A moment later Kristin banged the gavel, and the girls cheered Kyle’s generous bid.
“I’m going over to congratulate the winner,” Bess whispered, then wove through the crowd to greet her boyfriend.
Nancy’s valentine was next on the auction block. “What do I hear for this magnifying glass, sure to magnify any girl’s affections?” Kristin asked as she held it up high.
Fitz opened the bidding at two dollars, and Nancy felt her stomach twist as other guys joined in, raising the bid.
“Five dollars!” said one guy.
“Six!” Ned called out.
“Seven dollars,” said Fitz.
The price soared.
When Fitz bid twenty-three dollars, Nancy’s heart sank. This was supposed to be fun, but she didn’t want Ned to have to shell out a small fortune. Why was Fitz bidding so high for her? He knew she had a boyfriend.
“Twenty-four dollars!” Ned said, pulling out his wallet and counting the bills inside. One of the auction rules was that payment had to be made in cash on the spot, and Nancy wasn’t sure how much money Ned had brought with him.
“Thirty dollars!” Fitz announced.
Across the room, Ned and Kyle were going through their pockets, pooling loose bills and coins. Ned added it up quickly, then shook his head. They didn’t have enough.
Nancy was going to the Sweetheart Ball without her sweetheart!
“Going once!” Kristin shouted. “Going twice! Sold to Mike Fitzgerald for thirty dollars!”
The gavel dropped with a thud, dashing Nancy’s hopes. She saw Fitz pick up the magnifying glass from the auction table and walk out of the living room. She followed him into the front vestibule, away from the noisy crowd.
“That was quite a bid,” Nancy said.
“This was yours?” He seemed surprised as he took the magnifying glass and turned it over in his hands. “I thought it belonged to Kristin.”
“A magnifying glass?” Nancy probed. “Why did you connect it with Kristin?”
“She’s a stamp collector.” Fitz pushed a lock of black hair off his forehead as he tried to hide a grin. “This is embarrassing,” he said. “Since Kristin and I are both unattached at the moment, we agreed to go to the dance together. But it looks as if I’ve made an expensive mistake. See what happens when you play Mr. Nice Guy?”
How could she blame Fitz? His intentions had been good. “I have an idea,” Nancy told him as she glanced back toward the auction table. “But I need Ned’s help.” She slipped through the crowd.
When Nancy reached his side, she explained the situation, then told Ned to bid on the picnic blanket covered with hearts and the Theta Pi letters. In the end, Ned bought Kristin’s valentine, and the two couples made a swap.
“That worked out well,” Kristin said when the auction was over and everyone had paid. People were milling around the living room, showing off the colorful valentines.
Fitz slung his arm across Kristin’s shoulders and gave her a friendly hug. “You did a great job as auctioneer,” he told her. “I’ll bet the Theta Pi sisters raised a lot of money for charity.”
“Where are my hard-earned dollars going?” Ned asked.
“To a children’s hospital,” Kristin said.
“That must be something close to your heart, Fitz,” Nancy said, hoping to draw him out. “Dean Jarvis told me you’re a pre-med major.”
Fitz blinked, as if Nancy had taken him by surprise. “Well, sure,” he stuttered. “I—I just didn’t think Dean Jarvis even knew who I was.”
“You’re too modest,” Kristin said, patting Fitz on the back. “He’s acing biology and chemistry. Fitz is a science whiz.”
And a science whiz fits Cupid’s profile perfectly, Nancy thought. But why would a guy who adored Theta Pi girls stalk them? Maybe she was getting off the track. Max and Marina were still the most likely suspects. All she needed was proof.
That night the college was sponsoring a Skate Under the Stars program at the frozen lake on the edge of campus. After a quick dinner at the Theta Pi house, Nancy, Bess, and Kristin bundled up and walked over to the lake. Ned and Kyle were already on the ice, showing off jumps and turns. Not much later Fitz arrived, and the three couples competed in some of the events.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” Bess said, hugging Kyle as they waited their turn for a skating relay.
Kyle grinned. “Once we finished trial prep for that big case we’ve been working on, the boss sent me packing.”
