eyes.
“I can finish up here by myself if you want to
take a break,” Jennifer said. “We got a lot
accomplished today. Nancy, will you be at the
square dance tonight? It should be lots of fun.
Ned, don’t forget you promised me a Virginia
reel.”
Ned shifted his feet uncomfortably. “Oh, I
won’t,” he said, then turned to Nancy. “I
worked straight through lunch, so I’m due an
hour or so. You want to drive to Mammoth
Hot Springs? It’s my favorite place in the
park.”
She touched his arm lightly. “That would be
great.” They walked down the hill and stopped
at the campsite to tell Bess and Jack where she
was going. Bess was so occupied with helping
Jack that she only nodded.
Ned led Nancy to one of the camp’s Jeeps.
The top was down so Nancy zipped up her
jacket before climbing in.
During the twenty-minute drive, Nancy told
Ned everything that had happened since she’d
last seen him. She mentioned the Turkowers,
the attack on the road, and how she’d found
the linen service driver bound and gagged in
his van.
Ned was appalled to learn how close Nancy
had come to being run off the road. “You’ve
got to be more careful. Nan,” he said anxious-
ly. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything
happened to you.”
She felt a sudden glow. “Don’t worry. I
know what I’m doing,” she told him. “And
anyway, what about you? I’m not the one who
got himself knocked out. How’s your head
today?”
Ned lilted one hand from the wheel to touch
the back of his head, where it was bandaged.
“It’s still there,” he joked. “I can take this
bandage off tomorrow, though.”
“I hope you’ve been taking it easy.”
“Are you kidding?” he exclaimed. “We have
to wrap up everything by Saturday. I’ve been
going like crazy since daybreak. We all have.”
He pulled the Jeep onto an embankment
and parked. “Come on,” he said, pocketing the
keys. “From here we walk.”
They crossed the road and made their way
up the path.
“Mammoth Hot Springs is a twenty-foot-
high stack of limestone with one side cut away
by erosion,” Ned told her. “And it’s gorgeous.
Look.”
Nancy gasped in delight as they cleared the
trees, and she saw steaming water flowing
softly down a series of stone terraces that
looked like giant multicolored steps. Near the
top the stones were pure white, but farther
down they were splashed with red, brown,
pink, and tan.
“At the top the water is so hot that nothing
can live on the stones,” Ned told her. “But the
water cools off as it flows downward, allowing
algae to grow on the lower terraces. That’s why
those ledges are so many different colors.”
“It’s beautiful!” Nancy exclaimed.
“I wanted to be sure you saw this,” he said,
putting his arm around her waist. “But I’m
afraid I have to get right back to camp. You
can’t imagine how much work we still have to
do.”
After another long look at the limestone
terraces, they reluctantly headed back to the
car.
“How’s the case going. Nancy?” Ned asked
as he drove back to the campsite.
“I’m making some progress, but not a lot,”
she said. “I’ve got too many suspects. Anyone
could have taken the key from under the rock
by the command post, which means I have to
consider outsiders, like Piker and Richard.”
Ned nodded. “Well, if the key was stolen,
Professor Trainey obviously didn’t do it. He’s
got one of his own.”
Nancy remained silent for a moment, then
told Ned the news about the grant extension.
He looked crushed. “Dan didn’t say a word
about it,” he began. “I guess he’s too upset.”
“It’s awful, I know,” Nancy said carefully.
“And I’m afraid I’ve still got to watch the
professor. He must be pretty desperate for
money now.”
Ned’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the
wheel tighter. “That’s ridiculous. Professor
Trainey is the last person on earth who’d get
involved in poaching marmots-no matter
how hard up he is,” he said indignantly.
Nancy took a deep breath. “Try to see it
objectively. He’s got a strong motive. And he