The Wrong Track

by Carolyn Keene

  When the light turned green Nancy found a parking spot, got out of her car, and hurried over to the shop. Sam’s Pawnshop, the sign said.

  The thought of the Reismuellers’ financial problems stuck in Nancy’s mind as she went in and scanned the shop. Every imaginable item from household appliances to ice skates was arranged on shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. Were the Reismuellers’ problems so bad that Sheila had to pawn something of hers—something valuable?

  “Can I help you, miss?” the man in the houndstooth suit asked. Without his fedora he didn’t look half so distinguished. His hair was greased back, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were long, thin, and bony. “What are you looking for?”

  “Do you have any diamond pins?” she asked, knowing it was a shot in the dark.

  The man unlocked a drawer behind the counter and pulled out two pins on a velvet-covered tray. “The starburst is nice,” he said, “but this other one is one of a kind.”

  Nancy drew in a deep breath as the man handed her the very same diamond horseshoe pin that had once been Sheila Reismueller’s favorite.

  “This is beautiful,” she said as she held the horseshoe, “but I think you must be mistaken. I’m sure I’ve seen another one like it.”

  “No, miss,” the man said quickly. “The owner had it made specially for her. I know. I bought it from her myself.”

  “And how long ago was that?” Nancy asked, turning the pin over in her hands. On the back the initials SR were engraved. It had to be Sheila’s!

  “Just a couple of days ago. I have some more jewelry from the same woman—if you’d care to see it.” Nancy shook her head as the man took the pin from her. “Will you be wanting to buy this, then?”

  Nancy tried to hide her smile of satisfaction. The pawnbroker had just confirmed her suspicions. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  The man nodded, putting the pin back on its velvet tray. “Come back and see me when you’ve made up your mind.”

  Nancy thanked him and left. As she closed the pawnshop door behind her she felt her excitement building. Sheila had obviously met the man at least twice. Now the question was, did Sheila steal the payroll to help Karl, or was that all Karl’s doing?

  Two blocks later Nancy pulled her car up in front of the Monroe Savings and Loan. After a few minutes she was sitting at Alyssa Shelly’s desk and explaining to the manager who she was.

  “I realize this may be confidential information,” Nancy said, meeting the woman’s soft brown eyes. “But there are a few things I need to know about the resort’s finances.”

  Alyssa Shelly clasped her hands on her desk. “What kind of information?”

  “Is Tall Pines sound financially?” Nancy asked. “I mean, would an investor, say, have any reason to doubt she’d put her money in a solid venture?”

  Alyssa gave Nancy an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t give out that kind of information.”

  Nancy thought for a moment. “Can you at least tell me whether Karl Reismueller has any outstanding loans with your bank?”

  After a moment Alyssa nodded. “Yes, he does.”

  Leaning forward in her chair, Nancy said, “Just tell me if I’m right about something. I have a feeling Karl has been late with his payments lately, but that suddenly—say, just about three and a half weeks ago—he made a payment of forty-eight thousand dollars.” Studying Alyssa closely, she asked, “Do your records back that up?”

  Alyssa glanced through the papers in the file on her desk. “I’d say those are pretty good guesses,” she said with a smile. She hastened to add, “I can’t confirm that officially, though.”

  Grinning, Nancy thanked Alyssa for her help. That was all the proof she needed. Karl Reismueller was definitely her man.

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  KARL DID IT, Nancy thought as she drove back to Tall Pines. As strange as it seemed, he had stolen money from his own company to make the loan payments. From the files she’d seen on the computer, Nancy knew that the expense of opening Tall Pines had drained him of cash. Now she knew he’d been in danger of losing the resort. Karl was obviously willing to do anything to keep the resort running.

  Nancy parked her car next to her condo and raced inside. She wanted to call Bess and George to tell them what she knew. When she placed the call she found out the cousins weren’t back yet. As soon as she hung up the phone, it rang. The operator came on the line and told her Karl had left a message asking her to find him on the Cascades trail. Nancy thanked her and hung up.

