NANCY DREW AND THE SECRET OF MERMAID COVE

Chapter Thirty

The isle appeared deserted until the teens noticed the sound of digging. That was followed by shouting like two men fighting off in the distance. 

"I want to go see what is happening, however, I think that we need to keep a safe distance from whatever trouble there is," explained Chase.

He kept the boat close to the mangrove trees that grew along the shoreline as they moved closer. It was not long before two men in question came into view. The teens watched the men as they buried something in the ground.

The two men were talking loudly, "I could really go for some nice cold beer right about now." said a short, chubby, bald man. 

The other man had a skinny build with dark features. He replied, "Earl, we have to get this buried. The boss does want not the police to find this stuff."

"I ask you this question, Jack. What is the point of us coming to the haunted island to scare people off, if we still have to bury the ammo?" Earl asked.

"The boss has his reasons, you idiot!"

"I see you are full of yourself today!" 

The two men continued arguing with each other once again while causing like sailors. After a short while, they walked off shouting that they needed, "More ale!"

The teens took this chance to dash over to the crates. They were shocked to find something unexpected inside.  "This is mustard gas! This has been banned since War World Two!" Nancy exclaimed. 

Chase did not respond instead he flashed Nancy a worried look. 

Bess nibbled on her nails, due to the stress. 

The teen's eyes grew wide from horror when they heard a voice from behind them say. "What look at what we got here?" It was Jack, who now had a handgun pointed at them. 

"I see that your lot are just a bunch of stupid noisy teenagers!" He walked closer to the teens before roaring,  "SIT DOWN BY THE FALLEN TREE!"

The teens moved as directed.  As she sat on the ground, Bess reached out to hold Chase's hand for comfort. 

"I am sick of dealing with snot nose brats like you!" Jack complained as his face turned beet red. Then he threw some rope at Chase's feet. "You there, tie the girls up."

Chase gritted his teeth, "No, I can not do that."

"Listen here, boy! If you do not do as told, I will blow their PRETTY LITTLE BRAINS OUT!" he yelled while pointing the gun at the girls. 

Chase cringed as he bent over to seize the rope before making his way over to Bess to restrain her. Bess whimpered as Chase pulled the rope tight around her wrists and tied them together. 

When it was Nancy's turned to be tied up, he whispered, " I am so sorry. I hate to have to do this!"

In response, Nancy motioned for him to be silent and listen. 

"Earl, I need you to stand guard. I am going to take a leak." Jack muttered as he handed Earl the gun, before turning to walk off into the woods to relieve himself. 

Earl held the gun down at his side. "What a lot I choose to work with." He looked off in the distance, before adding "That's nothing another ale won't fix." 

By now Chase had moved on binding Nancy's ankles. She leaned forward to whisper, " Now is your chance to attack." 

He stole a quick glance behind him at the man who was now downing another drink. In the blink of an eye, Chase had dashed after Earl, perfectly tackling him to the ground. 

Earl was taken by surprise, then had the breath knocked out of him. He laid there in the dirt while gasping for air. 

Chase grabbed what was left of the rope to use as a weapon. He got behind Earl while wrapping the rope around the man's neck. They rolled in the dust together as both men fought for their life. 

"CHASE, GET THE GUN!" yelled Bess as she watched through tear rimmed eyes. 

Chase kept his grip tight as he witnessed the man start to blackout. 

Just then a gunshot rang out, causing a loud echo. Chase rose to his feet to see Jack standing there. 

"What was it ma always used to say?" he asked while pointing the gun at Chase. "Now I remember. If you want something done right, do it yourself." He pulled back the hammer on the gun as he laughed like a mad man. "Now who should I kill first? The fiery  redhead, wimpy blonde, or the beach bum?" 

After a short pause, Jack aimed the gun at Bess. "Bye doll face!", he said while pulling the trigger. There was a long "BANG!" as the gun was fired. 

When the bullet hit its mark, Bess cried out in pain!

Chase blinded by rage, lunged forward to land a clean hit on Jack's jaw. The gun flew from Jack's hand as his body twisted in the direction of the blow.

As if instinctual, Jack countered with a stomach punch. "How dare you strike my handsome face? You will pay for this boy!"

The two men continued to exchange blows until Chase was knocked backward into the ocean water. While he struggled to get to his feet, Jack pulled a long switchblade from his pants pocket. Once Chase was within arm's length, he grabbed the teen.

Just then a loud "WACK!" was heard as Jack fell into the waves. When Chase looked up to see Ryan's face he saw brimming with tears. A large tree branch that was broken in half bobbed in the water by her side. 

"Save the drama for later big brother. We need to leave before anyone else shows up!" Ryan exclaimed. 

Chase nodded in agreement. They made their way back to Bess, to find her clutching her shoulder.

Nancy bent down next to Bess. "Please let me take a look."  After inspecting the wound, Nancy let out a sigh of relief, "You are lucky. It just grazed your skin. There is not even much blood."

 "We need to get back to the boat as soon as possible. I have a knife we can use to free Bess from these ropes on there." Chase said as he lifted Bess up off the ground. Then he turned to Nancy, "Now that I come to think of it how did you get your feet free from the restraints?"

Nancy grinned like a naughty child, "Oh that, I used a piece of a broken bottle that was nearby."