Carolyn Keene - An Instinct for Trouble

"I wonder if that's where they really are," Nancy said, then explained that she'd gotten mattresses and sleeping bags from Martin but had to go back for the tent. "I'll drop you off at the campsite first," she went on a little tensely. "I want you to keep track of the professor."

Fifteen minutes later Nancy watched Bess trudge up the path to the campsite, two sleeping bags slung over her shoulder and a suitcase in her left hand.

Back at the ranger station. Nancy found a very grim Martin Robbins. "I checked out the other references those clowns gave," he reported. "Every one of them a fake. They're out of here first thing Monday morning whether you turn up anything against them or not. My next job will be to find out how they got through the hiring process in the first place. The system is supposed to prevent this kind of thing."

"This place is deserted," Bess told Nancy back at the campsite. "Everyone went off to the feeding stations to pack up."

"What about Trainey?" Nancy asked.

"That's the weird thing," Bess replied. "I went up to the command post a while ago and noticed the professor riming through a stack of photos. When he got to one of them, he got livid. I mean, his face turned bright red and he stalked off to his tent, then hopped into a Jeep and blew out of here." She stared at her friend. "What do you think it means?"

"I have no idea," Nancy replied.

"Jack acted strange, too," Bess continued, frowning. "I asked him to help me feed Spike, but he brushed me off. I don't understand it. Just last night he was saying he could get really serious about me and today you'd think I had the plague."

"I don't know quite how to say this," Nancy said slowly, "but Jack has been more or less flirting with me, too."

"Really?" Bess's eyes grew round with surprise.

Nancy nodded.

Bess was silent for a long time. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she shook her head and angrily wiped them away. Finally she said, "You must think I'm a real idiot, falling for such a total phony. He was faking his interest in me the whole time, wasn't he?"

Nancy shook her head. "He's very convincing,"-she said. "And maybe he is sincere in a way. He may be one of those guys who doesn't feel good about himself unless he's got somebody falling in love with him. So he convinces himself that the lines he's passing out are true."

Bess straightened up, then put on a smile. "Believe me, from now on I'm staying away from him."

"Come on, Bess," Nancy said to change the subject. "This is the perfect opportunity to search Trainey's tent."

Bess became alarmed. "But he might come back at any time!"

"You can stand outside and keep watch."

"Well-okay," Bess said reluctantly.

The two girls walked across the campground that was half packed already. Nancy looked at the piles of boxes with a feeling of urgency. She had to get to the bottom of things before time ran out.

While Bess stood guard in front of Trainey's tent. Nancy slipped inside. There was a sleeping bag spread out atop an army cot, a single, well-worn suitcase, and a folding table with a laptop computer. Nancy knelt down and opened the suitcase, but all it contained were clean, neatly folded clothes. She turned her attention to a few papers next to the computer, which turned out to be notes for a report on the project.

Trainey's green coat and floppy green hat were lying on the cot. Nancy picked them up and felt through the coat pockets. In the inside pocket was an envelope that contained a single photograph. It was too dark to make it out. She put the coat and hat back the way they had been and hurried outside.

"What is it?" Bess demanded. "Did you find something?"

"Yes, this picture." In the bright sunshine, it was easy to distinguish the figure of a person in a green coat and green hat walking out of the hut by feeding station 1. The hat and coat were Trainey's!

Bess flashed her friend a puzzled look. "What's so important about this picture?"

Nancy pointed. "Look at the date and time at the bottom."

Bess read, then counted on her fingers.

"Nancy!" she exclaimed. "That was just before the propane stove exploded. That proves it! Trainey caused Brad's accident!"

Chapter Thirteen

This picture is proof. Nancy," Bess repeated. "Trainey had to have tampered with the stove."

"I'm not positive, Bess," Nancy said. "The picture's too blurry. It could be anybody wearing that hat and coat, and if it is Trainey, why would he keep such an incriminating picture? Why not destroy it?"

Bess gave the photograph back to Nancy. "I don't know."

"And besides," Nancy continued, "it seems likely that this is the picture that made Trainey so upset. What if this isn't Trainey? When he saw it, he must have realized that somebody was trying to frame him. He may even have figured out who."

Nancy scrutinized the photograph. The floppy hat and turned-up collar of the coat made an effective disguise. All that showed of the person's face was one cheek and part of the nose.

Frustrated, she was about to put the photo away when she noticed a small white spot on the person's nose. She studied it closely but couldn't tell what it was. It could just be a speck of dust on the lens of the enlarger.

She slipped the photo into her pocket just as she heard Ned, Jennifer, and Alicia come down the path from the feeding station.

"Welcome to Camp Marmotville," Alicia called.

"Thanks," Nancy replied. "How's it going?"

"We've got the packing under control," Jennifer said. "Hey, you haven't seen my dad, have you?"

"He left here in a Jeep about forty-five minutes ago," Bess reported.

Jennifer frowned. "Huh. He was supposed to meet us up the hill, but he never showed up. I think I'll check the other feeding stations. Maybe a problem came up." She walked off toward the road.

"Are those maintenance guys around today?" Nancy asked.

"I haven't seen them," Ned replied.

"What about Jack?" Nancy went on. "Is he still at the feeding station?"

"No. He came through about an hour ago but said he had paperwork to do," Ned explained. "I'm sure he'll show up in a little while."

"So you guys moved out here just in time for our big cookout," Alicia said, smiling.

"Cookout?" Bess asked with interest.

"Our farewell dinner," Alicia explained. "To celebrate the end of stage two of the study. I'm about to make potato salad. Anyone want to help?"

Bess gave Nancy an inquiring look, then said, "Sure, I'm game."

As they walked away. Nancy told Ned about Richard and Piker's references. "Can you get away? I want to check those guys out."

"Sure," Ned said. "I'll just take the time."

"I'm a little concerned about Professor Trainey now, Ned," Nancy said as she started the car and headed for the western entrance of the park.

She told Ned about the photograph she found in Trainey's tent. "What if I've been wrong about him? If he knew who was in that photo and went to confront him, he could be in danger."

"Do you think we should go back and look for him?" Ned asked.

Nancy shook her head. "Let's leave that to Jennifer for now."

The narrow road led down into a valley and across a railroad track into a town. She turned onto the main street. It was lined with two- story wood frame buildings and resembled the set for a western.

Just past the business district was a white building with a green slate roof. The sign out front identified it as the town hall. Nancy parked, and they walked in.

The Ashland Police Department occupied one big room on the ground floor. A husky man of about thirty was sitting at one of the two desks. The name plate on the desk said Chief Tucker. As Nancy and Ned approached the counter separating the waiting area from the office, he raised his head with a friendly smile. "Hi, folks, can I help you?"