The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle

Title card for 'The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle'

**The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle** is the fourth episode of the first season of *The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries*. It premiered on February 20, 1977.

## Synopsis

While in the air, Nancy sees a car go off the road, and reports it. Everyone says the road is not been used since the bridge went down. Searching for that special car lead her and George to a young mechanic, and a mystery.

## Cast

* Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew
* George O'Hanlon Jr. as Ned Nickerson
* Jean Rasey as George Fayne
* William Schallert as Carson Drew
* Brian Byers as Morgan
* Phillip R. Allen as Everett
* Len Lesser as Gang Member
* Robert Karnes as Sheriff King
* Gordon Jump as Sergeant Hooper

## Plot

Nancy is in a glider with George trying to get her Diamond Triangle Award. She needs George to witness for her, and George is less than enthusiastic about being in the air with her. Nancy radios Ned, who is driving below her, and he tells her that there is a squall coming up behind her. Nancy tries to stay ahead of it, but ends up deciding to make an emergency landing in an open field. As she does so, she sees a car go off the road into a ravine. Over the radio, she tells Ned to call the sheriff. After they land and get ready to go home, a storm rolls in.

Back home, Carson Drew is getting Nancy, George, and Ned hot drinks in front of the fire. The sheriff arrives to ask Ned questions about the accident he reported, because there was no car or driver. He thinks it was a prank call, because the road has been closed for three years since the bridge washed out. Since it is a dead-end road, there would be no way for a car to get there. As Ned, Carson, and the sheriff leaves, George tries to tell Nancy that maybe she was wrong about what she saw. Nancy, however, insists on taking a look themselves.

The next day, Nancy and George drive over. George suggests that maybe the car was towed before the police arrived, but Nancy says that she already checked and found that no trucks were reported in the area since the bridge washed out.

At the barricade before the washed out bridge, they get out of the car to go by foot. They climb around the bridge and hear something behind them but don't see anything. What they don't see is a man with a walkie-talkie hiding in the bushes. They come to the place where the car went off the road, but the rain has washed any tracks away and there is no sign of a car.

In the library, Nancy finds a picture of the car she saw - it's a 1937 Auburn. She calls the Antique Car Guild who tells her there are only two of that make in New England, and one of them is in River Heights, belonging to Morgan Poole. They go to visit him and Nancy tells him that she saw his car slide off the road. He says his car has been locked in a garage for a week, since he's finished restoring it, and takes them to see it, but they find the garage empty.

Nancy and Carson accompany Morgan to his insurance agent. Mr. Everett tells him that because he does not have an appraisal of the car's worth after Morgan's restoration, he can only award him the insurance money to the worth of the car's booking value. They explain to him that the car was stolen before Morgan could have it appraised. Everett agrees that if he can see receipts of the parts and the work done, but Morgan says he doesn't have many receipts.

Everett pulls Carson aside to tell him that the insurance company often deals with young people putting in fraudulent claims. Carson warns Nancy about this as well later, but George still agrees to help Nancy.

The police soon find the car - so the misdemeanor charges against Ned will be dropped - but Nancy is confused because she was sure she saw it go in a different ravine. Since the car is completely destroyed and there is no evidence of the restoration done, it looks like Morgan has committed insurance fraud.

Nancy visits Morgan in jail. The police found the parts he claimed to have put on the car in his garage. Nancy thinks that if he did it, he would've found a better hiding place and is determined to prove he didn't do it - and prove she was right.

Nancy goes gliding with Ned. As they go over the ravine, she sees a man there - the same one who was watching her and George earlier. She takes a picture of him. The man radios two other men to tell them about the glider flying over. Nancy and Ned begin to lose altitude and Nancy takes over and lands them in a field. The two men show up and watch them land.

Back home, they all look at the photo Nancy took, which shows the man's walkie-talkie but not his face. They rule out hunter or bird-watcher, since he doesn't have a gun or binoculars. Nancy wants to go check it out, but George doesn't want to go with her and Ned doesn't want her going at all - he says he'll go check it out alone later.

Nancy calls Carson to ask about Morgan - she tells him to talk to Sergeant Hooper and that Ned will explain more.

Nancy and George to to the ravine and see another car and hide. Two men take the barricade in front of the bridge and use parts of it to span the gap in the bridge so they can drive across.

Once they're gone, Nancy and George follow them on foot. George expresses doubts about Morgan's innocence. Nancy wonders how whoever took the car could know it was finished - the only other person who knew was Everett, who, as Morgan's insurance agent, would be the last person who would want to steal it.

It's starting to get dark and they come across a camouflaged cabin. They see two men inside playing cards. As they try to sneak away, the men hear them.

At Carson's office, he encourages Morgan to plead guilty, but Morgan doesn't want to. Morgan says he doesn't have any evidence and admits that the story is a little unbelievable, but maintains his innocence. Sgt. Hooper arrives and says that there have recently been more thefts of unusual models lately. Carson suggests they could be stolen to order.

Nancy and George find an abandoned building where there are a bunch of people working on cars.

Ned arrives at the Drew home looking for Nancy. He finds a map of the Diamond Triangle and tries to contact Nancy, but no one picks up so he leaves.

Nancy and George get caught just as they are about to leave to get the police. One of the men recognizes her as the one from the glider. He locks them in a room.

Ned tries to call Carson as he drives.

Everett stops at the barricade and begins to take it apart to cross the bridge.

Carson, Morgan, and Hooper arrive at the Drew home looking for Nancy, Ned, and George. He gets Ned's call, who is currently looking for Nancy. Ned tells him that he looked at the stolen car information Carson gave him and found that eighty per cent of the cars were insured by the same company, Apex. Morgan says that that's the one he was insured with - and the one Everett works for.

Hooper, Carson, and Morgan leave to go help Ned.

Ned continues to try to reach Nancy, but is unsuccessful. He arrives at the bridge and sees Everett replacing the parts of the barricade. When Everett leaves, he starts to do the same.

Everett and another man argue about what to do with Nancy and George. Everett tells them to get the cars out as quickly as possible and call the guards.

Ned finds the building and sees Nancy and George through the window.

Carson, Morgan, and two cop cars arrive at the bridge, where Ned has left the barricade disassembled so they can cross.

Ned sneaks into the building and manages to blend in by carrying two tires. He gets into the room with Nancy and George. They try to make a run for it, but are seen. The manage to get in a car, but don't get away.

The approaching sirens distract the men and Ned gets away long enough to open the doors. The police drive in and arrest the men working there.

Morgan laments that cars will be out of his life for a while, since he will have to use his insurance money for college, but Nancy suggests that he should get the reward money for all the cars. George agrees and apologizes for doubting his innocence.

Some days later, as Nancy is finally about to finish her Diamond Triangle, she sees a man flashing a light, and goes lower to take a look.

## Locations

* River Heights
	+ Drew Home
	+ River Heights Library
	+ Morgan's Home
	+ Mr. Everett's Office
	+ River Heights Police Station
	+ Carson Drew's Office
	+ Abandoned Savino Wines Building

## Quotes

**Nancy:** *"But you know, Morgan, I would've thought that somebody who went through as much trouble as you supposedly did, would've found a better hiding place."*

**Morgan:** *"You'd think so."*