The Mother She Never Knew

by sparkles321

The voice on the phone wasn't familiar, but he had a dim recollection that he'd heard it somewhere before. It was certainly brisk. "Afternoon, Carson. The wreck that killed your wife fifteen years ago? You always wondered about it, didn't you? You wondered if it was really an accident? I'll tell you everything you want to know- if you & your daughter drop the Polk case." R&R!

5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming! JZ, I may add the Hardy boys, I may not. What do y'all think ? Should I ?

"Oh,man." George breathed. Nancy studied the boy. He matched the witness' description perfectly - tall, red hair, even the same dingy green sweatshirt. He looked a little younger than the girls, probably sixteen or seventeen. His name badge read Troy Simms, Sales Clerk. Nancy approached the sales counter. The store was nearly deserted , and as soon as the elderly woman in line ahead of them left, she made her move. "Hi, Troy. I'm Nancy Drew, an amateur detective. I'd like to ask you some questions on what happened April 7, when Marvin Polk's home burnt down. Would you be the person to ask about this?" The boy's shoulders sagged a little, but he answered honestly. "Yes, ma'am." Nancy's mind was thinking furiously. Yes ma'am? At least he's polite. He doesn't see like the arsonist or the evidence destroyer type, but you never know. Think, Drew, think!

The boy said slowly, "I have a lunch break in fifteen minutes, and I can talk to you then, if you'd like to wait. I can't talk now - my boss won't like it." Surprised, Nancy said "That would be great." Bess bought the shirt , then joined Nancy and George on a nearby bench to wait. "He's innocent, " she declared rashly. George tilted her head to one side. "He does seem honest. But there's no way you could've judged his character in those two minutes. Nance, what do you think?" "I'm not sure yet. I agree with George that we need to be around him a little longer before judging what he's like," noticing Troy walking towards them, she added, "And we're about to find out."

Troy sat down, rubbing his palms together anxiously. They made a dry, raspy sound. "So, what did you want to ask me?" Nancy looked him on the eyes and . "Were you at Marvin Polk' s home April 7?" He nodded. "Could you please tell us what happened that night?" Troy took a deep breath and began, speaking fast. "My family lives two streets away from the house that burned. The night of April 7, I was home alone. My parents were visiting friends in the next town, and they hadn't arrived home yet. I heard a strange noise,like an explosion or somethin'. I got up and walked outside, and I saw flames spurting from the big house, that was, like I said, two streets away. A middle aged woman in pajamas approached me, sobbing, and said her little dog was inside the house. She said the firefighters were not there yet, and she wanted me to go inside the house and try to rescue her dog. She said she'd give me some money if I did. So, I went in and looked around, but I didn't hear or see any dog. The roof looked like it was about to cave in, so I ran away from the house."

"What about the package you were seen carrying?" Troy scratched his head. "That's the strange thing, ma'am. When I went inside the home, only the second floor was burning. There was a man standing just inside the door, next to a safe. He opened the door and was pulling out some papers. When he saw me, he dropped the papers and ran. So I picked them up, thinking the lady might need them. I never saw the lady or the money she offered me again, though, so I kept the papers. Never even looked at 'em. When I found the home belonged to the Polks, I became frightened that everyone would think I was an arsonist. So, I laid low for a while." He became silent. "Nancy, those papers may contain evidence on the Polks or the Lobs!" George cried.

Well, what did you think?