Nancy smiled at the mention of her father. “Dad can be a taskmaster, but he has a good heart.”
Love songs were playing over the sound system, and between events couples skated in pairs or drank steaming cocoa. After a few hours of fresh air and brisk exercise, the teens were ready to call it a night.
“Why don’t we head back?” Ned suggested.
“Good idea,” Bess said. “My hands are beginning to feel like snow cones.”
Arm in arm, Nancy and Ned climbed along the wooded path that connected the lake to the campus. The other two couples were a few paces ahead. But as romantic as the setting was, Nancy couldn’t help thinking about the case.
“If Max and Marina are actually working together, it will be harder to catch them,” she said aloud.
“What was that?” Ned asked.
“The Dombrowskis,” Nancy explained, and Ned let out a laugh. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about the stars and the pretty girl at my side, and you’re rehashing the case.”
“I can’t let it go unsolved,” Nancy said, smiling up at Ned’s handsome face.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m so crazy about you,” Ned said, dropping a kiss on her cheek.
“I’m going to be at the student union tomorrow when the catering crew arrives,” Nancy said. “Want to come along?”
Ned winced. “Nine o’clock on a Saturday morning?” When Nancy gave him a firm look, he added, “I wouldn’t miss it.”
• • •
“Good morning,” Nancy said, sitting down at the breakfast table with Kristin and Mindy.
“You’re up early,” Mindy said. She’d been released from the hospital the night before. Now, as Mindy ate scrambled eggs and toast, Nancy was glad to see her looking healthy again.
“Mindy and I have breakfast duty,” Kristin said. “What’s your excuse, Nancy?”
“I’ve got a nine o’clock appointment. Besides, sleep is the last thing on my mind when I’m wrapped up in a case.”
“Are you closing in on Cupid?” Mindy asked.
“I sure hope so,” Nancy said. As she took a bite of toast, she noticed an open book on the kitchen table, “Hearts Aflame. Just like the movie. Who’s reading this?”
“I started it while I was in the hospital,” Mindy said. “I wanted to see what I missed in the movie, so I bought a copy of the book. I was so tired on Wednesday night that I fell asleep after the first ten minutes.”
“Was that you I heard snoring behind me?” Kristin teased.
“I wasn’t snoring,” Mindy insisted. “I’m sure Fitz would have nudged me if I was.”
“You and Fitz sat together that night,” Nancy said, remembering the Sweetheart Feature.
“Right,” Mindy said. “We had the two seats on the aisle.”
Nancy’s mind raced ahead. “If you fell asleep, Fitz could have slipped out unnoticed. The rest of us were sitting in front of you.”
“What are you saying, Nancy?” Kristin asked.
“He could have sneaked back here and painted the graffiti,” Nancy said.
“Fitz?” Kristin shook her head. “Why would he do that?”
“You’re way off base,” Mindy agreed. “Fitz was the one who painted over the graffiti. He’s always pitching in to help us. The guy doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.”
Just then there was a knock on the kitchen door, and Kristin peeked out the window. “It’s Fitz,” she said.
“Speak of the devil.”
Nancy exchanged a look with the other girls, then shrugged. Could he have heard them from outside? She didn’t think so, but the guy had uncanny timing.
Kristin opened the door, and Fitz stomped in.
“I know it’s early,” he said with a forlorn expression. “But is there any way I can beg a meal from my favorite sorority sisters? They’re serving chipped beef and eggs at the dining hall.”
“Ugggh!” the girls said in unison.
“Sit down,” Kristin insisted. “We’ve got scrambled eggs ready, and there are pecan rolls in the oven.”
As she watched Fitz settle in, Nancy noticed again how comfortable and happy he seemed around the girls. Clearly, he adored them.
Nancy finished breakfast and ran upstairs to change into her jeans and sweatshirt. As she dressed, she tried to rehearse questions for Marina. In the end, though, Nancy knew she’d have to play it by ear.
