Shadow of a Doubt

by Carolyn Keene

  Nancy watched as the officer folded his notepad and slipped it into his back pocket. “Let me know if you want to make a statement,” he said. Then he walked off a few feet to stand guard at the front entrance.

  As soon as the boy and Kate moved off, Nancy approached them. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing.” Nancy turned to the boy and saw he was really good looking, with clear green eyes and thick, wavy brown hair.

  “I’m really sorry about what happened,” she went on. “But from what I heard you say, you think maybe your father didn’t kill himself?”

  The boy seemed to be ready to answer Nancy, but the girl turned on her.

  “Even if we thought our father was killed, why should we tell you?” she asked. “Who are you, anyway?”

  Nancy tried to be as kind as possible. “Actually, I might be able to help you. My name is Nancy Drew, and I’m a private detective.”

  The girl came rushing at Nancy, screaming. “Nancy Drew! As far as I’m concerned, your father is responsible for everything that’s happened. Carson Drew has my father’s blood on his hands, and he’s going to pay!”

  Chapter

  Five

  HOLD IT, KATE!” The boy moved between Nancy and Kate.

  “Why should I?” Kate shouted. “What right does she have to be here, talking to us?”

  Nancy found herself reeling from what Kate Gleason had said. The girl actually thought her father was to blame for Robert Gleason’s death!

  “You should think about what you’re doing,” the boy told her. Nancy heard the hint of anger in his voice.

  “Don’t worry, Chris,” Kate said, gritting her teeth. “I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of hurting her! But she’s got a lot of nerve, just the same.” The girl’s green eyes were half shut with fury.

  “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about!” Nancy said emphatically. “Don’t you think you’d better explain what you mean?” she asked simply.

  Kate Gleason had made a heavy accusation against her father, but Nancy knew she wouldn’t find out anything if she lost her cool.

  “My sister’s pretty upset,” Chris Gleason said. He shot Kate a serious look. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

  “Thanks a lot, Chris,” Kate said sarcastically. “You know as well as I do what’s been going on.”

  As Nancy watched, Chris responded to his sister’s words only with silence and a sharp look. What is it with these two? Nancy wondered.

  Chris turned from his sister. “By the way, my name’s Chris Gleason,” the boy said, forcing a smile. “And this is my sister, Kate.” Chris stuck out his right hand. Nancy shook it and turned to Kate. The girl gave Nancy a scowl and walked away.

  Chris took Nancy aside. “I’m sorry about my sister,” he said with a sigh. “She’s taking this pretty hard.”

  “It’s perfectly understandable,” Nancy said. “It’s tough losing a parent.”

  “Yes, it is. We didn’t really know our dad all that well because he was sent away eight years ago. But our lives have been a little rough, what with the conviction, and then my parents’ divorce. And now this.” He pointed to the police who were streaming out of the building now. They started to pack up and move off.

  Nancy easily understood why Kate Gleason was so upset. But why, she wondered, was Chris being so nice and direct with her? Maybe the shock of his father’s death hadn’t sunk in yet, Nancy thought.

  Kate Gleason came back over to where they were standing. “I’m glad to see you’re getting along so well,” she said, her upper lip curled up in a sneer. “I’d hate to have Carson Drew’s daughter think we disliked her or anything.”

  Nancy checked her anger. Kate Gleason was being difficult, but she had just had a terrible shock. Nancy knew she had to be understanding. Besides, the Gleason kids were her only connection to Robert Gleason, and she still had a strong suspicion that he was behind that photograph and the phone call.

  “I don’t necessarily want you to like me,” Nancy said to Kate. “And I’m really sorry about what’s happened. But I think I have a right to know why you think my father’s directly responsible for all of this. And,” she added, “if you really think your father’s death wasn’t an accident, I might be able to help.”

  “She’s right, Kate,” Chris said.

