False Moves (13 page)

But the shoes! Where were they? Nancy shuddered slightly at the thought of them lying around the dressing room. Anyone could have picked them up.

Hardly daring to think about the horrible possibilities, Nancy turned to Marlene and Ellen. “Uh, what do you think happened to those slippers?” she asked them.

“Beats me,” Ellen answered. “The person who owned them might have found them. Or they could have been thrown out.”

Nancy's eyes widened. The idea that the diamond was now at the bottom of some garbage heap outside of Chicago was just too awful.

“Or maybe someone tossed them in the lost and found,” Marlene piped up.

The lost and found! “And where's that?” Nancy asked quickly.

“On the second floor. It's a huge cardboard box sitting in the hallway near the costume room,” Marlene replied.

“Thanks,” Nancy exclaimed as she hurried from the dressing room. In an instant she was halfway out the door. She ran as fast as she could through the backstage area to the back stairs. Not stopping for an instant, she ran up them.

This is it! I've almost got the shoes—and the Raja diamond! She poured on an extra burst of speed.

Nancy shoved the stairwell door open and went flying down the hall toward the costume room. The cardboard box wasn't hard to find. Leaning over, Nancy rummaged through the old leotards and T-shirts, sweaters and sweatpants. There was a pair of beat-up old jazz dance shoes and—Nancy's hands closed on some pointe shoes!

With the blood pounding in her ears, she gently pulled them out of the heap of lost items. They were well worn and the satin was dirty. Her heart racing, Nancy checked the size. . . . A tiny number six was etched into the hard leather sole.

Oh, no, they weren't the size fives she was looking for. Just to make sure there hadn't been yet another mix-up, she reached into the toe of each shoe. Nothing.

Nancy could almost taste her disappointment. There had to be another pair somewhere in that heap of old clothing. She dropped the size sixes on the floor beside the lost and found.

Bending over farther, she began churning up the items from the bottom of the box. The next pair of shoes she found were a size four, which she placed on the floor next to the sixes.

Suddenly Nancy heard a faint sound. She held her breath, listening intently and trying not to make any noise. Her ears strained to hear the next sound.

For a moment there was only silence. But wait,
there it was again! The faint echo of footsteps moving down the hallway toward her. The sound was soft and utterly terrifying!

Colby and Katya must have seen her speeding up there and then one of them must have sneaked up to follow her.

Nancy's first instinct was to get up and run! But what if the shoes really were there, and she just hadn't found them yet? She couldn't leave them for Katya or Colby.

Frantically, she pulled the lost and found box over. Tights and leg warmers and old unitards came tumbling out all over the polished floor. And there! Nancy could see them! A pair of gleaming, new, pink satin pointe shoes tucked together in a neat bundle.

Nancy glanced over her shoulder. At the end of the hallway, a masked, black-clad figure had just appeared from around the corner. He had the broad shoulders of a man, so Nancy knew it had to be Colby. Even though she knew who was behind it, the dark mask still frightened her. Wait! What was that? Something was in his hand, catching light on its shiny surface. A knife!

Nancy knew she was out of time. Not bothering to check the size of the pointe shoes, she grabbed them and took off down the hallway. She ran quickly, but Colby wasn't far behind. And he had the stamina of a professional dancer.

With no one in sight, Nancy was more than a little frightened. She accelerated until she felt as if her heart would burst from the effort.

And still Colby didn't slow down—he was gaining on her. The sound of his footsteps pursuing her echoed through the hallway.

N
ANCY CLUTCHED THE
million-dollar ballet slippers to her chest as she continued her mad dash to the stairs. If only she could make it down to the theater . . . Brad and Ned would be there—it would be safe.

There! Just ahead! The door to the back stairwell. It would lead her directly backstage, straight to Brad and Ned and anyone else in the wings who could help her. She was pushing herself to the limit; her legs were growing heavy; she desperately needed oxygen. Just two more steps. One . . . She'd made it!

She slammed her hand into the door and sent it flying open. Then she started down the steps, taking them two at a time. The theater's backstage was only a few feet away, but Colby was in the stairway, too, and Nancy could almost feel his knife seeking her out.

She catapulted down the remaining steps, pushing off against the banister and throwing herself into the wings.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy could see that the performance had just started.

Dancers were crowded everywhere, waiting for their entrances and going over steps in their minds. They were too involved in preparing to go on to realize what was happening to Nancy. She nearly knocked a fragile blonde over as she barreled into the wings, Colby right behind her.

“Hey!” the ballerina exclaimed.

But Nancy just kept running. Colby wasn't going to let those shoes slip away from him. Of that, Nancy was sure. She had to get far away from him—and fast!

Where were Brad and Ned? She was in no position to go looking for them. If she stopped for only a moment, Colby would be upon her instantly with his knife. One jab and that would be the end of her. She'd be badly hurt or—or dead! Colby would grab the shoes and, if he were lucky, get out of the theater with them while everyone was still confused.

Dead ahead Nancy spotted a ladder, bolted to
the floor. It led up to the metal grille above the stage. Maybe she could escape Colby that way!

Still grasping the precious ballet slippers, Nancy headed for the rickety old ladder. Suddenly she realized that she'd be alone on the catwalk far above the stage—with only Colby, who would pursue her even up there.

