164 The Mystery Of The Mother Wolf Read online

  into the sky from a stone chimney. Two rambling

  wooden barns stretched out in back, surrounded by a

  large, fenced-in paddock.

  Nancy backed the snowmobile into a cluster of pine

  trees on the fringe of the forest. Then she cut the

  motor, and the headlight went off.

  The moon bathed the valley in a silvery glow, and

  Nancy and George had no trouble seeing their way

  down the hill to the nearest barn. Once there, they slid

  open a door and peered inside.

  Before Nancy's eyes completely adjusted to the dark

  interior, she was aware of a mass of creatures standing

  in rows, gently bobbing their heads. When a soft

  mooing noise broke the silence, George said, “It's just a

  bunch of cows.”

  Nancy motioned her inside. “Let's see whether

  there's a smaller room where Rainbow might be.”

  An outside floodlight cast a dim glow through the

  barn windows—enough for the girls to see by. But after

  several minutes of searching, they'd turned up no

  clues. “Let's check out the other bam,” Nancy sug-

  gested, leading the way back outside.

  The second barn—filled with horses quietly munch-

  ing—also yielded no evidence that either Rainbow or

  Ross had been there.

  “What now?” George asked as they stood in the

  horse barn, frustrated. “The house?”

  “You bet,” Nancy said. “Even if we can't find Rain-

  bow, Ross must be around—unless we somehow

  missed him on the trail.”

  Nancy and George slipped back outside and

  rounded the corner of the barn toward the house. Then

  they stopped in surprise.

  Ross's snowmobile was parked against the side wall

  of the barn.

  “He's here!” Nancy whispered. “We just couldn't see

  his snowmobile because the barn was in the way.”

  Nancy gazed toward the house and recognized Mrs.

  Stevenson's pickup truck parked nearby. “Mrs.

  Stevenson's here, too,” Nancy said, pointing. “If Ross

  took Rainbow and is keeping her at Coyote Corners, I

  wonder if Mrs. Stevenson knows.”

  “Let's go find out,” George said, squaring her

  shoulders as she and Nancy headed toward a side door

  of the house.

  A few moments later, the girls found themselves

  inside a large, cheery kitchen, where a large pot

  bubbled on the stove. “Mmm,” Nancy whispered.

  “Something smells really good.”

  “Lentil soup,” George announced, lifting the lid and

  peering inside. “Boy, am I starved! Are we allowed to

  take a dinner break?” she joked.

  Nancy grinned—and then she heard voices. “Shh,

  George, someone's coming!” She pulled George

  toward a narrow flight of stairs at the rear of the

  kitchen. Then they dashed upstairs.

  The girls found themselves in a spacious hallway

  decorated with old family portraits, including one of a

  beautiful young woman with blond hair and turquoise

  eyes that stared imperiously out at the world. “I bet

  that's Mrs. Stevenson,” George said. “She's gorgeous,

  but she looks land of spoiled, if you ask me.”

  Nancy's mind was already leaping ahead to the

  single closed door off the hallway. “Look, George, all

  the other doors are open except that one. Let's check

  in there first.”

  Opening the door a crack, Nancy peeked inside.

  A thrill went through her. Rainbow lay in a corner

  pen, happily nursing her five pups.

  Rainbow looked up warily at her two visitors. Just as

  the girls were about to enter the room, a doorbell rang

  shrilly through the house.

  Nancy and George exchanged startled glances.

  Footsteps shuffled downstairs, and then the front door

  creaked open.

  “Hello, Stella, my dear!” a man's voice boomed.

  “Where is that cute little wolf pup you've sold me?”

  15. Member of the Pack

  Footsteps hurried upstairs.

  “What do we do now?” George asked. “We can't

  hide in the bedroom because of Rainbow. She's

  probably feeling protective about her puppies.”

  “In here, quick!” Nancy murmured, slipping into an

  adjacent bedroom, where an inside door connected to

  Rainbows room.

  Nancy crouched by the keyhole of the connecting

  door and peered through it. “Oh no!” she cried,

  drawing back. “Ross is aiming a stun gun at Rainbow.”

  Nancy looked again, her body shaking. As she

  watched Ross's finger tighten around the trigger,

  Rainbow suddenly leaped up, baring her teeth as she

  desperately tried to shield her pups.

  Nancy couldn't stand it another moment. Without

  thinking of the consequences, she burst through the

  door and charged at Ross.

  Ross was shocked as Nancy ran at him. But before

  he could react, Nancy lunged forward and karate-

  kicked his hand.

  The stun gun flew out and skidded across the floor.

  Surprised for only a moment, Ross stalked toward

  Nancy, punching angrily at the air with clenched fists.

  “You nosy girl detective!” he growled. “Just wait till I'm

  through with you.”

  There was a flicker of movement behind Ross, and

  Nancy's gaze darted in that direction. Standing in the

  doorway were Stella Stevenson and a man whom

  Nancy didn't recognize.

