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  Let me introduce myself. I’m Nancy Drew.

  My friends call me Nancy. My enemies call me a lot of other things, like “that girl who cooked my goose.” They actually sometimes speak like that, but what can you expect from criminals? See, I’m a detective. Well, not really. I mean, I don’t have a license or anything. I don’t carry a badge or a gun, in part because I wouldn’t touch a gun even if I could, and also because I’m just not old enough. But I am old enough to know when something isn’t right, when somebody’s getting an unfair deal, when someone’s done something they shouldn’t do. And I know how to stop them, catch them, and get them into the hands of the law, where they belong. I take those things seriously, and I’m almost never wrong.

  My best friends, Bess and George, might not totally agree with me. They tell me I’m wrong a lot, and that they have to cover for me all of the time just to make me look good. Bess would tell you I dress badly. I call it casual. George would tell you I’m not focused. By that she’d mean that once again I forgot to fill my car with gas or bring enough money to buy lunch. But they both know I’m always focused when it comes to crime. Always.

  Nancy Drew

  Sleuthing on the Set

  I let the script drop onto my lap, put my head back against the couch, and closed my eyes. I tried to imagine how it would feel to be Esther Rackham. What reaction must she have had to finding a badly wounded man out in the middle of nowhere?

  Esther’s brothers were infamous criminals, two young men known as the Rackham Gang. I was never sure why they were called a gang, since there was just two of them. And criminals or not, Esther must have loved them. Did she know they were going to pull off the heist at the Mahoney Anvil Company? Was she planning to meet them somewhere out near the cave? Or maybe she’d gone there to try to stop them….

  I let out a sigh. It was no use. I was supposed to be trying to think of Esther’s feelings, and instead I was thinking of the mystery!

  NANCY DREW

  girl detective

  #1 Without a Trace

  #2 A Race Against Time

  #3 False Notes

  #4 High Risk

  #5 Lights, Camera …

  #6 Action!

  Available from Aladdin Paperbacks

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Aladdin Paperbacks edition July 2004

  Copyright © 2004 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  ALADDIN PAPERBACKS

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.simonandschuster.com

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 9 8

  NANCY DREW and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  NANCY DREW: GIRL DETECTIVE is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2004103214

  ISBN-13:978-0-689-86571-8 ISBN-10:0-689-86571-6

  eISBN: 978-1-4391-1257-1

  Chapter 1: The Reluctant Star

  Chapter 2: History or Mystery?

  Chapter 3: A Fiery Start

  Chapter 4: Burning Down the House

  Chapter 5: The Natural

  Chapter 6: The Long, Bad Day

  Chapter 7: The Mountain Lion Attack

  Chapter 8: Into Darkness

  Chapter 9: Truth and Lies

  Chapter 10: No More Movie

  The Reluctant Star

  Nancy Drew leaving waffles on her plate?” Hannah Gruen cried. “I don’t believe it!”

  I jumped, startled. Hannah was leaning over to take away my breakfast plate, filled with a half-eaten waffle and two strips of bacon. I snatched up my fork to finish eating. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I must’ve been daydreaming.”

  Hannah smiled and headed off to the kitchen to get my father his usual second cup of coffee. I took a bite of the homemade waffles. Hannah is officially our housekeeper, but she’s also a terrific cook, and one of my favorite people in the world. But somehow Hannah’s delicious waffles weren’t holding my interest this morning. I was worried. More than worried. I was downright terrified.

  My fork dropped to the plate as I pictured the day ahead—a day that was sure to make me the laughingstock of the city of River Heights!

  “… Nancy. Dad paging Nancy,” my father was saying. I glanced up at him in surprise. How long had he been talking to me?

  “Sorry,” I said again.

  Dad studied me with narrowed eyes. I recognized the expression; it was the famous Carson Drew sizing-up look. My father is one of the most prominent lawyers in town, and part of being a good lawyer is knowing how to read people. He can tell what anyone is thinking just by watching them for a few minutes. I’m good at that too. It comes in handy when I’m solving a mystery, and that means it comes in handy a lot.

  But this morning the only case on my mind was the mystery of how to turn myself into an actress.

  “Thinking about your scenes for today?” Dad guessed.

  I nodded. “I’ve been working on memorizing my lines,” I said. “But I still don’t feel ready.” I had recently taken a part in Stealing Thunder, a movie being filmed in town. It was a recounting of one of the most famous events in the history of River Heights: the great River Heist, in which a gang led by the Rackham boys stole a fortune from the local manufacturing baron, an anvil maker named Ethan Mahoney. It has remained a mystery, because no one ever found out what became of the Rackham boys—or the money—after the heist. I was playing Esther Rackham, the sister of the two Rackham boys, and that suited me just fine. Esther was my kind of girl. She’d tried her best to keep her brothers from committing the robbery.

  Dad patted my hand. “It’s normal to have a few stage fright jitters,” he told me. “But you’ll do fine.”

  “It’s just …” I wasn’t sure how to describe my feelings. Usually I’m very self-confident. But faced with the idea of acting in front of a camera, I felt nauseated. I had done a few scenes the week before when the production first got under way, and I’d found it difficult to act natural while the cameras were rolling. “I’m not an actor,” I finally said.