  Kate folded her arms. She wasn’t convinced at all. Chris took her aside for a minute. Nancy heard him whispering to Kate and saw Kate looking over at her. Finally, they both came back.

  “Kate’s agreed to talk,” Chris told Nancy. “But only because you offered to help us find out what really happened to my father.”

  “You’re still going to have to prove to me that your father isn’t actually responsible, though,” Kate added.

  Nancy was about to lose her temper. What right did Kate Gleason have to accuse her father of being involved in Robert Gleason’s death? But Nancy knew that if she was going to get to the bottom of her father’s problem, she’d also have to find a way of getting along with Kate Gleason.

  “I hope that when we finish talking, you’ll see you have a reason to trust me. And you’ll realize we need to cooperate,” Nancy said, drilling in her point.

  “Maybe,” Kate said grudgingly.

  • • •

  Nancy and Chris and Kate Gleason were sitting around a table at the Pizza Palace. They had almost finished their sodas when Nancy felt the time was right to start talking about Robert Gleason.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you know?” Nancy said, and took a sip of her soda. “What makes you think that your dad didn’t kill himself?”

  “You put it so gracefully,” Kate said in a harsh voice. “Besides the fact that he was happier than ever before—nothing.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “When I last talked to him he was telling me that he had a big surprise planned for my birthday. Does that sound like a man who’s thinking of killing himself?”

  “Not exactly,” Nancy answered. “But—and I hate to say this—a lot can happen. Maybe your dad wasn’t adjusting to his new life too well.”

  “Nancy,” Chris said. “There’s something Kate isn’t telling you—the reason why my dad was in a better mood.”

  “Which was?”

  “It’s kind of hard to talk about, because we really don’t know enough.” Chris paused. “It looks like my father had new evidence about the case. Evidence he said that would ‘put Dennis Allard away this time.’ ”

  “And you think someone may have killed him because of it?” Nancy concluded gently.

  “You bet we do!” Kate said, banging her fist on the table.

  “But you don’t know what the evidence was?” Nancy asked.

  “I don’t have any idea,” Chris said sadly. “Kate and I tried to get him to let us help, but he said he had to do it alone.”

  “But he told us that Dennis Allard framed him,” Kate said. “And that your father had helped. He wouldn’t let us do anything, so I—” Kate stopped.

  Nancy got the distinct feeling she was about to say something important but stopped herself when she realized what she was doing.

  “So you did what, Kate?” she asked pointedly.

  “Nothing!” Kate shook her head and blinked back the tears that had pooled in her eyes. “All I can say is that if it hadn’t been for your father, my father would never have had to prove that he was innocent. And he wouldn’t be dead right now!”

  Kate broke down. Before Chris could reach out to comfort her, she ran off to the bathroom.

  Nancy looked at Chris. He was staring not at his sister, but at Nancy.

  “Sorry,” he said. “She doesn’t really mean what she’s saying.”

  “Do you think my father was responsible?” Nancy asked.

  Chris sighed. “I don’t know.” He studied Nancy intently. Nancy returned his stare, but couldn’t read him. She couldn’t understand why he’d be so willing to talk to her if he thought her father had helped frame his dad.

  Then, as if in
answer to her question, Chris started to speak. “I think we need to trust each other,” he said finally. “I want to find out who wanted my father dead, and I think you can help.”

  “You’re right,” Nancy said slowly. “I need to clear my father’s name, too.”

  Kate Gleason came back to the table. Her eyes were red still, but she had stopped crying. “I’d like to go now,” she said to her brother, making no move to sit.

  “There’s just one more thing I need to ask you,” Nancy said. “Before you ran off, you were about to tell me something. What was it?” She focused on Kate’s eyes and wouldn’t look away.

  “Nothing,” Kate answered, finally breaking the contact.

  “I don’t believe you.” Nancy paused. She looked across the table at Chris. “You two haven’t been making phone calls to my house lately, have you?” It was only a hunch but worth a try.

