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Close Call






 

Though the bright lights of the town and the colorful music and neon glow of the carnival near the rodeo grounds offered excitement, Nancy was too discouraged and worried to be interested. She was glad when Ned drove her back to the Reed house, even though she wasn’t looking forward to telling Jennifer that she hadn’t been able to find her mother.

Fortunately, Jennifer was too tired by the day’s events to notice the lack of conviction behind Nancy’s assurances that she would do better tomorrow. Once dinner was over, Jennifer soon went up to bed, leaving the three worried adults alone to discuss what to do next.

“I made some calls while you were gone, ” Grace began. “Checked the hospitals, things like that. There’s no record of Lorna Buckman being treated anywhere in Cheyenne.”

“I just don’t know where to look next, ” Nancy admitted. “I’m beginning to feel haunted. First, Clarinda Winthrop disappeared forty years ago and now Lorna Buckman seems to have done the same thing.”

Grace shook her head. “I just don’t see how a mother could leave a childlike Jennifer on her own this way. She wouldn’t have any way of knowing that you were flying with the girl. Suppose she’d come into Cheyenne all alone? ” Nancy shuddered, then got up to move restlessly about the room.

“Would you like to go for a walk? ” Ned suggested.

Nancy nodded. “I really think I need one, ” she admitted. “I’m much too restless to sleep right now.”

“Grace? ” Ned asked.

Grace Reed shook her head. “Why don’t you take Brewster? ” she suggested. “He’d love a walk, I’m sure.”

The night was cool and a breeze ruffled Nancy’s titian hair. The stars seemed extra close and bright once they looked away from the glow of Cheyenne’s many lights. “I think we should take Jennifer to the parade tomorrow, ” Ned said as they followed the white plume of the collie’s tail along a rough path.

“Oh, Ned, what about searching for her mother? ” Nancy asked.

“You said you didn’t know where to start, ” he reminded her. “Maybe a little relaxation will do you both some good. Besides, I think she’d enjoy it and I know I would.”

Nancy responded to his teasing grin. “So would I, ” she admitted. “And that’s a good idea. We can always start our search after the parade.”

The July sun was hot the next morning as they waited on the crowded curb. Nancy looked longingly at the shade near the storefronts behind them, but knew she couldn’t relinquish her position if she wanted to see the parade. Jennifer, somewhat recovered, was already dancing off the curb into the street to look for the first riders.

“Should be coming pretty soon, ” Ned announced, checking his watch. “It’s past ten.”

“Parades are always late, ” Jennifer informed him.

“Not too late, ” Nancy said as her sharp ears caught the distant sounds of a band. “It must be coming now.”

A shout from the crowd confirmed her statement and everyone pressed forward as the first riders came into view, their horses dancing wildly as the wind caught the flags their riders carried and made them snap around the horses’ ears.

One of the horses, a big bay, reared and slipped on the unfamiliar pavement. Nancy pulled Jennifer back quickly as the rider spurred the horse forward, then steadied him so he didn’t fall.

Wagons, buckboards, carriages, and even stagecoaches followed each other along the parade route. Teams, nervous and wet with sweat from the excitement and unfamiliar crowds, danced and jumped from the sounds of firecrackers and the blanks fired by a number of riders costumed as possemen or desperados.

There were floats depicting Old West scenes. One featured square dancers who swirled and danced on the wide bed of a truck as the music and voice of the dance caller filled the air.

“That looks like fun, ” Ned commented as an old-fashioned chuck wagon barbecue scene passed, filling the air with an all-too-authentic scent of cooking meat. “I wonder how you get to be on a float.”

“I’d like to ride in a wagon, ” Nancy said, her attention caught by a buggy that was passing. “Look at those dresses. They must be genuine antiques, too.”

“I’d rather ride a horse, ” Jennifer stated, then began waving furiously to several youngsters who were passing. They waved back, calling her name.

Nancy smiled, happy to see that Jennifer had momentarily forgotten her mother’s disappearance, then realized that she might be overlooking a clue. “Who were those children, Jennifer? ” she asked.

“Becky and Andy from the Pony Club, ” was the quick answer, though Jennifer didn’t even look her way.

“Would their parents know your mother? ” Nancy asked.

This time Jennifer turned from the parade, her eyes bright with excitement. “Sure they would, ” she replied. “We used to go on picnics and rides together and our mothers always had meetings about the food and everything.”

