Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off this story Thanks as ever to Cherylann Rivers whose suggestions continue to make this better. And as always any comments including constructive criticism are welcomed.
As Nancy put the phone down, too many questions raced through her mind. How had Jack Manning found out? Did anyone else know about it? And what did the social media tycoon have planned?
"Who was that?", George asked.
"Jack Manning", Nancy answered. She told George what the social media tycoon's message had been.
"What are we going to do?", George said.
"We'd better tell Frank and Joe.", Nancy replied."Can you handle that? Right now, I think they'll be more likely to listen to you than me.
As George made her call, Nancy stepped into the shower. The warm water helped to relax her a bit though she was still on edge as she stepped out, wrapping her shoulder length hair in a towel.
"They'll meet us here at seven am tomorrow.", George reported.
"Good. We'd better try to get some sleep.",Nancy replied. "We need to be sharp for tomorrow."
###
The next morning, the four teens were outside Jack Manning's suite. Nancy looked around, checking no one else was watching before knocking on the door. Jack Manning opened the door and ushered the group in.
A table was set with plates of muffins, fresh fruit and pastries. A coffee pot stood on the table along with several pitchers of juice.
"Please make yourselves comfortable and help yourselves to whatever you like", Jack Manning said. "I'll be with you in a minute. I just have to make a phone call.", and he disappeared into another room.
Nancy, Frank, Joe and George looked at each other but no one wanted to sit down and start eating. Could the food be poisoned or drugged? Was there some other trap waiting for them the moment they sat down?
Finally, Joe took the plunge and sat at the table and poured himself a glass of juice. But he still didn't raise the glass to his lips. Slowly, the others joined him at the table, sitting in a line along one side.
Jack Manning came back into the room. "Looks like nobody's hungry.", he said, sitting down opposite the teens. "Not that I blame you with a killer on the loose" He poured himself a cup of coffee.
"To be honest, Mr Manning", Frank said. "You have a very strong motive for murder yourself."
"Because of Martin Smith, you mean.", Jack Manning responded. "I admit to hiring him to steal the Hen With Sapphire Pendant and I admit that I may not have the purest motives for wanting to possess the egg but I had nothing to do with his murder."
"How did you find out about us?", Nancy asked.
Jack Manning helped himself to an apple Danish before answering, "Information is my business, knowing certain things about people has made me a very wealthy man. But if you're asking if anyone else knows, the answer is no."
Nancy silently poured herself a glass of juice before asking,"What evidence is there that what you're saying is true?"
Jack Manning took a sip of his coffee before answering,"I admit that there's no real proof that I'm innocent. But I ask all of you to trust me for the moment."
"Unfortunately Mr Manning, we just can't trust anyone without proof right now.", Frank replied.
"I see. Well, it seems a shame to let all this food go to waste. I can assure you that it hasn't been tampered with in any way."
###
Later that morning, the four teens had stationed themselves in the hotel lobby. "Do we believe all of what Manning claimed?", George asked.
"It's fairly obvious that he did hire Martin Smith to steal the egg.", Frank said. "The question is did he also kill him?"
"Well, there's one bright spot in this.", Joe said. "We can probably rule out Manning as the Caracal's client if he hired another guy to do the heist."
"That's good", Nancy admitted. "Especially with just one day left before The Caracal's deadline."
"I was thinking that, too", Joe replied. "We've really got to kick it into high gear now."
"Let's focus on Sergei Ovchinnikov and Renee Watkins.", Frank suggested. "Nancy, why don't you and George hang around with Renee for a while and see if you can get her to slip up somehow. Joe and I'll concentrate on Sergei Ovchinnikov as well as Luke and Henrietta Williams. If they are The Caracal, they'll probably have to put some stuff in place for the heist."
After Frank and Joe left, Nancy and George browsed the boutiques until they ran into Renee. "I was looking for you two.", she said. "I was wondering if the five of us could go bowling tonight. I was even thinking about inviting Luke along."
"Bowling tonight?", Nancy echoed.