  Mrs. Stevenson leaned into the room and grabbed a

  lamp resting on a night table. With a ferocious tug, she

  yanked its electrical cord out of the socket. Then she

  held the lamp up high. “Don't worry, Ross,” she said.

  “I'm here to back you up.”

  To Nancy's surprise, George appeared in the hall

  behind Ross and Mrs. Stevenson. Without even glanc-

  ing at Nancy, she leaned toward the stranger and

  whispered in his ear.

  Nancy threw George a questioning look. George

  must have sneaked around through the hallway door so

  Ross and Mrs. Stevenson wouldn't see her, Nancy

  guessed. But what was she whispering to that man?

  The man's face turned pale as he stared at George,

  aghast. Then he turned and bolted out of view.

  Ross's fist shot toward Nancy's shoulder, and her

  attention swung back to him. He aimed another punch,

  and she scrambled backward, tripping over the edge of

  a rug.

  As Nancy stumbled to the floor, her gaze flew to

  Mrs. Stevenson. The old lady ran at her, the porcelain

  lamp held high. A second later Mrs. Stevenson

  whipped the lamp down toward Nancy's head.

  Nancy ducked, putting up her hands to shield

  herself. She knew she didn't have time to get out of the

  way. Crouching, her hands curled over her head,

  Nancy expected to feel sharp porcelain biting into her

  skin at any second.

  Nothing happened, though. Nancy glanced up to see

  George grabbing the lamp in midswing. With a firm

  twist, George yanked it out of the old lady's clawlike

  hands.

  “Thank
you, George!” Nancy cried, springing to her

  feet. Without wasting a moment, Nancy karate-kicked

  Ross hard. He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach

  and gasping for air.

  “You knocked the wind out of him, you horrible

  girl!” Mrs. Stevenson cried.

  Ross sat up and glared murderously at Nancy from

  under thick, dark brows. Then he staggered to his feet,

  charging her like a football tackle.

  An ominous growl erupted. Cowering in front of her

  puppies, Rainbow barked, her long sharp white teeth

  bared at Ross as he approached Nancy. “She's warning

  you to lay off,” George said.

  “As if I care!” Ross snarled. But he stopped and

  looked at the mother wolf warily, with a mixture of

  annoyance and grudging respect.

  Mrs. Stevenson suddenly dipped to the floor and

  snatched something from under a chair. “The game is

  over!” she crowed, triumphantly brandishing the stun

  gun.

  Before Nancy and George could react, Mrs.

  Stevenson had the gun jabbed against Nancy's neck.

  “Don't worry, my dear. We're going to take a little

  walk.” She spoke softly, in the same tone a grand-

  mother might use to soothe a child. “You and your

  friend are coming down the stairs with me.”

  “Move it, Nancy!” Ross commanded. “Listen to the

  lady! Out of the room, now. And your friend, too. What

  d'ya say her name was—George? That's no name for a

  girl.” He chuckled snidely.

  “Mind your own business,” Nancy said, but she

  raised her arms in surrender as Mrs. Stevenson kept

  the gun pressed against her neck.

  “You, too, George dear,” Mrs. Stevenson said in the

  same falsely gentle tone she had used before, “because

  if you don't, I'll shoot your friend with a dart.”

  Nancy flinched at the cold metal against her neck as

  Mrs. Stevenson and Ross marched her and George into

  the hall. Nancy remembered that Mrs. Stevenson had

  arthritis and couldn't always control and coordinate her

  movements. I hope she doesn't fire this thing by

  mistake, Nancy thought grimly.

  Ross closed the door on Rainbow and her puppies

  before helping Mrs. Stevenson usher the girls down-

  stairs. Once there, Mrs. Stevenson lowered the gun.

  “I've decided not to risk tranquilizing you unless you

  misbehave,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “See, I've arranged a

  little meeting for you girls, and I'd rather have you be

  awake to enjoy it.” To Ross, she ordered, “Put these

  lads in the cave so they won't meddle with my plans

  again.”

  “The bear cave?” Ross asked, shocked.

  “Yup,” Mrs. Stevenson said gleefully. “If the hiber-

  nating bear doesn't get them, they will starve. Now get

  the rope, Ross, and don't let me see any signs of

  sympathy from you.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Stevenson,” Ross muttered as he sidled

  over to a chest of drawers. After rummaging in it for a

  moment, he returned with a length of rope and started

  to bind Nancy's and George's hands behind them.

  “So whose idea was it to steal Rainbow and her

  puppies?” George asked as Ross worked away.

  Nancy shot George a curious look. She's obviously

  trying to stall them, Nancy thought, because Mrs.

  Stevenson already hinted it was her idea.

  “Of course it was my idea,” Mrs. Stevenson said

  grandly. “I thought of the plan because wolfdog breeds

  fetch high prices—much higher than most dog

  breeds.”

  Nancy frowned, gazing around at the grand old

  house with its opulent furniture. “But why would you

  need the money?” she asked.

  “Because my husband recently died, and he left a bit

  of his money to his kids from an earlier marriage,” Mrs.

