“How did you know I’d ordered hot chocolate?”
“Always questions.” Mr. Garrison, smiled. “I know, I know. That’s why you’re a detective. I just happened to be in the hallway when the waiter from room service arrived. I asked him what I had to do to get a cup of coffee. He told me he’d get it for me right after he delivered the hot chocolate to you. I offered to do that for him. And here I am.”
Nancy couldn’t believe how hard Mr. Garrison was trying to be charming. “Well, then, I guess I have no choice but to invite you in,” Nancy said with a little laugh.
Russell Garrison stepped inside. “Of course, if you prefer, we could go down to the lobby. But I would like to talk.”
“That’s okay,” Nancy said. “Please sit down.”
The headmaster sat at a small table in the corner of the room. Nancy sat opposite him.
“Ms. Drew, I did some checking on you. You have quite a reputation in River Heights.”
“I guess I should be flattered that you checked up on me.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ve been checking up on me,” Mr. Garrison replied.
“So I have.” Nancy smiled.
Garrison laughed easily. “I know I’ve been rude lately,” he said, “but you must understand that this jewel theft has upset me greatly. With so much finger pointing, it’s almost as though everyone is a suspect.”
“You’ve done some finger pointing yourself, Mr. Garrison. You haven’t exactly made Mrs. Sedgewick or her daughter feel very good. Not to mention Coach Boggs.”
“I know.” He sighed. “None of us is perfect. Maybe I was hoping this thing would be solved quickly. Ellen Sedgewick seemed the most likely suspect, especially when I learned about her money problems. Unfortunately, I’m not a detective.”
Nancy checked her watch. It was nearly ten o’clock. She remembered her promise to visit Kelly, but she certainly couldn’t tell Mr. Garrison that Kelly was in the hotel.
“You know, Ms. Drew,” Mr. Garrison continued, keeping his eyes closely trained on her. “No matter what you think of me, Pineview is a very highly rated school. That’s something I’m very proud of and always have been.”
Nancy yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. What was Mr. Garrison up to? He seemed to be going on and on. As Nancy sipped her hot chocolate, the room seemed to grow warmer. Almost too warm. She felt like going to sleep right then and there, but she had promised to visit Kelly.
“Mr. Garrison, what is . . . uh . . . the point of all this?” she mumbled. She suddenly felt so tired she could hardly get the words out.
“I just wanted to clear the air,” he said. “To show you there are no hard feelings on my part. I know I haven’t been very helpful with your investigation. For that I apologize. When we get back to Pineview I’ll try to help in any way I can to get to the bottom of all this. I really want to see this case solved.”
While Garrison droned on and on about his good intentions, Nancy sipped her chocolate and grew even sleepier. Now she could hardly keep her eyes open. The room began to spin. Mr. Garrison was just a blur across the table from her. She started to pick up the hot chocolate again, but the cup fell from her hand.
“Getting sleepy, Ms. Drew?” she heard Mr. Garrison say. “You must be tired from all your hard detective work. A good night’s sleep is probably what you need, but this hotel can be noisy. I know a better place. A place where no one will disturb you and you can sleep as long as you wish.”
Nancy sensed Mr. Garrison getting up. She felt him put her coat over her shoulders and practically lift her to her feet. She could barely walk as he helped her out of the room. In the split second before she lost consciousness, she realized what had happened.
Russell Garrison had drugged her.
15
A Close Call
When Nancy next opened her eyes it was daylight. She was groggy and a bit dizzy. In her confusion she turned over to go back to sleep. But just before she dozed off, she remembered what had happened.
She sat up suddenly. Her head started spinning, and she had to lie down again. Then, slowly, she propped herself up in bed. It was only then that she realized she wasn’t in her hotel room.
The place she was in looked like a cabin. It had only one room, and it was cold. She had three or four blankets piled on top of her, and she was still wearing her coat.
Slowly her head started to clear. She looked at her watch. It was nearly twelve o’clock! She had been sleeping for more than twelve hours.
Standing up finally, she steadied herself by leaning on a small table near the bed.
Where was she?
When her head cleared enough for her to walk, she opened the door and looked outside. All she could see in every direction was forest. Several inches of snow had fallen during the night. It was a beautiful sight, but it was also frightening.
She had to get out of there, but she had no idea how far she would have to walk to find help.
Nancy took the warmest blanket and threw it over her coat. Then she stepped outside into the cold.
The crisp, fresh air cleared her head even more. It was important to find her way back to town as quickly as she could. The soccer game was due to start at two o’clock.
Mr. Garrison hadn’t had time to take her very far from the hotel, she reasoned. He would have worried about being missed.
After looking around, Nancy decided to head south, using the sun as a beacon.
She wasn’t very far from the cabin when she noticed some tracks in the snow—a snowmobile. That must have been how Mr. Garrison brought her there. She began following the tracks.
Gradually, the woods thinned out. Nancy found herself on a wider trail meant for cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. She followed the trail for nearly an hour before she finally reached a two-lane highway.
Nancy couldn’t wait for a car to pass by. The deserted road seemed to run north and south. She began walking south.
It was ten minutes before she heard a car coming from behind her. Though she knew the dangers of hitchhiking, Nancy had no choice but to flag the car down. There were two young women inside, and two pairs of skis were tied to the car’s roof.
