“I will,” Nancy promised.
“Then ask George to come in, please,” the doctor requested.
George went into the doctor’s office, and Nancy sat beside Bess, who’d seen Dr. Benay first.
“What did she tell you?” Bess asked Nancy eagerly.
“That I’m basically fine,” Nancy answered with a shrug. “I need to watch the sun and heat, though. What about you?”
Bess’s face fell. “She told me I need to lose six pounds.”
“But you already knew that,” Nancy said gently.
“I knew I had to lose five,” Bess said in a small voice. “And I guess I was hoping no one else would notice.”
Nancy felt a rush of sympathy for her pretty friend. She and George were lucky; they never really had to worry about their weight. But Bess was always on a diet, and she loved food.
“Anyway,” Bess went on, sounding cheerier, “Dr. Benay says she’s going to put me on the special Solaire diet supplement. It’s a high-energy drink that fills you up. You drink it in the morning and then you don’t need to eat anything else for hours. And I’m going to get a total aerobic workout in the gym.”
“Are you sure that supplement stuff is healthy?” Nancy asked.
“Dr. Benay says it is,” Bess replied. “And that’s good enough for me.”
George came out of the doctor’s office a short time later and gave a report very similar to Nancy’s. Then, since it was nearly dinnertime, the three friends headed for the dining hall.
The hall was filled with long wooden tables. Nancy, Bess, and George wound up sitting across from an older couple wearing matching sweat suits. The two introduced themselves as Max and Eloise Harper.
Although the dining hall was decorated in a Spanish style, the menu was French. Nancy ordered fish and vegetables; George ordered steak and rice, and Bess, who was determined to begin her dieting, ordered steamed vegetables.
The food arrived a few minutes later, and Nancy looked down at her plate in surprise.
Max Harper asked the question that was forming in Nancy’s own mind. “What is this—an appetizer? I didn’t order an appetizer!”
“Of course not, dear,” his wife said soothingly. “It’s your main course.”
“Really?” George said, her voice amazed. “These itty-bitty portions? I mean, they’re cute and all, but—”
“They’re special diet portions,” Bess explained.
“But I don’t need to be on a diet!” George wailed.
Nancy bit back a smile. George Fayne was one of the fittest, most athletic people she knew. Nancy didn’t blame her for wanting a normal-size meal. She looked down at her own plate and lifted a bite-size piece of fish with her fork. Come to think of it, she wouldn’t mind a larger meal, either.
“Don’t worry,” Bess said brightly. “We’ll all adjust.”
“Of course we will,” Mrs. Harper said.
Mr. Harper muttered something about driving into town for dinner and left the table. His wife gave the girls an apologetic glance and quickly followed him.
Shortly after tiny dessert cups of sherbet were served, Alain Giraud appeared in the dining hall, carrying his clipboard.
The personal trainer sat down at Nancy’s table and smiled at the three girls. Alain wore his brown hair slicked back. His skin was very tan and set off his brilliant blue eyes. He was extremely handsome, Nancy realized. “I just received Dr. Benay’s recommendations,” he began. “And I wanted to discuss your exercise programs with you.”
“First, could you discuss getting us more food?” George wanted to know.
Alain grinned and glanced down at his clipboard. “I’m afraid not. You’re George Fayne?”
George nodded.
“Dr. Benay says you’re in excellent shape. We can tailor your exercise program any way you like.” His eyes came to rest on Nancy. “She said mostly the same about you, though she thinks you could benefit from some aerobics and weight training.”
“What about me?” Bess asked eagerly. She was gazing at Alain with a look Nancy knew all too well. Bess was in love again.
Alain winked at her. “You’re in my special lose-six-pounds program. There’ll be lots of aerobics and toning exercises, as well as workouts to build your strength and endurance.
“If the three of you will fill out these forms with your preference,” the trainer went on, “we’ll make up complete schedules for you. The gym opens at six for morning workouts. Also, I strongly suggest that you all take advantage of the hike that Kim is leading at ten.”
