Inside the hut were two chairs and a folding table covered with computer printouts and camera gear. Several bags of food pellets and a stack of traps lined the far wall. Above it was a shelf with a canister of sugar, instant coffee, and tea bags.
Nancy pointed to a blackened object in the comer of the room. "Is that the stove that blew up?"
Ned nodded, and she went over to it. The stove consisted of one burner attached by a copper tube to a canister of propane. Nancy checked the propane tank. The fitting between it and the tubing was tight, but when she traced a path up the tubing to the nut that connected it to the burner, she let out a gasp.
"Find something?" Ned asked.
Nancy held the tubing and the bolt up to the light. "Look at this," she said. "See those scratch marks? Someone's tampered with the nut,"
Ned's eyes narrowed. "That means when Brad turned on the stove, propane started escaping."
"Exactly," Nancy agreed. "And when he lit the match, there was an explosion."
Ned straighten up. "So it wasn't an accident. Someone deliberately tried to hurt Brad!"
Chapter Three
“Or kill him," Nancy added as she detached the tube and put it in the pocket of her jacket. "This is our first piece of evidence."
From the doorway, someone spoke up.
"What's going on here?"
Nancy turned and saw a lanky man of about fifty, whose black hair was sprinkled with gray at the temples. He had a deeply tanned face and a wide, unsmiling mouth. A tall, dark, good-looking guy in a ranger uniform and a young woman clad in blue jeans and a purple Emerson College sweatshirt stood just behind him.
Ned moved toward the group. "I was just showing my friend Nancy around. Professor Trainey, this is Nancy Drew." He gestured to the two people behind Trainey and added, "That's Jack Billings, a park ranger, and Alicia Nivel, from Emerson."
"Hi. You're Ned's girlfriend from River Heights, aren't you?" A brief smile flashed across Alicia's face. "He talks about you a lot."
For a minute no one said anything. Then the professor turned to Ned. "Did anything new turn up on the computer?" he asked.
Ned ran his hand back through his hair nervously. "Umm-I didn't get a chance to look. Nancy showed up just when I got to the command post," he explained.
"I see," Trainey replied. He crossed his arms at his waist and stared at Ned. "We've got fifty marmots missing, final observations to make before we leave on Saturday, at least a day of packing ahead of us-and you've invited a visitor here. I must say, your timing surprises me."
Ned swallowed. "But, sir, Nancy is-"
Trainey held up his hand. "I need you down at camp in ten minutes to draft a plot of
today's readings." He turned and headed down the path.
Alicia gave Nancy an apologetic smile and said, "You'll have to forgive us. We're all pretty tense these days, what with the marmots missing and the grant extension hanging in the balance."
The ranger patted her on the back and said, "Don't worry, Alicia. You'll make it."
"Thanks, Jack," Alicia replied.
Ned shook his head despondently. "I just wish Trainey had given me a chance to explain why I invited Nancy. She's a well-known detective and is going to track down the poachers."
Nancy would have preferred to keep her role a secret for a little while longer. Oh, well, too late now, she thought.
Jack gave Nancy a big smile. "A private eye," he said. "Well, I'll be. And a pretty one, too."
Nancy tried to keep from blushing, but it was no use. She thought that Jack was amazingly handsome-rugged and intelligent looking, too. She turned to Alicia and asked, "What did you mean about the grant extension?"
"Our study is being paid for by a federal grant," Alicia said. "But there were cost overruns, so Professor Trainey applied for an extension, but in the meantime he's been paying some of the expenses out of his own pocket."
Nancy whistled. "That's pretty daring of him," she said. "Is he wealthy?"
"I doubt it," Ned said. "He lives in a small cottage off campus and drives a beat-up truck. His work is about the only thing that seems to matter to him."
Nancy turned to Jack. "I met a couple of park maintenance men today named Richard and Piker. Do you know them?"
Jack hitched his thumbs in his belt and said, "Yes, I do. Why?"
"They weren't exactly friendly when I met them at the campsite a little while ago," Nancy replied.
Jack gazed at Nancy. "I'm sorry if they gave you a hard time. I told them about what happened to Brad and asked them to be on the lookout for trouble. Actually, Piker and Richard are really good guys," Jack went on. "They're just better at building walkways than relating to the public."
"Oh," Nancy said, keeping her doubts to herself. "Ned told me about Brad's accident. That was the day before yesterday at about eight in the evening, right?"
"Seven fifty-three, to be exact," Ned said.
Nancy flashed him a grateful smile and continued. "Were either of you around when it happened?"
Jack gave a vigorous shake of his head. "Not me. I was at the ranger station, giving a talk on the mammals of Yellowstone. It started at seven."
"That's right," Alicia said. "Jennifer and I were there. The slides were terrific!"
"Did either of you happen to use the stove that afternoon?" Nancy asked, her eyes casually moving from Jack to Alicia and back.
Alicia frowned in concentration. "I think I did. When I came up to change the film in the cameras, I made some hot chocolate."
"What time was that?" Nancy pressed.
"Six-thirty," Alicia replied. "I left about ten minutes later to go to the lecture. I made it just in time."
"I remember you huffing and puffing as you ran into the room," Jack said with a grin. "But speaking of time, Trainey told us to meet him in ten minutes."
"And me in the doghouse already!" Ned exclaimed. "Come on. Nancy."
Nancy and Ned jogged down the path to the campsite with Alicia and Jack close behind them. When they reached the parking area, Ned gave Nancy a quick kiss, then dashed off.
Nancy drove away, thinking about the investigation. If Alicia's recollection was correct, the propane stove was working at six-thirty on the day of the accident. But by seven fifty- three, it had been sabotaged. If she could place someone at the observation hut during that time period, it would go a long way toward breaking the case.
As she drove up to the hotel, she saw Bess standing on the porch, peering anxiously at the road. The moment she spotted Nancy, she started waving wildly. Nancy parked and ran over to her.
"What is it, Bess?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Bess replied. "I think I just solved the whole case!"
"What do you mean?" Nancy sank down onto a porch swing.
Bess dropped down next to Nancy and handed her a piece of paper. "Just look at this," she said.