Carolyn Keene [Keene - Double Crossing

This book made available by the Internet Archive.

DOUBLE CROSSING

Chapter One

F

rank Hardy! What are you doing here?" Nancy Drew looked up at the young man's handsome face with an inquiring smile. She hadn't seen her friend in ages, and here they were, bumping into each other on the deck of a luxury cruise ship. "This is truly incredible." Nancy laughed.

The offshore breeze was whipping her reddish blond hair across her face, so Nancy set her luggage on the deck and tucked the unruly strands behind her ears. Just then a group of passengers slowly filed by them, checking out the ship and talking quietly.

A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

Frank gave her a friendly but distant look. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else," he said politely.

Nancy looked at him again. He was about six feet tall, lean, and muscular. An expensive camera dangled around his neck, and he was wearing a blue and white T-shirt with a picture of the cruise ship they were onthe S.S. Duchess. A small plastic tag pinned to his shirt read Crew Member.

Still, that smiling face was definitely Frank Hardy's. It wasn't the kind of face any girl could forget.

Nancy glanced into Frank's deep brown eyes again. This time she caught a wink.

"Oh. Sorry," she murmured coolly. "You really do look exactly like someone I went to high school with. By the way, my name is Nancy Drew. My girlfriend George Fayne is the assistant social director on this cruise. Perhaps you know her."

"Well, you've got the first name right, anyway. I'm Frank Bresson, the ship's photographer." Frank extended his hand and squeezed hers warmly. "Nice to meet you, Nancy."

Behind them, the crowd had scattered. Nancy looked around and saw that they were alone. "What's going on, Frank?" she asked softly.

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Frank's eyes darted around the deck and he nodded his head toward one of the halls leading off it. Nancy followed him down the hall.

"The captain of this ship hired Joe and me to work undercover. Joe's a busboy in the dining roomwould you believe it? He doesn't seem to mind. There are lots of pretty waitresses for him to hang out with."

Nancy laughed. Frank's younger brother, Joe, was a notorious flirt. "Same old Joe, huh?" she said.

"Same old Joe."

"How's Callie?" Callie Shaw was Frank's longtime girlfriend.

"She's great. She"

Frank was about to say more, when the elevator doors opened behind them and a crowd got out. There were a party of elderly women and a few staff personnel. Nancy watched as Frank scanned the group.

Then, just as the elevator doors were closing, a group of five young people about Nancy and Frank's age, eighteen or so, came up behind them.

"Ratswe missed it," muttered a thin, blond-haired girl. She pressed the call button repeatedly.

The five were obviously togethertwo girls and three guys. They were laughing and jos

A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

tling one another, but when they noticed Nancy and Frank, they stopped fooling around and stood in silence.

Well, thought Nancy. Might as well make friends. We're all going to be spending five days on the same boat. "Hi, there," she said with a smile.

She was greeted with five stony stares.

"How's it going?" Frank asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" the blond girl asked sarcastically, glaring at Frank.

The look of surprise on Frank's face flashed on like a neon light and then quickly flashed off again. Wonder what I did to set her off, he thought. But all he said was, "Sorry, just doing my job."

The five friends stared at the camera hanging around Frank's neck. Then one of the guysthe one with glasses and a university sweatshirtheld up a make-believe camera to his face and pretended to snap Frank's picture. The others all giggled.

"Come on, let's take the stairs," a blond guy suggested. "Leave the guy alone, Connor. You heard himhe's only doing his job."

"Yeah, okay," the others said.

They all moved away from the elevator at

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the same time. Frank and Nancy stared after them as they headed for the companionway.

"Talk about an attitude problem," Frank said when the five kids were gone and he and Nancy were alone again.

Just then, another passenger appeared in the hallway. Nancy and Frank turned away from each other and pretended to be strangers waiting for the elevator.

When the passenger had passed them, Nancy leaned toward Frank. "I'm staying with my friend," she whispered, to let him know where to contact her.

"Oh, yes. The assistant social director. I saw her name on the ship's log when I signed on today. She's in Cabin Thirty-seven, I believe," Frank whispered back. Then, in a louder voice, he added, "Well, have a good trip, miss."

A moment later the elevator doors opened again, and Frank got on with a secret wave and a wink.

Nancy turned away from the elevator as the public address system came to life. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Duchess," a gruffbut friendly voice said. "This is Captain Helgesen speaking. We're off on a five-day Caribbean Sea cruise from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico, home of the ancient Mayan ruins. We hope you have a pleasant journey, and please

A Nancy Drew &> Hardy Boys SuperMystery

remember, we're here to serve you! Bon voyage!"

Nancy threaded her way back to her luggage, through the passengers who were coming on board, curious about what Frank Hardy had said. Frank and Joe were excellent detectives, with many tough cases to their credit. Their dad was a well-known private investigator and a super sleuth himself. If the Hardys were on a case, that meant there was trouble on board the Duchess.

But then, Nancy had to remind herself, she was there to have fun in the sun. And this time she'd leave the detecting to the Hardys and concentrate on relaxing. That's why George had invited her, and that's just what she intended to do. Still, she couldn't help being a little curious about what the Hardy brothers were up to.

"Cabin number thirty-seven," Nancy said to herself as she walked down the hall, checking the numbers on the door. She pulled the door to number thirty-seven open and set her luggage down on the lower bunk. The room was tiny but spotless, and the bright white of the walls made it seem larger than it really was. Colorful plaid bedspreads added a cheerful note.

On the pillow of her bed Nancy saw a note from George welcoming her aboard. In it she

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told Nancy to meet her on the Crown Deck, where she was working.

Nancy unpacked quickly, pulling a card from Ned Nickerson out of her purse and putting it on top of her bureau, where she could look at it. She read it once again.

"My Dear Ms. Detective," it said. "While you're sailing off into the sunset, how am I supposed to solve a not-so-mysterious case of loneliness? Miss you, and see you when you get home. Love, Ned."