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?
After about forty-five minutes of barre exercises, the first part of the class was finished. Then the dancers carried the barres out of the center of the room. Nancy watched Katya massage her left ankle gently. Poor Katya. Her ankle seemed to bother her all the time.
Colby continued the class with a more complicated routine in the center of the floor. As he demonstrated the slow, linked movements, Nancy realized why he’d been chosen as the artistic director of CBT. He was a wonderful dancer! It was sad that James was forcing him out of the company. They’d be losing a very special artist.
But Colby never finished showing the exercise. The studio door burst open, and Ana Lokhar breezed into the room, a man in a brown suit following on her heels. As he strode in behind her, he flashed a private investigator’s license to anyone close enough to read it. James Ellsworth hurried in after them, also, a horrified expression on his face.
Uh-oh, Nancy thought. Something big’s up, and I have a feeling it’s not going to be pleasant.
Colby stopped in midstep and turned toward Ana, a disdainful expression on his face. “I’m teaching a class here. Why are you interrupting us?” His voice was as brittle as fine crystal.
“It’s very simple,” Ana explained, her expression every bit as disdainful as Colby’s. “We are going to make a citizen’s arrest. I’m having her put away.” She pointed one finely manicured finger straight at Belinda.
Chapter
Eight
YOU CAN’T DO that!” Ned jumped out of his chair as the private detective walked toward Belinda to arrest her.
The class was in an uproar. Colby stood at the front of the room, his mouth open, his eyes round with surprise. James looked on uselessly, unable to move. And poor Belinda just stared as the detective approached her. She looked so frightened that Nancy couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
“Stop! You can’t arrest her!” Ned cried again.
“No, you can’t.” In another instant Nancy was on her feet beside Ned. Every eye in the room turned from the terrified Belinda to Nancy and Ned. “All right, what are the charges against Belinda Morrison,” Nancy demanded.
“She stole the Raja diamond!” Ana cried, half-hysterical. “That priceless object belongs to the Rajas, and we want it back! Now!”
“Do you have any evidence?” Nancy demanded. “Without concrete evidence, it would be completely illegal to arrest her.”
“I heard her talking about it on the telephone. She said she wanted to sell it, and then she would have all the money she needed.”
Nancy turned to the dark-haired dancer. Belinda threw her a pleading look. “I was talking about my car. I swear. I never stole the diamond.”
Nancy glanced at Ana. “It doesn’t seem to me that you’ve got a very solid case. It’s your word against hers, and it’ll take more than that to convince a jury.” She faced the man in the brown suit. “You ought to know better than to make an arrest on circumstantial evidence.”
“She—she told me she had proof—” the man stammered, staring at the floor, embarrassed.
“Well, if you’re not going to arrest this thief,” Ana said, “I am getting out of here.” She marched out of the studio, her head high. But Nancy knew that Ana must be feeling foolish. She had messed up, and she’d done it in front of a lot of people.
The detective followed her out. “Sorry for the interruption,” he said. He shrugged feebly at Nancy as he left.
For a moment the room was completely quiet. Then, the entire company burst out into loud chatter. One handsome male dancer crossed over to Belinda and gave her hand a supportive squeeze. Colby stood glaring at James as if it were his fault Ana had interrupted the class.
Amazed at what had just happened, Nancy dropped back into her chair. She had gotten Belinda off the hook for the robbery—at least for the time being. But was she really innocent? She could have been lying about trying to sell her car, rather than the diamond. Nancy pursed her lips in concentration. Well, if Belinda had done it, Nancy would figure it out—and she’d get the evidence Ana had fai
led to find.
Nancy pushed her hair off her forehead. The other possibility was that Ana had stolen the gem and was trying to pin suspicion on Belinda.
It was also possible that the real thief was neither Belinda nor Ana. Nancy had four other good suspects, and any one of them could have been responsible.
It was awful having so few clues and so many suspects. But sooner or later, Nancy told herself, she’d come up with conclusive proof, something no one could ignore.
Ned moved over to Nancy, leaned down, and whispered, “Thank you,” in her ear. Her heart beat excitedly at his nearness. “You saved Belinda from all that and—and I don’t know how to thank you.”
