“That’s why you burst in on us,” I realized. “At the snack bar the other day. You were looking for Becca, right?”
He nodded. “I ran into Omar—the kid who works at that snack bar—and he said she was up there.” He smiled ruefully. “I didn’t even stop to think that she might not be alone.”
“Sorry about that.” My mind was clicking along, adding this piece to my puzzle of clues and incidents. This explained why Becca and Hiro always seemed so awkward together. And why Becca never had much to say when I questioned her about him. And also why Tatjana had been harder for her to reach lately.
“You won’t tell her, will you?” Hiro asked anxiously. “I plan to talk to her as soon as we get back to the ship.”
“I won’t say a word.”
Leaving them together, I headed back through the woods toward the lodge. Halfway there another thought occurred to me. Could this new information also explain the busboy’s firing? Maybe he’d caught the two of them together, and they’d been afraid he’d tell Becca. . . .
“Doubtful,” I muttered before I’d even finished the thought. It was worth keeping the possibility in the back of my mind, but now that I knew their secret, Hiro and Tatjana just didn’t seem like the type of people who could have made that anonymous tip against an innocent man.
When I reached the meadow, I saw a flash of movement. It was Tobias. He was crouched near the edge of the woods with a digital camera.
I walked over to him. “What are you doing out here?” I asked. “I thought you’d be off on a day trip.”
“Nope.” Tobias straightened up. “My mom had a headache, so we stayed here.” He grinned. “Good thing, too! Wendy wants me to take pictures of all the birds and animals and stuff I can find. She says she’ll pay me if she decides to use any of them on her website!”
“Really? Are you sure she said that?”
“Uh-huh.” Tobias turned and snapped a photo of a bird flying past. “She knows I like exotic animals and stuff, so she figures I can get some good ones.”
“And she said she’d pay you for them?” That seemed odd, given that Wendy was supposed to be broke. Could this have something to do with her mysterious new plan?
Tobias stared at me as if I had two heads. “Didn’t I just say that?”
“Where is Wendy right now?” I asked.
Tobias shrugged, fiddling with his camera. “She was in the lobby when I saw her.”
I headed for the lobby, but Wendy wasn’t there. She wasn’t in her room or the restaurant, either. I wandered around the grounds for a while, but there was still no sign of her.
“Oh well,” I murmured, pausing on the lodge’s unoccupied back deck.
The lounge chairs out there looked comfortable, so I sank onto one. It had been another long day. I leaned back, staring up at the still-bright early evening sky and thinking about the case. I realized I’d just crossed two more suspects off my list. The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that Hiro and Tatjana didn’t have anything to do with the case. That only left me with a few live suspects: Wendy, Max, maybe Scott. Was it time to start looking for some new ideas?
Pulling out my phone, I checked to see if Becca had texted back yet about my questions. She hadn’t, and I was about to stick the phone back in my pocket when I realized I hadn’t checked in with Ned in a couple of days.
I tapped out a quick message to him, mostly saying hi and updating him on the case. It was pretty late in River Heights due to the time difference, so I wasn’t expecting an answer until the next day.
Hearing a noise, I looked up and saw Tobias creeping along in the distance near the woods. He was too far away for me to see whatever bird or other local critter he was focused on, but seeing him reminded me of what he’d just told me.
Why would Wendy pay him for photos? It had to have something to do with her new plan. But what kind of money-making scheme could involve amateur photos of Alaskan animals? I wondered if Alan might have any guesses. After all, he was the expert on wildlife and such.
At least he was supposed to be. Suddenly I remembered the odd answers he’d given Tobias on the train earlier. It had almost sounded as if he didn’t know much about the native creatures of Alaska. But wouldn’t an environmental studies major know about things like that, especially if he was planning to make this trip the basis of a yearlong school project?
That brought another question to mind. What if Alan wasn’t what he claimed to be? I sat up straight, disturbed by the idea. But I couldn’t quite shake it. After all, Bess had just met Alan a few weeks ago—she really didn’t know him that well yet. Could he be pulling some kind of scam on her or something?
“You’re letting this mystery go to your head, Drew,” I said to myself with a half smile. I glanced down at the message on my phone screen, hesitating for only a moment before adding a few quick lines, asking Ned to check up on Alan when he got the chance. That shouldn’t be hard, since they were both students at the university.
I hit send and leaned back in the lounge chair again. There. With that taken care of, I could go back to working on the case—beginning with tracking down Wendy. Still, the lounge chair was comfortable, and the evening temperature was perfect. Maybe I could just sit here and rest for a few minutes first. . . .
My eyes drifted shut, and moments later I was asleep.
Unfortunately, my unplanned siesta made it hard to fall asleep that night. It didn’t help that it never really seemed to get dark in Alaska at that time of year. When Bess, George, and Alan returned from their ride at almost nine o’clock, it was still as bright as midday. And when we all headed into our separate rooms a couple of hours later, the sun was just sinking toward the horizon. I tossed and turned and finally drifted off after a while, but awoke suddenly at around two a.m.