  Stevenson explained. She narrowed her eyes, as if

  pained by the thought of any of her inheritance going

  to someone else. “I must admit I have plenty of money

  for the basics—my beautiful house, clothes, jewelry,

  furs, restaurant dinners, fine wines, and trips to

  Europe. But I have my heart set on something more,

  and I couldn't make my money stretch far enough for

  it.”

  “What could be better than going to Europe and

  owning a beautiful house?” George asked.

  “An African safari,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “They're

  terribly expensive, you know.”

  “So you stole a mother wolf and her defenseless

  puppies just so you could go on a trip?” Nancy asked.

  Mrs. Stevenson waved her hand dismissively. “I was

  planning to return Rainbow to John and Alice after the

  puppies were weaned. I only wanted Rainbow so she

  could nurse them.”

  “But just because you were going to return her

  doesn't make stealing her okay,” George said. “Plus,

  you took the puppies for good, and you put the Mar-

  shall through all this grief.”

  Mrs. Stevenson sighed. “They'll get over it.”

  “Don't you care about your grandson's feelings?”

  Nancy asked. “He was upset about the missing wolves,

  too.”

  “Paul will never know I masterminded this plan,

  because you and George won't be around to tell him,”

  Mrs. Stevenson said. “He'll still love me as much as he

  ever did.”

  George and Nancy traded shocked glances. I can't

  believe how totally selfish Mrs. Stevenson is, Nancy

  thought.

  “I have a question,” George said to Ross as he fin-

  ished tying her hands. “Why didn't you take the pup-

  pies the same night you stole Rainbow?”

  “Because I only had time to grab Rainbow before

  Jenny ran into the room,” Ross explained. “By the way,

  you girls almost caught me with the puppies after I'd

  just snatched them. They were hidden in my truck

  while I went into the barn to get my keys. I was about

  to drive them over here.”

  “So when did you lose your Swiss army knife?”

  Nancy asked.

  “The night before I took Rainbow,” Ross replied.

  “See, I came in that night to kidnap her and the

  puppies, but she and Grover barked when they saw

  me, so I realized I'd have to tranquilize them. I was

  sneaking around the house, looking for Paul's room. I

  knew he had a stun gun. But then I saw a light under

  one of the bedroom doors, and I decided my plan was

  too risky. So I borrowed Mrs. Stevenson's stun gun the

  next day.” He shrugged, adding, “My pocket had a hole

  in it, and my knife must have dropped out.”

  “Did you fix the chairlift so we'd get stuck?” George

  asked.

  “I did indeed,” Ross said proudly. “I called the lift

  operator on my cell phone and told him that the last

  occupied chair was number fifty—about thirty chairs

  before yours. Then I cut the phone wire so his partner

  couldn't set him straight. I was hoping Nancy might

  freeze and butt out of my business.”

  “But how
did you know I was investigating the

  case?” Nancy asked.

  “That's a good one!” Ross exclaimed. “See, Mrs.

  Stevenson learned you were investigating the case from

  Paul. Of course, Paul didn't realize that his

  grandmother was the last person he should have given

  that information to.”

  “The Marshalls were blabbing about your wonderful

  detective work, and he overheard,” Mrs. Stevenson

  explained.

  George shot Ross a level look. “So did you mess up

  the dogsled harness?” she asked.

  “I cut the rein,” Ross admitted. “I cut it so it would

  snap when you guys went out. You were all getting to

  be nuisances—investigating here, snooping around

  there—and I wanted you out of the way. I knew it was

  only a matter of time before you found us out.”

  “What about the note on the elk's antler? Did you

  write it?” Nancy asked.

  Ross frowned. “What note? What antler? I don't

  know what you mean. You can't blame everything on

  me.”

  Nancy studied Ross's eyes, which looked completely

  blank. I think he's telling me the truth, she decided.

  “Enough of this chitchat,” Mrs. Stevenson snapped,

  taking aim with the stun gun again. “It's getting late,

  and you girls have a date with a bear.”

  Mrs. Stevenson and Ross marched the girls outside.

  But as they began to walk toward the woods, a siren

  suddenly blared from out of nowhere.

  Everyone jumped and immediately turned toward

  the noise.

  A police car was peeling up the driveway, its red

  lights flashing. As everyone froze in the headlights, it

  screeched to a stop. Four police officers jumped out.

  “Stella Stevenson and Ross Minkowski, you're under

  arrest for kidnapping and assault!” the first officer

  announced. “Don't argue with me. The evidence of

  your crime is right before my eyes.” He nodded toward

  Nancy's and George's bound hands and the stun gun

  that Mrs. Stevenson still held against Nancy's neck.

  Mrs. Stevenson lowered her gun, the fire suddenly

  ebbing from her fierce blue eyes. “I just don't want

  Paul to know about me,” she murmured.

  “Then you shouldn't have committed a crime,” the

  officer retorted as he handcuffed his two prisoners.

  Meanwhile, another officer cut the ropes on the girls'

  wrists.

  Once free, Nancy and George thanked the officers

  profusely for rescuing them. Shaking her wrists to get