095 An Instinct for Trouble by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

my most exciting news. Guess who’s coming to Yellowstone Park?”
    “Smokey the Bear?” Nancy suggested.
    Bess threw a pillow at her.
    “Okay,” she said. “I give up.”
    “You’ll never believe it,” Bess cried, her eyes wide with excitement. “Randy Dean!”

Chapter Seven
    Really? Randy Dean here?” Nancy said.
    “Are you sure?”
    Bess nodded emphatically. “Uh-huh. The ranger told us this morning. He’s coming to make a television special about the impor-
    tance of leaving animals in their natural envi-
    ronments.”
    “Oh? What about all those marmots of his?”
    Nancy asked.
    Bess shrugged. “He must have had a change of heart.” Her face lit up again. “And not only that, he’s going to be staying right in this hotel.
    We might even meet him! Wouldn’t that be awesome? George is going to be so jealous when she hears.”
    “We haven’t met him yet,” Nancy pointed out. To herself, she wondered about the rock star’s change of heart. Was it for real or simply a good excuse for a TV special? “I had a rather eventful morning myself, Bess.”
    She told her friend about what Brad had said and the attempt to run her off the road.
    “Nan, that’s terrible!” Bess exclaimed. “You could have been killed!”
    “Well, I wasn’t. And the main thing is, this attack shows that we’re on the right track. The poachers are getting desperate.”
    “So what’s our next move?” Bess asked.
    “Lunch,” Nancy said firmly. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.”
    Downstairs, they found the dining room crowded. As they were waiting by the hostess station, Edith and Gerald Turkower came in.
    “Well, hello again,” Edith said with a smile.
    Just then the hostess came over. “I have a table for four by the window,” she announced.
    “Wonderful,” Edith said brightly. “Why don’t we all eat together?”
    “Sure,” Nancy replied. Here was a perfect opportunity to find out more about the Turkowers.
    The hostess led them to a round oak table near the window and handed them menus.
    “The cutthroat trout caught in the Yellow-
    stone Lake are supposed to be the best in the world,” Gerald told them, placing his cameras on the windowsill.
    “Really?” Bess closed her menu. “I’ll try it.”
    “So will I,” Nancy said.
    “I’ll just have the vegetarian platter,” Edith said. “It’s a little chilly in here, don’t you think?” she added, slipping into a beige sweat-
    er with a fur collar.
    The waitress came and took their orders. As she left. Nancy asked casually, “How’s the hunt for whistling marmots going?”
    Edith made a face. “Not very well. We haven’t even seen one yet.”
    “What about you, any luck?” Gerald asked.
    “Why, yes,” Nancy replied. “There’s a re-
    search group here studying the marmots. I visited their camp yesterday and saw a couple of them at one of the feeding stations. They’re every bit as cute as I expected, too.”
    Nancy paused as the waitress placed bowls of green salad in front of everyone.
    Nancy picked up her fork and took a bite of salad. Then, leaning forward, she lowered her voice. “A guy from the group told me that some of the marmots are missing.”
    She scrutinized the Turkowers and thought she saw an uneasy expression in Gerald’s eyes.
    “Do you think someone is stealing them?”
    he asked.
    Nancy shrugged. “I have no idea.”
    Gerald put down his fork. “I suppose it’s possible that someone on the Emerson team might be stealing marmots,” he mused. “Col-
    lege students are always short of cash.”
    Nancy’s breath caught in her throat. She had never mentioned Emerson College!
    Had Gerald noticed her reaction? With a wary expression, he added, “I think I saw an article about that research project. Maybe we should pay them a visit. Edith won’t be happy until she’s had a chance to watch the little critters in action.” He beamed fondly at his wife and winked.
    Edith smiled back at him. “In some