secret of shadow ranch
welcome to the nostalgia zone
forever my favorite. <3
we start out the game having joined our friends Bess and George for a southwest trail-riding vacation at Shadow Ranch (owned by their aunt and uncle, the Rawleys). well, Nancy has arrived - Bess and George are having flight troubles and will have to catch up later. unfortunately, the Rawleys themselves are also out of the picture - Uncle Ed got bitten by a rattlesnake in his bedroom the night before we arrived. he's fine, but he and Aunt Bet will be at the hospital for the next few days.
where does that leave us? solo snooping in a working ranchhouse, helping out with the chores, and getting to know the cast of ranch hands that keep the place running. and then the ghost horse shows up, and of course we have to try and figure that shit out. in trying to solve our present-day mystery, we stumble into a much older one - that of Dirk Valentine, a wild west outlaw whose fate intertwines with the ranch, the Rawleys, and us.
on top of being a really fucking fun game, this is a masterpiece of storytelling and narrative design, and i would like to yap about it for a good little while so settle in! this will be a walkthrough of the story, not the gameplay - there will be spoilers but i won't go into detail about every task and puzzle.
consider this my love letter to Shadow Ranch. <3
after the classic introductory letter home, which tells us everything i've told you so far, we arrive in the ranch house. one minute into the game and we have already reached one of my top three locations in the entire series. i adore this little house. there are only two rooms you can explore (note) but they're so rich with details that they feel huge.
one side of the living room is dominated by this beautiful portrait - if we go up to it we can learn from the nameplate that this is Frances Humber. we'll quickly come to find out that she was a former inhabitant of Shadow Ranch in the 1800s. i love that she's the first thing our eyes are drawn to when we officially start the game. we'll come back to her after i show you the rest of the place. :)
y'all. the fireplace screen. the print on that couch. those rugs! the coffee table!! i would like to move in immediately. the triangular chest over in the corner is super pretty, and it'll be an important piece of the puzzle later on.
a couple more views of the living room...
there's a smaller bookshelf in the corner, behind the dining table, and it features both a Harry Potter easter egg and a romance novel we can look at - Like Wind Through My Heart by Charleena Purcell. hmm, wonder if that'll become relevant...
the tour is almost done, i promise - then we'll get into more of the story. first though, the kitchen.
that cow magnet lives rent free in my head. also a big fan of the shutters, the signboard over the fridge, and the fact that the Rawleys have a restaurant-style wet floor sign. as we'll find out, this game takes safety quite seriously, so this kinda makes sense.
there's more to see outside, but first, we can get to know one of the three ranch hands - Shorty Thurmond, the cook.
this man can yap with the best of em and he's thrilled to yap with us - apparently the other hands aren't the best conversationalists. he's real spooked about this whole ghost horse business, and he gives us a campfire-worthy retelling of last night's visitation. we remain skeptical, but Shorty seems to be a true believer.
now to finally exit the building. as Dave will tell us, this is a working ranch and there's lots to see.
here's the fire pit, the pumphouse, and the ranch house's back porch.
there's Dave, the foreman, working on the chicken coop. before we talk to him, though - the minecart cactus planter?! stunning.
but we all know who we're really here for: Dave Gregory, the franchise's first hunk and the stealer of a thousand preteen hearts, all fourteen pixels of him in all their heart-stopping SD quality. he's stressed, overworked, and a little snappy at first which naturally makes him irresistible. he's too busy to tell us very much right now, but he'll have more to say later.
let's head to the stable, where we can meet our last cowboy, Tex Britten.
Tex is the ranch's no-nonsense wrangler, master of horses and monosyllabic responses. he speaks in this hushed rasp that makes him sound like a rattlesnake. he gives us the rules for horseback riding: always have a canteen, gloves, and hat; always saddle your horse correctly; always put your saddle away in the stable when you're done riding. like i said, they take safety seriously around here.
before we can leave the ranch, however, we have to pass Tex's high-stakes horsemanship quiz - ten questions barked at us while we ride in circles in the corral. this is a quiz we may need to study for, but thankfully, the Rawleys have some good reading material scattered around the living room.
don't worry, book one is on the coffee table. the little educational asides throughout this game were obviously put together with love and it's another reason this one is my favorite.
anyway, before we can do literally any of that, we first need to go back to Shorty and see if there are any chores for us to do. he happily sends us to harvest ripe veggies from the Rawley's small garden.
how do we know if the veggies are ripe, though? luckily for us, we have the power of ~ the internet ~ on our side.
when we're done, we can deliver our bounty to Shorty, who will not be shy about telling us if we've missed anything (he will make us go back) or if we've picked underripe produce (he will yell at us for wasting food). either way, he'll give us our second task: egg collecting.
y'all, i love chickens and this was always my favorite part. <3 that sign means business, by the way - if you antagonize that chicken, she will rough you up so badly that you have to be sent home, and that's game over for Nancy. you have to walk away and come back after a while to give Ms. Hen a chance to leave.
eggs acquired. that red stitching? we did that - the basket broke and we had to do a puzzle to fix it.
at this point we can return to Shorty and receive our canteen, which is enough to let us move on to Tex's western quiz show, but we've also been asked to prep the fire pit for tonight's cookout, so let's knock that out too.
we chop some wood, collect some kindling outside (a major point of frustration for me as a kid - if you know, you know), and grab some top-tier newspaper from near the fireplace in the living room. then we can head over to the fire pit and - oh. what's this in the ashes?
wonder what that's about... anyway, after building the fire and making sure to fill the water bucket at the pumphouse and place it back by the fire pit (safety!) we can pat ourselves on the back for contributing to the Shadow Ranch economy.
we could try to go riding now, but Nancy would remind us that the Rawleys gave us an errand to run: we need to ask Dave for the key to the rolltop desk, which contains an envelope we're supposed to deliver (on horseback!) to Mary Yazzie, a local artist and shop owner.
while snooping around in the rolltop (because of course we do) we come across a couple things. the first is a letter addressed to the Rawleys, from someone named Jane Nash, whom they apparently fired recently.
a motive, perhaps? who knows. the other clue is a set of levers that have something to do with that corner chest, but they're easy to miss (and i missed them at first) so we'll come back to them. first, let's go meet Mary Yazzie.
with all our safety gear gathered, we saddle up on Bob.
and in case you thought this poster in the stable was kidding, we really do have to make sure that we tighten the saddle's cinch every single time we go riding, or else we'll get unceremoniously dumped over as soon as we step up off the mounting block.
with all of these trials behind us, we submit to Tex's interrogation, which isn't too bad if you've done your research or if you're willing to take several stabs at multiple-choice questions. no big deal. off we go!
we've got map travel! we'll learn about more points of interest as we progress, but for now, we head for Mary's Gifts.
another top tier location. there's so much to look at in such a tiny space. someone put a lot of effort into making the shop feel this cozy. there are also more bits of educational content here and there - immersive! we can play the little arcade game in the corner to receive a token for 1½ cents; Mary doesn't know what they're for, but they make cute souvenirs, so we'll keep em.
Ms. Yazzie is nice to talk to - I like her voice acting. after we give her the envelope, we learn that she's been trying to buy a slice of land from the Rawleys, but they're not biting. Mary seems pretty unhappy about this, but she shakes it off and we continue on our way.
now that we've met everybody, we can move the plot along. remember those levers we missed in the rolltop? let's go back and get those. if we're observant enough to connect the little birds on the corner chest with the little birds on the mantel clock, we'll be able to pop open the secret compartment.
inside, we find a journal, an unopened envelope, and a pocketwatch, which we can open like a locket to discover a photo of Frances Humber and what must be her father.
buckle in, y'all.
Frances' father was named Meryl Humber, and this is his journal. it contains a handful of entries dated between 1882 and 1884.
he writes about his swearing-in as sheriff, about how his beloved daughter wrote him a tune on the piano and played it for him to celebrate. a few months later, he writes about a young man named Dirk who has caught Frances' eye. "Cappy sez when she plays the piano this Dirk makes everyone be quiet so he can hear good," he writes. "I aint never seen her smile like she smiles now."
another few months go by, and Meryl writes about the shock of being sent an outlaw's mugshot from the sheriff up in Phoenix - a young train robber named Dirk Valentine. his fears for his daughter's heart are confirmed when he confronts her. this is the same Dirk she's sweet on, and now she's tipped him off and he's disappeared.
he's sure that Frances and Dirk are still seeing each other behind his back. Frances insists that Dirk is a Robin Hood among train robbers, but Meryl won't have it. he intercepts a letter between them and rounds up a posse to crash their meeting place. Dirk ends up in jail, and Meryl writes that Frances says she'll never speak to him again.
they hang Dirk at noon. Meryl writes, "I thought I would be glad, but I aint."
the next journal entry, a day later, tells us that Frances has taken Meryl's horse and left Shadow Ranch. he fears that she will never return. he is right.
"I tell people she is on her way home but when I look in my heart I know this is a lie. She will never come back to Shadow Ranch and it is my fault and I will just have to find a way to live with it."
i'm not emotional, you're emotional.
oh, but what about the envelope?
the envelope, reader, contains Dirk's last letter, written to Frances from his jail cell, intercepted by one of sheriff Humber's men. i present it here in its entirety.
September 12, 1883
Dear Frances,
As usual, things did not work out like I planned. Just when I got everything fixed just right for you to go looking for the thing I hid for you, I go and get myself arrested.
But no matter what you hear, nothing is going to happen to me. I will be fine and we will be together soon, I promise.
Meanwhile, you can keep busy by looking for what I hid. Start by using this piece of paper to mark where all the rock pictures are. They will tell you what to do next. Your favorite flowers, and the flowers on your favorites, start keeping them in mind, too.
I will leave a message for you in this here cell. Just in case they decide to move me to the jail down in Tumbleweed or something.
I like vexing your brain, because when you are thinking real hard, like when you are playing the piano, you are more beautiful than anything in the world. I am sure to be out of here before you find my treasure, but in case I am not, know that it is all yours, and that you are more precious to me than ten thousand treasures put together.
9 12 15 22 5 25 15 21
Dirk
P.S. I do not, and never will, hold what your father did to me against you.
Frances never got this letter. it sat in a hidden compartment for over a hundred years. we'll eventually find out what happened to her in an easily-missable conversation later: she lived out the rest of her life in Ohio as a schoolteacher.
y'all i'm sobbing?? both of these documents are voiced - Meryl's journal in a slow, gruff drawl and Dirk's letter with a young man's self-assured urgency - and it breaks my heart every single time. i came here to solve a mystery and ride ponies and i leave grieving a fictional relationship in the b-plot of a game from 2004.
i need a moment.
anyway, we still have those weird lever things so let's dry our eyes, saddle up Bob, and head back to Mary's. she's got an item on display i haven't told you about yet.
oh goddammit i forgot the fucking GIRTH.
as i was saying, Mary has this trunk in her shop.
she bought it off the Rawleys for cheap because nobody can figure out how to open it, but puzzle locks quail in the face of Nancy Drew. also, we have access to an expert.
y'all we're gonna call Charleena Purcell!! as it turns out, she's also obsessed with the Humbers and Dirk Valentine, and once she finds out we're staying at Shadow Ranch, she's happy to trade her knowledge for whatever new information we sleuth up. she's able to tell us who the trunk belonged to (Eldridge and Abigail Humber, Frances' grandparents) and gives us the clue we need to crack it open.
