DISCLAIMER: As before, Nancy Drew ain't mine, though I wish it was...

Chapter 15

"What? Why!" Bess cried.

"Well, and this is just a guess now, but… maybe, just maybe it's because he's suspected for blowing a guy's house up with him possible inside it?" George suggested.

"Cut the crap and drive for me," Nancy said suddenly, snapping to action, handing George the keys. "We have to get to Swenson before they do. He's innocent, I know it."

"Do you?" Bess asked, unsure. "Can you prove it?"

"Not yet, but I will. Come on. As soon as we get to the factory, I'll jump out and grab him, okay?"

George raced through town. Nancy the whole time was thinking of what she had to do. She'd get him in the car, show him the diary and have him translate it. She needed to know what was in there. George swung around the block that held the factory and sidled her car up alongside the back exit of the factory. The whistle was blowing and two minutes later, Joe Swenson walked out.

"Mr. Swenson!" Nancy called, running up to the gate.

Swenson whipped his head to look over and gave a smile of recognition. He waved and walked out of the gate and came to Nancy's side.

"Hello. Wow, you weren't kidding when you said-" he began, but Nancy interrupted.

"Can we give you a lift home?"

"Oh, well, that's kind of you. I'm sure it's out of your way though," Swenson protested.

"Not at all, come on. Get in," Nancy insisted, pushing him into the backseat with Bess.

She glanced up and down the street, listening for sirens, but heard nothing. She got in the front seat. George had kept the top up and she roared off. Swenson leaned back against the plush leather seats and closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I really appreciate this," Swenson said, gratitude in his voice. "After being on my feet all day, its nice not walking home."

"No problem. By the way, your little letter scandal was cleared up," Nancy mentioned to him.

At that, Swenson sat up, eyes pleading for the story. Nancy consented and told him all the details. He smiled happily and thanked her, but made a comment about how people who commit crimes, big or small, deserve what punishment they are given.

"I have some more good news," she added. "I happened to find your diary near the Raybolt house."

"My diary!" Swenson exclaimed happily.

He watched as Nancy produced it from her purse, but instead of pouncing on it eagerly the way she thought he would, he took it gently, caressing it lovingly. He affectionately turned the pages. Nancy gave a small smile and Bess's eyes watered. She turned her face away.

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind translating a bit of it for me," Nancy asked softly as George began driving into the country, trying to get away from the men who were looking for Swenson.

Swenson nodded and began to read through his diary. A wide smile crossed him face. "This one is about my daughter's birthday. I'd made Honey a doll that walked by itself. She'd loved it and it was so wonderful to see her little eyes light up like that. I had always meant to sell those dolls and I never got a chance to." He flipped some more pages and his face darkened. He read verbatim, "'My friend, Anson Heilberg, has warned me not to go into business with Mr. Felix Raybolt. I trust Anson, but I am in desperate need of the money he promises to advance me. I do not think things will go badly.' I wish I had listened to Anson. Raybolt had given me an advance and not another cent. He kept all the royalties from my electrochemical process for putting a ceramic finish on metals."

"Asshole," Bess said aloud and then bit her tongue.

Swenson however just looked at her from the corner of his eye and gave a small, amused smile while the girl blushed in embarrassment.

"A friend of mine also found your ring," Nancy spoke up. "I have it at home. I'll make sure to bring it to you."

"You are kind, Nancy Drew."

Nancy slowly steered the conversation towards another topic. "Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the explosion at the Raybolt house. They think it could've been a freak accident. You know, like the microwave exploded suddenly or something, you know? What do you think."

Swenson was silent for a minute, then said, "I think Felix Raybolt had concealed explosives hidden in his basement. I'm almost positive of it. I think he blew his own house up by mistake while he was in it, waiting for me to come meet me."

Bess gaped at him, appalled at what he was suggesting. "But… but there wasn't an evidence of a body."

"Oh, Raybolt is too smart for that. I'm sure he escaped and then ran, knowing that it was illegal to have those explosives. Thinking he'd be caught and arrested, he ran and he hasn't looked back. The scum didn't even tell his wife I'll bet. Why would anyone want explosives anyway?"

"Did you see him run out?" Nancy asked.

"No," Swenson answered, loosing the bluster in his tone.

"Nance," George murmured in a low tone to her friend. She motioned towards the image of a police cruiser that had just come out of a little side road.

Nancy gave George a look that told her to stay calm. "Just keep going. Don't speed or anything, maybe they're after another car for speeding."

But both girls knew there was no one else on the road at the moment. The cruiser was gaining on them, but obviously not trying to pass them. Nancy bit her lip as a thought came to her. She hadn't thought about the fact that, if they were looking for Joe Swenson, she and Bess and George might be labeled as trying to help a fugitive. She tried to slow her heart down and sighed deeply. George gulped and gripped the wheel tighter. Up ahead there was a woman herding a couple of cows across the road, blocking them. The police car sidled up beside them and George cursed.

"Who the hell owns cows?" she snarled to herself. "Shit!"

But she tried to look calm and as soon at the cows were off the road, she took her foot off the brake.

"Just a moment, please," one of the officers said from an open window.

Joe Swenson's face was a stone mask. Nancy hid her fear and worry and lowered the window as George beside her cursed and ran a hand over her hair.

"Is there something wrong?" Nancy asked in the calmest, coolest tone she could muster as one of the officers alighted towards them.

"We had a cal to pick this car up," the officer barked in an overly pompous tone of voice. He looked in the backseat and Swenson looked at him, confused. "You Joe Swenson?"

"Yes…" Swenson responded confused. "Can I help you?"

"You can step out of the car. You're wanted by the Mapleton police on the charges of deliberate arson," the policeman barked.

"What? I never did any such thing."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You have to tell them that at headquarters. You have to come with me. Now come on." He pulled out his handcuffs.

"No, please. I'll come with you. There's been a huge mistake."

"Whatever you say buddy. Just get in the back and make it quick, huh? No funny stuff."

"Wait," Nancy said, stepping out of the car. "You've got to have the wrong guy. Joe Swenson is innocent. I'll personally be in charge of his court appearance."

"I just started working at the factory. If you put me in jail, I'll loose my job. Please, officer, have a heart. I have a family to feed," Swenson pleaded earnestly.

The officer was unmoved. "Sorry buddy, you should've thought about that before you burned Raybolt's house down."

"Hey," George protested at the uncouth remark.

"You girls have to come as well," The officer barked harshly, feeding off his own pushed authority. "Drive ahead of me and you'd better not pull anything or you three will join your friend here in the backseat of the squad car."

"They have nothing to do with any of this," Swenson explained frantically, trying to vouch for them. "They just offered me a ride home."

"I don't want to hear it and frankly, I don't care. You all have to come to headquarters," the policeman stated in a loud voice, shoving Swenson towards the squad car. "And you'd better not go to fast."

"This is ridiculous," George exclaimed angrily. "For a buck I'd step on the gas and piss them off."

"Don't, we're in enough trouble," Nancy sighed. She hung her head as they started off in front of the cop. "Shit. My dad is going to kill me."