Thanks to all who reviewed. And a special thank you to Lightwarai, who caught a mistake I made (which is now fixed). And I hope that this chapter is as enjoyable as the others.

3. Loss

Sirens wailed in the distance. Nancy, who had sat against a sign, looked up. She could see the dim flashing of lights speeding down the road. George walked over to her side and kneeled down. They knew that if they were lucky they would only have about an hour of questioning.

The fire seemed like a screaming reminder of the reason they were here. Three very important people were missing. Some odd things were happening and Nancy wasn't sure she wanted to be involved.

"You alright?" George questioned with concern. "You look pale."

"Three weeks ago I was running for my life. Although I wasn't on the run for very long, it was terrible. I almost lost the most important person in my life. And now this."

George sighed. "I can understand that. From what you've told me, this has to be a close repetition of that time. If I were you, I'd seriously reconsider my traveling companions."

Nancy chuckled. "Why do you think I brought you along?"

"I demanded that you bring me. Besides, you know that I would have been dragged into this somehow. I always am."

Tracy walked over to where George and Nancy were talking. Walking behind her was a tall, lean man with sandy brown hair. Nancy studied the young man. He was in his late twenties, about twenty-seven Nancy guessed. He looked like a man who spent several hours outdoors. Deep chocolate brown eyes took in everything around him.

"Nancy, George, this is Detective Mitch Michealson. He wants to take your statements." Tracy informed them.

"Ladies, if you could just tell me what happened. And please try not to make your explanations into long stories. Keep it brief." Michealson said curtly.

Nancy and George exchanged glances before taking turns explaining the night's events. Michealson listened, somewhat impatiently, to their stories then snapped his notebook shut with a click. Then he informed the girls that they needed to be available should he need to question them further.

"That guy is an absolute grouch. How he got a job like this I'll never know. He really needs to work on his people skills." George mumbled.

"You can say that again." Nancy agreed.

"I'll catch up with you two in a minute." Tracy said. "I want a word or two with Mitch. He is on my last nerve as it is."

Tracy caught up to Mitch as he was climbing into his squad car. Tracy impatiently tapped Mitch on his shoulder while tapping her foot. Mitch looked from the tapping foot to Tracy's frown of disgust and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I have to get back to the station. I will be in touch as soon as I have something."

Tracy glared at Mitch in her best imitation of a superior officer. "Mitch Michealson, don't give me the brush off. I know that you don't like the fact that I work for the police. I may not be an officer, but out here you know as well as I do that some people just don't like you. They have to talk to someone they can trust."

Michealson opened his mouth to object. He hated the fact that Tracy was the station's link between them and the citizens. She was treated more like a combination of a detective and a public relations person.

"And don't give me that 'any of the other guys can handle the people' angle. You know that most of the citizens turn to me because I know what they are going through. You have no clue." Tracy continued before Mitch could say a word. "And furthermore I don't like the way you treated Nancy and George. They may not be country girls, but you certainly ain't a cowboy. You treat all city people like traitors, including the ones who grew up in the country. And I know that's why you hate me now. The next time we meet, you will treat my friends with respect."

Mitch grimaced. Tracy had been his best friend growing up; but then she had gone to one of the big town collages. When she had come back she wasn't the simple country girl he knew. She had become strong, independent, and outspoken.

"I notice that you didn't include yourself in that respect angle." Mitch couldn't help but point out.

"I can take care of myself. You just watch your own back."

Mitch grumbled about the lousy break he had as he climbed into his car. If Rosewood's diner hadn't been in his jurisdiction he could be dealing with calls about crazy teens bothering the farmer's cows.

Joe raised his head and looked around. He noticed a small candle that either Frank or Nick must have found somewhere in the room. Next to it was an old matchbook. Frank was leaned back against one wall while Nick paced in front of another.

"Nick, what time is it?"

"Six o'clock."

"We still have some time before it's safe to do anything." Joe sighed. "So what's your story? How'd you get into spy work?"

Nick scuffed the toe of the boot he was wearing on the dirt floor before walking over to the wall supporting Joe. With a thud he sat down and leaned back. Joe sat silently, waiting for him to begin talking.