  Great, Nancy thought. That saved her the trouble of looking for him. Before leaving to meet Karl Nancy called and left a message for Bess and George telling them where she’d be.

  With that Nancy picked up her old skis and headed to the trail head. Karl hadn’t said where on the trail he would meet her, but she ran into Ben as he was coming out of the ski shop.

  “Karl told me to meet him on the Cascades trail,” she told him. “Do you have any idea where on the trail I should try?”

  Ben shrugged. “That’s odd. I know he does like the view near the hut where Cascades and Aerie meet. He might have gone there.”

  “Thanks.” Nancy flashed Ben a quick smile, put on her bindings, and headed up Aerie, which she knew would be the fastest way to get to the small hut. As she skied she felt a chill and wondered why she was going off alone to meet Karl. It seemed strange that he wanted her to find him on the trail. Given what she knew about Karl and his deceptions, she knew she shouldn’t trust the man. Still, she wanted to confront him with what she knew, and the sooner she did that, the better.

  The sun was beginning to set. If Nancy hadn’t been so worried about finding Karl, she would have enjoyed the view. The fiery red ball of a sun appeared to be suspended among the pines, and the growing darkness cast a mysterious pink glow over the trail.

  Nancy had no time to admire it, though. Her arms and legs were moving in a smooth and steady rhythm as she forced each stride to take her farther and faster.

  When she first saw Karl he was only a speck in the distance. For a few minutes she wasn’t even sure it was him. Then he turned slightly, and she recognized his profile. The man was definitely Karl Reismueller.

  He was skiing more slowly than Nancy. As she drew closer Karl stopped. It took only a few more glides for Nancy to reach the man’s side.

  “We’ve got to talk.” Her words came out in short bursts as she tried to catch her breath.

  In a movement so swift she had no way of anticipating it, Karl grabbed Nancy’s arm.

  “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” he snarled. “You’ve meddled once too often. This time you’re not going to get away with it.”

  Nancy jerked her arm, trying to break loose from Karl, but she had no success.

  “You’re going to have an unfortunate accident.” Karl laughed, and the sound sent shivers up Nancy’s spine. There was no mirth in his laughter, only evil pleasure.

  Suddenly he released her arm. “Stay next to me,” he ordered. “Don’t even think about getting away.”

  Nancy took a deep breath, trying to quell her fear. She leaned forward on her poles and pushed off. In that split second she had the advantage of surprise. When Karl had grabbed her arm he had dropped his poles, leaving them hanging by the straps around his wrists. It took him a few precious seconds to grip the poles and begin to ski. Those seconds were all Nancy needed.

  She skied off the trail and into the forest. On the Aerie trail, with its double set of tracks, she’d have no chance of escaping Karl. Here she’d have the protection of the trees. Their trunks were so close together that only one skier could move comfortably between them. It would be more difficult for Karl to catch her.

  Nancy kept her poles close to her side, bending over slightly to gain more power. Her arms and legs moved rhythmically, and her skis glided smoothly over the packed snow.

  “You can’t escape!” Karl’s voice came from a distance.
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  Nancy refused to turn around. It would break her stride, costing her valuable seconds. She forced her arms to stretch even farther, propelling her skis forward.

  “Give up, Nancy! You can’t win.” This time Karl’s voice sounded closer.

  Nancy shifted her weight to her right ski, turning sharply around a large pine tree. She needed a plan of escape. Her eyes moved quickly across the horizon. The forest thinned, and she could see a clearing. Was that dark spot a building?

  “You’ll never outski me,” Karl taunted. There was no doubt that he was gaining on her. This time his voice sounded as though he was only a few yards behind her.

  Nancy strained as she tried to identify the dark spot. It was a building! She recognized the small hut where the trails divided. The building could be a safe haven. She had to reach it before Karl.

  “Give up, Nancy! You have no chance.”