“After the parade, I want you to give me as many names of the Club members as you can remember, ” Nancy told the little girl. “One of them may know where your mother is.”

A mounted sheriff’s posse came abreast of them, shouting and firing blanks into the bright, hot air. Shouts from the crowd made it plain that the men were well-known and liked. One rider stopped to take a young boy in front of him on his horse.

The next wagon had a sharpshooter on board and he spent his time tossing light-colored balls into the air, shooting them over the crowd so that when they shattered, the brightly wrapped candies inside fell to the eagerly waiting children.

Nancy laughed as Jennifer disappeared into the crowd with the rest of the children. The young detective started to turn to Ned, to tell him how happy she was he’d suggested coming to the parade. However, before she could speak, a fast-moving body came hurtling into her from behind, striking her so hard she stumbled forward right into the path of a prancing pinto.

“Nancy! ” Ned’s strong hand caught her arm and jerked her back from the flashing, steel- shod hooves.

She stumbled back onto the curb.

“Are you all right? ” he asked, his arm protectively about her shoulders.

Nancy caught her breath, then looked around. “Who in the world did that? ” she gasped. “And where did he go? ”

Ned shook his head. “I don’t know where he went, but it was a young man, in his early twenties, I’d say. He had dark hair and a fancy mustache. Why in the world he...”

Nancy heard no more, for her ears had caught another sound, one made faint and hard to hear by the blaring of the gaily costumed band that was now passing. What she heard was a child’s voice screaming her name!

“Jennifer? ” she gasped, looking around wildly. “Ned, where is Jennifer? ”

Their eyes met for just a moment, then they both plunged into the crowd, pushing and shoving rather rudely in their frantic hurry, fear for the child overriding their normally good manners. Several people pushed back and made unkind remarks, but most seemed to understand from Nancy’s and Ned’s worried expressions that something was wrong and moved out of their way.

“Jennifer! ” Nancy shouted, hoping that she could be heard above the hubbub. “Jennifer, where are you? ” She had a horrible feeling that the little girl might be about to vanish as strangely as her mother had.

 

Rescue

 

“Nancy! ” The shriek came from just ahead and around a corner.

Nancy ran toward it, grateful that the crowd was thinning as she left the parade route. The sight that met her eyes as she rounded the comer shocked her to a standstill.

A familiar blue car was pulled up to the curb, the door hanging open and the motor running. A blond man was moving toward the car carrying a screaming Jennifer, tightly gripped in his darkly tanned arms.

“Stop! ” Nancy shouted, racing forward. “You let her go! ”

The young man slowed his stride long enough to look back and as he did so, Jennifer began to kick violently. One of her boot-clad feet quickly caught him on the kneecap.

The man gave a yelp of pain and dropped Jennifer, then hobbled away, leaping into the blue car, which pulled out even before he’d managed to close the door. Brakes squealed as a dozen horns blared at the car before it disappeared into a nearby alley.

This time, however, Nancy made a mental note of the license plate number, then dropped to her knees beside the sobbing child. “Are you all right, Jennifer? ” she asked, taking the girl in her arms. “Did he hurt you? ”

Ned came striding up before Jennifer could answer. “What happened? ” he demanded, his usually pleasant face dark with anger.

“They were trying to kidnap Jennifer, ” Nancy answered. “It was that same blue car we saw when we went to the Buckman house.” “Was it the man with the mustache? ” Ned asked.

Nancy shook her head. “This one was blond and younger, I think.” She closed her eyes for a moment, realizing what she’d said, then gasped. “Ned, I’ve seen both the men before. I just remembered it. They were at the airport yesterday. I saw them watching us, but I really didn’t give it a thought.”

“Do you suppose they could have been there looking for Jennifer? ” Ned asked.

“He said he was going to take me to my mother, ” Jennifer said, breaking into the conversation as her sobs changed to hiccups. “I thought maybe he was from the Pony Club or something, so I went with him. Then I told him we should tell you that we were going and that’s when he picked me up and started running.” Tears filled her brown eyes again. “I was so scared, Nancy.”

“Did you see an older man with a mustache? ” Ned asked.

Jennifer shook her head.

“He was probably in the car, ” Nancy supplied, her mind working rapidly. “They must have been watching us, just waiting for a chance.”

Ned nodded his agreement to the theory.

