Nancy frowned. “It does make sense, but—” Something was nagging at the back of her mind. What was it?
“Listen, you guys,” George said, dropping wearily onto a chair, “I’m ready to stop exercising my brain for a few hours and exercise my stomach. What do you say to some dinner?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.” Ned grinned. “Do you have somewhere in mind?” he asked.
“Well, it just so happens,” George said airily, “that Pierre works in a great restaurant.”
“But we’ve already had so much French food,” Nancy objected.
“Actually, it’s a Greek restaurant. Over on Prince Arthur Street.”
“What’s a guy named Pierre doing working in a Greek restaurant?” Ned asked with a laugh.
“Beats me.” George shrugged. “Anyway, we had lunch there the other day and the food is terrific!” She kissed the tips of her fingers. “What do you say?”
Nancy giggled and turned to Ned. “How do you say yes in Greek?” she asked.
“You got me,” Ned confessed.
“Well, then, I guess I’ll just have to say oui,” Nancy replied, and they all laughed.
The food was terrific, Nancy agreed after she had finished her dolmas, Greek salad, and slice of rich, sweet baklava for dessert. Afterward, there was live bouzouki music. Then Pierre, who Nancy decided was really cute, joined them for dancing. Yawning, Nancy and Ned said their good nights early, leaving George in the arms of her Frenchman. They held hands as they walked back to the apartment in the soft spring night, talking quietly and admiring the lighted shop windows.
“It really was a terrific evening,” Nancy said when they got back to the apartment.
“Yeah,” Ned agreed softly. “And you know, I’m not tired anymore. Let’s see if we can find some good music to dance to.”
Nancy smiled. “Good idea,” she said. Ned fiddled with the tuning knob for a moment. The station he got was playing one of their favorite love songs. Nancy nodded to Ned, and when he stood back up, she went into his arms. The two of them danced slowly around the living room.
“You’re so wonderful,” Ned whispered into Nancy’s hair. His arms tightened around her.
Nancy felt herself growing breathless as she leaned against Ned’s chest. “So are you, Nickerson.”
Gently, Ned leaned down and touched his lips to hers. “Oh, Nancy,” he whispered, “I—”
Just then there was a knock on the door. Nancy pulled away and started for it. “Somebody’s got an absolutely rotten sense of timing.”
Ned shook his head. “It’s pretty late for anybody to stop by,” he told her, putting his hand on Nancy’s arm. “Let me handle this.”
“But—” she started to protest.
“Listen, after all the things that have happened in the past few days,” Ned whispered firmly, “I’m not taking any chances.” He stepped in front of Nancy. “Who is it?” he called loudly.
There was no answer.
“Who is it?” Ned called again, more sharply.
“The porter,” came the muffled reply.
“Stand back,” Ned ordered Nancy. “This could be dangerous.” Then slowly, cautiously, making sure that the chain was hooked, he began to open the door.
Chapter Eleven
“Here you are, sir,” the man said. “This arrived for you just now.”
“Don’t tell me,” Nancy groaned. “It’s another threatening letter.”
“I don’t think so,” Ned said, looking at the white envelope he had been handed. “This one has a return address on it. It’s from Lake Sinclair—to all three of us.”
“Well, then, open it,” Nancy commanded.
Ned opened the envelope and took out two red tickets and a green one. “Hey, they’re passes!” he exclaimed. “To get into Olympic Stadium.”
Nancy took the passes from him. “The green one is for George,” she said, reading the fine print. “It lets her onto the track. And the red ones get us into the press box. But they’re only good from eleven to twelve tomorrow. That’s weird.”
“And here’s a note,” Ned said, reaching back into the envelope. “ ‘Here are your passes,’ ” he read. “ ‘Nancy and Ned can watch from the press box while George makes her debut appearance in Olympic Stadium.’ It’s signed ‘Lake.’ ”
The door opened as George let herself into the apartment. She looked dreamy and starry eyed. “Hi,” she said vaguely, hardly noticing them. She drifted toward the bedroom.