  The hut was in sight. Though every muscle in her arms and legs burned from exertion, Nancy forced them to move even more quickly. She was almost there.

  “You fool!” Nancy could hear the swish of Karl’s skis. He was close now, dangerously close.

  She turned for the first time. He was only ten feet behind her, grinning as though he had no doubt he’d win.

  Now! It had to be now!

  Nancy gripped both poles. With a quick twist of her wrists she planted the poles on her binding release buttons. Then, before Karl realized what was happening, she stepped out of her skis.

  “Stop!” he yelled.

  He was too late. Nancy ran into the hut and slammed the door behind her.

  She reached to slide the bolt shut, but her hand hit the flat wooden surface of the door. There was no bolt! With a cry of frustration Nancy realized she was trapped. With no way to lock the door, it would be only seconds before Karl broke in.

  “That was very stupid, Nancy Drew.” Karl shoved the door open and stood in the doorway. He reached into his pocket and drew out a gun.

  Nancy stared at the gun and felt cold fear in the pit of her stomach. “You won’t get away with it,” she said, trying to keep her voice low and steady.

  Karl took another step into the room and slammed the door behind him. “Who’s going to stop me once you’re gone?” he asked. The light of the fading sun streamed through the one window, and Nancy could see Karl’s grin. “It’s a shame your little accident this morning didn’t finish you off.”

  She had to keep him talking. That would give her time to think of a plan. “So you were the one who fixed my bindings,” Nancy said. “That was clever. If I had been hurt or killed, it would have looked like an accident.”

  Karl shrugged and trained the gun on her. “If it didn’t, Jody would have taken the blame.” He gave Nancy a long, appraising look. “I kept another copy of the note I wrote, just in case you threw the first one away. I had the story all planned. It’s even better than the one you were supposed to be writing for Tracks., Want to hear my story?” Karl asked. “Jody found out you were a detective. She didn’t want anyone to know about her stealing the money, so she arranged a little skiing accident.”

  Unfortunately, Nancy knew Karl had a story someone—even the police—might believe.

  “Very nice,” Nancy said. “I still don’t know how you found out I was a detective.”

  “You’re not the only one who knows how to investigate,” Karl told her. “Your name sounded familiar, so I did some checking with people I knew in River Heights. They told me who you were. A quick call to Tracks confirmed it all. That’s when I put two and two together about you and your friends. You were quite a trio. Isn’t it a shame you won’t see them again?”

  For the first time Nancy felt real fear. “What did you do to George and Bess?” she demanded.

  Karl laughed. “Don’t worry. It was nothing permanent. Without you, they’re no threat. I just got them out of the way today.” He paused, cocked his eyebrow at her, and glanced at the gun he was holding. “I told you I planned everything. The only thing I didn’t plan was that you’d walk away from your little skiing accident this morning.”

  Karl took another step toward Nancy. “When Sheila told me you were asking a lot of questions I started worrying. Then I happened to be passing by the administration building last night and saw you and your friend come out. That was when I knew I had to get rid of you.”

  “That wasn’t very smart, leaving your flashlight in the snack bar,” Nancy told him.

  Karl made no attempt to deny Nancy’s accusation. “I didn’t plan to leave it,” he said, “but I heard Sheila coming, and I didn’t want her to know I was there. I slipped out before she saw me.

  Nancy had to keep him talking while her mind raced for a plan. The door behind Karl was swinging in the wind. If she could just get past him, she might be able to escape.

  “And you’re willing to risk a murder rap just to cover up a theft?” Nancy asked, pointing at the gun in Karl’s hand.

  “You don’t understand, do you, Nancy Drew?” Karl’s voice was low and angry. “I was the man with the Midas touch. Everyone considered me a genius. People were always calling and asking for my opinion. Then things started to fall apart. Tall Pines cost a lot more than I’d planned, and we had a bad season at the toy stores. Suddenly the famous Karl Reismueller money machine wasn’t making money anymore.”

  Karl’s voice grew harsh. “I couldn’t let anyone know. It would destroy my reputation.”