Nancy’s heart skipped a beat and sank. Every time Ned talked about Belinda, his face seemed to glow. But Nancy felt as if she had had a bucket of ice water dumped all over her.
Then Belinda walked over to them to join Ned. She smiled at Nancy with her usual sugar-sweet expression that Nancy hated. It was all so fake.
“Thanks for getting rid of Ana,” Belinda said. “When Ned first said he wanted to ask you to help on this case, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But he’s so smart and clever that I should have known he’d be right.”
Nancy stared at Belinda. What a faker! She glanced over at Ned, who was beaming. Nancy just didn’t understand how he could be taken in by Belinda’s act. “Well, I couldn’t let them take you away until they have hard evidence, could I,” she said innocently.
Colby clapped his hands together and silenced whatever Belinda would have said. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get back to work. We were in the middle of an exercise!” He began to demonstrate the routine again, and the dancers quickly arranged themselves in loose lines in the center of the room.
Belinda glared at Nancy before hurrying to take her place. Within a few minutes the company was working through a series of stretches and leg extensions. James Ellsworth pulled up a chair next to Brad’s and joined the other three spectators.
If Nancy hadn’t had so many things on her mind, the class would have been wonderful to watch. But she just couldn’t concentrate. Her thoughts were whirling almost too quickly to sort out.
So she just let her mind wander as the whirling and leaping dancers passed before her eyes in a haze. Before she knew it, the workout was over and the company members were wandering over to pick up their dance bags.
Nancy stood up, easily stretching her own back. Quickly she shook her head and forced herself to look for Andre Bernarde. He was the only suspect she hadn’t talked to yet, and she needed to get a sense of what he was like. The handsome dancer was standing at the barre in the far corner of the studio still doing a few final pliés. Good, Nancy thought, there’s nobody near him so we’ll be able to talk without being overheard too easily.
She turned to Brad and said she’d be right back. Then to Ned she said, “Bye. I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Sure,” Ned replied. “That’d be nice.”
Nancy smiled to herself. It seemed as though Ned really meant it. Then, slowly, she walked over to where Andre was working. She stopped near the handsome dancer, resting her hand on the smooth wooden surface of the barre. “Hello, Monsieur Bernarde,” she said. “My name is Nancy Drew.”
Andre turned to her in the middle of a plié. “Oh, the detective,” he said, straightening his legs. His French accent was strong. “I knew you would come to interrogate me soon. You want to accuse me of stealing the diamond. Is that right?”
“I just want to ask you a few questions,” Nancy replied.
But Andre acted as if he hadn’t heard her. “Well, I didn’t do it! I wasn’t near Katya when the pin disappeared. I was on the other side of the stage!”
“Monsieur Bernarde, please, I’m not accusing you,” Nancy said, trying to calm the dancer. “In fact, I need your help. You were onstage when the robbery happened. Did you see or hear anything strange?”
Suddenly Andre stopped, catching his breath. “No, Ms. Drew, I did not. And that’s the odd thing, because I don’t think anyone could have sneaked onto the stage so quietly that I wouldn’t have heard him. It makes me suspect that one of the other dancers has to be involved—Belinda or Katya!”
Nancy studied Andre’s face carefully. He acted desperate, and he was trying so hard—maybe just a little too hard—to deny that he was involved. Was he on the level when he said he thought the thief must be one of the other dancers? Or was he just trying to throw suspicion off himself? Nancy didn’t know enough about the man—or the case—to answer those questions yet.
“Can you remember anything else?” Nancy asked. “Anything that seemed even a little out of the ordinary?”
Andre shook his head hard. “I didn’t see or hear a thing. I just stood in my proper place, waiting to take my curtain call. When the lights came back on, the diamond was gone. That is all I know.”
Well, Nancy told herself, I guess that’s all he’s going to say about it. The dancer hadn’t been much help, and it seemed as though he didn’t intend to be, either.
But Nancy didn’t let her annoyance show in the least. “If you remember anything later, please let me know.”
“Yes, but I think I won’t remember more,” Andre replied.
