Close Encounters (Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective Book 21) by Carolyn Keene Page B

flashlights that you use in emergency work—the kind where the light pulses.”
    I cracked up. “You’re not supposed to be inspired by all this.”
    George winked. “Hey, it all could be fun.”
    I checked over my notes. “Besides hoaxes, of course, there are genuine mistakes. For instance the government might be testing some new top secret aircraft. If people saw the craft when light hit it in a certain way, they would think it was a flying saucer.”
    “And of course, officials would deny its existence,” George said. “Maybe that’s why the FBI is here. Maybe there’s no hoax, Nancy. Maybe it’s some kind of government cover-up.”
    “Could be.”
    “But you don’t think it’s likely,” George stated.
    “Not likely, no.” I shrugged. “If they aren’t genuine spaceships, then I’m sure they’re part of some kind of scheme to benefit someone.”
    “And you think that someone may be Nathan Blackman?”
    I nodded. “But all I have is a hunch and no evidence.”
    “Then our next step is to get some,” George declared.
    We decided our first stop would be Winnie’s café, to see how she was doing. If the place was back in decent shape, and if Winnie could spare her, we’d pick up Bess.
    Afterward we could go together to check out Nathan’s cabin. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to confront Nathan Blackman on my own in such a deserted place. If he happened to be home, so much the better; a conversation with the science fiction writer might give me a better idea of exactly what he was up to—if anything.
    We left the inn, and within minutes we were back on Main Street. The entrance to the café parking lot was blocked by an idling minivan with no driver inside. I began grumbling about inconsiderate polluters who didn’t give a hoot about the environment, but I broke off when George spotted a parking space.
    George and I got out of the car and were headed down the sidewalk when a woman’s shrill scream pierced the air.
    “Up there!” she shrieked. “Up there!”
    I looked up and shielded my eyes. Bands of grayclouds half-masked the afternoon sun, but the grayish sky was still bright.
    After a second I spotted a slender disk hovering above Winnie’s café. First it hung suspended in silence over the café, and then it zoomed upward with a loud whooshing sound. The spacecraft suddenly shifted to one side, then U-turned back east and vanished in a flash of light.
    “That’s the second daytime sighting. The first one I got on tape!” Izzy’s voice sounded out behind me. It was only then I realized that the whole time I was observing the UFO, a camera was panning around me and the crowd.
    “What’s your reaction?” Izzy asked.
    I braced myself to give some sort of noncommittal answer. As I turned, I saw her holding a microphone up to another onlooker. Maybe she’d given up on me.
    I didn’t bother to listen to the man’s response. Instead I caught George’s eye and telegraphed that we should ditch Izzy while we had a chance.
    We braved the crowd that had gathered, and gradually made our way to the café. Winnie was standing outside, and so were Joel and Mary Beth, the waiter. Where was Bess, though?
    “Did you see that?” Winnie was clearly shaken. “It hovered right over the roof. I was scared to death that it would crash right into the building!”
    “Winnie, it’s okay. The café’s okay. All that happened was the lights flickered,” Joel said, trying to calm her. But he looked upset too.
    “Maybe we should just forget about dinner tonight and—”
    “No,” Joel told her. “We’ve already done all the prep. You can’t waste the time or money, Winnie. We’ve got to tough this out tonight. Meanwhile, all the UFO did was rev up exposure for your restaurant. Let’s take advantage of it.”
    Winnie slowly nodded, then opened the door and led us inside.
    I took one look around and gasped.
    The place looked great. A new batch of baked goods was displayed behind the freshly