Update On Crime (3 page)

T
HE VOICE
and the horrible masked face faded from the screen. Silence filled the booth.

For a moment, Nancy just sat there, stunned. Someone had gone to fiendish lengths to terrify Hal Taylor.

“The voice was obviously electronically disguised,” Nancy said at last.

“Yeah, you can't begin to tell who the guy was,” Valerie agreed.

Or woman, Nancy thought.

Valerie gave Nancy a puzzled glance. “Why are
you
so interested in this tape, anyway?”

Nancy tried to act casual. “Hal just asked me to look at it for him. I guess because I'm going to be his assistant.”

She was relieved when Valerie nodded and busied herself with the control panel. It wouldn't do to blow her cover!

While Valerie's back was turned, Nancy quickly scanned the contents of the booth. She spotted a glint of something shiny between the wall and one of the monitors. Running her hand alongside the monitor, she fished out an odd-looking pen. It was a novelty pen, the kind that companies hand out to promote business. The top of the pen had a liquid capsule containing a miniature truck. When she shook the pen, the truck ran back and forth.

Looking more closely, Nancy saw that most of the lettering on the pen had worn off. She could barely make out the letter
K
on it. She supposed anyone could have dropped it there, but her detective's intuition told her that she had just stumbled across a clue.

Nancy pocketed the pen and thanked Valerie for her help, then returned to the newsroom.

She found Hal Taylor in his office, which was down the hallway from the newsroom. The anchorman's desk was covered with all sorts of unusual knickknacks. He noticed her staring at one of the goofier items, a long-necked bird that endlessly bobbed its head into a glass of water.

“This is Harry the absurd bird,” he said, grinning. “Collecting this kind of stuff is a passion of mine. If it's totally useless but fun, it's for me.

Nancy laughed. Then, turning serious, she closed the office door and said, “I wanted to ask
you about your relationship with Marilyn Morgan.”

Hal took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “Boy, you don't beat around the bush, do you?” he said. “That's all right, though. I like that. You'd make a good reporter.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” Nancy said, and smiled. “Now, about Marilyn . . .”

Hal shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I guess you've heard Marilyn and I aren't seeing each other anymore.” Nancy nodded. “I have to take the blame for the breakup,” he continued slowly. “It's just that Marilyn got so competitive with me on major stories. My work is all about competition. I guess I just didn't want my personal life to be that way, too.”

Nancy could understand that. It had to be hard working at such a high-pressure job with someone you were dating. “How has she been acting since the breakup?” she asked, sitting down in one of the two chairs next to his desk.

“I guess she took it pretty hard,” Hal said. “I've been sort of seeing someone else recently—a waitress who works across town. Marilyn saw us together before we finalized the breakup. That didn't go over too well with her.”

“Do you think there could be any connection to the threats against you?” Nancy interrupted.

Hal looked genuinely shocked. “No! Marilyn's been difficult recently, but she'd never risk her career by pulling the kind of stunts we're talking about.”

Nancy wasn't convinced, but she decided to let
the matter drop for the moment. “What about a connection to someone outside?” she asked. “Have you been working on any stories that could have provoked a retaliation?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Hal said. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bulky file, which he pushed across the desk to Nancy. “It so happens I've been thinking along those same lines myself.”

Hal explained that the attacks had begun while he was developing a story about State Representative Steve Gilbert, a local politician. “Gilbert has a Mr. Clean reputation, but in reality he's been accepting bribes left and right,” Hal said. “I found a source who's willing to spill the beans on camera. We go to air with it on Monday. Gilbert's career will be finished, and he knows it—I wouldn't put it past him to be behind something like this.”

“So Steve Gilbert knows about the story,” Nancy said.

Hal gave her a wry smile. “Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if he's guessed. My interview with him was rather stormy. Even though I didn't make any direct accusations, I think he understood what I was getting at.”

“What about the legal aspects of a story like this?” Nancy asked. “Have you called the police?”