Mary offers us our pick from whatever's in the trunk as a reward, and though those scissors are very tempting, i think we'll take the obviously significant watch instead. it's just like the one we found in the chest back at the ranch, and when we open the photo compartment...
there's a small note on the back, cut off where the photo is torn: 'green bottle under.' wonder what that's about? we can update Charleena on our findings; she doesn't have anything to offer at the moment, but she's on our side if we need help with historical info.
one more thing to do before we head back home. Mary told us about Cougar Bend, a canyon full of petroglyphs, and we're going to check em out and see if they might be the 'rock pictures' Dirk mentioned in his letter.
we'll come back and check out the trail stop later, don't worry.
this is the place! there are petroglyphs everywhere, and they match up with the extra sheet tucked in with Dirk's letter.
we can solve some of the puzzle, but we can't reach the highest ledge. there's a log hanging over the edge, maybe ten feet up, and Nancy gives it a meaningful 'hmm...' if you click on it. you might see where this is going, but for now at least, we're out of luck.
we head back to the ranch, and at this point we've completed enough objectives for the game to move us on to the end of day one, and the cookout.
oh i love these dumbasses. as the ranch hands storm off to... wherever the hell they sleep, we hang by the fire for a moment.
wait.
wtf is that.
g-g-g-ghost horse!!! i wish i could say with a straight face that this was more impressive in 2004, but does it matter? i still love all eight polygons of this silly, silly horse. <3
as the horse gallops past, something blows in the pumphouse and water starts shooting out of the roof. is this the curse? or more mundane foul play? the plot thickens. we transition to the next morning, and we're dropped straight into a phone call with the Rawleys. now that things are escalating, detective Drew is officially on the case.
first things's first - time to check out the pumphouse. but wait... no one's in the kitchen.
time to be nosy!
what could this be?
someone's been looking for gold! as we put the map back down we get unceremoniously caught by Shorty himself, who explains that yes, he did want to do a little hobby prospecting, but according to the maps, there's very little to be found in the Shadow Mountain area. he dismisses us, but we can come back later and apologize. well, we get the option to either say "I'm sorry" or "I'm embarrassed you caught me," which is fucking hilarious - like Nancy what?
we'll be true to our word and won't go through any more of Shorty's stuff, but that promise doesn't stop us from doing some extracurricular research. we can call the Southwest Geological Service and have my favorite side conversation in the game with a dude called Geza. he confirms that there's nothing particularly valuable in the ground out here, but he also mentions that when Shorty was ordering that map, he asked Geza about Dirk Valentine's treasure. hmm...
okay, but the pumphouse though! let's check that out. after a quick call to sheriff Hernandez for permission, we can get to snoopin'.
yeah, bit of a mess. we can look at the pipe to see it's very badly corroded, but there's more to see if we're observant.
well, lookie there. i can only assume Nancy pulls some serious contortions to wiggle into that crawlspace. where does it lead?
okay, then what's behind door number one?
Dave?! after some bashful hemming and hawing, he finally levels with us: he knows about Valentine's treasure because his great-aunt Ellie was Frances Humber's cousin. Dave inherited a letter from Frances to Ellie, which contained the missing piece to our torn locket photo. the back says 'stairs to cellar,' which is why Dave's been sneaking in here to poke around.
this is indeed the ranch house's cellar, though nobody knows about it but Dave and, now, us. how'd he get in?
secret bookcase door. i LOVE a secret bookcase door.
Dave excuses himself to walk off the embarrassment attend to his chores, which gives us the
chance to look around.
interesting... whose could this be?
we do have the full locket message now - green bottle under stairs to cellar - and Nancy rightly points out that there's another set of stairs leading to this room: the ones in the secret passageway.
bingo. we've found Frances's secret stash of letters from Dirk. there are three in the bottle, all heartbreakingly sweet and all containing clues about Frances's favorite things, which we'll need to know if we have any hope of finding that treasure. one of them mentions a favorite purse - could it be the one we found in the cellar?
Bess and George are gonna come through big time here, despite being stuck in a St. Louis motel room after heavy fog grounded their flight. in her boredom, George picked up a book on nineteenth century clothing and fashion, and wouldn't you know it, the Chicago Mercantile Company is one of the distributors her book is about. what a coincidence! George emails us a guide to remaking the missing beaded section (one of exactly two times we will use the email feature on our phone) but we're left to figure out how to acquire the beads. don't we know a local artist?
because this is a Nancy Drew game, we're going to get waylaid several times as we try to make our way to Mary Yazzie's. having put himself back together, Dave is back out at the chicken coop and we can ask to see the letter from Frances that he mentioned in the cellar. he'll also tell us where we can probably find Dirk's jail cell - the ghost town of Dry Creek. we will keep this in mind (with excitement - i fuckin love Dry Creek).
when we stop by the stable to dutifully ask for riding permission from Tex, he tells us that he's impressed enough with our horse sense to offer us our own lariat, provided we can complete some challenges. we need to rope the sawhorse in the corral four out of five times with a practice lariat, and we need to learn to barrel race to Tex's satisfaction.
we need a lariat more than we need Tex's approval, but we're go-getters, and we go get both.
we are finally free to leave the ranch, which is great because we have so many chores to do. Mary's Gifts is on the way to everywhere, so we'll start there. come on, Bob!
Mary can help us find some beads, but naturally we have to help her out as well. we sort a jewelry display for her (a task i wish i could do for a living), get our beads, and get to sewing.
"that looks like a poppy," Nancy says. uh, sure!
next chore: a trip back to Cougar Bend to find the rest of the petroglyphs.
we rope the stationary target, hoist ourselves up, and finish Dirk's puzzle to receive the phrase "beneath Cappy's keys, Pappy's name please!" Charleena Purcell comes in clutch here, but i won't spoil it for you.
two chores down; last stop, Dry Creek.
eleven-year-old me was scared shitless of this place and i can't blame her. the ghost town atmosphere is amazing for such a simple set of screens. there are a couple of very subtle animations that only happen once (a shadow in the window, the flutter of an old curtain) and it makes the place feel haunted as fuck.
we can check out the jail. one cell is actively crumbling away, and the other is locked. damn. Dirk mentioned leaving a message in his cell for Frances, but i guess we'll never be able to look...
the gallows is next door to the jail by the way. you know, the gallows where they hung a 19- or 20-year-old kid. surprisingly sobering for a Nancy Drew game. is it just me?
the other building we can explore (after another phone call with the sheriff to ask politely) is the saloon. it's called Cappy's, so we'll have to be on the lookout for his keys.
a dilapidated bar, a very concerning squatter setup...
Cappy's keys!
side note, though - can we talk about this view??
it's giving red rocks gothic and i'm obsessed.
anyway, thanks to Charleena's encyclopedic knowledge we can open a secret panel in the base of the piano...
behold, another detour! back to Mary's we go, because once again she's acquired some Humber memorabilia we need.
(i love the mental image of Frances, queen that she is, buying these forks from a trader from back East and teaching herself how to tune the piano at Cappy's... don't tempt me to write fanfiction about it.)
Nancy has nothing but a dream and a one-and-a-half cent token, so of course we get to do a chore for Mary before we can continue this fork business. this time, she wants us to pick up ten arrowheads for her. you can find these in a few places, and i've been picking them up behind the scenes, but i'll take this opportunity to show you the trail stop we skipped over earlier.
it doesn't look like much at first glance, but there are a couple point of interest.
if you disregard the rattling and try to flip the rock, you get a peek at what looks like a trapdoor, but you also get bitten by a snake and dead, so. win some lose some.
we're here on a mission anyway, so let's go arrowhead hunting.
now that we have all ten arrowheads, we can -takes deep breath- go back to Mary, pick up the tuning forks, go back to Dry Creek, pick up a random crank on the ground, do some thinking about cattle brands, find Beady Eyes Ranch, collect a weird little box, bring it to the saloon, set it in a perfectly-shaped indent on the bar top (i have questions), insert the correct forks, turn the crank, hear something shatter, and spend a while confused because it took me forever to notice that this fucking lamp is now clickable.
how many lightbulbs did Dirk have to go through while putting this together? was Cappy in on this absurd waste of good glassware? how does the little music box thingie even work? who made it?? this confuses me so much it sent me on a Charleena Purcell-style rabbithole learning about the type of lighting that would have been available in the late 19th century. electric light was actually just starting to become a thing around this time (see: Pearl Street Station) but it looks the infrastructure didn't get all the way out to Arizona until after the turn of the century, so this has to have been some kind of oil lamp which would have been notably, uh, deleterious to a piece of paper and also presumably would have been refilled at least once between Dirk's untimely death and the ghost-townification of Dry Creek?
anyway, it's fine, i didn't spend twenty minutes researching it, don't worry about it.
back home to the ranch we go in search of a fridge magnet, but we are presented with another chore: make a cake for Tex's birthday. aww.
time to dig through the recipe box! there's a particularly old recipe with a note pointing it out as Frances's favorite. making the cake isn't really hard, it's just complicated because we don't have our pick of measuring spoons and we also can't see the recipe or the conversation table on the fridge while we're mixing ingredients. the cooking temperature and time is literally just guesswork, and you can get kicked off the ranch for doing it so wrong that you explode the Rawleys' oven, but eventually you'll be able to start decorating.
link for later: list of post-game awards
what it says on the tin
i wanted to dig through a transcript of my favorite game, Nancy Drew #10: The Secret of Shadow Ranch, only to find out that it didn't exist. so i'm doing something about that. will i finish this? who knows.
key:
dialogue optionINITIALS: (character dialogue)
(Nancy's dialogue)
there are usually two dialogue options to choose from. i've tried to arrange them in an order that makes sense. if you get the same responses no matter which you choose, they'll be on the same line, separated by a slash. often, one option will give you an extra line, then lead into the line you would have gotten from the second option. in these cases, the second option will be in parentheses. finally, if both options get different responses, that's indicated with an "OR".
(triple slash means i need to go back for more dialogue hunting, bear with)
day one
the intro letter
Dear Hannah,
Well, I made it to Shadow Ranch, but I'm afraid all is not well. The Rawleys, the people who own the ranch, have been called away on some kind of emergency. They had Dave Gregory (he's their foreman) pick me up at the airport. He gave me a phone number and told me to call the Rawleys at that number as soon as I got settled in, and refused to tell me anything else. In fact, he barely said two words to me the whole ride to the ranch!
What's worse, Bess and George aren't here yet, which is very strange, because even though we had to take different flights, we figured we'd get into Phoenix at about the same time. Being here without them feels odd; after all, the Rawleys are their aunt and uncle, not mine. I wouldn't even be here if Bess and George hadn't begged them to invite me out to the ranch for two weeks, too. Until about three months ago, the Rawleys owned a clothing store. Bess said it was always their dream to sell the store and buy a cattle ranch.
