Haunting of Horse Island

  Contents

  * * *

  1 A Mountain Retreat

  2 Uninvited Guests

  3 Island Lore

  4 Horsing Around

  5 Ghost Stories

  6 A Visit to Horse Island

  7 A Temporary Residence

  8 The Island’s Inhabitants

  9 Rescued

  10 Unjust Desserts

  11 Suspicions

  12 Follow That Car!

  13 A Trap Is Sprung

  14 Shots Are Fired

  15 Face-to-Face

  16 Now . . . for the Vacation

  1

  A Mountain Retreat

  “Just think!” said Bess Marvin from the back seat of the car Nancy Drew was driving. “A whole week at Triple Tree Lake. Swimming, sunning, eating—and no scary mysteries to solve!”

  Nancy eased the car the girls had rented around a curve in the road and winked at Bess’s cousin George Fayne, who was in the passenger seat next to her. “That’s right,” Nancy said. “Unless, of course, the ghosts decide to cause trouble!”

  “What?” Bess cried, her blue eyes wide. She leaned forward and hung her elbows over the front seat. “Nobody ever told me there were ghosts at the Steadman Resort! George, is that why they asked us to come—so Nancy could solve their ghost mystery?” She hooked some loose strands of straw blond hair behind her ear and looked worriedly at her cousin.

  George turned and grinned at Bess. “Those ghost rumors have been around for years. They’re just crazy stories someone made up. No, my dad and Mr. Steadman have been friends since college. Mr. and Mrs. Steadman called and invited my parents to come for a week, but Mom and Dad couldn’t make it. So they invited me and two friends.”

  “I’m looking forward to doing absolutely nothing but having fun,” Nancy admitted.

  “Well, you deserve a rest!” Bess said, thumping Nancy on the shoulder. “You’ve been jumping from one case to the next for a long time. It exhausts me just to think about all the detective work you’ve done lately!”

  Nancy gazed out at the forested hills that surrounded them. The wind rushed through the open window, snatched at her reddish blond hair, and whirled it around her shoulders. “Upstate New York is really beautiful,” she commented. “Just look—green as far as the eye can see.”

  “But what about these ghosts?” Bess pressed. “Is the Steadman Resort really haunted?”

  “No,” George said, tying a blue bandanna around her short, curly hair to keep it from blowing in the breeze. “But there is an island in the lake—Horse Island—that people say is haunted. Of course, it’s not.”

  “There was a drowning in the lake years ago,” Nancy said. “Isn’t that what you told me, George?”

  George nodded and said, “Several people have claimed to have seen the ghosts of the drowning victims out near the island.”

  Bess shivered and then sat back in her seat again, folding her arms. “I’m not even going to think about ghosts. All I want to do is rest, eat, and get a tan.”

  “Good idea,” Nancy agreed, her blue eyes smiling at Bess in the rearview mirror.

  “We’re almost there,” George said, consulting her map.

  “Look, there’s a sign,” Nancy said, slowing the car. “ ‘Steadman Resort on Triple Tree Lake.’ The arrow points left.” Nancy turned onto a narrow dirt road.

  “Wow, we’re really in the deep woods now,” Bess said. She took a breath and let it out with a sigh. “Don’t you love the smell of the trees and earth? It smells so—well, healthy or something.”

  Nancy drove the silver car deeper into the forest. Birch and pine trees loomed tall and thick over the road and allowed only a slight filtering of late afternoon sunlight to sift to the ground. The road was rough and uneven with exposed roots. The car pitched slightly from side to side as it made its way up and over hillocks.

  Finally they pulled into a sunny clearing, where a large sign loomed over them: Welcome to the Steadman Resort on Beautiful Triple Tree Lake.

  “All right!” cried Bess. “It was a long drive, but we made it!”

  They rounded a bend, and the lake, blue and crystal clear, came into view. “Oh, man, the lake is beautiful!” George exclaimed. “Anyone for a swim?”

