Free Fatal Attraction by Carolyn Keene Page B

they made their way through the shadowy space between the closely parked trailers. In a few seconds, they were standing just below the trailer’s small louvered window. Inside, Mike was talking to somebody.
    â€œYou mean that strawberry blonde with the great legs?” he was asking incredulously. “You’re crazy, Felix.”
    â€œLook.” The other voice was exasperated. “Nancy Drew just happens to be a hotshot detective. I read a newspaper story about her and a helicopter crash up in Canada. She not only survived the crash, but inside half an hourshe’d arrested the woman who sabotaged the chopper.”
    â€œYeah, but—” Mike said.
    â€œWait, there’s more. I found out that a former mayor of this very town is breaking rocks somewhere upstate because of this girl. He had everybody in this town fooled about a murder for twenty-five years, until she got on the case. She’s had more people busted than you’ve got fingers and toes.” There was a disgusted snort. “And you let her get a picture of you! That was really stupid .”
    The silence stretched out. “Maybe we’d better pull out now,” Mike offered at last, “before she gets on to us.”
    â€œNah, we’re too close. Besides, we need the cash. That job in Batesville didn’t pay off the way it should have. Fortunately, there’re no mug shots of you, so the picture shouldn’t hurt us too much. But Brenda practically gave Drew a road map to everywhere we’ve been. If I hadn’t bumped the table and dumped that coffee in her lap, no telling what else she might have spilled. And now that Drew’s got the photo, you can bet she’ll take it somewhere where people will recognize you and talk.”
    â€œSo what’s the big deal if she does?” Mike retorted. “So we picked up a a few bucks from some rich kids’ parents. Most of them were more than willing to give me that money. And they’dbe too embarrassed to say anything about it now. You’re making it sound like we’re wanted for murder.”
    There was another long silence. Nancy stood on an old wooden crate and peered through the window. Mike was glaring at the gray-bearded man—Felix—across a small table. There was barely room on the floor for a huge, short-haired dog lying at the older man’s feet.
    Nancy waited for Felix to respond but he only said, “Look, the way I figure it, we still have a couple of days before Nancy Drew gets enough on us to cause real trouble. That should be enough time for you to sweet-talk the Carlton girl into making her move. Time for me to do my work, too.” His voice dropped threateningly. “And don’t get involved, like you did with Darla.”
    Mike laughed harshly. “Felix, you’ve got to be kidding. Get involved with Brenda Carlton? Not a chance. Yeah, she’s pretty, but—”
    At that second, the dog lifted its head and growled menacingly. Startled, Nancy shifted her weight and the crate she was standing on collapsed with a crash. The dog gave a low, rumbling bark.
    â€œThere’s somebody out there!” Felix said in a half whisper.
    Ned pulled Nancy to her feet. “Come on,” he said, “we’ve got to get out of here.”
    Together, they began to run into the darkness at the back of the trailer park. From the sound of the dog’s frenzied barking, it had been set loose and was closing in on them.
    Her muscles straining, Nancy ran harder, a pace or two behind Ned. But the ground was littered with junk—boxes, old tires, broken auto parts—and she had to weave in and out through the rusty piles. The breath burning in her throat, she cast a look back over her shoulder. The dog was gaining, its lips laid back in a snarl, its sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light.
    Then, just ahead in the darkness, Nancy could make out the webby shadow of a tall chain-link fence. If only