“What’s wrong?” Nancy asked.
Jessie nudged the shovel with her foot. “Someone must have used this to kill the bats.” She examined her gloves and put them back on.
Nancy, who was also wearing gloves, picked up the shovel and shined the flashlight on the spade. Blood and bits of fur were stuck to the metal.
She grimaced and dropped it. “I wonder if we could trace it to its owner,” she said. “We’ll have to take it aboveground. Maybe it has fingerprints, though I don’t think they’ll do us much good.”
“I’ve heard of this kind of slaughter,” Jessie said, her voice shaking, “but I never thought I’d see it, not here in Fairport. Whoever did this must not know they can be arrested for killing an endangered species. It’s a federal crime.”
“Either they don’t know or they don’t care,” Nancy said. “This was a violent act against innocent animals.”
Jessie shuddered. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nancy gave Jessie a boost so she could grab the edges of the cave opening and scramble out.
“Here’s the shovel,” Nancy called, and hoisted it up to Jessie’s waiting hand.
Nancy heard the handle scrape against the cave opening as Jessie lifted out the shovel.
“Okay, you’re next,” Jessie said. Nancy grabbed her hand. Jessie pulled her up until she could squirm out.
It felt strange to be back aboveground again, in the bright sun and fresh air. Nancy took the shovel, and she and Jessie walked quietly back to where they had begun their search. Nancy leaned the shovel against a tree trunk, and they collapsed on the ground under one of the oaks.
“Do you think whoever did this could be the same person who’s been threatening Aunt Elizabeth?” Nancy asked Jessie.
“I don’t know,” Jessie said. “I’ve heard stories about people killing bats just for the fun of it, if you can believe that.”
“But the notes and the phone calls Aunt Elizabeth’s been getting have all hinted at violence and death,” Nancy reminded her. “And they’ve all been connected to the bats. What better way to resolve the situation than to kill off the bats?”
Nancy was about to ask whether the bats were still hibernating when she heard footsteps crunching on leaves. A moment later Professor Noble came into the clearing.
“Any luck?” he asked.
“We found the cave,” Jessie said.
“Wonderful!” Professor Noble exclaimed. “We’ll have to—”
“But it was filled with dead bats,” Jessie said, interrupting him.
He stopped in his tracks. “Dead?”
Jessie pointed to the shovel. “There’s the murder weapon.”
“I’ve seen this kind of senseless act before,” Professor Noble said. “Usually it’s teenagers trying to be cool.”
“In this case,” Nancy said, “I don’t think so.”
“I agree with you,” Professor Noble said. He walked over to the shovel.
“Don’t handle it without gloves, please,” Nancy said.
Professor Noble put on a pair of gloves, then picked up the shovel and hefted it. “Thank goodness most of the bats were already out of the cave after their winter hibernation. A stunt like this can kill off a whole colony.”
Nancy saw something on the handle of the shovel that she hadn’t noticed in the darkness of the cave. It looked like a price tag. She walked over to get a closer look.
“Fairport Hardware,” she said as she scrutinized the tag.
“That’s Mr. Bremer’s store,” Jessie noted.
“Interesting,” Nancy said. “I’ve seen him and Mr. Stryker together twice in the past couple of days. They were arguing both times.”
“But it doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Professor Noble reminded her. “Anyone could have bought this shovel. Like Hank Tolchinsky, for instance.”
“He made it pretty clear he hates bats, didn’t he?” Nancy said.
“Killing them off would certainly end his problems,” Professor Noble said.
Nancy heard rustling in the woods. Bess and George entered the clearing. Bess was leaning on George’s shoulder, limping.
“I twisted my ankle!” she moaned. “And it hurts.”
Nancy rushed to her friend. Together, she and George helped Bess over to a rock under a tree, where she sat down. Nancy looked at her ankle. It was bruised and swollen. “I hope it’s not broken,” she said.
Professor Noble and Jessie gathered around Bess. “Do you think you can make it to the car?” Professor Noble asked.
Bess, close to tears, shook her head. “I’ve gone about as far as I can,” she said.
“If it’s broken, we don’t want Bess to put any more strain on it,” Nancy said.
