124 The Secret of the Scarlet Hand by Carolyn Keene

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

9

Trapped!

The next thing Nancy knew, she was lying in the dark on a cold cement floor. She tried to move her arms, but her hands seemed to be bound behind her. A cloth had been tied around her head to gag her mouth.

How had she gotten here? She remembered accidentally drinking the strange potion at the ceremony, then getting caught up in the chanting and dancing.

I must have passed out, she realized. What was in that cup?

As she tried to wriggle free, the rope binding her hands bit into her wrists. Across the room, she could make out a thin line of dim light. A door. She inched steadily toward it, then her foot struck something hard. A rake clattered to the ground, its metal tines narrowly missing her head.

Was it her imagination, or did she hear arguing voices beyond the door? She opened her mouth to yell for help, but the gag was firmly in place.

“I say leave her here!” a muffled, angry voice commanded. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but in her groggy state Nancy couldn’t place it. Then the arguing stopped, and around her it was completely quiet again.

As her eyes got used to the darkness, she began to scan the room. There was a workbench scattered with trowels and flowerpots, and several gardening tools hung from the walls.

I must be in a garden shed, she thought.

The door rattled loudly, jarring Nancy. Someone was trying to break in, but was it someone trying to help her or her abductor coming back to harm her?

Nancy squirmed as far away from the door as she could.

With a crash, the door swung open. Moonlight streamed in, silhouetting a dark figure. She couldn’t see who it was, but from his build, she knew it was a man.

Nancy watched in horror as the man picked up a shovel, hoisted it above his head, and moved toward her. She stiffened and closed her eyes as he began to bring it down on her.

Then, suddenly, the shovel clattered to the ground and her attacker collapsed. Another man had tackled him, and now the two were rolling in the doorway, grappling fiercely.

Nancy caught a quick glimpse of a face. Alejandro del Rio! But it was so dark, she wasn’t sure of anything. Was he the one who had tried to attack her? Or the one coming to her rescue?

Finally one man broke free and dashed for the open door. Slowly the other man rose to his feet. Nancy pulled back as he bent over her. It was Alejandro.

“I won’t hurt you,” he whispered. “I’m on your side. Let me untie your hands.”

Not knowing what else to do, Nancy let him remove the gag and begin to loosen the ropes. Outside she heard feet pounding across the grass. Bess and George burst into the shed.

“We heard fighting,” George said, panting hard. “We were looking for you on the grounds when . . .” Her voice trailed off as she saw Nancy’s bound hands. “Oh, my gosh. Who did this to you?” Alejandro looked up, and George sprang forward to push him away from Nancy.

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