Trial By Fire

“I don’t get it,” Nancy said.

“Someone who said he represented Mid-City Insurance hired Co

“Didn’t she think that was odd?”

A

Bess looked thoughtful. “Maybe I should start an answering service.”

“Why not?” A

Bess sat down. “It does sound suspicious, but I have to admit I can’t see what they were doing wrong,” she said.

“I couldn’t, either, at first. But I managed to sneak a look at the message log Co

“So?” Bess asked.

“There were only calls from these three.”

“Oh,” Nancy said. “You figured at that point that they were paying their premiums to a company that didn’t exist. And that’s when you wrote the articles.”

“Right. And they launched the grand jury investigation.”

“And you testified?”

“I gave them everything I had and was thanked for my cooperation. They dismissed me. Didn’t even press for the name of my source-not then, anyhow.”

“Why’d they change their minds about wanting to know your source?” Ned asked.

A

“Who was she? Why were you supposed to see her?” Nancy asked.

“I never found out. I was just leaving to see her when this man came in and slapped the court order in my hand.”

“The grand jury dismissed you and then issued the court order?” Nancy asked with a puzzled frown.

“Yes. I haven’t gotten anything done since.”

“What did you tell the grand jury this last time?” Ned asked the reporter.

“Nothing. I don’t know who gave me that tip to check out Mid-City. Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell them. They recessed to give me time to think about it.”

Bess’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do now?”

“Stand behind my First Amendment rights, which imply that a reporter does not have to reveal a source. If it means going to jail, I go to jail.”

Nancy stared at her hands. What A

It was late in the afternoon when Carson Drew finally appeared. His face was taut and grim. “Hi, everybody. Sorry it took so long.”

“What’s happened?” Nancy asked anxiously.

“I’ve been arraigned and made bail. Let’s get out of here. I’ve had my fill of this place for one day.”

“What comes next, Carson?” A

“A pretrial hearing to decide if the evidence is strong enough for me to be bound over for trial. They’ll let me know as soon as a date is set.” He drew in a deep breath of fresh air. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. All I want to do now is go home. A

“Just to the Record,” the reporter said. “If it’s not out of your way.”

Nancy dropped off Bess and Ned and headed for the newspaper. Her father was silent during the whole drive.

When they reached the Morning Record, A

Carson Drew unbuckled his seat belt and got out. “I’ll call you in the morning,” he said, helping A

“Whatever I can do, I’ll do,” A

The sky was dark by then; the parking lot dimly lit. There were only a half-dozen cars on the lot, and none parked near the reporter’s.

Moving with a long-legged stride to the old Ford, A

The beam brought A

“Got it,” A

“A

Without breaking stride, Nancy hurled herself forward and tackled A

Nancy’s timing had been perfect. With a deafening roar, the old Ford exploded in an enormous ball of flame.

Chapter Three

“Nancy, Nan, girl, wake up.”

Nancy opened her eyes to be greeted by a shaft of sunlight across her face. Rolling over to escape it, she groaned. “Ow!”

Ha

“As if I’d gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel.” Freeing an arm from under the covers, Nancy peered down at her bruised shoulder. “Now I know how football players feel after a game.”

Ha

“How’s Dad?” Nancy asked, sitting up and wincing. She had hit the ground harder than she thought the night before.

“In better shape than you are-physically, anyhow. He left for the office at seven.”

Tossing the blanket aside, Nancy got up. She glanced at the clock and gasped. “Ha

Ha

“What’s the message?” Nancy grabbed her robe.

“Miss Granger called from the hospital.”

“What did she say?”

“Just that you were to phone her as soon as you got up, and by noon at the latest.”

“What time did she call?”

“About nine-thirty. I told her you two were lucky you weren’t toasted.”

Nancy had no answer to that, because Ha

A

Carson had been knocked flat by the force of the blast. But he had been lucky because he escaped all injury. A shard of flying glass had sliced through his coat sleeve but missed his arm. All things considered, the three had been extremely fortunate.

A few minutes later Nancy went downstairs and sat at the kitchen table to dial the number Ha

“Hi. It’s Nancy. Sorry to be so late, but Ha