"I wasn't very old. Only twelve or so I guess. It was supposed to be a family weekend, just my parents and me. We went to the family cottage on the lake. We all loved to go there." Nick let out a little laugh. "I said that my first stop was the lake. I even wore my swim shorts on the trip up. I did make it to the lake, finally. I had just jumped into the water. I was having the time of my life. Then we got a call from Dad's office. Some important client wanted to meet with him. So we went rushing back."

Nick paused and drew in a deep breath. Joe looked at him in the dim light, realizing that this was a very difficult story for him to tell. After a moment Nick continued.

"We had to go right to the meeting. I was so mad I could have killed with a glance. But Mother promised that if I behaved we would have giant ice cream sundaes when we got home. It didn't happen. Dad went to unlock the door as Mother grabbed some of the luggage we had packed. They were ahead of me when we walked through the door. I just wanted to have the ice cream and watch some television. But when Dad turned on the lights, we saw that a burglary was in progress. The guy shot my parents. He never saw me as I ran to hide. Later I identified him to police. The guy got off because the police botched the investigation. The court ruled insufficient evidence. As I watched the guy walk away a free man, I promised to never let another crime go unpunished."

"That's rough." Frank spoke up from across the small room. "I guess that's why you are so secretive and watchful."

"Yeah, I guess so." Nick agreed.

"So what is the plan now?" George asked as Tracy walked over to them.

"We plan a way to get your friends back. Mitch isn't going to be any help so I guess it's just the three of us."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Nancy asked.

"Let me get one of the officers to give Granny a ride to the ranch then we can head out." Tracy went over to where a young officer was talking to Mrs. Rosewood. After a few moments Tracy came jogging back, waving for Nancy and George to follow her.

"What buildings are left in this town?" Nancy asked as Tracy drove down a deserted road. "How will we know where to begin looking for them?"

"That is a good question. Almost every building is standing, but that doesn't mean anything. I've been to the town a few times, mostly as a kid. One building really stands out. It's an old stone building, like a little storage building. That would be a good place to hide someone. But it may be too obvious." Tracy thought for a moment before continuing. "There is one other building, if the room has even been found. The old hotel. It was made of brick, but underneath was a hidden store room made of wood. It's really small and hard to find unless you know it's there. I found it as a kid. It was my special place, only a few other people got to go down there."

The drive seemed to take forever. The night air closed in around the small truck, making the desert seem endless. George watched as shadows played in the moonlight. Something about this place gave her chills. But she couldn't decide what it was that bothered her.

Finally Tracy stopped the truck. "We have to go the rest of the way on foot. There is a narrow trail through the rocks ahead. We are better off if we make as little noise as possible."

The three girls climbed out of the cab and carefully closed the doors. The area seemed unbearably quiet. An occasional sound made by some desert creature was the only thing that broke the silence. Nancy felt almost like an intruder to the land. If only Frank could be here to enjoy this too, Nancy thought to herself.

The footpath was steep. It wound between giant rocks and around sage and cacti. Nancy marveled at Tracy's sureness of the trail. She obviously knew the land well.

"Nan." George whispered.

Nancy looked back. George was stopped in her tracks staring out across the desert. Nancy tapped Tracy on the shoulder pointed to George. Tracy turned to look at the area George was pointing to and gasped.

Tracy grabbed George and Nancy by the wrists, pulling them into the shadows. Tracy was shaking from head to foot, but Nancy couldn't be sure if it was from fear or something else. Nancy watched from their hiding place as two men on horseback lassoed a riderless horse. The men were struggling to control the animal and several times it looked as if the captured horse might break free.

After a long struggle the riders finally managed to get the horse under control. However, Tracy could tell that the horse had calmed more because of pain and fatigue. That horse, her horse, was being stolen from her lands. And there was nothing she could do. The anger she felt threatened to overwhelm her.

"I will find you Wild One." Tracy whispered.

Suddenly the horse pricked his ears and looked in their direction as if he had heard her words. A shrill neigh filled the night air before the horse was forced to move on. Tracy watched a moment longer, until her beloved horse was out of sight, before she nodded to Nancy and George that it was time to move on.

Tracy clenched her jaw as she walked. The men were headed toward the old mining town. She knew this whole area well. If they kept her horse in that town, she would find him. But first she had to find Nick and the Hardy brothers.