“I haven’t had much of a chance, have I?” he said. Grabbing her hand, Ned led her to the dance floor, and for a long time, Nancy forgot everything except how wonderful it felt to be in Ned’s arms.
“You’re pretty terrific, Nickerson,” she said, winding her arms around his neck for a slow song. “It seems like forever since we’ve spent any time alone together.”
Ned’s eyes shone as he tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “If you’re going to be on a case, at least it’s here at Emerson, where I can still see you.”
Nancy nodded. Sometimes her cases took up so much time that it seemed as if there wasn’t a minute left over for her and Ned. But every second she did spend with him, Nancy felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
“You and Jerry danced nearly every song together,” Nancy said to Bess in the lobby of Packard Hall. Ned and Jerry had just said good night after walking them home from the gym. “I hope you’re planning on asking me to be a bridesmaid at the wedding.”
“Nancy!” Bess exclaimed in a shocked tone. Then she giggled. “I did have a lot of fun.”
They were halfway across the lobby when Bess noticed a line of vending machines. “I could use a snack.” She fished some change out of her pocket. “Want something?”
“No, thanks,” Nancy replied, glancing ahead at the elevators. Two cheerleaders were standing there waiting. Nancy started as she recognized the girl with long black hair.
“There’s Danielle,” she whispered to Bess. “I’m going to ask her a few questions.”
As soon as Bess got her candy bar from the machine, she and Nancy joined the other girls.
“You guys were great tonight!” Bess said.
“Thanks,” said Danielle, smiling. She shook the pom-poms in her hand, and the purple- and orange-foil ribbons shimmered.
“Too bad about the fire,” Nancy commented casually.
“I’ve never seen anything like that!” the other cheerleader, a tall red-haired girl, exclaimed. Nancy noticed that Danielle merely glanced away and began to tap her foot.
Nancy kept her eyes focused on Danielle as she said, “It’s a good thing that Randy Simpson’s okay. From what I hear, he’s Emerson’s only hope of winning on Sunday.”
“That’s a joke!” Danielle snapped.
An awkward silence fell over them. “Uh, don’t you think Randy can lead the team to victory?” Bess finally asked.
Danielle’s face became drawn with anger. “I wouldn’t count on Randy Simpson for anything!” she said bitterly.
She threw her raven hair back with a defiant toss of the head and added, “Randy Simpson should have been burned—just the way he burned me!”
Chapter Five
Nancy stared at the petite cheerleader in surprise. “Don’t you care about Sunday’s game?”
“Not if that creep gets all the glory,” Danielle snapped.
The elevator doors opened just then. The three students inside didn’t even have a chance to get out before Danielle barreled in, the foil strands of her pom-poms fluttering.
The red-haired cheerleader gave Nancy and Bess an embarrassed smile as the other students quickly shuffled out and she stepped in. The door slid closed before Nancy and Bess could make it in.
“Talk about touchy!” said Bess.
“That’s for sure,” Nancy agreed. They waited for another elevator and rode up to their suite. After their long day Nancy and Bess still had to unpack. Nancy was relieved to finally tug on her nightshirt and slippers. Curling up on a chair in the living room, she turned her thoughts to the case.
“After that outburst, Danielle is definitely up there on my list of suspects,” she said.
Wearing a nightgown, Bess wandered back into the living room, the candy bar in her hand. Stretching out on the couch, she unwrapped the chocolate-covered bar and took a bite.
“I’m not sure I really think she had anything to do with setting that fire tonight, though. I mean, this is probably just a case of bad romance.”
“Danielle and Randy didn’t break up until today, so it’s not likely she had anything to do with the phone calls,” Nancy said. “But maybe it’s not a coincidence that the threats suddenly got a lot worse today.”