Heart of Ice (12 page)

“With four people on the mountain in a storm and no chance for a rescue, I don't think things could get much worse,” Alex responded dryly. “What is it?” he finally asked.

“I think Logan has been causing all the trouble,” Nancy said.

“That's impossible, Nancy. Logan is my best friend. He'd never do anything to hurt me or Alpine Adventures.”

“He gave up a lot to come and set up this
business with you, and now that Kara's getting back into climbing—”

“But that doesn't matter anymore,” Alex interrupted. “He's got a terrific sponsorship, and his climbing future has never been brighter.”

“His sponsorship is a lie—it doesn't exist,” Nancy said.

“How do you know?” Alex questioned.

“Anne just told me the company is sponsoring her—and she's their only climber this year.”

“And you believe Anne—Kara's competitor—over Logan?” Alex asked incredulously.

He had a point, and Nancy realized that Alex would have a hard time thinking Logan was anything but a good friend. She felt certain, though, that her suspicions were correct—she just had to make him see it. So she rattled off the clues that had brought her to her conclusion.

“Look, Nancy,” Alex said angrily when she'd finished. “Logan and I have been through everything together. I don't expect you to understand this, but he'd do anything for me. And I'd do anything for him.”

“Would you let him kill your wife?” Nancy asked quietly.

“Of course not,” Alex responded hotly. “But he
wouldn't
hurt her. That's what I'm telling you.
I trust Logan completely. In fact, he's the only person who knows about your investigation besides Kara and me.”

“What?” Nancy's eyes widened.

“It seemed silly to keep it from him,” Alex said, uncomfortably. “I tell Logan everything.”

“When exactly did you tell him?” Nancy questioned.

“On Friday morning. He said he didn't think the police were going to follow through on things, and it seemed natural to tell him that you were working on the case, so I did,” he answered.

“He never let on to me that he knew,” Nancy said. “Why do you suppose he'd keep that from me?”

“I don't know,” Alex admitted. “Come to think of it, that's when he told me that he thought Hank Moody was responsible. I thought it was a little odd that he said it just at that point, because we'd been talking about the case for at least fifteen minutes and he hadn't mentioned that he thought it was Hank until then.”

Nancy was finally getting through to Alex.

Just then Ned approached the two of them. “Nancy,” he said excitedly, “Anne just told me something that I think might be important. The annual guide presentation was canceled this
year,” he said. “Apparently not enough people signed up, so they called it off a few days before the event.”

“Logan's alibi is gone,” Nancy said, nodding. “He told me he was at the presentation the night of the break-in.”

Just then, Anne approached them somewhat sheepishly. “I've a confession to make,” she told them. “I didn't have dinner with friends in Seattle last Wednesday. I had dinner in Enum-claw with Logan. He made me promise to keep our date a secret. I thought maybe he had another girlfriend, but now I realize he didn't want me to wreck his alibi.”

“You're right, Nancy,” Alex said. “I hate to admit it, but it must be Logan. I've got to go after them.”

“I'm coming with you,” Nancy said.

“No.” Alex shook his head. “It's too dangerous.”

“Alex, you can't go out there alone,” Nancy said with determination.

He paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. “All right.”

Within minutes, Nancy and Alex were roped together and ready to go.

Ned gave Nancy a kiss goodbye. “Take care,”
he whispered as he gave her a last-minute squeeze.

Nancy nodded. “I will,” she said. Then she and Alex headed back up the mountain.

The snow was tapering off and the clouds seemed to be dispersing, but the wind was fierce. Nancy was instantly chilled.

With the wind whipping around her, Nancy began to question the wisdom of their search. The snow had completely covered any tracks that might have been left behind. With a sinking feeling, Nancy realized that it was possible they would miss Logan and Kara altogether.

Nancy didn't hear Alex shout a warning until it was too late. As she stepped forward, Nancy slipped and fell, on the edge of a crevasse. Her legs dangled over the edge of the deep ice crack. Instinctively, Nancy dug her ice ax into the glacier to keep herself from slipping any farther while Alex came to help her. He pulled her up and away from the crevasse.

Sitting near the edge of the glacier, Nancy realized how exhausted she was. There wasn't time to be tired; she had to keep going, she knew.

Nancy finally stood up. “Let's go,” she said.

The two continued up the glacier, passing the point where they had turned back earlier. By now
the snow had stopped completely. The clouds were dispersing, and at moments the sunlight was painfully bright.

“We've been making good time,” Alex called back.

Nancy nodded and kept moving forward. Her legs and head were throbbing, but she steeled herself as she continued to put one foot in front of the other.

“Look!” Alex shouted minutes later. “It's them!”

Nancy recognized Logan and Kara about two hundred yards ahead, standing still. She and Alex began walking faster. When they were about thirty yards away, Nancy realized that Logan and Kara weren't just standing—they were struggling with each other, right at the edge of a wide crevasse!

“I gave up my career for this company, and I won't be shut out now,” Logan was shouting.

“Logan, no,” Alex shouted, closing in on him.

Just then Logan pulled something out of his pocket—and with a gasp Nancy saw that he had a knife.

He grabbed the rope that held him and Kara together and sliced through it in a single, quick
motion. Then he pushed Kara toward the edge of the crevasse!

At that same moment Alex cut himself free from Nancy and hurled himself toward Logan. Kara fell into the crevasse, her rope trailing behind her.

While Alex and Logan struggled, Nancy loosened her rope and crawled to the edge of the crevasse. Looking down, she was horrified by what she saw. The crevasse was about two hundred feet deep, and Kara was clinging to the side of it about a quarter of the way down!