I hope they're okay, but frankly, as beautiful as Shadow Ranch is, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place.
Love, Nancy
after reading the letter and starting the game for real, the first thing you're supposed to do is call the Rawleys:
phone call w/ the Rawleys
Nobody around here will tell me anything.BR: Hello?
Hello, Mrs. Rawley. It's Nancy Drew.BR: Nancy! Are you at the ranch?
Yes, and I'm a little concerned that you're not.
(Is everything all right?)BR: That's because I told them not to. I wanted you to hear what happened from the horse's mouth, as it were. I thought you might worry otherwise.
But I am worrying. I can't help but think that something terrible's happened.
Don't tell me you're at the hospital.BR: Oh, everything's fine. I mean, it is now. It wasn't last night, of course.
ER: Everything woulda been fine last night if you hadn't made such a fuss.
BR: How could I not make a fuss? There was a rattlesnake in our bedroom for Pete's sake!
(Did you say rattlesnake?)BR: Oh, yes, we are. Although I'm only here because Ed's here. He's the patient. I'm just here to keep him company.
ER: You can go home anytime you want.
BR: Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble. Next thing I know you'll be playing with scorpions.
ER: I wasn't playing with that snake, I was trying to shoo it out of the room.
Where?BR: I told Ed to leave it alone and let one of the hands get it out of there, but no, Ed started poking at it with my yardstick, and all of a sudden, it leaped up and bit him.
BR: In the bedroom, dear. I could've sworn I mentioned that.
No, Mrs. Rawley, I mean, where did it bite him? On his arm, on his leg?BR: On his arm, just below the elbow. Swelled up something awful. But fortunately...
OR How bad?
What can I do to help you?BR: Well, his arm swelled up something awful, and he was feeling pretty poorly by the time we finally got him here -
ER: I was fine. She's exaggerating.
BR: Oh, Ed, you wish. Anyway, dear -
BR: He's doing much better today, and the doctors think he'll be well enough to go home in a day or so.
ER: I'm well enough to go home right now.
BR: No, you're not. If I don't stay here with him, he'll get up and walk right out that door.
ER: No, I won't.
BR: Oh, nothing dear. Absolutely nothing.
OR Would you rather that Bess and George and I postpone our visit?
I'll do it right away. Did you say I'd have to ride there?BR: Oh, good heavens, no. I won't hear of it. You're going to go on as if none of this ever happened.
BR: You just go get a horse from Tex - he's the head wrangler - and go riding to your heart's content. I told Shorty to go ahead with the cookout I planned for tonight and -
ER: The envelope. Have her take that envelope to Mary.
BR: Oh, good idea. There's an envelope in the rolltop desk in the den marked 'Mary.' If you could ride over to Mary Yazzie's and give it to her, we'd really appreciate it.
(I'd love to. Is there an address on the envelope?)BR: Because of the way the roads are set up around here, it takes longer to drive to her place from the ranch than it does to get there on horseback.
BR: Dave'll tell you how to get there.
ER: She's gonna have to get that key to the desk from him, too.
BR: Oh, that's right. I always lock the rolltop. Dave has the key. Oh, dear, it seems like there was something else I wanted to tell you.
ER: The horse, Bet. Tell her about the phantom horse.
Did he say, 'phantom horse?'BR: Yes, you see, last night we -
NURSE: Hello, Mr. Rawley. Time for those tests.
BR: Uh-oh. We have to go. Don't worry about us, dear. You just go have fun. Just be sure to wear a hat and drink plenty of water. It's gonna be another hot one. Bye!
No, wait, just tell me about the - Phantom horse?
while we're on the phone, we'll call our friends, too.
phone call w/ Bess
Very funny. C'mon, where are you really?BM: Hello?
Hi, Bess. It's me. I'm at the ranch. Where are you guys?BM: Omaha.
(Omaha? As in Nebraska?)BM: No joke, Nancy. We're in Omaha, Nebraska.
Well, at least they didn't cancel the flight.BM: Our plane had to land here so they could fix some radio problem, and now they're saying - it's Nancy.
GF: Hi, Nancy.
Hi, George.BM: Now they're saying we may be here for hours.
(Hours? You're kidding.)BM: Yet. I mean...
A lot.BM: Who knows what's really going on.
GF: Yeah, no one around here ever gives you a straight answer.
BM: So what's going on there?
Last night Uncle Ed and Aunt Bet found a rattlesnake in their room.
OR Nothing much.
If you don't count the fact that last night Uncle Ed and Aunt Bet found a rattlesnake in their room.if you call them before you've called the Rawleys, you get a little extra dialogue:BM: Omigosh! Are they okay?
Well, actually, it bit Uncle Ed.GF: Is he all right?
He will be. Right now he's in the hospital. He'll probably be there for a day or two. Aunt Bet's staying with him.BM: Omigosh...
And apparently a 'phantom horse' showed up at just about the same time as that snake.GF: A phantom horse?
BM: Of all the times to get stranded in some stupid airport. Look, you just better keep us posted, Nancy Drew. That's all I gotta say.
BM: We're so bored, George just bought a book on nineteenth century clothing and accessories.
George did?GF: It's the only thing in the bookstore here that looked halfway interesting. So if you need to know anything that's even remotely related to nineteenth century fashion, let us know, okay?
Sounds good to me.BM: In the meantime, call Uncle Ed and Aunt Bet. I mean, not only have you got our curiosity going, but we're bored, Nancy, bored.
I hear ya. I'll talk to ya soon, okay?BM and GF: You better!
You're not going to believe this. / That is a very good question.BM: So what's going on there?
BM: Omigosh. You've got a mystery to solve, don't you. I can hear it in your voice.
GF: What's happened? Tell us!
All I know so far is, the Rawleys sent one of their ranch hands to pick me up at the airport instead of meeting my plane themselves.BM: That is weird.
GF: Yeah, that doesn't sound like Uncle Ed and Aunt Bet at all. Are they there at the ranch?
Nope. The ranch hand who picked me up told me I could reach them at this phone number he gave me.BM: So what'd they say?
I... haven't called them yet.BM: So call them!
GF: Yeah, and as soon as you do, call us!
then the conversation picks back up at Bess saying "We're so bored."
phone call w/ Frank and Joe
Who'd you think I was? / Am I calling at a bad time?JH: What is it this time?
Uh, excuse me?JH: Nancy! Hi! Sorry, I thought you were somebody else.
What do you mean? / What does he want you to do?FH: Hey, Nancy.
Hi, Frank.JH: I thought you were this guy we're doing some work for.
You guys're on a case? That's great!FH: No, it's not. Turns out the guy is a bit neurotic.
Why not? / Of course you can.JM: He wants us to track down his missing laptop. He left it in a restaurant.
FH: Only he keeps calling us.
JH: Yeah, like every two minutes.
FH: He's become a real nuisance.
Maybe you should just quit.JH: Can't.
The Rawley's aren't here because Mr. Rawley was bitten by a rattlesnake last night.JH: This guy's filthy rich. And if we find that laptop, he said he'd make us filthy rich.
FH: But the real reason we can't quit is, he's the son of our mother's best friend.
JH: Yeah. If we quit, we'd never hear the end of it. Uh-oh. We've got another call.
FH: Let him leave a message. For the nine millionth time. So Nancy. Tell us about the ranch.
This one was in their bedroom.JH: Whoa. How bad off is he?
He's still in the hospital, but they think he's going to be okay.FH: They've got rattlesnakes around there, huh?
It showed up right after the phantom horse.(Apparently they've also got a phantom horse.)
if you haven't called the Rawleys yet, you get some more lines:FH: Phantom horse?
That's what Mrs. Rawley said. She hung up before she could explain.FH: Well, when she explains it to you, be sure to explain it to us.
The Rawleys - you know, Bess and George's aunt and uncle? They're missing.FH: Let him leave a message. For the nine millionth time. So Nancy. Tell us about the ranch.
I thought I'd call you. / Good question.JH: Missing? What do you mean?
I mean, they're not here, and no one will tell me where they are. I have their phone number; I'm supposed to call them.FH: So why haven't you called them?
JH: Now look, Nancy. Frank and I are witty and charming and interesting and great fun to talk to and all that, but are you nuts? You've got a mystery on your hands! Call them!
Right.
we can also get the sheriff's number from a note on the fridge. we'll need to talk to him later but we may as well get his intro phone call out of the way real quick.
phone call w/ the sheriff
You heard what happened to him?H: Hernandez.
Hi. Are you the sheriff?H: Yes, ma'am.
My name is Nancy Drew. I'm staying at Shadow Ranch.H: Oh, yeah? How's Ed doing?
(It sounds like he's going to be okay.)H: 'Course. I'm the sheriff. I hear everything. He gonna pull through?
It looks that way, yes. They're going to keep him in the hospital for a day or two just to be sure.
Did you hear about the phantom horse that showed up at Shadow Ranch last night?H: Good, that's good. Only met him a coupla times, but I liked him. He and his wife - what's her name?
Bet. Short for Elizabeth.H: They seemed real determined to make a go of that place. I like that. So.
H: What can I do for you?
Do you know most of the men who work at Shadow Ranch?H: Did you say 'phantom horse?'
Just before Ed was bitten by that snake, this glowing horse came galloping up outside, then went galloping away.H: Glowing horse? Sounds like somebody's playing a joke. Friend of Shorty's, I'll bet. Trying to get a rise out of him. And probably succeeding, knowing Shorty.
if you try to call before you've talked to the Rawleys, the line is busy.H: I know 'em all. That doesn't mean I'm best buddies with them, but it's a pretty small world out here, and I've either known or known of those boys for years.
And they're all... stand up guys, as far as you know?I'd vouch for every single one of 'em.
now we can get to know the ranch hands.
talking to Shorty
Bet said something about a phantom horse. Do you know what she was talking about?S: Hey. You must be Nancy. I'm the cook, Shorty Thurmond. Welcome to Shadow Ranch. C'mon over here 'n tell me about yourself.
S: You have talked to the Rawleys, right?
S: Sure do, see...
OR I have, and I still can't believe what happened to Ed.
A phantom horse? / Dirk Valentine?S: That is creepy, isn't it. But the horse - that was even creepier. See...
S: I was just about to crawl into bed last night, when all of a sudden, this glowing horse comes galloping up outside.
S: It stops and rears and paws, whinnying and snorting, then it just wheels around and gallops off into the night.
S: It was Dirk Valentine's horse, ya know.
S: Now it's a phantom.
Ouch. / Something tells me this story does not have a happy ending.S: Dirk Valentine was an outlaw around here back in the 1880s. Legend has it he was in love with Frances Humber. She lived right here on Shadow Ranch.
S: Unfortunately, her daddy was the sheriff.
What a great story.S: Because of him, Valentine was captured and eventually hanged. Ever since, the ghost of his horse has been roaming the desert, cursing whoever sees him with bad luck.