Alain stood up and started to leave, then turned back to the girls. “And Ms. Fayne, you might want to check out the tennis courts right now. Two of our tennis pros are giving a demonstration.”
“Why does everyone here peg me for tennis?” George complained.
“Could be the tennis skirt you’re wearing,” Bess suggested with a grin. “What if I meet you two back at the casita? I want to check on the spa store and get some sun block.”
A few minutes later, Nancy and George began the walk across the grounds. Twilight was falling. The sky had turned deep blue, and the Catalina Mountains were lit with the red glow of sunset. In the distance, the girls could hear horses whinnying in the stables. The desert seemed vast and peaceful.
George consulted her map of the spa grounds and pointed toward the left. “I think the tennis courts are behind the pool.”
They found the courts easily enough. A small crowd, including Alain, had gathered to watch the demonstration game. Both of the pros were excellent players, Nancy saw.
“I wouldn’t mind playing with either one of them,” George said, her tone admiring. “Except I might get creamed.”
Nancy turned from the game as she heard someone asking about tomorrow’s hike. Behind her she saw Kim Foster, looking flustered. “We’re going to Reddington Pass,” the nature expert was saying to Melina Michaels, “to Tanque Verde Falls.”
Then Kim’s eyes met Nancy’s. “I was looking for you,” she said in a lower voice. “This must have fallen out of your pocket on the way to the casita. I found it on my way back.” She handed Nancy a blank white envelope that she had never seen before.
“Oh, thanks,” Nancy said carefully. But her heart was pounding with the familiar sense of excitement that came over her whenever a new mystery began. Did this note have anything to do with the black widow spider incident?
“See you around,” Kim said abruptly, leaving the courts.
“Right,” Nancy said. A few moments later, she stepped away from the crowd and opened the envelope. Inside, a note read: Must talk to you on the hike tomorrow. Urgent!
Nancy looked up as she realized that the crowd was beginning to leave the tennis courts. The exhibition match was over. She saw George on the court talking to one of the tennis pros. Then the pro handed George two rackets and pointed to the training machine that fired tennis balls.
“Hey, Nan,” George called out. “Want to hit a few balls, just for practice?”
“Sure,” Nancy agreed, tucking Kim’s note into her T-shirt pocket. She stepped onto the court and took one of the rackets from George, then did a few practice swings to loosen up. “Okay,” Nancy said finally, nodding at her friend. “I’m ready. Turn on the machine.”
George leaned over and switched on the ball machine.
Nancy looked down at her racket, checking to make sure that she was gripping it properly. When she glanced up again, her eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t a tennis ball that was flying toward her, but a sharp-edged rock!
Nancy quickly stepped to the side, only to realize that more rocks were being launched straight at her. They were hurling out of the machine like ammunition. She threw up her arms to cover her face.
“George!” she cried, wincing as a rock glanced off her rib cage. “Turn off the machine!”
But George was nowhere in sight.
3
Unwanted Company
Nancy raced off the tennis court, ran up be
hind the ball machine, and switched it off. She’d examine the training machine later. Right now she had to find her friend. “George!” she called. “Where are you?”
By now, the twilight had deepened. Although the tennis courts were brightly lit, the land around them was dark. Nancy rubbed at the bruise where the rock had hit her and called for George again.
This time she heard what might have been a faint reply.
“George?” Nancy ran to the side of the path. From there, she could see the dim outlines of rocks and cacti and trees.
“George, where are you?” Nancy called again.
This time she heard a definite “Here.”
Nancy finally spotted George sitting on the ground beneath a mesquite tree, rubbing her head.
“What happened?” Nancy asked.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” George replied. She rubbed her head again. “I was turning on the machine for you when something hit me.”
“You mean someone hit you,” Nancy said.
