Recipe for Murder (11 page)

Holding Ned in his gunsights, Paul Slesak
stretched one arm out toward the pictures in Nancy's hands. “Thank you for retrieving my recipes for me. Now, hand them over,” he said coldly. “Unless you want to say goodbye to your friend here”—his finger tightened on the trigger—“forever.”

T
IE THEM UP
!” Slesak called over his shoulder, and Slesak's mysterious friend from the night before lumbered into the room, closing the door behind him.

He snatched the photographs from Nancy's hand, yanked out a coil of tough, narrow rope from inside his jacket, and bound her hands so hard and fast that her fingers started to go numb instantly.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What's going on?”

The heavyset man smiled as he tied up Bess
and George, showing off a pair of flat, even teeth. “We're just a couple of guys trying to make a living.”

“Shut up, Colville!” Slesak commanded.

“What's with the recipes?” Nancy asked. “What kind of information have you got hidden there?”

Colville couldn't quite hide his surprise. His jaw slackened. But Slesak said, “You are grossly mistaken, Ms. Drew.” He lowered his gun as Colville bound Ned's hands behind his back.

Nancy spoke up quickly, “I think not. I think there's more to these recipes than meets the eye. Why else would you want them so badly?” she asked.

“I am only taking what is rightfully mine,” Slesak told her. “Look elsewhere for your thief.”

“So you're the good guys, huh?” Ned asked. “How come I don't believe that?”

“Gag him,” Slesak ordered Colville. “And the others too.”

“What are you going to do with us?” Bess asked tremulously.

“I have not decided yet.”

Nancy suddenly spied a manila envelope poking out from Slesak's jacket pocket. It was the envelope from Jacques's office. “You already stole them back!” she said.

“Now I have all the copies. And I am afraid your fate is sealed.”

Slesak signaled with his gun. After checking
the hall, Colville shoved Nancy and her friends out the door. Nancy walked as slowly as she could. If only someone would come along!

“Hurry up,” Slesak growled. Colville forced the four down the many flights of stairs and into the pitch-black night. Nancy dragged her feet, trying to buy time.

They skirted the main hotel and parking lot and were herded toward a narrow side street. A gray van with a broken taillight was parked on the corner. A van with a broken taillight? Nancy thought. Claude DuPres had nearly been run over by a van like that!

“Tie their feet,” Slesak ordered, and Colville dumped each of them in the back and did as instructed. Just before the van door rattled closed, Nancy got a quick glimpse of a barren, closed-in rectangle.

Nancy scooted toward the front of the van where a wall separated the cab from the back. It was so dark that she couldn't make out anything. She struggled to sit upright. The engine fired, and the van trembled beneath her.

As the van picked up speed, Nancy became certain they were on a highway. The first thing to do was get rid of her bonds. She tried to remember if there was anything—some little hook or sharp-edged piece of metal—in the van. Her one glimpse hadn't been sufficient to show her.

The van turned off the highway and began twisting down another road. Traffic noise diminished.
They were moving away from civilization! Nancy struggled even harder to loosen the rope around her wrists. Her mouth was as dry as sand.

She had been so involved with her escape that at first she didn't realize the dull hum coming through the wall of the van was conversation. Colville and Slesak were talking to each other.

Nancy pressed her ear to the wall. She could only make out snatches of their conversation.

“I'm worried about being found out,” Colville said hotly. “These are just kids!”

“You knew the risks when you got into this.” Slesak's voice was hard. “Shut up and drive.”

Colville's voice lowered, and Nancy had to strain to catch just a few of his words. She thought she heard him say, “A double cross . . . not going to like it . . . Information worth millions to the right political party!”

Nancy's eyes widened. Political party? Slesak and Colville
were
involved in the transfer of classified information!
Stolen
classified information, no doubt. The pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to fall into place!

What seemed like hours went by. Nancy was beginning to think they were driving across the entire state. Then there was a sudden surge of acceleration and the van leapt forward. It seemed to coast for a moment, then the engine sputtered and died.

Nancy expected the rear doors to open. She was surprised when nothing happened. Silence
surrounded her. Then she heard a ripping sound. “I've got my gag off!” Ned said. “My hands are free. I worked the ropes loose.”

His hands groped across her face, and he jerked off her gag. Nancy's tongue felt like dried leather. “Ned, they're selling political secrets! I heard Slesak say—” She broke off in a gasp as a gush of ice-cold water soaked her feet and legs. “What's that?”

“Water,” Ned said tersely. He worked feverishly to untie her. Then they both rushed over to Bess and George. The van was starting to sway back and forth.

“It's freezing! We must be in a river or something!” Bess cried as soon as her gag was off.

The swaying motion continued. Nancy went cold inside. “We're sinking,” she whispered to herself.

“We're trapped in here.” George's voice drifted toward Nancy in the darkness. Nancy could hear the panic beneath her words.

“I'm going to kick the door open,” Ned said through his teeth. “Get ready.”

“We're not going to make it,” Bess said fearfully. “We're all going to die.”

“Shhh!” Nancy reprimanded her sharply. “We're going to be fine.”

