As the girls followed, Bess gestured around the nearly empty room. “Where are the other players?”
“Most of the guys come after practice, but I love it at this time when it’s quiet.” Randy sat down on a padded bench beside a row of barbells.
Sitting on the edge of another bench, Nancy said, “There are a few questions that occurred to me this morning, Randy.”
“No problem.” Randy lifted a hand to brush his dark, damp hair off his forehead. “Shoot.”
“It’s about Danielle,” Nancy began.
Randy rolled his eyes. “You mean Queen Danielle? I guess you heard we used to date. I never should have gotten hooked up with her.”
“She seems to feel the same way about you,” Nancy told him. “After you two broke up, we heard her threaten to get even with you. Do you have any idea why she’s so angry?”
“Not really,” Randy replied. “It’s kind of embarrassing to talk about all this.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We only started dating a few weeks ago. I got the feeling that Danielle was more into it than I was. I could tell that she really liked being seen with me—as if I were a trophy or something. But I wasn’t sure she really cared about me at all.”
“Do you think Danielle would actually try to hurt you?” Nancy asked.
“No way,” Randy answered without hesitation. “She talks tough, but underneath she’s harmless. Like I told you last night, my best guess is Zip Williams.”
No one is harmless when they have a strong motive, Nancy thought to herself. Getting to her feet, she said, “Well, thanks for talking to us, Randy. Bess and I had better go if we’re going to make it over to Russell U before lunch.” Glancing across the room, she saw that the two other players had just finished their workouts and were leaving.
“Anyway, we should let you get back to your exercises,” Bess added. “I know you need to be in shape for Sunday’s game.”
Randy lay back on the bench and rubbed his eyes wearily. Above him hung a long steel rod with round iron weight disks attached at each end. “I’m not sure a workout is going to do any good at this point,” he muttered in a discouraged voice. “Don’t get me wrong—there’s no way I’ll give in to the jerk who’s threatening me. But the ironic thing is, I’m not an experienced quarterback. The chances are that the Wildcats will lose, anyway.”
“Sometimes games are won from determination and sheer luck,” Bess put in.
Randy shot her a grateful smile. “I know. And I’m going to play the best game of my life on Sunday.” Gritting his teeth, he reached for the bar above his head and lifted it from its Y-shaped resting place.
“Good,” Nancy said. “In the meantime, I’ll do my best to get some answers before . . .” Her voice trailed off as she noticed Randy’s expression change to one of shock and confusion. The rod above him was wobbling in his hands.
Suddenly the weights on the left side of the barbell slid to the end of the bar, and three of them clattered to the floor. Randy grunted as his arms flexed and shifted crazily. He tried to keep the other weights on that side from falling, but the two remaining disks did drop off, hitting the floor with a heavy metallic ringing.
Nancy realized that the weights on the right side of the barbell were now directly over Randy’s head. Before she could even move, those weights started shifting toward the edge of the metal bar.
In another second the heavy iron disks were going to drop off the right side of the rod—and land directly on Randy’s head!
Chapter Six
Nancy lunged for the bar. Her hands hit it just as the first weight was about to drop. She shoved with all her strength. A second later the weights dropped off the rod, bouncing off the bench a bare inch from Randy’s head and hitting the floor with more metallic ringing.
“Are you all right?” Nancy asked breathlessly, helping Randy up to a sitting position. He still clutched the metal rod, and his face was bright red from exertion.