Trapped!

Nancy stopped, letting the other girls get ahead of her. Her mind raced. Who could the intruder be, and where did he retreat to? Perhaps he was climbing out of the window!

She was just about to rush toward the spot where she had seen the shoes, when Errol stepped out from behind the heavy drapes. He held a dust cloth in one hand and a hammer in the other.

" I didn't mean to startle you, " he said, " but these old windows jam badly. I had to give them a little rap with the hammer."

" Oh, that's all right, Errol, " Nancy said, feeling a bit foolish.

Just then George called from the vestibule. " Come on, Nancy! "

" I'm coming" the young detective called back and joined her two friends in the hallway.

They said good-bye to Susan McAfee, then left the old Victorian house. Andre was standing next to the light blue limousine, waiting for them.

On the way back to the Segovia mansion, Nancy told the girls about seeing Errol behind the drapes. ''He had a perfectly good explanation of what he was doing there. Yet, the way his feet were sticking out really gave me a scare.''

" Maybe he was eavesdropping! " George said. ''And he just used the story about the windows as an excuse! "

" I don't think so, " Bess objected. " He's a perfectly sweet man."

" That's the impression I had, " Nancy agreed. " But, you never know."

" And now, " Bess said, " can we stop being detectives for a little while and become tourists? I'd like to swim and water ski and live it up in the sun! "

" I'd go for that, " George agreed.

" That makes three of us, " Nancy said. " Let's do it as soon as we get back."

" I hope the boys haven't splashed all the water out of the pool, " Bess said.

''They couldn't" George reminded her. " Remember, they went off on that gorgeous yacht! "

In late afternoon, Nancy and the other girls were sitting by the pool when the yacht returned. As it hove to around a bend in the canal, the girls broke out in a laugh. Ned, Burt, and Dave were lying flat on their backs on deck chairs, dropping grapes into their mouths like so many Roman emperors.

''This is the only way to live! " Dave cried.

There was a lot of teasing and small talk, then the boys had a swim before they all heeded the warning cry, " Dinner in half an hour! " and hurried to their rooms to get dressed.

After dinner, Nancy said, " Anyone ready for Fort Lauderdale Beach? "

" Yes! " Bess exclaimed. " I thought you'd never mention it."

After calling good-bye to Señ or Segovia and Carson Drew, the group started for Las Olas Boulevard that led directly to the beach. Andre was about to help them into the light blue limousine again, when Nancy stopped short.

" No, " she said. " It's not far and we're getting spoiled. I'd rather walk."

" Oh, really? " Ned said. " I should think you'd have some pity for us poor people. I've never ridden in a light blue limousine before"

" But the walk will be good for us" George declared. ''Honestly, you boys are so lazy"

''Lazy? " Burt cried. " Lazy? How would you like to push a Rover over half of New Jersey and then catch a plane in the wee hours of the morning? "

The kidding continued as they walked out the driveway. Behind them, Nancy noticed a tall, muscular man whom she had never seen before, and she stopped.

" Excuse me, but may I ask why you're following us? " she asked him.

The man smiled, crinkling the well-tanned, almost leathery skin of his face. " Not at all. Miss Drew. I'm Albert. I work for Señ or Segovia and he's told me to go along with you folks and make sure that everything is all right."

" You mean, you're a bodyguard! "

" Yes ma'am, I guess you could call it that. I'm supposed to see you don't get hit by cars or eaten by alligators and things like that."

They all laughed, but Ned was uncomfortable with the situation. " We'll be all right, " he declared. " We've got three men here who are capable of taking care of themselves."

Albert smiled. " I don't doubt that, Mr. Nickerson, and if it were up to me I wouldn't argue the point. But I work for Señ or Segovia and when he tells me to do something I generally do it because I want to keep eating and wearing good boots." Albert smiled again. It was clear that no one was going to change his mind.

''Well, all right, " Ned said, ''but you won't make it obvious, will you? "

" No. You won't even know I'm around unless there's trouble. There are two other fellows who'll be with us. They're up ahead. You probably won't see them but we'll all be in the neighborhood in case any of Señ or Stroessner's hoods decide to play rough."

With Albert drifting along behind them at a discreet distance, the boys besieged Nancy with questions.

" What's happening? " Burt asked. " We heard about your dad's kidnapping—"

" It's another case, isn't it? " Ned put in.

" Yes, " Nancy replied. " Actually, it's two cases, mine and my father's. He and Señ or Segovia are trying to track down stamp thieves while I'm supposed to find a bunch of burglars who don't steal anything."

" Tell us more, " Burt urged.

" Later, " Nancy said. " I promise. Now let's

relax and forget all about crooks, shall we? ''

Reluctantly, her friends agreed as they walked along Las Olas Boulevard toward the sea. It was in the oldest part of the city and was filled with beautiful shops, all with canopies built out over the sidewalks so that shoppers could stroll for blocks without getting heatstroke from the strong Florida sun.

" I can smell the sea, '' Nancy said, tilting her head and inhaling deeply.

" All I hear is a roar, " Bess said. " And it sounds more like a crowd than the ocean."

" It is a crowd, " Dave told her. " There are thousands of students here on their spring break."

Weary policemen, on foot and on motorbikes, moved among the young people, trying to make paths for the few unsuspecting motorists who had taken the beach road, and were now crawling along at a snail's pace.

At last, Nancy and her friends reached the beach. They took off their shoes, waded in the water, and talked with several vacationers, mostly about the trials of getting to Fort Lauderdale in this busy season.

Finally, everyone agreed it was time for snacks and soft drinks. They made their way back to the street and managed to struggle into a restaurant and out again with a huge order of pizza, spare ribs, hamburgers, and Cokes. They took their food to a vacant corner that Ned found in an alley between two apartment buildings. Wearily, they sat down on the curb.

Suddenly, in the midst of their meal, they heard a sharp cry. " Look out! Get out of the way!

A small truck hurtled up the alley from the beach with its lights out. The boys and girls scattered like tenpins, and their food wound up splattered all over the front of the truck. Seconds later, the vehicle plunged out the other end of the alley and turned onto a relatively quiet street that had not attracted the crowds.

''Who in the world was that? " Bess cried. " Look at my blouse! I’m covered with pizza."

" We're all full of food, " George grumbled. " On the outside, I mean."

Nancy was on her feet, staring up and down the alley. " Who gave us that warning shout? " she wondered.

Suddenly, a tall man with his hat pulled low over his face appeared at the head of the alley. Nancy wheeled and looked toward the other end. Two more men were approaching from that direction! In the dim light, she could not tell anything except that they seemed strong and walked very purposefully.

A cold shiver ran down the girl's spine.

" We're trapped! '' she hissed.