  Nancy laughed. “Hold on, George. We’ve got to check in at the lodge and find our cottage and unpack—”

  “And don’t forget food!” Bess added. “By the time we get all that done, we’ll be ready for dinner!”

  George grinned and held up her hands in defeat. “Okay, okay, I give up,” she said. “Hey, there’s the lodge and dining room,” she pointed out as she read the sign on a large log building up ahead. Rattan furniture was positioned on the porch that wrapped around the lodge, and several guests were relaxing there in the shade. Nancy parked the car, and the girls piled out and stretched their stiff muscles.

  “Well, this must be George Fayne!” a voice called out. “The same short, curly brown hair and brown eyes I remember when she was a baby.”

  A balding, portly man dressed in tan slacks and a blue knit shirt walked toward them with a big smile on his face.

  “Mr. Steadman!” George said. “My dad has shown me pictures of you!”

  “Probably from my leaner days,” he chuckled. “And call me Henry. Come on inside. Ruth is working at the desk.”

  Henry held the door open as the girls trooped into the lodge. The registration desk was just inside the entrance. Beyond it was a lounge with comfortable sofas and dark wood tables strewn with magazines. A large stone fireplace took up the far wall. The room smelled of wood and good food. To the left was the entrance to the dining room, and the girls could see attractively set tables in front of large picture windows that overlooked the lake.

  A petite, dark-haired woman stood behind the tall registration desk.

  “Ruth, little George Fayne is here!” Henry announced to his wife.

  Tall, athletic George laughed. “Not so little anymore,” she said, and she shook hands with the smiling woman.

  Ruth Steadman greeted her warmly. “George, we’re sorry your mom and dad couldn’t make it, but we’re so pleased that you came.”

  “Henry and Ruth, this is my cousin Bess Marvin and my good friend Nancy Drew,” George said.

  “Good to meet you, girls,” Henry said.

  Ruth nodded and said, “We’ve put you in cottage seventeen, which is down the road a little and right next to the lake. I think you’ll like it.”

  “We love it already,” said George. “It’s beautiful here.”

  “Good!” Henry boomed. “That’s what we like to hear.”

  “Just as long as we don’t run into any ghosts,” Bess said lightly. “People I like; ghosts I don’t care for.”

  Henry and Ruth Steadman glanced worriedly at each other, and Nancy was immediately curious.

  “Nancy is a well-known detective, you know,” Bess continued. “Hanging around with her has gotten us into some pretty scary situations.”

  “Yes,” Henry said, turning to Nancy. “I’ve heard of your talent for solving mysteries, Ms. Drew. It’s exciting to meet someone with your reputation.”

  “Thank you,” Nancy said modestly.

  “There really aren’t ghosts here, are there?” Bess asked, trying in vain to keep her voice casual.

  Henry forced a smile. “There have been stories about ghosts on Horse Island for a long time,” he admitted. “But I certainly don’t believe in ghosts, do you?”

  “Well, not exactly,” Bess said. “That is, I’ve never personally seen a real ghost, and I was hoping I never would.”

  “I’m sure we won’t see any ghosts,” Nancy reassured Bess. She wished she knew why the Steadmans seemed so
nervous. Surely they didn’t believe that the island was haunted. “We’ve come to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Henry said. “Have a good week, and don’t be strangers. Are you going to eat your meals here at the lodge or cook in your cottage?”

  “We’ll probably eat here,” George said.

  “The special tonight is fried chicken,” Ruth told them. “Otis, our cook, fixes it so crunchy and tender that it melts in your mouth.”

  “Oh, stop,” Bess wailed, “or I’ll drag you all into the dining room right now!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Mr. Steadman, I was—” Nancy started to say.

  “Please, call me Henry,” the man said. “And call my wife Ruth.”

  “Thank you,” said Nancy. “I’ve been wondering about the name of the lake. Triple Tree? There certainly are more than three trees around here! Where did the name come from?”