“When Jennifer went into the crowd, it was easy for them to distract us by pushing me into the street, ” Nancy continued. “They probably expected to be far away before we missed Jennifer.”

“So what do we do now? ” Ned asked her with a concerned look.

Nancy looked at Jennifer. “Do you want to go back to the parade? ” she asked.

“I don’t think so, ” Jennifer replied. “Not today.”

“There are plenty more parades we can watch, ” Ned agreed. “Grace says there are three to come—Tuesday, Thursday, and next Saturday.”

“Maybe we can even ride in one, ” Nancy suggested, hoping to distract Jennifer now that she was sure she hadn’t been injured when the man dropped her.

“I think we all need a nice cool drink before we go back to the car, ” Ned said.

Nancy agreed. Now that the excitement was over, she felt a little shaky as she realized how badly she could have been injured if Ned hadn’t caught her arm as she stumbled into the path of the parade horses. She was very glad to have Ned’s arm around her waist and Jennifer’s hand in hers as they walked through the crowded -treets to a nearby fountain.

By the time they’d finished delicious sodas, Jennifer was calm enough to give Nancy a list of the names of all the people she could remember from the Pony Club. It was a discouragingly short list, since Jennifer knew many of the children by their first names only, having lived in Cheyenne through one summer before going off to boarding school in the fall. The adults she knew only by the names she’d heard her mother call them.

“I’m sorry I can’t help more, Nancy, ” she said. “Maybe I should have gone with that man. Maybe he really could have taken me to my mother.”

Nancy shook her head emphatically. “Your mother would never have approved of someone just taking you that way, Jennifer. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m going to do my best to find out.”

“Ready to go back to Grace’s? ” Ned asked.

Nancy nodded. “Maybe she’ll recognize some of these names, ” she suggested hopefully. “Or she might know someone who can give me information about the Pony Club members.”

“I just want to find Mom, ” Jennifer murmured sadly. “I miss her, Nancy. She’s been sick for so long and she was just beginning to write about what we’d do when she felt better and I could come home.”

“It has been a long time for you, hasn’t it? ” Nancy asked.

“We were on our way to California on vacation before school last fall. That’s when the accident happened. I guess I was lucky my grandmother could get them to take me at the boarding school, but I didn’t like being so far away from Mom.”

“I’ll do my best to get you two back together, ” Nancy promised as they got into the car.

An afternoon on the telephone proved more frustrating than rewarding for Nancy in spite of her hopes. An attempt to trace the driver of the blue car proved futile since the police report indicated it belonged to someone out-of-state from whom it had been stolen a week earlier. Then, with Grace’s help, she did manage to contact several adult sponsors of the Pony Club, but they gave little information. All were concerned and several made offers of assistance, saying that Jennifer would be welcome to stay with them till Nancy located Lorna Buckman.

“I really feel guilty about refusing their offers, ” Nancy told Grace after she finished the last call. “I know I shouldn’t ask you to keep Jennifer, too, not when you’ve been so kind to Ned and me, but I’m afraid to have her go somewhere else. After what nearly happened this morning, she could be in danger.”

“Don’t even think about letting her go anywhere else, ” Grace said staunchly. “She’s a dear little girl and perfectly welcome here. She is really a great deal easier to keep entertained than my two grandsons who were here last month.”

Nancy looked around at the big, comfortable room. “At least you’re not lonely living here by yourself, ” she observed.

“Not with my children and grandchildren coming by and all my friends dropping in for visits.” Grace gave Nancy’s shoulders a hug. “Now what about your safety? ” she asked. “Do you think you should call your father and tell him what happened at the parade? ”

“I wish I could, ” Nancy replied, “but I have no idea where to reach him. He is supposed to call me tonight, though, so perhaps he’ll have some information about our other mystery.” Grace shook her head. “With poor Jennifer’s problem, you haven’t had much time to devote to Clarinda Winthrop, have you? ”

“I really haven’t even looked at the list of names you gave me, ” Nancy admitted.

“I’ve been thinking about that list and I do believe that you might be wise to contact Mr. Webber first, ” Grace advised. She smiled. “In fact, I made an appointment for us, if you don’t mind.”

“Mind? I’m delighted, ” Nancy assured her. “Where and when? ”

“Monday morning at the downtown Chuck- wagon Breakfast. Joshua Webber always does some of the cooking, so he said he’d take the early shift and be free by eight o’clock so he can eat with us. I hope you like ham, flapjacks with syrup, and milk or coffee.”

