Nancy Drew: Mystery of Melbourne Manor

Chapter 7

Ned thought of the words. ' Tie your ribbons near the boat dock.' He looked all around the boat dock. There wasn't a single sign of Violet. This was impossible. He didn't want to give up. Nancy didn't deserve to stay down there.
His attention was drawn to the roof of the boat dock. Ned pulled himself up there. He gasped. Stracth marks where someone tried to stay on ran down the side. Along with that was the fabric of a purple dress. He looked down farther and saw a small shoe.
"This is it! I have to get Nancy!" he exclaimed.
The gardener showed Ned a secret way to get down to the basement.
"Thanks for your help." said Ned.
"Go save them," the gardener said.
Ned slid through the opening and fell on the hard floor.
"Ned!" Nancy exclaimed.
"How did you get down here?" the old gardener exclaimed.
"You are a criminal! I can prove it!"
Ned showed the girls all the fabrics and ribbons.
"Girls, he's lying! Do not believe him!"
Abigail looked up in a look of heartbreak.
" No, he's not lying. You took us from mother and father."
" Yeah, you made me slip in the water!" Violet said.
"You lied to us," Katherine said.
" Fine. Take his side! " he exclaimed.
The old gardener ran out of the room.
Ned thought everything was okay. Until he looked to his right and saw no Nancy.
"He took her! He's going to hurt her!" Violet cried.
With a heavy heart, Ned sprinted outside. Heavy rain fell from the clouds, making it difficult to see.
"Ned!" she screamed.
Ned ran towards the boat dock and opened the doors. Nancy stood with Annalise. The butler stood behind them with a gun.
"You? How did this happen?" asked Ned.
" The old gardener was all a distraction. You can't solve the case, so I have to get rid of you. Jump!" he exclaimed.
Nancy looked at Ned. She tried to say something, anything to him, but she couldn't.
"No? Well, fine!"
The butler pushed Annalise into the water. Nancy dived in after her. She swam with her eyes open trying to find the small girl.
Ned ran towards the butler and tackled him to the ground. The butler stayed on the ground, helpless.
A small hand wrapped around Nancy. She helped Annalise get to the surface. There, Ned pulled her up.
"Nancy hit her head!" she cried.
He dove in the water. Nancy was slipping deeper down. He grabbed her under the arms and pulled them both up to surface. She grabbed her head and winced.
" It's going to be alright. I'm calling the police."
Ten minutes later, the police showed up. EMTs took Nancy to the ambulance to check on her and the butler, along with the gardener, were arrested. Ned held Annalise's hand as they walked to the front porch. Nathaniel and his wife ran up to their daughter and engulfed her in the biggest hug they could possibly give.
Back on the ambulance, Nancy watched the house. Three girls waved at her before they disappeared. Whether she really saw them go or if she was having a hallucination from her head, she'd never know. An EMT walked up to her.
"Your head will be fine, just relax." they said.
Ned sat next to her.
"How do you feel?"
"Better, I just need to sit for a bit."
"I'll sit next to you," Ned said.
Ned sat next to her until she was ready to pack and leave. They put their suitcases in the car. Annalise smiled at them and went back inside. Nancy and Ned got into the car.
"I think this is one of the craziest mysteries I've ever dealt with," Ned said.
"Me too, who would've thought that he was alive all those years. Poor girls."
"Yes, but at least they're at peace,"
" I didn't mean to go against you, I just knew I had to-" Nancy started.
"I know, Nanc. I should've known better than to keep you from a mystery. I love you." Ned smiled.
"I love you, too." she said smiling.
An hour later, they made it back to River Heights. Ned walked Nancy to her door. However, something was eating at him. He didn't want to leave her alone, not after what they'd been through.
"Ned?" Nancy finally asked.
"I don't want to leave you here alone," he said.
"Then don't," Nancy said inviting him inside.