(You don't really believe that, do you?)S: Story?
if you haven't called the Rawleys yet, you get different dialogue:S: All I know is...
S: Ed Rawley sees the horse and what happens less than two minutes later? He gets bit by a rattlesnake. You do the math.
Wrong. / Is that important?S: You have talked to the Rawleys, right?
Why do you want to talk to me so badly? / I just wanted to look around a little first.S: I promised the Rawleys I wouldn't talk to you until after they did.
if you go up to him again later you get a little more:S: Do you have any idea how hard it is to have an interesting conversation with those two guys out there? It's impossible. So call the Rawleys then come right back.
How come? / Me, too. It'll be nice to talk to them in person.S: Hey, there, Nancy. Man, I wish the Rawleys were here.
S: I'm really looking forward to you and me sitting down and having a nice conversation. Especially with all this weird stuff that's been going on.
S: I'm so busy getting all their chores done in addition to my own that I barely have time to talk to myself, let alone to you. Enough of me complaining. What's up?
talking to Dave
I sure did. Do you think Ed's gonna be all right? / Yes. I'm supposed to go ahead and have a good time and not worry about Ed. Which is a lot easier said than done.D: You talk to the Rawleys?
Shorty told me about the 'phantom horse' that appeared just before it happened. Did you see it, too?D: He'll be okay. Getting bit by a rattler's no picnic, but it sounds like he's outta the woods.
How do you think that rattlesnake ended up in the Rawley's bedroom?D: It was the strangest thing I've ever seen.
Could somebody've... put it there?D: Probably crawled in through a mouse hole sometime during the day and took a nap. Nighttime's when they're most active. Something the Rawleys found out the hard way.
Has anything like that ever happened here before?D: Guess it's possible. Person would have to know how to handle snakes, of course, but then, if ya work in the desert, that's one of the things that's good to know.
I don't know. Why do you ask? / I'm sorry, am I bugging you?D: Not since I've been here.
D: Guess you're gonna be asking me a lot of questions, huh.
Amateur detective. It's just kind of a hobby. / Their niece, Bess Marvin? She told them that. And she exaggerates.D: The Rawleys said you were a detective.
I talked to my friends, Bess and George. Their plane's been delayed. They aren't sure when they're going to get here.D: I'm gonna be honest with you, ma'am. We were short a coupla hands to begin with, and now with the Rawleys gone, 'n everybody on edge over what happened last night...
D: Well, this is not a good time to be visiting Shadow Ranch, that's all.
The Rawleys asked me to take something out to Mary Yazzie's, but it's in the den in the rolltop desk, which is locked. They said you had the key?D: Sorry to hear that. Well, to be honest, I'm not really. Driving back and forth to the airport takes a lot of time, and time's one thing we're all running kinda short of around here.
Why not?D: Sure do. They gave me their key ring at the hospital.
D: To get to Mary's shop, just follow the trail that goes northeast outta the corral. Can't miss it.
D: And I should probably warn ya.
D: She doesn't like the Rawleys.
D: No idea. Not really any of my business.
OR: How do you know?
if you haven't called the Rawleys...D: It's just the feeling I get when I talk to her, that's all.
Not yet. / I thought I'd do a little poking around first.D: You call the Rawleys yet?
D: No offense, ma'am, but this here's a working cattle ranch. Somebody tells you to do something, it'd be a good idea t' get in the habit of doin' it.
D: Now if you'll excuse me...
talking to Tex
Excuse me? / The nice one?T: So which one are you?
I'm Nancy Drew. My two friends haven't arrived yet.T: The Rawleys said they were gonna be invitin' some young ladies out here. I take it you're one of 'em.
Their plane was delayed. They'll be here as soon as they can. / Is that important?T: Why not?
And you are...? / So you're in charge of the horses?T: I brought three horses in this morning. Hardly fair t' keep 'em tied up all day if nobody's gonna ride 'em.
OR Yes, I'm Nancy Drew. And you are...?
Did you see the phantom horse last night?T: I'm the head wrangler. You wanna ride, you come to me. You prove to me ya know what you're doin', I may just let ya.
(How do I prove to you I know what I'm doing?)T: I saw something. Just what, I still ain't sure.
T: Now if you wanna ride, listen up.
If I don't know something, can I just ask you?T: First thing you're gonna do is never ride 'less you're wearin' a hat 'n gloves, 'n 'less you got a full canteen of water.
T: You can wear that hat over there. It's Mrs. Rawley's. Got a helmet built right in. Her gloves're on the saddle you'll be using, 'n you can get a canteen from Shorty.
T: Then you're gonna saddle and bridle your horse. No need to brush him; I do that when I bring 'em in. Then you're gonna lead him to the mounting block in the corral and mount up.
T: Then I'm gonna ask you some questions. Ya can't ride outside the corral 'til ya get all the answers right.
Once I pass your test, can I ride anytime I want?T: Nope.
Do these horses ground tie?T: Long as you talk to me first.
T: When you're done ridin', you're gonna dismount, hook your horse up, take the saddle and bridle off and put 'em back where you got 'em. Always keep your gloves with your saddle.
'Bob?' Who's Bob? / What'll stay put?T: Yep.
T: If you get off when you're on the trail, don't tie your reins to nothin', just drop 'em, 'n barrin an earthquake or somethin', ole Bob'll stay put.
OR Which horse would you like me to ride?
May I go riding now?T: The bay over there. Name's Bob.
T: That's who I'm putting you on.
you can't talk to Tex before you've called the Rawleys; the stable door is locked.T: Nope.
T: With the Rawley's gone, the ranch is real short-handed. 'Fore you ride you're gonna have to go see if Shorty's got any chores that need doin'. Gotta get a canteen from him anyway.
since we've already exhausted all our conversational options, we'll go ahead and go back to Shorty to get our chore assignment.
back to Shorty
Tex said I should get a canteen from you and see if there're any chores you'd like me to do.S: Miss Nancy. How may I be of service?
You bet I do! / No, but don't worry, I'll find out.S: Music to my ears. First thing you can do for me is go out to the garden and pick all the ripe vegetables. You know what ripe vegetables look like, don'tcha?
S: Good. 'Cause if you pick vegetables that aren't ripe yet, I'll be real ticked. You can put 'em in the vegetable basket that's hanging outside.
S: And one more thing. Sometime today I need you to build a cooking fire in the pit outside. I'll light it when I'm ready to start cooking.
S: And be sure to fill the bucket out there with water and leave it by the pit. You know, just in case something catches on fire that isn't s'posed to.
S: The Rawleys wanted to have a cookout tonight and by golly, we're gonna have a cookout no matter who is or isn't here.
before we get those chores done we can check in with our friends; they have a little more to say about the phantom horse.
phone calls
with Bess:Apparently last night this glowing horse came galloping up out of nowhere, cause a huge commotion, then went galloping off and disappeared.BM: Hello?
Hey, Bess.BM: Nancy! Our link to the world of excitement and intrigue and decent food! What's the latest?
Evidently it was pretty spooky. / It looked like it was glowing.GF: It was glowing?
The cook, Shorty Thurmond? He says the phantom horse belonged to this outlaw named Dirk Valentine who was hanged back in the 1880s.BM: You're there investigating phantom horses, and what're we doing? A big fat nothing! That does it, George. We're suing the airline.
Don't you think it's odd how that rattlesnake showed up in the Rawleys' bedroom right after that phantom horse showed up outside?BM: Is this Valentine guy a phantom, too?
Uh, I don't think so.BM: Well, how come his horse got to become a phantom and he didn't?
GF: Bess? Phantoms don't really exist. Okay?
According to legend, seeing the horse is bad luck.BM: I believe it. I mean, look at what happened to the guy who owned him.
Dave said when the horse appeared, everyone ran outside to look. / I think it was more like a well-planned distraction.BM: You don't buy that it was an unfortunate coincidence?
with Frank and Joe:GF: So you're saying someone used the horse to lure everyone outside, then put the snake in their room knowing no one would be watching?
It's possible, don't you think?BM: But if you're right, it means someone wants to hurt Aunt Bet and Uncle Ed - Omigosh.
BM: If you're right, it means that someone is on the ranch.
And, whoever it is must be working with an accomplice. You know, someone to wrangle the horse.GF: So everyone there is a suspect.
That's right.BM: Well, you don't have to sound so happy about it.
Your client's still bugging you?FH: Now what?
Hi, Frank.FH: Nancy! What a relief.
(I can't tell if you're happy to be talking to me or just happy not to be talking to Laptop Guy.)FH: He calls every three point two-five minutes. You can set your watch by him.
JH: But the good news is...
Turns out Mrs. Rawley wasn't the only one who saw a 'phantom horse' last night.JH: He's being so obnoxious that we're working faster than we've ever worked before.
FH: We're going to solve this case in record time.
Like they say. Every cloud has a silver lining.JH: Uh-oh. Incoming call. Think it's him?
FH: Three point two-five minutes. It's him.
Want me to hang up?FH and JH: No!
FH: He can leave a message.
JH: So waht's going on there?
FH: We're listening.
Apparently this glowing horse came running up to the ranch house, caused everybody to go rushing out to look, then went racing off into the night.JH: We get nut jobs who can't keep track of their computers, and what does Nancy get? Horses that glow in the dark. I mean, I know life isn't fair, but this is ridiculous.
Dave will also give us some more backstory:
chat w/ Dave
How long've you worked here?D: Hello, Nancy. Somethin' I can do for ya?
Tex seems a little - ornery. / That Shorty sure likes to talk, doesn't he?D: 'Bout as long as the Rawleys've lived here. 'Bout three months, I guess. I was their first hire. First me, then Tex, then Shorty.
D: He does his job and he does it good. Far as I'm concerned, that's all that's important.
now, finally, we'll get our chores done. we pick veggies, collect eggs, and receive our canteen. then we unlock the rolltop desk to find the envelope for Mary. we find another letter as well:
letter from Jane Nash
To Ed and Bet Rawley,
Just because you fired me, don't make ANOTHER mistake and think that you've heard the last of me, because you haven't.
We all know that I deserved a second chance. Letting me go without giving me one was just plain WRONG.
In fact, know what your problem is? You don't believe in justice. But see, I do. That's the way my brother and I were raised. Justice always prevails, although sometimes it needs a little help.
You'll see,
Jane Nash
we also find some levers that allow us to solve a puzzle and open the chest in the corner. a few more things to read here:
Meryl Humber's journal
July 4, 1882Got swored in as sheriff. It was the Fourth, so it was like all them celebrations was for me which of course they werent. Frances thought up a song and playt it on the piano for me. I forget how it went but it was pretty. I am lucky to have her fer a daughter.
November 12, 1882Hereford Shupe come by with a plant he brung from New York which he called Harrison's Yellow. It lookt right dead to me, but Frances planted it out back and give it some water and alreddy it looks to be on the mend. She is 17 and can read and write good and knows her numbers. Hereford is thinking to marry her, but I sed she aint of that mind yet.
