly," Jodi said, beaming up at her.
"Actually, Vm glad Jeremy had something scheduled," Nancy said as they left the room. "I wanted to ask Jodi some questions." She turned to the actress. "Does he know that Farmer was murdered?"
"Yes, I told him this morning," Jodi said. "He has an appointment with the staff psychologist later today. He realizes that he was in a very serious situation, and Fll see that he has help in working through his emotions."
"That's good," said Nancy. "I was concerned about him." She turned to Kamla. "Fm feeling relieved that the two of you were together, even though it was a terrible situation."
Kamla smiled. "But we didn't know about each other," she said. "They came to my apartment and banged on the door, saying they were the police, so I let them in. Then they made me call the school and say I was sick. And then they took me to that vacant office in the Olympia Building."
George nodded. "That's where Nancy picked up your hair scarf. They took us there, too."
Kamla reached up and pushed a lock of dark hair back from her forehead. "They gave me a shot of something," she continued, "and that was the last time I was conscious. I never saw Jeremy, and I don't think he ever saw me."
Nancy sighed. "I assume they took the knife that killed Farmer from your apartment."
"Yes. Actually they made me take it so it would have my fingerprints on it. And they took the bracelet right off me. At the time I didn't know why, but Detective Fanelli says they left it in the motel room where Jeremy was, hoping to lead the investigation to me."
Nancy winked at Sam. "Well, you have Shelley and Frank. Two out of four's not bad."
"Four out of four before long," Sam said. "Jeremy memorized the license number of Bert's car. He's going to use it for his next password. Bert and Ken picked him up at the motel."
"One last question," Nancy said, turning to Jodi. "The message you left on Kamla's answering machine—you said something about it all falling into place so neatly and you'd be seeing Kamla soon."
Jodi nodded. "I know. It was so innocent and it sounded so incriminating. You see, Kamla and I had planned to take Jeremy and Darcy, his friend from school, to Florida on spring break.
We were going to spend a week at one of the theme parks." She looked over at Kamla. "I hope we can still do it," she said. "I have custody during holidays, and it's okay with his father."
"What's happened with Edwin Wright?" George asked. "That sleaze."
"The district attorney has filed charges," Sam replied, grinning at George. "I agree with your description. Right now he's been released on his own recognizance, and it will be up to the court to decide what happens to him. But my hope is that they'll throw the book at him. The feeling around the department is that he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." He put the photos back into the briefcase and snapped it shut. "Well, time to get back to the office."
"We have to go, too," Nancy said.
Jodi put up her hand. "Wait a minute," she said. "Before you go, I want to invite all of you to join me for dinner tomorrow night. The hospital says Jeremy and Kamla will probably be released by then. Jeremy's going to bring Darcy, and I wondered if you"—she looked at George—"if you'd like to invite your friend with the truck. Without even being on the scene, he played a big part in this happy ending."
George smiled. "How do you feel about ten-gallon hats and cowboy boots?" she asked.
"Might just wear some myself," Jodi drawled. "We can go to the Barbecue House."
"You're on," George said.
Nancy and Sam nodded their agreement.
"Speaking of happy endings," Nancy said, as she waved good-bye to Kamla and Jodi, "this whole episode sounds like a good movie script to me!"
Carolyn Keene, Stolen Affections
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