11 Heart of Danger by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene [Keene, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Ten

FOR A SECOND Mark just stared at Nancy. Then he smiled sarcastically. “Well, if it isn’t the lovely Miss Driscoll, ghostwriter extraordinaire.” With a slight bow, he held the door open wider. “Come right in, please, Miss Driscoll. We’re eager to talk to you.”

Nancy looked around. The hall was deserted. “Oh, thank you,” she said uneasily, “but I—”

“This isn’t an invitation, it’s an order,” Mark snapped. “I said, come in!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room, firmly shutting the door behind them.

Mrs. Reigert edged toward them, twisting her hands. “How much do you suppose she heard, Mark?”

“Shut up, Jonelle,” Mark growled. “It’s not a question of what she heard, it’s a question of why she was listening.”

Mark’s fingers tightened around Nancy’s arm. “All right, my friend,” he said, his face close to hers. “I want some answers, and I want them now. Just what brings you to Casa del Alamo, and why are you snooping around outside my mother’s door, listening to a private conversation?”

Nancy swallowed, thinking fast. Her best defense, she decided, was to play the injured innocent. “But I wasn’t snooping,” she said tearfully, trying to pull her arm away. “And I wish you’d let go of my arm. You’re hurting me!”

“You’d better let her go,” Mrs. Reigert said with a worried frown.

Reluctantly, Mark relaxed his fingers. “I stilt want to know why you were eavesdropping,” he said. “And who are you anyway?”

Nancy pulled herself up straighter. “I was only walking by,” she said. “I heard voices, and I thought I heard somebody say my name. So I stopped. That’s when you opened the door and yelled at me.”

She began to whimper. “I’m not used to being yelled at. And I don’t know why you tried to hurt me. I wasn’t doing anything.” A big tear collected at the corner of each of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Nancy saw that her tears were confusing Mark, but he wasn’t ready to back off.

“I don’t care what you say. I know you were eavesdropping,” he insisted angrily.

Mrs. Reigert handed Nancy a tissue from the silver box on her dressing table. “Sometimes Mark is a little rash, Nancy,” she said soothingly, putting her arm around Nancy’s shoulders. “Please understand. He’s under a great deal of pressure right now. And after all, we don’t know who you are. How can we trust you?”

Nancy began to cry harder. “That’s just the problem,” she said, sobbing. “It’s so hard to do a good job when nobody will cooperate. Mr. Reigert wants me to get background information about his family, but nobody will talk to me. . . .”

“I know, dear,” Mrs. Reigert said sympathetically, leading Nancy to the door. “But you’re an outsider and you’re asking all sorts of personal questions. It’s not easy for us either.”

“Jonelle, you’re letting her get away with—” Mark broke out furiously.

“Shut up, Mark,” Mrs. Reigert commanded in an icy tone. “Now, dear,” she said, pushing Nancy’s hair back from her eyes, “you go on to your room and lie down for a little while.

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