March 30, 1883Frances has got eyes for a young man named Dirk. She sez he is from Prescott. Cappy sez when she plays the piano this Dirk makes everyone be quiet so he can hear good. I aint never seen her smile like she smiles now. I told her to bring him to the ranch for dinner but she sez he wont come becuz he is too shy but I wonder if that is the truth.
April 16, 1883Got a letter from the sheriff over in Phoenix about this Dirk Valentine who is wanted for robbing 2 banks and a stage coach. The pikture with the letter lookt just like Dirk who Frances is sweet on. When I showt her the pikture she got real tearful and run off and now Dirk is gone and she won't say nothing about where he went.
August 2, 1883Dirk Valentine is robbing banks and coaches and trains all over the territory. Frances sez he never ever shoots his gun and only steals from people that alreddy got plenty of money but that aint true becuz some of them trains he robbed was carrying money meant to pay miners their hard earned wages. He is nothing but a no-good greedy outlaw but Frances gets real mad when I say that. I fear she is still sweet on him and that she sees him when she knows I am bizzy and gets letters from him which she hides from me.
September 9, 1883I got hold of a note Frances sent to Dirk and saw where they was going to meet. So I got a posse and we caught Dirk and now he is in jail. The judge is coming next week and I hear he is a hanging judge so Dirk most likely aint long for this world. Frances won't say nothing to me no more and sez she never will again.
September 13, 1883Dirk sent a secret letter to Frances which Mason got hold of and give to me. I lockt it up so she wont never read it. Frances aint allowed to go see Dirk in jail of course and if she never sees the letter maybe she will think he dont like her no more and maybe she will stop liking him. Frances's ma would of knowed what to do bettern me. I wish she was still alive.
September 17, 1883They hung Dirk at noon. I thought I would be glad but I aint.
September 18, 1883Frances took Browney and my big saddle bag and is gone. She aint told no one where she was going, not even Cappy. But I know she will forget Dirk and when she does she will come home becuz she is a smart gal and will figure out that I did what I done for her.
January 4, 1884My sister sez her little girl Ellie got a letter that sed Frances went East and was not of a mind to ever return. I hope this aint the truth because I miss her something awful.
June 11, 1884The Harrison's Yellow which Frances sed was her favorite flower in the world is just a pile of brown stix now. I don't know how to look after delicate things like that so it is my fault that it died.
September 28, 1884I aint seen or heard from Frances in a year. I tell people she is on her way home but when I look in my heart I know this is a lie. She will never come back to Shadow Ranch and it is my fault and I will just have to find a way to live with it.
(the last page is tear-stained.)
Dirk's letter
September 12, 1883
Dear Frances,
As usual, things did not work out like I planned. Just when I got everything fixed just right for you to go looking for the thing I hid for you, I go and get myself arrested.
But no matter what you hear, nothing is going to happen to me. I will be fine and we will be together soon, I promise.
Meanwhile, you can keep busy by looking for what I hid. Start by using this piece of paper to mark where all the rock pictures are. They will tell you what to do next. Your favorite flowers, and the flowers on your favorites, start keeping them in mind, too.
I will leave a message for you in this here cell. Just in case they decide to move me to the jail down in Tumbleweed or something.
I like vexing your brain, because when you are thinking real hard, like when you are playing the piano, you are more beautiful than anything in the world. I am sure to be out of here before you find my treasure, but in case I am not, know that it is all yours, and that you are more precious to me than ten thousand treasures put together.
9 12 15 22 5 25 15 21
Dirk
P.S. I do not, and never will, hold what your father did to me against you.
shall we check in with Bess and George?
chat w/ Bess
Would you believe I found a letter that Dirk Valentine wrote to Frances Humber?BM: Hello?
Me again. What's the status of your plane?BM: Nobody'll tell use a thing. And now a bunch of really dark clouds are rolling in.
GF: What's going on with you, Nan?
It said that Dirk hid a bunch of his loot somewhere. / The letter may explain what the deal is with that 'phantom horse.'BM: No way.
It was locked up in this chest that belonged to her father. And the letter was never opened. According to his journal, her father intercepted it and locked it away before Frances could read it.GF: So did you read it?
BM: Of course she did. I mean, she better have.
BM: Ooo, I love it when outlaws hide loot, don't you?
GF: What'd the letter say?
Well, evidently Dirk wanted Frances to have the loot he'd stashed, so he set up this elaborate treasure hunt for her. The letter contained all sorts of weird, obscure clues to help her find what he'd hidden.BM: But if the letter was never opened...
GF: Frances couldn't've found the treasure.
BM: Omigosh. It could still be out there.
And somebody could be using that phantom horse to chase the Rawleys off the ranch because they wanna be the ones to find it.BM: We're stuck here when we could be there with you, looking for hidden loot? That does it, George. We're suing the airline and the airport.
Dave also has something new to say now that we've learned about Dirk's treasure.
chat w/ Dave
I found a letter that may've been written by Dirk Valentine to Frances Humber way back in the 1880s. What do you know about them?D: Hello, Nancy. Somethin' I can do for ya?
The letter made it sound like Dirk was sending Frances on some kind of treasure hunt. / It suggested that Dirk had buried something very valuable around here.D: I know there's a painting of her over in the ranch house, 'n that's about it. Why? What'd the letter say?
D: Well, if the guy did hide something, it's probably long gone by now.
we'll go talk to Tex about going riding now, but surprisingly we can also ask about the treasure.
chat w/ Tex
Do you know anything about the treasure that Dirk Valentine supposedly hid for his sweetheart?T: Need something?
Somehow I knew you were going to say that. / Figures.T: Nope.
(Tex does not dignify this with a response.)
off to Mary's Gifts to meet the eponymous Mary Yazzie.
talking to Mary
My name's Nancy Drew. I'm staying at Shadow Ranch.M: Hi. Can I help you?
M: I'm Mary Yazzie.
OR Hi. Are you Mary Yazzie?
I rode here. I'm Nancy Drew. / Bob brought me. He's a horse. My name's Nancy.M: That's me. I didn't hear a car. Did you bike in or come by horse?
Shadow Ranch.M: So where're you staying?
So you know the Rawleys?M: I heard what happened last night. Tough break for the Rawleys. Getting that place going has been a real struggle for them.
M: Their property line starts where the back of this store ends. We've talked many times.
OR How did you hear about it?
Here. I have something for you. / You probably know everyone in the valley, don't you. Oops. I almost forgot.M: Word gets around.
OR With Ed and Elizabeth Rawley. In fact, I have something for you.
Bet asked me to give you this.Great. I want to buy a small piece of property from them. It must be their response.
(you give Mary the envelope; she reads it and tosses it on the ground.)
Bad news?I understand that you bought a trunk full of junk from the Rawleys recently.M: They rejected my offer. Well, I guess that's that.
M: But as long as you're here, look around. All the jewelry you see, all the rugs, the beadwork, the pottery - they were all made by local artists, including yours truly.
M: So you if want to know something, especially if you want to know how much something is, just ask.
Have you asked the Rawleys about it?M: Yeah. They didn't want much for it, so I took it off their hands. Problem is, I still don't know what's in it because I can't figure out how to open it.
May I take a look at it?M: They were no help, although they did offer to buy it back from me. I just told them to keep looking for a way to get it open.
Are there many pretroglyphs around here?M: Sure. It's right over there.
if you've played the arcade game and won a token...If you take the trail to Cougar Bend, there are hundreds. A lot of them were probably made by the Anasazi. They lived in the area until about seven hundred years ago, when they just suddenly picked up and left.
I won something that looks like a token when I played that game over there. What is it?
M: They actually used those for something back in the 1880s, but I don't know what.
Bess and George will comment on Mary Yazzie if you call them.
chat w/ Bess
I finally went for a trail ride.Apparently she wants to buy some land from the Rawleys that they don't want to sell.BM: You went horseback-riding?
I rode to this store that this woman named Mary Yazzie owns. She seems to have a bit of an attitude problem when it comes to the Rawleys.
if you call the Rawleys first...BM: What's on the property?
I don't know. I should probably call the Rawleys and ask them.GF: Good idea, and the sooner the better.
BM: What's on the property?
According to the Rawleys, nothing but rocks. They just don't feel like selling it, to her or anyone else.GF: She may have an ulterior motive.
BM: And where there's an ulterior motive, there's almost always a suspect.
call w/ the Rawleys
I delivered that envelope to Mary Yazzie like you asked. She seemed a little... upset when she read that you'd turned her down.BR: Hello?
Hi, Mrs. Rawley, it's Nancy again.BR: Hi, Nancy! It's Nancy.
ER: I can hear, Bet.
How is Mr. Rawley doing?BR: Let's get something straight right now. Even though we're Bess and George's aunt and uncle and not yours, I want you to call us Aunt Bet and Uncle Ed, too, got that?
All right.BR: Good. Now what was the question?
How is Mr. Raw - I mean, Uncle Ed, doing?BR: Well, he's running a slight fever, so the doctors are a little concerned -
ER: Oh, I'm fine.
BR: They're going to keep him here overnight, just to make sure he isn't developing some kind of infection. Oh, but enough about us. How are you doing?
Is this the first time she's tried to buy it from you?BR: I'm sorry to disappoint her, but if we sell that property to her, it would send a signal to other would-be buyers that we're interested in selling the ranch off bit by bit, and we're not.
(What does she want the property for?)BR: She's been after us to sell it to her practically since the day we arrived. That was her first formal offer. I guess she thought if she put it in writing, we'd accept.
Why does she want it so bad?
I heard about the phantom horse. Was last night the first time it showed up?BR: I have no idea. The parcel she wants to buy is nowhere near her store, and there's nothing but rocks on it. Maybe someone else there at the ranch knows, but we sure don't.
Do you have any idea where the horse came from?BR: As far as I know. It was the strangest thing. Shorty kept babbling about how it was the ghost of the horse that belonged to some outlaw -
Dirk Valentine?BR: But that was right after Ed got himself bit and we were all running around trying to get him into the truck to take him to the hospital and I really wasn't paying much attention.
BR: None whatsoever. She wants to know where that phantom horse came from.
ER: I was hoping she could tell us.
BR: You're the detective, dear. If you want to snoop around and see what you can find out about that creature, by all means, please do.
OR Do you have any idea how that snake got into your room?
It doesn't look like Bess and George are going to get here today.BR: None at all. We heard the horse come galloping up, so we jumped out of bed and ran outside to look. When we came back, there it was, right there on the floor by the bed.
Has that ever happened before?BR: No. And if it ever happens again, I - well, it just won't that's all.
He seems a little stand-offish.BR: Why not?
Their plane had to land in Omaha because of mechanical problems. They don't know when they'll be taking off.BR: So, you'll have all those cowboys to yourself for a while. That Dave is pretty cute.
BR: Oh, he's just a little bashful. He'll warm up to you. He's quite a handy-man. Very trustworthy.
OR Dave's okay, but Tex is a different story.
BR: That man scared the bejeepers outta me when he came in to interview. But he kinda grows on ya. And he takes real good care of the horses.
coming back home, we can talk to Tex about the card we found in his saddlebag...
confronting Tex
Should I be somewhere else?T: You still here?
