Bess made a face, then smiled. "Nancy h a great lock picker."

"Shh!" Nancy warned. "We don't know for sure that everyone's gone. Somebody could have been left to guard us!"

"So what do we do next?" Bess asked.

"I think you and I can risk tiptoeing through the house," Nancy replied, "Quick! Grab your bag. I'll get George's and mine. We'll meet her outside."

She motioned to the girl below to wait for them and the two quickly got their luggage. They hurried down the stairs, trying to move as noiselessly as possible. They opened the front door and slipped outside. George was waiting for them.

"I don't think we should take the road," Nancy said. "The kidnappers could come back. Let's walk through the backyard and see if we can get help at one of those houses in the distance."

The girls had not gone far when they realized that the ground beyond the garden was marshy. The mud ruined their shoes and spattered their dresses, but the three friends hurried on until they were out of range of the house.

Bess stopped and put down her bag, "My arm is killing me," she said. "Can't we rest a minute?"

Nancy looked back. The house behind them seemed deserted. "I guess we're safe enough," she decided, so she and George dropped their heavy suitcases.

"Boy, what an experience!" George said. "Our kidnappers must have overheard Mr. Gonzales's call to your father, Nancy, when he asked for help."

Nancy nodded. "And the second call, when Mr. Gonzales canceled our reservations must have been made from another phone," she said thoughtfully, "otherwise they wouldn't have sent Steven to the airport to get us."

"Who do you think our kidnappers are?" Bess asked.

"They must be connected with the Crocodile Ecology Company," Nancy replied.

"I wonder if they own that house." George said.

"I doubt it. They wouldn't be foolish enough to imprison us in their own home. If we got away, it would be too easy to trace them."