  Chris shook his head. Nancy looked up at Kate. Kate’s eyes grew bright, and she swallowed a few times. Nancy was right!

  “Kate?” Chris had seen his sister’s reaction. “What’s all this about?” he asked as she sat down beside him.

  Nancy quickly explained about the phone calls and the photograph.

  “I didn’t really think about what I was doing,” Kate confessed. “I wanted to help my father. I thought maybe I could scare your dad into—”

  “Into what?” Nancy asked.

  “I don’t know.” Kate rested her head in her hands, then looked up, brushing away her long auburn hair. “I thought that maybe he’d be worried enough to come clean about what he’d done,” she said in a rush.

  “Kate,” Chris groaned. “How could you? You could have gotten into a lot of trouble. Sometimes I wonder about you.”

  “Look,” Nancy said. “I’m not going to pretend I’m happy about what you did, but I’m glad I found out who was doing it.” At least now she knew the threats weren’t serious. “Still, what I don’t understand—” she began.

  “Then, will you help us?” Chris interrupted eagerly. “Find out who might have killed our father? And why?”

  Nancy sighed. She didn’t really trust Chris and Kate Gleason, but they were also too important a link to drop. “I’ll help,” she said finally.

  For the first time since Nancy had met her, Kate Gleason acted almost kind to her.

  “What’s our first step?” Chris asked.

  Nancy thought for a moment. “We need to find out what the evidence was that your father had. And it seems to me that the person we have to talk to is Dennis Allard. He knows more about this case than anyone.”

  “Allard!” Kate exclaimed. “He’s the one who framed my dad in the first place! Why would he help us?”

  “I don’t know that Allard was guilty,” Nancy said calmly. “Assuming he wasn’t, he might be able to help us.”

  Chris nodded and silenced Kate with a stare. “I think she’s right, Kate.”

  “Okay,” Kate said with a grimace. “But I think Nancy should talk to him. I wouldn’t trust myself alone with the man.”

  Nancy found herself smiling. “That’s an excellent idea. I’ll try to see him today, and I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  The three paid their checks and left the restaurant. Outside, Nancy called information for the address of River Heights Bank and Trust, where her father had mentioned Dennis Allard now worked. Then she made sure she got the Gleasons’ address and phone number before she headed downtown.

  Nancy was halfway between the restaurant and the center of River Heights when she noticed that a late-model silver sports car seemed to be following her. Every time she made a turn, the car was right behind her.

  Whoever was in the car had to have followed her from her house that morning. Or the driver could have seen her at Gleason’s apartment building and wondered what she was up to. Either way, she wanted to lose the tail, and fast.

  After making a couple of quick maneuvers in the light traffic, Nancy checked her rearview mirror again. The silver sports car was gone. She had lost it!

  One quick glance in her sideview mirror told her she had decided too quickly. The car was still tailing her but was now behind two other cars.

  Nancy drove for several miles more. The silver car hung back, keeping the two cars between them.

  Then Nancy saw her chance. She was right by the entrance to the highway that ran along the river. Maybe once she got on the highway and picked up speed, she could lose the car and make a quick exit.

  Nancy roared up the entrance ramp, with the silver car following close behind. She pushed her foot down on the accelerator. Easing ahead of the slower-moving traffic, Nancy kept her eye out for the sports car. It was still there.

  An exit was coming up in the next quarter mile. Nancy planned her maneuver. An eighth of a mile to go. A sixteenth. She was almost there.

  When Nancy was only twenty-five feet from the exit ramp, the sports car charged forward. The driver had obviously been waiting for the right moment. Now the silver car was within a few feet of Nancy’s Mustang.

  Nancy floored the accelerator, and the sports car matched her speed and then some. The little silver car rammed into Nancy’s bumper. She tried to gain control of her car, but the momentum was too much.

  With one last surge, the sports car slammed into Nancy’s car again. The force sent the car and Nancy flying off the road!

