Sisters in Crime (9 page)

• • •

“I'm a detective in training,” Susan said as she burst into their room with a smile. After her date with Ira the night before, Susan was happier than Nancy had seen her since she arrived in California.

“What did you dig up?” Nancy asked, looking at the papers Susan was carrying.

“Only this,” Susan said, handing her a list that was titled, “SDU, Clubs and Organizations.” “I went to the Office of Student Affairs and got this list of athletic and social clubs.” One was circled—“On Target.” Susan excitedly read the description out loud, “ ‘Dart throwing for the beginner to the advanced.' ”

“Susan Victors!” Nancy said, delighted. “This is great work!”

“And a little good luck, too,” Susan said, pointing to the letters TH7BH that followed the description. “It meets tonight, Thursday, seven o'clock at Blake Hall.”

“It's worth a try,” Nancy said, smiling at Susan.

• • •

“I've saved you and your cousin a seat,” Kathy said, greeting Nancy on the way into the dining room that evening. “Come join us at Lori's table.”

As Nancy and Susan followed Kathy to the
table, Nancy was aware that Jan Miller was not sitting there, but was seated across the room with Fran Kelly. This should be interesting, Nancy thought.

“I'm so glad I got a chance to see you dive yesterday,” Nancy said to Lori, who was seated right beside her. “You were wonderful.”

“Thanks. The back flip nearly landed me in the bleachers, but otherwise I felt okay about it.”

Nancy smiled. “More than okay,” she said encouragingly. “Excellent. And the judges seemed to think so, too.”

“What do you guys think about Jeff Arthurs?” Johanna asked everyone at the table. “Pretty cute, huh?”

“Are you going after him at tomorrow's mixer?” Ellen asked.

Johanna nodded and asked Lori, “Is he going with anyone?”

“As far as I know, he's fair game,” Lori answered.

“Go for it,” Kathy said.

While the rest of the girls at the table were talking together, Lori turned to Nancy. “I heard you had another accident,” she said quietly.

“Accident?” Nancy asked.

Lori nodded as she chewed on a piece of fried chicken. “With a dart.”

“Oh, yes,” Nancy said, buttering a biscuit. She glanced at Kathy, who was chatting with Susan. “It's actually not looking very accidental now.”

“I agree,” Lori said. “When Kathy told me about it, I really started to wonder. Two attacks in one week is pretty outrageous. Do you have any idea what it's about?”

“None,” Nancy said, shaking her head. “None at all.”

“Do you know anyone in town who'd want to hurt you?”

“I don't know anybody in town at all,” Nancy said. “Or at least I didn't before I arrived four days ago.”

After their conversation, Lori stood up, tapped on her water glass, and made the usual evening announcements.

As they all filed out of the dining hall, it was no surprise to Nancy that Fran Kelly and Jan Miller approached her. Jan's short, straight hair framed her smiling face as she said sarcastically, “I'm
so
glad Lori found herself another puppy.” She turned her back to Nancy and shot over her shoulder, “She was lonely when the last one died, poor thing.”

Hearing Fran's laughter, Nancy turned to face her. As Jan walked away, Fran stopped laughing. In hushed tones, her mouth close to Nancy's ear, she said, “Your cousin's
last
roommate didn't end up so great when she got the special treatment, now, did she?”

N
O, SHE DIDN
'
T,
Fran,” Nancy said angrily. “Rina Charles ended up dead.” The two of them were standing on the back stairway, and Nancy decided it was time for the direct approach with Fran. “And just what do
you
know about that death?”

“I know,” Fran said, with a hint of a smile on her face, “that the fool went scuba diving with faulty equipment. Everyone knows that. The police have confirmed it.” Fran took a step up and looked down at Nancy. “Do you really think you are smarter than they are, Nancy Drew?”

Nancy passed her and turned sideways to
block Fran's way. “I don't know what the police learned,” Nancy said. “But let me ask a question that I bet they didn't ask. Where were
you
when it happened?”

“When Rina died?”

Nancy only nodded, still blocking her way.

“How do I know where I was?” Fran answered, glaring at Nancy. “That's something the police didn't ask any of us, because they were smart enough to know we couldn't answer it. Nobody knows
when
Rina Charles died. Nobody knows when she put on that wet suit and weight belt and jumped into the Pacific Ocean.”

Nancy was aware that absolutely nothing in Fran's manner suggested discomfort at the question. Fran's voice had been unwavering, and she had looked directly at Nancy as she spoke.

Fran then added coldly, “Rina wasn't the kind of person you'd miss just because she was gone for a day.”

Either this person is innocent, Nancy thought, stepping aside, or she's a very fine liar. But if Fran doesn't have anything to do with Rina's death, then why is she behaving so cruelly toward me? Nancy wondered.

On the second floor, Nancy headed toward Kathy's room. She had more questions to ask, and now was the time to start asking them.

Kathy's door was open, and when she saw Nancy in the hall, she called out, “Come on in!
I've got plenty of time to visit now—thanks to you!”

Kathy was looking in the mirror above her dresser and applying eye makeup to her large green eyes.

Nancy gently closed the door behind her before she asked, “Do you remember if you mentioned to anyone that you and I were going for a walk the other night before we went out?”

Kathy licked the tip of her eyeliner pencil and mumbled, “Didn't we leave from the study hall?”

“No,” Nancy said, reminding her. “Remember, you needed your jacket”—Nancy gestured to the khaki jacket that Kathy had worn—“and went upstairs to get it first.”

“Oh, right,” Kathy answered, her eyes open wide as she brushed mascara on her lashes.

“Did you tell anyone then?” Nancy asked.

“Nope,” Kathy mumbled, concentrating on her eyes.

