The Swami's Ring by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online

upstairs.
    “This is Mr. Keshav Lal,” the clerk said by way of introduction. The man’s mocha complexion, large, brown eyes, and name suggested to Nancy that he was probably from India.
    “You are looking for Ramaswami?” Lal inquired.
    “I don’t know, am I?” Nancy said in surprise.
    Her heart was thumping fast as she realized that she was on the brink of an important discovery !
    “Yes, we are,” Ned said, seizing the information instantly. “Where can we find Mr. Ramaswami?”
    “We call him Swami,” Lal corrected. He laughed quietly. “But I’m afraid that is all I can tell you.”
    “I don’t understand,” Nancy said, adding, “If you attend his retreat, you must—”
    Before Nancy could finish the sentence, however, the man in the business suit suddenly reappeared. He leaned over the counter, tapping his fingers in irritation.
    “My calls have been disconnected at least twice,” he complained to the desk clerk.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Flannery.”
    Flannery! That was the name of the woman whom Phyllis Pruett had been staying with. Were the two related?
    For an instant, Nancy glanced at him. There was a familiarity about his face, but she couldn’t place it.
    “Excuse me,” she said, addressing the man. “I’m looking for a girl by the name of Phyllis Pruett. I believe she’s been living with people named Flannery—”
    “Don’t know her,” he said abruptly, letting Mr. Lal resume his conversation with the girl.
    “Give me your name first, please,” he said.
    “I’m Nancy Drew, and this is my friend, Ned Nickerson.”
    As Nancy spoke, Lal flashed his eyes away from her at someone else—Flannery, perhaps.
    “Now will you tell us where the swami is?” she asked, pretending not to have noticed Lal’s reaction to her.
    “By all means. You will find a large cabin at the foot of these woods near the lake,” the man said. “There is a trail—”
    “I think we saw it,” Ned interrupted.
    “Well, it is a fairly long walk—almost a mile.”
    “In that case, we ought to get going,” she told Ned, adding as they left, “Don’t look back, but that guy Flannery is watching us.”
    “And don’t look ahead either,” Ned remarked, “‘cause the sky’s about to burst wide open.”
    “It’s not going to rain!” Nancy said. “Come on, I’ll race you to the lake!”
    The couple darted toward the trail that had buried itself in an overgrowth of vines and almost disappeared entirely. Now and then they paused to glance down the slope of trees, waiting for a glimpse of the cabin retreat.
    “I hope we’re on the right track,” Ned said as he felt a drizzle of water on his neck. “Because if we’re not, we’re in for a flood.”
    “Oh, Ned, it’s only a light sprinkle,” Nancy insisted, but, as the boy had predicted, in less than a minute rain began to pour.
    It tore leaves and small branches off the trees, obscuring the trail and the hikers’ vision. How much farther did they have to go?

    “Let’s turn back! ” Ned shouted through the torrential rain.
    Nancy, who was ahead of him, said something in reply, but Ned did not hear it. He hung back, ready to head for the lodge again and hoping Nancy would follow. She plunged deeper into the woods, however, glancing around only for a second.
    The rainwater had seeped through Ned’s clothes. “Where are you going?” Nancy cried out.
    “Back to the motel,” Ned said. “Come on!”
    But the girl detective was determined to stay on the path to the lake. What difference did it make if she got wetter? She was already soaked to the skin.
    Reluctantly, Ned yielded and trekked after her. The rain let up in spurts, and finally the couple reached a small clearing at the edge of the woods.
    “That must be the place!” Nancy exclaimed when a cabin came into view.
    She raced forward, feeling a chill in her bones, while Ned observed a woman peering through the window in the door. The light behind her suddenly went out and she pulled the