He parked in short-term parking, and the four threaded their way through spa.r.s.e late-night traffic into the terminal. There they played back Bess"s ca.s.sette recording and went over the careful notes George had organized so as to retrace Roberto"s and Teresa"s steps. Dan even got permission to go up to the actual tunnel through which the three travelers from San Carlos had deplaned.
"Nothing here," Dan remarked after searching every inch of the tunnel. "You find anything?"
"Only a piece of a baggage claim ticket." Nancy turned it over to him. "It"s from an afternoon flight today. Not much use."
They searched the waiting area and worked their way down the corridor, still without discovering anything. Dan arranged to have the Customs and Immigration officials who had been on duty at the time available for questioning in the morning. "The FBI boys will probably insist on doing that themselves," he said enviously.
At last they reached the main concourse again. Nancy looked around. "Where are the car rental counters?" she asked.
"Over there," Dan said, pointing.
"Then I"ll bet this is the sitting area Teresa mentioned. It"s the closest one. Now if we could just figure out where Roberto might have gone while Teresa and Senora Ramirez waited here. He"d have to be out of their sight for a while so he could look for a hiding place."
Nancy stood back as Dan began a careful search, alerting an airport security officer as he did so. Bess and George also began to search under Dan"s direction, while Nancy just stood thoughtfully. The others glanced at her curiously, but she ignored them. There were times when working with her brain could bring faster results than hunting for clues.
He"d have known he wouldn"t have much time, Nancy thought. He"d do what I"m doing-stand still for a minute and look around.
What would he have seen? The chairs. The standing ashtrays. They might be good places to leave something for pickup by a contact, but the meet had been planned for the tournament-not the airport.
Past the sitting area were a small coffee shop, which Dan was checking, and a novelty store. In the window was a large poster for the tennis tournament. Whoever"s doing promotion for the tournament hasn"t missed a trick, Nancy reflected, remembering the banner in the parking garage.
She sauntered over to look at the array of Washington, D.C., souvenirs in the store windows.
I wish I had a picture of Roberto with me to show the store owners, she thought. She"d have to come back with that later, after finding out when the same clerks would be on duty.
Where else could Roberto have gone to quickly, out of sight of Teresa? The restrooms?
"Negative," Dan reported, emerging from the men"s room.
It seemed unlikely that Roberto would have risked going into the ladies" room, but Nancy checked it just in case. Also negative.
There was nothing left to investigate but the baggage lockers themselves. They could only be rented for twelve hours at a time. Roberto would have to have planned a trip back to the airport twice a day to check the merchandise- Something"s not adding up, Nancy thought, frowning. I"m sure the airport was the only place Roberto could have hidden the hit list. Unless he had it on him when he died.
He couldn"t have, or bodies other than Roberto"s would have started turning up.
By then Dan and Bess had returned, followed soon by George. "Pretty smart to advertise the tennis tournament out here," George said, nodding toward the novelty store. "Should bring in a lot of tourists."
Nancy only nodded. She was still lost in thought. Bess slipped an arm around her. "Come on. Dan"ll drive us home. He says the FBI will go through this place thoroughly first thing in the morning."
They headed for the car. It was waiting, locked tightly, just where Dan had left it. Before unlocking it Dan went over it from top to bottom with an electronic beeper. "Just in case," he said tautly. "Though a listening device would be more likely than a bomb."
Dan unlocked the car, and they climbed in quickly. He paid the parking fee at the exit gate and began driving around the spiral of roads that led to the Memorial Parkway. There weren"t many cars at that time of night.
"Hey, that"s the second time that big gray car"s changed lanes with us," Bess said suddenly.
Nancy sat up straight. "What big gray car?"
Bess pointed. Dan stole a glance over his shoulder, and his eyes narrowed. "I"ve seen that car before tonight."
"I"ve seen it before, too," Nancy said. "If it"s not the one I was kidnapped in, it"s the spitting image of it!"
"Car rental company license plates," Dan noted. He read them out to George, who wrote them down. Then he radioed in to the police.
"Okay." Dan grinned humorlessly. "Let"s lose "em."
He put on a burst of speed. The gray car fell behind. Nancy remembered the speed it was capable of and felt a twinge of apprehension. But the car made no move to catch up with them, and her tension eased.
"Almost home," Dan said rea.s.suringly to Bess, who cuddled close to him.
By then the parkway was practically deserted. That shows how late it is, Nancy thought drowsily.
Suddenly lights flashed in her eyes. No, not lights. Mirror reflection- Nancy sprang up in the seat just as the big car bore down on them, ominously close.
