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sure.”
    The phone rang beside the sofa, breaking into Nancy’s thoughts.
    â€œHi, detective,” the friendly voice said on the other end of the wire. “Glad I caught you.”
    Nancy’s fingers tightened on the receiver. “Did you get my transmission this morning, Dirk?” she asked tightly.
    â€œYou bet I did.” There was a suppressed excitement in Dirk’s voice. “We don’t have anything on the print yet, but I’ve got a positive on the photo for you.”
    â€œAlready?” Nancy exclaimed. “That’s super!”
    â€œYour boy was involved here in Fort Lauderdale with a girl named Darla DeCamp,” Dirk said. “She was on a missing persons list up your way until a couple of weeks ago.” He paused.
    â€œDarla?” Nancy asked. It was the name on the love note in Mike’s pocket! They were getting closer. “You said she was on a missing persons list. What happened? Has she been found?”
    â€œYeah, she was found,” Dirk said. His voice was grim. “She turned up in a lake outside of Batesville—dead.”

Chapter

Nine
    N ANCY GASPED, HER fingers frozen on the telephone. Darla—dead? This was something she hadn’t expected. Had Darla drowned accidentally—or by some other means? Nancy thought immediately of the scented note in Mike’s pocket. “I pray that we’ll never be separated,” the girl had written lovingly.
    Nancy bit her lip, her thoughts racing. “Have the police established a cause of death?” she asked, her voice strained.
    â€œNot yet,” Dirk said. “The case must still be open—they haven’t put out a warrant. Where are you in your investigation?”
    â€œI’ve uncovered a couple of things that connect Mike McKeever to Batesville.” Quickly, Nancy told Dirk about the ticket stub and the love note from Darla. “And Ned and I discovered a lead today to a girl in Silver Hills,” she said. “It’s beginning to look as though Mike’s romancing these girls for their money. It’s romantic extortion. The question is, what next? Does he murder them to keep them quiet, once he’s got their money? What’s more,” Nancy continued, “I’m pretty sure Mike isn’t in this alone. It looks like he’s got a partner. His name may be Felix.”
    â€œYou seem to know more about this case than anybody else,” Dirk mused. “You’d better watch yourself. These guys sound dangerous. If they figure you’re on to them, they might try to stop you.”
    â€œI know,” Nancy said. “But it’s not me I’m worried about. It’s the girl I’m supposed to protect—Brenda Carlton. She’s about as flaky as they come, and headstrong, and there’s no predicting what she’ll do. She’s so crazy about Mike, she might even try to help him get away.”
    Dirk grunted. “Sounds like a tough one, but you’re up to it. I’ll let you know the minute we turn up anything on that print.”
    Nancy said goodbye and hung up. Just then the doorbell rang. It was George and Bess, in matching red jogging shorts and red sweatbands.
    â€œHi,” Bess said breathlessly as Nancy opened the door. “We were out running—or I should say George was out running, and I was trying to keep up—and we thought we’d stop to hear what you learned in Silver Hills.”
    â€œDid you uncover anything new?” George asked.
    â€œYes,” Nancy said. “But what we found out is pretty grim, I’m afraid. Do you have time to discuss the latest?”
    â€œListen,” Ned said, coming up behind Nancy, “It’s getting to be dinnertime. How about something to eat while we talk?”
    â€œThat’s a good idea,” Nancy said, suddenly remembering that she and Ned had only had a quick sandwich for lunch.
    â€œI’ll go for