“Something must be wrong,” Nancy said as Theo cut the boat’s engine offshore. They were behind a huge rock formation that jutted out of the water. By leaning over the forward deck, however, Nancy could see the cave entrance and the shore. Squinting, she could also see a yellow boat moored near the beach and a smaller boat. “Theo,” Nancy asked, pointing, “isn’t that your boat?”
Theo leaned forward. “That’s the Sea Star, all right.”
Nancy choked back a sick feeling. “What’s keeping the police?”
“Maybe they’re already inside,” Bess said, but she looked just as worried as Nancy felt.
Nancy shook her head. “No. We’d see another boat—maybe more.”
“Let’s just sit tight and see what happens,” Mick suggested. Nancy didn’t see any alternative, so she and the others settled in by the forward railing. Their eyes were glued to the rocky beach.
“Those binoculars we used to watch Spiros might help,” Bess said, pulling them out of her tote bag. “Here.” She handed them to Theo.
Tense moments passed without a sign of another boat. The waiting is killing me, Nancy thought as she checked her watch yet again. Twenty minutes to the deadline!
“Someone’s coming out of the cave!” Theo announced, handing Nancy the binoculars.
Nancy recognized Mashti, the muscular man. As she watched, he transferred the four cartons of explosives from the smaller boat to the Sea Star. “They’re moving everything to Theo’s boat,” she said. A moment later Rashid came out and helped Mashti move knapsacks onto the Sea Star.
“They’re getting ready to leave,” Nancy told the others, lowering the field glasses. A tense silence settled over the group.
“Where are the police?” Mick finally said.
“No one has brought the passports,” Nancy said anxiously. “The terrorists must be getting ready to kill George and Kevin! I’ve got to go in there—before it’s too late.”
Chapter Sixteen
Nancy’s friends looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
“You can’t go in that cave,” Zoe warned her. “It would be suicide.”
“She’s right,” Mick said firmly. “It’s bad enough that those people have two hostages. Don’t make it three, Nancy.”
“I’m not going to march in there. We’re going to swim in—through Kea Lake,” said Nancy.
Theo’s mouth dropped open. “That’s right—we can use the underwater passage!” he cried.
Nancy stood up and began to search through the boat’s compartments. At last she found what she wanted. “This will help,” she said, pulling out a flare gun. “I have a plan that might give George and Kevin a chance to get away. But I’ll need everyone’s help.”
Her friends were openly skeptical at first, but once Nancy explained her plan, they agreed to try it. Bess and Zoe had discovered a box of snorkeling gear belowdeck. And Theo found a chart of Dragonisi, which they could use to map out their plan. Within minutes the group was ready for action.
Theo and Mick would dive into the pond on the other side of the point and snorkel into the terrorists’ cave, ending up in Kea Lake inside the large chamber. While Nancy used the flare gun to distract the terrorists, Mick and Theo would emerge from Kea Lake, free George and Kevin, and guide them out through the underwater passage.
“We’ll bring along extra snorkeling gear for George and Kevin to use on the way out,” said Mick.
“This pond will lead us to the tunnel of water,” Theo said, pointing to a spot on the chart. “It’s on the next beach, just beyond that stone ridge.” Nancy looked up at the rocky point to the right of the terrorists’ cave, then nodded.
Nancy turned to Bess and Zoe. “You should wait on the other side of the point for Theo and Mick to return with George and Kevin,” Nancy explained. “And while you’re waiting, watch for the police. Then come back for me.”
“But what if the terrorists come after you?” Mick asked, his jaw tense.
“I can hide in that rocky section of the point, just like we did last time,” Nancy assured him.
“Wait a minute,” Bess objected as Theo guided the boat toward the rocks just out of sight of the terrorists’ cave. “This sounds too risky to me.”
“We’ve got to do it!” Nancy said, squeezing Bess’s arm. “George and Kevin’s lives depend on it.” Nancy had put the flare gun and extra flares in a tote bag she found belowdeck. Now she slung the bag over her shoulder and descended the boat’s ladder. As she carefully stepped into the waist-deep water, she held the bag over her head.
Fortunately, the beach was deserted as Nancy waded ashore and ran behind a clump of rocks. Turning, she saw the boat with her friends disappear beyond the jagged coastline. Momentarily she felt deserted. But then she concentrated on the task at hand.
Nancy looked at her watch. Ten minutes until the deadline, she thought. As she watched the minutes tick away on her watch, she mapped out her next move.
Five minutes later she decided that Mick and Theo were probably ready. Gritting her teeth, Nancy raced across the sandy dunes to the mouth of the tunnel.
Her progress was slowed as she plunged into darkness, but she inched forward, trying to remember the cave’s layout from the day she and Mick had explored it. Her thundering heartbeat filled her ears as she moved on. Finally she turned a corner and saw the sunlit entrance of the inner chamber.
Holding her breath, she flattened herself against the stone wall and peered inside. George and Kevin were sitting against a huge boulder, bound together with rope. The three terrorists were sitting in a circle nearby, talking.
Nancy backed away and took out the flare gun. It’s now or never, she thought. Bracing herself, she aimed the gun into the air and fired.
A red-tailed rocket whooshed through the darkness and shot into the rocky chamber. Confused shouts came from the cave as Nancy quickly reloaded the flare gun and fired again. Then she spun around and hurried through the dark tunnel toward the beach. She could hear the voices of the terrorists behind her—they were chasing her! She only hoped that she could lure all three of them out, leaving George and Kevin alone and unguarded for the rescue.
She stumbled, her arm scraping against the rough wall of the tunnel. Keep going! she urged herself on, just as she heard a loud pop and saw sparks fly off the cave wall ahead of her.
That’s a ricocheting bullet! Nancy’s feet pounded on the path. When she reached the mouth of the cave, she raced across the beach and dived behind a nearby pile of boulders. Her heart was pounding, but there was no time to catch her breath. She crouched on her knees in the sand, reloaded, and shot another flare toward the cave.
The shot was answered by a loud scream. Nancy peered over the top of the rock to see Mashti and Shara lingering at the mouth of the cave.
But where was the third terrorist—Rashid? She had to lure him out of the cave! Otherwise, Mick and Theo would receive a violent reception when they emerged from Lake Kea.
Just then Mashti aimed his gun in her direction and fired. Nancy ducked, her head hitting the sand as the bullet zinged overhead.
She was still taking cover when she felt the sand shift beside her. She had company. A hand closed over her shoulder, chilling her to the bone.
Chapter Seventeen
Strong fingers gripped Nancy’s shoulder, pulling her up to a sitting position. Rashid! her mind screamed.
Nancy glared at the man—then let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Rashid after all. She was staring into the surprised face of Officer Rossolatos. He didn’t look at all pleased to see her.
“Nancy Drew!” he said, crouching beside her. “What are you doing here?”
“Trying to lure the terrorists out of the cave,” she said desperately. They both pressed against a boulder as two more bullets flew overhead. Quickly she explained the plan she and her friends had put into action when it seemed that the police wouldn’t arrive in time.