Hot Tracks by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Chapter

Nine

NANCY STARED at the dead man, her mind reeling.

Somebody had killed him and shoved him under the car. Kitty Lambert had come storming out with a wrench. Had it been Kitty?

Just then Nancy heard footsteps behind her. Before she could move, strong fingers closed around her shoulder. Instinctively, she whirled sideways and batted the person’s arm away.

“Ow!” a male voice cried out.

Jumping up, Nancy found herself face-to-face with Raul Quinones. He was holding his arm and grimacing with pain.

“Detective Quinones! What are you doing sneaking up on me? I thought you were the person who killed the guy with the red ponytail.”

The detective’s mouth fell open. “Killed him?” he echoed.

He quickly knelt next to the body, and Nancy handed him her flashlight. When he aimed the beam under the car, he gave a low whistle. The light illuminated a small pool of blood under the head.

“Did you touch anything?” Quinones asked Nancy.

“I felt for a pulse,” she replied. “Oh, and I tripped over his leg. That’s how I found him.”

Quinones sighed and got to his feet; “Well, there goes our car thief—and any chance of getting him to tell us where the chop shop is.”

“Do you think he was just one of the little guys?” Nancy asked.

“I’m sure of it,” the detective replied. “He might have led us to the ringleaders.”

“I think I know who may have killed him,” Nancy said. She told him about overhearing the conversation from outside the shed. “The woman said, ‘You didn’t tell me someone almost caught you.’ Then I saw Kitty Lambert leave, carrying a large wrench. She’s a mechanic who works with Dirk Walters, the guy we told you about.”

“A blow on the back of the head with a wrench could have done it,” Quinones said thoughtfully. He shone the penlight on the shed’s dirt floor, and Nancy spotted two trails leading up to the car from the side of the shed by the tractor.

“Looks like she dragged him over here and pushed him under the car,” Nancy said. “Probably to hide him from anyone coming in the door.”

Nancy started to follow the drag marks, but Detective Quinones put a restraining hand on her arm. “We’ll take it from here,” he said firmly. “I’ll radio headquarters and get the boys from homicide and the crime lab out here.”

“I’m sure glad you got here when you did,” Nancy added. “You obviously got my message. I called because I witnessed Dirk buying a car part from this guy. I’m pretty sure the guy with the ponytail recognized me, too.”

“We’ll just have to ask Dirk a few questions,” Quinones said as they walked to the door. “Just remember, let me do the talking. You’re not supposed to be in on this case.”

“How’d you know where to find me?” Nancy asked when they got outside.

“Your friend, Bess.” He pointed over to his police car, where Nancy could see Dirk leaning against the rear bumper. Bess was hopping nervously from one foot to the other. When she saw Nancy, she rushed forward and gave her a hug.

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