  “So you stole money from your own company.”

  Karl laughed. “I told you I was brilliant, didn’t I? It was easy. The insurance company covered most of the loss, so I walked away with almost fifty thousand dollars.”

  Karl glanced at his watch. “We’ve wasted too much time,” he said matter-of-factly.

  With that, Karl cocked the gun.

  “Nancy Drew, you’ve got to die.”

  Chapter

  Seventeen

  NANCY DREW IN a sharp breath. The sound of the gun’s cocking echoed in her ears. Karl was truly serious. He was going to kill her!

  “How will you explain a gunshot wound?” she asked, swallowing hard and trying to hide her fear. “No one will believe it was an accident.”

  Karl laughed. “Of course they won’t! I’m smarter than that. The gun’s only to make sure you ski over the cliff.” He shook his head sadly. “It will be such an unfortunate accident. I may even close the trail for the rest of the season so that none of the other guests will be in danger.” Karl’s low chuckle made Nancy’s skin crawl.

  “People know I’m a good skier,” Nancy said. To her own ears her voice sounded quite desperate. She hoped Karl couldn’t tell. “No one will believe I skied off a cliff.”

  Karl wasn’t interested in conversation. “Stop stalling,” he ordered. His empty hand pointed toward the door. “Out! It’s time for you to take a little fall.”

  Nancy stepped toward the door. Karl was waiting for her to go out ahead of him. Just as she was passing him Nancy seized her only opportunity. She shot her leg out in the quick reflexive kick she’d been taught in her martial arts classes.

  It worked! The gun went spinning out of Karl’s hand and landed on the floor. Nancy lunged, tackling Karl with all her might. Though he was a big man, he wasn’t prepared for the sudden attack. Surprise and skill were on Nancy’s side, and he fell easily to the ground.

  The gun lay on the floor two feet from Karl’s outstretched hand. Nancy moved quickly, reaching for it. But her luck ran out. The older man was too swift. He grabbed Nancy’s ankle and yanked her off balance.

  “I’m going to kill you!” he cried as he wrestled with Nancy, trying to pin her to the floor. Although Karl far outweighed Nancy, she had the advantage of agility and cunning. She struggled against him, trying to keep him away from the gun. She twisted—hard—out of his grasp and rolled away from him. At that very moment the door swung open, and George and Ben burst into the room.

  “Need a little help?” Ben asked.

  For an insta
nt Karl was so surprised that he didn’t move. It was the break Nancy needed. She launched herself at Karl, forcing him back down on the floor.

  George moved quickly to the side of the room. “I’ve got the gun,” she announced, and she pointed it at Karl.

  “Thanks, guys,” Nancy said as she jumped to her feet. “Your timing was perfect.”

  • • •

  “Are you sure they’re all coming?” Sheila’s voice quavered with emotion, and she drummed her fingers on the arm of the wingback chair. Though she was once again at home in her condo, it was obvious that she was still reliving the events of the previous evening.

  “They’ll be here,” Nancy assured her.

  Nancy had driven Sheila to the police station the night before and stayed with her while Karl was booked on charges of defrauding the insurance company, theft, and attempted murder.

  “I still can’t believe Karl did all that,” Sheila said. “Of course, he never really confided in me about his business. Whenever I asked he told me it was complicated, and I wouldn’t understand.”

  “But you did pawn your diamonds, Sheila. You must have known Tall Pines needed money.”

  “Karl told me we had minor cash-flow problems,” Sheila explained. “I thought the quick money I’d get from selling my jewelry would help. But I had no idea he was in so deep or that he’d consider stealing.” She hid her face in her hands. “Oh, Karl,” Sheila said. When she looked up at Nancy there were tears in her crystal blue eyes. “It’s a terrible thing when your husband’s ambition turns him into a criminal.”

  Nancy felt bad for the woman. She obviously had no idea of the awful things Karl was capable of. “I’m just glad George and Bess got back in time to save me,” she said.