Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Thanks to Candylou, angelicalkiss, Guest, Jaime- Leanne and Delena's Teddy for the reviews. And to everyone who's using my stories as an escape from the current situation, stay safe and remember to wash your hands. As always, comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcome.

Nancy grabbed Frank's arm. "Frank," she said hurriedly, "Dan Tyler's up on the mezzanine."

"Where?" Frank asked.

"Just by the escalator," Nancy replied, keeping her tone low. "What do we do?"

"We'll use the foliage as cover, "Frank answered, "with luck they won't spot us."

The group set off across the lobby. They joined a large group of well dressed men and women, hoping to conceal themselves in the crowd.

Nancy glanced back, keeping an eye on the elevators to the underground parking lot. She saw the elevator arrive and the two goons step out.

"Frank," she whispered, "we've got company."

He turned to look in the same direction. "We'll split up," he whispered back, "I'll go with Ryan. You and George stay together."

She watched as Frank tugged Ryan's arm and the two of them disappeared behind a neighboring bank of greenery.

Nancy and George stayed with the well dressed group until the men and women turned down the corridor to the Muskoka Lobby. The two girls then darted behind a bush.

Nancy peered through the leaves. She held her breath when she saw one of the two goons walk by. When he was out of sight, the girls hurried to the next bank of greenery and concealed themselves behind it.

George let out a long breath. "That was close."

"It's not over yet," Nancy pointed out. "We still have to reach the elevators."

The two girls moved to the next bank of greenery. Nancy poked her head out and checked that the coast was clear. When she saw that it was, she motioned to George.

The girls darted to a bush closer to the elevators. Again Nancy peered through the leaves to see if it was safe to move.

"Looks like the coast is clear," she said.

The two girls headed for the elevator, darting from bush to bush and between banks of greenery. Before they made each move, Nancy would poke her head out to see if it was safe.

At last, they reached the final bank of greenery before the elevators.

"Almost there," George said.

"We've got to choose the right time to make a break for it," Nancy warned.

The girls waited until the coast was clear before they dashed across the last few feet to the elevators. As they ran, Nancy saw one of the two goons sprinting towards them. They reached the elevator seconds before the thug. George sprang towards the buttons and jabbed the one for their floor.

Nancy watched the thug grow smaller as the elevator rose. When the elevator reached the fifth floor, she and George hurried out.

The girls raced down the walkway towards their room. Suddenly Dan Tyler stepped out in front of them.

"Hello, girls," he said, his tone triumphant.

Nancy and George started to turn but before they could, he lunged at them. Nancy could only watch as he knocked George to the floor and began choking her.

Nancy leaped forward and seized him by the shoulders. He snarled and sprang up to face her. Nancy's leg shot out and swept his feet out from under him. He crashed to the ground.

Nancy knew she had to act fast. She leapt on Dan Tyler's back and tried to keep him pinned down. He let out a roar of anger and began to thrash around, trying to shake her off.

Nancy held on. She had to keep him there to let Frank and Ryan get to safety. She felt him twist and turn, trying to break free.

Nancy tightened her grip. But still she felt her hold loosen. Just when she felt that she could hold on no more, she heard a voice.

"Freeze! Police!"

Nancy looked up to see four or five police officers with their guns drawn. Standing beside them, also with his gun drawn, was BD Hawkins.

"I have to hand it to you, Kid," he said, once Dan Tyler had been cuffed and was being read his Miranda rights, "you did it again."

###

"So they booked Dan Tyler and his hired help on kidnapping charges?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Nancy replied, "and they're sending a forensic team into the woods to see what they can find."

"And I bet they find Michael Hawkins buried in those woods," George remarked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

It was the next morning and Nancy, George, Frank and Joe were having breakfast in the girls' suite. "How's Ryan holding up?" Frank asked.

"He's doing okay," George said, reaching for a blueberry muffin from the basket at the center of the table, "a little nervous at the police station but he handled it well."

After Dan Tyler and his goons had been arrested, Nancy, George and Ryan had gone to the police station to give their statements. After spending over two hours at the station, the girls had driven back to the hotel.

"So what's our next move?" Joe asked.

"The egg arrives today," Frank said, "so we've got to really focus on our two prime suspects. Joe and I will shadow Renee."

"Then we'll take Sergei Ovchinnikov," Nancy said.

After the teens had finished breakfast, Frank and Joe took the elevator down to the third floor. They were soon changing into their trunks and heading to the pool. They thought they'd find Renee working on her tan. Sure enough, she was lying on a sun lounger beside the pool, her hot pink bikini designed to draw the eye.

Frank and Joe headed over to the lounger. At the sound of their footsteps, Renee put down the fashion magazine she was reading.

"Last night was a blast, wasn't it?" she asked, once the brothers had arrived at the sun lounger.

"It sure was," agreed Joe, "say, isn't the auction for that Faberge egg tomorrow?"

"That's right," Renee replied, picking up a bottle of water from the pink tile floor. She unscrewed the top and took a drink.

Joe waited until she had finished before asking, "Do you think that you're going to be successful in the auction?"

Renee screwed the cap back on and put the bottle back on the floor before answering, "I hope so but there's a lot of competition." Just then, her phone flashed, "Can you guys excuse me? I've gotta take this."

"No problem," Joe replied.

Renee got up and walked a short distance away from the brothers. After a moment, Joe followed her. He tried to act as if he was just heading to the pool. When he got to where Renee was standing, he slowed his pace in order to catch what she was saying.

"I thought I told you not to call me on this phone. Just be ready to make sure all the loose ends are tied up afterwards." She paused as if to listen to what the other person was saying, then continued, "Tell him he'll get paid after everything's over." She paused again and then answered, "Alright, I'll meet you in the hotel's underground parking lot in half an hour."

Joe was back next to Frank by the time Renee approached the sun lounger. "Something came up," she said, "I'm going to have to run. Catch you guys later, okay?"

"Okay," Joe answered.

When Renee had vanished back into the women's changing room, Joe turned to Frank. "We'd better hurry, she's meeting someone down in the parking lot in half an hour."

The two brothers hurried back inside. After changing back into jeans and T-shirts, they took the elevator down to the lobby and were soon riding the elevator to the parking lot.

Once there, they concealed themselves behind a minivan and waited. Soon they heard a car pulling up and then the elevator doors open. Then the tapping of high heels on the asphalt.

Joe peered out from behind the minivan. Renee was walking over to a car that had just pulled into the parking lot.

"What's happening?" Frank asked.

She's stopped at the driver's window," Joe reported.

"Can you see who's in the car?"

"No, it's got one of those tinted windscreens. I think there's two people inside, based on the shadows, but I can't be sure."

"Can you tell anything about them?"

"I think they might be big guys."

"Like the ones that jumped us outside Sports Barn?"

"Yeah, it could be them," Joe replied. His attention shifted from the occupants of the car to Renee. "Frank, you gotta see what she's doing now."

"What?"

"She's handing the driver a big, fat, envelope. And it's full of cash."