Hal shook his head. “No, this story is what we call enterprise reporting,” he explained. “I've collected all the evidence myself. What usually happens in these types of stories is that
after
the
story runs, the district attorney will follow up with his own investigation.”

Nancy asked for a list of the companies that supposedly had been bribing Steve Gilbert. Hal dug out a sheet of paper that had several names on it. Topping the list was a company called KSM Express.

“KSM is a local trucking company that's been bribing Steve Gilbert to avoid complying with safety and pollution laws,” Hal explained. “I'm hitting Gilbert and the company pretty hard in my upcoming report.”

“Where can I find Steve Gilbert?” she asked.

“At the statehouse in Springfield,” Hal said. He glanced at his watch, then jumped to his feet. “One of our reporters is on his way there to get a few more shots for my story. If we hurry, maybe we can catch him.”

The two of them raced out to the parking lot, where a man in his late twenties, with brushed-back sandy hair and dark eyes, was standing beside a camera and some other equipment that was piled next to a news van. The man had a lean, wiry frame and a sour look on his face.

“Gary Krieger, this is my new intern, Nancy Drew,” Hal said as he and Nancy stopped next to him. “Since she's training to be a reporter, I want her to get her feet wet on a real assignment.”

Gary scowled. “Got anybody else you want me to baby-sit today?” he snapped.

“C'mon, Krieger—” Hal began.

“Thank you, I promise I won't get in the way,” Nancy said quickly. Before the reporter could
object, she climbed into the backseat. A red-haired young man appeared a moment later and loaded some equipment in beside her.

“Hi, I'm Danny McAnliss,” he said to Nancy. He handed her a bulky tape machine that had a cable and microphone attached to it. “I'm the cameraman. Your job will be to monitor the sound levels while we're taping our assignment today—I'll show you how once we get to the state capitol building.”

With that, he closed the van's sliding door. Then he and Gary Krieger climbed into the front seats.

The ride started out in an uncomfortable silence. Gary didn't say a word until after he had turned onto the highway leading toward Springfield. Looking at Nancy in the rearview mirror, he said, “I didn't mean to be so rude back there. It's just that Hal Taylor gets on my nerves in a major way.”

“Why is that?” Nancy asked.

“I'm doing all his work while he's busy being a pretty boy on camera.” Gary slapped the car seat for emphasis. “Like today's assignment. I've done all the legwork on this story about Steve Gilbert. But when it goes on air, you can bet Hal Taylor won't share any of the credit. Isn't that right, Danny?”

Danny, the cameraman, nodded in agreement. “Sharing the limelight isn't Hal Taylor's specialty,” he declared. “I say they never should have made him anchor over you, Gary.”

“You were supposed to be the anchorman
instead of Hal?” Nancy asked Gary, suddenly alert.

Gary's scowl returned. He didn't reply, but Danny continued talking eagerly. “Gary was up for the job when it came open last year. Then the station's execs went out and brought in Hal Taylor from Seattle. To get better ratings, they said.”

“I guess my eyes weren't green enough for the camera,” Gary muttered. “What makes it worse is that Hal Taylor isn't worth his salt as a reporter,” he added bitterly.

Nancy decided to press Gary for more information about the threats against Hal. “Everyone's talking about what happened on last night's news,” she said. “Who do
you
think is threatening him?”

“Someone who's trying to do us all a favor,” Gary said, letting out a snort.

Nancy was shocked by the hatred in his voice. It was clear that Hal had made at least one enemy in his rise to the top! As soon as they returned to the station, she intended to look for evidence linking Gary Krieger to the threats against Hal Taylor.

The ride to Springfield took more than two hours. Fortunately, it was a clear day, with no hint of snow. Finally they pulled within sight of the capitol. As the van pulled over the top of the hill, Nancy could see the glittering gold dome of the state capitol building.

Moments later, the van pulled into the sweeping circular drive that led to the statehouse. Gary
leapt out of the van even before it came to a complete stop at the curb.

