Nancy shook her head. "I don't understand Fran Kelly," she said.
Peter put a hand on Nancy's elbow and, looking over at Susan, smiled and said, "Excuse us, please. I want to show your cousin the universe."
As they headed to the rooftop deck, Nancy was relieved to see other people on their way up there. In the twilight she looked out over San Diego. "No stars yet," she said to Peter.
"Fine with me," Peter said, standing close to Nancy and looking at her rather than the sky. Across the deck, another couple were embracing.
For a moment Nancy looked at Peter and thought how good a hug would feel. But it wasn't Peter she wanted to hold her and she knew it.
"You're so lovely," Peter said and gently laid his hand on hers. "Lori was right."
Looking down at the hand that rested on her own, Nancy felt her heart stop. She would recognize it anywhere, even in the darkness. A large ring with a ruby red stone, and the Greek letters, Sigma Kappa.
Chapter Fifteen
Her pulse racing, Nancy pulled her hand out from under Peter's. This guy is dangerous, she thought, glancing at the shaky white wooden railing. Strong and dangerous, and he tried to hurt me once before.
"How about I get us some punch, and we'll meet in my room?" Nancy asked, knowing she'd need help to take on Peter. Help from both Susan and Ira.
"I'd love it." Peter smiled.
"It's on the second floor, right across from the shower room. It says 'Susan Victor' on the door."
"Great," Peter said. "I'll be there, waiting."
I'll bet, Nancy thought. She raced down the stairs to find Susan. After looking around for a moment, Nancy found Susan and Ira on the crowded dance floor. Acting as though she was there to party, Nancy approached her friends and began to dance with them.
"Meet me in five minutes," Nancy mouthed quietly, trying to be understood but not overheard. "Upstairs in your room." Above the sound of the music, Susan asked, "What's up?"
"I've got someone up there, and I might need protection," Nancy explained. "Five minutes," she repeated. "But don't come in right away. Just be there if I need you—please," Nancy said as she headed for the punch bowl.
Lori greeted her there, with a smile. "You and Peter are hitting it off, I see," she said happily.
"He is cute, I have to admit," Nancy said as she poured two cups of the sweet punch. "How did you know we'd like each other?"
"I just knew it," Lori said, and Nancy excused herself.
Upstairs, Peter stood with both hands in his pockets looking at the underwater photographs that had been taken by Rina. Swinging around as he heard Nancy approach, he accepted one of the glasses from her.
"How come the most interesting girl in the sorority is only here for a week?" he asked flirtatiously.
"Well, at least we met," Nancy said warmly, and closed the door behind her, being careful not to lock it.
"And how come I'm so lucky," Peter asked, taking the glass from her hand and placing it on the desk next to his, "to be able to have an evening with her?"
Hearing footsteps outside the door, Nancy knew that Susan and Ira were there already. She felt much safer.
Safe enough to say, "That's a lot of questions. Let me ask you one, too, okay?"
"Whatever you like, good-looking."
"How come a Zeta Psi wears a Sigma Kappa ring?" Nancy asked curiously.
"Sentimental reasons," Peter said, fingering the ruby-red stone. "My uncle Joe gave it to me. Anything else you want to know about me?" Peter asked, opening his arms toward Nancy.
"There is one more thing," Nancy said sweetly, "Do you always beat up your potential dates before you get to know them?"
"What?" Peter asked, his eyebrows raised, a slight smile on his face as though Nancy had told him a joke. "Beat up who?"
"Me, for one," Nancy said, and now there was no sweetness in her voice, just harshness.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Peter said incredulously, his arms dropping to his sides. "I never saw you before an hour ago."
"I have evidence, Peter, so you may as well forget the lies," Nancy claimed, resting one hand on her hip. "And, I have a deal to offer you. I won't report you to the police if you tell me what that business on the beach was about."
"You're a little crazy, lady," Peter said with a forced smile, "if you think that / ever beat you up. What 'evidence'?" he asked sarcastically.
"The ring, Peter," Nancy said, looking at him directly. "Uncle Joe's Sigma Kappa ring."
