Burt whispered to Nancy, "Is it the robot copter?"

"Yes. If Crosson and Ned came in the copter, they must be here!"

The three young people started to run forward, but before they got very far, the rotors of the copter began to whir, and with a roar the craft lifted from the ground.

Nancy could not refrain from shouting, "Ned, are you there? Ned, are you aboard?"

Her friends took up the cry, but there was no answer or signal. Because of the noise, had the person or persons aboard been unable to hear them, or did they not want to answer? Perhaps there was no one in the craft! If so, was the person who had programmed it, on the premises?

Nancy and the others walked to the house. The front door was unlocked, so they entered. Beaming their flashlights, they searched every room thoroughly, watchful not to be captured themselves should an enemy be lurking in the house.

Finally, after hunting everywhere, even in the clothes chute, Nancy said, "Ned isn't a prisoner here, so I believe he was in that copter. How I wish I knew where he was being taken!"

One thing she was sure of-the helicopter had not been headed for the swamp area, so unless the pilot made a change in direction, he was not going to the cabin. But where was he going?

"We'd better notify the police," Burt suggested. "Two of the kidnapper's hiding places will be covered."

"Which means," George added, "that sooner or later he and Ned are bound to be found."

"Unless," Nancy suggested, "Ned's red-haired captor has still other hiding places."

"We may as well go back to the car," Burt said. He told Bess and Dave what had happened, then suggested they all return to the fraternity house.

On the way he stopped in town at police headquarters and Nancy hurried inside to tell her story. The captain on duty promised to send out men not only to wait for the return of Ned and his abductor, but also to scan every inch of the road that had been closed off.

"If we find it okay, we'll take down the barriers so the road can be opened again to traffic," the officer said.

"From what you tell me," he went on, "I imagine someone stood over your friend Ned with some kind of a firearm and made him do all the work of building those barriers."

Nancy smiled. "I agree. What I'm hoping is that Ned will not be badly mistreated before we find him."

She gave the captain her home telephone number and also that of Ned's fraternity house at Emerson College.

"If I have any news," the captain said, "I'll call you at once."

When she and her friends reached the campus, Nancy suddenly was reminded of her date with Glenn Munson the following morning for a flight in his helicopter.

"There's not much use in going now," she thought. "We found the wilderness hiding place."

The young detective wondered how she could put the flying time to good use by doing some sleuthing. Suddenly an idea came to her.

"Why don't I take the copter to River Heights and talk to Dad and Marty King?" she asked herself. "Both of them might have some information for me they wouldn't want to talk about on the phone."

Nancy told the other girls what she had in mind, and early the next morning Burt drove her out to the airfield to meet Glenn. He was already there.

"I've changed my plans," Nancy told him. "Would you mind flying to River Heights and spending a little time there?"

The young pilot grinned. "Nothing would suit me better," he replied.

Burt drove off and Nancy climbed into the helicopter. In a few minutes she and Glenn were in the air headed for River Heights.

"Why this sudden change of plans?" he asked her.

Nancy told him about what she and her friends had found at the wilderness hiding place.

"Unfortunately the people there took off in a copter just before we reached the place," she added.

In a short while Glenn landed his craft at River Heights Airport. Nancy said that she wanted to go home first to see if there were any mail or messages for her.

"At your command." The young man grinned as they walked toward a taxi.

Nancy gave her address and soon they were winding through the residential area of the small city.

"One more block and we're there," she announced as the taxi turned onto a street lined with attractive homes and sycamore trees.

By the time Nancy alighted from the taxi Hannah Gruen was rushing out the front door. She stopped short in amazement when she saw Nancy and Glenn.

"I thought for a moment you had come back with Ned!" she exclaimed, glancing in embarra.s.sment at Nancy's companion.

Nancy introduced Glenn, and the three went into the house. The young detective gave Hannah the highlights of her recent adventures.

The housekeeper frowned as she listened. Finally she remarked, "That kidnapper is a slippery eel!"

She changed the subject abruptly and said she would prepare luncheon for Nancy and Glenn. "How long can you stay?"

Nancy said she was uncertain. "I want to go downtown and talk to Dad and Marty King. If we're coming back here to eat, I'll phone you. In the meantime, will you keep your eyes and ears open for anything-"

Hannah interrupted with a laugh. "Will do!" she said. "News or clues for Nancy Drew!"

"Now I want you to meet my dad," Nancy told Glenn.

The couple walked downtown to Mr. Drew's offices. As they entered, Miss Hanson, his long-time secretary, greeted them pleasantly.

After Nancy had introduced Glenn, she asked, "Is Dad in?"

Miss Hanson shook her head. "He went out a few minutes ago."

"Then I'll talk to Marty King," Nancy said.

"Sorry," Miss Hanson replied, "but she went with your father. I believe they were going to the bank first, and then to lunch."

Nancy tried hard not to show how upset she was by this information. Not willing to give up on trying to talk to her father, she inquired where they were going to eat.

"I don't know," Miss Hanson said. "Do you want to leave a message?"

Nancy asked the secretary if she had heard Marty King say anything about the mystery which she was trying to solve.

Again, Miss Hanson shook her head. With a faint smile, she remarked, "Marty rarely tells me anything."