Sinister Paradise (12 page)

“That, and a court order.” Tim patted his parcel. “Let's go to work.”

They set up shop in the main stateroom. Tim unwrapped the package to reveal a tangle of wires, two plastic components, and a tape recorder. After checking the components, he hooked up the tape recorder to the boat's cordless telephone. Meanwhile, Martin looped the
smaller wires over Nancy's head. She concealed them under her collar.

Ned picked up a small plastic component. “What is this thing?”

“A miniaturized tape recorder,” Martin explained as Nancy clipped it inside the waistband of her slacks. “The other one's a transponder—it emits a constant radio signal. Helps us keep track of you at all times.” He stood up. “There! You're wired, Nancy.”

With the others at her heels, Nancy headed for the cordless phone. She tapped out the number of the Faulkner estate.

“Hello?” Alice sounded subdued.

“Mrs. Faulkner, it's Nancy Drew. Listen, you mustn't do what that note says. You mustn't sell those shares.”

“But, Nancy, if it's the only way to save Lisa—”

“If you do it, they'll kill Lisa!” Nancy interrupted. “Once they have your shares, they won't need Lisa anymore. Don't you see?”

The older woman sobbed quietly. “What—what can I do, then?”

“Don't do anything for the next ten hours,” Nancy pleaded. “Just please—please give me ten more hours to bring Lisa home.”

“All right.” Alice sighed deeply. “What you have in mind—will it save Lisa?”

“It's our only chance, Mrs. Faulkner. Now, one other favor. Take the phone off the hook.
Don't talk to anyone from the bank. No one! Not even the top brass.” She licked her lips nervously.
“Especially
the top brass! Okay? I'll be back with Lisa in a few hours.”

As soon as Mrs. Faulkner hung up, Nancy dialed the number of Lester Jarman's estate. Moments later, Lester's whispery voice came on the line.

“Nancy Drew! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Mr. Jarman, I am very close to nailing the Malihini Corporation. I thought you might be interested.”

“I'm always interested in the Malihini Corporation.” Nancy could see him at the other end of the line, leaning forward, eager to close another secret deal. “What have you got to trade, Nancy?”

“I picked up this little item a while ago.” Nancy pulled the bearer bond out of her shoulder bag. “I called Mrs. Faulkner to ask her about it, but she's not home. It looks like a deed or something. There's a picture of your bank, and it says, “Pay to the bearer fifty thousand dollars.' ”

“A bearer bond!” Lester exclaimed. “It must be one of the bonds Lisa took from our vault. Where did you find it?”

“A surfer gave it to me.” Nancy said, lying. She did not have to fake the excitement in her voice. “There's something on the back. Looks like handwriting.”

“What does it say?” Lester gasped.

“That's just it. I can't read it. There's been some water damage.”

“Water damage?”

“No matter,” Nancy added. “We'll soon find out if it's Lisa's handwriting.”

Confused, Lester replied, “How? You said you couldn't read it.”

“I can't read it, Mr. Jarman, but the Honolulu police can. They can put it under ultraviolet light. Who knows? Maybe Lisa tried to tell us where she is.” Nancy winked at her friends. “I'm going to the police station in a little while. Would you call Mrs. Faulkner and ask her to meet me there?”

“Nancy, this is splendid!” the old man cackled. “You did the right thing in calling me. Indeed you did.” His voice turned thick. “I suppose you'll want some money for your trouble.”

Nancy scowled. Perhaps Lester Jarman had never broken any laws, but he was a crook at heart!

“I'll get back to you,” Nancy said sweetly, then hung up.

Martin was doubled over with laughter. “Nancy, that was one of the best con jobs I've heard. You had him all the way!”

But Bess looked bewildered. “Nancy, I don't understand. Why did you call Mr. Jarman?”

“I need Lester Jarman to spread a rumor for
me,” Nancy explained. “Jarman won't keep it to himself. He'll call Alice first. But she's not home. He'll get frustrated. He
has
to check it out! So he'll call the bank. I'm betting he talks to one of them—Rafferty, Kaimonsaki, or Sorenson. They'll want to know why he's calling. Jarman will have to tell them about that bearer bond with the handwriting on it.”

