“What!” Nancy stomped on the brake pedal and swung the Mustang onto the shoulder. Glancing out the rear window, she saw that George was right: The entrance was at least a hundred yards behind them. She felt her cheeks grow warm. “Sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Bess said. “Even detectives make mistakes.”
“Especially when they’ve got their minds on other things,” George added. “Like certain Emerson boys.”
“You mean the ones whose names are spelled N . . . e . . . d?”
Now Nancy was really embarrassed. There was ho point in denying that she had been thinking about Ned, though, she knew. Bess and George would see through her in a second.
For a moment she wondered whether to confess her fears to her friends, but quickly she decided against it. They were sure to tell her that she was worrying about nothing. And who could tell? Maybe she was. Anyway, there was only one way to find out. After checking the road in both directions, she gunned the car into a U-turn.
“Okay, I confess. Now quit the kidding, you guys, and help me find the sports center.”
As it turned out, she didn’t need any assistance. She remembered the way easily. The enormous building was on the far side of the campus beyond a cluster of science labs and next to the football field. Nancy spotted a parking space near the front entrance and turned into it.
“All right!” George said, zipping up her down-filled ski parka as she leapt out of the car. “This is what I like to see!”
“Yeah, a whole building devoted to self-torture,” Bess finished. She pulled on a pair of pink wool mittens. “I don’t understand it, George—don’t you ever get tired of working out?”
“Nope!”
“Come on, let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here,” Nancy urged, locking her door. She was wearing jeans, boots, and a fleece-lined leather flight jacket, but even so the icy winter wind was making her shiver.
Inside, a security guard instructed them to sign the guest register, and a moment later they made their way into the main gymnasium. The basketball team was finishing their practice with a scrimmage. Sneakers squeaked on the polished wood floor as the players ran up and down the court.
It took Nancy a moment to spot her boyfriend. At six-feet-two, Ned stood out in most crowds, but among his supertall teammates he looked almost short. She hoped he would notice her on the sidelines, but it wasn’t until a foul brought the action to a halt that he did.
“Hey, Nan,” he called, sending her a half-hearted wave as he jogged over. “You made it. How was the drive down?”
A small lump formed in Nancy’s throat. Some hello, she thought. Where were his usual “Hey there, gorgeous” and “It’s great to see you“?
“The drive was fine,” she managed to say. She waited for him to kiss her or give her a sweaty hug, but he didn’t do either. Instead, he merely nodded at Bess and George.
“Glad you guys could make it. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the coach.”
Pat Burnett was a tall, silver-haired man in his late fifties. Nancy had seen him on the sidelines at games she had attended but had never met him before. His gray eyes shone with gratitude as he shook her hand. Standing with him was a stocky, pleasant-looking gentleman who appeared slightly older.
“This is Ed Riggs, our team physician,” Ned said, introducing them. “Well, I guess I’d better get back on court.”
“No, that’s all for this afternoon,” the coach pronounced. “Got to keep you fresh for tonight’s game.” Lifting his whistle, he blew a short blast. “Showers, everyone! And remember, I want you back here and in uniform no later than seven-thirty p.m.”
The team drifted noisily toward the locker room. A few players walked past the sideline to get a closer look at the girls, and one—a tall, lanky, dark-haired boy—even stopped.
“What gives, Nickerson?” He grinned. “Hogging the girls for yourself?”
“Mike, this is Nancy Drew,” Ned said. “Nancy, my co-captain, Mike O’Shea.”
Nancy smiled politely as she shook hands. She had heard all about him from Ned: He was a senior, and the team’s star forward. He and Ned were also fraternity brothers and good friends.