John sighed. Despite the cold, bracing air, his face was
pale. “I can't believe someone would come into the
house and steal all the puppies. Whoever it was must
have been spying on us, because he obviously knew
Grover and Icy were away.”
“Hey, you guys,” Alice shouted.
Nancy turned and saw Alice and Jenny walking out
of the woods toward a gate to the yard. The huskies
strained eagerly on their leashes until Jenny closed the
gate behind them and set the dogs free. The two
women smiled as Grover and Icicle bounded happily
through the snow. Nancy hated the thought that Alice
and Jenny were about to learn more bad news.
With one look at John's grim expression, Alice's face
immediately clouded over. “What's wrong, darling?”
she asked him as she and Jenny approached the group.
“The puppies—they've been taken,” John said. As
Alice and Jenny looked at him in shock, John quickly
told them all about the puppies' disappearance.
“This is too terrible,” Jenny moaned, fighting tears.
“How can we know that whoever has the puppies is
taking care of them? They're still so little. They need
their mother's milk or the right kind of formula to
survive.”
“We have to hope that whoever has them knows how
to care for very young puppies,” John said gravely.
“I'm sure that this person also has Rainbow,” Alice
said. “So at least the puppies are getting good care
from their mom.”
Nancy hoped that Alice was right. It made sense that
the puppy kidnapper was the same person who had
stolen Rainbow, but that didn't mean that the person
was treating the animals right or was even allowing
them to be together.
Jenny shivered as the wind began to gust. “Let's go
inside and talk about this. I'm freezing.”
In just a few minutes the group had reassembled in
Alice and John's suite. The sight of Rainbow's empty
pen made Nancy feel sad as she quickly combed the
room for clues. Finding nothing, she joined the others
on a set of sofas surrounding a coffee table that was
piled high with nature magazines.
Alice said, “So, Nancy, what do your detective in-
stincts tell you? Do you have any suspects?”
“Only Rusty Marconi,” she answered. “I found out
that the Swiss army knife with the RM initials isn't
Ross's, and since Rusty obviously has a big grudge
against you, he seems pretty likely.”
“I totally agree,” Alice said firmly.
“Me, too,” John said.
“I don't know,” Jenny cut in. Her hazel eyes behind
her glasses looked skeptical. “Rusty is such a crank that
it's easy to jump to conclusions about him. But I'm
wondering about the ranchers. A lot of them hate
wolves, and they might want to steal one just to spite
people like us who love them.”
“What do you mean a lot of ranchers hate wolves?”
George asked. “Is that true?”
Bess's puzzled expression mirrored George's as she
said to the Marshalls, “Yeah, you guys are ranchers, and
you love wolves.”
“We're not typical,” Jenny said. “Don't you remem-
ber, Bess, when Mr. Ehret and Mrs. Stevenson came
over yesterday, all worked up about the wolf sanctuary?
Many ranchers feel the way they do. They're worried
about wolves killing their livestock.”
“But Rainbow is tame,” Bess countered. “She
wouldn't hurt anyone's animals.”
Jenny gathered her thoughts. “See, on one side
there are the wildlife activists who pushed to reintro-
duce wolves to Yellowstone Park nearby, and on the
other side there are the ranchers,” she explained. “The
relationship between the two is really bad. Mr. Ehret
has had livestock killed by reintroduced wolves that
have roamed outside the boundaries of Yellowstone, so
he's really against that program.”
“What program?” Nancy asked. “Is there a special
program that relocates the wolves?”
“Yeah,” Jenny replied. “It's a program that brings
Canadian wolves to the American states where their
ancestors lived before they were killed or driven away.
A bunch of wildlife activists got the government to
support bringing a few trial wolves back to this country.
They say that wolves really aren't that dangerous to
livestock as long as they're given enough room to roam
and prey on other wild animals.”
Jenny took a breath and went on. “The wildlife
people also think it's important for wolves to live in this
country again because it's part of their original territory
and they're endangered. They want to try everything
possible to increase the wolf population so they won't
be endangered anymore.”
Alice said, “An organization called the Defenders of
Wildlife offered to pay ranchers for any livestock killed
by wolves. That pacified some of the ranchers, but
others are still upset. They want their animals to graze
in peace.”
“But I still don't understand,” Bess said. “Why would
Mr. Ehret pick on Rainbow and her puppies? They
wouldn't threaten his livestock.”
Jenny shrugged. “It's just that he's such a grouch. I
wouldn't put it past him to take Rainbow and her pup-
pies out of spite. Paul and I went to a town meeting
recently to get approval for the wolf sanctuary and Mr.
Ehret had a fit about the whole idea. He threatened to
shoot any wolf that came across his path.”
