Illusions of Evil (5 page)

Nancy's mind was working overtime now. Both Adriana and Hagan were sure that the ride was basically safe; Hagan had checked it himself. Then there was the question of the fire during Adriana's act. That definitely hadn't been an
accident. There were too many suspicious things going on at Riverfront—too many “accidents.”

Anyone who knew the park at all could have watched Adriana rehearse her act and figured out how to make it go wrong. It would have been easy enough to sneak into the prop room and fill the tank with kerosene. But what Nancy wanted to know was, who had the expertise to sabotage the Typhoon.

“Who knew enough about this ride to wreck it?” Nancy asked Hagan.

The engineer rocked on his heels. Scrutinizing Nancy carefully, he said, “Ride operator, couple of mechanics  . . .”

Nancy saw a strange look suddenly flicker in his eyes. It was gone, though, before she could guess what it meant.

Hagan started easing around the last two cars of the train. Nancy followed. As she made her way down the tracks several paces behind him, a wind blew up and she shivered. She needed to get something warm inside her, but first she had to get more out of Hagan.

When they reached the ground, the two of them paused by the operator's booth.

“Look, Mr. Hagan,” she said at last, “this is serious. I need the names of the people on your crew who'd be capable of weakening that wheel block,” she insisted.

He kicked a stone, then looked at Nancy. “I
don't want to turn in anyone on my crew. Besides, I trust them—I hired them myself before the season started. After Nicos Polidori died, Adriana wanted to clear the decks, start all over. She told me to get the best people I could find, and I did.”

“They may be good at their jobs,” Nancy pressed, “but how do you know you can trust them?”

“I just do,” he almost growled. Then he slumped a bit, his pale blue eyes wavering. “There is one guy . . . .” he began slowly.

“Yes,” Nancy urged.

“I hate to even mention him—Benny Gotnick's his name. He used to work this ride and the Tunnel of Love, but Adriana fired him when she took over the park.”

“Why?” Nancy asked. “What did he do?”

“It's what he didn't do,” said Hagan. “Benny didn't work all that hard. Took long breaks, disappeared to smoke a cigarette, things like that.”

Nancy frowned.

“He was a good old guy though—worked for Nicos for years, kind of a fixture around the place,” Hagan went on reluctantly. “Of course, he gambled, ran up debts, goofed up pretty much. But he didn't have a mean bone in his body.” He shrugged. “I guess he was pretty bitter when Adriana let him go.”

“Bitter enough to want revenge?” Nancy asked.

Hagan stared blankly at her. “I don't know.”

“Does he still live in Conklin Falls?” Nancy pressed.

“I've seen him around. Adriana should have his address in her files,” Hagan replied.

It had started to drizzle again by now, so Nancy thanked Hagan for his help and walked back toward the auditorium where the staff meeting was scheduled to take place.
When she reached the midway, she checked her watch. She was ten minutes late, so she started jogging, which warmed her up a bit.

She didn't look forward to telling Adriana the news about the roller coaster and that there was no way to prove it had been sabotaged from the evidence left behind. Still, she knew she had to. She also wondered what Adriana and her father had decided about keeping the park open until the state inspectors arrived. Given the bad press and Freda Clarke's threat, things were pretty grim.

Even so, Nancy had a small glimmer of hope—she now had two suspects, Freda Clarke and Benny Gotnick. For a minute she thought about Rand Hagan. He certainly knew enough about the Typhoon to sabotage it, but Adriana had said he was extremely reliable. What was more, he'd helped save Ned and George's lives, which struck Nancy as hardly the action of a saboteur.

When she reached the auditorium, she found one of the front doors unlocked and let herself in. She went through the empty lobby and into the theater, where Adriana was talking to her staff. Most of them were sitting on the stage, while a couple lounged in the front row. As Nancy moved down the aisle, she noticed Mikhail Grigov in a seat at the back.

“Nancy! There you are!” Adriana cried. The magician was wearing a pair of black trousers and a deep red sweater. “I'm sorry I didn't make it to the roller coaster. But did you see Rand there? I told him to meet you.”

“Yes, I did.” Nancy decided to wait to tell Adriana what she'd discovered until they were alone. “I'll talk to you afterward.”

Adriana smiled and said, “Perfect.” She called out to get the crew's attention and introduced Nancy to them. Then Adriana went around the room and called out their names. “That's Shauna and Glenn, our carpenters. André you've met. There's Maxine, the special effects expert, and Jenny, the pyrotechnician.”

“I'll never remember you all,” Nancy said, smiling as she sat down in the front row. “But I'll try.” Then she turned to Adriana. “Has anyone figured out how the carpet got sprayed with kerosene last night?”

The group turned quiet and serious, and Nancy could see that they were upset.

Obviously uncomfortable, André spoke up at last. “I filled the tank the night before last. I had one of the new stagehands spray down the carpet before the show.” He glanced over at Adriana. “I'm sorry. There were a million things to do. I never imagined someone would dump the No-Flame and substitute something else.”

“Not your fault,” Adriana told him. “You thought it was taken care of.” She turned to Nancy. “We've discussed this pretty thoroughly. Someone from outside must have slipped in and made the switch. Maybe one of the new stagehands.”

“Do you have a list of their names?” Nancy asked.

“I'll get it for you,” Adriana said.

“To be honest,” Nancy began, “I'm looking for someone who not only had access backstage, but knew enough about the rides to sabotage the Typhoon.”

For a long moment nobody said a word. Then André whistled. “I guess that lets all of us off the hook,” he said.

“Of course,” Adriana said. “We'd never doubt any of you.”