“Can you manage the recorder, Nancy? It's pretty heavy,” Danny said as he unloaded some of the equipment.

“No problem,” Nancy replied. She grabbed the bulky recorder with its microphone, then followed Gary and Danny up the capitol steps.

Inside the statehouse, Gary led the way down a maze of polished hallways until they reached the large, paneled door of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee Room. They made their way past several politicians and aides who were waiting for the meeting to get started.

Gary turned and looked over his shoulder at Nancy. “Just try not to get in our way while Danny and I are working,” he snapped.

“Don't mind him,” Danny whispered apologetically as they went into the meeting room. “He always gets this way when he's working on a story.”

Nancy helped Danny set up the recorder and check the sound levels. Then she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

“Nancy Drew, what are
you
doing here?” a familiar voice spoke loudly behind her.

Nancy whirled to find herself staring at Brenda Carlton. The petite, dark-haired reporter was dressed in a white silk blouse, a butternut leather miniskirt, and matching boots. Nancy felt her heart sink.

Brenda was notorious for running sensationalized stories in
Today's Times,
a tabloid that was
owned by her father. She was always meddling in Nancy's investigations, and she had come close to wrecking several of them. Now she was gaping at Nancy's microphone with open curiosity.

“Working for WRVH-TV now, are you?” Brenda asked. “Isn't that a bit of a switch for our local girl detec—”

“I could just as easily ask the same of you,” Nancy interrupted smoothly. She stifled a sense of panic. Brenda had almost blown her intern cover! “What brings
you
here today?” she asked, hoping to change the focus of the conversation.

Brenda took the bait. “I'm doing an exclusive feature profile on the committee chairman, Steve Gilbert,” she said, flicking back her hair with an impeccably manicured nail. “He's a rising star in the political world, you know. Today he's getting an award for legislation he lobbied for on behalf of the trucking industry.”

All the votes that money can buy, Nancy thought, recalling Hal's information about the bribes that Steve Gilbert had accepted in exchange for votes that were favorable to the companies paying him. However, she wouldn't blow Hal's scoop by passing along that information to Brenda.

“So are you here working on a case?” Brenda pressed. Nancy was grateful that Gary and Danny were out of earshot, getting a light reading.

“No, I'm just working as an intern until the holidays. I'll tell you all about it later,” Nancy promised as she moved away quickly. She pretended to take notes while Steve Gilbert and the
other members of the committee entered the room. Brenda looked annoyed, but she didn't follow Nancy across the room.

The committee room resembled a courtroom, with rows of wooden benches for the audience and an elevated dais for the committee members. There weren't many people in the audience—the reporters easily outnumbered the spectators. Gary and Danny had chosen a good spot for their camera setup, directly in front of the chairman's seat.

Nancy noticed a pompous-looking man with a mane of blow-dried silver hair enter the hearing room. When he took the chairman's seat, she knew he was Steve Gilbert. He banged his gavel to bring the meeting to order. He made a few self-serving remarks before accepting an award from a representative from the trucking industry.

When the presentation was finished, Danny clicked off the bright TV camera lights and started disassembling the camera setup. Steve Gilbert glanced in the direction of the Channel 9 news crew.

“I guess I should call a brief recess while our
friends
in the media make their exit,” he commented sourly. He banged the gavel again to signal the recess.

Gary just shrugged and continued packing the equipment. Nancy quickly helped Danny fold the cumbersome light stands and pack them away.

This would be a good time to ask him some questions, Nancy decided. She wanted to check
out Hal's suspicions that Steve Gilbert was somehow involved in the threats against him. While Gary and Danny had their backs turned, she approached Mr. Gilbert.

“Representative Gilbert?” she began, stopping him as he walked across the room toward the exit.

Gilbert's professional politician's smile faded as he looked at her. “Aren't you with the crew from Channel Nine?” he demanded. “I don't have anything to say to anyone from Hal Taylor's station.”