Peter's strong hand swung out and grabbed Nancy's arm. Then she called out "NOW!" and Ira and Susan flung open the door to the room.
Peter instantly dropped his grip on Nancy's arm and jumped back.
"My friends," Nancy said, standing up straight. "They also know that it was you who gave me a swollen face."
"I think we ought to call the police, Nancy," Susan said, walking to the wall phone.
"Stop her!" Peter yelled to Ira.
As Susan froze, Peter barked, "What do you want to know, Nancy Drew?"
"I want to know why you did it," Nancy demanded.
"I don't know why," Peter said, glaring at the three of them. "And that's the truth."
"What do you mean," Ira asked angrily, "that you don't know why?"
"I mean," Peter answered, "that I was doing a favor for a friend. I owed him one. But why he wanted me to stage an attack on Nancy and Lori I have no idea." Hesitating, Peter added, "And I didn't ask."
"Who's the friend?" Nancy asked.
Peter silently looked down. Nancy knew that he didn't want to squeal. She casually motioned to Susan to pick up the phone.
"No!" Peter yelled, putting out a hand to stop Susan. "It's Mike."
"Lori's boyfriend?" Nancy asked.
"Yeah."
"He wanted me and Lori beaten up?" Nancy asked, surprised.
"Nice relationship they must have," Ira said.
Peter turned to Ira and explained, "I was supposed to scare Nancy, not hurt her, and Mike said he'd do the same to Lori. I thought it was a joke between them or something—I don't know. But then Mike let Lori go and slugged Nancy." Looking at Nancy, Peter claimed, "It wasn't my fault."
It looked to Nancy as though she was going to have to hold Ira back to prevent him from slugging Peter. "Not your fault?" he mimicked, his hands balled into fists.
"Listen now," Nancy said coldly. "If I find out that Lori or Mike has heard about our conversation, I will call the police, and I will press charges against you."
As Peter began to walk out of the room, Nancy had one more question for him. "How are you at darts?" she asked.
"Darts? You mean throwing darts?"
Nancy nodded.
Peter shrugged his shoulders.
"And your buddy, Mike, how is he?"
"I'm finished with your questions," Peter snapped, and slammed the door behind himself.
"Now what?" Susan asked Nancy as the three of them stood looking at one another.
Ira asked, "You think this Peter had something to do with Rina Charles's death?"
"It's possible," Nancy answered.
"And you're a cop, right?" Ira asked.
"A detective," Nancy answered. "But how," she wondered out loud, "did someone figure that out on my first day here? And what does Lori's boyfriend have to do with it all?"
"And what do we do now?" Susan asked.
"We go downstairs and party," Nancy said. "And we keep an eye on Mike and Lori. I think it's their move next. We also have to let our friend Peter know that we're watching him."
"I can't believe that guy," Ira said. "Not his fault—can you imagine? Attacking someone on the beach and claiming it's not your fault!"
Downstairs, people looked as if they were having a good time. There was a lot of loud laughter, singing, and wild dancing.
Nancy saw that many of the girls wore red roses in their hair. The food table had only a few pieces of the heart-shaped pizza left on it, and the band played very loud. All signs of a
good party, Nancy thought.
Ira and Susan were also looking around, and the three each headed in a different direction to search for Lori, Mike, and Peter.
But a thorough search of the first floor and outside porch didn't turn up any of them.
"That was quick," Ira said to the girls as they met at the punch bowl.
Nancy nodded. 'They're not around anywhere. They've either left the house or they're up in Lori's room."
"So now what?" Susan asked, grabbing a handful of salted nuts.
Just as Nancy was about to answer, she felt something wet drip down her back. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Nancy!" Pam said, and grabbed a napkin to dry Nancy off. The sticky red punch was all over the back of Nancy's hair and dress.
Nancy stopped Pam's attempt to make it better. "It's okay," she said. "Don't worry about it."
Turning back to Susan and Ira, Nancy said, "Why don't you two dance and keep this floor covered. I want to go upstairs and change clothes." Nancy put her hand on the back of her soaking hair. "And dry off. Something tells me that this is going to be a long night."
"Where shall we meet?" Susan asked.