“Besides,” Jenny piped up, “none of us has a clue about the Typhoon. We all worked with Adriana on the road. Amusement park rides are definitely not our thing. Right, guys?”

The group murmured in agreement.

Nancy took a moment to digest the information, then focused on Adriana. “Do you remember a man named Benny Gotnick?” she asked.

Adriana's eyebrows shot up, but then she nodded. “I'm afraid I had to fire him when I took over. He was really hopeless, a terrible worker.”

“Was he upset when you let him go?” Nancy continued.

Adriana sighed, pushed herself up on the apron of the stage, and crossed her long legs. “When I fired him, Benny promised me I'd regret it. I suppose he could have been serious.”

Nancy was about to ask another question when a young man leaned out from the wings and said, “There's a phone call for you, Ms. Polidori. He says it's important.”

“Who is it?” she called.

“Carson Drew,” he replied.

Adriana smiled at Nancy. “I spoke to him a little while ago. He said he needed to make a few calls before he could get back to me,” she explained, then got to her feet gracefully. “I'll make this as brief as I can.” With that, she strode backstage.

Nancy turned to André. “How well do you know Rand Hagan?” she asked.

He smiled broadly. “Not that well. I met him when I came here two months ago. But without him, I don't know how this park would run. He's really good at his job—a little gruff, I guess, but smart.”

“I played pool with him once at a place in Conklin Falls,” the carpenter named Glenn mentioned, then laughed ruefully. “He's good at that, too.”

Nancy chatted with the staff about life on the road with Adriana. They all clearly adored the woman and seemed happy to be at Riverfront. “I haven't stayed in one place for this long in years,” Jenny commented.

Just then Adriana reappeared on the stage. She stopped walking for a moment and studied the group intently. Then she started moving toward them again. When she reached their circle, she stood still, her arms hanging at her sides.

After a long moment of silence, Adriana began speaking. “As you know I've been conferring with my lawyer, Carson Drew, about keeping the park open until the state inspectors come to check the Typhoon.”

Her voice was hollow and lifeless. Nancy held her breath, waiting for Adriana to go on.

The magician hit her hands against her thighs. “Well, they're coming next week. But that may be a moot point.”

Anger flashed through the magician's eyes. “Carson Drew just informed me that Freda Clarke has obtained an emergency restraining order to shut the park down. Effective immediately.”

W
HAT
?” N
ANCY ASKED.
“How can she do that?”

Adriana turned to Nancy, her expression hard as steel. “Apparently, the first thing this morning, her lawyer petitioned the court for an injunction against the park. A hearing to determine whether we stay shut until the state inspectors show up next week is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Until then we're forbidden to open.”

“That's not fair,” Glenn cried.

“Fair or not, it's the way things will be,” Adriana replied bitterly. “There goes our first week's receipts.”

“Adriana!” a deep voice boomed from behind them.

It was Grigov. Within seconds he'd come down the aisle, bounded onstage, and wrapped
the magician in his arms. She crumpled against him, her strength clearly gone.

Holding her to him, he addressed the group. “There's nothing more to say. The meeting is over.”

Adriana remained motionless as the members of her staff stood up and filed out of the auditorium. Nancy stayed in her seat in the front row, watching the two performers intently.

Grigov was stroking Adriana's hair in a way that made Nancy realize the two of them were more than professional partners. How deep did their attachment go? she wondered.

She cleared her throat to remind them that she was there, then stood and approached the stage.

Adriana drew away from Grigov and composed herself. “Forgive me,” she said. “But this has all been too much.”

“I understand,” Nancy said softly.

“I'm going to fight this, though,” she went on with fresh determination. “And when the state inspectors come, I know they'll vindicate me.”

“I wanted to discuss that with you,” Nancy began carefully, then went on to explain what Rand Hagan had shown her that morning.

Grigov sprang to life, his dark eyes flashing. “It's hopeless, my darling. You may suspect the ride was sabotaged, but you have no proof. You saw the paper this morning. The press is making you out to be a monster. You must give up this wretched plan of yours.”

Adriana shot him an impatient look. “Absolutely not. Someone is trying to ruin this park, and when I find out who it is, I'll have him locked away for good.” She smiled down at Nancy. “And I know someone who will help.”

“Fine,” Grigov spat out. “But when you're finished chasing ridiculous dreams, I'll be here, Adriana. My show leaves for Minneapolis in five days. Until then I plan to stay in Conklin Falls and do everything I can to convince you that I am right!”

“It won't do any good, Misha,” she said calmly.

“Then, for the moment, I will say goodbye,” Grigov told her.

Adriana's eyes followed him as he descended the steps at the side of the stage and strode back up the aisle. Then she turned to Nancy. “What is the next step in finding the culprit? Is there anything I can do to help you?” she asked.

“We've got two possibilities,” Nancy said. “Either we're dealing with a vengeful ex-employee or someone else is trying to force you out. I need Benny Gotnick's address. But first, I'm going to pay a visit to Freda Clarke.”

Adriana nodded. “Come with me and I'll get you Benny's file.”

Ten minutes later Nancy left the auditorium with Benny Gotnick's address on a scrap of paper in her pocket. She was ravenously hungry and
decided to stop to have a quick lunch. Then she'd call Ned and George.

Just as she was getting into her car, Nancy heard someone call her name. She looked up to see Mikhail Grigov striding toward her.

When he came closer, Nancy saw that his expression was furious. He grabbed Nancy by the arm and said, “You're not doing Adriana any favors by giving her all this so-called help of yours.”

Nancy pulled free. “I don't appreciate being threatened,” she said. “Why does it matter so much to you if Adriana keeps the park, anyway?”