Illusions of Evil (12 page)

Her friend was amazed to hear all that had happened. “I never liked Garraty,” she said, then paused. “But, you know, I'm more concerned about Ned.”

“Same here,” Nancy answered, her stomach
twisting with apprehension. “I'm going to keep trying his house until I get through. I just hope he's sitting in front of the tube.” But she didn't believe her own words.

She told George she'd call her right away if she heard anything, then arranged to pick her up the next morning for the hearing.

Next, she called Ned back. This time his mother answered.

“Oh, Nancy,” she cried, “Ned still hasn't come home. He hasn't called either. We've contacted all the area hospitals, but no one has a record of his being in an accident. His father and I are out of our minds with worry!”

Nancy tried to stay calm. “Did you call the police, too?”

“We just did,” Mrs. Nickerson told her. “But they said we have to wait twenty-four hours before filing a missing person report . . . .” Her voice trailed off, and Nancy knew she was crying.

Then Mr. Nickerson took the phone. “Nancy, what do you know about this?” he asked.

“Ned was helping me on a case,” she explained a little weakly. “He went to a realtor's office in Conklin Falls this afternoon, then to the Hall of Records. I haven't heard from him since.”

Mr. Nickerson remained silent.

“Can I come over there?” Nancy offered. “Maybe it would help—”

“Thanks, Nancy,” he said, then paused again, “but that's not necessary. I know there's a good
explanation for this. I don't think we should panic.”

“Will you call me the minute you hear anything?” Nancy asked.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

Nancy said goodbye and hung up, a feeling of dread washing over her. But there was nothing she could do except wait.

She stared with unfocused eyes for a moment, then opened her shoulder bag and took out her wallet. It contained a picture of Ned inside a clear plastic holder. For a long moment she gazed at the face she loved so much. If anything had happened to him, she would never forgive herself.

• • •

“So you think Garraty and Gotnick were behind the sabotage?” George said.

It was early the next morning. Nancy had spent a fitful night worrying about Ned. She'd called the Nickersons right after she woke up, but they still hadn't heard anything. She decided there was nothing she could do to find Ned right then, so she and George headed to Conklin Falls for the hearing. She believed Ned could take care of himself in almost any situation. Carson had gone on ahead to prepare Adriana.

“I'm not positive,” Nancy told her friend, “but it seems likely. As soon as this hearing's over, I plan to find Garraty. The man has a few questions to answer.”

“You don't think Garraty has anything to do with Ned's disappearance, do you?” George wondered aloud.

Nancy took the Conklin Falls exit off the parkway and stopped at a red light. “If Ned got Garraty's name out of Matthews and went after the guy, there's a chance Garraty was the last one to see him before he disappeared.” The light turned green, and Nancy pulled into the line of cars headed for town.

The sun was coming out from behind a cloud as Nancy drove into the parking lot of the Conklin Falls courthouse. Already there was a lot of activity, with attorneys and their clients coming in and going out of the three-story brick building. Nancy found a parking spot, and the two friends made their way to the courtroom where Carson would be defending Adriana at her hearing.

Inside, Nancy quickly spotted Freda Clarke sitting with her son and her lawyer. Carson and Adriana occupied a table across the aisle from them. George and Nancy hurried over and sat behind them.

“Hello there,” Carson said to Nancy, turning in his seat.

Adriana turned, too. She wore a dark green suit and had her hair pulled back into a chignon—she looked devastating as usual. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered. “I can use the moral support.”

Carson had gotten in late the night before, and Nancy hadn't had the chance to tell him about Ned or her latest lead. “Dad—” she said, leaning forward in her seat.

“Not now, Nancy,” Carson said. He gestured toward the bench, where the judge had just sat down. “We're about to start.”

“I hope this doesn't take long,” Nancy said. To their right, Freda Clarke and her lawyer were conferring. Chris spotted George and gave her a wave.

“You're thinking about Ned, aren't you?” George said.

Nancy nodded and frowned slightly. “The longer we wait, the more worried I get.”

“Hmmm,” George said, her eyes focused toward the aisle behind Nancy, “I wonder what he's doing here?”

“Who?” Nancy asked.

“Rand Hagan just walked in,” George answered.

Nancy swung around. George was right. The Riverfront engineer was heading into the courtroom. He was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket and had his trademark bandanna tied around his neck.

When he paused in the aisle between them and Freda Clarke, Adriana caught sight of him, too.

She looked surprised. “Rand,” she said, “what are you doing here?”

Hagan smiled and wrinkles appeared at the
corners of his blue eyes. “I'm going to testify. Why else would I be here?”

Nancy watched Adriana stand up, a smile on her face. She stepped across the aisle toward Hagan and said, “That's very kind of you.”

“You'd better wait before you thank me,” Hagan said.

“I don't understand.” Adriana blinked in confusion.

Nancy saw Hagan's smile turn nasty. “I'm not here to testify for
you,
Adriana. I'm here to help Freda Clarke. I'm going to tell the judge what a dangerous, badly maintained place Riverfront Park is.”

I
CAN
'
T BELIEVE IT
!” George gasped. “He seemed like such a nice guy.”

Nancy watched Adriana first recoil from Hagan then sink back into her chair. Carson put his arm around her. “It's okay,” he said, trying to reassure her.

Rand pointed his finger at Adriana and said, “Your uncle couldn't manage the place, and neither can you. That's what I'm prepared to state today. Riverfront needs to be in the hands of someone who knows and understands the meaning of the word
safety!”

Freda Clarke's eyes went wide, obviously as surprised as Adriana to see a new witness come forward. She glanced at Nancy and smiled smugly, then went back to conferring with her attorney.

“Dad,” Nancy said, leaning forward, “he can't just show up and testify, can he?”

