Shadow of a Doubt (13 page)

“Good,” Nancy said, picking up the phone. Within a few minutes she had arranged for Chris to go along with the DA to the bank the next day to recover the evidence.

Nancy was just hanging up the phone when the door to Gleason's apartment flew open. She put the phone down. Chris and Kate froze.
Cheryl put her hand to her mouth, suppressing a scream.

Standing in the doorway were Dennis Allard and Peter Nicodemus. They both had guns. And between them, with his hands tied in front of him, was Carson Drew.

D
ON'T YOU EVEN WANT
to say hello to your father, Nancy?” Allard asked. “You two might want to enjoy what little time you have left.”

In disbelief, Nancy let out a gasp. They had been so close! She could tell her father was struggling to remain calm, but he was breathing heavily, and his face was ashen.

“You—” Chris shouted, throwing himself at Dennis Allard.

“Chris, stop,” Cheryl cried. But it was too late. Allard had evidently expected the charge, because he was ready.

Chris had come at Allard headfirst. Allard
stepped to the side and brought the butt of his gun down on Chris's head as he sailed past him. Chris slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Cheryl let out another cry and ran over to where Chris lay. Kate put her hands to her mouth in horror.

“That should show you we're serious,” Nicodemus said to no one in particular.

“I didn't doubt it,” Nancy answered. She exchanged a look with her father. “Be ready,” it said. He nodded almost imperceptibly.

Chris was coming around, and Allard poked at him with his foot. “Get up, hot shot,” he said. “You're an important part of our plan, and we can't use you if you're unconscious.”

Nancy tried to keep her thoughts straight. What did Allard mean? Why would Chris Gleason be an important part of his plan? What did the two men have in mind?

Allard pulled Chris to his feet. Nicodemus handed his gun to Allard and used clothesline to tie first Cheryl's and then Kate's hands together. Nancy noticed with relief that he was tying them together in front rather than behind their backs. Mobility would be crucial if they were to manage an escape.

“Be careful,” Allard said. “We don't want there to be any marks.”

“I remember,” Nicodemus said sullenly. All the charm Nancy had observed in both Allard and Nicodemus had disappeared.

Nicodemus came over to Nancy, holding out the clothesline. “You're next, girl detective,” he said with a sneer.

Nancy held out her hands and kept her eyes not on Allard or Nicodemus, but on Cheryl and Kate. She was trying to judge how much help they could be. Not much, she decided, when she saw that both girls were blinking back tears.

Nicodemus had finished tying Nancy's hands together. The rope was fastened too tight for Nancy to get any slack.

“Ready?” Allard asked. Nicodemus nodded and then picked up a brown shopping bag he had left just inside the room. He dropped the clothesline into the bag.

“Follow me,” Allard said, and he gave Nicodemus his gun back. Allard drew another, smaller gun from his inside jacket pocket. He held the larger revolver in his right hand, and the smaller gun in his left. Then he motioned for Chris, Kate, and Cheryl to go ahead of him out the door.

Nicodemus put his gun into Nancy's back and pulled Carson along after him.

“Don't try anything, Drew,” he said. “You wouldn't want to be responsible for another death, would you?” He gave a sadistic, nasal chuckle.

As Nancy felt the gun's barrel in her back, she tried to think of a plan. There had to be
some way out of this, she thought. Maybe someone would hear them and call the police. Maybe they could disarm the men. But that was hopeless with their hands tied, she realized.

Nicodemus pushed Nancy after Allard down the long hallway to the elevator. Her father was at her side.

“What do you think they're going to do?” Carson mouthed.

“I wish I knew,” Nancy mouthed back.

Allard was at the elevator, holding the door open. He herded the Gleasons, Cheryl, and Nancy and her father inside, then let the door close after he and Nicodemus had stepped in.

He pushed the button for the basement, and the elevator descended with a slow and steady creaking noise.

Nancy thought about making a move, but they were trapped inside the elevator. Even if she could disarm Nicodemus, Allard would turn a gun on her immediately.

She couldn't try anything heroic unless the others were prepared. Nancy nudged her father, who nodded his head. Then she tried to make eye contact with Chris, but his head hung down to his chest. He was barely conscious.

Before Nancy could think of anything, the elevator stopped at the basement. Allard put both guns in one hand, pulled the door open,
and waited while Nicodemus shoved Nancy and her father out of the elevator.

Allard followed, both guns held on Chris, Cheryl, and Kate. Nicodemus had stopped, and Allard was shouting directions at him across the small hallway.

“Down there, around the corner. The room with all the junk in it.” He had obviously been there before, Nancy thought.

“Hurry up,” Allard said. “We're running out of time.”

Nancy darted a look to her left before Nicodemus pushed her down the hall. There it was, the small door that led to the alley behind the building. Dim light showed through its dirty window.

Nicodemus pulled her down the short corridor and around the corner to the right. They were in a dirty room piled high with old furniture, mattresses, and cardboard boxes full of newspaper.

“Perfect,” Allard said, coming around the corner. He turned on an old electrician's light hanging from a rusty metal pipe that ran along the low ceiling.

Allard sat Cheryl and Kate down on some boxes. Nicodemus kept his gun on Nancy and her father as he reached down into the bag. He pulled out a red-and-yellow metal can, clearly marked Gasoline.