Kathy turned and smiled at Nancy. “Lori was very pleased with your helping Delta Phi out, by the way. I told her about that, and she thinks you're great.”

“You're all very welcome.” Nancy touched the collar of the jacket as she asked the next question. “Does everyone in the sorority know about the teaching assistants that help you out?”

“Are you
kidding?”
Kathy exclaimed. “Only a
few of the very special sisters, if you know what I mean.” After she rubbed some lip gloss on her mouth, Kathy added, “I actually should never have told you; I don't know what made me do it. But I'm glad I did!” She smiled. “Maybe I'm psychic or something.”

“Was Rina one of the special ones?” Nancy asked.

“Rina Charles? No way!” Kathy ran her fingers through her long curls, pushing them into an order of sorts as she said, “Rina was
not
one of the special people.” Kathy hesitated. “I hate to say it, but I never really understood why she and Lori were close. Rina was nice, but, I don't know, she just didn't seem the right type. Anyway,” Kathy added,
“I'm
in charge of the exam ‘borrowing,' and if anyone was let in on the secret, I'd know.” Curious, Kathy added, “How come you asked?”

“Just wondering about the sorority, I guess, and how it works,” Nancy answered as casually as possible. If Kathy is right and Rina did
not
know about this, Nancy thought, then this path leads me to another dead end. Then, Nancy thought, this phony exam scheme has been pointless. It won't get me any closer to the killer, and it may get the killer closer to me.

“Well, I wouldn't be worried about getting in if I were you,” Kathy said reassuringly as she touched Nancy's shoulder. “If you decide to come to SDU, I'm sure there'll be a place for you
in Delta Phi.” Looking at her watch, Kathy said, “Meeting time, I'd better move it. We're electing a treasurer tonight!”

• • •

Blake Hall was well lit, though empty, when Nancy reached it a little after seven. On the bulletin board, under Today's Activities, was listed “On Target—Room 207.”

When Nancy walked into the room, all the desks were moved aside and four dart boards were set up against the wall. Only about seven people were in the room, all guys. Nancy had never seen any of them before.

She stood for a moment at the door, surveying the situation.

“Don't be shy,” a voice called out. “We're always short on girls.”

Nancy walked over to the person who issued the invitation. “Actually darts isn't my game,” “she replied. “I was just looking for some friends.”

“Male or female?” he asked, picking up three more darts.

“Female,” Nancy answered, taking a stab at it. “I think they usually come here on Thursday nights.”

He threw a straight powerful shot at the target as Nancy asked, “Do you have a list of your members?” He picked up another dart, closed one eye, and aimed.

“Nope. We're not that organized,” he answered,
picking up another dart, closing one eye and aiming. “Whoever comes is welcome, usually only about six of us show up. Darts isn't a big sport on campus.” His last dart missed the target, hit the edge, and fell to the floor.

“Well, you do your best,” he said good-naturedly. “Sometimes you get a hit and sometimes you get a miss.”

Nancy smiled as she watched him throw his last shot. It hit the center of the target, directly in the bull's-eye.

“Nice!” she said appreciatively.

“Thanks. Sure you don't want to try?”

“Not right now, thanks. Do you ever have any girls come?” Nancy asked.

“A couple show up every once in a while,” he answered. Then he made note of his score on a piece of paper and called, “Jonathan, you're on.”

“Do you know their names?” Nancy asked.

“I wasn't here last week, but someone said a girl showed up then.”

“Do you know who she was?” Nancy inquired.

“Nope, and most of these guys wouldn't know a pretty girl from a dog. They're really into darts.”

Turning to Nancy, he said, “Sorry I can't be more helpful. I don't have any idea if your friends ever come here. We're pretty loose about that kind of thing.”

“Sure,” Nancy answered, discouraged. “Thanks anyway.”

Well, she thought to herself as she left Blake Hall. You do your best. Sometimes you get a hit, and sometimes you get a miss.

This time, as Nancy walked across campus in the dark, she kept alert, watching for people, darts, or anything else.

• • •

After the meeting, when Susan came back to her room, she found Nancy lying on the bed thinking about the case.

“Who got it?” Nancy asked curiously, putting her thoughts aside for the moment.

Susan shrugged her shoulders as she reported, “Alice Clark is our new treasurer.”

“Alice Clark?” Nancy asked. “That's a surprise!”

“To you and everyone else,” Susan said. “A lot of people really wanted that job. And, of course, Fran Kelly had her heart set on it. She even read a letter from our accountant, Linda Peterson, saying she'd be the best. It was sort of pathetic,” Susan added.

“And Alice?”

Sitting beside Nancy, Susan said, “Alice was silent, as always. She didn't give a speech, like the others did, or say anything about how she was qualified for the position—only kind of a shy ‘thank you' after she was elected.”

Susan took her shoes off and crossed her legs under her. “Lori Westerly spoke for Alice, saying that Alice was the most brilliant person around,
stuff like that. It was obvious that Lori wanted Alice to be treasurer, and that's all you need around here, I guess.” Susan sighed. “Why do
you
look so discouraged?” she asked.

“Every time I think I'm getting somewhere, I run into a dead end,” Nancy explained to her friend.

“Kathy says that there's no way Rina could have known about the exam stealing.” Nancy leaned her head back against the wall and thought out loud. “But if Kathy knows that Rina was murdered, and that her involvement in the cheating scheme was the cause of her death, then of course Kathy never would have told me that Rina was involved.”

Looking back at Susan, Nancy continued, “So either Kathy is an excellent liar, or she was telling me the truth, and cheating has nothing to do with why Rina was killed.”

“Which do you think?” Susan asked.