Her temples began to throb. Rubbing them, she muttered, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you telling me that you don’t want to put a stop to the practical joker?”
“Of course I do!” he growled angrily.
“Then help me!”
“Show me a suspect with a good motive and I will!”
“This box—”
“Forget the box! That’s not a motive. That’s just a clue!”
He was working himself into a rage. His dark eyes were blazing. His jaw was tight. Nancy had never seen him look at her that way before—not once!
“What’s with you, anyway?” he said furiously. “Sometimes I think you care more about solving mysteries than you do about people.”
“That’s not fair!” she cried. “It’s people that I’m trying to help . . . people like Coach Burnett and the members of your team.”
“Yeah, well, it won’t do any good to come down on a guy with no motive.”
“Then what should I do? Trust him?”
“Sure.”
“Forget it. He’ll just pull more practical jokes.”
Ned was disgusted. “C’mon. You’re not even sure he’s responsible.”
“And you’re not sure that he isn’t!”
It was a stalemate. She couldn’t see it Ned’s way, and Ned wouldn’t see it hers. What was she going to do?
First of all she would remain calm, she decided. Next she would try hard to see it from Ned’s point of view. For a full minute she studied the toes of her boots, trying to understand what Ned saw that she did not. She failed. Every way she looked at it, her conclusion was still the same—the evidence pointed to Mike!
“I don’t know. I can’t believe we’re arguing like this,” she said finally.
Ned’s voice was hollow. “Me either. How come you’re so determined to nail Mike?”
“I’m not trying to nail him. All I’m saying is that we should investigate some more!”
“No.” Ned shook his head sadly. “Mike’s my buddy, and I’m going to stick by him. This time you’re on your own.”
“Ned, please! I need you on this case!”
“Like I said, you’ve got me . . . but not to throw dirt on my friend,” he insisted.
Nancy’s anger returned full force. She kicked the cardboard carton. “Ned, you’re letting me down! Why can’t you open your eyes? Why can’t you use your head!”
“Logic isn’t the only way to get at the truth,” Ned said softly. “Sometimes you have to listen to your heart.”
It was a long time before Nancy was able to think of a reply. When she did, it was too late. Ned was gone.
A short while later, Nancy, Bess, and George walked back to their dorm. It was bitterly cold and very quiet. Their feet crunched on the hard-packed snow. Their breath made frosty white clouds in the air.
Nancy tried to conceal her feelings, but her friends sensed that something was wrong. Soon she had told them the entire story, from her earlier fears about her and Ned to their argument in Mike’s room.
For once the cousins had little to say.
“I sure hope you can patch things up,” Bess said in a small voice.
“Thanks. Me, too,” Nancy replied. “I just don’t understand why he’s being so stubborn. The evidence was right under his nose!”
George sighed. “I guess he’s doing what he feels is right.”
“I guess.”
All the windows in the dorm were dark. When they reached the side entrance, Bess whipped out her key and dashed inside. George held the door open for Nancy.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
“No, I’m going to stay outside for a while and look at the stars. I’ve got some things to sort out, you know?”
“I think I do. See you upstairs.”
Letting out a long breath, Nancy stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket. What a mess! The idea of tackling this case without Ned—worse, without his support—made her feel awful. What should she do?
Maybe she should give up and go home, she reflected. She hated to let Coach Burnett down, but at the same time nothing was worth the misery she was going through. And anyway, it was just a bunch of practical jokes, wasn’t it? Nothing serious.