Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and am making no money off this.
As always any comments including constructive criticism are welcomed. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
"Mr van der Hune! Mr van der Hune!" Nancy tried to get some response from the man but he didn't stir.
"He's still breathing and it looks like his airway is clear," Frank said.
"Good. Help me put him in the recovery position," Nancy responded.
Once the two teens had done so, Frank asked Nancy, "What do you think he meant by "check right". The right what? Does it mean the right side of something or something else?"
"I guess we'll have to ask him later when he wakes up,"Nancy replied.
After what seemed like an eternity, Joe rushed up. With him were Susan Caldwell and the paramedics.
"What happened?" one of the paramedics, a solidly build woman, asked.
"We think he could have been hit on the head," Frank answered.
While the paramedics treated the museum curator. Susan Caldwell turned to Nancy and asked, "Do you think whoever did this is the same person who stole the Pacal carving?"
"I'm afraid we can't rule it out," Nancy answered. "In any case, Agent Burr should know about this."
"I'll phone him as soon as I know what's happening with Henrik," Susan Caldwell promised.
The same paramedic as before came over. "He's still unconscious," she reported. "We'll take him back to the hospital for tests."
"I'll come with you," Mrs Caldwell said. "He needs a familiar face there when he wakes up."
"Why don't you and Bess go with her?" Nancy suggested to George. "We'll finish up here and then meet you at the hospital."
"Joe and I had better get back to tracking down the Foxes," Frank said. "Why don't we meet up for dinner tonight. There's a seafood place near our hotel that's supposed to be good."
"That sounds like a plan," Nancy said. "Where are you staying?"
"We're at a place near the waterfront," Joe answered.
"Great, see you tonight," Nancy said.
By now the paramedics had finished examining Henrik and had lifted him onto a stretcher. After saying goodbye to everyone, Nancy watched as they left. She then walked around the rose garden, searching for clues to who had been behind the attack on Henrik. Where he had been lying, Nancy spotted something small and white. She knelt down to have a closer look. It was a scrap of paper. Nancy picked it up to examine it thoroughly.
The scrap of paper looked as though it had been torn off of something else. "Probably in a struggle," Nancy said to herself. She turned the scrap over, there was something printed on the other side. Most of it was missing but what remained looked like a lower case h or n.
Slipping the scrap of paper into her pocket, Nancy headed inside.
###
When Nancy got to the hospital, she found George putting change into a hot drinks machine in a corner of the emergency department's waiting room. Nearby, Susan Caldwell sat staring at the floor. Bess was sat in the neighboring seat, her hand on the other woman's shoulder.
"Is there any news?" Nancy asked, walking over to George.
"Not yet," George said, as a paper cup dropped out of the machine and began to fill with espresso. "Is there anything new on your end?"
Nancy slipped the torn scrap of paper out of her pocket "I found this near where Henrik was attacked."
George took the scrap of paper and looked at it. "Too bad there's not more printed on it that would give us something to go on."
"All the same," Nancy replied. "We should keep an eye out for anything that our suspects have that looks like something could have been torn off it."
The machine had now finished making the coffee and George took it out and brought it over to Susan Caldwell. The museum director accepted it without a word.
Just then a doctor entered the waiting room. "Susan Caldwell?" she asked.
"Yes," Mrs Caldwell responded.
"Mr van der Hune is awake and asking for you."
"Is it alright if Nancy comes with me. She helped administer first aid before the paramedics arrived."
"I don't see why not."
Nancy and Susan Caldwell followed the doctor through a set of double doors and into a large room. Nurses and doctors were rushing to and fro and disappearing into various curtained off areas. The doctor led them to one of the curtains. "He's in there," she said. "Just remember that he's still a bit weak so try not to tire him out, okay?"
Nancy and Mrs Caldwell went through the curtain. Henrik was propped up in a hospital bed. "They want to keep me in overnight for observation," he said.
"Henrik, do you remember who attacked you?" Nancy asked.
"No, I'm afraid not," he answered. "The last thing I remember was heading out into the gardens at Beech Hill."
"So, you don't even remember being in the rose garden?", Nancy asked.
"I don't."
"I saw you at the Mexican Cultural Institute this morning," Nancy said. "Why were you there?"
