Free Poison Pen by Carolyn Keene

leaned forward and propped her elbows on her knees, her attention once more on the case. She quickly told the others about her visit to Mrs. Keating. “She seemed pretty scared, but what I don’t get is, if she’s afraid her husband’s going to kill her, why doesn’t she go to the police?” Turning to Rick, sheasked, “What do you think? You see them every day. How do they act toward each other? What’s the atmosphere in the house?”
    â€œTense,” Rick replied without hesitating. “Aunt Maggie’s been on edge in general. But I don’t know if it’s because she thinks Uncle Bill is trying to kill her or if something totally different is bothering her. Uncle Bill seems pretty jumpy, too. I asked Aunt Maggie about it, but she just said he was under a lot of pressure at work.”
    â€œThat doesn’t mean much,” Ned commented. He cleared his throat. “Phew! I’m thirsty. Sitting out here in the sun has dried me out.”
    â€œI have an idea,” Brenda said, shaking the water from her feet and standing up. “Let’s go get a soda and finish this discussion in a nice, air-conditioned restaurant. I want to take my car for a spin, anyway. It’s just back from the shop, and I want to make sure it’s running okay.”
    â€œLet’s take my car,” Nancy said to Ned as Rick and Brenda went into the bathhouse to change. “I should probably go straight home from the restaurant if I want to be on time for dinner.” Flashing Ned a wide smile, she asked, “Want to come over? Hannah’s making homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert.”
    â€œI’ll be there,” Ned said enthusiastically.
    A few moments later Rick and Brenda reappeared, Brenda in a yellow minidress thatshowed off her tan, and Rick in shorts and a T-shirt.
    â€œI have to get my car out of the garage,” Brenda announced. Slipping her arm through Rick’s, she suggested, “How about riding with me, Rick?”
    â€œThose two are getting pretty cozy, aren’t they?” Nancy remarked in a low voice as she and Ned followed Brenda and Rick around to the three-car garage at the top of the driveway.
    â€œMmm.” Ned chuckled. “I hope he knows what he’s getting into.”
    â€œActually, I’m sort of glad for Brenda,” Nancy said. “She really seems to like Rick. And he’s a nice guy. It could be good for her to be around someone like him. She might learn something. You know, Brenda isn’t dumb, even if she acts it most of the time. And she’s very pretty—”
    â€œShe sure is,” Ned put in.
    â€œNed!” Nancy exclaimed, but then she saw the teasing twinkle in his brown eyes. “You’d better watch out, Nickerson,” she said, giving him a playful jab in the arm. “I almost took you seriously. Then you would have been in trouble!”
    Just then Brenda’s red sports car rolled out of the garage. “Nancy, follow me,” Brenda called through the open window.
    Nancy and Ned got in her Mustang, and Nancy pulled in behind Brenda.
    â€œThis driveway would be great for sleddingin the winter,” Ned remarked as they drove down the hill. “It’s steep, and it barely has any curves.”
    â€œHow can you even think about winter when it’s this hot out?” Nancy said, shaking her head in amazement. When he didn’t answer, she glanced sideways and saw that Ned was peering through the windshield at Brenda’s car, a slight frown creasing his brow.
    â€œShe’s going too fast to make the turn at the bottom,” he mumbled.
    â€œBrenda drives the way she talks,” Nancy replied. “Fast and—”
    Nancy’s voice broke off as Brenda’s brake lights suddenly flashed on. With a screech of tires her red car fishtailed wildly across the driveway.
    â€œSomething’s wrong!” Nancy cried, braking.