"Just what is it you're doing in this project?" Nancy asked, stretching her legs out. "I know you're studying marmots. Are they endangered?"
"No, but their cousins, the Vancouver Island marmots, are," he said. "Professor Trainey's plan is to research the whistling marmots in Yellowstone so we can figure out what conditions marmot’s best thrive in. The information we gather here will be used by biologists to breed Vancouver Island marmots in captivity."
"That's wonderful," Nancy said.
Ned nodded. "From the first moment I heard Professor Trainey talk about the study, I knew I wanted to help. He even got a federal grant to buy a state-of-the-art tracking system."
Nancy cocked her head curiously.
"Imagine a transmitter no bigger than a dime that tells us not only where the animal is," Ned went on, "but its body temperature, blood pressure, eating and sleeping cycles- it's just amazing!"
"And amazingly expensive, I bet," Nancy commented.
Ned nodded his agreement and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, I'll show you around. First stop is our command post."
He led Nancy across the campsite to the tiny cabin she had stopped at earlier. He pulled a key ring from his jeans pocket, undid the padlock, pushed open the door, and switched on the light that dangled from the ceiling.
Nancy followed him inside.
Along one wall was a plank table that held the computer and printer. A small file cabinet in the comer was heaped high with printouts.
"The device that receives the radio signals from the transmitters is outside," Ned explained.
Nancy pointed to a door at the other side of the room and asked, "Where does that go?"
"To the supply room," Ned replied. "That's what we call it, but it's really just a glorified closet. Still, it's big enough to hold traps, sacks of food pellets, and other equipment."
"Is that where the traps were stolen from?" Nancy said.
"Some of them," Ned answered. "But we've got four marmot observation stations, and we keep traps in the huts there, too." Ned leaned against the worktable. "It makes me sick to think that the poachers are using our equipment to steal marmots!"
Nancy returned to the door and studied the padlock. The shiny brass lock was unscratched. "Who has keys to this cabin?" she asked.
"Just the professor and Brad," Ned replied. "These are the professor's keys I have. He gave them to me. We were at observation station two, but he wanted me to come back to check the computer to see if any signals from the missing marmots had shown up."
"Could I see one of the traps?" Nancy asked. Ned went through the other door and returned with a wire cage with open doors at each end.
"We put food inside," Ned explained. "When a marmot steps in to get it, its weight triggers a spring that closes the doors."
Ned picked up a small disk attached to a plastic collar. "Then we attach a transmitter to the animal's neck."
Nancy studied the collar. "And the marmots don't mind?"
"Usually not," Ned said with a smile. "Now and then we have to tranquilize one." He indicated a small hypodermic syringe on a shelf.
Nancy shuddered.
"It doesn't hurt," he insisted. "And anyway, we don't have to do it very often. Most of the marmots, especially those under two years old, are really cooperative."
"What happens after the collar is on?" she asked.
"Each transmitter has its own identifying signal," Ned told her. "All of them are picked up on our receiver and automatically fed into the computer. Then, two times a day, we download the file and chart the movements of the animals we're tracking. Since Brad's accident, that's been my job."
"How's Brad doing?" Nancy asked.
"Better," Ned said. "But they've kept him pretty heavily sedated. No one's been able to see him."
"Where did he get hurt?" Nancy queried.
"Up the hill in the hut at observation post one," Ned replied.
"I'd like to see it," Nancy said.
Ned led Nancy to the trail that wound up the hill. At the top of the slope, Ned halted.
"Well," he said with a sweep of his hand, "this is it. We have three other feeding stations, but this is the most important one."
Nancy looked around. They were on level ground now. A circular area about the size of a football field had been fenced off with chicken wire.
"This is a marmot community, and that's one of their burrows," Ned explained, pointing to a raised mound on the far side of the chicken wire.
Inside the enclosure Nancy noticed a slim girl about her own age leaning down to a burrow. She was wearing a checked shirt, straight-legged jeans, and suede boots. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had pale blue eyes and an oval face with a pronounced widow's peak. When she saw Nancy and Ned, she came over to greet them.
"Hi, Jennifer, this is Nancy Drew," Ned said casually. "Nancy, meet Jennifer Trainey."
"Hi, Jennifer," Nancy said. "Trainey-are you related to the professor?"
"He's my dad," Jennifer said quickly, then added with a slight smile, "Ned didn't tell me he was expecting company."
Nancy was about to respond when she noticed a flicker of movement from inside the enclosure. She saw a small head peering out of one of the burrows. As she watched, delighted, a marmot emerged. Another was close behind. They were reddish brown with yellow abdomens and black rings near their bushy tails.
"Meet Click and Clack, our most sociable specimens," Jennifer said.
"They're adorable." Nancy glanced at Jennifer. "You must have been in on this project from the very beginning."
Jennifer laughed. "Since before the very beginning," she replied.
The two marmots finished eating. One sat up on its hind legs. The furry creature had a wide head with short, rounded ears, large eyes, and a black button nose. It cocked its head sideways as if to ask Nancy what she was doing there and then began grooming itself.
"Wait until Bess sees these. She'll go crazy," Nancy said. "It looks like they'd be really fun to work with."
"Oh, they are!" Jennifer exclaimed. "Right now I'm monitoring the day care center."
"Day care center?" Nancy echoed.
"While the parents are out foraging for food, the older members of the community stay in the entrances to the burrows, making sure the babies are safe," Jennifer explained. "If they sense danger, they give a shrill ear-piercing whistle."
"Did many marmots disappear from this feeding station?" Nancy asked.
Jennifer raised her eyebrows.
"It's okay," Ned said quickly. "I told Nancy about what happened. She can be trusted- she's my girlfriend."
"Oh," Jennifer said smoothly. "How long are you here for?"
"A few days," Nancy replied.
"Great," Jennifer said, though Nancy doubted her sincerity. "Well, I'd better get back to work," she went on without answering Nancy's question. "See you later."
As Jennifer walked away, Nancy turned to Ned. "She's incredibly pretty," she said.
Ned reddened and shrugged, then led Nancy toward a small hut. As they approached it, Nancy noticed a metal box on top of a pole. She saw another one just like it about fifty yards farther along the fence. "What are those things?" she asked.
"Time-lapse cameras," Ned replied. "They're set to take exposures every fifteen minutes. They even record the date and time at the bottom of each negative."
"Incredible," Nancy said, then pointed to the hut. "Is that where Brad was hurt?"
"Yeah," Ned replied. "We keep a few snacks and drinks in there. Apparently, Brad was heating water for coffee. When boom! I heard the explosion and ran up the hill. Brad was lying across the doorstep, unconscious."
Nancy shook her head sympathetically. "The force of the explosion must have blown him out the door. He's lucky he wasn't killed."