Alice leaned her chin on her palm and said, “Bill
knows that Paul is very much in favor of reintroducing
wolves, right, Jen? It's a small world around here, and
I'm sure Bill learned from Stella Stevenson that her
grandson went on expeditions to Canada to retrieve
wolves and bring them to the American wilderness.”
“Maybe Mr. Ehret took Rainbow and her puppies to
get revenge against Paul for wanting to bring wild
wolves back to Wyoming,” Jenny guessed.
“But Rainbow belongs to you guys,” Bess pointed
out. “How would stealing her be revenge against Paul?”
“Because Paul loves Rainbow,” Jenny explained,
“and he loves me, and he'd see how upset Mom and
Dad and I would be.”
“That's sick!” Bess exclaimed, looking disgusted.
That's for sure, Nancy thought. But she still wasn't
convinced that Paul himself wasn't guilty. First, he
claimed he'd been out of the lodge when Rainbow was
stolen, but no one knew that for sure, and also the
treads on his boots may have matched the tracks in the
snow that the thief had left. But why would someone
who supposedly loves wolves want to steal a mother
and her puppies? she wondered.
“By the way, where is Paul?” Nancy asked, trying not
to sound too suspicious.
“He's at a meeting with the town council in Mont-
rose. He's maki
ng sure the wolf sanctuary complies
with zoning laws,” Jenny told her.
A thought flashed through Nancy's mind: If Paul
was out, this would be the perfect time to search his
room.
Nancy stood up, explaining that since the electricity
was working again she'd like to take a warm bath to get
the chill out after her ordeal the night before. Leaving
Bess and George downstairs talking to the Marshalls,
she returned to the upstairs hall.
Nancy peered cautiously around the open door of
Paul's bedroom to make sure he wasn't there. Finding
the room empty, she went inside.
She gave a cursory glance around the messy room,
then zeroed in on his bureau and desk—the two most
likely places to find really useful clues like letters or a
diary, Nancy reasoned. Nothing but a tangle of clean
laundry rested on his bureau, but his desk immediately
rewarded Nancy with an open notepad that had words
scrawled on it.
It's a letter, Nancy realized excitedly. As she began
to read it, she saw that it was an unfinished letter to his
faculty adviser.
“I want you to be the first to know, Dr. Wei, that I'm
having second thoughts about building the wolf
sanctuary,” Paul had written, “because I think it's cruel
to confine wild animals. Even though I'm engaged to a
woman whose family keeps a wolf as a pet, I'm
generally opposed to taming and enclosing wild
animals, except when zoos provide habitats for en-
dangered species that have lost their own. Even though
the wolf sanctuary would be fifty acres, it would still be
like a very large prison for these animals.”
The letter ended there.
Nancy bit her lip, turning Paul's words over in her
mind. If he feels it's so cruel to confine a wild animal,
could he have set Rainbow and her puppies free?
Nancy wondered. She glanced back at the desk. A
number of books and journals relating to animals and
wolves were piled on it in no particular order, but
Nancy didn't see any other obvious clues. She opened
the top drawer of the desk, hoping for some
information on Rainbow's whereabouts.
A gray object shone dully from behind a stack of
notepads. Nancy pulled out the drawer farther. She
froze. A tranquilizing gun had been stashed in the back
of the drawer, along with a dart—exactly like the one
that had stunned Grover!
8. The Hermit of Montrose
Nancy heard footsteps hurrying down the hallway
toward Paul's room. Quickly she shut the drawer, her
heart hammering. Could Paul have come back from his
meeting already? She'd better find some place to hide,
just in case.
Nancy scanned the room. There was a closet on the
opposite side, but the footsteps had almost reached the
room. She had no time.
In a flash, Nancy scrambled under the huge antique
four-poster bed with its unmade bedcovers draping
over the sides. Thank goodness Paul's a slob, Nancy
thought. The blankets and sheets should keep me out
of sight.
The footsteps pounded into the bedroom and
stopped by the bureau. Peeking out from under a
heavy blanket, Nancy could see someone's legs from
the knees down. Those are definitely Paul's blue jeans
and boots, she decided.
Bureau drawers opened and shut in quick succes-
sion, and Paul's face briefly appeared in Nancy's view
as he kneeled to open the bottom one. “Where on
earth are those radio collars?” he muttered peevishly
before slamming the drawer shut. Nancy barely had
time to wonder what he meant when he dashed out of
the room.
Nancy took a breath. She waited until his footsteps
thudded down the stairs to the first floor before daring
to squirm from her hiding place.
Nancy tiptoed out of Paul's room and quietly re-
turned to the first floor. Bess was sitting in the living
room, sipping late morning coffee and chatting with
Dexter around the fire.
