dark-haired girl approached.
Brenda wrote for a River Heights paper called Todayâs Times , which was conveniently owned by her father, Frazier Carlton. The young reporter was a frequent thorn in Nancyâs side. Her competitive nature drove her to meddle whenevershe could in order to get a hot scoop. In the past her interference had almost blown several of Nancyâs cases.
Brenda pushed back her dark hair and smiled triumphantly. âYes, itâs meâin the flesh,â she purred. âNow, what should my caption be? âTeen Sleuth Gets Friendly with Murder Suspectâ? Or maybe âSleuth Nancy Drew and Murder Suspect Ned Nickerson: Could a Crowbar Pry These Two Apart?âââ
âI ought to rip the film right out of your camera,â Ned said angrily.
Brenda tossed her head and said, âWhat a splash thisâll make! All the other reporters just got the bare details off the police band radio. But I tried harderâand now Iâve got a terrific photograph of the prime suspect! Just wait until you see the paper tomorrow.â
Nancy could imagine the trashy, sensational story Brenda would write. An article like that could permanently damage Nedâs reputation, even if Nancy did manage to solve the case eventually. She had to talk Brenda out of it.
âBrenda,â she said, âyou know Ned. You know he didnât kill that man. But your article could really hurt him. Give us a break, will you?â
âIâm a reporter,â Brenda said haughtily. âI tell the facts the way I see them.â
âWhen it suits your style,â Ned muttered, but Nancy put a hand on his arm. This was no time to antagonize Brenda.
âListen,â Nancy said, trying a different tactic.âYouâre a smart girl, Brenda. You and I both know that Ned is innocent. So why not use that?â
âWhat do you mean?â Brenda asked, her voice suspicious.
âIâm offering you a scoop to end all scoops,â Nancy said quickly. âIâm going to track down the real killerâand I promise that when I do, youâll get the exclusive story. That is, if you promise not to write any stories about Ned before then. How about itâis it a deal?â
Brenda was silent for a moment. âHow do I know youâll call me?â she asked at last.
Rolling her eyes, Nancy said, âYouâll have to trust me. I give you my word of honor.â
After another long pause Brenda said, âOkay. Iâll be waiting to hear from you. And youâd better call me soon, Nancy Drew.â With that, Brenda flounced off to her car.
âThanks,â said Ned, breathing a sigh of relief. âThat was some fast talking you did, Nancy.â
âRight,â Nancy replied. She didnât add what she was thinkingâall the fast talking in the world wouldnât help Ned, unless she delivered on her promise and caught the real criminal!
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
The next day Nancy got up early. She went out and bought copies of the Mapleton papers, which she brought home to read along with the River Heights papers. She was a little cheered to see that, although Foyleâs murder had made the front pages, a bureaucratic scandal in Chicago had stolen the headlines. The pieces on Foyleâs murderwere short and not very detailed. Still, Nedâs high-school yearbook picture did appear in two of the articles, and his name was mentioned in all of them.
Nancy decided not to call on Bess and George to help that day. She wanted to track down suspects, and she preferred to do that by herself. A gang of girls wouldnât put a reluctant talker at ease.
By ten-thirty, Nancy was on the road to Mapleton. She had already called Ned and gotten the name and home address of the doctor who had signed the medical report for Toby Foyleâs false claim. Foyle had gone to Dr. Robert Meyers three days after his accident, Nancy recalled. That was