Yawning widely, I got up and tiptoed toward the bathroom, trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t wake Bess and George. After using the facilities, I wandered over to the sink to wash my hands. I glanced out the window at the moonlit landscape.
I blinked. Was the near darkness playing tricks on my eyes? Or was that a hooded figure sneaking off toward the woods?
My sleepy mind struggled to figure out what this meant. I pressed my nose to the window, trying to get a better look. Was that Hiro sneaking off to meet Tatjana?
I blinked again, trying to focus my fuzzy mind. Maybe it was Hiro, or Tatjana for that matter. But what if it wasn’t?
That thought woke me up a little more. Hurrying out to the main room, I slipped on the shoes I’d left near the door and pulled a jacket over the shorts and tee I was sleeping in. Then I let myself out of the cabin as quietly as I could.
The figure had disappeared by the time I rounded the cabin and crossed the meadow. But he or she had been heading toward the same trail into the woods that Tatjana had used earlier, so I hurried that way too.
The woods were a lot darker and spookier at this time of night. Animal calls and rustling noises came from every direction. I did my best to ignore them, listening for any sound of human footsteps.
Enough moonlight filtered through the treetops for me to follow the narrow trail through the woods. I hurried along until the trail split, then hesitated. Tatjana had gone right earlier. Should I go that way now?
Then I heard the crack of a branch somewhere off to the left. I turned and went that way.
After walking for a few more minutes, I started to doubt my decision. I hadn’t heard another sound from up ahead. What if that cracking branch had been caused by an animal? My quarry could be a long way down the other fork by now.
Then I froze as I heard a sudden loud sound up ahead. It was muffled by the trees surrounding me, and I wasn’t sure what had caused it. It didn’t sound like footsteps—more like a loud but muffled grunt or squeal. What if it was an animal?
My heart pounded as I suddenly flashed back to all th
ose wildlife warnings they’d given us on this cruise. Not to mention Bess’s comments about dangerous moose, and Tobias’s excited talk about grizzly bears and other native wildlife. What if I was about to stumble across a bear, a wolf, an irritated moose?
I stayed rooted in place, waiting for the sound to come again. But all I heard were the normal noises of the forest. Finally I crept forward again, moving slowly and carefully, wondering if I was being foolish. Maybe it would be smarter to go back to the lodge, get some backup. . . .
Then I saw the trees open up into a clearing just ahead. It was larger than the one where Hiro and Tatjana had met earlier. But that wasn’t the only difference. This clearing had a ramshackle corrugated shed in the middle of it.
I crouched behind a tree and scanned the clearing for the hooded figure. When nothing moved, I stepped carefully into the clearing.
The shed’s door was standing ajar. I realized that could explain what I’d heard—a rusty metal door scraping over the earth might make just that sort of weird sound. Scurrying over, I peered inside. It was dark in there, of course, and at first I couldn’t see a thing.
Then my eyes adjusted a little, and I saw something large and square shoved into the darkest corner. A box? What was it doing way out here? And what was inside?
I carefully dragged it out. It was fairly large and surprisingly heavy. When I peeled back the packing tape holding it shut, a strange musty odor tickled my nose, and I let out a sneeze.
BANG!
Suddenly a shot rang out. I gasped and jumped back as a bullet pinged off the metal shed wall—inches from my head!
CHAPTER TEN
New Connections
ACTING ON INSTINCT, I LUNGED FOR COVER behind the shed as another gunshot exploded out of the woods. Leaping across the clearing and into the trees, I ran for my life.
My breath came in ragged gasps, making it hard to hear whether anyone was following me. But no more shots came. Finally I dared to slow to a jog and glanced up at the moon, trying to gauge which direction I needed to go to return to the lodge. I made my best guess and circled around that way, hoping I wasn’t too far off. If I went the wrong way, I could end up hopelessly lost in countless acres of Alaskan wilderness.
It wasn’t a comforting thought. I ran as fast as I dared, trying not to make too much noise. After a while I found myself on a trail. Was it the same one I’d taken in? I had no idea. The trees all looked the same, and I couldn’t see the moon anymore through the thick canopy overhead.
Just as I was starting to fear I’d gone the wrong way, that I was racing ever deeper into the forest, I caught a glimmer of light through the trees ahead. Could it be the lodge? I ran faster, glancing back over my shoulder for pursuers. . . .
CRASH!
I let out a shrill scream as I smashed into something.
Make that someone. “Nancy?” a familiar voice said.
Glancing up, I blinked in surprise. “S-scott,” I stammered.
Panic grabbed me for a second. Was Scott the person I’d followed? Had that light come from the flashlight he was using to track me? Was he about to finish the job he’d started back in the clearing?
Then I blinked as I realized we were standing at the edge of the woods. The lodge was right there on the other side of the meadow, and there was a light on in one of the cabins—that was the glimmer I’d seen through the trees. Scott wasn’t holding a flashlight. He wasn’t wearing a dark hoodie, either—just jeans and a T-shirt.
I slumped with relief, gulping in deep breaths of air to try to catch my breath. “Sorry I crashed into you,” I said as soon as I could talk again.
“It’s okay.” Scott looked concerned. “What are you doing out here this time of night? I saw you wandering into the woods a little while ago.”
