Strangers on a Train (Nancy Drew Diaries #2)(23)

"John?” For a moment I couldn’t place the name. "Oh! You mean the fired busboy?”

"Yeah.” I heard her sigh. "The more I talk to people who know him, the weirder that whole situation seems. Everyone swears he’s the nicest, most honest guy around. Nobody I’ve talked to can imagine him getting mixed up with drugs.” She paused. “Do you think that could mean something? Is it connected to our case somehow?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll keep it in mind. Call or text as soon as you find out about the jewelry thief, okay?”

"Will do.”

Wandering closer to the desk, I found that Tatjana and Hiro were still working arrangements out with the lodge staff. “Don’t worry, Nancy,” Hiro told me. "We’ll have this sorted out shortly.”

"Thanks,” I said.

As I watched them, my mind returned to my new theory. If we really were looking for two culprits instead of one, which pairings made the most sense? I’d already thought of Scott and Max— Scott could have smuggled the robber aboard, Max could have planted the note, and either of them could have fiddled with the moose antler, though neither of them made sense as the walkway pusher. Besides, what connection did they have to each other? Did some other pairing make more sense? Maybe Max and Hiro, or Scott and Tatjana?

I was about to text Becca again to see if she knew of any connections among our suspects. But at that moment I spotted Wendy wandering toward me.

“Hey, Nancy,” she said. “Why aren’t you off white-water rafting or whatever?”

I quickly explained the room situation, watching her closely for any sign that she already knew about it. But she barely seemed to pay attention. In fact, she seemed distracted and a little jittery.

"Bummer,” she said. "But listen, epic news. I was just hanging outside chatting with some peeps and surfing the net, and I think I came up with a fab new idea to promote the blog!”

"That’s great,” I said. "What is it?”

She grinned, tapping her laptop, which was tucked under one arm as usual. "Top secret for now,” she said with a coy smile. "You’ll have to wait and see after my investigation is complete!”

With that, she hurried off, humming under her breath. I stared after her, feeling troubled. What kind of "investigation” was she talking about?

I started to follow her, but Tatjana intercepted me. "Good news, Nancy,” she said. “I can show you to your room now. The porters are already fetching your luggage.”

"Thanks.” I followed her out of the main lodge building. Most of the guest rooms were located in small separate cabins out back.

Tatjana led me to a cabin at the edge of the complex. It overlooked a small meadow dotted with wildflowers. Beyond that began a thick tangle of forest.

"Very nice, yes?” Tatjana said as we stepped inside. "They gave you an upgrade due to the misunderstanding.”

The place was very nice. There was a small sitting room, a full bath, and three bedrooms. Our luggage was already piled near the door.

"It looks great,” I said. "Thanks for straightening this out.”

I glanced at her, trying to figure out a way to question her about the case. But she was already on her way out the door. “Have a lovely evening, Miss Drew,” she called over her shoulder.

"You too,” I said, though she was already gone.

With a shrug, I walked over to the coffee table and dropped my purse on it. I could unpack later. Right now I wanted to get back out there.

First, though, I headed into the bathroom to wash my hands. As I reached for the towel hanging under the window, I caught a glimpse of movement outside.

I took a better look, guessing it might be some of the area’s well-known wildlife. Instead I saw Tatjana tiptoeing past, heading for the woods!

"What?” I murmured, all my detective instincts suddenly on alert.

Dropping the towel, I raced outside and around to the back of the cabin. By the time I got there, Tatjana was just disappearing into the woods.

I sprinted across the meadow, hoping she didn’t look back— and also hoping that nobody else was looking out the windows of the nearby cabins. Luckily, Tatjana didn’t seem to realize she was being followed. As I ducked into the shade of the thick evergreens,

I could hear her footsteps up ahead, crunching on the dried pine needles that carpeted the forest floor.

My heart pounded as I followed, trying to keep a little quieter myself. Was I about to solve the case?

I trailed her for about five minutes. Finally she stopped short in a pretty little sun-dappled clearing. Huddling behind a broad tree trunk at the edge, I watched as she glanced around, then pulled a compact out of her pocket and applied a fresh coat of lipstick. Weird. What was she doing out here?

I was so focused on watching Tatjana that it took me a moment to notice the hurried footsteps coming up behind me. By the time I tuned in, it was too late. I spun around.



“Hey!” Hiro blurted out, looking as startled as I was. "What are you doing here?”





CHAPTER NINE




Strange Discoveries



“HIRO!” MY HEART POUNDED AS I RECOGNIZED the danger I was in. We were pretty far from the lodge out here—definitely too far for anyone to hear me scream if Tatjana and Hiro were up to no good.