As the dancer returned to his exercises, Nancy headed toward the pile of dancers’ bags where she’d left her purse. Brad walked over and joined her, saying he was going out for a drink of water and that he’d meet her in the hall. Ned and Belinda had disappeared, as had James and Colby. Katya was sitting on the floor massaging her ankle. The room had pretty much emptied out, and only a few dancers were left practicing particularly difficult steps.
As Nancy grabbed the strap of her purse, she noticed that the zipper was open. I’m sure I didn’t leave that undone, she thought. Then she noticed a white square of paper sticking out. With a feeling of foreboding, she pulled it out. Even before she opened it, she knew what it was—another threat letter. One of the company members must have slipped it into her purse before leaving the studio.
I should have paid much more attention to people while they were leaving, Nancy scolded herself. But I was too busy having that useless discussion with Andre, and so I missed a chance for a valuable clue! I’ve got to face it, I’ve been sloppy in my detective work.
Calmly, she unfolded the piece of paper.
We’re both looking for the same object. But I am sure you won’t find it. In fact, I challenge you to a race to see which of us can locate it first. The winner gets to keep the pin.
The Thief.
Nancy reread the note carefully, her heart beating excitedly. So the person who had stolen the Raja diamond didn’t know where it was, either! How could that be possible?
It was her first break of the case. If the thief didn’t have the pin, there was no way it could have been smuggled out of the country. Nancy felt as though she’d gotten a reprieve.
She had no idea which of the dancers had hidden the letter in her bag. It could have been anyone. But who could have written it?
Nancy skimmed the letter once more. There was something about the way it was phrased that seemed familiar. Wait now, hadn’t Ana just called the diamond, the object? Yes. She had said, “That priceless object belongs to the Rajas!” It was a small point, but it did link Ana with the note.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nancy remembered someone else using that same word to describe the missing pin. But who had it been? She couldn’t quite remember. Was it Belinda? She couldn’t be sure.
Nancy folded the letter carefully, suddenly feeling happy. Whoever the thief was had challenged her. And Nancy was never one to turn down a dare. In fact, the idea of competing with the unknown criminal made Nancy feel almost giddy.
I’m going to win this race for the diamond, Nancy promised herself. I’m going to win it if it’s the last thing I ever do.
Chapter
Nine
BRAD, I HAVE a very important assignment for you,” Nancy said.
“Y
ou do?” Brad answered doubtfully.
“Uh-huh.” Nancy pulled photocopies of the two threat letters out of her bag. “We need to check the type on these notes against that of the different typewriters around the CBT offices. If we can match the letters, we’ll have a good lead to the thief.”
“Great,” Brad said enthusiastically.
“All you have to do is get samples of print from a few offices—especially James’s and Colby’s. It shouldn’t be too hard. Meet me back here in the lobby in a half hour, okay?”
“Okay.” Brad gave Nancy a kiss, then hurried up the broad lobby steps toward the main CBT offices. He seemed very intent on his mission.
He was so serious, in fact, that Nancy almost felt like laughing. By getting Brad busy doing something, she was free to investigate without being held back by him. Because of the challenge the thief had thrown at her the day before, Nancy was more determined than ever to find the pin.
Right then, Nancy’s goal was to go to the dancers’ lounge to talk to some of the dancers who weren’t on her suspect list. It was possible that they’d seen something on the night of the robbery, something that they didn’t even realize could be important. The relaxed atmosphere of the lounge should help people to talk freely.
Nancy opened the door to the lounge and found herself in a large, comfortable room with many couches lined up against the walls. About a dozen dancers were sitting around, reading, relaxing, or eating their lunches. Most of them looked pretty young—sixteen or seventeen.
“I’ve got to get some new pointe shoes,” one of the dancers was saying. “A brand-new pair of mine disappeared yesterday.”
“I lost some, too, along with my favorite unitard,” her friend replied. “Someone’s been stealing things lately.”
Sure! Nancy said to herself. And the Raja diamond was the thief s major haul! She looked around for someone to quiz about the night of the robbery. In one corner she saw the girl Katya had called Bridgit in class the day before.