The Mystery of Misty Canyon Page 3

  “What happened?” George asked.

  “Dr. Hobart’s saddle came loose,” Bess said as she dismounted and rubbed Marshmallow’s pink nose. “We were waiting for him.”

  “How was the ride?” Nancy asked.

  “Wonderful!” Bess exclaimed as she unbuckled the cinch and removed Marshmallow’s saddle. “Perfect, in fact. You know, I might just surprise both of you and become the best horse woman on this ranch!” She gave Marshmallow a pat, and the little palomino ambled over to join the rest of the herd.

  “And the best dressed!” George quipped.

  • • •

  The dinner bell sounded half an hour later than it had the day before. When Nancy took her place at the table, next to George and Bess, she noticed that Tammy’s chair was empty. Some of the ranch hands were muttering among themselves, and Nancy heard only bits of the whispered conversation throughout the meal.

  “I don’t know why she isn’t back yet,” Hank West said.

  “Don’t worry,” Mike replied. “She can handle herself.”

  “Too many strange things are happening around here,” another hand added, but he clamped his mouth shut when he caught Nancy’s inquisitive gaze.

  “Something’s wrong,” Nancy whispered to her friends. “I’m going to check it out.”

  “You’re imagining things,” Bess replied. “Tammy’s probably finishing some chores.”

  “Then why isn’t she back for dinner? I think I’ll help Peggy in the kitchen. Maybe she knows something. Why don’t you stay here and see if you can hear anything else.”

  Nancy headed for the kitchen, where she found Peggy Holgate bustling around the room. “I thought you might need some help.”

  “I could use a hand,” Peggy admitted. She stopped and glanced nervously out the window into the twilight beyond. “It’s just not like Tammy to be gone so long.”

  “Is she in town?” Nancy asked. She began to arrange plates of chocolate cake on a big tray.

  “Heavens, no! She took Twister out for exercise a couple of hours ago, and she said she’d be back in time for supper.” The cook’s face was lined with concern. “I just don’t know what to think—” She stopped suddenly. Nancy whirled around in time to see Peggy’s face turn white with fear. “Merciful heavens! It’s—it’s Twister!” Peggy cried.

  Nancy’s gaze flew to the open window, and her blood ran cold. A riderless black stallion, his bridle jangling, was galloping into the path of an oncoming car!

  3

  Twister

  Her heart pounding, Nancy shoved open the back door and dashed across the yard to the panicked horse. The car screeched to a halt.

  Nancy grabbed for the dangling reins. The stallion reared away, just as Hank West caught up with her and snatched the reins that whipped dangerously close to Nancy’s head.

  “Whoa, boy,” he said soothingly. To Nancy, he barked, “Back away!” Twister shied and reared, rolling his eyes wildly.

  Mike Mathews sprinted across the yard. “Where’s Tammy?” Mike asked, trying to help Hank control Twister.

  “I wish I knew,” Hank replied.

  Nancy turned toward the car, a long white sedan, but before she had time to think, another voice cut through the air.

  “Help! Someone come quick!” one of the hands yelled from the doorway of the stables. “Renegade’s gone loco!”

  Nancy heard the sound of splintering wood and the thrashing of metal-shod hooves. She started for the door, but Hank blocked her path. “Go back with the other guests, Nancy,” he said. “This could be dangerous.”

  Nancy’s gaze shifted once again to the white car. Two men had climbed out. She recognized the shorter man as Rob Majors, the banker, but she didn’t know the tall, lanky man with him.

  “Nancy!” Untying her apron, Peggy Holgate ran across the yard. “Someone’s got to go find Tammy,” she said, drawing Nancy aside. “It’ll be dark soon, and she’s never been gone like this! George’s mother told me all about you—how you help the police in River Heights. Can you help us figure out where Tammy is?”

  “I’ll try. Do you have any idea where Tammy might have ridden Twister?”

  Peggy shook her head and rubbed her hands anxiously together. “I wish I did. But there are dozens of trails. She could have taken off anywhere.”

