"It looks as if I just got here in the nick of time." Karl Abbott Jr. smiled.

"They're trying to arrest us!" Bess exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" Karl cried in astonishment.

"It's no joke," Nancy returned earnestly, then told him of her predicament.

"Look here," Karl said bluntly, turning to the two Secret Service agents, "you can't hold these girls."

"Who are you?" one of the agents demanded.

"My name is Karl Abbott, and these girls are friends of mine. As it happens, my father is living at Red Gate Farm in Round Valley, where they also are staying. I was on my way there when I thought I'd stop for a bite to eat. Lucky I did, too!"

"These girls may be friends of yours," the unpleasant woman spoke up shrilly, "but this girl had better explain why she gave me counterfeit money!"

"If you're accusing these girls of deliberately trying to pass counterfeit money, you're crazy!" Karl Abbott cried out.

"You're willing to vouch for the honesty of this young lady's father as well?" the agent asked.

"Most definitely. This is Nancy Drew. No doubt you've heard of her father, the famous lawyer. If you haven't, you soon will!"

"Not Carson Drew of River Heights?"

"Yes," Karl replied.

"Why didn't you tell us who you were?" the restaurant owner asked.

"You didn't give me a chance to tell you anything!" Nancy retorted. "And you didn't seem ready to believe what I did have to say."

The two agents looked at each other. One asked to see Nancy's driver's license, then with a smile he said, "Too bad you have such a loss because of the counterfeit money. The outfit which is distributing the twenty-dollar bills is a clever one.

"The money is turning up in many places. I'll get in touch with your father to find out where he was given the bills. Incidentally, we understand a few women are mixed up in the racket. That's why we detained you."

"Let's get out of here!" George urged.