"What-?" Dan yelped as the headlights, turned to high beams, hit him right in the eyes.
The gray car struck them from behind, and the little station wagon swerved with a sickening lurch.
Dan fought desperately for control. But before he regained it the killer car struck again, ramming the wagon toward the guardrail.
The lightweight wagon leaped into the air-and then crashed through the rail. It plunged down the steep embankment with Nancy and her friends inside.
Chapter Ten.
"WHAT DO YOU mean, you almost got killed in a car crash?" Ned"s voice shouted through the telephone receiver into Nancy"s ear. Ned"s voice shouted through the telephone receiver into Nancy"s ear.
It was three A.M.-two hours after the accident. In that time Nancy and her friends had been rescued by patrolmen in a pa.s.sing police car who had seen the wreck. Dan had succeeded in convincing them that it was all a cla.s.sified government matter. Unfortunately, that had involved notifying Senator Kilpatrick.
While Dan was getting chewed out by his superiors, Senator Kilpatrick was on the telephone to Nancy"s father, who chewed her her out for putting his daughter in such a dangerous position. Then Carson Drew had spoken to Nancy. out for putting his daughter in such a dangerous position. Then Carson Drew had spoken to Nancy.
"Dad, I"m all right," Nancy had insisted. "Dan did a wonderful job of getting the wagon under control. He got us out before the fire could start. We"re all just fine!" Nancy said, rubbing one of several bruises.
"Things are far from fine," her father had interrupted. "Marilyn finally told me the whole story. I"m flying down tomorrow."
Soon after Carson Drew got off the phone, the much needed call came through from Ned. Nancy almost cried, she was so tired and so glad to hear his voice. But the note in hers only made Ned more worried.
"I"m coming down with your father," Ned said immediately.
"Ned, you really don"t need to. I"ll take care of myself, I promise. And if I don"t, Dan will."
"The way he did tonight? Exactly who is that character?" Ned asked suspiciously.
Nancy laughed. "A very smart, go-getter jock who"s a whiz kid for the local police and who-I think-is angling for a job with Senator Kilpatrick. You"d like him. And he he," Nancy added with emphasis, "likes Bess Bess."
She was relieved to hear Ned laugh. "Okay, I get the message. Maybe I"m going overboard worrying, but I love you."
"I love you, too. And thanks for worrying. I"ll call you if I need you, I promise."
"How about calling "cause you want me?" Ned asked. Nancy laughed and put down the phone, feeling much better.
The next thing she knew, it was nine A.M., and Bess was shaking her awake. "The senator"s on the phone."
Nancy struggled to a sitting position, still half-asleep. "Where is everybody?"
"George took the bus to Loudon to watch Teresa warm up for the afternoon match. Dan"s gone out to buy a newspaper. He"s already brought us breakfast. He didn"t want room service to know anyone"s in here. Nancy, come on! The senator"s practically spitting bullets!"
Nancy reached for the phone.
"About time!" the senator"s husky voice said crisply. "I want to see you. At the tournament. Be there by ten-thirty."
"Has anything more happened?" Nancy demanded.
"I can"t talk." The senator hung up.
"You look awful," Bess said frankly, reappearing with a container of orange juice and a bag of doughnuts.
"What do you expect after we sat up talking till five?" Nancy bit into a doughnut, eyeing Bess. "I must say you"ve recovered remarkably. And you got even less sleep, I"ll bet."
"Dan must be good for me," Bess said. "Nancy, go back to sleep for a little longer. You don"t have to go to the tournament this minute. Teresa"s got a whole gang of bodyguards."
"You mean the government finally came through?"
"Not ours. Hers," Bess said. "Roberto"s murder also made the headlines down there. The San Carlos government"s calling it a "provocative international incident." Their people are keeping surveillance on Teresa, and our people are keeping surveillance on them."
"Scratch the sleep," Nancy said resignedly. "I"m taking a shower and going out there."
By ten-thirty she was out at Loudon College, just in time to join George and watch the end of Teresa"s workout. "This place is really crawling with cops today," George reported. "All types and all nationalities. Things are getting sticky."
"Tell me about it," Nancy retorted glumly, thinking about the hit list.
"If you ask me," George said decidedly, "Roberto"s death was deliberate political murder."
"I agree," said Nancy. "But by which side? We don"t even know for sure whether forces inside or outside San Carlos are responsible."
One thing was certain. Keeping everything hush-hush was rapidly becoming impossible.
