Cutting Edge (6 page)

Rob stared at the flashing board as if hypnotized, then he shook his head slowly. “No,” he said. “We have a copy of the circuit's design.”

“There go our jobs,” the older security man moaned.

Nancy shook her head soberly. “It sounds to me like this whole thing was a setup, from the blackout to the woman screaming for help,” she said. “Obviously, it was all a ploy so someone could get in here and steal the Opto chips.”

“Ladies and gentleman,” came the announcer's voice over the sound system. “Welcome back to the pairs-skating program. Last on the ice will be Suzanne Jurgens and Martin Kroll.”

As the jaunty couple in matching gold costumes glided onto the ice to take up their starting positions, Mike turned to the others. “I'd better get back to work right away,” he said. “I should check out the sound equipment, just in case there was a power surge.”

“We'd better call Mr. O'Connell,” the burly guard said, walking to the door with the others.

“You guys better clear out, too,” Rob told Nancy and George. “I'm fine, really. At least until I talk to Mr. O'Connell.”

“Nancy,” George said as they headed for the elevator. “Do you think that reporter had some
thing to do with the blackout? I mean the one we saw come out of the power room yesterday?”

Nancy nodded, deep in thought. “Definitely.”

“So, where to?” George asked when the elevator door swung open.

“Let's check out the locker room,” Nancy suggested. “I want to go through the costumes to see if any of them have blue sequins.” She was trying to remember if any of the pairs skaters she'd seen had been wearing blue. She didn't think so, but she couldn't be sure.

“What about that reporter?” George asked.

“If he's the one who stole the chip, he may be long gone,” said Nancy. “But if the girl who screamed was his accomplice, and if the blue sequins mean she's a skater,
she's
still around. Maybe we can get to him by finding her.”

“She'd have to be one of the pairs skaters to be in costume at that time,” George said reasonably.

“Not necessarily,” Nancy answered. “Sequins can stick to anything. The skater could be a singles skater who had the sequins stuck on her regular clothes. In fact, my guess is that it isn't a pairs skater, since they were all busy.”

Taking the elevator to the lower level, Nancy and George hurried to the locker room. Inside, all was quiet. Only Trish was there, packing up some clothes in a garment bag.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “That was some blackout, huh?”

Nancy took a big breath. “Bad news, Trish,”
she said. “The Optoboard chips have been stolen.”

“Oh, no!” Trish gasped. “Poor Dad! That's a disaster! I've got to find him right away!” She quickly zipped up her bag and looked around. “Let's see, I've got my costume for my short program, my makeup, and my skates. After what happened to Elaine I decided to take my things home. Did I pack the stuff from my other locker? I'd better double-check.” The skater put her bag down on the bench and went to her second locker and punched in the combination to her lock.

“Oh!” she gasped the moment she opened the door.

“Trish, what's wrong?” Nancy asked.

Swallowing hard, the skater stepped aside to show George and Nancy the contents of the locker. “I don't know how this could have happened,” she cried.

Hanging by their laces was a pair of snow white skates with shiny silver blades.

“You forgot your skates,” George said, reaching for them.

“But I didn't,” Trish said, staring at the skates. “Those aren't mine.”

Just then Elaine Devery walked into the locker room and smiled at the girls. “Hi, everyone,” she said, walking to her locker. “That was some blackout, huh?”

Trish, George, and Nancy were too stunned to
speak. Nancy's eyes went from the skates, to Elaine, and back to the skates again.

Elaine followed Nancy's gaze. In an instant she became furious. Her eyes blazing, she accused Trish.

“Why, you little witch!” she screamed. “You're the one who stole my skates!”

I'
M GETTING
a federation official right now!” Elaine shouted at Trish, grabbing the skates from Trish's locker. “I'll make sure you're thrown out of this contest!”

Before Trish could say anything, Elaine stormed out of the locker room.

“Elaine!” Trish cried, running after the other skater. “I didn't take them. Honestly, I didn't!”

George turned to Nancy. “If Trish had taken the skates she wouldn't have opened up her locker in front of us,” she pointed out.

“That's exactly what I was thinking,” Nancy agreed.

Walking back from the locker room doorway,
Trish pleaded with Nancy and George. “She won't talk to me. I didn't take them—I swear I didn't. You've got to believe me.”

“Who do you think did it?” Nancy asked.

Trish shook her head. “I have no idea.”

“Well, until you find out who the real thief is,” George warned her, “you may be in hot water.”

“I know.” The red-haired skater leaned against a locker and let out a long sigh. “I can't believe I'm going to get kicked out of the nationals for something I didn't do!”

“Let's go see what we can do about it,” Nancy suggested. “Kathy Soren seems like a reasonable person. Maybe we can convince her to hold off doing anything drastic.”

Wiping away a tear, Trish nodded. The three girls hurried up to the main arena. Most of the spectators had left for the break between programs. That night, Nancy knew, the men's singles program would pack the stadium.

“I see Elaine talking with Kathy Soren over there,” Nancy said, pointing to the front row of seats.

“Thank goodness there are no reporters around,” Trish murmured. “If this gets into the news, I'll just die!”

Elaine's mother was at her side, looking angry. As they approached, Nancy could hear Mrs. Devery say, “Okay, I understand why you can't change my daughter's score on the compulsories, but why can't you punish Trish O'Connell?
Shouldn't you throw her out of this contest before she has the chance to steal someone else's skates?”

