The E-Mail Mystery (Nancy Drew Book 144)

  Contents

  * * *

  1 A Puzzling Coincidence

  2 Mysterious Transmissions

  3 An Unexpected Encounter

  4 A Stranger in the Shadows

  5 Caught Off Guard

  6 Well-Kept Secrets

  7 Trailed!

  8 Scared Away

  9 The Vanishing File

  10 A Spy On-Line

  11 Hide and SEEK

  12 A Shocking Discovery

  13 Late-Night Stakeout

  14 The E-mail Trail

  15 An Inside Job

  16 Summer Vacation—At Last!

  1

  A Puzzling Coincidence

  Nancy Drew woke up with the sun, her blue eyes sparkling. “Summer vacation, at last!” she breathed. She jumped out of bed and put on gym shorts and her favorite blue T-shirt.

  Nancy slipped into well-cushioned running shoes and attached a yellow portable cassette player to her waistband. She pulled a terry-cloth sweatband over her long reddish blond hair and left her bedroom. She heard the shower running down the hall and knew her father was awake and getting ready for a busy day at his law office.

  Before Nancy made it down the stairs, the phone rang. She raced back up the stairs and picked up the hall phone on the second ring.

  “Is Carson Drew there?” a frantic-sounding male voice asked on the other end of the line. “This is Bob Jamison—I’m a client of his. I have to speak to him right away.”

  “No, I’m sorry. He’s not available right now,” Nancy said. “I’ll be glad to take a message, though.”

  She heard a click at the end of the line and realized that the caller had hung up abruptly.

  “I wonder why he was in such a hurry,” Nancy said as she hung up. She jotted a note to her father on the pad beside the phone. Then she headed out into the early morning air, closing the front door behind her.

  Before she started her run, Nancy stretched out her muscles, using the front steps as a kind of gym bar. She maintained an easy pace as she ran around River Heights Park, listening to her favorite tape and greeting the other early morning runners with a smile. She breathed deeply, her skin glowing from the fresh air and the exertion.

  Nancy hummed along with the music in her earphones, thinking about what a lovely summer it was going to be. She planned to spend the first few weeks in River Heights, visiting friends she didn’t get to see enough of during the year, including her friend Bess Marvin.

  Then Nancy was going to join her friend George Fayne, who was Bess’s cousin, to do some sailing up in Bridgehaven. George, who was teaching sailing at the nearby marina, had invited Nancy to come for a visit. Nancy was looking forward to the trip.

  Nearly at the end of her run, Nancy turned up the driveway to the house where she lived with her father and their longtime housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. Hannah had been like a mother to Nancy since Nancy’s mother had died, when she was three.

  Nancy slowed to a walk, then stretched out again. Next she ran up the stairs two at a time, jumped into the shower, and dressed for the day in jeans and a colorful cotton shirt.

  By the time Nancy got downstairs, her father, attorney Carson Drew, was seated at the kitchen table, looking at some legal papers. He was so engrossed in his reading that he barely noticed the steaming pile of pancakes sitting in front of him. Hannah was at the stove making another batch and greeted Nancy with a smile.

  “How was your run, dear?” Hannah asked.

  “Great! I went all the way around the park. It’s gorgeous outside. Not a cloud in the sky, and flowers are blooming everywhere.”

  Nancy’s stomach rumbled as she sniffed the rich aroma in the air. “What smells so good?” she asked as she took a seat across from her father.

  “Your favorite breakfast,” Hannah said. She handed Nancy a plate of pancakes.

  “Mmm. Your blueberry pancakes are always super, Hannah, but these look really delicious!” Nancy turned to her father, who usually echoed such compliments to Hannah. Today, however, Mr. Drew was silent.

  Hannah raised her eyebrows at Nancy. “It’s those fresh blueberries,” she said. “You know I always like to get the first fruits of the season.”

  Still not a word out of Carson Drew. Nancy grinned, then said, “Of course, it’s the motor oil on top that makes them taste so good. Don’t you agree, Dad?”