  Henry smiled. “When this area was first settled,” he said, “the people named this Triple Tree Lake because there were three tall oaks that stood alone in a small clearing at the far side of the lake. They’re no longer there.”

  “I see,” Nancy said. “It’s a beautiful lake.”

  “We feel lucky to be able to live here,” Ruth said, slipping her arm through her husband’s.

  “Well, I hope we see you at dinner,” Henry said, handing George the key to cottage seventeen. “Enjoy your stay.”

  After signing the register, the girls got back in the car. They drove farther down the dirt road and stopped in front of their cottage, a small log cabin at the edge of the lake. The cabin was shaded by tall pines, and the ground was covered with needles from the trees. A small screened-in porch covered the front of the one-story cottage. They climbed out of the car and unloaded their suitcases, a picnic basket, and raincoats. Loaded down with their belongings, they crossed the wooden walkway to the cottage. The porch door was unlocked, and it squeaked on its hinges when Nancy opened it. George unlocked the cabin door and pushed it open.

  “This is great!” Nancy said as the girls entered the cottage.

  “It sure is,” George agreed.

  “And all to ourselves!” exclaimed Bess.

  To the left of the door was a small kitchenette with a refrigerator, stove, and sink. To their immediate right was a picnic table, and straight ahead was the living area with a couch and several large chairs positioned around a pine coffee table, two standing lamps, another small lamp on an end table, and a huge rag rug on the floor.

  “No TV!” Bess cried in dismay.

  “We can listen to the crickets,” George said, grinning. “And read.”

  “That sounds great for a change,” said Nancy.

  “The bedrooms are over here,” George said, crossing the room. “There are two rooms with two beds each. How do you want to divide up?”

  “George, you snore,” Bess said. “I know from experience.”

  “No, I don’t. You just sleep too lightly,” George replied.

  “Well, how about if you take the bedroom on the left,” Bess suggested, “and Nancy and I take the bedroom on the right?”

  “Okay,” George said, “but I don’t snore!”

  “Not much!” Bess teased.

  “Nancy,” George called later from her bedroom as the girls unpacked, “did you notice how the Steadmans looked at each other when Bess mentioned the ghosts?”

  “I did,” said Nancy. “Something was definitely bothering them.”

  “What could it be?” George wondered.

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” said Bess emphatically.

  “What?” Nancy and George asked at the same time.

  “We’re here for rest and relaxation!” Bess told them. “No mysteries, remember?”

  Nancy laughed. “That’s right, Bess. No mysteries. Just peace and quiet for a whole week!”

  Suddenly, from outside the cottage came an ear-shattering scream!

  2

  Uninvited Guests

  Nancy, Bess, and George raced out the door of their cottage.

  “Where did that scream come from?” George asked.

  Her question was answered when another scream pierced the quiet evening air.

  “That cottage over there!” Nancy yelled, running toward the small log building closest to their own. Bess and George followed close behind.

  The girls arrived at the cottage in a few seconds. The heavy door was standing open, and the living room was visible through a screen door. The room was in a shambles—furniture over-turned, lamps broken, clothes and linens strewn around the floor.

  “What happened here?” Bess gasped.

  Nancy pounded on the screen door. “Hello?” she called. “Are you all right?”

  “Oh, it’s awful!” a young woman’s voice cried.

  “What a mess!” another female voice answered.

  Nancy pounded again. “Hello?”

  A girl with long, straight, white blond hair peeked out from one of the bedrooms. She was in her late teens, though there was a childlike expression in her large blue eyes. “Oh, come in,” she said in a high-pitched voice.

  “Are you all right?” asked Nancy, opening the door. She, Bess, and George walked inside.

  “We’re okay,” the girl said. “But look what someone did to this place!”

  A second girl, a little younger than the first, appeared from the other bedroom. Her curly red hair was caught up in a ponytail at the top of her head. She wore a short purple skirt and a flowered top.

  “Why would someone do this?” she cried.

  “Did you see anyone?” Nancy asked.