“My dad went off skiing at the crack of dawn,”
Dexter was telling Bess. “He never gets tired, even
when he doesn't get much sleep, like last night. I'm
glad I slept late, though,” he added, a blush stealing
across his boyish features, “because it's nice hanging
around here with you.”
Bess shot Dexter a sideways grin. “Ditto,” she
murmured. “But I hope I didn't spoil your morning by
giving you the bad news about the puppies.”
“You? Spoil my morning?” Dexter exclaimed, staring
at Bess incredulously. “No way!”
Nancy cleared her throat, and Dexter and Bess spun
around.
“Sorry to interrupt you guys,” Nancy said. “But did
you see Paul come downstairs?”
“Yeah, he went out the front door in a major rush,”
Dexter said, blushing again when he realized that he
and Bess had been overheard.
“Are the Marshalls still in their suite?” Nancy asked.
“All three are in the kitchen making lunch,” Bess
said, “and George went upstairs to put on ski clothes.”
“Okay, thanks, guys.” Nancy headed toward the
kitchen and pushed open the swinging door. “Hi,” she
said to the Marshalls, who were hurrying around the
kitchen putting lunch together. “I hope you don't mind
if I barge in here, but I have a question.”
“Feel free to barge in wherever you want, Nancy,”
Alice said, laying out freshly sliced turkey and French
bread on a platter. “After all, you're helping us find
Rainbow and the pups, and you'll need to ask us
questions sometimes. No matter how busy John and I
get, this case comes first. So what's your question?”
“I just wondered what a radio collar is,” Nancy said.
John frowned. “A radio collar? Why do you want to
know that?”
“Uh, I was flipping through a magazine on wolves,
and it mentioned one,” Nancy fudged, wanting to keep
her encounter with Paul secret for now.
“Oh,” John said. “Well, when wolves are reintro-
duced to a territory, scientists keep tabs on them by
using radio collars. Those are collars with a tracking
device in them. If you put one on a tranquilized wolf
and set the animal free, scientists can track where the
wolf is as it roams in the wild. The scientists can tell if
the wolf is still alive and whether it's staying within its
territory.”
Hmm, Nancy thought, could Paul want to put a
radio collar on Rainbow and the puppies so he can
track them in the wild? If so, then he must still be
holding them somewhere.
Nancy suddenly felt hopeful. As long as the wolves
were still alive and in captivity, there was a chance
she'd be able to find them.
Alice poured oil and vinegar over a large green
salad, then glanced at Nancy. “I encouraged George
and Bess to go sk
iing this afternoon, and I think you
should go with them, Nancy. The sun is out, and
there's lots of fresh powder on the slopes. The condi-
tions at Elk Mountain will be perfect. And please don't
worry about the case. Taking a break from it might
refresh your mind and help you think about it more
clearly.”
“You came to Wyoming to do winter sports, so go for
it, Nancy,” Jenny chimed in.
Nancy smiled appreciatively. Jenny and Alice are
right, she thought. I could definitely use a break.
After lunch John helped Nancy, George, and Bess
pack their ski equipment in one of his Jeeps. “This is an
extra vehicle that I lend to guests,” he explained. “For
your information, the roads have been plowed since
eight this morning. Snowstorms are no big deal in these
parts—we mountain folk are always ready for them.”
The girls thanked John, then hopped into the Jeep
with Nancy driving. Alice had already given them
directions to Elk Mountain, which was just on the
other side of Montrose.
Heading back toward town on the same road they'd
driven on yesterday, Nancy drew in a deep, relaxing
breath. It's awesome to be in these mountains after a
big snow, she thought—I can't wait to get out on the
slopes.
Nancy slowed the Jeep as she came to a curve. Half-
way around it, piles of snow-covered junk suddenly
replaced the beautiful landscape. “Rusty's place!” she
exclaimed. “I'd forgotten what a shock the sight of it
is.”
“You're not kidding, Nan,” George said, shaking her
head as she sat beside Nancy in the front seat. “Total
gross-out is more like it.”
“That guy must spend every moment of his life
collecting junk,” Bess declared in an awed tone.
As soon as Rusty's place was out of sight behind the
curve, Nancy pulled onto the shoulder of the road and
stopped the Jeep. “What are you doing, Nancy?” Bess
and George asked in unison.
She arched a brow at her friends. “Who feels like
helping me search Rusty's property for Rainbow?” she
asked, unsnapping her seat belt.
“You've got to be kidding, Nancy!” Bess exclaimed,
horrified. “Rusty's the craziest person I've ever seen.
He'll shoot us for sure if he catches us snooping. Plus,
my turquoise parka will stand out against the snow—
and so will your dark one, Nan. We'll be like sitting