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George were standing on the front porch of the lodge when the medical van arrived. They stepped aside as Nancy helped Ned up the steps. Clearly, they were embarrassed about what had happened in the infirmary, but didn’t want to talk about it.
    â€œI hope you’re feeling a little better now,” Luke said quietly as Ned and Nancy passed him.
    George retrieved Ned’s skis, boots, and poles from the van. “Thanks for bringing my friend home,” she told the driver.
    â€œGet better soon,” the attendant called to Ned as he headed back toward Big Birch. Then the uncomfortable silence closed in on the foursome again.
    The front door opened, and Liz’s voice interrupted the awkward moment. “Lunch in five min—oh, no!” She stepped outside quickly. “What happened, Ned?”
    â€œBobcat Trail was too much for him,” Luke said briefly. “He sprained his ankle.”
    Liz shot an alarmed look at Nancy. “Another accident?” she asked. Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter right now, anyway. First thing we have to do is to get Ned inside where he canlie down.” She looked at Nancy with concern. “You take it easy young lady. You look as though you’ve had the stuffing knocked out of you, too.”
    â€œI’m okay,” Nancy replied, picking up Ned’s borrowed ski boots and collecting the skis. She looked at them absently.
    Then she looked at the skis again, hard, and dropped the boots with a thud.
    â€œIt wasn’t the trail that caused Ned’s fall,” she burst out, “or our racing! The binding on this ski has come loose—one of the screws came out.”
    There was a chorus of shocked exclamations. Nancy cut through them sharply.
    â€œLook at this!” She pointed. “This screw hole’s a lot bigger than it ought to be. Somebody enlarged the hole so the screw wouldn’t hold! This wasn’t an accident—it was caused deliberately! And it nearly killed Ned!”

Chapter

Six
    G IVE ME THAT !” Luke said sharply. He snatched the ski from Nancy’s hand and examined the binding in silence. “This screw hole wasn’t shaved down,” he said finally. “It wore down. That’s why the screw came out. It could happen at any time.”
    Luke seemed calmer, but his hands still trembled. He paused and inhaled deeply. “Ned, I’m terribly sorry. I haven’t used these skis lately. I should have inspected them before I lent them to you.”
    â€œIt’s not your fault,” Ned said after a moment. “Let’s just forget it, all right?”
    Nancy took the ski back from Luke. “It can happen at any time?” she asked skeptically. She wondered why Luke, who was such a fanaticabout safety, hadn’t inspected his equipment before lending it to somebody.
    â€œOn gear that gets hard use, yes.” Luke stepped to Ned’s side. “We’d better get you inside and lying down.” He helped Ned hobble into the lodge and over to the couch in front of the fire. Nancy followed them, frowning and thinking that Luke was showing an awful lot of concern.
    â€œIt may be just a sprain—but if the swelling doesn’t go down by morning, I’m going to drive you to the hospital to get an X ray,” Liz told Ned. “I’ll bring you an ice pack,” she added, heading for the kitchen.
    Nancy followed her. When they were alone, Nancy asked, “Liz, have you ever heard of a binding coming loose and leaving a hole like that?”
    â€œIt’s possible. But it’s definitely not common!” Liz’s eyes narrowed. “You really think somebody deliberately tried to kill Ned? Who would have a motive for doing that?”
    â€œYou have had a prowler,” Nancy pointed out. “Somebody looking in windows and writing MURDERER in the snow. None of that’s very rational.”
    Nancy swallowed hard. Then