Nancy thought a moment. "Front porch, fifteen minutes," she answered.
As Nancy entered her room, she glanced at the phone hanging on the wall. It would feel so good to talk to Ned, she thought.
No time now, though, Nancy thought, and kicked off her flats, unbuttoned her dress, and dried the back of her hair with a towel. She took a pair of jeans, a jersey, and her running shoes out of the closet.
As she dressed, Nancy sorted through the facts. Mike may have sent Peter to scare me, but, Nancy wondered, who sent Mike? Was it Lori? But why, then, would Lori have gotten attacked, too?
Tying her shoes, Nancy was aware that the music had changed from a fast rock 'n' roll beat to a slow, more romantic one. She looked at her watch. Five minutes before I have to meet Susan and Ira, she thought, and picked up the phone.
As Nancy listened to the ringing of the phone at Ned's house, there was a loud banging at her door.
"So you're the new interim treasurer, are you, Nancy Drew?" came a sing song voice as Nancy replaced the phone on its hook.
"I know you're in there," the voice continued. "Well, all your phony lying can come to an end right now!"
Chapter Sixteen
Nancy took a breath, flung the door open, and found herself face-to-face with Fran Kelly. Holding a note in her hand, Fran glared at Nancy. "You've got some questions to answer," she said, then added with a smirk, "I've blown your cover, and finally Lori believes me!"
Fran's face was turning progressively redder. "You thought we would never know that you went to the accountant's office, didn't you? I guess you could have never known that Mrs. Haft would tell my mother that some 'nice girl' from Delta Phi came to look at the records. 'Nice girl,' ha!"
"And did you really think we wouldn't figure out who you were? Did you honestly think/' Fran spit out, "that we would never know that you went to the accountant's office and altered our records? Well, Lori Westerly is not stupid, Nancy Drew." Handing Nancy the note in her hand, Fran said, "But I'm starting to think that you are."
In a clear, calm voice, Nancy said, "You've got it all wrong, Fran. And I think you know that."
"I know that Lori finally believes me. I know that she finally trusts me and wants to hear from me." Fran looked at Nancy. "It's funny," she said, her head cocked, her hair and red ribbon hanging over one shoulder. "It seems you may have been my ticket of admission to get in with the right crowd.
Looking at the insecure girl, Nancy realized that Fran Kelly, like Rina, would do anything to get in with Lori Westerly.
It's time to go to the source, Nancy thought, as she opened the note in her hand.
Now is the time to talk.
I'm waiting for you in my room.
L.W.
To Fran she said, "You can tell Lori I'll be right there."
Satisfied, Fran left to carry the message to Lori.
Nancy raced down to the front porch to tell Susan and Ira what was happening, but they weren't there! After a quick look at the dance floor and the kitchen, Nancy felt discouraged —and a bit worried,
Nancy raced back upstairs and wrote a note she hoped they would see. "Lori's room, 11:15," it said.
As Nancy approached Lori's third-floor room, Fran was creeping out. When she saw Nancy, her gray eyes narrowed.
Nancy tapped gently on the closed door.
When she answered it, Lori was no longer wearing the soft dress she had chosen for the party. Like Nancy, she wore jeans, a jersey, and running shoes.
"Come in," she said, sounding friendly. "It seems we have a lot to talk about."
As soon as Nancy entered, Lori's hand closed around her wrist. She turned Nancy, bending her arm painfully behind her back. Automatically Nancy leaned forward, and with one motion untwisted her arm and grabbed Lori's chin to force her to the floor. But Lori didn't fall. She threw Nancy off and remained upright.
In her hand was a sharp metal rock-climbing pick, and she held it with the point lying against Nancy's throat.
"Now, I think we can talk," Lori said, nudging Nancy back against the wall.
"Is this what you did to Rina?" Nancy asked.
"No. With Rina Charles I didn't need anything but my hands. But you're strong. Strong and clever." Nancy could feel the pick still lying at the base of her neck. "But I won't have you ruin my life," Lori hissed.
"She knew you had falsified the financial records and was going to turn you in, wasn't she?" Nancy asked.