T: Yeah. Home in your nice soft beddy-bye.
OR You sound surprised.
Well, I hope you like surprises, Tex, because you're in for one. / Why do you say that?T: You 'n your friends, if they ever show up - you ain't gonna last more 'n three days out here.
I understand you have a sister named Jane Nash.T: City folk can't take living out here. Too rugged. Too much work. Too dangerous.
Did you know that she used to work for the Rawleys?T: So what if I do?
T: No, she didn't. What gave you that idea?
OR I found a pretty nasty letter from someone named Jane Nash in the Rawleys' desk.
Not really, I mean, not technically. / I'm just very observant, that's all.T: That don't mean it was my sister.
T: Hey, you've been snoopin', haven't ya. In the Rawleys' stuff, in my stuff...
if you give him a minute to cool off and come back...T: My business ain't none of your business, 'n that includes any sisters I may or may not have. You need t' go.
T: I'm busy.
So it's just a coincidence that you ended up working for the Rawleys, too?T: Not that my family's any a your concern, but my sister did work for the Rawleys. Back in Phoenix. She got fired, she got mad, but she's over it. Okay?
T: 'Course not. Janey got me curious, so I checked 'em out 'n wound up hirin' on. They're decent people.
OR Why didn't you tell me that before?
So all the bad stuff that's been going on around here - it's not because you're helping her get back at the Rawleys for letting her go? / Are you and your sister very close?T: Because it makes me look bad. I figured no one'd ever find out, 'n when you did, I just got all... flustered-like.
T: Fact is, my sister can be kind of a flake. I'd a pro'ly fired her, too.
Shorty has some commentary...
gossipin' w/ Shorty
Have you ever met Mary Yazzie?S: Miss Nancy. How may I be of service?
Do you know anything about the piece of property she's been trying to buy from the Rawleys?S: 'Course. Nice lady. I mean, for the most part. Gets real unfriendly when the subject of the Rawleys comes up.
S: Well, I know that she says she wants to buy it because she feels 'spiritually drawn' to it. But I think she's got something up her sleeve.
OR What about Dave Gregory? He's so quiet, I can't tell if he's being secretive or just shy.
You like to gossip, don't you?S: My money's on shy. I mean, it kinda takes brains to be secretive, and he strikes me as being pretty much a lightweight in that department, know what I mean?
S: Oh, Nancy. It's great having you here. I mean, I like to talk, ya know? I like to converse, to debate, to discuss...
S: More than anything. Which isn't a bad thing.
OR Most people think I'm too nosy.
S: You're not nosy. Me, neither.
S: People like you and I are fascinated by the human condition, that's all. So. Who else do you want to talk about?
Uh, nobody, really.
but now it's time to go back to Mary's and open the steamer trunk with a little help from a certain author.
call w/ Charleena Purcell
The lock seems to have something to do with this image that's engraved on the trunk right above it.ASSISTANT: Charleena Purcell's office.
Hi. My name is Nancy Drew. May I please speak to Ms. Purcell?ASSISTANT: Concerning?
I'm staying at a ranch in central Arizona, and since she knows so much about the history of Arizona, I thought maybe she could answer some questions for me.ASSISTANT: Questions concerning?
Well, I came across a very old trunk that might contain stuff that has to do with these people named Dirk Valentine and Frances Humber, only I can't open it.ASSISTANT: Did you say, 'Dirk Valentine?'
And his girlfriend, Frances Humber, yes.ASSISTANT: Huh. Would you hold please.
HOLD MESSAGE: Thank you for holding, and thank you for calling the office of Charleena Purcell. Ms. Purcell's latest novel, Like Wind Through My Heart, was an instant best-seller, and like so many of her novels, it recently received the Katherine Coop Award for Historical Excellence. Reading a Charleena Purcell novel is like traveling through time to the old Southwest on the wings of love -
C: This is Charleena. Who is this again?
Uh, Nancy Drew?C: Tell me about the trunk you found.
Well...
C: Describe the image.
It's this kind of abstract design made up of hearts and doves and the initials E.H. and A.H.
OR To open it, I need to put these wrenches in these three holes, but I don't know in which directions they need to be pointing.
Those numbers must have something to do with the directions in which those wrenches need to be pointing.C: That does sound like it came from the Humber family. Is there any kind of picture on it?
Yes, as a matter of fact, there's this kind of abstract design made up of hearts and doves and the initials E.H. and A.H.C: 'E.H.' would be Eldridge Humber, and 'A.H.' would be Abigail Humber. Frances Humber's grandparents. The picture no doubt commemorates their wedding day, which was... April 9, 1811.
(Why do you know so much about the Humbers?)C: I'm afraid I wouldn't know. In the course of my research, I've only read about the trunks Meryl and Eldridge Humber handcrafted. I've never actually opened one. However.
if you call her back right after opening the trunk...C: I've been running across fascinating tidbits concerning the Humber family and stashing them away for years. When I have enough tidbits stashed away, I may well write a book about them.
Then you'd probably be very interested to know what's in this trunk.C: Yes, I would.
C: And since I've helped you, or tried to, it's only fair that you help me, don't you think?
Sure. I'll keep you posted. Did I mention that I'm staying at Shadow Ranch?C: This just gets better and better. I'll tell my assistant to put your calls through immediately. By the way...
C: Why are you so interested in the Humbers?
Knowing more about them and what happened in the past may help me figure out something that's going on in the present. I'm kind of a detective.That's makes two of us. I'll be waiting to hear from you.
I opened that trunk and found a locket watch in it that used to belong to Frances.ASSISTANT: Charleena Purcell's office.
Hi. My name is Nancy Drew. May I please speak to Ms. Purcell?ASSISTANT: She told me to put you right through. She even told me to make sure you didn't have to listen to that recording again. You really rate.
C: Hello, Nancy. So what have you discovered?
It looks like the rest of the sentence is on the half that got torn off.C: And was anything in the locket watch?
Half a picture. I'm pretty sure what's there is a picture of Frances. I think the missing half was her father. Anyway, on the back it said, 'green bottle under.'C: Hmm. Wonder what that means.
C: I know a lot about the Humbers, but I don't know anything about a green bottle. What happened to all of Dirk Valentine's ill-gotten gains, that's what I'd really like to know.
OR I was kind of hoping you'd know.
Actually, I may know what happened to it.C: Sorry. I know a lot about the Humbers, but I don't know everything. What happened to all of Dirk Valentine's ill-gotten gains, that's what I'd really like to know.
C: If you're talking about the rumor that Dirk hid his fortune in such a way that only Frances would be able to find it, I know all about it.
C: And I tend to believe it, seeing that Dirk was basically just a high-spirited, fun-loving guy who loved to take risks.
OR What do you think happened to it?
I have reason to believe that it is. / I think I know why she never found it.C: The rumor is Dirk hid his fortune in such a way that only Frances would be able to find it. And seeing that he was basically just a high-spirited, fun-loving guy who loved taking risks, I tend to believe it.
C: But the fact that after Dirk's demise she spent the rest of her life teaching school in Ohio strongly suggests that she never found the treasure. So the rumor probably isn't true.
Well, I'm going to try to figure it out anyway.C: Really? Tell me.
I found a letter from Dirk that Frances never read. It told her how to start looking for what he'd hidden for her. His clues were rather... obtuse, though.C: For example?
For example, he refers to 'her favorite flowers, and the flowers on her favorites.' Do you know what that means?C: No, and that's the problem. Whatever clues he left for her no doubt relate to things only she and no one else would understand.
C: That's the spirit. And if you think there's something I can help you with, please. Do not hesitate to call.
OR So you think it's hopeless?
C: Hopeless? There's no such word. Where there's a will - and a potential best-seller - there's a way.
That's pretty much my philosophy, too. Except for the best seller part.C: Keep up the good work. And if you think there's something I can help you with, please. Do not hesitate to call.
when we get back to the ranch, we'll trigger a cutscene:
the cookout
Shorty: 'N she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes. -bad yodeling-
Tex: I can't take anymore.
Shorty: Where're you going? You can't leave. The Rawleys said we were to have a cookout and entertain our guest.
Tex: Yeah, well, I don't call this entertainment. It's worse than whatever that stuff was you cooked.
Shorty: That was lamb ragout, for you information, and it was great! If you couldn't appreciate it, it's because your taste buds are about as sophisticated as a sand flea's!
Dave: I think I'll turn in, too. 'Night, ma'am. Next time, just stick to burgers.
Shorty: Et tu, Brute?
Shorty: You see that? You see what I put up with? Day in and day out, I cast my culinary pearls before ungrateful, uncultured swine. Well, I'll show them.
Shorty: I'll write a best-selling cookbook, that's what I'll do. Then I'll get my own TV show, then I'll do a movie, and while they're out here punching cattle, I'll become a gazillionaire.
and that's the end of day one!
day two
phone call w/ the Rawleys
I'm more inclined to think that someone is using that horse to divert attention. /// That's what someone wants you to think, Aunt Bet.BR: And you say this happened right after that phantom horse showed up again?
The pump house blew just as the horse was galloping away.BR: Oh, my. This is awful. Maybe Shorty was right. Maybe that horse is a bad omen.
Someone may be trying to chase you off the ranch. /// Could someone be trying to get back at you for something?BR: What do you mean?
It's possible that while everyone's attention was on that horse, someone sabotaged the pump house.BR: Why on earth would someone sabotage the pump house?
Can you think of anyone who might have a grudge against you? /// Can you think of any reason why someone might want you off the ranch?BR: I can't imagine who.
Maybe I can find out.BR: You don't think Tex or Shorty or Dave is somehow involved, do you?
It's possible, but I just don't know yet.BR: Oh, my. You might not be safe there.
ER: Maybe we should send her home.
I'll be fine. Really. I want to help. And I can help.BR: Well, it sounds like we could certainly use your help.
you can call them back, though.BR: No, but I'll tell you what. Ed and I will put our thinking caps on, and if anything to us, we'll call you. Have you called the sheriff and told him all this?
Not yet.ER: Tell her about the storms.
Tell me about the what?BR: The storms. You need to be careful when you go riding. Because it can be sunny one minute, and pouring down rain the next.
I'll be careful.BR: Good. And if you have any more questions, just call.
One more thing. Until I figure out what's going on, it would probably be a good idea not to mention my suspicions to anyone at the ranch.BR: Of course. Keep in touch.
I will. Bye!
I noticed a letter in your rolltop desk from someone named Jane Nash?BR: Hello?
Hi, Aunt Bet. I forgot to ask you before how Uncle Ed was doing.BR: Well, he definitely has some kind of infection -
ER: I'm fine!
BR: So they've got him on antibiotics. We'll be here for at least two more days.
How old was she?BR: Oh, yes. She worked for us back in Phoenix, when we still owned the clothing store. Unfortunately, she turned out to be totally unreliable, and we had to let her go.
The letter sounded almost... threatening.BR: Oh, she's harmless.
BR: Part of her problem was that she was all talk and no show. It was Ed's idea to hire her.