"I'm sorry but I can't tell anyone why I was there. Not until the carving is safe."
"But you'll tell us everything when this is over?" Susan Caldwell asked.
The doctor poked her head in. "I'm sorry but we need to take Mr van der Hune for some more tests now."
"Why don't I contact Agent Burr for you,"Nancy suggested to Susan Caldwell. "I need to ask him something anyway."
"I'll talk to you later, then," Mrs Caldwell said.
###
Nancy, Bess and George walked into the bustling coffee shop where they had arranged to meet Agent Burr. It had black shiny tables and sleek steel chairs with brown wood seats. A long glass counter took up most of one wall. As Bess went to get their coffees, Nancy spotted Agent Burr.
He was sat at a table at the back of the cafe, a cappuccino already in front of him. After greeting Nancy and George warmly, he asked how Henrik was doing.
"He's doing okay," Nancy said as she took the seat opposite him.
"That's good to hear," Agent Burr said." He took a sip of his drink and then looked at Nancy.
"I do need your help with something, though."
"What do you need us to do?" George asked.
Agent Burr waited until Bess had brought the girls' drinks over before answering, "I need you girls to pay a visit to Taylor Sinclair and see if you can find out anything. When I talked to him I got the feeling he was being evasive."
"And you think he'll let his guard down around us?" Nancy asked.
"I do."
"We'll do it," Nancy answered. "Could I ask you for a favor, though?"
"What do you need?"
Nancy took a sip of her latte before answering, "I need you to run a check on Henry Wyley."
"I can do that. Is this connected to the theft of the carving?"
"It could be," Nancy answered.
"Good, It'll make it easier to get my boss to agree to it. Wyley's a pretty big name around these parts. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got connections at the Bureau."
"Got it," Nancy said. "I'll keep you posted."
###
As Nancy entered Casey's, the restaurant where Frank and Joe had arranged to meet them, she wanted to dance to the rock song that filled the room. The rest of the place was equally as funky with long benches either side of unvarnished wood tables and oversized plastic fish and lobsters on the walls.
"Frank and Joe sure picked a fun place," Bess said.
Nancy soon spotted where Frank and Joe were sitting. "Hi, you two!" she called, the joy evident in her voice.
"Isn't this a wild place?" Joe asked, once the girls had walked over to join them.
"It's definitely not what I was expecting," Nancy said.
After everyone had sat down Nancy asked, "So, what did you guys dig up?"
"Absolutely nothing," Joe said. "Wyley didn't go near anyone remotely resembling the Foxes. Did you turn up anything?"
Nancy pulled the scrap of paper that she had found in the rose garden out of her pocket," I found this near where Henrik was attacked."
Frank held his hand out,"Can I see that?"
Nancy gave the scrap of paper to Frank. He studied it for a minute and then said," It's not much but it's something."
"Can you guys keep an eye out for anything that might have had that torn off it?" Nancy asked.
"Will do," Joe said. "Anything else?"
"Next on my list is talking to Taylor Sinclair," Nancy replied.
"He was up on the platform when it was discovered that the carving was missing, right?" Frank said.
"Right," Nancy confirmed. "And he was around when it was probably stolen."
"But he didn't have a key," Bess said. "So how could he have stolen it?"
"I get the feeling that Mrs Caldwell trusts him a lot," Nancy said. "He could have taken her key, stolen the carving and then returned the key without her suspecting a thing."
Just then, the waitress came over to take their orders and the teens stopped discussing the case and concentrated on dinner.
###
"That was the best seafood I've ever tasted!" Bess said as the five of them emerged onto the sidewalk.
"No kidding," Joe responded. "I could just eat another bowl of that clam chowder right now."
"You also had a large slice of apple pie," Frank reminded his brother.
"I could go for another slice of that as well," Joe shot back.
"We'll have to come here again before we have to go back home,"Nancy said
The teens walked along, keeping up a steady conversation. They were almost at Frank and Joe's hotel when Nancy heard the sound of a car being driven at speed.
"Someone's in a hurry to get somewhere," she said.
"It sounds like they're headed this way," Frank said as the sound grew louder.
Suddenly, the car appeared. It was large and white and picked up speed as it drew nearer. With a screech it pulled out of traffic and mounted the sidewalk.
"It's headed right for us!" George shouted