  “Yes, of course, Nancy,” Mr. Drew replied.

  Nancy and Hannah laughed out loud.

  “What?” Mr. Drew asked innocently. “Did I say something funny?”

  “Not really, Dad,” Nancy said. “It’s just that you’re not all here.”

  “I’m sorry, Nancy, Hannah—I guess I’m a little preoccupied.”

  “Is something wrong, Dad?” Nancy asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been involved in several cases recently that settled out of court very quickly—much sooner than I would have expected.”

  Nancy’s father was a respected attorney, and he often told Nancy about some of the more interesting details of his cases.

  “I thought settling was good,” Nancy said. “Doesn’t it mean that both sides are happy?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Drew said, “but some of these cases were settled too quickly. Two of them were settled barely after I’d gotten any information from my client.”

  “That sounds odd,” Nancy said.

  “It is a bit odd. People often get better settlements by going to court,” Mr. Drew said. He put aside his legal papers and began to attack the stack of pancakes in front of him. “Nancy was right, Hannah. These are delicious. Please pass the motor oil,” he added with a grin.

  Nancy passed him the jug of maple syrup, smiling at his joke. “I knew you were listening. Is there anything that connects all these clients to one another?”

  “Two things,” Mr. Drew replied. “Williams and Brown represented all the opposition. Also, all these clients have been through a criminal court case in the past.”

  “Do you think there’s something that they’re trying to hide by settling quickly and not being in the public eye? Maybe something related to their criminal cases?” Nancy asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Mr. Drew said. “But these clients did seem unusually scared. They wouldn’t even talk to me after they settled. They wouldn’t explain what had happened. Some of them are people I’ve known for years.”

  “It really sounds as if something funny is going on,” Nancy said. “Why are these clients so scared? Are you sure there aren’t any connections, other than Williams and Brown, between them? Or the companies they’re settling with? Or—”

  “Hold on, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said with a smile. “All your speculating does give me an idea. I have to devote my time to the Harris embezzlement case, at Central City Savings and Loan. I was wondering if you would be interested in coming in and—”

  “Helping out around the office?” Nancy finished the sentence for her father. “I’d be glad to. When do I start?”

  “How does today sound?” Mr. Drew answered. “You could put the files related to these cases on disks for long-term storage. You could E-mail some letters and hand-deliver some notarized documents regarding the settlements to Williams and Brown.”

  “Sounds great,” Nancy replied. “This will keep me busy before I go visit George. It’ll be great to see Ms. Hanson again. Also, I’ll get to meet the new associate, Blaine Warner. And you’ve got some other new people, right?”

  “Yes,” her father replied. “There’s Henry Yi, our paralegal. He’s very bright. And Byron Thomas is our summer law student intern. He’s quiet but very thorough in his work. I think you’ll like them all. I’ll be needing their help on th
is new Harris case, so you’ll be pretty much on your own.”

  “I may also be able to discover what’s going on with all those settled cases while I do the filing, Dad,” Nancy said. “I mean, is there one big corporation behind all these cases that doesn’t want to be exposed for manufacturing faulty products, or—”

  Now it was Carson Drew’s turn to laugh. “Nancy, you’re always looking for a mystery—whether it’s my not talking at breakfast or clients settling their cases early, or—”

  Before Mr. Drew could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. “Who could that be calling this early in the morning?” Mr. Drew wondered out loud. He stood up and walked over to pick up the kitchen phone. “Hello?” he said.

  The person on the other end of the line was speaking so loudly that Nancy could hear the words clearly. “Mr. Drew, I’ve decided to take the settlement,” the person said.

  “Bob? Is that you?” Nancy’s father said. “What’s the matter? I thought we—”

  “I’ve made up my mind, and I don’t want to go through the whole court thing again. Just take the settlement. Take the settlement!” he yelled. Nancy could hear the click of the receiver as the caller hung up abruptly.

  Mr. Drew stared at the receiver for a second before he, too, hung up. “I think you’ve just found yourself a new case, Nancy.”

