Murder On Ice by Carolyn Keene Page A

the skis.
    Nancy’s jumbled thoughts began to take shape. Gunther had plenty of skiing know-how, from his experience on the German alpine rescue team. And he’d been cozying up to Bess since the very beginning, possibly to keep Nancy from suspecting him. He’d definitely put himself in a position where he found out much of what Nancy did or discovered. Nancy hadn’t been very candid with Gunther, but Bess undoubtedly had.
    Oh, great! Nancy thought, aghast. Either way, one of my best friends ends up falling for a killer. The only saving grace is that if Gunther is a Mueller, he’d have no reason to attack anyone but Luke.
    Unless someone else became a threat!
    Nancy reached the edge of the town and began cutting through the fields. Her eyes scanned the snow carefully, watching for obstacles. At the same time, her mind clicked along like a computer.
    Luke as the target of a killer made more sense than Luke as a killer himself. Unfortunately, the killer was very reckless, and didn’t care who else got caught in the traps he set.
    The thought that Ned could have met Dieter Mueller’s fate sent a shudder through Nancy. Shestopped and leaned against a tree for a minute before going on. She was very conscious of how alone and unprotected she was there in the woods, in semidarkness.
    The snow was whirling wildly, but through it, Nancy could make out a crossroads not far ahead. She had reached the bottom of Webb Cove Road. The slope would be murder to climb. She glanced around. Suddenly, she caught sight of a figure in a red-and-blue ski jacket some distance behind her. Whoever it was apparently hadn’t seen her yet.
    Acting on instinct, Nancy pulled herself behind a large fir tree and crouched down. She waited, concealed by the woods and the snow, as the figure approached and passed. It was Luke, also on cross-country skis. When he was a few yards past her, she cautiously pulled herself upright and began to follow him.
    Luke made no attempt to ski along the road. He was heading toward the lodge, but by a circuitous route, one that was easier than heading straight up the hill. Luke reached the crest of the last rise before the lodge and then disappeared behind the hill. Panting, Nancy reached the top a few moments later. She skied down the incline after Luke.
    He was not heading for the lodge after all, she realized then, but toward the shed that housed Liz’s electric generator. What’s he up to? Nancy asked herself, frowning.
    She decided on a bold move. Giving him just time enough to get inside but not, she hoped,time to lock the door, she skied straight to the building.
    She was in luck. The door was not locked, and she pushed it open. Luke was bent over the generator, and as he felt the rush of cold air he straightened quickly. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
    â€œI was just about to ask you the same thing.”
    â€œI went to town to get parts for Liz’s shortwave radio, if you must know,” Luke said coldly. “It’s not working right, and we’ll need it if the telephone lines go down. And since there’s a major blizzard in progress, it did occur to me to check the generator to make sure it’s working properly! What were you sneaking around the woods for?”
    â€œI went to the library to get some books to read,” Nancy said primly.
    Luke gave a harsh laugh. “Well, you can’t read them here! Go back to the lodge and curl up by the fire with your boyfriend. You’ll get yourself in a lot less trouble that way!” He waited pointedly for her to leave, then followed, locking the shed door behind them. “And don’t come back here.”
    Luke didn’t accompany her in the direction of the lodge, but took off as soon as he had snapped on his skis. He went by a path Nancy had not noticed before. After giving him a few moments’ head start, Nancy followed.
    She kept her eyes glued to Luke. Where was he going in