Nancy looked around casually. Two college security guards were talking together at the far end of the court. Another stood near Nancy. Three U.S. government men were wandering around, looking out of place in business suits. Several Latin men were also gathered nearby. They were leaning against the wire fence, watching Nancy and George. Those must be the guards Bess had spoken of.
Nancy shuddered. She was beginning to wonder what fate Teresa"s government had in store for her. The papers that morning had been full of rumors about how cruel and totalitarian the dictatorship was.
"Buenos dias, Nancy." Teresa came toward Nancy and George, wiping her forehead with her wristband. She looked sad but composed. "How about hitting a few with me, George?" she invited.
"I"ll get my tennis shoes," George said gladly.
Soon the two were exchanging rapid strokes.
"Your friend"s in seventh heaven, isn"t she?" a voice said behind Nancy"s shoulder.
Nancy spun around.
Senator Kilpatrick stood there, elegant in a white linen dress and large brown straw hat. Beneath its shade her eyes were steely.
"What"s wrong?" Nancy demanded, alarmed.
"Plenty, in my opinion. Don"t worry, I don"t mean with you. Come have an early lunch with me."
Nancy followed the senator to a small tent, plastic-walled and air-conditioned, that opened off the main dining tent. Iced tea, salad, and dessert were waiting, but the tent was empty, and the senator"s own bodyguards stood outside.
"Something"s going to happen, isn"t it?" Nancy asked.
"I"m furious about what isn"t isn"t happening," the senator corrected her. "I"m fully aware that this is a sensitive situation, but it"s difficult to have a straightforward meeting with the representatives of the San Carlos political factions-which I"m supposed to be doing right now-when I"m not allowed to mention Roberto"s name! Of course the people from San Carlos want to know what"s going on-and what can I say? happening," the senator corrected her. "I"m fully aware that this is a sensitive situation, but it"s difficult to have a straightforward meeting with the representatives of the San Carlos political factions-which I"m supposed to be doing right now-when I"m not allowed to mention Roberto"s name! Of course the people from San Carlos want to know what"s going on-and what can I say?
"Especially when Roberto was known to be an opponent of the San Carlos regime and and of U.S. foreign policy there," Senator Kilpatrick continued. "That was the reason he was smuggling the list to me rather than the CIA. He met me when I was on a fact-finding mission in San Carlos a few months ago, and he trusted me. He suspected that people in authority in both our governments were, if not aiding and abetting government terrorists, at least closing their eyes to them. I don"t know if he was right, but it"s terrible not being able to investigate it!" of U.S. foreign policy there," Senator Kilpatrick continued. "That was the reason he was smuggling the list to me rather than the CIA. He met me when I was on a fact-finding mission in San Carlos a few months ago, and he trusted me. He suspected that people in authority in both our governments were, if not aiding and abetting government terrorists, at least closing their eyes to them. I don"t know if he was right, but it"s terrible not being able to investigate it!"
"And the killings could start any time," Nancy added gravely.
The senator nodded. "I"ve just learned from a private source that a well-known hit man flew into Mexico from San Carlos yesterday. He"s already left Mexico, supposedly for the Bahamas. But the plane makes stops at some American territories on the way."
"You mean he could be on the mainland already?"
"Right. Time"s running out."
"What do you want me to do?" Nancy asked.
"I guess I"m hoping for a miracle," Marilyn Kilpatrick said frankly. "Your father says you"ve produced those before. I"m hoping you"ll bring a fresh eye to this case, and a mind that"s not bogged down in politics and routine."
"There must be a way to stop the a.s.sa.s.sinations-there has to be!" Nancy hardly realized she was thinking out loud. "Every criminal makes a mistake sometime. And Roberto was no fool. He knew he was in danger, so he must have planted that list somewhere it could be found if he was... taken care of. If only we had a little more time."
But time, as the senator had said, was running out.
They finished their lunch. Beyond the plastic wall Nancy saw George talking with some of the other players. From the glow on George"s face, Nancy guessed they were complimenting her on her game.
"Let"s go join her," Senator Kilpatrick said, following Nancy"s glance. They went out and followed George to the grandstand.
Just as George reached the gate in the high wire fence, a man came through it, heading toward the stairs to the boxes. Nancy gasped.
"What?" Senator Kilpatrick said instantly.
"He"s one of the guys who abducted me. Call Security!" Nancy tore off, pa.s.sing George as she did so.
Immediately George came running after her. She and Nancy raced up the steps and into the narrow aisle that separated the front and back rows of boxes.
At the far end, the man was sliding into a bleacher seat next to a man in a hat who was reading a newspaper. The newspaper was lowered briefly.