  Dad grinned. “Sure you are,” he told me. “Every time you go undercover on a case or sweet-talk information out of someone, you’re acting.”

  “Sort of,” I said. “But it’s not the same. I’m solving a mystery. It’s always about getting answers and finding out the truth. In this movie the whole point is not to tell the truth. I have to pretend to be someone I’m not.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Hannah commented, coming back in with Dad’s coffee.

  “Maybe that’s the problem,” I replied, trying to lighten up. “I’m not used to doing anything just for fun.”

  “Well, you’ve already solved one mystery on this film,” Dad said. “I think you’re due for some relaxation and fun.”

  He was talking about a mystery I’d unraveled just a few days before. Stealing Thunder had been on the verge of collapse because the continuity chief and one of the lead actors were working together to sabotage the production. I had figured out what was going on just in the nick of time. The actor was fired and replaced with a friend of mine, Harold Safer, and the film was saved. Today was to be the first day back to production after the whole mess.

  “I don’t know how relaxing it will be,” I said to Dad. “Morris has already lost a lot of time because of the sabotage. It’s not g
oing to be easy to finish the movie on budget now.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Dad replied. “Morris Dunnowitz is an experienced producer and director. He’ll find a way to cut costs and finish the movie on time.”

  “Hiring locals like you and Harold helps,” Hannah added. “He doesn’t have to pay you two the same type of salary that Hollywood actors would demand.”

  A pang of nervousness shot through me again. That was just the problem! Morris, the director, had hired a couple of nonactors to play two of the historically important parts. I didn’t know how Mr. Safer felt about it, but I was terrified! Morris had already encountered so many difficulties in trying to make his movie. The last thing I wanted to do was to add to his problems.

  The phone rang, making me jump. Dad picked it up. “Drew residence,” he said. He listened for a moment, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Sure, Peter,” he replied to the caller. “Why don’t you come by this afternoon and we can discuss it?”

  I took a deep breath and forced myself to finish my waffles as Dad wrapped up the phone call. I had to stop thinking about how nervous I was, because thinking about it only made me more nervous!

  “One of your clients?” I asked Dad when he hung up.

  He nodded. “A new client, Peter Wyszinski.”

  I could tell Dad was distracted. Mr. Wyszinski must have given him bad news. “He’s the new CFO of Rackham Industries, isn’t he?” I asked. I always take an interest in Dad’s work. Sometimes I even help his clients solve mysteries of their own.

  “That’s right,” Dad replied.

  “Is there some kind of problem?” I asked. I knew it was a big deal for Dad to be representing Rackham Industries. It was the largest company in the whole city of River Heights. So I was hoping that nothing would go wrong.

  “It seems there is a problem,” Dad told me. “Peter didn’t want to discuss it over the phone, so I guess I’ll have to wait until this afternoon to find out what it is.”

  “Finished, Nancy?” Hannah asked, nodding toward my almost-empty plate. I snatched up the last piece of bacon and ate it. “I am now,” I said, pushing back my chair. I carried my dirty dishes into the kitchen while Hannah wiped the table. I would have been happy to discuss Dad’s new client more, but I was feeling antsy. All of my big scenes were being filmed in the next few days, and I had to be ready.

  I ran up to my room, brushed my teeth, slipped on my sneakers, and ran back down to the front door. I was just about to leave when I realized I’d left my car keys on my dresser. With a sigh I headed back upstairs to get them.

  On the way back down, I stuck my head into the dining room. “’Bye, Dad,” I said. He glanced up from his coffee. “Break a leg, sweetheart,” he told me.

  I smiled and continued on to the door. “Nancy, wait!” Hannah cried. “Don’t forget your script.” She bustled in from the kitchen and handed me the pages I’d left lying on the counter.

  “Thanks, Hannah,” I said. “I’m forgetting everything this morning.” I pulled open the door, but Hannah pushed it closed again.

  “There’s one more thing you forgot,” she said with a grin.

  “What?”

  Hannah nodded toward the antique mirror that hung in the foyer. One glance showed me that I’d entirely forgotten to brush my hair this morning. It was a mess, with one strawberry blond cowlick standing straight out from my head like an alien’s antenna. “Yikes!” I cried, mashing it down.

  Hannah chuckled, but I wasn’t amused. I couldn’t even remember to do the most basic things this morning. How was I ever going to remember my lines for the movie?

  History or Mystery?

  When I got to the production site, I was surprised to discover that I was the first one there. I checked my watch. It was nine o’clock. I checked my call sheet, the piece of paper that listed all the scenes being shot today along with the time that each person was scheduled to arrive. My call time was ten fifteen. I sighed. I’d been so anxious about doing a good job on my scenes that I’d forgotten even to check my own schedule.

  I should have called one of my two best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne. During the course of my last mystery, I’d gotten both of them jobs here on the movie set. George was in charge of all the computers being used for the production, and Bess ran the construction crew. They both loved their jobs, and, unlike me, they weren’t so nervous that they’d forget what time to show up in the morning. But it hadn’t occurred to me to check with them, so it looked as if I was on my own until the rest of the crew showed up in an hour or so.

