Fatal Ransom (9 page)

Nancy had just decided it was time to quit and contact Lance again. She was heading for one of the mall exits when she saw George and the guy with the Mohawk walking hand in hand into the fast-food restaurant about ten feet from Nancy.

Her heart pounding, Nancy fell into step behind them. Once she was inside she pretended to scrutinize the overhead menu, all the while unobtrusively moving closer to George and her new “friend.”

“Let's get something to drink, Sam,” she heard George say. “I'm dry after being on that bike all afternoon.” Sam agreed.

Nancy made her way to the closest food server. “Small cola, please,” she said. George and Sam were right behind her.

“Hang on a minute,” Nancy said to the waitress. “I know my wallet's here somewhere.” Actually she knew exactly where it was, but she wanted to make sure George had seen her.

“Hey, hurry up, will you?” said Sam in back of her. “My girlfriend's thirsty.”

“Oh, I'm sorry—wait—oh, here it is!” Nancy produced the wallet with a flourish, then turned around and flashed Sam a big smile. “Sorry,” she said. “You know how it is sometimes.”

“Sure I do—for morons like you,” Sam answered.

George burst into exaggerated laughter. She was practically doubled over, laughing so hard she couldn't see—and then she crashed into Nancy and knocked Nancy's soda onto the floor.

“Oh!” she gasped. “Sorry.” She grabbed some napkins and started wiping up the spill.

“Why bother?” asked Sam. “It wasn't your fault—it was hers for getting in the way!”

Nancy knew something was going on. But she didn't know what until, under one of the napkins, George slipped her a note.

Surprised, Nancy fumbled for a second. The note fell to the floor, and she quickly reached down to pick it up.

But before her hand could get to the note, a big dirty tennis shoe with no laces slid across the top of it.

Nancy didn't need to look up. She knew Sam had seen the whole thing. He picked up the note and put it in his shirt pocket. Quietly and
without making a scene, he grabbed George by the arm and with his other hand encircled Nancy's wrist.

Through clenched teeth and a fake smile, he looked at them and said, “What's going on here?”

G
EORGE LOOKED TOO
shocked to speak. Nancy figured they'd be better off if George stayed out of it.

“That's exactly what I'd like to know. What is going on here?” Nancy said. Her voice was loud and demanding, and she saw that the sheer force of her determination made George revive a little.

Nancy glared at George. “You clumsy idiot.” She was making a big thing of brushing off her skirt and wiping the sticky soda off her hands. “You punks are all alike. Think you own this mall. I would like to shop here, but animals like
you are the reason
real
people are staying away from this place in droves.”

“Yeah? Well, why don't you go join your drove?” Sam asked.

“Oh, forget it,” said George. “This goody-goody preppy is not worth wasting our time on. Let's not let her wreck the day any more than she already has.” She took Sam's arm. “She's really made a mess of everything,” she said, looking down at her feet. “If she'd been watching where she was going, I wouldn't have gotten soda on my stockings.”

Sam looked down at the soda splattered on George's ankles. “You going to pay to have those cleaned?” he asked Nancy.

Nancy snickered. “Have stockings cleaned? What a stupid thing to say.” She wrinkled her nose at George. “Anyway, they were probably filthy to begin with.”

“Let's just forget our drinks and go,” George said, trying to pull Sam away with her. “She's a loser.”

“You're right, babe,” Sam said. “The place is full of them.”

Sam grabbed George's arm and started to walk away.

He still had the note in his pocket! “Just a minute, please,” said Nancy, trying not to sound too urgent. “I want my grocery list back.”

“Now what are you talking about?” asked Sam.

“The list I dropped on the floor. The one you put your big dirty foot on.”

Sam suddenly looked suspicious.

“I'm going to call mall security if you don't give it back right now,” Nancy said. For a second she wondered what would happen if she ran into Lester Mathers again. “Come on. Cough it up.”

The look in George's eyes was unmistakable. Nancy knew George would be in big trouble if anyone else read that note.

“Give her the list, babe,” George whined. “And let's get out of here. She's getting on my head in a very bad way.”

Sam threw George an angry glance. “I don't let my girlfriends tell me what to do!” he growled. “The sooner you learn that, the better.” He took a deep breath and turned back to Nancy.

“Go ahead—call mall security. Call the police. Call the National Guard if you want. I'm not giving it back.” He yanked on George's arm and looked back over his shoulder at Nancy. “Make yourself a new list, mighty mouth. You're not getting this one.” He patted his pocket and grinned at her.

Nancy saw terror fill George's eyes again as the two walked away. What could she do?

She couldn't really go to mall security. Lester Mathers wouldn't buy another one of her stories, especially when she wasn't sure he'd bought the first one. And pressing Sam any further had to be a mistake.

He seemed to forget about the note until I asked for it, Nancy thought. Maybe he'll forget about it again. Maybe George can figure out a way to get it back.

Nancy dropped back and followed George and Sam through the mall. With every step she became more worried about George. What was going to happen if Sam did read the note? Nancy was sure George had been trying to tell her something about the kidnapping—and even George wouldn't be able to come up with a decent story this time.