  2

  Mysterious Transmissions

  “Was that Bob Jamison?” Nancy asked.

  “How did you know?” her father asked as he began to gather the legal papers he had been reading.

  “I could hear his voice from all the way over here,” she replied. “I forgot to tell you that he called really early this morning, just before I went out for my run. You were in the shower, and I told him you weren’t available at the moment. He sounded really upset.”

  “This is disturbing,” Carson Drew said. “Bob didn’t even give me a chance to ask him why he wanted to settle. He sounded positively frantic.”

  Hannah started clearing the breakfast table. Nancy helped her rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

  “I’m on the case, Dad,” Nancy said.

  “If you’re working in your father’s office today,” Hannah told Nancy, “you’d better go change out of your jeans.”

  “Good idea, Hannah,” Nancy said. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  “Fine,” her father replied. “That way I can look over this file again.” He took his papers out of his briefcase and sat down on a comfortable chair in the living room.

  Nancy ran upstairs and changed into a light tan spring suit. She put on a white blouse, a gold chain, and added a touch of pale lipstick. “That’s better,” she said, examining herself in the mirror.

  Nancy picked up her suit jacket, grabbed a small leather portfolio, and ran downstairs to meet her father. He smiled at his daughter’s quick transformation and packed up his papers in his briefcase.

  “ ’Bye, Hannah,” Nancy called out as they opened the front door.

  “See you later, you two,” she replied from the kitchen. “Stay out of trouble.”

  “Let’s walk this morning, Dad,” Nancy said, once they were on the sidewalk. “It’s such a beautiful day!”

  “Good idea,” Mr. Drew replied. “I’m glad I’m not carrying one of my fifty-pound briefcases.”

  Nancy gazed fondly at her blue Mustang sitting in their driveway. It had been a gift from her father, and she loved that car. But she was looking forward to talking with her father on their way to the office.

  Father and daughter walked in silence for a while, enjoying River Heights in early summer: daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips in a riot of yellows, pinks, and purples decorated the front lawns of many of the houses. Rosebushes filled the air with their heady scent.

  “Dad,” Nancy said as they walked, “if I run into any problems cleaning up your computer files, I can call Bess for advice.”

  “Bess?” Mr. Drew asked. “I didn’t know Bess was a computer whiz.”

  “You know how she’s always loved reading romances?” Nancy asked. “Well, she’s just joined an Internet chat group about historical and contemporary romance novels. Being on-line was so interesting to her that she learned all about computers, communications systems, Internet links, Web browsers—all that stuff.”

  “Bess chatting about romance novels on-line. That’s a novel idea,” Mr. Drew said as they neared the downtown business district where his law offices were located.

  “Very funny, Dad,” Nancy said with a giggle.

  During the conversation, Nancy and her father arrived at the downtown office building that housed his law practice. They entered the lobby and rode the elevator up. Once inside the reception area, Nancy greeted Mr. Drew’s longtime legal secretary and personal assistant, Ms. Hanson.

  “Nancy, how nice to see you!” Ms. Hanson said as Nancy entered the office with her father. “What a pleasure. Or is it business?”

  “A bit of both,” Nancy replied, hanging up her suit jacket.

  “Nancy’s going to clean up all those files on the computer about those cases that settled recently,” Mr. Drew explained. “In fact, we got another one this morning—Bob Jamison.”

  “Bob Jamison!” Ms. Hanson exclaimed. “You just met with him yesterday.”

  “I know, I know,” Mr. Drew said. “He sounded just like the others. He didn’t want to go to court again, and he didn’t give me a chance to ask him why he wanted to take the settlement so quickly. But as I was saying to Nancy this morning, I can’t focus on settled cases now.”

  “Because of the Harris case, right?” Ms. Hanson said with a knowing nod.

  “Exactly,” Mr. Drew replied. “It’s got us all so busy. That’s why I’ve asked Nancy to come in and help out.”

  “Well, it’s lovely to see you again, Nancy.”

