False Moves (2 page)

Nancy scooped up a forkful of scrambled eggs, thinking hard. The thieves were professionals and smart, that much she knew. They had obviously planned the whole thing very carefully.

“The jewel was stolen from Katya Alexandrovna's costume,” the announcer continued, “while she was onstage, waiting to take her curtain
call! Since access to the backstage area was strictly controlled by security guards, police detectives believe that no one from the audience could have snatched the gem.”

Hmm, Nancy thought, that means the thief has to be someone in the company. Now, how many dancers were there in the Chicago Ballet Theater? The article she had just read about the gala had said sixty.

The announcer continued, “The police searched every person who was in the wings during the robbery, but they found no sign of the diamond.”

“Did you hear that, Dad?” Nancy asked. “This is some case.”

“Believing that the jewel must be hidden somewhere backstage, Chief of Detectives Wilson has closed down the new theater temporarily. The Chicago Ballet Theater will have to perform in its old headquarters, which is right next door, until the new theater has been thoroughly searched.

“CBT's managing director is furious about this. He claims the company will lose thousands of dollars with every performance unless it can use the new and much larger facility.

Meanwhile, the family who lent the diamond is also furious. Karim Raja, head of the family who lent the diamond, spoke from his home in northern India, saying that he will sue CBT if the pin isn't found quickly.”

Nancy took a few more bites of her scrambled eggs, but she was concentrating so hard on the radio that she barely tasted the food. The robbery could ruin the dance company if the diamond weren't found soon.

“CBT has been beset by other difficulties this year,” the newscaster added. “There have been rumors of tension between the company's managing director, James Ellsworth, and its artistic director, Colby Baxter. A few weeks ago it was announced that Mr. Baxter will be leaving the company at the end of the season—his contract will not be renewed. In addition, the company will be losing its star. Katya Alexandrovna announced that she will be retiring at the end of the season. That's the news. I'm—”

Nancy clicked off the radio and sat quietly thinking for a moment.

“Do you have any ideas,” Mr. Drew asked, “about who the thief could be?”

“Not a single one,” Nancy answered. “There are sixty people in that company, and it could have been any one of them. It's confusing, that's all I know for sure.” She shrugged. “Well, I'm not investigating it, so I suppose I shouldn't waste my time worrying about it.” She turned back to her breakfast. Her eggs were cold by then, but she finished them anyway.

But she just couldn't push the robbery out of her mind. Of course, the thief could have been
anyone in the dance company or anyone who was backstage during the performance the night before. But the lights hadn't been out all that long. So it was most likely that the thief was one of the dancers: Andre Bernarde, Katya Alexandrovna—or Belinda Morrison.

Part of Nancy wanted Belinda to be the thief. But another part of her wished that Belinda had nothing to do with robbery—for Ned's sake. That was the part of her that still loved her old boyfriend. A tiny frown creased her forehead.

Mr. Drew, who had been studying his daughter, put down his newspaper and reached over to touch her arm. “Hey, sweetheart, are you all right?”

Nancy smiled weakly at her father. She could never hide her feelings from him. Because her mother had died when Nancy was so young, she and her father shared a very special and close relationship. Except for Hannah, it had been just the two of them, so Mr. Drew had been both father and mother to his daughter.

“I'm okay, Dad,” Nancy told him, hoping he would accept this without farther questions.

Nancy had to remind herself that since the breakup with Ned her life hadn't really changed that much. She still had fun hanging out with her friends Bess and George, or spending an afternoon in the library researching old mystery cases, or riding her bike to her favorite lake outside
River Heights. She still enjoyed practicing karate each day—a skill that came in handy when she was on a particularly dangerous case. She still smiled at her next-door neighbor when she met her on the street. In fact, only the people in her life who knew her best would have noticed that anything was wrong.

But something was. Nancy was moping over Ned, and she hated herself for doing it. But she missed him and that was the simple truth. Even when she was with her new boyfriend, Brad Eastman, the pain of losing Ned did not go away.

