are we waiting for?”
As they tore to the end of the tree-lined path, Nancy kept glancing back over her shoulder until she was convinced he wasn’t following them any longer. Only then did she begin to breathe easily.
“We’ll have to report this creep to campus security.” Ned stared deep into Nancy’s eyes. For the first time she noticed how handsome he was in his crisp white shirt and charcoal gray suit. “I knew something was wrong as soon as I arrived at your room. Bess said something about a note—and that you were waiting for me in College Woods.”
“A note? Bess only said that you’d sent a message.” Nancy shook her head slowly. “I should have known that it was a setup, but when she mentioned something about a surprise, I didn’t question it.”
“Some surprise,” Ned said darkly. Pulling Nancy against him, he held her close in a long hug. When he finally let her go, Nancy thought she saw a misty haze in his brown eyes.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the student center. Bess and Jerry were waiting by the door. Bess had decided on the pink dress, Nancy saw, and Jerry was wearing what was probably his only suit—navy.
“Nancy! Thank goodness you’re okay.” Bess rushed over and threw her arms around Nancy. “When I found out that Ned hadn’t sent that note, I felt awful!”
“Are you okay?” asked Jerry.
“I’m fine,” Nancy assured them, smoothing her silk dress, “though I didn’t plan to go jogging in this outfit.”
Bess gave her a curious look. “What?”
Ned explained. “He was still chasing Nancy when I found her.”
“Someone wants me off this case,” Nancy added, thinking aloud. “And it looks like he’s getting pretty desperate.” So am I, she added silently. How am I ever going to crack this before game time?
A campus security guard was standing inside the entrance to the student center. While Bess and Jerry went in to the dance, Nancy and Ned reported the attack on Nancy.
The security guard took down the details. “We have two cars patrolling the campus tonight. I’m going to radio them with this. They’ll be on the lookout for this joker.”
“I wish that all this was a joke,” Nancy whispered to Ned as they went inside to the dance.
“It’s not,” Ned said gravely. “It’s deadly serious. But for tonight, I want you to put the case completely out of your mind and have some fun.”
“I’ll try,” Nancy said with a shaky smile.
The dining hall looked even more elegant than it had late that afternoon. Candles now provided the only lighting. The flickering flames cast a warm glow over the entire room.
As her eyes skimmed over the crowd, Nancy spotted Jerry and Bess twirling on the dance floor.
“What do you think?” Ned asked. “Are you too tired to dance?”
Reaching up, Nancy placed her hands on his broad shoulders. “I’ll never be too tired to dance with you, Nickerson.”
Everything seems clearer in the light of day, Nancy thought as she took a sip of orange juice at breakfast the next morning. Ned was sitting beside her at a table in the student center, now bare of all the previous night’s homecoming decorations. Across the table, Bess and Jerry were splitting their second cranberry muffin.
The dance had been a welcome distraction from the case. But now Nancy was eager to get back to work. She had to find Carrie to see if she had lent her costume to anyone, and she wanted to check with the dean to see if he had any information for her. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was nearly ten-thirty. The game was at two-thirty. Each second was precious now.
“Hi, everyone.” Nancy heard Randy before she saw him come over to their table. He pulled a chair up next to Nancy and straddled it. His eyes were red from lack of sleep.
“You look exhausted!” Bess exclaimed.
“I am,” Randy admitted, nervously slipping a hand through his dark hair. “It’s ironic. I skipped the dance so that I’d get a good
As they tore to the end of the tree-lined path, Nancy kept glancing back over her shoulder until she was convinced he wasn’t following them any longer. Only then did she begin to breathe easily.
“We’ll have to report this creep to campus security.” Ned stared deep into Nancy’s eyes. For the first time she noticed how handsome he was in his crisp white shirt and charcoal gray suit. “I knew something was wrong as soon as I arrived at your room. Bess said something about a note—and that you were waiting for me in College Woods.”
“A note? Bess only said that you’d sent a message.” Nancy shook her head slowly. “I should have known that it was a setup, but when she mentioned something about a surprise, I didn’t question it.”
“Some surprise,” Ned said darkly. Pulling Nancy against him, he held her close in a long hug. When he finally let her go, Nancy thought she saw a misty haze in his brown eyes.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the student center. Bess and Jerry were waiting by the door. Bess had decided on the pink dress, Nancy saw, and Jerry was wearing what was probably his only suit—navy.
“Nancy! Thank goodness you’re okay.” Bess rushed over and threw her arms around Nancy. “When I found out that Ned hadn’t sent that note, I felt awful!”
“Are you okay?” asked Jerry.
“I’m fine,” Nancy assured them, smoothing her silk dress, “though I didn’t plan to go jogging in this outfit.”
Bess gave her a curious look. “What?”
Ned explained. “He was still chasing Nancy when I found her.”
“Someone wants me off this case,” Nancy added, thinking aloud. “And it looks like he’s getting pretty desperate.” So am I, she added silently. How am I ever going to crack this before game time?
A campus security guard was standing inside the entrance to the student center. While Bess and Jerry went in to the dance, Nancy and Ned reported the attack on Nancy.
The security guard took down the details. “We have two cars patrolling the campus tonight. I’m going to radio them with this. They’ll be on the lookout for this joker.”
“I wish that all this was a joke,” Nancy whispered to Ned as they went inside to the dance.
“It’s not,” Ned said gravely. “It’s deadly serious. But for tonight, I want you to put the case completely out of your mind and have some fun.”
“I’ll try,” Nancy said with a shaky smile.
The dining hall looked even more elegant than it had late that afternoon. Candles now provided the only lighting. The flickering flames cast a warm glow over the entire room.
As her eyes skimmed over the crowd, Nancy spotted Jerry and Bess twirling on the dance floor.
“What do you think?” Ned asked. “Are you too tired to dance?”
Reaching up, Nancy placed her hands on his broad shoulders. “I’ll never be too tired to dance with you, Nickerson.”
Everything seems clearer in the light of day, Nancy thought as she took a sip of orange juice at breakfast the next morning. Ned was sitting beside her at a table in the student center, now bare of all the previous night’s homecoming decorations. Across the table, Bess and Jerry were splitting their second cranberry muffin.
The dance had been a welcome distraction from the case. But now Nancy was eager to get back to work. She had to find Carrie to see if she had lent her costume to anyone, and she wanted to check with the dean to see if he had any information for her. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was nearly ten-thirty. The game was at two-thirty. Each second was precious now.
“Hi, everyone.” Nancy heard Randy before she saw him come over to their table. He pulled a chair up next to Nancy and straddled it. His eyes were red from lack of sleep.
“You look exhausted!” Bess exclaimed.
“I am,” Randy admitted, nervously slipping a hand through his dark hair. “It’s ironic. I skipped the dance so that I’d get a good
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