Part 7 (1/2)
CHAPTER VI.
Witches
QUICKLY Nancy stopped the car. She and George got out and laid the unconscious girl on the front seat of the convertible.
As they leaned over Bess, worried, their friend raised her eyelids and blinked. Then she gingerly tried to sit up.
”Ow!” she moaned, sinking down again and putting a hand to her forehead. ”I certainly gave my head a bang!”
”All of us might have been killed!” George cried indignantly. ”Who could have been so careless?”
Nancy noticed an excavation for a building and a neat pile of the cinder blocks off to the side. She declared that the obstruction seemed to have been caused by more than carelessness. ”I think it was done deliberately!”
”The hex is at fault,” Bess muttered, sitting up cautiously.
Nancy and George carried the blocks out of the way so they could drive on. Bess sat and watched them through the open door of the car. Suddenly a piece of paper stuck between two of the blocks caught her eye.
Bess got out and picked up the paper. There was writing on it.
”Listen!” she cried, and read, ”'Nancy Drew, witches are not wanted in Amish country.' ”
Nancy and George rushed to Bess's side and read the note themselves.
”This explains a lot,” Nancy said. ”I bet that man who pa.s.sed us was Roger Hoelt in disguise! He knew these blocks were here and threw them into the road and left this note!”
The cousins gasped. ”You're right,” said George, ”and we're after him. Come on!”
The girls quickly got into the car and started off. Bess remarked that the man had such a head start they would never be able to find him.
”We'll watch for his tire tracks in the dust,” Nancy said. She thought it should be easy to trail the man, for the road was not well traveled and was extremely dusty.
As they rode along, Nancy said she had a new slant on the case. The couple for whom Manda might be working were Roger Hoelt and his wife.
”You mean they're posing as an Amish couple?” George asked.
”Yes. Since he once lived here, he'd know just how to do it.”
”I agree. But how long are we going to follow these tracks?” Bess asked.
”If we don't catch him by the time we get to the highway, we're out of luck,” Nancy replied. ”This road leads into it, according to the map, and Hoelt's trail will disappear once he's on the pavement.”
The girls sped along for nearly a mile in that direction, but did not overtake the suspect.
Finally Bess pleaded that they give up the chase. ”I have a dreadful headache,” she said.
”Why didn't you tell me before?” Nancy asked kindly. ”We'll go right back to Kreutzes'.”
At the farm, Manda's mother greeted the girls eagerly. ”Did you find any trace of my daughter?”