tall, dark and dangerous (Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson) - complete

chapter 9

The new cartons didn't have any distinguishing marks on the outside, but Nancy spotted a packing list sleeve and gently worked the folded contents free, then unfolded the sheet. The string of letters and numbers didn't mean anything to her, but it looked like good evidence, and the phrase "Third Kingdom" was printed in the "Ship To:" area. She slipped it into her purse, then pulled out her lockpick kit again.

Making her way through the locked office door was tedious, and she was disappointed to find that the doors behind it were also locked. The office space itself looked at least partially abandoned; she found a room full of old office equipment, upholstery torn and orange foam padding spilling from the gaps, and no sign of any recent occupation. The gloom was even more intense on this side of the partition, and Nancy took out her keychain flashlight, studying the floor again. The area was carpeted, though, and while it was just as filthy as the rest of the space, tracks were harder to make out.

When she opened the third door, though, she hit pay dirt. Humphrey was sitting in one of those decrepit office chairs, his hands behind him, bound and gagged. His hair was mussed, and his face and shirt were streaked with the same dust she had seen outside.

"Humphrey!" Nancy whispered. "Hang on, I just need to—"

Nancy was pulling her cell phone out of her purse to call Ned for backup when Humphrey's eyes widened. "Mmmmm," he groaned urgently, his eyebrows rising in an expression of surprise.

Nancy was just turning when she felt an arm snake, quick as lightning, around her neck. She struggled as hard as she could, scrambling to reach her pepper spray, and tried to draw a breath for a scream, but the arm only tightened. She brought her knee up and stabbed her heel into her attacker's leg, as close to his knee as she could judge, and he staggered back a few steps, but the pain only seemed to enrage him.

The last thing she heard before she passed out, clawing desperately at the arm wrapped around her neck, squeezing tighter and tighter, was Humphrey's urgent groan.

--

"Mmmm."

Nancy woke with a painful gasp, jerking her head up. The room she was in was very dim, and the only light came through a transom window over the door.

"Mmm."

Her mouth was dry, a gag tied tightly over her face, and she fought the urge to choke against it. The taste of it was stale and cottony in her mouth. Nancy let her gaze roam around the room as she tentatively tried her bonds. Her ankles were bound together, and her hands were bound behind her. The rope or twine was tight but not constricting, and for that, at least, she was thankful. When she began to raise her hands behind her, though, she found her wrists were also bound to the frame of the chair, which felt like a sturdy metal one. She wouldn't be able to break it and free herself without a lot of loud effort.

Humphrey was sitting beside her. She was in the same room where she had found him. But she didn't see any sign of Ned, so that at least gave her some hope. She just hoped he wasn't captured, or at least not as easily as she had been.

Working the gag off took some time, but it seemed the most likely confinement to escape, and after steady, patient work Nancy was finally able to partially free herself from it. She gasped in a breath, then nearly choked as the air hit her throat. Being choked earlier had left her neck sore, and using her shoulder to work the gag off had left it throbbing at the exertion, since her bound hands hadn't afforded her much range of motion.

"Humphrey," she whispered, once she found her voice again. It came out a little raspy, though. "It's Vincent, isn't it."

Humphrey nodded, his eyes wide and apologetic. He had also been trying to work his gag off as she had been, but with less success.