Never Say Die Read Online Free PDF Page A

the parking lot. A second later her station wagon shot toward the exit, dust rising in a cloud. Nancy noticed a wire cage in the wagon’s rear compartment and black lettering on its sides, but it was too far away for her to make out the words.
    She turned to Jon. “Is that a police car?” Nancy asked. “She sure drives it like one.”
    â€œNo, the cage is because her family raises purebred German shepherds,” he said.
    Silence fell as the car disappeared from view. No one wanted to speak. Finally, though, Jon turned to George. “Remember I said that I took off after I lost my memory?”
    George nodded.
    â€œWell, later, when I got it back, I wrote her andsaid that I didn’t want to see her again. I don’t know how she found out I was here, but she did, and she’s come to try to get me to go back with her. She’s even taken a room at the Imperial Motel.”
    â€œLooks like she didn’t get the message.”
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    A minute later George and Jon said good night. Jon went back inside the velodrome to get Ned while George, Bess, and Nancy continued walking toward the now-floodlit parking lot.
    â€œYou sure let him off” easy,” Bess remarked acidly as she yanked open the door of George’s station wagon.
    â€œWhat?” George asked.
    â€œYou were too nice. If it had been me, I’d have laughed in his face. I mean, can you believe all that baloney about it being over between them?”
    â€œIt’s not baloney. Well, I mean—I—”
    George hesitated. She was obviously torn. She wanted to accept Jon’s explanation but still had her doubts.
    â€œCome on, Bess, give Jon a break,” Nancy said as she loaded the bike into the rear.
    â€œWhy? So he can walk all over her? No way. I don’t want George to get hurt.”
    â€œNeither do I. But we don’t know for sure that he’s lying.”
    â€œWe don’t know that he isn’t, either.”
    â€œJust stop it, both of you!” George said, explodingsuddenly. “This is between Jon and me. We’ll work it out on our own, okay?”
    Nancy dropped the subject. But later, as she drove away, she still felt bad for George. Worse, she knew that Debbi Howe was not the kind of girl to let the issue drop as easily as Nancy and Bess had.
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    The next morning Nancy sat in the Drew kitchen picking at her breakfast. Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, had made strawberry pancakes—usually one of Nancy’s favorites—but Nancy wasn’t hungry that day.
    Across the table Carson Drew looked over the top of his morning newspaper and studied his daughter.
    â€œWhat’s wrong? What happened to put that gloomy look on your face?”
    Nancy smiled in spite of herself. No one knew her as well as her father did—not even Ned or Hannah.
    â€œOkay, I give. You always drag it out of me in the end, anyway. I’m working on a new case.”
    â€œOh? What is it this time?”
    â€œSomething very serious. Someone may be trying to kill George.”
    Quickly she filled her father in. As she talked, her father thoughtfully spread butter on his pancakes.
    â€œHmm. That’s a tough one,” he said whenshe’d finished. “I’m riot sure what to tell you, but I do have one piece of advice.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    He set down his knife. “Make George drop out of the Classic.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI mean it. Don’t take chances. Those two incidents might add up to nothing, but what if someone is trying to kill her? The more chances the killer has, the more likely it is that he or she will be successful.”
    â€œGeorge will never quit, Dad. The Classic is too important to her.”
    â€œMore important than staying alive?”
    â€œWell, when you put it that way, it’s hard to argue. But you don’t know how determined she is. I’ve