Carolyn Keene. Stay Tuned For Danger

“Yes,” said Nancy thoughtfully. “I think I do.”

“Oh, do I dare try one of these?” Eloise was asking with a smile as the waiter held up a plate of miniature pastries.

“Oh, go ahead, Eloise,” Mattie said with a grin, trying to put all thoughts of Rick and Lillian behind her.

Eloise looked at the pastries and thought for a moment. “Why not?” she quipped, lifting a small one onto her plate.

Just then, the manager came up to the table. “Excuse me, ladies. Is there a Nancy Drew at this table?”

“Why, yes,” Eloise answered, looking at her niece.

“Ms. Drew, you have a phone call,” the manager said. “You can pick it up at the main desk by the coatrack.”

“It must be Bess,” Eloise guessed. “She probably woke up and realized she’d never be able to make it here after all.”

Nancy thanked the manager and made her way to the phone.

“Hi, Bess,” she said into the receiver.

But it wasn’t Bess. A raspy electronic voice warned her, “Stay away from Rick Arlen, Nancy Drew! And tell your little friend she’d better stay away, too!” With that, the phone line went dead in Nancy’s trembling hand.

Chapter Eleven

“By Appointment Only!” “Put Your Picture And Résumé Under The Door!” “Do Not Ring Buzzer Without An Appointment!”

Nancy read the signs and gulped. Although she’d called earlier and left a message on Dwayne’s answering machine, Nancy felt she’d have a better chance of seeing him if she went in person. But getting inside Dwayne Casper’s office wasn’t exactly going to be easy.

With a sigh and a deep breath, she pressed the buzzer. For a moment it was so quiet that she wondered whether anybody was in the office at all. Then, crisp footsteps sounded on the other side of the door.

“Do you have an appointment?” Dwayne’s voice was all business.

“Well, no,” Nancy replied. “Not exactly.”

“In that case, I suggest you learn to read!”

“But, Mr. Casper!” Nancy said in her most polite voice. “I left a message on your machine. Mattie Jensen said you would talk to me. My name is Diane Elliot. . . .”

Nancy heard a click as he unlocked the door. It swung open, and a smiling Dwayne Casper greeted her. “Well, why didn’t you just say you’re a friend of Mattie’s?” he asked. “Come in! You must understand that if I opened the door to every struggling actor in this town, I’d never be able to get any work done.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Casper,” Nancy said, sounding grateful. In the front reception area was a large empty desk. No receptionist, Nancy noted.

“Right this way,” Dwayne said with a sugary smile. He led her into his plush office. “How do you know Mattie?”

“Oh, well, I was an extra on ‘Danner’s Dream,’ and she was kind enough to talk to me. She did say she’d call you about me. But I guess she got busy.” That much was true Nancy thought.

Dwayne settled into his chair and looked at her appraisingly. “So you know Luther Parks too?”

“Well, no. Not personally, that is.”

“I see. Has Mattie ever seen your work? Apart from extra work, that is.”

Here we go, Nancy thought. Time to start lying—and lying big. “Oh, yes,” she assured him. “We did a production of The Sound of Music together in the Midwest. Mattie played the oldest daughter, and I played one of the younger children.”

An amused look passed over Dwayne’s face. “That must have been at least eight years ago. Mattie wasn’t more than a kid herself, back then. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see that production.”

I know, Nancy thought. That’s what Mattie told me.

Dwayne leaned back in his swivel chair. He seemed warm now, even friendly. “So, let me guess, you’ve come to the big city because you want to be a real actress.”

Delighted that the agent had bought, her story, Nancy threw herself into her real-life acting role. “Yes, sir,” she answered breathlessly.

“Well, well, well— What shall we do about that?” Dwayne pursed his lips, thinking. Then he stood up, walked to the door, and locked it. “So we won’t be disturbed,” he explained.

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