Ned's eyes flickered in understanding. “I get it now. The culprit knows Lisa was at the beach!”

“Exactly!” Nancy nodded. “And their imagination will do the rest. They can't be certain that Lisa didn't leave a bearer bond with a surfer.”

“How does that help us?” asked Bess.

“Jarman will tell them I'm taking it to the police,” Nancy replied, leaning against the helm. “Don't you get it? The Malihini Corporation has to stop me
before
I can get there. They have to come after me right now!”

George grimaced worriedly. “Nancy, you set yourself up as a target!”

Nancy shook her head. “They won't come here, George. They'll try to separate me from you. Then they'll make their move.”

“All we can do now is sit and wait.” Martin pulled a pack of worn cards out of his pocket. “Anyone for gin rummy?”

They started a game of cards around the galley table, but no one could concentrate. Finally Bess threw her hand in. “Nancy! This is killing me! What if you're wrong?”

“I'm not, Bess.” Nancy rotated her shoulders, trying to ease the tension. “They have to grab that bearer bond before I get it to the police. The way I figure it, somebody will call and suggest that I bring it to the bank first. But it'll be a setup. Once I leave the boat, they'll grab me.”

“But we'll be able to follow using the transponder,” Tim added.

As Bess mulled it over, understanding blossomed on her face. Her gaze flitted to the cordless phone. She swallowed hard. “Then—then the person who calls is the
killer
!”

Nancy smiled wryly. “Not necessarily a killer, Bess. The culprit could always—”

Suddenly the phone cut loose with a loud ring.

Nancy picked it up. “Hello?”

“Hello, Nancy.” The voice was smooth and calm. “Amy Sorenson here. I thought we might have a little chat.”

W
HAT CAN
I do for you, Ms. Sorenson?” Nancy asked pleasantly.

“I've had some rather startling news. Are you alone?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Good.” Amy sounded relieved. “Lester Jarman told me about that bearer bond. I don't mean to tell you your business, Nancy, but I really think you should bring it here to the bank. It should be under lock and key.”

“I agree, Ms. Sorenson. In fact, I was just about to call the police.”

“Good idea. There's a safe in my office. Why don't you bring your evidence here and lock it
up? Then no one can touch it until the police arrive.”

Nancy feigned reluctance. “Well, I don't know . . .”

“Look, I'll send my limo right over. You call the police and ask them to meet you here.”

“Sounds good to me, Ms. Sorenson. Where shall I meet you?”

“Oh, I won't be coming. Just look for my car—a beige limousine. My chauffeur, Ramon, will meet you right in front of the marina. Please be careful, Nancy.”

“I will. Thanks.” She hung up.

Martin ran a quick check on the minirecorder. It worked perfectly. Nancy clipped the transponder to a barrette and put it in her hair.

Ned and the cops followed her onto the deck. Tim said, “We'll be standing by, Nancy. If anyone makes a move to grab you, we'll bust them. Understand?”

Nancy nodded vigorously.

Ned's hand closed around her wrist. “Nancy . . .”

She turned to face him. “I have to do this, Ned.”

“I know.” Ned's lips brushed her forehead. “Lisa's out there, and she desperately needs help. Still—” All at once, he crushed Nancy to him. “I love you. Always have. Always will. Come back to me.”

“I will. I promise.”

Minutes later Nancy stood at the marina entrance, watching the traffic roll down the boulevard. Every sound seemed unnaturally loud. The rustle of palm fronds. The
chop-slosh
of waves against the beach.

Got to keep alert, Nancy thought. They'll try to grab me soon. This is the perfect time to do it—when I'm all alone.

Long, tense minutes passed. Then a beige Lincoln took the corner into the parking lot. Nancy caught a glimpse of the driver, a broad-shouldered man in a chauffeur's cap.

