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Strange Conversation






 

Nancy slipped downstairs quietly the next morning, aware that no one else was awake yet. Since there was a two-hour time difference between Cheyenne and River Heights, she knew that it wasn’t too early to call Hannah. She placed the call and waited nervously as the phone rang and rang. She was almost ready to give up when Hannah finally answered.

“Were you outside, Hannah? ” Nancy asked, relieved and a little guilty.

“I was just cutting some flowers, Nancy, ” Hannah answered. “How are you doing? Have you found the missing heiress yet? ”

“Found... oh, you mean Clarinda Winthrop, ” Nancy stammered. “No, not exactly.” “Don’t tell me you’ve found another mystery since you left, ” Hannah said, sounding amused.

“Well, as a matter of fact, one found me, you might say.” Nancy quickly told her about Jennifer’s plight.

“Oh, my goodness. No wonder you haven’t had a chance to work on your father’s case, ” Hannah said sympathetically. “You just have to find that child’s mother first.”

“Actually, I was calling about Dad, ” Nancy said. “I was wondering if he had phoned you.” “Me? ” Hannah sounded surprised. “No, I haven’t heard from him. I understood that he was to call you last night.”

Nancy sighed. “I thought that, too, ” she admitted, “but he didn’t call and I decided maybe I was confused and he’d planned to call you instead.”

“No, I’m sure he was going to talk to you.” Hannah sounded disturbed. “You couldn’t have missed his call, could you? ”

“We were here all evening, ” Nancy assured her.

“Well, maybe he just forgot, ” Hannah said without any confidence.

“Did he leave a number for you where he could be reached in case of emergency? ” Nancy asked, suddenly sure that she had to talk to her father.

“No, he just said that he was going to the Chain Creek Lodge, ” Hannah answered. “His anonymous caller didn’t give him any details, you know.”

Nancy sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to try to call him, then.”

“If you talk to him, will you call me back this evening? ” Hannah asked. “I’ll be worrying about him now.”

Nancy promised that she would, then broke the connection. She was very worried about her father and unsure just how to reach him.

It took nearly an hour and the assistance of telephone operators on both sides of the border, but finally she had a number. When she called it, she could hear the phone ringing and ringing. Once again it seemed forever before anyone answered it.

“Hello.” The man’s unfriendly tone surprised her.

“Is this Chain Creek Lodge? ” she asked, sure that she’d been given the wrong number.

“This is the lodge, ” was the reassuring reply. “May I speak with Carson Drew, please? ” Nancy asked.

“One moment.”

An eternity seemed to pass before Nancy heard the receiver being picked up and the same voice said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Drew can’t come to the phone right now.”

“But this is urgent, ” she protested. “I’m his daughter and I really must talk to him.”

“He isn’t here at the moment, miss, ” the man snapped. “Leave your number and I’ll have him call you back.”

“When? ” Nancy asked. “I won’t be here after lunch.”

“I’ll have him call before that, ” the man promised. “Now what is the number? ”

Nancy gave it to him carefully, reluctant to break the connection. She was very much afraid that she wouldn’t hear from her father.

In spite of her fears, the call came shortly and Nancy was deeply relieved when she heard her father’s voice. “Dad, ” she cried, “I’ve been so worried about you. I thought you were going to call me last night.”

“I'm sorry about that, Nancy, ” he said. “I was tied up here and just didn’t get to the phone early enough.”

“How are things going? Have you found out anything about Clarinda? ”

“Not yet.”

Nancy waited, expecting questions about her own activities, but there was only silence on the other end. “Well, then, are you ready to come down here? ” she asked, trying to imagine why he was saying so little.

“Not yet. There are still a few things I want to look into here.”

“But, Dad, I...” Nancy began.

“I’ve got to run, Nancy, ” he interrupted. “I’ll call you in a few days to tell you when I’ll be able to get away. You take care of yourself now.” The phone went dead before she could say another word. Nancy stared at the receiver for a moment before replacing it in its cradle.

“Was that your father? ” Ned asked from the doorway to the hall.

Nancy nodded. “At least it sounded like him, ” she said dubiously.

“What? ” Ned came over to comfortingly take her hand, seeming to sense her feelings.

“Well, it was my father, but he seemed so strange, Ned. He didn’t ask about our investigation or anything. He just said he was too busy to call last night and that he hadn’t learned anything yet, but was going to stay a while longer. Then he hung up.”

Ned frowned. “That certainly doesn’t sound like him, ” he admitted, “but maybe he couldn’t talk. You know, he might be following someone and if he were standing nearby...”

“I suppose that could be it, ” Nancy acknowledged, but deep down, she wasn’t at all sure that would explain the strange conversation.

“At least you know for sure where he is now, ” Ned reminded her. “You can always call him again tonight or tomorrow.”

Nancy nodded, then went upstairs to put on her jeans and plaid Western shirt for the rodeo. It was probably just because of all that had happened that she felt so insecure about being separated from her father, she told herself. She just needed to be sure that he wouldn’t disappear the way Jennifer’s mother had.

 






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