cameras, I made some hot chocolate.”
“What time was that?” Nancy pressed.
“Six-thirty,” Alicia replied. “I left about ten
minutes later to go to the lecture. I made it just
in time.”
“I remember you huffing and puffing as you
ran into the room,” Jack said with a grin. “But
speaking of time, Trainey told us to meet him
in ten minutes.”
“And me in the doghouse already!” Ned
exclaimed. “Come on. Nancy.”
Nancy and Ned jogged down the path to the
campsite with Alicia and Jack close behind
them. When they reached the parking area,
Ned gave Nancy a quick kiss, then dashed off.
Nancy drove away, thinking about the inves-
tigation. If Alicia’s recollection was correct,
the propane stove was working at six-thirty on
the day of the accident. But by seven fifty-
three, it had been sabotaged. If she could place
someone at the observation hut during that
time period, it would go a long way toward
breaking the case.
As she drove up to the hotel, she saw Bess
standing on the porch, peering anxiously at the
road. The moment she spotted Nancy, she
started waving wildly. Nancy parked and ran
over to her.
“What is it, Bess?” she demanded. “What’s
wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Bess replied. “I think I
just solved the whole case!”
“What do you mean?” Nancy sank down
onto a porch swing.
Bess dropped down next to Nancy and
handed her a piece of paper. “Just look at
this,” she said.
Nancy’s eyes widened when she read the
title: “Hot New Pet Craze-Whistling Mar-
mots.” The sheet had been photocopied from
a magazine. In the article the words native
to Yellowstone were highlighted in orange.
Nancy’s heart began to race. “Where did you
get this?”
“I was sitting in the lobby,” Bess explained,
“when a rich-looking couple came in and
stopped near me. As they moved away, I
noticed a piece of paper on the floor, so I
picked it up.”
“Hmm.” Nancy scanned the page and read
out loud. ” ‘Rock star Randy Dean’s fondness
for collecting marmots has made the creature a
sought-after pet among the rich and famous.
According to one U.S. wildlife specialist, some
people are willing to pay as much as five
hundred dollars for one of these animals.'”
“Randy keeps a bunch of marmots on his
California estate,” Bess said. “According to
the article, one of them escaped. A neighbor
found it in her kitchen, munching its way
through a box of cereal. The story made the
newspapers, and ever since then people have
wanted marmots.”
“That’s very interesting,” Nancy said slow-
ly. “I guess we should find out the couple’s
names and where they come from.”
Bess grinned proudly. “They’re Gerald and
Edith Turkower, and they’re from-just guess
-Bel Air, California.”
Nancy stared. “How do you know?”
“Simple,” Bess said smugly. “While they
were registering, I checked their luggage tags.”
“Good work,” Nancy told her friend. “Tell
you what,” she added, “as a reward, I’ll treat
you to a cup of tea and a snack. I’ll also fill you
in on what I’ve learned so far.”
The dining room had log walls and wooden
ceiling beams. As they sat down at a table near
the windows, Bess leaned forward and whis-
pered, “Two tables to your left-those are the
Turkowers.”
Nancy casually glanced in their direction as
the waitress arrived to take her order.
Then, just as their pie and tea arrived, a
bellhop walked through the dining room, say-
ing, “Nancy Drew, telephone call for Nancy
Drew.”
Nancy waved to him and identified herself.
“It sounds like an emergency,” he told her,
pulling a cordless phone from a holster on his
belt.
“Hello? Yes?” Nancy said.
“Nancy, thank goodness I got you,” a
breathless voice said. “It’s Alicia Nivel. You’ve
got to come at once. Ned’s been hurt!”
Chapter Four
NANCY clutched the phone so tightly that
her knuckles turned white. “What happened?”
“We don’t know,” Alicia replied. “We found
him on the floor at the command post uncon-
scious. He must have fallen and hit his head on
something. When he came to, he asked us to
call you right away, so I drove down to the