False Moves (6 page)

Maybe the intruder hadn't planned to hurt her—at least not yet. But she—and whoever she might be working with—had intended to slip her the threatening message because the note had been typed. That meant it had been written in advance. So she'd been waiting for the right moment to slip it to Nancy, and the encounter in the costume room had been perfect.

Nancy went over the list of suspects in her mind. Ana Lokhar was her prime suspect. But she hadn't counted out James Ellsworth or Colby Baxter yet. She knew neither man could have been the mysterious person in black. But either of them could have hired a woman from the company to help him steal the pin. So either of them could be responsible.

Leaving her troublesome thoughts for the moment, Nancy turned to her new boyfriend, Brad Eastman, who had come in with her from River Heights that morning to help on the case. “So what do you think?” She nodded toward the dancers on the tape. “Pretty fantastic, huh?”

“Sure is,” Brad said, stretching his arm around Nancy's shoulder. He nodded his head slightly, his gray eyes intent on the screen. “CBT definitely has
great video equipment. I guess they need it for their work.”

“Brad, I meant the dancing, not the equipment!” Nancy said, holding back a groan.

“Oh, the dancing. That's nice, too.”

Nancy sighed. Brad was a good guy, but sometimes he missed the point. “Do you see anything you think might help me figure out who stole the diamond?”

“I don't know, Nancy, it could have been anybody—maybe even someone in the audience!”

“How do you figure that?” Nancy asked. “They couldn't have sneaked on the stage—there are no stairs up to it from the auditorium.”

“Maybe one of the dancers snatched it from Katya, then tossed it to somebody in the front row,” Brad suggested.

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Not when the lights were off. The chances would be a million to one that the dancer would throw it to the right person. No one would plan a robbery this big and then do something like that. Besides, the orchestra pit is below the stage. He'd have to throw that diamond a long way to reach the first row of the audience.”

“Oh,” Brad said simply.

Nancy moaned. It was times like that that she really missed Ned and his clear thinking. As a partner on a case, Brad was the worst. He had no sense of how the criminal mind worked. And he
was so overprotective of Nancy that he had practically begged her to quit when he had heard about the attack and the threatening note.

Of course, Nancy had refused to quit, so Brad had insisted on coming with her to make sure she'd be all right. He was on a break from law school, so he had time to join her. But it seemed to Nancy that he was getting in the way of the investigation, not helping. If anything dangerous did occur, she thought she'd have to protect Brad, not the other way around.

Ned used to worry about me when I was investigating a case, Nancy told herself, but at least he never doubted my abilities.

“Hey, Nancy, do you have a suspect yet?” Brad wanted to know.

“Sure,” Nancy said. “In fact, I think I've got too many. Actually, finding suspects is never the hard part in a case. It's narrowing them down to the one person who's the criminal that's so tough,” she explained.

“I see,” Brad replied. Nancy knew he really didn't understand. He was probably the type who peeked at the last page of a mystery novel to find out who did it, instead of fitting the clues together himself. “Then who are your suspects?” Brad asked.

“Well, I'm keeping my eye on James Ellsworth, Colby Baxter, and Ana Lokhar because I think
they'd have the best opportunities to plan the robbery—and the best motives, too. But someone had to do the actual stealing, and that someone was probably one of the dancers onstage. Which means Belinda, Andre, or Katya.”

“Good,” Brad said. “So now that you've got your suspect list, just give it to the police and let them handle it. Then you won't have to risk getting into danger yourself.”

Nancy sighed again. “No, Brad, I can't do that.” She was starting to wonder why she'd ever gotten involved with him.

“Well, don't get mad,” Brad said with an easy smile. He let his hand slide down Nancy's arm and drew her close to him. Gently, he pulled her into a long, spine-tingling kiss.

Nancy shivered happily, giving Brad's muscular shoulders a squeeze.
That
was why she'd gotten involved with him. Brad Eastman was nothing compared to Ned, but there were certain times—and that was one of them—when none of that mattered. She let herself relax into his warm, thrilling kiss and forgot everything else.