Carson spoke over his shoulder. “I'm afraid he can, Nancy. This is a public hearing, and anyone can come forward to speak.”

The judge called the hearing to order. For the next two hours Nancy squirmed as first Freda and then Hagan told their stories. Hagan reported that things had been lax at the park under Nicos Polidori, but that when Adriana came on, matters grew worse. She cut corners in an effort to save money. He said he'd tried to persuade her to upgrade the rides because they weren't safe, but she wouldn't do it.

Hagan's words had the ring of expertise. He was a compelling and credible witness. The judge's expression was solemn as he listened to Hagan's testimony, and Adriana paled.

Even under Carson Drew's strenuous cross-examination, neither witness broke down. When Carson put Adriana on the stand, Nancy was riveted as the woman told a moving story about her uncle Nicos and how he'd worked his whole life to make the park what it was. Then Adriana described her plans for the place while the judge listened intently.

Carson finished up by explaining that new evidence had been discovered indicating that the Typhoon had been sabotaged. He mentioned the cotter pin found at the scene of Benny Gotnick's murder.

In the end the judge ruled against allowing Riverfront to remain open until the state inspectors arrived the following week. “They'll make a final determination about what caused the roller coaster derailment,” he said. “Until then, there are too many unanswered questions about the safety of the park. I'd be irresponsible if I allowed Riverfront to remain open. Children's lives are at stake.”

With that the judge banged his gavel and called the hearing to an end.

“That's it?” Nancy wondered aloud.

Carson was putting away his papers. “I'm afraid so,” he said. Then he turned to Adriana, “I'm sorry, but Rand Hagan's testimony did us in.

Adriana nodded sadly.

Just then Nancy noticed Freda and Chris Clarke making their way out of the courtroom. Freda stopped as she passed Rand Hagan and shook his hand. Rand gave her a smile and then walked out with her.

Nancy stood up abruptly, giving her father and Adriana a quick goodbye. “Come on, George.” She grabbed her friend's arm.

“Where are we going?” George wanted to know, hobbling behind Nancy.

“We're following Hagan,” Nancy said.

“Right,” George replied, not skipping a beat.

“Then we're going to find Ned,” Nancy added. “I've waited long enough.”

Out in the parking lot, Rand Hagan was getting into a beat-up pickup truck. Nancy and George rushed over to her Mustang and pulled out just behind Hagan.

“Don't get too close,” George warned her as they cruised to a stop right behind Hagan.

“Don't worry,” Nancy said. The light turned green, and after going through it, Nancy allowed another car to come between hers and Hagan's. “I'm a pro at this, remember?”

“How could I forget?” George asked.

Hagan led them on a tour of downtown Conklin Falls. Nancy and George waited while Rand went to the bank, picked up his dry cleaning, and stopped by a video store. After the last errand, though, Hagan got on the main road out of town, headed toward Riverfront.

“He's making for the park,” George guessed.

“It looks that way,” Nancy agreed. Since there was little traffic, she hung back, just keeping Hagan's pickup in sight.

“There's one thing I don't get,” George said. “What made Hagan betray Adriana? Didn't you say she trusted him completely? And he seemed like such a nice man! He even rescued us!”

“I know,” Nancy replied. “The only thing I can think is that Vince Garraty got to him and convinced him to testify against Adriana. Garraty wants to buy Riverfront. If the place is closed down and gets a lot of bad press, Adriana's more likely to sell out—for a song.”

George let out a deep breath. “I see what you mean,” she commented. “But why would Garraty want to buy the property if it can't be rezoned. What's he going to do with it?”

Nancy frowned. “I don't know. But I keep thinking about those tunnels.”

“That's so weird,” George went on. “Who'd ever have thought there were underground passages beneath Riverfront?”

Nancy nodded. They were pulling into the park entrance now. Clouds had covered the sun, and it looked as if it was about to rain. Hagan's pickup was in the parking lot, but Rand had disappeared by the time Nancy steered her Mustang into a spot.

“Nancy, look!” George pointed to a corner of the parking lot. “Isn't that Ned's car?”

Nancy saw Ned's familiar sedan. “But why—” She tried to make sense of what could have happened.

“Do you think he came up here after he talked to Matthews and got into trouble?” George asked.

“There's only one way to find out,” Nancy said. “And that's to find Rand Hagan!”

Nancy marched toward the park's main gate. It was locked, but she quickly scaled the chain-link fence, then helped George with her clunky cast. When they got to the other side, George took hold of Nancy's arm.

“We should be careful,” she warned. “Hagan could be dangerous.”

Nancy nodded in agreement. “You stay here. Keep out of sight. If I'm not back in half an hour, call Pulaski. I hate splitting up like this, but it's the only way to make sure he doesn't nab us both.”

“Okay,” George agreed. She planted herself beside the ticket booth and checked her watch. “I'll wait right here. Good luck, Nan.”

Nancy gave George a hug, then went off down the midway. She kept low and out of sight. She wanted to spot Hagan before he caught sight of her.

There was no sign of Rand at any of the booths or by the merry-go-round. She veered off the midway to the roller coaster, but it was quiet, empty, and rather forlorn. The Whirl-o-Looper was still, too, and so was the tea-cup ride. Nancy was about to give up on finding Rand, when she noticed that the entrance to the Tunnel of Love was open.

“That's strange,” she said to herself, heading for the door.

Adriana hadn't gotten around to reopening the Tunnel of Love, but Nancy remembered the ride from when she had come to the park as a kid. It was shaped like a big volcano with a moat encircling it. Inside, a train of cars took riders through decorated rooms. Nancy remembered
one that looked like an underwater grotto, complete with a mermaid and sea monster.