  Chapter

  Six

  INSIDE HER CAR Nancy was thrown forward. But before she hit the steering wheel, Nancy saw she was flying straight for a grove of trees. If she plowed into it, she was dead.

  Nancy yanked her seat belt free, wrestled the door open, and threw herself out of the car as her beloved Mustang crashed into the trees.

  Whew! Nancy thought. That was about as close a call as she’d ever like to make. She pulled herself to her feet and checked to make sure she didn’t have any broken bones.

  Still a little wobbly and shaking inside, Nancy walked gingerly over to her car. What she saw made her very unhappy. The whole front end of the Mustang was smashed. She leaned against the wrecked car and thought.

  Whoever did this knew who she was and was serious about keeping her out of action. She could easily have been killed.

  Still, she couldn’t let anyone stop her—especially not now. More determined than ever, she made her way back up to the highway to try to hitch a ride into town. Accident or no accident, she was going to have her little chat with Dennis Allard.

  • • •

  Back in the center of River Heights, Nancy called George. After her recent experience, she decided she needed help. Having Bess and George along would give Nancy another perspective when she met with Dennis Allard.

  “Hello?” Nancy let out a relieved sigh when she heard George’s voice on the line. At least something was going right: George was at home.

  “George, it’s Nancy. Listen, I need your help.”

  “Sure, Nancy. What’s up?” George asked.

  “I had a little accident—”

  “What happened?” George interrupted. “Are you all right?”

  Nancy tried to keep her voice calm. She didn’t want to worry her friend. “I’m fine. If you pick me up, I’ll explain everything.”

  “Where are you?” Nancy gave her the address of the gas station where she had gone to arrange to have her car towed.

  “Please bring Bess along. I’ve got an errand to run and I’d appreciate your help.”

  “No problem. We’ll be there in ten minutes.” George said goodbye and hung up.

  Nancy wandered over to the mechanic who was checking out her car. It had just been lowered off the tow truck.

  “It’s not going to be cheap,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I think you’re probably right,” Nancy said. “How long is it going to take to fix it?”

  “Depends. Probably we’ll have to wait for the parts. I’d say you’ll be living without it for at least two weeks.”

  The mechanic looked Nancy over f
or the first time, taking in her dusty jeans and grass-stained sweater. “You don’t look so good yourself. You sure you’re okay?”

  Nancy smiled wanly. “I’m sure,” she said. “But I guess I could use a little cleaning up.”

  Nancy headed for the restroom. There she wiped off her jeans and decided to put on a jacket to hide the worst stains. After combing her hair, fixing her eye makeup, and putting on a fresh coat of lip gloss, she decided she looked respectable enough to see Dennis Allard.

  Within a few minutes George swung into the gas station.

  “What’s going on?” Bess asked, leaning forward to let Nancy into the backseat. She had seen the smashed Mustang parked nearby.

  “Someone ran me off the road,” Nancy explained.

  George let out a whistle. “When did that happen?”

  “Just an hour ago.” She gave George the address of the River Heights Bank and Trust. “Let’s get going. I want to see Dennis Allard. I’ll tell you all about it on the way over.”

  During the ride Nancy told Bess and George about her morning with Chris and Kate Gleason, and her run-in with the silver sports car.

  “Sounds like someone doesn’t want you to get too close,” George said when Nancy had finished.

  “I think you’re right,” Nancy agreed.

  “Any idea who it could be?” Bess asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “Not yet. That’s part of the reason I want to meet with Allard.”

  “I don’t get it, Nan,” Bess said as George parked the car in front of Allard’s bank. “Why do you think he can help?”

  Nancy waited until they were out of the car to answer. “I’m not sure I can trust Chris and Kate. I get the feeling there’s something they’re not telling me.

  “And I don’t know who really is innocent. Meanwhile, Allard does know the case inside and out, so maybe he can give me some idea of what kind of person Robert Gleason really was.”

  “Good thinking,” George said as they headed for the bank.