Nancy quickly decided that it would be better to cross to the other side of the stage to look for Brad and Ned. Flattening herself against the back wall, Nancy slid sideways between the backdrop and the back wall. The space was barely six inches wide.

Colby was following right beside her.

“Colby,” she whispered. “What are you trying to do? You'll never get away with this with all these people around.”

But Colby only gave a muffled laugh. “I'm willing to bet that I can,” he hissed.

“You haven't caught me yet,” Nancy cried. She kept sidestepping, desperate to get away from Colby, until she was free of the curtain.

At last she spotted Ned on the far side. He was staring at her and at her black-clad pursuer with terror in his eyes. “Nancy,” he shouted.

Katya Alexandrovna, standing next to Ned, looked almost as terrified as he did—but for very different reasons. Everyone backstage turned to see what was going on. Obviously, the noise was just too much to ignore.

It doesn't matter now, Nancy told herself.

The chase was taking every ounce of her strength. But her legs ate up the space to Ned.

“Nancy, hurry!” Ned cried urgently.

“Ned, move left,” Nancy shouted back. A plan was forming in her head, but first she had to get Ned away from Katya Alexandrovna. She couldn't risk letting the ballet dancer intercept the shoes. “Go out for a long pass. And whatever you do, don't drop the ball!”

Ned wasn't sure what she was up to, but he didn't hesitate a moment to run left and back as far as he could. Nancy lifted her arm, the ballet shoes clutched tightly in her hand. By then, Colby was just two steps behind her, and Nancy knew she didn't have a moment left to spare. With a snap of her wrist, she sent the shoes spiraling toward Ned. A split second later, Colby's hand closed around her arm.

But it was too late. The shoes were already sailing through the air toward Ned in a perfect arc. Fantastic, Nancy thought. Guess all that practice tossing a football around with Ned came in handy! Without that pass, Colby would have gotten the shoes.

Colby dropped Nancy's arm and dashed toward Ned at breakneck speed. He had no hope of getting away now, but still he was dead set on capturing the shoes. Brad started after him, but Colby was too far ahead for him to stop.

Nancy had new problems of her own now.
Katya Alexandrovna was coming at her—and there was murder in her eyes.

Nancy sank into her well-practiced karate stance. She just got to catch a glimpse of Ned snatching the ballet slippers out of the air before Katya lunged for her.

Nancy was ready for Katya's kick, but Katya's movements were so different from the ones she had practiced against in karate class. Katya's leg came into a perfect passé position, her pointed toe just touching the knee of her other leg. Then in a flash she struck out with her foot. Nancy lashed out at her with her fist, but Katya had already danced out of reach. Then the ballerina came at her with a whirling, kicking turn. If Nancy hadn't been quick enough to scoot away, she would have been hit with the old one-two—first Katya's powerful right leg, then her sturdy left.

This is incredible, Nancy thought, Katya is using ballet to fight me! But I can't let it break my concentration. I have to take Katya out!

The next time Katya danced toward her, Nancy held her ground. Now the ballerina let loose with a few regular well-aimed and strong punches. Nancy had to work hard to avoid them.

Katya swung at Nancy with her left fist. Nancy ducked and spun out of arm's reach. The ballerina kept coming at her, though, hitting out again and again. Each time Nancy danced away, Katya attacked once more. But Nancy was biding her
time. Katya was a surprisingly good fighter, but she'd make a mistake at some point. Nancy just had to keep out of her way until then!

Then Nancy saw her chance. Katya's timing on the last punch was just a little off. When the dancer's right fist came at her, she was ready. At the crucial moment, Nancy grabbed Katya's forearm and twisted it. She gave Katya's shoulder a shove and she fell to the floor. Nancy pounced on her and held her in a practically unbreakable karate hold. Nancy felt great. That move worked every time.

“Let me go!” Katya sputtered.

But Nancy kept a firm grip. A group of dancers stood around them, not sure which of the two they should help—the young detective or Katya.

Still holding Katya tight, Nancy looked across to where Ned and Colby were now fighting. They were moving dangerously close to the open stage and with each punch, it seemed as if they might crash into the set and onstage in full view of the whole audience.

Colby's mask had come off, and a group of corps dancers were staring in surprise and confusion. Colby swung a punch, but Ned caught his arm in midair, giving him a shove backward. Colby sailed onto the stage, a new and surprising addition to
Giselle.

Ned followed him onto the stage, kicking out with his foot.

A piece of scenery teetered unsteadily as Ned's foot brushed against it. The canvas and wooden flat came tumbling down right on top of Ned and Colby!

The dancers stood and stared. The orchestra had long since stopped playing. Belinda looked like the fairy-tale princess who had just kissed a frog, but had found out that this time he wasn't going to turn into a prince. Finally the curtain puller closed the stage drapes.

Beneath the canvas flat no one moved. By craning her neck Nancy could just see one of Ned's hands sticking out.

“Ned!” Nancy screamed frantically. “Ned, are you all right?” But there was no response.

N
ED
!” N
ANCY SCREAMED
again. She listened for a response, and finally there was a faint murmuring coming from underneath the flat. But Nancy couldn't make out the words.