Twenty minutes later Nancy and Ned were descending the ramp in the center of the student union. The sounds of brisk voices and clattering china arose from the ground floor, where the catering crew was setting up. When they reached the entryway to the ballroom, an authoritative woman looked up from her clipboard and asked, “Can I help you?”
“I’m Ned Nickerson, from Omega Chi Epsilon,” Ned said, turning on the charm. “And you must be the caterer. Just checking in to see if there’s anything you need.”
“Cora Miles,” the woman said, softening. “I’m glad you’re here. We’re a tad worried about the placement of this rose trellis. Let me show you.”
When Ned followed the woman, Nancy stood still for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Then she noticed a guy rolling a cart of boxes through a doorway at the side of the ballroom. She followed him and found herself inside a kitchen. A handful of women were at work, unloading platters of food into the giant refrigerators.
She walked past them and turned into the cleanup area. Marina Dombrowski was there alone, transferring china from crates into the plastic racks of a dishwasher.
“Hi, Marina,” Nancy said.
Marina glanced up, a startled look in her eyes. It quickly turned into a frown. “Nancy Drew—right?” She put her hands on her hips. “I wish I’d known who you were the other day when you came snooping around the diner. You’re causing my father big trouble. He could lose his job because of you. Why are you out to get us?”
This isn’t going to be easy, Nancy thought. “The only person I’m ‘out to get’ is Cupid,” Nancy said firmly.
“You’re imagining things.” Marina scowled. “Why would my father go after a bunch of sorority girls? He’s got work to do—and so do I, if you don’t mind.” With that, she hoisted a tray of glassware and carried it over to the dishwasher.
Nancy followed her across the kitchen. “You know,” she said, “it’s quite a coincidence that you’re going to be working at the ball. Let’s just hope Cupid doesn’t strike tonight.”
“I work because I need the money,” Marina snapped. “My parents can’t afford to pay for designer clothes and a car. I’m not as lucky as the girls of Theta Pi—I learned that much last year when they didn’t give me a bid.”
“I heard about how you were blackballed,” Nancy said. “You were treated unfairly, but that’s over. The girl who was against you graduated. And the sisters who are left don’t deserve to live in fear.”
“Let them quiver,” Marina said, her dark eyes glittering. “They put me through agony last year. Now they know how it feels.”
Chapter
Fourteen
NANCY EYED MARINA. The girl felt only bitterness toward the Theta Pi sorority. But had she acted on it?
“You know,” Nancy pointed out, “lots of girls don’t get bids from the sorority they choose. And you weren’t the only girl Theta Pi turned down.”
Marina shrugged. “Yeah, but they’re not always singled out the way I was. They nixed me because I’m a townie and because my father isn’t a corporate executive.”
“So you went to the rush tea to stir up trouble,” Nancy said.
“Exactly,” Marina snapped. “And I loved watching those girls squirm when I told the other rushees about some of the horrible things that have been happening to the Theta Pis.” Marina picked up another tray of glasses and sighed. “I only wish my friend Jessie had been there to enjoy it. She was rejected by Theta Pi, too.”
“Jessica Watson?” Nancy asked, recalling the name of the girl who’d also wanted to pledge Theta Pi.
Marina nodded. “She and I were good friends.”
“But Jessica dropped out,” Nancy said.
“She never really liked college,” Marina explained. “She went back home and married her high school sweetheart. We’ve stayed in touch. I even called her this week and told her about the Theta Pi stalker. I thought she’d get a kick out of it, but she didn’t care much. Jessie never really held a grudge.”
Unlike you, Nancy thought. Despite Nancy’s probing, Marina wasn’t about to say anything incriminating. Were she and her father planning to strike again as Cupid? Nancy couldn’t read the answer on Marina’s enigmatic face. She could only watch and wait.
“Any luck?” Ned asked when Nancy joined him outside the kitchen.
As they walked back to Greek Row, she told him about Marina’s bitterness. “I don’t blame her for being upset, but she’s gone over the line. She really hates the Theta Pi sisters.”
“I’ll put the word out at Chi Epsilon for the guys to be on alert for problems tonight,” Ned promised. “If the Dombrowskis try anything, we’ll be a step ahead of them.”