He rolled down the passenger window. “Ms. Drew, I'm Ramon Montanaro, Ms. Sorenson's driver. Hop in.”

As Nancy opened the rear door, she noticed a pair of nylon-clad legs. Amy Sorenson's navy blue linen suit made her nearly invisible in the gloom of the back seat.

As she sat down, Nancy smoothed the back of her skirt. Her fingertips brushed the minirecorder, switching it on.

The driver did a three-point turn, pumped the gas pedal, and sent the limo speeding back onto the boulevard.

All smiles, Amy remarked, “Mind if I have a look at that bond? I can tell right off if it belonged to Diana.”

After taking it out of her shoulder bag, Nancy handed it over. Eyes agleam, Amy studied the document, then flipped it over. Astonishment
washed over her face. “What is this? There's no message on this thing!”

Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Amy froze at the harsh sound. Nancy looked down at the woman's leather purse. “Aren't you going to answer it?”

Amy's mouth tightened. She said nothing.

“This reminds me of last night at Mr. Jarman's,” Nancy observed. “You didn't want me to see your beeper then, either. Go ahead and answer it, Ms. Sorenson. I already know it's a Higashi.”

Amy clutched the purse to her chest.

“The beeper's listed on the shipping manifest—the one you hid inside that bearer bond,” Nancy added. “There's no need to pretend anymore.
You're
the Malihini Corporation.”

With an ironic sigh, Amy reached into her purse, withdrew the beeper, and flicked it off. “I'll bet it's Ross. I knew he'd panic when he found his limo missing. I told him I was on my way to the Faulkner estate.”

Nancy frowned. “It's all over, Ms. Sorenson. Tell me where Lisa is.”

“Indulge
my
curiosity first.” Amy tossed her hair insolently. “How did you know it was me?”

“The pieces were all there,” Nancy explained. “It was just a matter of putting them all together. You're Diana's financial advisor. You knew she rarely went into the vault, so you kept all your Malihini stuff in her safety deposit box. Then Lisa cleaned it out. You panicked. Using your
Malihini Corporation front, you hired Wally Cerrado to find her.” She took a quick breath. “After reading those documents, Lisa realized that you were the brains behind the Malihini Corporation. She came to you and offered to sell the documents.”

Amy said nothing.

“You arranged for Lisa to stay at the Ka Lae. Then you heard that Mrs. Faulkner had hired me. So you set up that booby-trapped car scheme,” Nancy continued. “When that failed, you sent Wally after me. But that's where you made your big mistake, Ms. Sorenson.”

Confused, Amy stared at her.

“When I got to Honolulu, I had to sign for the car at Sunrise Rentals. I listed everyone in my party—myself, Ned Nickerson, Bess Marvin, and
George Fayne
. Sunrise sent a copy of that to the Malihini Corporation. When you read the names, you, quite naturally, thought George was a guy. Later, you passed on that bit of misinformation to Wally Cerrado when you sent him to spy on me. Wally was pretty surprised when I introduced him to George.” She glanced sharply at the woman. “But not as surprised as
you
were! I wondered why you reacted that way at Mrs. Faulkner's. You were really shocked to find out that George Fayne is a girl,” Nancy added. “After that, it was a process of elimination. The Malihini Corporation had to be either you, Ross, or Mitsuo. I knew it couldn't have been Ross or
Mitsuo. They had met George the day we visited the bank. That left you.”

“Very astute, Nancy.” Amy's face seemed hewn from ice. “Now what?”

Nancy looked her in the eye. “Just tell me where Lisa is.”

“Not a chance!”

“Have it your way, then.” Nancy tapped the chauffeur's shoulder. “Forget the bank, Ramon. Take us back to the marina. There're a couple of detectives there who'd like to talk to Ms. Sorenson.

Thump!
The rear doors locked automatically. Nancy grabbed the door lever. It wouldn't budge!

“His name is Lew, and he works for me,” Amy said, flashing a wicked smile. She took a small automatic pistol from the driver and leveled it at Nancy. “So you want to find Lisa, eh? I think we can arrange that.”