Free Heart of Ice by Carolyn Keene Page A

crampons, ice axes, and harnesses. Picking up a crampon, she noted that it was different from those used at Alpine Adventures. It had an old leather strap and the teeth were a different shape. Running her finger along the sharp edge of the teeth, she noticed that they weren’t all that sharp.
    â€œI guess Hank isn’t using state-of-the-art equipment these days,” Nancy murmured as she put the crampon down and moved toward the ice axes. Just as she picked one up, she heard a shuffling sound behind her.
    Startled, Nancy whirled around, but in doing so lost her grip on her penlight. As it fell to thefloor it cast a drunken light pattern on the wall and then went out.
    Nancy groped for the light, but before she could grasp it, she heard footsteps in the darkness. A second later she heard the decisive slam of a door.
    Nancy had been locked in.

Chapter

Eleven
    N ANCY WAITED IN THE darkness, listening to the footsteps fade away and focusing on a way to get out.
    Feeling along the cold cement floor, Nancy finally found her penlight. As she guessed, it no longer worked. The fall to the floor had smashed the bulb.
    Nancy cautiously moved toward the door, feeling along the walls and shelves. When she reached the door, her suspicions were confirmed—she was locked in.
    Nancy unzipped her purse and began to search for the tool she used to pick locks. It wasn’t there.With a sinking feeling, Nancy realized that she had slipped it into her coat pocket and left her coat in Hank Moody’s office.
    Nancy turned around and squinted, into the darkness. She had to find something to jimmy the lock. But there was no window in the gear room and she couldn’t see a thing.
    Slowly and carefully, Nancy began to make her way down the aisle to the cooking utensils. Suddenly, she tripped and fell to the floor, knocking her head hard against a shelf. She groped in front of her. There was a coil of rope on the floor, which she had fallen over. Sitting back, she ran her fingers gingerly across the top of her head, near the hairline. She felt a small swelling, and her head throbbed painfully.
    Nancy tried to envision the different kinds of camping gear she had seen on the shelves when her flashlight was working. She couldn’t think of a thing that would pick a lock.
    Discouraged, her head throbbing, she felt the bump on her head for the second time, and her hand brushed against a barrette. A barrette! Nancy thought with relief. It was old, with two thin, flexible prongs. Nancy had a way out.
    With the barrette in her hand, Nancy stood up and walked back to the door. A moment later thedoor swung open and Nancy stepped into the main office. As she closed the gear room door behind her, a bright flashlight shone directly into her eyes, blinding her. Nancy froze.
    â€œNancy, what happened?” Ned calmly questioned.
    â€œOh, I’m so glad it’s you,” Nancy cried, rushing toward him.
    â€œWho else would it be?” Ned asked, confused.
    â€œI don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “But someone locked me in the gear room and then I fell and hit my head.”
    â€œI don’t like the sound of that, Nan,” Ned said.
    Before long Nancy and Ned were in the car again, driving back to the hotel.
    â€œWhen you hadn’t come back in twenty-five minutes, I was sure something had gone wrong, so I went in after you,” Ned was saying. “I’m just sorry I didn’t go in sooner.”
    â€œYou did the right thing, Ned.” Nancy reached over and squeezed his arm. “But are you sure you didn’t see anyone going into or coming out of the office?”
    â€œI’m positive,” Ned responded. “I had my eyes on the front door the whole time you were inside, and nobody went through it.”
    â€œThey must have come in through a sidedoor,” Nancy concluded. “Unless they were already inside. I just wish we knew who it was.”
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