  “At least I’ll have more time to get into character,” I whispered to myself. I was pretty sure I knew my lines, but that didn’t mean I’d be able to say them in the way my character would have. If I wanted to be convincing as Esther Rackham, I would have to try to think like Esther Rackham.

  I made my way over to the trailer I was going to share with Mr. Safer and the two actors playing the Rackham boys, Ben and Luke Alvarez. I knew that on the sets of big Hollywood movies, each actor got his own trailer. The trailer is like a private little living room where actors can go between takes if they want some time alone to prepare for their roles. But this was such a low-budget movie that all the actors had to share trailers in order to save money. I didn’t mind. I had known Mr. Safer for years, and I liked the Alvarez brothers.

  The door of the trailer was marked with the names of our characters: Esther Rackham, Ethan Mahoney, and John and Ross Rackham. I went inside and sank down onto the tiny couch. There was also a kitchenette, a small table, and a bathroom. It was fine for one person, but if all of us happened to be there at once, we’d have a hard time fitting inside.

  I had only been assigned to this trailer since the production started up again after the sabotage. Morris Dunnowitz had closed everything down for four days and worked with the new continuity chief, Kevin Kelley, to reorganize the movie shoot. Kevin and Morris wanted to make sure the entire production was planned around spending as little money as possible.

  I pulled out my script and began flipping through it. I knew my own scenes, but I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to remind myself of what was happening in the rest of the movie. Morris had given me a crash course in filmmaking when I first began working with him on the movie. One of the things that surprised me is that the scenes of a film aren’t shot in the order that they’re written. Instead, the scenes are shot according to where they’re set. That means that every scene that takes place in a certain location will be filmed on the same day, even if those scenes are supposed to take place days or months apart in the finished movie. By doing this, the film crew saves money. They only have to rent a location for a day or two. Sometimes the crew will build a set inside a big warehouse called a soundstage. That set stays up for as long as it’s needed. Usually those sets are the ones that will be used most often.

  Since the filming was done out of order, it was difficult to keep track of where in the story my character was. So reading the script from start to finish would help me figure out how Esther would be feeling in my scenes for today.

  I flipped through until I reached my favorite part of the story: the part where Ethan Mahoney, the owner of the Mahoney Anvil Company, wakes up in his riverboat office to find that the Rackham boys have set it on fire. They’d knocked Mr. Mahoney unconscious and left him there to die. But Mahoney had the last laugh. He woke up sooner than they’d expected, doused the fire in his office, and tracked the Rackham boys out to a cave by the river. He almost caught them too. Unfortunately he was attacked by a mountain lion inside the cave. The lion mauled him, leaving him too badly injured to walk. He scared off the beast, but had no way to summon help. Out in the wilderness, alone and bleeding, Ethan Mahoney surely would have died if not for my character, Esther Rackham.

  Esther’s brothers were the ones who had stolen Ethan’s money and set his office on fire. So it was especially sweet that Esther was the one to find the ailing Ethan in the cave and save his life. It must h
ave been love at first sight. After he regained his health, Ethan and Esther were married.

  No one had ever known exactly why Esther happened to be near the cave that day. After she and Ethan married, they lived in seclusion, rarely speaking to anyone. When Esther died, the reason she had been at the cave died with her. In fact, the question of why Esther was there to save Ethan had been one of the first mysteries to intrigue me back when I learned the story in first grade.

  Maybe if I try to put myself in Esther’s position, I’ll be able to figure out how she was feeling that day, I thought. If I can do that, I’ll be able to give a terrific performance! I let the script drop onto my lap, put my head back against the couch, and closed my eyes. I tried to imagine how it would feel to be Esther Rackham. What reaction must she have had to finding a badly wounded man out in the middle of nowhere?

  Esther’s brothers were infamous criminals, two young men known as the Rackham Gang. I was never sure why they were called a gang, since there was just two of them. And criminals or not, Esther must have loved them. Did she know they were going to pull off the heist at the Mahoney Anvil Company? Was she planning to meet them somewhere out near the cave? Or maybe she’d gone there to try to stop them ….

  I let out a sigh. It was no use. I was supposed to be trying to think of Esther’s feelings, and instead I was thinking of the mystery!

  “Sleeping on the job, Nancy?” A voice interrupted my thoughts.

  I opened my eyes with a start. In the door of my trailer stood Luther Eldridge, the historian Morris Dunnowitz had hired as an advisor on the movie, and a close friend of mine. Luther knew everything about the history of River Heights. He was the perfect person to help Morris make sure the story of the movie was as authentic as possible. And on a personal note, I was thrilled that Luther had agreed to take part in the production. He’d been grieving for years over the loss of his family in a terrible car accident. Ever since they died, Luther had kept to himself, rarely even leaving his house. His daughter, Melissa, had been one of my close friends when we were kids. I still missed her, and I did whatever I could to help out her father. But I wasn’t sure that Luther would ever get over his broken heart. It made me smile to see him out and about on the movie set.