didnât come to Webb Cove to find Luke, if thatâs what youâre suggesting. I came to ski.â
Michael looked sternly at Nancy for a moment. Then he broke into a charming grin. âWhat I really should suggest is that you two get out of this wind before the snow gets any worse. Come on. Hop in the car and Iâll drive you to the lodge.â
âFantastic,â Nancy said gratefully, pushing Lukeâs âaccidentsâ and Michaelâs changing story about them to the back of her mind.
âThanks,â Ned added as they piled into the car.
By the time they reached Webb Cove, the blizzard had begun in earnestâwith the promise of much, much more snow to come.
Lights glowed from every window of the lodge as they approached it, and two cars loaded with luggage, skis, and people were pulling out.
Ned stepped out of the car slowly, wincing ashe put his weight on his bad ankle. âThis is already beginning to swell up again,â he said. âIâd better get off it.â He leaned over and gave Nancy a kiss before hobbling inside.
Nancy eased herself out of the car. She had a lot of questions to ask Michael, but she didnât know how to put them into words. He was so nice and straightforward, yet she couldnât help but realize that there was something strangeâand maybe a little ominousâabout his relationship to Luke.
Michael got out of the car. âItâs really beginning to come down, isnât it?â he said, flashing Nancy one of his heartwarming smiles and motioning to the whirling snow around them.
âShould mean good skiing,â Nancy replied, grinning.
âSure, when it stops in a few days and the sun comes out.â
Nancyâs grin vanished. âBut until then, weâll probably be stuck hereâsnowed in. No one will be able to get in to us, and we wonât be able to get out.â
Nancy took a deep breath. âAnd the way youâve been talking, it sounds like you think Luke is . . . insane. So before we get stuck in the lodge with him, I want you to stop hinting around about him and tell me straight!â
âI have no proof, Nancy, but Iâm worried,â Michael said soberly. âMaybe you and your friends should get out of here before the storm closes down the roads. You saw those people leaving just now. Theyâve got sense.
âPeople from out of state usually think being in Vermont during a blizzard will be great. But if the power lines go down and you have no electricityâwhich also means no ski liftsâitâs just awful.â
âIt seems crazy to leave a ski area in the middle of a huge snowstorm,â Nancy commented.
âWell, why donât you talk to the others about it?â Michael said.
âI will,â Nancy told him. âAnd why donât you come in and wait for a break in the snow before you drive back to the Overlook?â Michael smiled and followed Nancy inside.
The lodge was warm and cheerful. A huge fire roared up the chimney in the lounge, and as they entered, George and Luke came through the back door carrying armloads of logs.
âAbout time you brought my Jeep back,â Luke said curtly. He noticed Michael. Nancy saw him swallow hard, then make the difficult decision to ignore him totally.
Michael raised an eyebrow. âThey didnâtââ
Nancy brought her heel down on Michaelâs toe. âWe didnât mean to be so late,â she finished smoothly. âDid we, Ned?â
Luke wasnât paying attention. He dropped his load of logs on the hearth and strode back out again without a word.
âGeorge,â Nancy said hastily, âthis is the guy who rescued me when I fell, the one I wanted you to meet last night. Michael, meet George.â
Michael came forward at once with his handout, smiling. âI hear we have a lot in common! Bess says youâre practically an Olympic skier. Iâd be