Then the doorknob rattled, and she and Brad sprang apart. The door swung open, and a tall, stately blonde strode into the room. She was wearing an emerald green leotard and matching nylon warm-up pants, but even in her casual dance clothes, she looked glamorous. Her hair was
pulled back into a perfect bun and the little makeup she wore accented her beautiful features.

“Katya Alexandrovna!” Nancy exclaimed as she came face to face with the great dancer. Nancy's heart beat a little faster.

Katya's face melted into a friendly smile. “That is my name,” she said, her Russian accent still heavy in spite of many years of living in the United States.

“Oh, I've watched your performances for ages,” Nancy said enthusiastically. “My ballet teacher always told me you were the best, and she was right!”

“How sweet. And who are you, dear?”

“I'm Nancy. Nancy Drew. And this is my friend, Brad Eastman.”

“Oh, our resident private eye,” the dancer said. “You know, most ballet groups have a company physical therapist or a company masseur. But CBT is the only company with its own detective.”

“It's too bad the group needs one.”

“Yes, that's true,” Katya agreed. “The Raja diamond certainly has caused a lot of trouble. One little object like that shouldn't be able to make so many problems.”

Nancy nodded. “I agree, but unfortunately, whoever stole it doesn't!”

Nancy watched the beautiful blond dancer carefully. It was incredible how charming she was—not
stuck up at all. Nancy instantly liked her and hoped they could become better acquainted.

But still, Nancy reminded herself, she couldn't count her out as a suspect.
Somebody
on that stage had to have snatched the diamond. And even though Nancy didn't like the thought, there was one chance in three that Katya could be involved.

Katya peered curiously at the video screen. “What is this you're looking at? A tape of the pas de trois?”

“Uh-huh,” Nancy said. “I made it the night the diamond was stolen. I could have watched it at home, but the equipment here is so much better that I couldn't resist making use of it. Here comes the most important part!”

Katya, Nancy, and Brad watched as the three dancers on the screen began the final slow section of the dance. The two women rose onto their toes, their faces serene and calm. They looked perfect—not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in their costumes, not a ribbon loose.

The theater thundered with applause as the lights went out. But just as Nancy remembered from watching the show on Sunday night, the clapping petered out after a few minutes and then Katya's scream pierced the theater. The stage brightened again, and Katya woke from her faint. And as they watched, Katya was helped offstage by the two younger dancers, her right foot was
dragging slightly, and the ribbon of her toe shoe trailed behind her weak leg.

Nancy scrutinized the real Katya as she watched herself on the screen. She seemed displeased and a frown creased her features.

“What's the matter, Madame Alexandrovna. Don't you like what you see?” Nancy asked.

The dancer turned sharply. “No, no I don't. I don't look good in that video.”

“Oh, the limp,” Nancy said. “I was surprised to see that, too.”

Katya caught her breath quickly and stared at Nancy for a moment, her expression hard. Then she said, “That's my weak ankle. It's been giving me more and more trouble.”

Nancy smiled. “I thought so. And I'm sorry it's a problem for you. But it didn't seem to affect your dancing at all. You're still the greatest dancer CBT's got.”

Katya's face seemed to soften. “It's kind of you to say so. Others are not always as generous. James Ellsworth, for instance. He wants younger ballerinas in the company, and even though I can dance circles around them, my ankle is all he sees.” The ballerina shook her head. But then her face brightened. “Please, don't let me bother you with my problems. You have problems of your own—like this criminal who stole the diamond.”

“I'm doing my best to find him,” Nancy said with a smile.

“Well,” Katya said, “I came up here only to get a videotape for Colby. I must hurry to class now.” She pulled a tape from the CBT collection and walked to the door. But then she turned back to Nancy. “I wonder if you'd like to come watch the class. You seem to love ballet, so it might be fun for you.”

Nancy caught her breath quickly and grinned. She was actually being invited to watch the CBT practice! “Oh,” she cried happily, “I'd
love
to watch the class! Come on, Brad. Madame Alexandrovna's in a hurry.” She grabbed her purse and took the tape of the pas de trois out of the recorder.