With a shock, Nancy realized there had to be
only one reason for that can. Allard and Nicodemus were going to set the building on fire and let them all go up in flames with it!

Chris saw the can. “You're not thinking about—” He couldn't finish the sentence.

“Not right away,” Allard said. “That's step two. First, we need to worry about step one.”

“You're not going to get away with this,” Nancy said. She tried to sound as threatening as possible. “The district attorney is on his way right now. He knows we're here.”

“My plan takes all that into account,” Allard said with a sneer. “As soon as I caught you in my building this afternoon, I realized it was only a matter of time before the DA was involved.”

Nicodemus smiled and spoke. “And when I came to after you knocked me out, the first person I called was Dennis. He was the one who thought of this brilliant plan. Luckily, your father was home. Naturally, we convinced him to tell us where you were.”

“But Nicodemus has been here before, right? The night he pushed Robert Gleason out his window,” Nancy said.

Chris and Kate stared at Nancy. Carson drew in a sharp breath.

Allard laughed. “You're not a very good detective. Actually, if you really want to know,
I
was the one who killed Gleason.” He stared hard at Nancy.

“Because you knew he had the proof you thought had been destroyed,” Nancy added.

“Exactly.” Allard's eyes narrowed. “I was sure every sign pointing to my guilt was gone. I even checked the computer records. But Cheryl here was better at finding something buried deep in the computer than I was.”

Cheryl blinked back tears.

“What about the money?” Chris asked.

“They had it all along,” Nancy concluded. “That's what you and Nicodemus used to start up the Convex Corporation, wasn't it? In fact, you were both in on the embezzling right from the start, weren't you?”

She shot a glance at her father. Somehow they had to keep them talking until they came up with a plan. Carson nodded imperceptibly.

“I can't believe you two,” Carson said, his face reddening in anger. “Together, you let an innocent man go to jail. And then you were going to let me take the fall for it!”

Allard met Carson's eyes for the first time. “I didn't feel happy about it, believe me. But when Gleason started coming around again, I knew it was either you or me.”

Nancy narrowed her eyes. “It wasn't just my father, either,” she said. “You nearly killed Chris with that stunt you pulled at his garage.”

“We thought maybe that trick and our little car chase would scare you enough to give up your investigation,” Nicodemus confirmed.

“But you underestimated Nancy,” Cheryl told him hotly.

“Mr. Drew, I have to congratulate you on having such a smart—and persistent—daughter,” Allard said.

“Smarter than you think—” Carson began.

Nicodemus interrupted him. “We're wasting time, Dennis,” he said impatiently. He pulled Cheryl to her feet.

Allard reached over and grabbed Kate. Then he gave Chris the smaller gun.

“You see the situation,” he said to Chris, pointing out Carson and Nancy. “It's a shame, but you have no choice. If you want to keep your sister and girlfriend alive, you're going to have to kill Carson Drew and his famous daughter, Nancy.”

N
ANCY WATCHED
as Chris tried to push the gun aside. It was futile. With his hands tied together he was only able to knock it to the floor.

“You're crazy,” he said, staring at Allard. “What makes you think I'd kill them?”

“Do you really want to risk it?” Allard leaned down to pick up the gun, keeping the revolver poised on Kate. He handed the gun to Chris again.

“Chris, don't,” Nancy said desperately. She had to stop him from doing anything rash. “Can't you see what they're planning?” She
pointed to the can of gasoline. “They're not going to let any of us go!”

“Listen to Nancy, Chris,” Carson pleaded. “Now that he's told us he killed your father, Allard's not going to let you go. You know too much.”

Cheryl looked as though she were about to faint. Kate stared at her brother.

Chris looked over at the can of gasoline and then back at Nancy and Carson. Nancy took a deep breath and tried, despite her fear, to plan some kind of escape.

Her mind was on the door to the alley. There was a slim chance they could all make a run for it if she could get them all moving at the same time.

Suddenly her attention was diverted by Chris leaping at Nicodemus.

The move took Nicodemus by surprise. He let go of Cheryl. She swung both her hands at his gun, sending it flying across the floor. Nicodemus stood there, disarmed and helpless, facing Chris, who was still armed.

Allard was so stunned he almost dropped his guard on Kate. She was about to squirm free when Allard strengthened his grip on her.

“Let her go, or I'll shoot him,” Chris shouted.

Nancy stared at the gun that had flown out of Nicodemus's hand. She couldn't do
anything until she was sure that Allard wasn't going to shoot Chris.

What happened next shocked everyone.

“Go ahead and shoot him,” Allard said.

Nicodemus stared at his business partner. “Dennis, what are you saying?”

Nancy saw her chance. While Allard was concentrating on Nicodemus, she nudged her father, then ran for Nicodemus's gun on the floor. Before Allard had a chance to react, Carson Drew was on him, pounding away with his two fists at the hand that held the gun.

A shot went off as the gun flew from Allard's hand. Nancy dashed across the room and in one swift move kicked Nicodemus's gun farther across the floor.

Then Nancy saw that her father was still wrestling with Allard. She hurled herself at the two men.

“Let go of him,” she shouted.

Allard let go of Carson and looked up at Nancy. He tried to pull himself off the ground, scrambling to run away.