Nobody's Business by Carolyn Keene Page B

you,” Chief McGinnis told her.
    â€œCould you also check out a woman named Colleen Morgan or Colleen O’Herlihy?” Nancy asked.
    There was a long pause before the police chief inquired, “You mean the wife of Frederick Morgan, as in Morgan Lumber, Morgan Steel, Morgan Financial Services . . . ?”
    â€œThat’s the one. It looks as if she went to high school with Lewis. Not that that necessarily means anything, but if there’s any connection between them, I’d like to know what it is.”
    â€œI’ll put someone on this right away,” Chief McGinnis said. “Where do you want me to call you with the information?”
    Nancy thought for a moment. “I’ll call you,” she decided. “Colleen Morgan’s working here at the inn. I don’t want to risk her overhearing me. Why don’t I try you in an hour or two?”
    â€œGood enough,” the chief agreed. “We should have something by then.”
    After thanking him, Nancy hung up. When she returned to the basement, everyone was moving the last of the furniture to the base of the stairs.
    Nancy wanted to ask Andrew whether he’d really offered Blaster the deejay job, but Blaster was right next to him, helping him move a dresser. Seeing Bess and Natalia Diaz struggling to carry a fire-blackened mattress from a pile of them at the back of the basement, Nancy went over to help. They dumped it near some others near the stairs, then returned to the back wall for another.
    â€œPhew,” Nancy said as she grabbed one end of the mattress. “This thing stinks.”
    Wrinkling up her nose, Bess added, “From the smell down here, you’d think the fire happened yesterday instead of fifty years ago.”
    â€œMy eyes are watering,” Natalia put in. “The first thing Andrew should do once we clear out this stuff is fumigate the place.”
    Nancy’s eyes were beginning to water, too, and her throat felt dry. There was a choking, bitter smell in the air.
    Suddenly she paused and cocked her head.“Do you smell something?” Nancy asked Bess and Natalia.
    Natalia nodded. “It’s getting hard to breathe. And it’s getting hot in here, too.”
    â€œIt’s the exercise,” Bess said, grunting under the weight of the mattress. “All this heavy lifting is making us burn calories faster—”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Nancy interrupted. She dropped her corner of the mattress, a feeling of dread welling up in the pit of her stomach. A moment later she pointed in horror at the huge pile of broken wooden furniture directly between them and the stairwell.
    A thick plume of choking, black smoke rose from the pile, rapidly filling the basement. Already the other teens in the basement were coughing and rubbing their eyes.
    As Nancy watched, the huge pile of furniture erupted into flames. Almost instantly everything was awash in a searing orange blaze.
    â€œLet’s get out of here!” Nancy cried.
    She pulled Bess and Natalia toward the stairs, but their way was blocked by a wall of rapidly spreading flames. The other teens were scrambling around the burning debris, too, looking for an escape route.
    Within seconds the fire had completely engulfed the base of the stairs, and Nancy realized the awful truth.
    They were trapped in an underground inferno, and there was no way out!

Chapter

Thirteen
    W E’RE GOING TO DIE !” Bess cried. The other teenagers started screaming, too.
    Nancy’s eyes and lungs were burning, but she tried to remain calm. “Stay low, everybody!” she yelled. “And keep your nose and mouth covered!”
    As the others obeyed, Nancy squinted through the heavy smoke. If she didn’t find some way out, they’d all be fried to a crisp in minutes.
    â€œI never should have piled all that stuff in front of the stairs!” Andrew yelled from close by. His black hair was