Katya laughed. “Your enthusiasm is wonderful.”

Together, Katya, Nancy, and Brad left the video center and walked to one of the studios. The ballerina pushed the door open and practically knocked it into a young dancer who was on the floor doing sit-ups.

“Oh, excuse me,” Katya exclaimed, stepping around the other woman. She bent down to talk to her. “Bridgit, did you find a pair of my pointe shoes in your bag? I think I may have dropped them in there by mistake a few days ago.”

“Sorry, Katya,” the younger ballerina groaned as she strained to do a few more sit-ups. “I didn't see them.”

Katya stood up. “I'll have to make do with my new ones, then.” She turned to Nancy to explain. “New shoes are very painful to break in. Well, I'm going to warm up a little before class. You two can sit in the chairs over in the corner. Enjoy yourselves!”

“I'm sure we will!” Nancy said happily.

She glanced around the brightly lit studio. Dancers were lying on the smooth wood floor, stretching, or standing at the practice barres that lined all four walls. A few freestanding barres were set up in the middle of the room, too. Mirrors covered two walls.

The dancers had left their bags in one corner so they wouldn't take up space on the dance floor. Nancy dropped her purse near these and turned toward the corner Katya had indicated. Maybe this would be just the kind of relaxation she needed to help her forget her troubles.

But just then Nancy glanced over and saw who was already seated in the same corner. Ned was there, so engrossed in a conversation with Belinda that he hadn't noticed Nancy come in. Belinda was sitting just a little too close to him for Nancy to feel comfortable. As usual, the dancer looked gorgeous. She was dressed in a pale blue unitard and her dark hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head.

Nancy hadn't expected to see Belinda there
because she'd been pulled from the performances until the diamond was recovered. I guess, Nancy decided, she and Andre are still allowed to take company class. After all, they do have to stay in shape. She was glad, though, to see Andre there. She needed to question him about what had happened the night of the robbery. She'd make sure she got her chance right after class.

Nancy cast an unhappy glance at Ned and Belinda. Well, I suppose I'm going to have to face this sooner or later, Nancy told herself. As she and Brad approached the other couple, Belinda gave Ned a quick peck on the cheek and then stood up to join her class. As she passed Nancy, she gave her a haughty toss of her head.

Nancy and Brad pulled up chairs. Nancy linked her arm with Brad's when they were seated.

“Hi,” Ned said. Then he whispered just loud enough for Nancy to hear, “Who's he?” Nancy hated herself for it, but she loved hearing the tinge of jealousy in his voice.

“That's Brad, my new boyfriend,” she explained softly and introduced the two boys. Then she turned to watch the dancers stretching before class. It was amazing how hard they had to work! One woman casually picked up her foot and stretched her leg up around her ear. The dancer Katya had called Bridgit was still seated on the floor, her legs out to either side. She bent over and
rested her chest on the floor between her legs in one easy movement. A man stood at one barre doing leg swings that were so high he almost brushed his face. And they're only warming up, Nancy reminded herself.

In a few minutes Colby Baxter walked into the studio, and the class musician hurried to the piano. The dancers stood up and took their places at the barre, the women's pointe shoes making a gentle thudding on the wooden floor.

“Let's begin,” Colby said. “Two demi-pliés, two grands pliés, and a stretch forward in first, second, fourth, and fifth positions.” He turned to the pianist. “Please take a moderate tempo.”

The musician began a smooth, calming melody, and the dancers relaxed into the first exercise of the class. Nancy could see their muscles working as hard as any athlete's, but they made the whole workout look so effortless and graceful. It was beautiful to watch up close.

As the class progressed, the dancers began to sweat with their efforts. Yet they always remained serene.

Nancy sat enthralled. All the dancers were exceptional, but a few stood out as even more incredible than the others. Katya, of course, and though Nancy didn't like to admit it, Belinda. Andre Bernarde, the tall dancer with sandy-colored hair that curled down the back of his neck,
was special, too. No wonder CBT had brought him from France to perform with the company. He had a beautiful presence. But did the mind of a criminal lurk inside that handsome body?