A Date with Deception (2 page)

T
HAT PLANE
is going to crash into us! Nancy decided, joining everyone in a flat-out run for the terminal. Sasha gripped her arm, and she knew he was as alarmed as she was. Even as she ran, Nancy couldn't take her eyes off the plane spiraling closer and closer to the ground.

Then, at the last possible moment, the pilot managed to pull the nose up. The plane roared over the runway, whipping the air into a minihurricane.

Siren blaring, a fire truck sped out toward the end of the runway. The plane was looping back for an emergency landing.

Nancy held her breath as the plane came in low. It hit the runway, bounced off, bumped again, then tilted to the side, spinning completely around before coming to a stop.

The truck was ready, and everyone watched breathlessly as the ground crew rushed toward the plane with hoses.

“Come on!” someone murmured tensely. “Get that pilot out of there before the thing explodes!”

The pilot's door was already open, and in seconds a tall, lanky figure emerged and leaped to the ground.

“Oh, no!” George cried. “It's Gary!” Her dark eyes wide with fright, she pushed her way to the edge of the onlookers and ran toward the plane.

Gary caught sight of her and waved to let her know he was all right. George stopped where she was, her tall figure relaxing a bit.

Still standing close to Nancy, Sasha said, “This Gary. He is your friend's brother?”

“Her boyfriend,” Nancy said, her eyes still on the plane. She'd only just noticed the bold blue Jetstream logo on its tail. She waited tensely to see what would happen.

The ground crew was still aiming a hose at the plane, but Gary and his mechanic were standing casually close to the plane. At one point the mechanic even threw back his head and laughed, then patted Gary on the back.

Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. Gary was all
right, and it looked as if the plane wasn't going to blow up, either.

Gary turned and waved again to George. Then he trotted over to her, put his arms around her, and swung her off her feet in a big bear hug.

A cheer went up from the onlookers, and Nancy joined in, smiling at Sasha. That's when she noticed that he still had hold of her arm.

When he saw her notice, Sasha let go of it. Reluctantly, it seemed to Nancy.

“Such a frightening experience,” he said. “And that hug—they are in love?”

Nancy nodded. “I think they might be,” she told Sasha.

“That is good.” Sasha took her hand in his, smiling that disarming smile once again. “I have never been in love myself—not yet. I have never had time for it. But I have the feeling I might like it.”

• • •

“Well, I guess we know who waltzed away with Sasha's heart,” Bess said that evening. She looked at Nancy and grinned. “And it sure wasn't me. Right, Nan?”

Nancy shook her head. “It wasn't me, either, Bess. I think Sasha just likes to flirt.”

The three girls were in their room, getting ready for the reception Eloise was holding for all the dancers that night at her house. The guest room was large and airy, with sliding screen doors leading out onto a wooden deck.
The low and rhythmic roar of waves rolling onto the beach was soothing, drifting into the room through the screens.

“Today he decided to flirt with me,” Nancy went on, pulling a pair of loose white cotton pants out of the closet. “Tonight it'll probably be you.”

“Maybe,” Bess said doubtfully. “But from the way he was looking at you, I got the feeling it was pretty serious flirting. Didn't you think so, George?”

“I don't know,” George said, drying her just-washed hair with a fluffy blue towel. “Sorry, Bess, but Gary's landing kind of pushed everything else out of my mind.” She gave a little shudder. “I just couldn't believe it when I saw him climbing out of the plane. Did I tell you that apparently a huge downdraft hit the nose and forced the plane into a dive? Gary could easily have been killed.”

“But he wasn't,” Nancy said. “And after that landing, he's practically a hero.”

George smiled. “I know. Jetstream's really proud of him for saving their plane. Gary said he was just glad it wasn't the new one.”

“What new one?” Bess asked, rummaging in a drawer of the wicker chest for a pair of panty hose.

“Jetstream's come up with some special new plane they're really excited about,” George said. “It's called the Jetstar. Gary tested it a couple of times, and the engineers and designers
are making some changes now. They're keeping all the plans under tight security because they don't want the competition to find out about it. It's supposed to knock everybody's socks off*.”

“Speaking of knocking somebody's socks off,” Bess said, “how will this do?” She held up a gauzy, peach-colored dress and fluffed out the short skirt.

“It'll look fabulous,” Nancy told her, buttoning the cuffs on her silky yellow blouse.

“But will it get a certain dancer's attention?”

“It'll get
everybody's
attention,” George said dryly.

“You know, who I mean,” Bess said.

Laughing, Nancy tossed a flowered pillow at her friend. “If Sasha Petrov doesn't notice you tonight, Bess, then he ought to have his beautiful blue eyes examined. I'll see you two later—I'm going to see if Aunt Eloise needs any help.”

Nancy hurried downstairs and glanced around the living room with approval before heading for the kitchen. The house was perfect for a large party. The main floor had high ceilings and large rooms that opened into one another and onto wide decks outside.

By eight o'clock that night, the house was filled with the sound of music, the good smells of food, and the chatter and laughter of at least fifty people.

“Keep me away from the buffet table,” Bess
groaned, eyeing the enormous platters of cold shrimp, bowls of pasta salad, and crusty loaves of French bread. “I can feel myself gaining weight just looking at it.”

“I can hear my stomach growling just looking at it,” Nancy said. She picked up two plates and handed one to Bess. “Come on, Bess, you're the only one in the world who thinks you need to lose five pounds.”

“Well, all right.” Bess took the plate and sighed. “I wouldn't be able to hold out, anyway. I can always swim it off.”

“That'll be the day!” Shaking her head in amusement, Nancy reached for the bread. Another hand got there first, though, and glancing up, Nancy saw Sasha Petrov smiling at her.

