Murder On Ice by Carolyn Keene Page A

broken.”
    â€œThen hold my hands and see if you can wriggle out.” Ned braced himself against the fallen tree trunk.
    Carefully, cautiously, Nancy twisted one way, then the other. It was like trying to get a cork out of a bottle. Slowly and painfully, she emerged. When she was finally free, she and Ned fell into each other’s arms.
    â€œI’m afraid we’ll have to walk to shelter,” Ned said finally. “It’s starting to grow dark, and the storm’s getting worse. We can’t stay on thisroad!” He thought for a second. “We must have come more than halfway. Our best bet is to head for Webb Cove.”
    â€œYou can’t walk on that ankle—”
    â€œIf you’re going to suggest that I let you go alone,” Ned interrupted, “don’t bother. Don’t even think it! If I thought I was going to be able to ski today, surely I can take a short walk.” Ned retrieved his crutches from where they had fallen in the road and he and Nancy, both still dazed, started slowly toward the lodge.
    All at once Nancy began to laugh. Ned looked at her in alarm. “What are you giggling about? Are you sure you didn’t break something in that beautiful head of yours?”
    Nancy shook her head. “I was just thinking—if Luke looked murderous before, think what his face will be like when he finds out what we’ve done to his precious Jeep!”
    â€œI’m thinking,” Ned said grimly, “but I’m not laughing.”
    â€œI know,” Nancy commented. “This time he’s really going to kill us!” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Nancy wished she could take them back. They’d come out sounding much more sinister than she’d meant. “Hey, what do you think, Ned? Could this be one more of Luke’s planned ‘accidents’?”
    Ned groaned. “I bet you’re right. Brakes don’t usually just fail like that.”
    â€œAnd Luke’s the most obvious person, isn’t he? I mean, he’s always involved somehow—hisskis, his Jeep, the rope tow he was supposed to take care of—Wait, I hear something,” Nancy exclaimed excitedly.
    Behind them a motor sounded faintly. It grew louder, and then headlights swept around the curve. Nancy and Ned jumped out of the road, then started waving madly at the driver. The car slowed to a stop.
    â€œDon’t tell me you two tried to walk,” Michael’s voice said. Then he added in a shocked tone, “Was that your wreck I just passed? What happened?”
    Nancy shook her head. “Something went wrong with the brakes.” She shuddered.
    â€œHow did you get the thing to stop?” Michael asked gently.
    â€œNancy ran it up on a fallen tree,” Ned said proudly. “If it weren’t for that, neither one of us would be alive.”
    Michael frowned. “I thought Luke was going to take the Jeep back from you.”
    â€œHe never found Ned,” Nancy explained. “I think when you mentioned Dieter Mueller, he just got too upset to worry about it.” She waited curiously for Michael’s reaction.
    Michael gave a short, mirthless laugh. “This is exactly the kind of thing I tried to warn you about, Nancy.”
    Ned’s eyes narrowed. “Suppose you spell it out.”
    â€œCarelessness with his equipment—or dangerous jokes. Especially to get even with people whoannoy him. People who take his wheels without asking, for instance.”
    â€œSome joke,” Ned said.
    Hmm, Nancy thought, something funny is going on here. Michael didn’t mention dangerous pranks before. . . .
    â€œMaybe it wasn’t a joke,” Michael said. He turned to Nancy. “Your friend said you’re a detective. How much digging around into Ericsen’s past have you been doing?”
    â€œAll I know is what you’ve told me,” Nancy said evasively. “I certainly