As if he knew she needed his help, Nancy’s partner caught the next few balls with some dazzling maneuvers. There was no repeat of the flash of light, and Nancy was able to return some shots successfully. Her mind was racing.
If the glint was not from electricity or the sunset, what had caused it? Sunlight from behind her? Binoculars? A camera lens? A telescope?
Then the truth crashed down on Nancy. It was a telescope of sorts—the telescopic sight of a sniper’s rifle!
Nancy froze. A ball smashed past her, and the glint came again. Instinctively, Nancy ducked.
She made it look like a stumble, and murmurs rose from the crowd. Nancy’s partner strode toward her. Nancy shook her head. And then, with sharp clarity, she knew there was only one thing to do.
It was the Canadian woman’s turn to serve. As the ball came toward her Nancy completely abandoned her attempt to imitate Teresa’s style. She rushed forward to meet it with a wild forehand slam that sent the ball soaring over the crowd—directly toward the sniper.
There were gasps from the crowd. They must have assumed Teresa was cracking beneath the pressure. But one person knew better. George’s eyes had been on Nancy. They followed the ball. Then they swung back to meet Nancy’s for a shocked instant, and the next moment George was grabbing the nearest security guard and pointing.
From all over the stadium, officials began to dash toward the sniper.
I did my best, Nancy thought. All I can do now is hope.
She rushed back into the game, and she did not see the telltale glint again.
Nancy played hard after that, with all her skill. She knew the best thing she could do was to prolong the game and keep the Canadian pair from winning easily. She had to give Teresa as much time on the loose as she could.
“Game. Set to San Carlos,” the referee called. The announcement was made over the loudspeaker. “The match is now a tie.”
During the third set, Nancy and her partner played well. When it ended, they had lost the match by only two heartbreaking points in the last set!
The players shook hands. Exhausted, Nancy walked slowly from the court amid a flurry of whispers. The Canadian woman came over to put a companionable arm around her shoulders.
“You made a great comeback,” she said. “Too bad you lost when the game was so close. That would have killed me!”
Nancy gave a tight grin. “You don’t know how close it came,” she murmured in her best attempt at a San Carlos accent.
Chapter Fifteen
George met Nancy with a quick hug as soon as she stepped off the court. “The sniper got away,” she whispered at once. “Our driver’s waiting right out front, and the other guy got your things from the locker room.”
During a wild ride on the parkway, the driver abandoned the pretense of driving a private limo and used a siren. He turned it off once they were within half a mile of the hotel. All the same, Nancy and George were back in their suite just twenty minutes after the match ended.
Teresa was already there with Bess, and both of them were distraught. The news about the sniper had come over the car’s two-way radio as Dan and Bess drove back from the restaurant. Bess had been forced to tell Dan about the entire plot and masquerade. He had been furious.
“He said we were dumb and reckless—that not only could he lose his job as a result, but we might have caused either or both of you to lose your lives!”
“That is crazy,” Teresa said sharply. “I knew the risk to me, and I chose to take it!” She looked at Nancy. “But it was not right of me to let you risk your life.”
“Yes it was,” Nancy said firmly. “How else could we have found out about the dawn executions?”
Then she looked more closely at Teresa. “What’s wrong?” she asked in a concerned voice. “I mean, what else is wrong? What happened at your meeting with Roberto’s friend?”
Tears welled up in Teresa’s eyes. “I am sure it is not true,” she whispered. “Or no—I am not sure. But—”