  “No,” the blond girl said, pushing her long bangs from her eyes. “We just got back from the lodge.”

  “We heard screams,” George said. “We thought someone was hurt—”

  “Oh, that was just my sister, Carrie,” the older sister told them. “She screams at everything.”

  “I do not, Ann!” Carrie protested. “It’s a shocking experience to walk into your cottage and see things thrown all over the place!”

  “You didn’t need to scream,” Ann insisted. “Ever since you were a little kid—”

  “Was your door locked?” asked Nancy, hoping to distract the girls from their argument.

  “No,” Ann said.

  “We never lock it,” said Carrie. “I mean, we never thought we had to here in the woods.”

  “Is anything missing?” Nancy asked.

  “Missing?” Carrie repeated, looking around. “It doesn’t look like it. No, I don’t think so.”

  “Did you check for things like jewelry and money?” Nancy asked.

  “Well, no, not exactly,” Carrie admitted. “I was too busy screaming.”

  “Why don’t you look around?” Nancy suggested. “See if you’re missing anything valuable.”

  “I’d better check my pocketbook,” said Ann. She turned and walked into one of the bedrooms. Carrie disappeared into the other bedroom.

  George looked questioningly at Nancy. Nancy shrugged. The ransacking of the cottage certainly suggested a robbery, but it was strange that the girls didn’t think that anything was missing.

  “Our money’s still here,” said Ann, returning from her bedroom with a wallet and showing Nancy that there was plenty of cash inside. “The drawer was sitting in the middle of the room, but the wallet with our salaries in it was still there. Is this weird, or what?”

  “Salaries?” Nancy asked. “Are you employed at the resort?”

  “Oh, right, sorry,” Ann said. “I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Ann Burkle.” Carrie appeared from her room. “This is my sister, Carrie. We sing at the lodge every night after dinner. And we take the guests horseback riding.”

  “But we’re mostly singers,” Carrie added. “We’re entertainers, and someday we hope to get a recording deal.”

  Nancy smiled. “Right now we ought to figure out why your cottage was ransacked. We should look
for clues. Did the intruder leave anything behind?”

  “Like in a mystery novel?” Carrie asked. “What should we look for?”

  “What kind of clues?” Ann asked at the same time.

  “Anything that doesn’t belong to you,” Nancy said. “Anything the intruder might have dropped.”

  The sisters began walking slowly around the living room, their heads down as they looked for anything unusual. Nancy, Bess, and George stood at the edges of the room and watched.

  A white slip of paper on the picnic table in the kitchen caught Nancy’s eye. She stepped over to it. “Here’s something!” she exclaimed. “Look!”

  “What is it?” Carrie asked as she ran over to the table. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. “It’s a note! It says, ‘Get away from this resort immediately or you will be in great danger!’ ”

  Carrie’s eyes went wide with horror and she dropped the note. Once again she screamed.

  “Will you stop that screaming?” Ann shouted.

  “I can’t help it,” Carrie said. “I am scared to death by this note.”

  “Can you think of anyone who would send you a threatening note?” Nancy asked.

  “No, nobody,” Carrie wailed.

  “Apparently somebody wants us to leave here,” said Ann, slumping into a chair.

  “Think a minute. Is there anyone at all who could have a reason for wanting you to leave the resort?” Nancy prodded.

  The sisters gazed at each other with bewildered expressions and then shook their heads.

  “Let me know if you think of anyone,” Nancy said. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m Nancy. This is Bess and George. We’re right next door if you need help any time this week.”

  “Thanks for coming over,” Ann said. “This really is pretty scary. I just don’t understand it.”

  “Well, you should probably be careful for the next few days,” Nancy said. “It could have been a prank, but just in case someone means business, you’d better be sure to lock your door.”

  “We will,” Ann said.

  “You can bet on that,” Carrie agreed. “And be sure to come to our show. We have tonight off, though.”

  “What time do you usually go on?” Nancy asked.