  “Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” Nancy said, already forming a plan in her mind. “Some of us will ride horses and use flashlights to cover the trails in the woods. The rest can either drive through the fields or check closer to the main ranch, just in case she was thrown nearby and can’t walk.”

  “Oh, dear,” Peggy whispered.

  Hank strode out of the stables and caught the tail end of Nancy’s plan. “No way,” he said, eyeing the group that had gathered on the porch. “You’re all guests here. Finding Tammy is my job.” Worried, he darted an anxious look toward Rob Majors.

  “I want to help,” Nancy insisted.

  “Listen to me!” Hank snapped. “I’m not about to let our guests go traipsing around in those mountains!” He waved toward the wooded foothills. “We could lose the whole lot of you. The boys and I will handle it!” He tried to get the attention of the group. “Everyone go inside. There’s checkers and cards in the den, and Mike here will serenade you on the guitar and harmonica.” Most of the guests appeared less than enthusiastic, but they allowed Mike to shepherd them back into the ranch house. Nancy didn’t go.

  “I really think I could help,” Nancy told Hank as Rob Majors and the other man approached. The lanky man with Rob had harsh features, silver hair, and an air of quiet authority.

  “I nearly hit that horse!” Rob Majors was obviously shaken. His eyes on Hank, he demanded, “Where’s Tammy?”

  “She’s not here right now.”

  The banker’s face fell. “But Vern and I were supposed to meet her tonight—”

  Nancy glanced at the tall, hard-looking man. So this was Vern Landon, the land developer who wanted Tammy’s ranch.

  “I called her this afternoon to remind her,” Rob insisted.

  Hank leaned against the porch rail. “I guess you’ll have to reschedule,” he said, his gaze sliding from the short man to the tall one. “Tammy’s missing.”

  “Missing?” Rob repeated angrily. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Believe what you want,” Hank drawled.

  “She’s probably just trying to dodge us,” Rob said testily.

  “Why would she do that?” Nancy asked.

  Rob Majors ignored her and glared at Hank. “You know as well as I do that she won’t face the fact that this ranch is dying. Mr. Landon has a reasonable offer for her.”

  “I guess he’ll have to take it up with her later,” Hank suggested. “But don’t plan on giving her any trouble, because if you do, you’ll have to answer to me!”

  Vern Landon grimaced and fiddled with the strings of his western tie. “Let’s get out of here,” he muttered.

  “Good idea,” Hank said before Rob could answer. Turning to Nancy, Hank added, “Maybe you should go into the ranch house and join your friends. I’ll find Tammy.” He strode toward the bunkhouse.

  Nancy had no intention of waiting around the ranch while Tammy was somewhere in the woods alone. She walked up the steps of the front porch but glanced over her shoulder at the two men.

  Landon and Majors had climbed back into the car. The passenger window was open, and Nancy could hear part of their conversation. Vern Landon’s gravelly voice was harsh and furious. “Don’t worry, Rob. Tammy Calloway can’t duck me forever. She’s only prolonging the agony. One way or another, I intend to get this ranch away from her. And no one is going to stop me!”

  Convinced that Tammy was in serious trouble, Nancy hurried inside the house and found George and Bess sitting in the dining room with Peggy Holgate.

  “Is Tammy back yet?” Bess asked hopefully.

  Nancy shook her head. “Not yet. But I don’t think we should wait any longer.”


  “Neither do I!” Peggy agreed. “I’ll round up those guests who want to help.”

  “Count me in,” George volunteered.

  “Me, too,” Bess said.

  The swinging doors banged open, and Hank West strode over to the table. His eyes were shadowed with worry. “The boys and I are going out looking for Tammy,” he said to Peggy. “I want everyone else to stay in the house, and that includes them.” He indicated Nancy, Bess, and George. “I don’t want any of the guests getting involved. They could get hurt.”

  “But Nancy Drew is a famous detective—”

  “We don’t need any guests playing detective,” Hank replied angrily. “Maybe a tracker, but no girl private eyes.” His stern gaze rested on Nancy for a minute. “Jimmy and a few of the boys will search the southern hills. Mike and I will drive the fields. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” He frowned pointedly at Nancy. “You stay put. If you want to help, stick close to the phone in case Tammy calls, and keep the other guests entertained.” With that, he stomped off. A few minutes later, Nancy heard the sound of a truck’s engine sparking to life.