“I didn’t see anyone,” George told her. “But I think the person hit me with a tennis racket. The next thing I remember is hearing your voice and looking up into the branches of this tree.”
Nancy peered closely at the ground, then used her hands to trace in the dirt. “There are footprints here, all right, but they look like yours and mine,” she said. “Still, someone had to have carried you here. You’re quite a ways from the tennis courts.”
George began to stand up.
“Don’t,” Nancy said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Let me get help.”
“I’m fine,” George assured her. She gave a shudder. “Besides, I don’t think I want to stay out here alone. If someone did knock me out and carry me here, how do we know they’re gone?”
“We don’t,” Nancy admitted.
Together she and George slowly made their way back to the main complex, where they went straight to the office. “We need to see the Roziers,” Nancy said quickly to the receptionist, “and you’d better summon Dr. Benay. George has been hurt.”
Within a matter of minutes, both Jacqueline Rozier and Dr. Benay appeared.
“What seems to be the problem?” Jacqueline asked briskly as Dr. Benay began to examine George. Jacqueline wore a green silk sheath that matched the color of the large emerald on her ring finger. Even in a crisis, she looked cool and elegant, as if nothing could ever truly disturb her.
Nancy explained what had happened on the tennis courts and again described the incident with the black widow. She didn’t mention the note from Kim.
Jacqueline’s brow furrowed for a moment. Then she picked up the phone and punched in a four-digit number. “Hank,” she said, “would you please check the ball machine on the tennis courts? Apparently, someone has tampered with it.” Then she made several more calls in French.
Nancy watched as Dr. Benay shone a light into George’s eyes, then probed gently at the rising lump on her friend’s head. “Is she going to be all right?” Nancy asked.
“As far as I can tell,” the doctor replied. “Although she’ll have a nasty bruise for a few days. Have you felt any dizziness?” she asked George.
“No,” George replied, “and no headaches, either.”
“Well, since you lost consciousness briefly, I want you to take it very easy for the next few days,” Dr. Benay said. “And come see me first thing in the morning.”
Jacqueline finished her calls and set the phone down. “I am terribly sorry,” she said, turning to Nancy and George. “We have never had anything like this happen. I just spoke to one of our tennis pros. She was as surprised as you were. She and Hank are checking out the machine right now. I assure you, there will be no more incidents of this sort.”
“Aren’t you going to call the police?” Nancy asked. “It seems to me as if someone is sabotaging the spa.”
“We have excellent security here at Solaire,” Jacqueline replied firmly. “I assure you, it is not necessary to bring in the police.”
Nancy disagreed, but George was looking a little white-faced, and Nancy knew this was not the time to argue. Besides, she wanted to do a little investigating on her own. “I’d better get George back to our casita,” she said. “Thanks, Dr. Benay, Jacqueline.”
The two women nodded, and Nancy led George out of the office. Nancy could hear Jacqueline and Dr. Benay speaking in rapid French behind them.
As Nancy and George crossed one of the courtyards, the door to the auditorium opened and guests began streaming out.
“Hi,” Bess said, joining them. “Where were you two? You just missed the lecture on eating healthy.”
“That’s okay,” George said. “I can guess what they told you: Make sure you never eat more than a teaspoon of anything.”
“No, silly,” Bess said, laughing. “It was actually very interesting. They talked about how different body types need different sorts of food to keep everything in balance. I’m supposed to eat fennel seeds, dry toast, and lots of apples and hot ginger tea.”
“Oh, that sounds nourishing,” George said. “What is it with this place, anyway?”
“I didn’t mean that was the complete diet,” Bess said quickly. “Someone who’s thin the way you are is supposed to eat milk, hot soups, and fresh-baked bread.” Then she looked at her cousin more closely. “What happened to you, George? You don’t look so good.”
“Let’s go back to the casita and I’ll explain,” Nancy said.
“Just a moment, ladies,” said a familiar voice behind them.
