Free Sinister Paradise by Carolyn Keene

trouble?” asked Tim.
    â€œI think she got in over her head,” Nancy answered honestly.
    As Nancy and Ned walked out the door, Martin said, “You kids be careful, all right? If you need any help, give us a call. I don’t like the sound of all this.”
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    Nancy slogged unhappily through the thick sand of Waikiki Beach. Two hours had passed since their visit to the police station. Since then, Nancy and her friends had split up, pursuing a number of different leads. Nancy and Bess were at the beach, interviewing lifeguards and surfers.
    So far, it hadn’t been a productive effort. Nancy had shown Lisa’s photo up and down Waikiki, but no one remembered the girl. She looked too much like all the other teenagers wandering around.
    Suddenly Nancy heard Bess’s excited voice. “Nancy! Come quick! I found someone!”
    Nancy trudged back up the sandy slope. Bess waited anxiously beside a tall surfer who was diligently waxing his board. “I figured you ought to talk to him, Nan. His name’s Lance, and he’s seen Lisa!”
    Lance straightened up. With his well-muscled physique and skin the color of old hickory, he reminded Nancy of an ad for suntan lotion.
    Lifting the photo, she asked, “Do you recognize this girl?”
    â€œYeah, I’ve seen her.” Lance studied the photo carefully. “This morning. Just after sunrise. I was riding my board about a mile out. Pretty good surf here when it’s high tide. Not as good as Kuilei or the Banzai Pipeline, but it’s a wild ride coming in.”
    Nancy took back the photo. “Lisa was surfing?”
    â€œAwww, no. She was with a big guy. They were walking on the beach. Like they were looking for something, you know? Then the big guy started yelling. The girl got scared and tried to run, but he grabbed her wrist. Then this car pulled up. A brown-haired woman got out and held the girl.Meanwhile, that big guy went crazy! He was dumping out litter baskets—kicking the trash around. I figured the girl needed help, so I started in on my board.”
    â€œThen what?” asked Nancy, listening intently.
    â€œThe brown-haired woman got him calmed down. All three of them got in the car and took off.” Lance’s face showed regret. “They were gone by the time I got to shore.”
    After thanking Lance for his help, Nancy and Bess headed back to Kalakaua Avenue again. Nancy’s thoughts were racing. What if the people with Lisa had been part of the Malihini Corporation? If so, they must have counted Lisa’s money the previous night and come up fifty thousand short. They would have made Lisa retrace her steps, hoping to find the missing bearer bond—the one Nancy had found at the Ka Lae apartment house.
    She explained all this to Bess, who asked, “Why would the big guy get so upset, Nan? It’s Diana Faulkner’s money.”
    â€œBearer bonds can be cashed by anybody,” Nancy replied. “The Malihini Corporation was planning to double-cross Lisa all along. I’ll bet they promised Lisa they’d help her get to San Francisco to live with Michele.” Nancy’s stomach felt hollow. “Only I don’t think Lisa realizes just how vicious the Malihini Corporation really is. She doesn’t know how they’ve tried to hurt her grandmother. She probably thinks they’re onher side, never realizing that they could turn on her at any time.”
    â€œAt least Lisa’s still alive,” Bess added.
    â€œAs of this morning.” Nancy flashed a worried look at her friend. “But you heard what Lance said. They’re no longer treating Lisa like a guest. Sounds as if she’s their prisoner now.”
    As they passed a dress shop, Nancy turned her gaze toward the window. She ignored the fashions on display, concentrating instead on the mirrored reflection of the street. It was an old detective trick, a way to check to