  Mr. Drew left the reception area and headed into his private office, leaving Nancy and Ms. Hanson alone.

  “Boy, another one for the collection,” Nancy commented, reading the inscription on the base of a large silver award cup that her father had received from the legal community.

  “You bet,” Ms. Hanson said. “And you can bet there are a few other law firms that wish they had your father’s reputation—and his business.”

  “Oh, Ms. Hanson, quit cheering for the home team.” Nancy turned to see a handsome young man step into the reception area.

  “Who’s the new assistant?” he asked as he flashed a grin at Nancy.

  “Henry Yi, meet Nancy Drew, Carson’s daughter,” Ms. Hanson said. “She’ll be helping out in the office for a week or so.”

  “Oh, wow, the boss’s daughter,” Henry said as he shook hands with Nancy. “Better watch my step. Nice to meet you. I’m the chief cook and bottle washer here—also known as the paralegal.” Henry flashed his attractive grin again.

  “Nice to meet you, too, Henry,” Nancy replied, gently removing her hand from his.

  Henry turned quickly as another young man walked past them in the hallway. “Byron, come here,” he called out to the young man, who was carrying a stack of files in his arms.

  “Nancy, this is Byron Thomas, our summer law school intern,” Henry said. “Oh, well, I guess you can’t shake hands right now, can you, Byron? This is Nancy, Mr. Drew’s daughter. You two will probably be seeing a lot of each other in the library. She’s helping out here for the next few days.”

  “Hello,” Nancy said, smiling at Byron. He nodded shyly and continued silently up the hallway to the law library.

  “So, what will you be working on, Nancy?” Henry turned back to Nancy.

  “Just clearing some old files off the computer, so my dad can keep all you guys at work on his new case,” Nancy said.

  “All which guys?” came a strong, female voice from the hallway. A tall woman walked into the reception room. “Are you flirting again, Henry? I thought I gave you some research to do.” Nancy wondered if the woman was teasing Henry, or if she was
serious.

  “Yes, Ms. Warner, I was just on my way,” Henry replied quickly. “And, I’d like you to meet—”

  “That’s all right, Henry,” Ms. Hanson said, shooing him out. “I’ll take care of the introductions. Blaine, this is Nancy Drew, Carson’s daughter. I’m sure you’ve heard about her.”

  “Ah, Sherlock Holmes Junior. Yes, indeed, Ms. Drew, I’ve heard a lot about you. Your father has told me about some of your exploits as a junior detective.”

  Nancy noticed that Blaine’s tone of voice was formal. Her manner wasn’t exactly cold, but it certainly wasn’t warm, Nancy thought as Blaine held out a hand to shake Nancy’s.

  “And I’ve heard a lot about you,” Nancy said, shaking hands with a firm grip. “My dad has said he hopes you’ll be a role model for me, so that I’ll follow in both your footsteps and become a lawyer.”

  Blaine’s comment about Nancy’s being a junior detective bothered Nancy a little, but she decided not to let it get to her. Maybe it’s Blaine’s attempt at humor, she thought.

  “I see,” Blaine said. “And to what do we owe the honor of your presence in the office today?”

  “I’m just helping with some filing so my dad can concentrate on the Harris case,” Nancy replied. “I’ll be working here for only a few days before I go visit my friend George and do some sailing. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “Well, right now you can look forward to this,” her father said as he entered from his office with a stack of files in his arms. “Oh, good morning, Blaine. I’m glad you two have had a chance to meet. And if you wouldn’t mind, Blaine, I’d like to go over some of these files on the Harris case now.”

  “Right away, Mr. Drew,” Blaine replied. Without excusing herself, Blaine followed Carson into his private office and closed the door behind them.

  Ms. Hanson smiled at Nancy. “You’ll need a temporary password to get into the computer system, Nancy.” She handed Nancy a piece of paper with some information written on it. “Here it is.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Hanson. I’d better get started.” Nancy carried the stack of files her father had given her into the law library.