Nancy crept along behind the pair, then suddenly stopped. George and Sam had halted just a few feet ahead of her.

They were talking to the big guy who'd been on the tape—the one who'd been talking to Sam and Hal. Seen in person, he looked like Goliath—big, mean, and dumb. Nancy inched a little closer, keeping her face away from the trio, and pretended to be window-shopping.

In a few seconds Amy Tyler had joined the group. Uh-huh, Lance was right, Nancy thought. Amy
is
in on the kidnapping.

But as she kept her eye on the group, she
began to wonder if that was really true. Amy seemed to be asking the boys something. She looked as if she was begging, in fact. And they weren't telling her what she wanted to hear.

Amy started yelling at the big guy, but Nancy couldn't understand what she was saying. She did see her wave her arms agitatedly in the air. Suddenly the big guy stepped forward and shoved her—hard. Amy reeled backward and fell to the ground. George bent to help her up, but Sam angrily yanked George back.

George looked wildly around her. Was she trying to find Nancy?

If only I were closer! Nancy thought. If only I could hear them—or at least let George know I haven't abandoned her!

But she knew she had to resist the temptation to move closer. If any one of the three kids with George saw her, it would be disastrous for George, for Nancy, and most of all for Hal.

Amy had struggled to her feet by then and was talking in a more subdued way to Sam and the other guy. Now it looked as if all four of them were going to leave together.

They were headed for the exit when Sam suddenly stopped. He stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out the note George had tried to give Nancy.

“This is it,” Nancy whispered. “I've got to help her!”

Keeping her eyes glued on Sam, she positioned herself in back of a group of girls who were moving in George's direction. She hoped they'd conceal her until she got close enough.

Sam took Goliath to one side and opened the note. By this time Nancy was close enough to see all she needed. Sam's and Goliath's faces turned white, then red. Nancy couldn't tell whether their expressions were ones of horror, fear, or just plain rage.

Amy strode up to the two guys. She looked as if she were demanding to know what was going on. That was when Goliath shoved her down again, but this time George ran over to Amy and picked her up.

Nancy didn't want to see Amy get hurt, but the move was just what she needed to get closer. A crowd was beginning to gather around Amy and George. But just before Nancy could join it, Sam grabbed George's arm, Goliath grabbed Amy's, and the two guys dragged the girls outside.

Nancy raced to the exit. They couldn't get away! She couldn't let them hurt George! She and her friends had been in some tough situations before, but this time she'd gotten George in over her head. If only I'd figured out a way to handle it myself! she thought.

Nancy dashed out the exit and into the dusky light. George was standing right in front of
her—and George looked as if she were about to faint.

Nancy didn't have time to ask, “Are you all right?” A sharp blow landed on the back of her head. And she heard George scream as her world went black.

S
OMEWHERE THERE WAS
a light that was much too bright. Nancy groaned and slowly opened her eyes, narrowing them immediately into slits. The light came from a bare bulb in a dirty ceiling overhead, and Nancy was lying on the floor just under it.

She sat up, rubbed her throbbing temples, and surveyed her surroundings. George was lying on the floor next to her, and Amy Tyler was in a chair across from them. It looked as though they were in a small apartment—the filthiest, most depressing apartment Nancy had ever seen.

“Are you all right?” whispered George.

Nancy nodded.

Sam must have heard them. He crossed the room in three steps and stood above them menacingly.

He was holding a gun.

“All right,” he said. “I want to know what kind of game you three are playing. If you know what's good for you, you'll talk.” Slowly he swiveled the gun so it pointed at each of them in turn.

But before any of the girls could speak, he added, “It's all over. You know that, don't you? Whatever your game is, it's all over now.”

George straightened up and threw him a longing look. “I'm not playing a game, Sam!” she said tearfully. She turned to stare at Nancy and Amy. “I don't know who these two are. I've never seen them before today!”

“No?” Sam said. “Then what about that note? You remember that little thing—the note telling where Hal was? How'd that happen to drop on the floor at your feet?”

“I wish I knew. Believe me, I wish I knew,” said George.

“Someone gave it to me,” Nancy said firmly.

But they hadn't been planning on Amy's reaction. She jumped out of her chair, slapping Sam's gun out of her way, and bent over George.

“You're a fool,” she told Sam. “And I'm one too.” She grabbed George's face and pushed her hair back. “I knew she looked familiar!” she said. “And this girl is a friend of hers.”

Sam trained the gun on Nancy. Without moving, he asked, “Who is she?”

“A friend of Monica Sloane's, Lance Colson's girlfriend.”

Sam's gun hand was trembling. Nancy didn't know if it was from nerves or anger. Whatever the reason, she did know that his trembling hand was far more dangerous than a steady one.

He was staring down at George now. “I thought you liked me,” he said. “I thought we could be something special together.”

“We still can be,” pleaded George.

“Shut up!” Sam shouted, turning the gun in her direction. “You didn't like me. You never liked me. You just wanted to find out about Hal Colson!”

Nancy's pulse quickened. They had to find a way out of there before Sam hurt somebody. His hand was trembling more with each passing second, and sweat was pouring off his face.