âShall we talk in my office?â
âThat might be a good idea,â Nancy replied. She and Ned followed Liz into her office.
When they were settled with the door shut, Nancy said, âYou two better steel yourselves, because this is a real shocker. The prowler cameback last night and he left a message in the snow. It saidâget thisâMURDERER.â
âWow,â Ned said softly.
âThatâs crazy!â Liz explodedâa bit too loudly, Nancy thought. âHow could there be a murderer at Webb Coveâat my lodge! There havenât been any murders around hereââ
âCalm down, Liz,â Nancy said. âI wouldnât put much stock in some weird message left in the snow in the middle of the night. But I do intend to find out whatâs going on here.â
âHave you got any ideas yet?â Ned asked.
âMaybe,â Nancy replied. âI canât help feeling that the blond guy who warned me about the rope was your prowler. That little ski trail he was on leads only to Webb Cove Lodge, and we know heâs not staying here.â
âWhy do you think he left the message?â Liz wondered.
âWell,â Nancy began slowly, âhe warned me onceâabout the towâso maybe heâs trying to warn me, or all of usâabout someone he thinks is dangerous.â
âAnd could that someone just possibly be Luke Ericsen?â Ned asked. âYou said he deliberately denied knowing our mystery man.â
Nancy was silent for a moment. âWe donât know much about Luke. Iâd certainly hate to accuse him of anything before we have proof. After all, we donât even know if a murder really has been committed! I would say, though, that we should keep an eye on him.â
âBoth eyes,â Ned agreed.
âMaybe I should fire him,â Liz said slowly. âJust to get him out of here. . . .â
Nancy frowned. Why would Liz suggest something so drastic? But all she said was, âNo, then weâd never solve the mystery. Besides, we donât know that heâs done anything. And you donât have any cause to fire him.â
Ned smiled faintly. âNancy, youâre becoming obsessed with yet another case. Do you think weâll ever go on a vacation without having to share it with thieves, kidnappers, or murderers?â
Nancy sighed. Ned was trying to be good-natured, but she got the message. He was tired of playing second fiddle to every mystery that came along. She couldnât blame him for feeling like that. But how could she sit still if there might really be a murderer in the lodge?
âSomeday, weâll have a real vacation, I promise,â Nancy said. âBut for now, we have a ski instructor to follow. And on the slopes, thatâs not going to be easy.â
Ned grinned. âWell, letâs hit the mountain.â
âLiz, donât worry. Weâll get to the bottom of this,â Nancy promised as she and Ned left the office and headed for the bunk rooms.
When Nancy reached the womenâs dorm, she found Bess eyeing several combinations of pants, sweaters, and vests, which she had spread out on her bunk. âDonât tell me youâre changing again!â Nancy groaned.
âI think I ate too many pancakes for these pants,â Bess said ruefully, looking down at hertight violet corduroys. âAnd this sweater doesnât really go with any other pants.â
âForget clothes for a minute. I need to talk to you about something serious.â Nancy sat down on her bed. Swiftly she outlined everything that had happened, from the message in the snow to her conversation with Liz and Ned. âKeep quiet about it,â she finished. âLiz doesnât want rumors getting out.â
âYouâre going to tell George, arenât you?â Bess asked.
âI donât know,â Nancy answered, and sighed. âGeorge gets