Dangerous Relations (6 page)

“I've put off telling Marshall about the offer—I know he won't like it,” Natalia said.

“What do you mean?” Nancy asked.

“Well, I like to think he'd be happy for me. But at the same time, I know it'd be a blow to Grand Royal. The act has really helped bookings.”

“Mr. Keiser already knows,” Nancy said, and recounted her conversation with Katrina.

Anger flashed in Natalia's eyes. “Of all the mean—! No wonder Marshall's been so touchy with me!”

“But how did Katrina know about the offer?” Hayden asked.

“She says she saw Natalia's letter,” Nancy said.

“But I've kept my letter in my sports bag ever since I got it,” Natalia protested. “Katrina
couldn't have seen it—unless she went through my things!”

Hayden's face darkened. “She had no right!”

“It
is
pretty crummy,” George agreed.

“She's gone too far. I'm going to confront her right now!” Hayden started away.

“I'm coming with you,” Natalia said, hurrying after him toward the exit.

Nancy and George followed the two flyers past the barn to the ring where the Luttrellis were still practicing. Katrina was nowhere in sight.

“Natalia!”

Nancy turned to see Hilary Luttrelli waving to Natalia. The loud whine of a motorcycle drowned out the rest of Hilary's words.

Natalia hesitated a moment, then turned back toward the fenced-in ring and said to Hayden, “I'll catch up with you.”

“Look!” George exclaimed, pointing to a steel globe rolling down the road toward them. “It's the Sphere of Death! The guys must be practicing.”

Nancy's eyes watered as the sun flashed off the steel sphere. The loud rev of the engine hurt her ears.

Hayden, banging on Katrina's trailer door twenty feet ahead, didn't give the globe a glance. Neither did Natalia, who was twenty feet behind, talking across the fence to Hilary.

But George and Nancy were mesmerized. The
rider handled the ball deftly, making accurate turns, weaving to the left, then the right. He was clad in black leather and a black helmet, his face completely covered by the face shield.

“Is that Eduardo or Joseph?” George asked as the ball rolled past them.

“Who could tell in that gear?” Nancy replied.

The ball slowed. The motorcycle engine idled, as if the rider was holding back.

Nancy turned to watch the globe round the corner and roll past the outdoor ring. Natalia waved as it passed and moved away from the fence. She was about ten feet away from Nancy and George when the globe turned and came back.

The driver opened the throttle. The engine screamed as the ball rounded the corner and came toward Natalia. He'll turn, thought Nancy. Any second now, he'll swerve. But, boy, is he cutting it close!

Suddenly the hairs on her neck prickled. He was
too
close. He was going to hit Natalia!

N
ATALIA
!” Nancy screamed. She lunged at the girl, pushing her with such force that they both hit the ground and rolled. The Sphere of Death whizzed past, leaving them dazed and coughing in a cloud of dust.

“Nan!” cried George, rushing to her side.

“Don't move them! They may be injured!” Hilary Luttrelli shouted.

As Nancy's head cleared, she saw Hilary and her sons racing from one direction as Hayden came running from the other. White and shaken, he dropped down beside Natalia. “Natalia! Sweetheart!”

Nancy drew a deep breath and sat up, relieved to see Natalia unhurt and in Hayden's arms. She dusted herself off and squinted into the sun,
looking for the ball. “There he goes, out the gate. Who was it, George? Did you see?”

“He kept his helmet down. It could have been anyone,” George said.

“Let's get the car and go after him.”

The girls took off at a run. As they passed Eduardo's trailer, he came bounding around from the back. He was obviously distraught.

“Someone stole my motorcycle! Someone stole the sphere!”

“We're going after it!” Nancy cried.

Eduardo was right on Nancy's heels as they tore through the gate. There they stopped short. The Sphere of Death, trap door open, had been abandoned in the paved parking lot.

“Maybe we can still catch the guy,” Nancy said. They all piled into her rental car. Nancy rammed the key into the ignition and turned it, then backed out of the space and screeched toward the street.

“There he is! That black speck, two blocks down!” George exclaimed.

The tires squealed as Nancy turned onto the street. She pushed the accelerator down. They were gaining on him. He was only a block ahead now—she could see the motorcycle clearly.

“He's turning left, Nan,” George advised.

“Turn, too! Maybe you can cut him off!” Eduardo cried from the backseat.

Nancy pulled hard on the wheel. The tires shrieked as she made the turn. She gripped the
wheel hard and accelerated. At the next block she turned right. The street, lined with palms, ran parallel to the beach. At the intersection she looked up the street to her right. The cyclist should be coming straight toward them, she thought.

But the street was empty.

“We lost him!” Eduardo cried.

“He must have doubled back,” Nancy said. She drove half a block and stopped. “There! That's where he turned.”

The gravel at the edge of a driveway had been thrown in a wide arc as the motorcycle had spun around and doubled back. Nancy sped to the next corner, but there was no motorcycle in sight.

“Gone!” she exclaimed in frustration.

“Whoever it was, he got away with my bike,” Eduardo said in a mournful voice.

“Could it have been Joseph?” Nancy asked.

Eduardo snorted. “Why would my own brother take my bike?”

“And he wouldn't have ridden straight at Natalia like that,” George added.

“It was deliberate, no question,” Nancy said.

“What are you talking about?” Eduardo demanded.

Nancy told him about Natalia's near accident. In the rearview mirror, she saw Eduardo's eyes widen in astonishment. “It's beginning to seem as if someone really does want to hurt Natalia,” he murmured.

