Read Online Update On Crime by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online Page A

everything.”
    Brenda’s tone made Nancy grit her teeth, but she forced a pleasant smile. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything,” she promised. Then she escaped down the hallway.
    According to their prearranged plan, Nancy met Bess back at the parking lot.
    â€œYou did a great job distracting Gilbert’s aide, Bess,” Nancy told her friend. “Mata Hari couldn’t have worked it any better.”
    Bess batted her eyes with a mock femme fatale look. “I didn’t mind that assignment one bit. That guy was so cute!” she said. “How about you? Did you manage to find any clues in Gilbert’s office?”
    â€œYes, but unfortunately I managed to find Brenda Carlton as well.”
    â€œOh, no,” Bess groaned. “What happened?”
    Nancy quickly told her about the encounter. “I think I put her off for the moment, though,” she finished. “The good news is that I found out from Gilbert’s desk calendar that Marilyn Morgan had an appointment with him last week. And I found another clue.”
    She told Bess about the novelty pen in the pen cup that matched the one she’d found in the tape booth at the station. “With a little more investigation, I may be able to connect Gilbert and Marilyn to the threats against Hal.”
    â€œDo you think Gilbert dropped the pen at the station?” Bess asked as the two girls climbed into Nancy’s Mustang.
    Nancy shook her head. “It’s unlikely that he could have gotten into the station. Finding this pen just backs up my theory that Gilbert must have an accomplice at WRVH.”
    â€œMarilyn?” Bess guessed, raising an eyebrow.
    â€œIt’s possible,” Nancy replied. “But I need to find more evidence before I can accuse her of being behind the attacks against Hal.”
    Nancy snapped on her seat belt, then began the drive back to River Heights. “The first thing I want to do when we get back is check out the company whose name was on that pen,” Nancy said as she nosed the car onto the highway. “It’s called KSM Express. I think it’s some kind of trucking company.”
    â€œHow does KSM Express tie in to the threats against Hal?” Bess asked.
    â€œI know from Hal that KSM Express is one of the companies that has supposedly been bribing Gilbert,” she answered. “Since Hal’s going to air the bribery story on Monday, that gives both Gilbert and this company a strong motive to scare him off.”
    Bess nodded thoughtfully. “So you think Marilyn is the one who left the pen in the feed booth.”
    â€œIf Marilyn is in league with Gilbert, then it’s possible that she could be involved with KSM as well,” she said slowly. “On the other hand, I can’t forget about Gary Krieger.”
    Nancy filled Bess in on the reporter’s suspicious behavior the day before. “There’s still a possibility that he could be behind the threats. I just have to keep looking until I find some hard evidence to connect him or Marilyn to the attacks.” She pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “I just hope I can prove who’sbehind this before there’s another incident. That fire in Hal’s office yesterday proved that the situation is becoming really dangerous for him.”
    Nancy spotted a tiny roadside restaurant and pulled into the parking lot. “Let’s stop here for lunch,” she suggested. “I don’t know about you, but all this sleuthing has made me hungry.”
    Nancy and Bess devoured a delicious lunch of soup and apple fritters. Then they continued their drive back to River Heights. They drove past the River Heights airport on their way to find KSM Express, which was located in an industrial area on the east side of town.
    The company lay at the end of a road near some railroad tracks. The company’s large parking lot was crowded with eighteen-wheel