The tractor driver nodded. “There are six studs on the platform. The studs go through those holes, and a bolt is secured on top to keep it in place.”
“That’s strange.” Nancy sifted through the wreckage of the float until she found a metal bolt. “Is this one of the bolts?” she asked, holding it up.
“Yeah,” the driver replied, scratching his head. “But there should be five others.”
Nancy stared at the bolt. “I wonder what happened to them?”
While colorful floats curved around them, Nancy, Bess, and Randy carefully sifted through the wreckage of the float. They checked the road and the flatbed, but they didn’t find any of the other bolts.
“Someone must have removed them,” Nancy told Randy, frowning.
“That’s what I figured,” Randy mumbled, tugging angrily on the end of his football jersey. “But you know what? I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve had it with this creep! He made me look so bad with those pills.” His dark eyes were sincere as he added, “I don’t take drugs, Nancy! Honest. I’m not about to screw up my life that way.”
“I believe you, Randy,” Nancy assured him. “But you’re still in danger—now more than ever. The person who wants Emerson to lose tomorrow is obviously not going to stop these attacks. And the game is less than twenty-four hours away! With time running out, I’m afraid our culprit might resort to even more desperate measures.”
She put a hand on Randy’s shoulder, saying, “It’s time to get more help from the college administration.” Checking that no one could overhear, Nancy lowered her voice and told Randy about her investigation.
She finished up, “I need to do a thorough check of all the players on Emerson’s team. If Dean Jarvis can help me cut through some red tape, I might have a chance to get this thing solved before tomorrow’s game.”
“I hope it’s not one of the guys on the team,” Randy said, “but you’re the detective.” With a weary smile, Randy made a fist. “Go for it, Nancy!”
Nancy turned to see Ned running up the street. Josh was jogging beside him.
“I came as soon as I heard what happened,” he said breathlessly. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t get hurt, buddy,” he said, clapping Randy on the back. “What happened?”
Nancy, Randy, and Bess all launched into an explanation at once. When Nancy told Ned about the missing bolts, his eyes glimmered with anger. “We’ve got to catch the guy who did this.”
“I’ll second that,” Randy put in.
Nancy nodded. “Ned, can you check with other people who worked on floats in the shed, and ask if they saw anything suspicious? Maybe someone got a look at the person who tampered with the Wildcats’ float.”
Ned nodded. “I’ll check it out right away. Everyone has to meet back at the shed to dismantle the floats.” He nodded at Jerry and Josh. “We’ll be tied up there for the rest of the afternoon, but I’ll pick you up at seven for the dance.”
“In the meantime,” Nancy said, “I’m going to see if Dean Jarvis can help us.”
“And I’m going to take a long, hot shower to recuperate from this parade,” Randy added.
While Bess went back to the room to rest up for the dance, Nancy went to the office of the dean of students. Although he wasn’t in, his secretary directed Nancy to the student center, where the dean was supervising the setup for that night’s dance.
When Nancy arrived, she saw that lilac-colored tablecloths covered the cafeteria’s round tables and that a vase of fresh asters had been placed in the center of each one. The room was empty except for the staff of caterers who were scurrying about. Dean Jarvis was standing next to the serving counter, talking to someone wearing a chef’s cap. Nancy waited until they finished their conversation before approaching the dean.
“The decorations are beautiful,” Nancy told him.
“Hello, Nancy,” he said. “We try to put out a nice spread for our alumni.” Folding his arms over his chest, he added, “But I’m guessing that it’s not the dance preparations that bring you here.”