Ned kicked the door furiously. At first it didn't budge. Nancy bit her lip. If he didn't get it open, they had no chance. She could feel water swirling halfway up her calves.

Bam!
With a final hard kick the doors flew open. A torrent of water burst inside. It was over their heads!

Nancy flailed her arms, gasping for air. The van was sinking, and they were all going down with it!

N
ANCY TRIED TO
call Ned, but water filled her throat. She coughed and choked. She lost her sandals as she kicked through the water. Her lungs were bursting. Her fingers clawed along the sides of the van. She would never get out. Never!

Then her head surfaced for just an instant. Water was bubbling and swirling inside the van. She saw Bess's blond head and tried to reach for her.

“Bess!” Nancy called, but Bess had sunk beneath
the water. Of all of them, Bess was the weakest swimmer.

Nancy's hand suddenly connected with the edge of the van door. She heaved herself outside and kicked up. Her head broke water and she drew a huge breath.

“Nancy!” she heard someone call.

“George!” she cried. “Bess is in the van!”

“I've got Bess,” George yelled. “I got her out!”

“Nancy!” This time it was Ned who called her name. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She coughed again. Her arms ached. The shore seemed a long distance away.

Ned's head was bobbing several yards away. “I'm going to help George with Bess,” he called. “Can you make it to shore?”

“No problem.”

Nancy glanced at the shore. She treaded water, trying to conserve her energy. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and stroked. Take it easy, she told herself. Don't hurry. Don't panic. She swam cleanly, wasting no effort. You can make it, she told herself over and over again.

Her arms were starting to give out, so she rolled over and floated on her back, staring up at the starlit sky. They were in a huge lake, she realized. A lake as big as a sea.

Turning over again, she pulled herself through the water. At last her toe touched gravel. She
surfaced, coughing and sputtering. “I made it!” she shouted.

“Great!” Ned called back. “We'll be right there.”

A bubbling over to her right was the last sign Nancy had of the sinking van. She thanked her lucky stars the air trapped inside the back of the van had kept it afloat as long as it had.

“Where are we?” George asked as she and Bess and Ned swam up to Nancy.

“Well—” Nancy made a face. “It's a big lake, and we drove a long way. I have no idea where we are.”

Bess got to her feet. “Let's get going. Wherever we're going.”

They struck off down the highway. Nancy had to bite her lip to keep from complaining about her bare feet. She was shivering even though the night was warm, and her clothes felt stiff and sticky.

“Need someone to keep you warm?” Ned asked, putting his arm around her.

“What I wouldn't do for a bike,” Nancy answered.

“What I wouldn't do for a car,” Bess moaned.

“What about some talk?” Ned asked. “Nancy, you said something about political secrets.”

“I think Slesak's private recipes are actually a code for the transfer of political secrets.”

“What?” George stared at her. “How do you figure that?”

“Slesak and Colville were talking about it. Colville was worried. He talked about getting money for their political secrets.”

“Really?” Bess said. “What has that got to do with Slesak's wanting to run the cooking school?”

“I think it's his cover. After all, he
is
a chef. A cooking school would be a perfect cover.”

“Where does Jacques Bonet fit into all of this?” George put in. “I mean, why did he steal the recipes from Slesak? He must have known what was going on.”

“Yes, he must have,” Nancy agreed quietly. “I'll have to figure out what he's up to.”

• • •

It was nearly dawn before they found their way to a major highway. “Civilization!” Ned shouted when headlights finally came toward them. He waved frantically, and Nancy, Bess, and George did the same.

The car slowed down and stopped. The woman on the passenger's side rolled down her window. She looked them over. “Are you all right?” she asked nervously.

Nancy glanced at her friends. They were a sorry sight. “We had a little accident,” Nancy explained.

“I'm afraid we don't have room for you,” the woman said. “But we'll stop at the nearest phone and call the police.”

“Thanks.”

Nancy watched them drive off.

“Think they'll really do it?” Ned asked.

“I hope so,” Nancy said.

They had barely traveled half a mile when a state patrolman picked them up. He took them to the nearest police station, where they told the story of their kidnapping.

“We'll put out an APB for Slesak and Colville right away,” one of the officers assured them.

“Is there any way we can get back to our hotel today?” Bess asked hopefully.

He smiled. “Arrangements are already being made.”

They barely had time to offer their thanks before another officer drove them back to the Westerly. Exhaustion overtook them as soon as they entered the hotel and returned to their rooms to tumble into bed. It's Sunday, Nancy thought as she laid her head on her pillow. Sunday, July twenty-ninth. Now why does that seem important?

She was asleep before she could come up with the answer.

• • •

Someone was knocking on her door. Then her door unlatched. “Oh, pardon me. It's room service.
You don't have your Do Not Disturb sign out.” The door closed again.

Then Nancy awoke with a start. “July twenty-ninth!” she said. She tossed off her blankets and glanced at the clock. It was after noon. “Oh, no!” She banged her fist on the connecting door to George and Bess's room. “Wake up! Wake up!” she called. “Hurry! I've thought of something!”