Into Thin Air by Carolyn Keene Page B

urgent—it’s about the Anderson case.”
    So, Nancy thought. It hadn’t occurred to Mr. Crabtree that Slade might be the person they were after. Did that mean that Slade could be trusted—or did it just mean that Mr. Crabtree had overlooked him as a suspect?
    Moments later an overweight man with thinning hair and watery eyes entered. He had Linda Bates in tow. “I brought Linda in so she could take notes,” he told Crabtree, taking Nancy in curiously.
    Linda, lovely as ever in a crisp blue business suit and pumps, had a pen and pad in her hand as she stepped forward. “Nancy!” she blurted out. “What are you doing here?”
    â€œYou know this woman?” Crabtree asked sharply.
    â€œYes,” Linda answered softly. “She’s a—friend of my aunts.”
    â€œI see.” Crabtree settled down behind his desk and gazed at Nancy. “Now, tell us everything, but make it quick if you will. This is a busy agency, and we’re busy people.”
    â€œChristopher Johnson has an accomplice, and it’s someone who works in this agency,” Nancy said, shifting her gaze from Crabtree to Slade.
    â€œYou mean ‘had,’ not ‘has,’ ” Slade commented.“Mark Rubin’s out, and Johnson’s dead.”
    â€œNo, he’s not,” Nancy told him. “He’s alive.”
    â€œOh?” Hal Slade challenged tersely. “And how do you know that?”
    â€œHe’s been seen,” Nancy said. “And the clothes the police found when Johnson’s helicopter blew up didn’t have Johnson’s blood on them. It was sheet’s blood. Johnson faked his death that night. He arranged for the helicopter to blow up after he’d already escaped.”
    Nancy noticed that Slade had become uncomfortable looking. She continued. “What’s more, I’m convinced that Mark Rubin wasn’t Johnson’s accomplice. Last night Johnson or his accomplice tried to kill me and Mark because we were getting close to finding him.”
    â€œThis sounds like a work of fiction to me, Mr. Crabtree,” Slade snapped.
    â€œWell, it sounds like it’s worth looking into to me,” Crabtree said, overruling him. “Our client, Anderson Industries, has lost a million dollars. That’s reason enough to reopen the investigation.”
    â€œThen I’ll get on it right away.” Slade smiled at his boss.
    Nancy caught his eye as he and Linda walked out of the office. Slade looked furious.
    â€œThank you for coming here, Miss Drew,” Crabtree told her, standing up. “I’ve heard ofsome of your work in the past, which of course gives your information a certain weight. We’ll look into this matter right away.”
    Nancy walked out into the reception area, where she found Linda Bates waiting for her. Slade was nowhere in sight.
    â€œNancy, I can’t believe that about the explosion last night. It’s awful. You could have been killed!” Linda said.
    â€œThankfully, I’m still around.” Nancy smiled. Just as she turned toward the elevators, something occurred to her. She turned back to Linda. “By the way, Mark told you we were going up in the helicopter last night, didn’t he?”
    Linda seemed surprised, but then she nodded. “Yes, I guess he did,” she agreed.
    â€œDid you tell anyone?”
    The blond woman shrugged. “No, I—” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Actually I did. I mentioned it to Hal, that’s all.”
    Nancy forced a carefree smile. “Oh. Well, don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ve got to go.” She walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the garage. As soon as the doors closed and it began descending, Nancy felt excitement shoot through her.
    She had certainly shaken things up at Crabtree. More than that, she thought she had a good idea who Johnson’s accomplice