The Drews' doorbell chimed, and Nancy ran to the front door. “I'll get it,” she called. She pulled the door open.

“Ned!” Nancy cried in amazement. She had been daydreaming about him so much lately—his wavy brown hair, his loving dark eyes, his strong, athletic body—that she was surprised to find him standing in front of her in person.

“Hi, Nancy,” Ned said, trying to sound casual. But she could tell by his tone that he wasn't feeling nearly so relaxed as he sounded. He stepped into the Drews' entryway. “Mind if I come in?”

“Of course not,” Nancy answered quickly, shutting the door behind him. “Um—” she started, searching for something to say. “How've you been lately?”

“Okay. We've got a vacation from school this week. And since basketball season's over and I
don't have to train, I can really take it easy and enjoy the vacation.”

“That's nice,” Nancy said, feeling uncomfortable. Ned had always spent his vacations from Emerson College with her. But things were different now, and she just had to accept that. “How did the end of the season go?”

Ned smiled, and a bittersweet sensation shot through Nancy. It had been so long since she had seen that sincere, shy expression on his handsome face. “We won our big game with Chicago U.—and I made the final basket.”

Ned tried to act modest, but Nancy could tell how proud he was. She smiled back warmly. “Super. Everyone on campus must have gone crazy afterward. Emerson's been trying to beat Chicago for years.”

“Yeah, and we finally did it,” Ned said. There was a moment of awkward silence. “It's good to see you again,” he said finally. His warm brown eyes briefly met Nancy's and revealed some of the emotion he was trying to hide.

“I'm glad you came, too,” Nancy admitted.

“But to tell the truth,” Ned said self-consciously, “I'm actually here on business.” He hurried on before Nancy could get in a word. “You must have heard about the robbery at CBT last night. Well, they suspect Belinda. They didn't find the diamond on her when they searched her, but they still think she could have taken it and
hidden it! Anyway, she and Andre Bernarde are both being investigated. Katya Alexandrovna was hurt during the attack, so she's off the hook, at least for now.”

“I see,” Nancy said, trying not to show any emotion. “They must suspect Belinda because she was holding Katya when the lights came on.”

Ned nodded. “But she didn't do it,” he burst out. “She swore to me that she went over to Katya only
after
the scream. And now the company won't let her or Andre perform again until the diamond's found. They say it'll be bad publicity if the two main suspects dance!”

As Nancy listened to Ned, her heart began to sink. So he hadn't come to see her. It was only Belinda he cared about, and he merely thought Nancy could help his new girlfriend.

Ned continued, his voice filled with unhappiness and concern. “Nancy, if Belinda can't perform for a few weeks—or a few months, if the investigation takes a long time—it could seriously damage her career. She's been working hard to be a dancer all her life, and it would be terrible if things were ruined for her now. Especially when she didn't have anything to do with the robbery.”

Nancy sighed unhappily. “So you want me to take on the case,” she said slowly, “and prove that Belinda is innocent.”

Her words brought such a big smile to Ned's
face that Nancy wished she hadn't spoken. “Nancy, would you?”

Nancy bit her lip. It hurt to see Ned so worried about another girl. And obviously, he didn't care how she felt if he asked her to solve a problem for his new girlfriend. The truth was, Nancy didn't want to help Belinda, not one tiny bit.

When they'd been going out, Ned had always complained when Nancy began a new mystery. He had been jealous of all the time she spent sleuthing. But now it didn't matter to him. He couldn't wait to get her started on another case.

But then, Nancy thought, this robbery could turn out to be a very big case for me. And if Ned could get her in on the case, shouldn't she jump at the chance?

Nancy felt torn. She wanted to say no to Ned. How could he decide to cool their relationship and start seeing someone else but then expect Nancy to be there for him whenever he needed her? Still, Nancy could never resist an interesting mystery when she came across one. In fact, that was the reason she and Ned had broken up in the first place.