“Sounds delicious and it should be fun, too, ” Nancy agreed happily.

“Well, I knew you would like to talk to him as soon as possible, but he’s very busy with all the rodeo details this entire week. And you’ve been busy.”

Nancy nodded.

" Actually, I was just lucky to get to talk to him at all. He said he didn’t remember any Clarinda Winthrop working in the store, but he thought he might recognize a photograph.”

“I’ll be sure to take them, ” Nancy said.

The evening seemed endless to Nancy, though she tried hard to join in the conversation with Grace, Ned, and Jennifer. Her ears were always listening for the ringing of the telephone and the call she was expecting from her father.

One subject did claim her interest for a short period. They were sitting on the comfortable lawn furniture on the rear patio after dinner when Ned asked, “Grace, is there any chance of our getting to ride in one of the parades? I mean on a float or in one of the vehicles.”

Grace laughed. “Some of the vehicles are promised from one year to the next. In fact, those that belong to families have carried two or three generations in the parades ”

Nancy sighed. “I was afraid of that, ” she admitted. “I was just longing for the opportunity to try on one of those lovely old-fashioned dresses. Besides, riding in a buggy or trap looks like it would be fun.”

Grace gasped, setting down a glass of iced tea. “Oh, my goodness, I’d almost forgotten. Nancy, I was supposed to ask you about that very thing.” Grace looked guilty.

“Maybe you could ride with the Pony Club, ” Jennifer suggested before Nancy could ask Grace what she meant. “I talked to Mrs. Carle- ton and she said that I could ride with them Tuesday.” She paused, then added, “If that’s all right with you, of course.”

Nancy considered the risks for a moment, then nodded. “After what almost happened today, you will probably be safer in the parade than you were watching it.” She turned to Grace. “Now what was it you forgot to ask me? ” she queried.

“If you’d be interested in riding in the Ferguson stagecoach on Tuesday. Elsa Ferguson’s daughter usually rides in the stagecoach with her mother and her aunt, but she broke her ankle this afternoon and doesn’t think she’ll be

up to it so soon.”

“Oh, gosh, I…” Nancy took a deep breath. “I feel sorry for her, but that sounds wonderful.”

“Well, Elsa asked me, but I could never wear her daughter’s dress and I don’t want to bother trying to find something of my own. I’m sure you could wear the gown without any alterations.”

“That would be super, ” Nancy acknowledged, “if you’re sure. I mean, I wouldn’t want to...”

Grace laughed. “I’m sure.” She turned to Ned. “I’m sorry I can’t offer you a similar spot, ” she said, “but you are certainly welcome to ride one of my horses. I’m sure the Pony Club would be happy to have another rider with them.”

Ned looked as though he might refuse, then grinned and nodded. “I guess it would be just as well to have one of us in a position to keep an eye on Jennifer, ” he admitted.

“I’ll call everyone in the morning, ” Grace said. “I don’t want to tie up the phone till after Carson calls tonight.”

Nancy sighed and looked at her watch, squinting in the near darkness. “I sure wish he would hurry, ” she said. “I’d really like to know what he found out when he arrived at that lodge.”

“Maybe the reason why he hasn’t called is because he didn’t find anything, ” Ned speculated, trying to comfort his troubled friend.

“Then he should be calling to tell us when he will be arriving here, ” Nancy complained. She was too concerned to be soothed.

Another hour passed and the night became so cool that they moved inside. Jennifer went to bed, leaving Ned, Nancy, and Grace to wait.

Jennifer was long asleep and Nancy could see that Grace was growing weary after the long, busy day. Another look at her watch told her that waiting any longer would be futile, so she reluctantly got to her feet.

“I guess he must have been too busy to call tonight, ” she said without a great deal of confidence. “Maybe he’ll call tomorrow.”

“I hope he does it in the morning, ” Grace said. “We have rodeo tickets for tomorrow afternoon.”

“Maybe I’ll call Hannah in the morning, ” Nancy murmured. “Perhaps he called her instead of me.”

The young sleuth hoped that she was right, but once she’d slipped into the twin bed next to Jennifer’s, she lay awake for a long time worrying. It wasn’t like her father to forget to call, not like him at all!

 






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