• • •
“I feel like Cinderella getting ready for the ball,” Bess said as she stretched her hand out on the dressing table. Mindy was painting Bess’s fingernails while Kristin combed Bess’s hair.
“Getting ready for one of these events is half the fun,” Mindy said as she dabbed the brush into the bottle of cherry red polish.
“Forty-three minutes till departure, ladies,” Kristin announced. “We’d better get moving.”
Saturday afternoon had been spent in frenzied preparation for the Sweetheart Ball. The girls of Theta Pi were working against a deadline of seven-thirty.
“I’m glad you’re feeling up to attending,” Nancy told Mindy.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Mindy said, glancing over at Nancy’s hair, which had been rolled on hot curlers. “Those rollers need to stay in for about ten minutes,” she said.
“Got it,” Nancy said, pulling her dress out of the closet. With a navy velvet bodice and a royal blue silk skirt, it complemented her blue eyes. As Kristin zipped up the back, Nancy smoothed the skirt. Her gold earrings winked back at her as she looked at herself in the mirror.
The doorbell began ringing at seven-twenty, and it never seemed to stop. Nancy, Bess, and Kristin applied the final touches to their hair and makeup, then turned toward the bedroom door.
“Let’s knock ’em dead, girls!” Kristin said as she led the way down the stairs.
Since Kyle was staying at the Omega Chi Epsilon house with Ned, the two guys arrived together.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Ned said, giving Nancy a kiss on the cheek.
Just then Fitz and Kristin emerged from the dining room, where they’d been posing for photos with other Theta Pis.
“Ready to go?” Fitz asked.
“Are you kidding?” Bess flashed a huge smile. “I’ve been waiting for this all week.”
Ned drove the couples to the student union.
“Look!” Bess said as they walked into the ballroom. Tiny white lights had been strung across the ceiling. “They’re like a million stars!”
The tables were covered with white lace cloths, and tall red candles flickered from silver holders.
“I’ve never seen this room looking so good,” Fitz said to Ned. “Maybe your decorating committee should take a shot at the rest of the building.”
“You guys did a fabulous job with the decorations,” Nancy told Ned as t
hey sat down at a table. A long-stemmed rose had been placed beside each plate. She picked hers up and smiled.
Ned squeezed her hand. “We Omegas pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about romance.”
Although Nancy was on guard for anything that might go wrong, the evening went smoothly. A special table had been set at the head of the dance floor for the Emerson Sweetheart, and Tamara Carlson sat there with her boyfriend, Zip.
“It burns me up to think that Rosie is missing out on all this,” Kristin said, looking over at the head table.
“But now it’s up to Tamara to make the most of the evening,” Nancy pointed out diplomatically.
Just before dinner Ned’s fraternity assembled to serenade Tamara with the Emerson song. The Emerson Sweetheart gave each guy a chocolate kiss in return.
Nancy and Ned managed to get in a romantic slow dance before dinner was served. Then they took their seats for a dinner of soup, salad, lemon chicken, wild rice, and string beans with almonds.
“That was delicious,” Bess said.
“And look at dessert,” Kristin said as a waiter pushed a cart past their table. “Heart-shaped pastries and strawberry mousse!”
“Is there anything that isn’t heart-shaped?” Nancy asked, nudging Ned.
“Hey, don’t knock our theme,” he teased. “Which reminds me—I’d better go see how the deejay’s doing. We need more love songs!” Ned disappeared into the crowd around the dance floor.
“And I’d better go check on the night manager of the union,” Fitz said, standing.
Suddenly a tune with a strong, fast beat rang out from the amplifiers.
“This is a song everyone can dance to,” Kristin said, jumping up. “Let’s go!”
Nancy, Bess, and Kyle followed her onto the floor, where they joined a line of dancers.
Swaying and swerving around tables, Nancy laughed aloud. A couple of guys were clowning on the dance floor. She was just about to circle a table when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“Nancy.” It was Fitz. A serious expression darkened his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You’d better come quick,” he said. “Max is Cupid! I just found proof in the boiler room.”