ER: She was a good salesperson. She was just not a very good person person.
BR: In her thirties. She was married for a while, as I recall.
OR Has Tex ever said anything to you about her?
BR: About Jane? No. Why would he?
I... just wondered, that's all.BR: She has an ex-husband or two, as I recall. Very unstable emotionally.
Then how can you be so sure she won't do something to get back at you?BR: For the same reason we fired her, dear. She's too lazy.
checking in w/ the sheriff
I know. I never got a chance to talk to you.H: Hernandez.
This is Nancy Drew. I'm the one who's staying at Shadow Ranch?H: I remember. In fact, I spent a good part of last night out there.
What's your take on what happened to the pump house?H: Is there something I can do for you?
(for some reason the dialogue just ends here, and you can't go back and ask the other question. weird.)
And the phantom horse?H: Looked to me like the main pipe had been deteriorating for some time, only nobody noticed until last night when it finally blew.
H: Somebody playing a joke, that's all. Probably a friend of one of those cowboys out there, having themselves a good laugh.
OR So you think it was an accident?
you need to call again to be able to check out the pumphouse.I see no reason to think otherwise.
Would it be all right if I looked around in the pump house?
H: Sure. I'm all done in there. Shoulda had the deputy take that sign down. Mind my asking why you wanna look around? Wait a minute. Dave told me about you. You're the girl detective.
Amateur detective.I don't know, Dave seems to be real impressed with you. In more ways than one, I might add.
call w/ Bess
St. Louis? / Tell me you're joking.BM: Hello?
Where are you guys? You've got to get out here! I saw the phantom horse last night!BM: Know what we saw last night? The inside of a motel room. In St. Louis.
You're fogged in. / More mechanical problems. / You're fogged in and your plane's got more mechanical problems.BM: Our plane finally took off at seven last night. We didn't call you because we wanted to surprise you.
GF: Only the next thing we knew, we were being diverted to St. Louis on account of bad weather. So the airline put us up at a motel.
BM: But when we came back to the airport this morning, guess what?
Has either of you two ever read anything by an author named Charleena Purcell?BM: We're fogged in.
GF: I have never seen fog this thick.
BM: Visibility's three feet tops.
GF: You can barely drive in the stuff, let alone land and take off. Let's change the subject.
BM: So you saw the phantom horse?
Last night, right after the campfire. This glowing horse appeared out of nowhere, then went galloping away. And right after that? The main pipe in the pump house sprang a leak. Another case of bad luck? I think not.GF: So while everyone's attention was on the horse, someone sabotaged the pump house.
BM: First the rattlesnake, now this. Yikes.
She writes romance novels that take place in the Old West.I found a half-burned note that had a bunch of gibberish on it in the fire pit.GF: That rules me out.
BM: I saw her on a talk show once. Seemed kind of full of herself. Why do you ask?
I had to call her in order to open this old trunk at Mary Yazzie's. She knows a lot about the people who used to live at Shadow Ranch.GF: I bet I know more about nineteenth centure clothing design than she does.
That's just what I was thinking.BM: Gibberish? You mean, like a code?
That could be why someone tried to burn it, so no one else at the ranch would ever know what it said.BM: Maybe it was about the sabotage.
BM: So just find a way to decode that message and you'll be all set.
OR Or maybe someone just felt like writing down a bunch of gibberish.
I found a locket that belonged to Frances Humber. It had a picture in it with the words 'green bottle under' written on the back.BM: You're surrounded by cowboys. They don't sit around writing gibberish.
GF: And we know Uncle Ed didn't write it, because even his printing is totally illegible.
BM: Aunt Bet does sometimes write this poetry stuff, but I wouldn't call it gibberish - it's just...
GF: Bad.
I doubt it.BM: Maybe the bottle's a clue to where Valentine's loot is hidden!
If Frances never saw the letter from Dirk that her father intercepted, she couldn't've found the treasure, which means she couldn't've left a clue as to its whereabouts in that locket.BM: Well, that green bottle obviously meant something to her. I think you should find out first and ask questions later.
OR Could be.
Although I'm really not sure how, if we're right and Frances never found that treasure.BM: Well, that green bottle obviously meant something to her. I think you should find out first and ask questions later.
caught snoopin' by Shorty
if you go back up to him...S: Can I help you find something?
No, I pretty much found everything on my own.S: For your information, I got those maps 'cause I was hoping there might be a long lost gold mine or two around here.
S: But, like most of my get rich quick ideas, it didn't pan out.
S: Apparently there's no gold left in them thar hills. Or silver or copper or anything else. Now I don't ever wanna catch you in my stuff again.
I'm embarrassed that you caught me snooping through your stuff. / I'd like to apologize.S: Yes?
Got any chores you want me to do?S: Just proves we're birds of a feather. I've been known to go pokin' through other people's stuff myself.
Have you been out to the pump house?S: Do exactly what you did for me yesterday, and I'll be forever grateful. Start by picking all the ripe stuff in the garden again. Basket's outside.
You really think what happened to the pump house was the result of bad luck? / I'm inclined to think that someone, not something, is responsible for the damage to the pump house.S: All the water to the ranch house has been cut off.
S: The livestock'll still get water from the windmills, but we humans are going to have to get every single drop of water we use from the faucet in the pump house.
S: And that's going to be a royal pain. Why can't that darn horse do its curse thing somewhere else?
S: I saw the pipe. It was rusted through. That's why it burst. That and bad vibes from that equine banshee.
catching Dave snoopin'
Dave?I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you, but... what are you doing? / Where did you come from?D: Where did you come from?
How long've you known about it?D: Well, see, I just - I mean -
D: I'm looking for Dirk Valentine's treasure.
D: Coupla years.
OR Then you lied before when you didn't know who Dirk Valentine was.
How long've you been digging around down here?D: Yes, ma'am.
D: See, my great Aunt Ellie was Frances Humber's cousin. When she died, she left me a bunch of stuff, includin' an old letter she'd gotten from Frances.
D: In the letter Frances said that Valentine had hidden a bunch of loot somehwere and wanted Frances to find it by following the clues he left for her.
D: Frances was real smart, see. Loved puzzles. Played the piano pretty good, too.
D: Anyway, after Valentine met his end, Frances was too broken hearted to care about some treasure. She told Aunt Ellie that if she could find it, she could keep it.
D: I also found this picture.
D: That's Frances's father. Sheriff Meryl Humber. There's something written on the back.
D: 'Stairs to cellar.' That's Frances's handwriting. Looks like the other half of the message got torn off.
D: I was hoping that the treasure might be under the stairs in here but... no such luck.
D: About a week. Mostly late at night, or whenever I could sneak away. I come and go through a secret entrance.
OR I didn't know this place had a cellar.
What do the Rawleys think about all this? / The Rawleys never mentioned a secret door.D: As far as I know, no one does. The entrance is secret.
D: These stairs lead to a secret door behind the bookcase in the den.
I understand, but now I'm in kind of an awkward position. / It is their property.D: The Rawleys don't know. I was afraid that if I told them they'd...
D: See, my brother's dead broke. No job, health's bad. I was thinkin' if I could just find the treasure...
What about all the accidents that've been happening around here lately? / You haven't been using that phantom horse to try to scare the Rawleys off so you can hunt for Valentine's treasure in peace?D: I know. And I'll tell them, I swear. Soon as they come back. They got enough on their minds right now.
D: I don't know anything about that horse or any of the other stuff that's been going on around here, I swear.
D: Now, if you'll pardon me, I need to tend to my chores.
Dirk's letters
April 4, 1883Dear Frances,
I am glad that you are getting your picture painted wearing your favorite shawl. It will be a beautiful painting because you look beautiful in that shawl. I forget the name of the stitch you used to make it, but I think it is amazing that you learned how to knit a whole shawl just by reading one book. I wish I could put my mind to things like you can.
I am also glad that you liked the handbag that I got you. I knew it would become your favorite on account of the pretty picture the beads make. I want to know all the things that you like so that I can make sure you always have them. I figure that way you will always want me around.
Meet me on Friday at noon by the big picture rock.
I love you.
Dirk.
July 29, 1883Dear Frances,
Remember when we were in Cappy's eating the crackers he orders special from California, and you said that from then on the crackers would be your favorite because they would always remind you of me? Well, I met a trader yesterday who had a whole wagon full of them and I bought you four tins.
I also bought a rock from him because this rock has been polished to show a picture that looks just like the landscape by one of our meeting places. He called it an agate and said that the picture was made by nature, but it looks so real I can hardly believe it. I am thinking of a way to surprise you with it, because it is as special as you are.
I will meet you Tuesday at three by the three arm cactus. Your father has people watching for me all over the county. I guess you got some of your smartness from him.
I love you.
Dirk.
August 19, 1883Dear Frances,
I still don't know how you got a whole cake out to our last meeting place like you did, but it was the best thing I ever ate and the prettiest, too, what with that fancy flower you put on it. Now I think it is the best cake recipe in the world, too.
But nothing is as good as getting a letter from you. Whenever I see a flower like the one on your favorite letter paper, I think of you. I only steal from people who have plenty of money to begin with and deserve to be robbed, but if I could start over, I would forget about them and be a rancher or miner or shopkeeper or whatever you wanted me to be, just so we could always be together.
Be at Charlie's grave at sunset this Thursday.
I love you.
Dirk.
calling Bess
Have I told you about the cowboys that work for the Rawleys?Tex Britten, the head wrangler? The Rawleys fired his sister when they lived in Phoenix.BM: No, and believe me, I've been meaning to ask.
Well, Dave Gregory - he's the foreman, and he's very cute, Bess.BM: Wouldn't ya know it.
Anyway, I caught him secretly digging around in the cellar. He knows about Dirk Valentine's treasure, too.GF: What about the other cowboys?
At first he denied it. Then when he finally admitted it, he said he lied because he knew the truth makes him look bad.BM: Yeah. It makes him look like he's been sabotaging stuff at the ranch to help his sister get back at Aunt Bet and Uncle Ed.
He says that's not true, that he doesn't even blame the Rawleys for firing her.BM: Words are cheap, Nan. Keep an eye on him.
OR Shorty the cook admitted he's been checking out the area around Shadow Ranch for lost gold mines.
I found a green bottle with a bunch of love letters from Dirk to Frances inside.BM: Has he found any?
He says no.GF: But if he's lying...
BM: And he found gold on the Rawleys' propery...
GF: He could be sabotaging stuff at the ranch to chase off Aunt Bet and Uncle Ed so he can have all the gold for himself.
BM: Better keep an eye on him, Nancy.
I found an old beaded handbag that may have belonged to Frances Humber.BM: Love letter? I love love letters.
GF: Was there anything in them about the loot he'd stashed for her?
No, but there are references to some of her favorite things, and since the letter that Dirk wrote to her from jail mentioned that her favorite flowers will help her find the treasure -GF: They might help you figure out what they are.
BM: We're stuck here while you get to read love letters? Okay, George, we're suing the airline, both airports, and the weather service.
BM: Was there anything in it?