“Marshall Keiser rides a motorcycle,” Nancy said quietly.

Eduardo looked shocked. “Sure. But riding inside the Sphere of Death isn't like riding a street bike. It takes lots of practice.”

“What about Katrina?” Nancy pressed on. “Does she ride?”

Eduardo stared. “Katrina? She's a girl.”

“So what?” George retorted. “She rides horses. She's strong. She has a good sense of balance. She could do it, with some practice.”

“I've known Katrina for three years,” Eduardo said, “and I've never seen her ride.”

“Do you think Katrina is angry enough about losing Hayden and her star status to take revenge?” Nancy asked. She watched Eduardo in the rearview mirror. He was frowning.

“I don't know,” he said.

“What about Keiser?” asked Nancy. “Would he hurt Natalia?”

“No way! A lot of people come to the circus just to see the aerialist act. That's money in Marshall's pocket!”

“What if he thought Natalia was going to leave?” Nancy pressed. “What then?”

“He wouldn't hurt her. It was probably some daredevil who's seen the act and wanted to try it for himself,” Eduardo said. “And steal my bike in the bargain,” he added.

Nancy pulled into the circus parking lot. She could understand why Eduardo didn't want to
believe anyone was trying to kill Natalia, but as far as she was concerned, the evidence was clear.

The steel globe was still in the parking lot. Joseph and the Luttrelli boys were checking it over while a woman Nancy didn't know looked on. She was in her thirties and slender, with large glittery-framed glasses and dangling earrings.

“Who's that?” Nancy asked as the woman turned and walked onto the circus grounds.

“Morgan York, our performance director. She'll be walking us through the rehearsal this afternoon,” Eduardo explained.

The moment Nancy parked, Eduardo was out of the car. He raced over to the globe, with Nancy and George following.

Nancy examined the globe. Essentially, it was a round cage. The door could be opened either from the inside or the outside. But, she thought, the cyclist would have to get the thing stopped to get out. It would definitely take skill.

She beckoned to George. “Let's see if Katrina ever showed up. Then we'll find out where Marshall was when the accident occurred,” she said. They started through the gate.

Hayden and Natalia were in the arena, practicing without Katrina.

“How can she cut practice like this?” George asked.

Nancy looked at her watch and was surprised to see it wasn't even nine yet. “She's still got ten minutes.”

Bonnie Luttrelli was alone in the outdoor ring as they passed on their way to Katrina's trailer. Nancy called from the path, “Why aren't Katrina and your brother practicing the rescue act?”

“Tom's horse stepped on something, so the boys are working with the other horses while the vet looks at Ranger's foot. Where's Bess?”

When Nancy told her Bess was still at the motel, Bonnie grinned and resumed shoveling the ring, saying, “And here I was ready to turn this glamorous job over to her!”

Nancy waved, and the two girls walked on. “What now?” George asked.

“We've wasted enough time. Let's check Katrina's trailer,” Nancy said. She led the way to the door. No one answered her knock.

“I'm going to slip around back,” Nancy said. “If Katrina or anyone else comes along, start talking loudly, okay? That'll be my signal to clear out.”

“Are you sure you should do this in daylight?” George said uneasily. “What if someone sees you?”

Nancy spread her hands. “I can't waste any more time. I've got to see if Katrina has some of that medicated petroleum jelly. And if she was the one in the globe, maybe she left something lying around that'll give her away.”

George nodded. She walked over to a white poodle tied up in front of the next trailer and
scratched his neck, trying to look casual as she kept watch.

Nancy went to the back of Katrina's trailer. She noticed a chain encircling a scrubby pine tree. That was probably for the dog, she thought. She slipped up to the back door and tried it. It too was locked. The trailer was quiet. If the dog that went with that chain was inside, he wasn't much of a watchdog.

Nancy brushed past a garbage can, then stopped short. A piece of pink fabric was sticking out from beneath the lid. Curious, she removed the garbage can lid and took out the pink sash Katrina had worn the day before. There was a shadowy stain on it—the kind of stain petroleum jelly might make.

Nancy looked carefully at the sash. Katrina could have doubled the sash over, then concealed a wad of petroleum jelly within the fold. It had probably soaked through the sash.

Nancy dug through the garbage. Stuffed into a bag of half-rotted lemons was a plastic jar of petroleum jelly! Marked on the lid were the words Medicated Petroleum Jelly. Nancy put the container and the sash in her shoulder bag. She had her proof.

She was retracing her steps toward the front of the trailer when she heard voices. She peeked around the corner. Katrina was back! She had a huge black labrador leashed at her side.

“You should have seen that globe barreling down on her! It's a wonder Natalia wasn't killed!” George was talking very loudly.

Nancy flattened herself against the trailer. She looked around, planning how she could get away without Katrina seeing her. Katrina's backyard ended at the fence that enclosed the circus grounds. She thought about climbing the fence but then realized the top of the fence was tall enough to be visible from the front of the trailer. Katrina would see her climbing over.

Just then a menacing growl interrupted Nancy's thoughts. She peeked around the corner of the motor home again. The labrador's ears were standing up. He strained at the leash and barked.

“What is it, Hugo?” Katrina asked, stooping to pat him.

As she did so, the dog jerked the leash right out of her hand. With a ferocious baying, he came galloping toward the end of the trailer where Nancy was hiding.

“Your dog!” George yelled.

As if in slow motion, Nancy saw the dog leap . . . saw his white teeth gleam in a snarl . . . felt the heat of his breath. In another second, he'd be upon her!