"Actually, Rina helped me do it. I told you she was a good friend," Lori answered. "But then that pitiful creature decided to run home to Mommy and tattle." She slowly drew the pick across Nancy's neck.
"And she told you before she did it?" Nancy asked to keep Lori talking—to keep the metal point from sliding into her throat.
"Let's just say that I saw signs of her weakening." Lori kept her eyes glued to Nancy. "I understand character.
"You, for example. I didn't believe for one minute that you were visiting the school." Lori smiled. "Not with all your questions about Rina Charles."
"What does Mike Jamison have to do with all this?"
"Oh, now we're getting a little personal, aren't we?" Lori said. "Well, I'll tell you, because soon it won't matter one bit what you know." Lori tossed back her head as she explained. "Mike does what I ask of him. Happily. If I ask him to rough someone up, he doesn't ask why. If I tell him to make sure Susan Victor and her boyfriend are occupied, he says, 'Sure, honey.' How's that for a good guy?"
Nancy didn't answer. It was her turn to worry. To worry about what Mike and Peter were doing at that very moment to Susan and Ira. Nancy worried, too, about how she was going to get out of this situation without their help.
"And if you told him to shoot darts at someone," Nancy asked, her back against the wall, "he'd happily do that, too?"
"I suppose he would," Lori said, her eyes gleaming. "But some things a girl likes to take care of on her own."
"You've got quite an aim."
"I like to do things well," Lori said simply.
Without Nancy's asking any more probing questions, Lori continued. "This is all my baby. Every penny is for my training. It's going to buy me a spot in the training camp. And in the Olympics." Lori's smile faded as she said, "The biggest mistake of my life was telling Rina Charles. But nobody else knows." Glancing at the metal that was at Nancy's throat, Lori added, "And never will."
Nancy stared into Lori's eyes as she quietly said, "You're something, Lori Westerly." Then she raised her knee and slammed it into Lori's stomach.
Taken off guard, Lori buckled but stayed on her feet. Her hand did fall away from Nancy's throat for a second. But instantly she picked it up and forced Nancy into a kneeling position. Dropping her pick, Lori raised her hands and placed her thumbs on two points in Nancy's neck. A tremendous amount of pressure was all Nancy felt before she fainted.
r /> Chapter Seventeen
When Nancy came to, she was lying facedown on a pier, the cold ocean air against her face helping to revive her. She was alert enough to know not to move one muscle as Lori Westerly untied the ropes that had bound her ankles and wrists.
The rest of her body was not cold, and without opening her eyes, Nancy realized that she had been clothed in a wet suit while she was unconscious.
The movement she felt on her back was undoubtedly an air tank—empty—that Lori was adjusting. Nancy could feel a bulky weight belt around her waist. That would certainly take her deep into the Pacific Ocean.
Time, Nancy thought. I need a little more time to get my strength back. Just take your time with the finishing touches, Lori.
But Lori seemed in a rush. In less than a minute, she was finished. Nancy could sense her standing up and heard her brush her hands against each other, as though she had just completed a job well done.
Nancy's hands felt numb and cold from the lack of circulation when they had been tied at the wrist. She's untied me now, though, Nancy thought, so when my body is found, there won't be ropes around my hands and feet.
But my body isn't going to be "found," Nancy thought with determination and rage. It's going to walk out of this situation and be alive enough to turn Lori Westerly in!
With that, Nancy powerfully swung out one leg and sliced into Lori. At the same time she grabbed one of Lori's feet and yanked with all her might.
Caught completely off guard, Lori fell back. Despite the weight of the air tank and heavy belt, Nancy jumped to her feet. Plunging into Lori with all her strength, Nancy pushed her down flat onto the pier.
"You are dead," Lori hissed, and pushed Nancy back with remarkable power after grabbing her wrists.
"No, I'm not!" Nancy insisted, one knee on the pier and one knee pushing into Lori's solar plexus as she held her down. "This is what you did to Rina, exactly what you did to Rina. But not again, Lori Westerly!"
Suddenly the night was filled with light, and both Nancy and Lori had an instant of shock. Then Nancy heard a voice, Susan's voice, screaming out, "Nancy! Nancy! Are you here?"