Nancy turned to see Alain Giraud approaching. “I was wondering if I might escort you back to your casita?” he said.
“It’s really not necess—” Nancy began.
But Bess cut her off. “That would be lovely,” she said. “And you can help me tell Nancy and George what they missed at the lecture.”
Nancy barely listened to a word the trainer said as they all walked back to the casita together. She was wondering why Alain had been so eager to escort them. Did he have a crush on Bess? she wondered. Lots of guys fell for her pretty, outgoing friend. But Alain looked as if he were in his midtwenties, which was older than the guys Bess usually went out with.
Then Nancy noticed something that gave her chills. Other guests were also walking along the moonlit paths in groups of two, three, and four. Everyone was returning to their casitas. And along with every group was a staff member in a Spa Solaire T-shirt. We’re all being escorted, Nancy realized. Someone here wants to make sure that all the guests are in their rooms.
The three friends said good night to Alain at the door of their casita and went inside. Quickly, Nancy and George told Bess what had happened.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Bess asked George in a worried tone.
“I think so,” said George, who was lying on her bed. “But there’s definitely something weird going on at this place.”
“George,” Bess said, “Solaire is one of the finest spas in the country. It’s been written up in all the health and beauty magazines.”
“Then why do they escort all the guests back to their rooms at night?” Nancy asked. “I’m sorry, Bess, but I’m afraid I have to agree with George.”
An eerie, high-pitched howling suddenly echoed through the night. As the girls fell silent, the sound drew closer.
“Maybe that’s the reason we got escorted back,” Bess said, her voice trembling. “There are wild animals out there. Probably wolves.”
“There aren’t any wolves in this part of the Sonoran Desert,” Nancy assured her friend.
“Whatever it is, it’s surrounding us,” George said. Even she sounded unusually nervous.
“Those are just coyotes,” Nancy explained. “Honest. I heard them on a camping trip I took once. Coyotes won’t hurt you. They’re actually afraid of people. And they’re not to blame for any of the strange things that have been going on here.”
“Well, you did tell Jacqueline everything that happened,” Bess said, beg
inning to change into her nightgown.
“Well, not everything,” Nancy replied, then told her friends about the note she’d received from Kim.
“I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for that note,” Bess said. “Anyway, Jacqueline and Laurent have been running spas for years. I’m sure they’ll take care of things.” Bess finished changing and peered intently at her reflection in the mirror. “Goodbye, six pounds,” she said. “By next week you’ll be gone, and I’ll be slim.”
Nancy turned to George. “Will you be all right if I leave for a few minutes?” Nancy asked. “There’s something I want to check.”
“I’m fine,” George said.
Nancy changed into a dark sweater and dark pants. Then, promising to be back soon, she slipped out of the casita and into the night. She stood quietly for a few moments, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness so that she wouldn’t have to use her flashlight. A thin crescent moon, surrounded by hundreds of bright stars, lit the sky. The coyote chorus had died down, and the night seemed perfectly still, as if Nancy were the only human being alive.
That’s silly, she told herself. There were other casitas in view, most of them with lights shining through their windows. But there was something about being out in the desert at night that could make anyone feel alone.
Slowly, she started to walk away from the guest houses and toward the center of the complex. She was hoping to find Kim Foster somewhere on the grounds. Something strange was going on at Spa Solaire, and Nancy had a feeling that Kim knew what it was. Where did the staff live? she wondered. Then again, maybe Kim didn’t live at the spa.
Nancy stopped short when she heard a rustling behind her. She turned and peered into the darkness.
Nothing. She must have been imagining it.
Just as Nancy resumed walking, she heard the rustling again.
It must be an animal, she told herself. Besides coyotes, there were rabbits, deer, and javelina in this part of the desert. Almost any of them could be making that noise. But why did it sound as if something were following her?
Nancy heard the rustling once again. This time, she sprinted forward, determined to escape whatever it was.