"We'll check with the guys and get back to you on that one.", George said. "Is there anything you want to do right now?"
"I was wondering if we could go back to the spa. I don't feel like using the hot tubs but maybe we could hit the steam room or the sauna."
"That sounds like a great idea", Nancy said. "We'll get ready and meet you there."
###
At the same time, Frank and Joe were patrolling the lobby. They were on the lookout for Sergei Ovchinnikov or the Williamses.
"Why don't we head up to the mezzanine.", Frank suggested. "We should be able to get a clearer view from up there."
"I've got a better idea", Joe said. "Why don't you get the bird's eye view and I'll hang out down here."
The two brothers split up. Joe kept patrolling the lobby. At first he saw nothing but eventually he spotted Luke Williams. Joe began to follow the other teen, trying not to be noticed. Luke seemed to be headed for one of the sofas screened by foliage. Once there, the messy haired teen dropped to the ground near one the banks of greenery. He appeared to be searching for something. After a short while, Luke pulled an envelope out of the greenery. After looking around as if to check that nobody was looking, he stood up and began to head back across the lobby.
Joe followed, still trying to go unnoticed. As he trailed his quarry, the younger Hardy brother wondered what it meant for their case. What was in the envelope? Who had left it? And what was Luke's real role in all this? There were still so many unanswered questions and not that much time left to answer them.
Suddenly a strange noise caught Joe's attention. He looked up and saw someone in a hood standing on the twelfth floor balcony. As Joe watched, barely able to believe his eyes, the figure raised a bow and arrow. To his horror, Joe realised that the arrow was aimed right at Luke. Joe began to sprint toward the other teen. He didn't care if he blew his cover, saving Luke's life was all that mattered.
As Joe caught up to Luke, he saw that the arrow was about to hit the young man. Desperately, Joe launched himself into the air, hoping that he could knock Luke out of the arrow's path.
As the deadly danger plummeted toward Luke, Joe managed to tackle the young man and knock him to the ground. The arrow whistled over their heads and fell to the ground.
"Thanks, Joe', Luke said, once the two of them had scrambled to their feet.
"No problem", Joe replied. "You wouldn't know why someone wanted to use you for target practice, would you?"
Luke shook his head,"I have no clue why someone would be after me. I'm just a tourist." However, the nervous tone in his voice made Joe suspect that Luke did know and was trying to keep it a secret.
"Is it okay if I hang on to the arrow?", Joe asked,
"Do what you want with it",Luke replied. "I never want to see it again.", and he headed toward the elevators.
Frank came rushing up, "What happened?"
"I wish I knew.", Joe replied, looking up. "Our wannabe William Tell's disappeared.", he remarked, staring at the spot where the attacker had been standing minutes before.
"Can I see that?", Frank asked, pointing to the arrow.
"Sure", Joe held it out."
"This looks fairly high-tech", Frank said, taking the arrow. "Do you mind if I keep this? I may be able to trace the manufacturer and possibly the purchaser."
"If anyone can track that info down, it's you, bro."
###
Meanwhile, Nancy, George and Renee had just finished changing into their bathing suits. Nancy was looking forward to this chance to relax and unwind. It was also a good opportunity to get close to Renee. If the heiress was also relaxed, there was a better chance that she might let something slip. The three girls headed across the spa and entered the steam room. After setting the timer for five minutes, George stretched out on the bench along the back wall. Nancy and Renee settled down on the bench on the left wall. The contrast of the cool tiles against Nancy's bare skin and the heat of the steam felt wonderful.
After all too short a time, the timer buzzed. George walked to the door and tried the handle. "It won't open", she said, her tone full of surprise.
"That can't be right", Nancy said. "These things aren't supposed to lock." She gave the handle a yank but it wouldn't budge.
"Are we trapped in here?", Renee asked. She started to pound on the door and call for help. Nancy and George joined her, hoping to raise the alarm. But help didn't come.
After a while, Renee gave up and sat down. "What are we going to do?", she whimpered. Nancy and George continued for a while longer but soon had to give up, exhausted.
And the steam room continued to get hotter.