Once he was close enough, Nancy said, "I thought you forgot."

"I almost did," Joe said trying to stifle a yawn. "But then, if I did forget, I knew I’d get a lecture from you, Frank and Ned if I let you go off on your own."

"Come on," Nancy said taking Joe’s arm. "The sooner we finish, the sooner you can go back to sleep. Besides, it looks like its going to rain."

"Fine, but you still owe me."

Nancy smiled and started back toward girls camp with Joe. She tried to remember where exactly she was grabbed that night. She figured she was in about the right spot and headed off into the woods with Joe following behind.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Joe asked pushing branches away so he wouldn’t be hit in the face.

"I think so," Nancy said moving through the woods.

She stopped a few minutes later. She looked at Joe and he nodded. "This is where we found you."

Nancy looked around. She looked straight ahead. "I think I came from that way."

"Then let’s go," Joe said following Nancy farther into the woods.

They walked a little ways keeping an eye out for any little thing that could tell them what happened. Nancy was watching the ground and stopped without a word. As she bent down, Joe bumped into her and she fell to the ground.

"Sorry, I didn’t know you stopped," Joe said sheepishly.

"It’s okay," Nancy said pushing herself to her feet. "Hey, look what I found."

Joe bent down and saw a piece of green fabric lying on the ground. "That hasn’t been here that long."

"You’re right," Nancy said picking the piece of fabric up. "It’s a little damp, so it’s only been here one or two days."

Joe took the piece of fabric from Nancy. After looking at it, he said, "It looks like a piece of shoelace."

"You’re right," Nancy said excitedly. She remembered what she thought she’d forgotten. "The person who grabbed me was wearing bright green sneakers."

"Are you sure?" Joe asked fingering the shoelace.

"That was the last thing I remember before blacking out," Nancy said. "I know the sneakers were bright green because I could see them clearly in the dark. I know that’s the color."

"So, what’s our next step?" Joe asked standing up.

"I’m not sure," Nancy said getting to her feet and looking around. She stopped and stared deeper into the woods. "Joe, isn’t that the hiking trail over there?"

"I think so," Joe said and headed toward the trail.

The two of them went over to the trail. Nancy looked around again and said, "I don’t think the spot I woke up at is a coincidence. Whoever grabbed me knew where to go. The person had to know the trail was this close."

"But that could be any of the counselors or camper who returned this year. They know this area like the back of their hands."

"Well, this isn’t really much to go on," Nancy said sliding the shoelace into her shorts pocket. "But it’s a start. Maybe we can track down the person who wears bright green sneakers."

"Right," Joe said. "We’ll just go through all the cabins searching for a pair of sneakers."

"We don’t have to do that," Nancy said. "With Frank, Bess and George checking to see who was out of their cabins, we’ll narrow down the people we need to check."

"What if someone snuck away without anyone noticing?"

"Then the bunkmate should know," Nancy said glancing at her watch. "Come on, Joe. We need to head back before Ned sends out a search party."

"You’re right. Besides, it’s almost breakfast time." Joe’s stomach grumbled noisily.

"You’re right," Nancy said. "Let’s go."

*****

Nancy spent the time after breakfast trying to piece together the case. Bess and George were still talking to counselors as was Frank.

She glanced at the girls in her cabin and saw they were all working on letters to their parents. They were talking quietly as the rain hit the roof. They heard the lunch bell ring and headed over to the dining hall where they met George. They went inside and had a seat.

As they waited for the rest of the campers to arrive, Ned came over to the table. He stood beside Nancy as he handed her a folder. "I need you to fill these forms out. I know you filled them out once before, but the papers seem to be missing now."

"No problem," Nancy said taking the folder from Ned. "I’ll get to them this afternoon."

"That’ll be fine," Ned said, then headed over to one of the tables and had a seat.

Nancy opened the folder and saw a small yellow piece of paper. A message was scrawled on it. "Stick around after lunch. We need to talk."

Nancy closed the folder. She looked over to where Ned had taken a seat. She saw he was smiling and she returned the gesture.

"May I have everyone’s attention," Steve said. Everyone in the dining hall quieted down. "All outdoor activities planned for this afternoon are cancelled due to a storm coming our way. There are games downstairs that can be used and the craft cabin will be open. Listen for the dinner bell in case the storm gets any worse. If the bell rings four times in a row with a pause and then four more times, that means to return to the dining hall immediately as a safety precaution." Steve looked around. "That’s it. Enjoy lunch."