Well, she shouldn't mess up a great opportunity for a new case just because of Ned, should she?

“Okay,” she said. “I'll do it.”

“Oh, Nancy!” Ned cried excitedly. He took a step toward her and spread his arms as if he were
about to enfold her in a gigantic hug. But he stopped himself and dropped his arms quickly to his sides. “That's great—really terrific,” he said.

Nancy looked down at the floor. Working on a case for Ned was going to be hard. But she'd have to ignore her personal feelings and just be professional about the investigation.

“There's one thing you have to understand, Ned,” Nancy said carefully. “I'm going to be looking for the truth about this robbery. If I find any evidence
against
Belinda, there's no way I can hide it. Can you accept that?”

Ned smiled and his brown eyes lit up happily. “Of course, Nancy. I'd never ask you to lie. But, anyway, I'm not worried because I'm sure Belinda didn't do it.”

Nancy bit her lip. Just as he'd been sure of his teammates' innocence during the basketball mystery Nancy had investigated at Emerson College? But she didn't mention it to Ned. “When can I start?” she asked simply.

“Right now!” Ned told her enthusiastically. “CBT has rehearsals all day to restage the dances for the old theater, which is so much smaller than the new one. All the dancers will be over there rehearsing. And because of the police order not to use the new theater, the crew is moving scenery and costumes back to the old house. It's a good thing that CBT still has all its administrative offices, shops, and storage areas in the old theater
next door. Can you imagine the confusion if they had to move everything back? Since so much is going on, everyone you'll need to talk to will be there today.”

“Great,” Nancy said, starting to feel the familiar excitement of investigating a new case.

“I'm driving to CBT now. Why don't I give you a lift?”

“Okay. Let me get some stuff and tell my dad what's up.”

Nancy ran up the stairs to her room and gathered together a few necessities—a pad and pen for making observations, a complete lock-picking kit, and a small bottle of chemical powder for preserving fingerprints.

She quickly ran a brush through her hair, then, on impulse, she added a gold heart-shaped necklace to her outfit. It matched her earrings and added a delicate touch to her bulky navy sweater. Ned had always liked that necklace.

Nancy ran downstairs and briefed her father about what was happening before hurrying back to the entryway.

“I'm glad you're coming with us now,” Ned told her as he helped her into her jacket. “It'll give Belinda a chance to tell you what happened last night.”

Belinda! Nancy stopped with her hand on the doorknob and wondered why Belinda would be in River Heights. Of course, she probably came out
early to talk to Ned about her problem. Why else would she be there?

Ignoring her feelings of jealousy, Nancy opened the front door. You're on a case now, she told herself. This is no time to get emotional.

As Nancy stepped into the chilly March wind, she saw Ned's car parked in the Drews' driveway. She walked purposefully toward it and, opening the door, got into the backseat. From the front passenger's seat, Belinda Morrison turned and stared at her curiously. She looked just as gorgeous as she had on TV the night before. Nancy leaned over to her, trying desperately to push back the flood of jealousy that threatened to overwhelm her. “Hi,” she said casually.

Belinda smiled sweetly—maybe just a little too sweetly, Nancy decided. “So you're Nancy Drew, Ned's old girlfriend,” she said. The word
old
stung Nancy. “I'm glad you've decided to help me out,” Belinda continued. “My career is so important, and this silly diamond theft shouldn't get in the way of it—especially since I had nothing to do with it.” She gave a light toss of her long, jet black hair. “Don't you agree?”

Nancy stared at Belinda in amazement. How selfish! The Chicago Ballet Theater was in big trouble over the missing diamond, but Belinda was only worried about herself.

Well, Belinda could say she was innocent, but Nancy hadn't crossed her off the suspect list. And
she wouldn't until she had facts—hard facts—to prove the girl innocent.

I'm going to find out who's responsible for this crime, she said silently. And if it's you, Belinda Morrison, I'm going to make sure the entire city of Chicago finds out about it. Fast. And then what will happen to your precious career?