“Y-you did?” I glanced at those nearby cabins. Several had windows facing onto this meadow, just like mine. More lights were blinking on in some of them now. Obviously my scream had awakened people. Oops.
Scott nodded. “I got dressed and came out to see if I could catch up to you,” he said. “I was afraid you might not realize how dangerous the Alaskan wilderness can be, especially at night.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” I took a deep breath, looking back at the dark forest. “Um, did you hear gunshots a few minutes ago?”
“Gunshots? Come to think of it, I guess I did. Probably some locals hunting or something. Why? Is that what scared you?”
I hesitated, not sure whether to trust him with what had really happened. By then I could see several people hurrying across the meadow toward us. In the lead was a big, beefy guy in a security guard’s uniform.
“What’s going on out here?” he asked in a deep voice.
I glanced at his name tag, which identified him as Hank. “Sorry,” I said with an apologetic smile. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk.”
Bess and George arrived moments later. George was rubbing her eyes, looking less than half awake, but Bess pushed her way forward. “Nancy, are you okay?” she exclaimed. “We heard a scream, then realized you were gone. What happened?”
“I went walking in the woods and stumbled across a shed out in a clearing.” I waved a hand in the general direction of the forest. “There was a box inside, and I was about to open it to see what was inside when someone shot at me.”
Gasps came from all around. “Shot at you?” Hank the security guard said. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. The bullet landed close enough for me to see it.”
Hank looked grim. “I’d better go out and have a look around,” he said, patting the holster at his waist.
“I’ll come with you,” Scott offered. “I want to know what’s going on out there.”
A couple of other men also volunteered to go along. Soon the group was tramping off into the woods, following my vague directions to the clearing.
“Come on, Nancy.” Bess put an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s get you inside.”
We went into the main building, where one of the hotel’s night staff rustled up some hot tea. Some of the other people I’d awakened were there too, so I couldn’t tell Bess and George the rest of the story, though they kept giving me curious looks. Half an hour later, the men finally returned.
I jumped to my feet and hurried over. “Well?” I asked Hank.
“We found your shed,” he said. “But there was no box there. And no sign of the shooter.” He shrugged. “Did see a coupla fresh bullet holes in the wall, though.”
“The box was gone?” My heart sank, though I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised. Instead of chasing me, the shooter must have grabbed the box.
“We’ll notify the police just in case,” Hank said. “But chances are it was a hunter who mistook you for a hare or something.”
“Okay,” I said. “But that doesn’t explain the box.”
“Hmm.” Hank didn’t quite meet my eye. “Maybe it was a cooler of beer or something.”
“It definitely wasn’t any kind of cooler,” I insisted. “It was a cardboard box, about this big.” I made a shape with my hands. “It smelled really weird, like whatever was inside had been stored in a moldy basement or something.”
“Well, I’ll let the cops know about that. Now you’d better get to bed, miss.”
I frowned, annoyed, as I realized he didn’t care about the box or what may have been in it. Why would I make up something like that?
Still, it wasn’t as if I could prove anything. So I let it go. Maybe my friends and I could hike back out there in the morning and look around.
“I still can’t believe someone actually shot at you last night,” Bess said as she slathered butter on a piece of toast.
“You’re not the only one.” I glanced around the lodge’s homey restaurant. It was early, but lots of people from our group were there having breakfast. Scott was among the
m; he was sitting at a large table with the ABCs and a couple of people I didn’t know. As I scanned the room, I caught several people watching me. Was one of them the hooded figure I’d followed into the woods? It was a creepy thought.
George noticed the glances too. “You’re the talk of the lodge, Nancy,” she commented. “Everyone’s buzzing about what happened last night.”
“Yeah. I can’t believe nobody woke me up.” Alan speared a sausage with his fork. “I missed the whole thing.”
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Bess patted his hand. “Nancy’s fine, and that’s what matters.”
The other tables were too close to risk talking about the case, so we spent the next few minutes chatting about the day’s plans while we ate. We were scheduled to catch a bus over to the visitor center of Denali National Park in a couple of hours. There, we would split up into several smaller buses for an all-day guided tour.
Finally Bess took one last sip of her grapefruit juice. “I’m stuffed,” she said. “Think I’ll take a walk. Want to come?” She smiled at Alan.
He jumped up, dabbing some syrup off his face with a napkin. “Sounds good.”
“Have fun,” George said, reaching for another slice of bacon.
As Bess and Alan made their way out of the crowded restaurant, Wendy hurried in past them. She glanced around, then made a beeline for our table.
“Uh-oh,” I told George under my breath. “Bet I’m about to be interviewed for the next big blog post.”
George smirked, but didn’t have time to say anything before Wendy reached us. “Nancy!” the blogger exclaimed breathlessly. “I heard you were in here. Everyone’s all atwitter about you, you know. What really happened last night, anyway? I tried to talk to that security guard afterward, but the dude wouldn’t tell me a thing.”
“There wasn’t much to tell,” I said. “I just wandered into the woods, and I guess someone out there wasn’t happy to see me.”