"Go on ahead. Nancy," Bess urged with a knowing smile. "I'll find someone to help me with the bags. Then I'll park the car in the lot over there," she said, pointing.
Gratefully, Nancy tossed Bess the car keys, mounted the wooden stairs, and entered the lobby.
The center of the building was an atrium that rose all the way to the roof. Along two sides were level after level of balconies. A huge fireplace of gigantic lava stones dominated the big space. Half a dozen guests sat near the fire in old-fashioned rocking chairs. Another row of rockers faced tall windows overlooking several geysers. A few people were seated there, enjoying the view. But no Ned. Nancy choked back her disappointment.
Just then she saw Bess enter the lobby, followed by a bellhop pulling a trolley with Bess's two suitcases and Nancy's small carry on bag.
"Where's Ned?" she asked when Nancy reached her side.
Nancy shook her head. "At the campsite, I guess. I'd like to drive over and take a look."
"Okay, go ahead," Bess said, handing the car keys back to her friend. "I'll check us in and start unpacking."
Nancy walked to the parking lot briskly. The sun shone brightly, but the air was chilly. She spotted the car, dashed over, and got in. After glancing at the map Ned had faxed her, she started the engine and headed north for about fifteen miles.
At Madison Junction, where there was a ranger station, general store, and campground, she turned right. She watched carefully until she spotted a dirt road leading off to the left, then bumped along it for about a quarter of a mile to the campsite.
The Emerson College research group was camping at the foot of a hill in a clearing partly ringed by lodge pole pines. Nancy parked next to a Jeep and walked quickly up the path toward the little cluster of woodland green tents. When she reached the fire pit at its center, she found the campsite deserted. Several logs had been pulled around the fire pit to serve as benches. Not far away was the kitchen tent, with sides made of mosquito netting and tables lined with pots, pans, and food.
A narrow trail snaked along the edge of the camp and then continued up the hill. Near the foot of the hill, and about a hundred yards from the campsite, was a very small, wooden cabin. Nancy went over to inspect it.
There was a heavy padlock on the door and only one tiny window, through which she could see a generator and computer. Next to the door, on the outside of the cabin, was a makeshift bulletin board. Nancy studied the work assignment chart posted there. It was divided into categories such as Computer Data Collection, Transmitter Checking, and Observation-Feeding Stations 1 through 4.
Nancy saw that Ned was assigned to watch feeding station 3 from two-thirty to five that afternoon. Where was he now, though? She wondered. It was just about two.
She strolled back toward the tents. The canvas flap that served as a door on the nearest one was tied back. She glanced inside and saw a camera bag that reminded her of Ned's, then started to raise the mosquito netting and go inside.
"Stop right there!" she heard someone shout behind her.
Nancy spun around and saw two men in dark green coveralls running toward her. The taller one, who had piercing black eyes and black stubble for a beard, reached her first. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her away from the tent.
"Hey," Nancy protested, struggling to free herself from his grip. "I wasn't doing anything wrong."
Just then the second man reached her. He was built like a short redwood and had the ruddy complexion of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors.
"Yeah, sure," the tall man said, twisting Nancy's arm behind her.
Nancy had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.
"Looks like we caught ourselves a thief," the short, burly guy said, taking a step toward her. An ugly grin contorted his face. "And we know just what to do with her. Right, Richard?"
"Right," his buddy replied.
Chapter Two
“Come on, you," Richard growled. He wheeled Nancy around and started pulling her toward the fire pit.
"Get your hands off me!" Nancy said, furious.
"Not a chance," he replied, tightening his grip. "Should we take her to the truck, Piker?"
"Yeah," the other man replied, giving Nancy a shove.
Nancy swung her leg out and brought it up, slamming her knee into Richard's stomach.
He bent over, giving her the chance to pull away. She was just taking off when she heard a familiar voice call her name.
She whirled around to see Ned hurrying down the path toward her. "Am I ever glad to see you!" she said with relief.
Ned glanced at the two grim-faced men and put his arm around Nancy. "What's going on here?"
"These guys accused me of being a thief," Nancy told him.
"What?" Ned was incredulous. "This is my girlfriend."
Richard shrugged. "If you say so, but she was nosing around camp. Right, Piker?"
"Right," Piker said. "We were just looking out for your group," he told Ned. "We heard there'd been some trouble around here."
"Well, thanks," Ned replied. "But like I said, Nancy's my girlfriend."
Nancy watched Piker nervously shift his weight. At last he nodded and said, "Well, okay. Let's get back to work, Richard." With that, the two men headed off.
"That's quite a welcoming committee," Nancy said.
Before she could say anything else, Ned swept her into his arms. "Hello there," he said as he lifted her chin with two fingers. The kiss that followed left her breathless. "How's that for a welcome?"
"Mmm, much better." Nancy sighed and took in his handsome, square-jawed face and sparkling brown eyes.
Ned led Nancy to one of the logs near the fire pit, and the two of them sat down.
"Who were those guys, anyway?" she asked.
"Park maintenance men," Ned replied. "They're building a walkway near here. It goes to an old cabin near Princess Geyser. What made them think you were a thief?"
"Well," Nancy said, "I was peeking inside a tent, wondering if it was yours, when they grabbed me. I guess I did look a little suspicious."
"Even so," Ned growled, "they had no right to treat you badly." He took her hand. "Listen, Nan, I'm really sorry I couldn't meet you at the hotel. The fact is, we have a major crisis. You know, we've tagged hundreds of marmots so we can track them. Well, part of my job is to make sure the receiver is picking up their signals and sending them to the computer so they're recorded properly."
Nancy nodded.
"This morning," he said slowly, "the computer printout showed no trace of almost fifty whistling marmots. At first, I thought we had a problem with the receiver or with the computer, but everything checked out okay. We went out to check the marmot colonies a few hours ago, and it was obvious that some were missing. There's only one logical explanation. Someone is stealing them!"
"That's terrible," Nancy said. "Do you have any idea when it could have happened?"
"We observe the marmots twice a day at four feeding stations," he explained, pacing now. "So it had to have happened after the second observation yesterday-probably during the night."
Nancy shook her head. "It's hard to believe that people would kill such cute little animals for their fur," she said disgustedly.
Ned stopped pacing. "It's not the fur they want," he replied. "They want the marmots for pets."
"That's no excuse for taking them out of their natural habitat," Nancy said. "Have you reported this to the park service?"
"Sure," Ned replied. "But without more evidence the park service can't launch a full scale investigation. They just don't have the financial resources to act on our suspicions."
"That's awful," Nancy said.
"My sentiments exactly," Ned agreed. "Of course, the park service did assign a really good ranger named Jack Billings to our project. But his job is to help us, not track down poachers."