  She didn’t like disobeying orders—but in this case she was sure she would be more helpful outside tracking Tammy than sitting and worrying in the ranch house. Glancing at George, she read disappointment in her friend’s face.

  “You’re just going to hang around here?” George asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “I thought I’d saddle up General H and look in the hills.”

  “I knew it!” said George with a grin.

  Nancy smiled back. Then she added, “But Hank’s right. Someone should stay by the phone and keep the rest of the guests from worrying.”

  “I can handle that,” Bess said.

  “And I’ll help,” Peggy offered. “I’ve got a few old trail maps.” She rummaged in a drawer near the pantry. “Here they are!” Spreading the maps on the table, she pointed out Tammy’s favorite routes. “I can’t be certain which one she took, but she was partial to the hot springs.”

  “We saw that trail earlier today on our ride,” Nancy said, her thoughts running ahead as she studied the wrinkled old maps. Where was the most likely place Tammy would have taken Twister?

  “Looks like I’ve got the easy job,” Bess said with a smile.

  “Not really. If Tammy does return, I want you to send up flares or have one of the hands shoot his rifle into the air—just so George and I know she’s safe.”

  “There are flares in the tack room,” Peggy said, “and believe it or not, I can handle a rifle.”

  Nancy grinned. “Good. We’ll start on the trail to the hot springs. See you later,” she called over her shoulder. She and George grabbed their jackets and hurried out the front door.

  Outside, pale light from a full moon illuminated the connecting pastures in eerie shades of blue and gray. In the distance, the red glow of taillights from Hank West’s truck bounced across the southern fields.

  Within minutes, the girls caught and saddled the horses they’d ridden earlier in the day. George swung a leg over Whirlwind’s back. “Hank West said Jimmy Robbins and some of the hands are searching the hills to the south,” she said.

  “Our trail is north.”

  “Maybe we can beat them at their own game,” George said with a knowing grin.

  “At least we’ll cut the search area in half.” Nancy grabbed General H’s reins and swung into the saddle. “The way I figure it, Tammy didn’t intend to be gone long, because it was already late when she left. She just wanted to stretch Twister’s legs. Let’s go!” She leaned forward, and General H sprang ahead. Whirlwind whinnied and followed close behind.

  The horses sprinted across the same field they’d crossed earlier in the day, then trotted eagerly to the edge of the dark, forested hills.

  “Are you sure this is the right way?” George asked after a while, glancing through the trees. “It’s sure creepier in here at night!”

  Nancy couldn’t help but agree as she swept the beam of the flashlight in a broad arc through the ghostly-looking pines. “It’s the same trail we were on earlier.”

  George urged her mount forward, and Whirlwind caught up with General H. “I hope we find her soon.”

  Nancy swung the light to the right. “That makes two of us.” She told George about the conversation she’d overheard between Vern Landon and Rob Majors. “It’s funny,” she thought aloud.

  “What is?” George asked.

  “Ever since we got here, odd things have been happening. Someone left the gate to Renegade’s paddock open last night, now Tammy’s missing, and Vern Landon is making threats. Everyone, including Hank West and Mike Mathews, acts as if they’ve got something to hide.”

  “I think your imagination’s working overtime again!”

  Nancy felt General H tense. “What is it, boy?” she asked, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. General H sidestepped nervously.

  Nancy heard a loud hoot, then the flapping of huge wings as an owl swooped down from overhead. General H shied, snorting nervously and half rearing. Nancy scrambled for the reins with one hand, trying to keep her hold on the flashlight with the other. The beam swung wildly across the trail ahead.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” George said as Whirlwind tried to bolt.

  “I don’t know.” Suddenly, Nancy gasped. There was a figure on the path ahead—a figure that was dark and crumpled. A figure that didn’t move!

  4

  Vanished!

  Instantly, Nancy jumped off her horse and knelt beside the inert figure. She checked for a pulse, then turned and called, “It’s Tammy!”