No, but if it's the bag that Dirk mentioned in one of his love letters, it could hold some sort of clue.GF: What does it look like?
Well, there's a bird on it, but the beads've completely fallen off this one section. However, it does have the name of the manufacturer at the bottom. It was made by the 'Chicago Mercantile Company' back in 1881.GF: That's one of the companies in my book. Is there anything else on it?
Yeah. Some kind of number. 'H B 3 9 4 1.'BM: Maybe that's what bead pattern it is.
GF: There's a bunch of phone numbers in this book. Maybe we can track down the pattern for you.
That'd be great. Like I said, it could be pretty important. Especially if the part that's missing turns out to have something to do with flowers.BM: We'll get right on it.
call w/ the Rawleys
Are you aware there's a secret door behind the bookcase in the den?I just wondered if you'd ever come across anything that belonged to him.BR: No. Oh my, you really are quite the detective. How did you discover that?
Well, actually... it's a long story. What do you know about Dirk Valentine?BR: Never heard of him. Do you know a Dirk Valentine?
ER: Isn't he that outlaw guy Shorty was carrying on about the night I got bit?
BR: Never. And I'd remember a name like that. 'Dirk Valentine.' Sounds like a character from a Charleena Purcell novel.
OR He's supposed to've hidden a treasure somewhere around here.
Are you a Charleena Purcell fan?BR: This is the first I've heard about it.
It could be why someone is trying to chase you off the ranch.BR: 'Dirk Valentine.' Sounds like a character in a Charleena Purcell novel.
(As it turns out, I talked to Charleena Purcell recently.)BR: Charleena Purcell? Of course I'm a fan. Who isn't?
ER: I'm not.
BR: Oh, Ed, be quiet. Why do you ask?
Because I just talked to her.
BR: Really? About what?
About Shadow Ranch, actually. And about Dirk Valentine. She's done quite a bit of research on him. He was in love with Frances Humber, you know.BR: Omigosh. You mean, Charleena Purcell is going to write a book that takes place on our ranch?
ER: Be still, my palpitating heart.
BR: Ed!
BR: You tell her she's welcome to visit Shadow Ranch and do all the research she wants, anytime she wants.
ER: Don't I get some say in this?
BR: No.
call w/ the geological survey(?!)
Is there any chance you might remember talking to this particular person?G: S.W.G.S. This is Geza.
Hi. My name is Nancy Drew. Not too long ago you provided this person I know with a map that showed the locations of mineral deposits in central Arizona?G: That's what I'm here for.
G: I might. We got a lot of maps on Arizona mineral deposits, though. Know which one it was?
The number on it was PUB893A.G: Publication 893 alpha. Let me get pull it up on my screen here... Last person I mailed a copy to was Shorty Thurmond. That your friend?
Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.
OR Is it unusual for an ordinary citizen to request a map like that?
G: Depends on which map it was.
The number on it was PUB893A.G: Publication 893 alpha. Let me get it on my screen here... Yeah, that's a map somebody'd use if they wanted to go prospecting in their spare time. What's this person's name?
Uh, Shorty Thurmond?G: Shorty Thurmond. Yeah, there he is.
How likely do you think it is that Shorty'll find any gold around Shadow Mountain?G: According to my notes, he'd just started a job in the Shadow Mountain area and figured he'd go looking for gold on his off hours.
You keep notes on all the calls you get?G: In a bureaucracy like this one, you never know. When something goes south and fingers start pointing, it's always good to have your side of the story all nice and documented.
(Do your notes say anything else?)G: Oh, he may find a nugget or two, but from the looks of the maps I sent him, any ore out there would be of such low quality that attempting to extract gold from it would be pointless. That's intersting.
What is?
G: Apparently this Shorty person asked me if I knew anything about 'Dirk Valentine's treasure.'
Really? Do you remember what he said?G: As I recall, he'd heard a rumor that some outlaw had buried some kind of treasure near Shadow Mountain. He thought it might be in an old mine shaft or something.
And what did you tell him?G: Nothing. I didn't know anything about it.
Well, thank you, Geza.G: No problem. What did you say your name was again? Nancy...?
Drew.G: 'Nancy Drew. Asked a lot of questions, didn't buy any maps.'
But she really appreciated your taking the tmie to talk to her. Be sure to put that in your notes, too, okay?G: Got it. Goodbye, Miss Drew.
catching up w/ Dave
Because of the cellar thing? You don't have to be embarrassed. As long as you level with the Rawleys like you said you would. / Don't worry about it. I've been known to do a few sneaky-type things from time to time myself.D: Hello, Nancy. Guess I'm gonna be blushin' every time I see you now.
You bet. / That kind of depends on what it is.D: Actually, I'm kinda glad you came by. Somethin' I need you to do for me, if you wouldn't mind.
Are you going to tell me how to patch it?D: This chicken coop's been a thorn in my side ever since I got here.
D: The wire I need to fix the hole in the fence was supposed to be delivered today. But it's not here yet, and the Rawleys just called and asked me to run an errand for them tonight.
D: So if you could keep an eye out for that chicken wire, and patch that hole as soon as it gets here, the chicken and I'd really appreciate it.
Will the wire get here before it gets dark?D: It's just common sense. You'll manage.
No problem. / Great.D: Doesn't look that way. But ya still have to put it up, even if it means working at night.
D: Just be sure to wear gloves. I'll leave my pliers out. If ya have to do it at night, that's okay. There should be plenty of moonlight; you'll be able to see fine.
D: Just make sure it gets done. 'Cause if it doesn't, the coyotes're gonna have themselves one heckuva banquet, and you're gonna be in a lotta hot water.
May I see the letter you said Frances Humber wrote to your great aunt?D: Now, is there something I can do for you?
Where was the jail that Dirk Valentine stayed in after he was arrested, do you have any idea?D: Sure.
D: Got it right here. When I heard you were a detective, I started keepin' it on me. Thought you might snoop through my stuff or somethin'.
Is it far from here? / Can you tell me how to get there?D: Probably the one in Dry Creek. It's a ghost town now. But the jail house and a coupla other old buildings're still standing. 'Least, they were last I saw.
It might. / I doubt it.D: On your way to Mary Yazzie's, look for the trail on your left that heads towards Shadow Mountain and stay on it til you get there. It's about an hour and a half's ride.
D: This got something to do with the treasure?
D: Well, let me know if you need anything else.
Frances' letter
Dearest Cousin Ellie,
My beloved Dirk is no more. I shall never see him again, and now you will never see me again, for I am on my way East, there to spend the rest of my life. I will never return to the Territory of Arizona; not even when my father, whom I despise with every part of my being, has left this Earth.
But know this, sweet Ellie. Dirk told me he had hidden something of great value and that, when all was in place, he would start me in pursuit of it (he was forever inventing fanciful ways to tax my brain and was quite clever himself). Then, thanks to my father, he was arrested.
Perhaps he wrote me from jail and his note was lost, or perhaps he grew to hate me. But he never told me how to find what he had hidden, and I am too heartsick to care. If you can somehow find it, it's yours, my dear young Cousin.
Know, too, that I miss you terribly, and always, always will.
Frances
P.S. Enclosed is a picture of the vilest man ever born.
quick chat w/ Tex
Has anyone tried going after that phantom horse when it appears?T: Nope.
T: Always something else goin' on, like Ed Rawley gettin' snake bit, or the pump house blowin' up. Plus that horse is fast. Pro'ly couldn't catch it anyway.
quick chat w/ Shorty
What do you know about the treasure that Dirk Valentine supposedly hid around here for Frances Humber to find?I just heard about it, that's all. / Nothing, really. But what makes you so sure he didn't stash any of his loot here?S: If I thought there was a snowball's chance in Tampa that Valentine'd stashed any of his loot here, I'd be tearing this place apart. Why? What do you know about it?
S: When I heard that rumor, I started reading everything about Dirk Valentine I could get my hands on.
S: But the more I read, the more it sounded like he suckered Frances into believing he'd hidden something for her just to give people something to talk about when was gone?
S: I need you to do one more thing. It's Tex's birthday. The Rawleys told me to make him a cake. Now if I make it, he'll throw a fit, but if you make it, he might actually appreciate it.
S: So why don't you dig a cake recipe outta the recipe box and have at it. I don't care when you make it, just so it's done by the end of the day.
S: The icing's already made.
chat w/ Mary
Is that you riding that beautiful palomino in that picture over there?What else can he do? /// You train horses?M: That's my horse, Banner. I trained him myself.
Do you know anything about the treasure Dirk Valentine supposedly buried somewhere around Shadow Ranch?M: Anything I ask. He and I are both pretty talented.
What makes you so sure? /// Some people would disagree with you.M: I know it's a lot of hogwash.
I saw you riding earlier near Shadow Ranch. Do you ride around there a lot?M: If I had a dollar for every lost mine or buried treasure story I've heard in the thirty-odd years I've lived here, I'd have ten horses, two cars, and possibly my own helicopter.
M: It's nothing but a tall tale. Trust me.
I'm sure the Rawleys don't mind if you ride on their land. /// Whoever I saw was riding a palomino that looked just like yours.M: You're mistaken. Shadow Ranch is private property. I never ride there. You must've seen somebody else.
M: I'm telling you, it wasn't me. So don't go telling people you saw me trespassing, because you didn't. Excuse me.
catching up w/ Charleena
Do you know anything about Dry Creek?I came across a reference to someone whom Dirk referred to as 'pappy'?C: Dry Creek. Closest town to Shadow Mountain. Population at its peak, 317. Leading citizen was Cappy Munger. His establishment contained the only piano within 50 miles.
C: Frances, being as smart as she was, taught herself how to play it. That's apparently how she met Dirk. He heard her composing a song one day and fell in love on the spot.
I came across something that looks like a very old token and has the words 'Dry Creek Merchants' on it?C: Probably his father, Cashmeer Valentine. He was a blacksmith over in Prescott.
Would Frances have known who he was?C: Oh, yes. Dirk worshipped his father. Which is ironic, because by the time Dirk was arrested, his father had pretty much disowned him out of shame.
You mean, like gambling?C: Sounds like you have a piece of Dry Creek scrip. It was sometimes used in mining towns like Dry Creek in place of currency. Does it have a denomination on it?
It says one and a half cents.C: Probably used for games.
(What kind of games?)C: I'm sure it was sometimes used for gambling. But I'm talking about mechanical games.
Would you happen to know the brand name of crackers back in the 1880s whose slogan was 'Even the crumbs are crisp'?C: Believe it or not, they had some very primitive arcade-type games back in the 1880s. Some were quite entertaining. Especially for a cent and a half.
Uh, no. But Aunt Bet has. She's a big fan. /// Will you still find out about the crackers if I say no?C: Not offhand, but I certainly can find out. Details like that are why so many of my books have won awards for historical accuracy. Have you read any of my books?
C: I realize that my novels aren't everyone's cup of tea. But it wouldn't hurt to at least give them a try, would it?
No. In fact, I'll pick one up first chance I get.C: And I'll send you the name of the crackers first chance I get.