“And our party starts at eight,” said Ned. “I’d better go, too.”
“I had no idea.” Bess grabbed Nancy’s arm and pulled her toward the locker-room door. “See you later!”
“Let’s sit out this song,” Nancy said to Ned, leaning close to him. They had been dancing since Nancy and Bess arrived at the Omega Chi Epsilon fraternity an hour earlier. “I need to take a breather.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Ned joked.
They threaded a path through the jumble of students dancing and milling around the living room. Bess, pretty in a maroon miniskirt and black sweater and boots, was sitting with Jerry on the steps leading to the second floor.
Adjusting the black-beaded belt of her cobalt blue silk jumpsuit, Nancy headed toward them. “Hi, guys,” she said as Ned gave Jerry a high-five.
“I thought you were going to dance until you dropped,” Bess said. “Isn’t this party great?”
“How about some cider?” Ned suggested. Nancy and Bess both nodded, and Jerry went with Ned to get it.
“I’ve been wanting to talk with you,” a voice said behind Nancy.
Turning, Nancy found herself face-to-face with Danielle Graves.
“It’s—it’s about Randy,” Danielle added.
“Oh? What about him?” Nancy inquired, keeping her voice level.
Danielle’s face seemed unnaturally pale in the living room’s artificial light. “I was there when he—when he collapsed this afternoon, and I heard that you were trying to find out who’s after him. . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she swallowed hard.
“Listen, Nancy, I know I said positively wicked things about Randy,” Danielle continued. “And he deserved them—”
“Because he broke up with you?” Bess put in.
“Well, yes,” she admitted. “I was mad, and I wanted to get back at him. But not that way. I wanted to make him feel bad for breaking up with me, but I’d never really try to hurt a guy with fire or drugs or anything. You know?”
“I think I understand what you’re saying,” Nancy said slowly.
Danielle seemed genuinely upset about Randy and obviously regretted her outbursts, Nancy thought as the petite girl wandered off. But Nancy had no proof that this wasn’t just an act.
She forgot all about the case a moment later, however, as Ned reappeared beside her. She took the mug of hot cider he held out, and the two of them found a spot on the stairs behind Bess and Jerry.
“Nice party, Nickerson,” she murmured, leaning in close to him.
“And you’re the nicest thing about it.” Ned’s arm circled tightly around her, and his lips closed on hers in a kiss that took Nancy’s breath away.
The rest of the party passed pleasantly with dancing and talking. Nancy was surprised when it was midnight and time to return to their dorm. By the time they said their final good-nights to Ned and Jerry in the lobby of the dorm, however, Nancy realized how tired she was.
“I’m beat,” she said as they walked down the hall to their suite. “Oh, hi, Tamara,” she said as the pretty, dark-skinned girl came up behind them in the hallway, wearing a nightgown and bathrobe.
“Hi, Bess, Nancy.” Tamara smiled at them before disappearing into her room.
Taking her room key from her purse, Nancy unlocked the door and pushed it open, then reached inside to flick on the light. As she stepped into the room, the first thing she noticed was a piece of lined yellow paper on the carpet.
“Someone must have slipped this under the door,” she said, reaching down to pick it up.
Nancy unfolded the note and read it.
school’s out for you, nancy drew. leave emerson—before it’s too late!
Chapter Ten
Nancy felt the blood drain from her face. Quickly rereading the note, she handed it to Bess. “Someone doesn’t want me on this case,” she said, frowning.
“It’s a threat,” Bess said worriedly. “I don’t like this, Nancy.”
“Well, it’s not going to work.” With a determined jab, Nancy reached into her bag for the note Randy had received. She sat down on the sofa and spread out the two notes on the table, then peered from one to the other. Although one was on white paper and the other on yellow, they were both typed using only capital letters.