Read Online Murder On Ice by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online

familiar about him, but Nancy couldn’t quite place his face. “I really am sorry,” she said again, turning back to Gunther.
    â€œAre you all right?” the stranger’s voice continued.
    Those words! That voice! Nancy was sure she’d heard them before. She spun back around. The young man was looking at her with an odd expression in his eyes.
    Nancy gasped. “It was you!”

Chapter

Nine
    F OR A MOMENT Nancy and the blond man stood staring at each other. “ It was you!” she cried. “ You’re the one who rescued me when the tow rope broke!”
    The stranger’s blue eyes crinkled into an admiring smile. “You must be quite a skier. You reacted so fast once you realized the danger, and you knew exactly how to fall.”
    â€œNot well enough to keep from getting knocked out!” Nancy laughed breathlessly. “I’m so glad to see you again! I was beginning to think I’d imagined you, and I never did get a chance to thank you.”
    â€œThat doesn’t matter. I didn’t want to leave while you were out like that, but your boyfriend came up and took over. Pretty abruptly. Who is the guy, anyway?”
    â€œLuke Ericsen,” Nancy replied as the music ended. “And he isn’t my boyfriend. Ned Nickerson is. Over there.” She indicated the table where Ned was sitting. “Luke’s the ski instructor at Webb Cove Lodge, where we’re staying. This is my friend Gunther.”
    Gunther and the man shook hands, then Gunther excused himself and threaded his way through the crowd to Bess. You and Luke know each other, Nancy thought, looking at her rescuer. You were talking about being together at a Broken Leg Café. “I still don’t know who you are,” she said aloud.
    â€œMichael Price,” the young man introduced himself with another dazzling smile. “I’m a free-lance writer, mainly sports. Right now, I’m researching ski resorts in New England.”
    â€œI’m Nancy Drew.”
    â€œWhat do you do?” Michael asked.
    Nancy decided not to tell Michael she was a detective. “Right now, I dance,” she replied demurely. The crowd around them had started rocking to a new song, and Michael grinned.
    â€œWe do seem to be blocking traffic.” Michael began moving to the music, and Nancy fell into sync with him. “Doesn’t your boyfriend dance?” he asked.
    â€œHe loves to, but I won’t let him tonight—he’s banged up his ankle.”
    As Nancy told Michael about Ned’s accident, he frowned and asked, “So this Luke lent him damaged skis?” He pursed his lips, thinking. “That sounds pretty irresponsible to me.”
    Nancy looked up into Michael’s face. All of a sudden, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Why was Michael pretending he didn’t know Luke, when Nancy had heard them talking together? She had to find out from him what was going on!
    â€œMichael!” Nancy exclaimed. “I’m going to be honest with you, and I hope you’ll be honest with me. I don’t trust Luke, and I need to find out more about him for the sake of a friend. I know you know him . . . so why don’t you tell me whatever you know?”
    A peculiar expression crossed Michael’s face, but Nancy couldn’t read it. Then he replied, “All right, I think I can be open with you. I said Luke sounded irresponsible to me. Well, there’s more to it than just a hunch.
    â€œYou’re right, I have met Luke before. He lent some equipment to someone I knew. And guess what—that guy had an accident, too. Only he wasn’t as lucky as your boyfriend. He hit his head, went into a coma, and three days later, he was dead.”
    Nancy gasped. Luke really could be a murderer!
    â€œRemember,” Michael said, “I’m not telling you he did it on purpose. Maybe it was just carelessness. But that doesn’t bring my