N
ANCY REALIZED THAT IT
was up to her to rescue Kara.

“I'm going to rig a pulley system to get you out,” Nancy called down to Kara.

“Please hurry,” Kara called up. “I don't know how long I can hold on.”

Nancy grabbed her picket anchor and began to pound it into the ice about six feet from the edge of the crevasse.

When the anchor was about halfway in, Nancy saw Logan move toward her. He had his ice ax raised, ready to strike. Without stopping to think, Nancy gave Logan a high karate kick,
which sent him flying across the ice. He hit his head and was out.

Alex got up and came to help Nancy pound in the anchor. They rigged a pulley system, tying the rope around Nancy, and then Alex lowered her into the crevasse. Keeping her arms and legs directly in front of herself, Nancy moved slowly down the ice face into the crevasse.

In a few minutes Nancy had reached Kara and tied her into her rope.

“Oh, Nancy.” Kara shuddered. “I'm so glad to see you.”

Nancy and Kara then began the climb back up the crevasse wall. Alex pulled from above.

As the two women reached the top of the crevasse, the thrum of a helicopter's rotors echoed off the mountain as the copter landed. Ned climbed out first, followed by a ranger and a police officer.

“I'm Nancy Drew,” Nancy said. “I'm a private investigator, and that man should be arrested for attempted murder.” She pointed to Logan, who was just coming to.

“He pushed this woman into that two-hundred-foot crevasse,” she added.

The officer approached Logan, who willingly held his wrists up for the cuffs.

“Ned,” Nancy asked, “how did you get the ranger to send a helicopter? And how did you know where we'd be?”

“I told them I was a private investigator and that my partner needed backup for a mountain emergency.” He grinned. “The ranger guessed this is where he'd strike.”

They all managed to fit in the chopper.

“That was a brave thing you did, miss,” the officer yelled to Nancy over the noise. “Following a criminal up the mountain like that.”

“I had someone along to help,” Nancy said, nodding at Alex.

Logan was sitting in the corner next to the police officer. His face was stained with tears.

“I didn't mean it,” he said hoarsely. “I didn't mean it. But I couldn't watch her get back into climbing after I'd given up so much for you, Alex. I couldn't play second fiddle. I had to get rid of her, or scare her off.”

Alex stared at his friend pitifully. “How could you do it, Logan?” he asked. “You were my best friend.”

Logan shook his head. “I don't know,” he answered at last. “I just don't know.

Alex had an arm wrapped protectively around
his wife. “You need help,” he said to Logan. “I only hope you get it.”

When the helicopter landed at Camp Muir, Kara, Alex, Nancy, and Ned climbed out. The door to the shelter opened. Everyone greeted them warmly, including Hank and Joe, who were safe and sound. They had started down the mountain after the avalanche had passed them by.

Inside, a hot meal had been prepared. As Nancy lifted a forkful of spaghetti to her mouth, Hank cleared his throat.

“I want to apologize to you, Alex,” he said gravely. “I had no right to send Lisa snooping around here.”

“That's all right,” Alex answered graciously. “No harm was done, and I can understand how a drop in business would make a person panic.”

“Yes, well, it was still an awful thing for me to do. I want you to know that I'm sorry,” Hank finished.

Alex smiled. “Apology accepted,” he said. “And I'm sure there's enough climbing business around here for both of us.”

“There'll be more after I write my article,” Eladio said.

“I just can't believe that my best friend was trying to kill my wife,” Alex said, shaking his head. “I trusted him.”

“We all did,” Kara said gently. “Logan and I had our differences, but I would never have guessed he was out to kill me.”

“That was the point,” Nancy said. “He knew that you both considered him a good friend, so he figured he could threaten Kara and not look guilty.”

“But what about my car accident and Tsu's fall?”

“I can't say for sure,” Nancy replied. “But I think both of those incidents were planned for Kara.”

“That's right, they probably were,” Kara agreed.

“Well, it's all over now,” Alex said. “And I think we should celebrate with a trip to the summit tomorrow.”

“All right,” Ned said, pumping his fist in the air.

• • •

At twelve o'clock the next day Nancy and the rest of the group reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. The climb to the top had taken about seven hours.

“This is what makes it all worthwhile,” Kara said as the group stood taking in the view. They could see for miles in every direction—the lesser mountains covered in a thick blanket of white snow, and far, far away an expanse of blue that was the Pacific Ocean. “I've climbed this mountain a hundred times, and every time I love the view a little bit more.”

“Well, to tell you the truth, climbing it once might just be enough for me,” Eladio said, catching his breath. “The view is fabulous, but I feel like I've just run a marathon.”

“You've more than just run a marathon,” Alex responded. “You've just climbed up a fourteen-thousand-foot mountain carrying nearly one-fourth of your weight on your back—in freezing temperatures.”

“I'm glad you didn't put it quite that way before I decided to do a story on you,” Eladio answered. “I probably would have changed my mind—or at least waited until June.”

“Well, we're happy that you came,” Kara said sincerely.

Standing at the crater rim bundled in her parka, Nancy felt happy and incredibly relieved at the outcome of the case.

“Thanks to you, we made it to the top,” Ned
said, giving her a cold kiss on the cheek. He looked so handsome in his parka, his cheeks pink from the winter air.

“Well, it wasn't just me,” Nancy replied modestly. “But I suppose I played a part in it.” She sighed happily. “Isn't the view incredible?”

“It sure is,” Ned replied, peering deeply into Nancy's eyes. “It's the best view I've ever seen.”

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.