  George hopped to the ground. “Is she—?”

  “She’s alive!” Nancy cried, relieved at the strong pulse beneath her fingers. “Tammy, it’s Nancy. Can you hear me?”

  “Oohh,” Tammy moaned. Her eyes fluttered open, only to close again. “Nancy?” she whispered through dry lips. “What—what happened?” Squinting one eye open, Tammy tried to sit up, then pressed a palm to her forehead.

  “Don’t move,” Nancy ordered. “You may have broken something.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Tammy whispered, her face ghostly pale in the flashlight beam. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Every muscle in my body aches, and my head—” She winced.

  “You probably hit it on something,” Nancy said. “Maybe you should lie back down. I’ll get Dr. Hobart.”

  “No way,” Tammy protested. She seemed to notice the darkness for the first time. “It looks like I’ve been here long enough as it is. Just help me to my feet.” She slung one arm around Nancy’s shoulders and the other around George’s. Slowly, Tammy stood on wobbly legs.

  “Are you sure you can ride?” Nancy asked.

  “Positive,” Tammy insisted, though her voice shook a little. “When you grow up riding rodeo horses, you get used to spills.”

  Nancy and George helped Tammy climb onto Whirlwind’s back. The two friends doubled up on General H. With the flashlight beam shining ahead, they rode slowly down the foothills and through the huge field Nancy and George had recently crossed.

  “Where’s Twister?” Tammy asked worriedly.

  “Back at the ranch. He was pretty wild when he came back. Hank and Mike had trouble getting him into his stall.”

  “That’s odd,” Tammy murmured.

  “Whatever’s gotten into Twister has spread to Renegade,” George added. “He was kicking up a storm in the stables.”

  “Great,” Tammy said with a sigh. She gazed thoughtfully into the darkness. “The horses have been acting so strange lately. I just don’t understand it.”

  “What do you mean?” Nancy asked.

  “Things have been happening—things I can’t explain,” she answered. “Last week, Twister wouldn’t eat. He seemed more nervous than usual. Yesterday, someone left the gate open, and now this. . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  “Do you remember what happened while you were riding Twister?” Nancy asked.


  “It’s pretty fuzzy,” Tammy said. “I remember saddling Twister and riding him across here. But he was nervous and out of sorts. I thought he just needed to loosen up, so I let him have his head, and he took me for the ride of my life across this field. Then, once we were in the trees, he got restless and skittish. He must have heard something, because just under a stand of pine, he started bucking and kicking. Then he reared, and I hit the back of my head on something, probably a branch. Anyway, the next thing I knew, there you were.” She glanced over at the two friends. “Thanks for finding me.”

  “Glad to help out,” Nancy replied.

  The ranch was ablaze with lights. Voices carried through the darkness. One of the hands spotted Tammy and fired a flare into the air. As Nancy, George, and Tammy rode into the yard, they were greeted with shouts of delight.

  A few minutes later, just as Tammy was slowly dismounting, Hank drove up, then hurried from his truck. At the sight of Tammy, his weathered face split into a relieved grin. “You had us all so scared we couldn’t think straight!” he chided, hugging her. “Are you all right?”

  “I—I think so,” Tammy replied.

  Hank turned to Nancy. “Maybe I was wrong about you, Nancy Drew,” he allowed. “But the next time, when I give an order, I expect it to be followed. What you did was brave but dangerous.”

  The kitchen door burst open. Clutching her apron, Peggy dashed down the porch steps and across the yard. “Thank heavens they found you!” She folded Tammy into her arms, then held her at arm’s length to survey her white face. “You march right up to your room, and I’ll send up that doctor. You nearly scared the life out of me!”

  Nancy and George unsaddled their horses, cleaned up, and joined Bess in the living room. Sitting on a worn leather couch covered with an Indian blanket, Bess was just finishing a game of checkers with Sam Anderson, one of the guests.

  “Did you find her?” Bess asked, looking up eagerly.

  “Tammy’s already upstairs. She’ll be okay,” Nancy said.

  “Thank goodness! I knew you’d find her!” Bess jumped the last three of Sam’s playing pieces and got up to join her friends.