“Nancy.” He was dressed casually, in pleated cotton slacks and a loose blue polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes. “When I heard this reception was being held at your aunt's house, I couldn't wait to get here.”

Nancy decided to deliberately misunderstand him. “I don't blame you,” she said. “The food looks great, doesn't it?”

“Great, yes,” he agreed, still looking at her. “But the company is even better.”

Suddenly Nancy saw Bess watching them, an I-told-you-so expression on her face. “Sasha,” she said quickly, “you remember my friend Bess Marvin, don't you?”

Giving Nancy a look that told her he knew
she was up to something, Sasha turned to Bess. “Of course I remember. You look—what is the word? Fabulous?”

“Thank you,” Bess said with a blush. “Fabulous is more than I hoped for.” She gave Sasha the salad forks and a big smile. “So, how do you like the house where you and Marina and Dmitri are staying? It's in the village, isn't it?” He nodded. “Is it comfortable?”

“Very comfortable,” Sasha said. “And I can bicycle to the institute every day.”

Without saying anything, Nancy slipped away, leaving Sasha to Bess. Carrying her plate into the living area, she noticed that George, Gary, and her aunt Eloise were standing with a plump, middle-aged woman with graying brown hair. Her aunt caught her eye and waved Nancy over.

“Nancy, here's someone I want you to meet,” Eloise said, turning to the woman. “This is Eileen Martin. Eileen's the secretary of the Cultural Society. She's been very friendly to me since I arrived in the Hamptons. Eileen, this is my niece, Nancy Drew. She's my brother Carson's daughter.”

“Nancy, I'm so glad to meet you,” Eileen said warmly, shaking Nancy's hand. Her brown eyes were unexpectedly shrewd. “I understand you were at the airport earlier today—I guess you witnessed Gary's incredible landing.”

“I sure did,” Nancy said. “It was amazing,
but I hope I don't see another one like it for a long time.”

Tall, sandy-haired Gary grinned at her. “I hope I don't, either,” he admitted. “Eileen's a senior engineer at Jetstream,” he explained to Nancy.

“Now,” Eileen said, patting him on the hand. “You come with me. I'm going to fill your plate, Mr. Powell. You need to put on some weight.”

Without waiting for an answer, Eileen led Gary off to the buffet table. George rolled her eyes and followed them.

Eloise smiled fondly. “Eileen mothers all the young men at Jetstream,” she told Nancy. Then she lowered her voice. “Her own son was only twenty-one when he died in an accident two years ago, and I'm sure that's the reason she's a bit of a mother hen.”

Nancy was about to ask what kind of accident when Eloise excused herself to greet some new arrivals.

Left alone for the moment Nancy wandered through the rooms, meeting the dancers and listening to their conversations. After a while she decided to get some fresh air and carried a plate and a glass of cider out onto one of the decks.

The lulling sound of the ocean was strong out there. Nancy set her plate and glass down on a table and walked over to lean against the
deck railing. She took a deep breath of the salty air.

“I was hoping to find you,” a lightly accented voice said behind her.

Turning around, Nancy saw Sasha standing in the doorway. Well, she could hardly tell him to go away, but she hoped he wasn't planning to flirt any more. “I thought I left you with Bess,” she said.

“Yes, but I'm afraid Bess left me for someone else.” Moving onto the deck, Sasha leaned against the railing a few feet from Nancy. “It's beautiful out here,” he said, looking up at the crescent moon.

“Yes, it is,” Nancy agreed. “In River Heights all we have are a few lakes—and the river, of course. But there's nothing like the ocean.”

“River Heights? That's your home?”

Nancy nodded. “It's in the Midwest.”

“What do you do in the Midwest?” he asked.

“I'm an amateur detective,” she answered.

Sasha's eyebrows rose. “A detective? No joke?”

Nancy smiled. “No joke.”

“This is amazing!” he said. “Tell me, are you on a case at this very moment?”

“No, thank goodness,” Nancy said with a laugh. “I'm just on vacation.”

“It must be very difficult, this detecting,” he said. “Like solving a puzzle without all the pieces.”

“That's exactly how it is,” she said, surprised. He seemed genuinely interested in her work. “But I love it.”

“So do I,” Sasha told her. “Mysteries are my life!”

Nancy laughed again. “I thought dancing was your life.”

“Dancing is my professional life,” he explained. “But I have read many of your American detective stories. They are very exciting. I've always dreamed of solving a mystery.”

Nancy couldn't help smiling. She had a feeling Sasha might find real detective work a little different from what he had read about. There was an awkward silence as they both stared out into the night. “Where do you go from here?” Nancy asked finally.

“Paris!” he said enthusiastically. “I'm very excited to see it again.”

“Isn't it a wonderful city?” Nancy asked.

“It's the most romantic city in the world. I can hardly wait.” Turning, Sasha smiled at her, his eyes bright in the moonlight. “Or maybe I
can
wait. Tonight I think this is even more romantic.”

Nancy felt uncomfortable standing in the moonlight with Sasha while he was talking so romantically. Maybe he wasn't just flirting. Maybe Bess was right and he really did have a crush on her. If that was true, she knew she had to tell him about Ned, and fast.

“Nancy,” Sasha said, and moved closer.

Oh, no, she thought. He wants to kiss me. Tell him now and get it over with.

Sasha reached out for her, and Nancy held
her
hand up to stop him. Just as their fingers touched, a long dark shadow fell over them.

S
TARTLED
, N
ANCY JUMPED AWAY
from Sasha and whirled around to face the house. Framed in the doorway was Dmitri Kolchak, his thick, gray eyebrows pulled together in a scowl.

“Sasha,” the Soviet chaperon said, “I have been searching for you.” Then he spoke a few phrases in Russian.