Kathy Soren seemed very weary as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. “This is a very serious charge you're making,” she told Mrs. Devery.

“I didn't steal her skates,” Trish broke in. “I would never do anything like that!”

Ms. Soren shot Trish an impatient look. “Her skates were found in your locker,” she said. “Can you explain that?”

Trish's lip began to tremble, and Nancy stepped forward. “I think I can, Ms. Soren,” she said. “My friend and I were there when the skates were discovered. It seemed to us that Trish hadn't taken the skates. All she had to do was keep her locker shut until we left, and none of us would have guessed the skates were inside. But she opened her locker in front of us, and then didn't even try to hide the fact that the skates were there. She was as surprised to see them as we were.”

“I agree,” George said.

Ms. Soren looked from Trish to Elaine and let out a big sigh. “Oh, dear,” she said helplessly. “This is just what we didn't need.”

“I don't see why you're hesitating,” Mrs. Devery said hotly. “Trish O'Connell should be thrown out of the competition!”

Ms. Soren put a hand on her hip and shook her head. “Since we can't prove that you took the skates,” she said to Trish, “I'm going to allow
you—for the moment—to continue in this competition.”

“Oh, thank you,” Trish said. “I
swear
I didn't take them. I would never do anything so rotten,” she added.

Elaine and her mother ignored Trish. “Okay, Elaine,” Mrs. Devery said quietly. “We'll just have to abide by that decision.” From the strained expression on her face, Nancy thought she was working hard to keep her cool.

“Elaine, I only hope that the real thief is found,” Trish said. “Honestly, I didn't take your skates. I didn't even have a way to get into your locker!”

Without looking at Trish, Elaine turned to her mother. “I want to go back to the hotel,” she said. “I'm tired.”

Elaine's mother put a comforting arm around her daughter's shoulder and shot Trish a poisonous look. “Let's go, honey,” she murmured.

Just then Nancy spotted Brett O'Connell walking into the arena from the lobby. “There's your dad,” she told Trish.

“Dad!” Trish cried, waving to him. “He's already so unhappy, and now I have to tell him about Elaine's skates.”

“Ready to go, Trish?” Mr. O'Connell asked, his car keys in hand.

“Oh, Dad,” Trish said. “I have bad news.” She quickly filled him in on what had just happened.

Mr. O'Connell seemed distracted as he listened to his daughter.

“What a mess,” he said finally, giving Trish a hug.

“This is one of the worst days of my whole life,” Trish said, unable to hold back her tears.

“Mine, too,” her father said.

“I know.” Trish sniffed. “Nancy told me about the Optoboard chips.”

“George and I were on the press level when it was taken, Mr. O'Connell,” said Nancy as she and George stepped closer to him.

“Some clever ploy that thief used,” Mr. O'Connell muttered bitterly. “Setting up my guards like that. They're good men, too.”

“Mr. O'Connell,” Nancy said. “I have reason to suspect a person I saw here in the arena.”

Trish's father raised his eyebrows and stared right at Nancy “Oh? You do?” he asked. “That's right, you're a detective, aren't you?”

“Yes,” Nancy replied. “I'm not certain about this, but I saw a man come out of the power room door yesterday,” Nancy said. “He was wearing a press pass, and as far as I could tell, he had no reason to be anywhere near that door. I suspect he tampered with the lock so he could cause the blackout to give him cover to steal the chip.”

Mr. O'Connell said, “Can you tell me anything else about him, Nancy?”

Nancy gave him a brief description of the man. “He had a slight foreign accent, but he definitely knew enough English to read the sign on the door.”

“Foreign accent? What kind?” Mr. O'Connell asked.

“German, I think. Why?”

Trish's father scowled. “Interesting. Lots of firms have a big interest in the circuit board design and the chips, but there's one particular German firm that wants it badly. I'll call my office now and give them your description of the man. Maybe they can come up with a name to match. Too bad we don't have a photograph.”

Nancy nodded. “Unfortunately, he's probably long gone by now, and the chips with him.”

“Maybe,” Mr. O'Connell said. “But maybe not. He might just stay here—it would be the best cover. If this fellow is a well-known corporate spy it won't be easy for him to get out of the country with the chip. Customs keeps a long list of corporate spies, their whereabouts, and their aliases. He'll have to be very clever.”

“He's already proven he's clever,” Nancy pointed out. “My idea, though, is to keep track of him through his accomplice. If we can find her and get her to confess then we'll have our thief and the proof to hold him.”

Mr. O'Connell raised his eyebrows. “The girl who screamed is an accomplice?” he asked.

George nodded. “She left some sequins behind,” George put in. “Show him, Nan.”

Nancy fished the sequins out of her pocket and held them out to Mr. O'Connell.

His face fell. “These look familiar,” he said softly. “Trish?”

“Yes?” Trish came closer and looked at the sequins.

“Aren't these like the ones on one of your costumes?” her father asked.

“I don't think so,” Trish said. “I do have blue sequins on my freestyle costume for my long program, but I haven't even unpacked it yet.”

Mr. O'Connell was obviously relieved. “Let's talk again soon,” he told Nancy. “Right now, I want to make some calls and get some dinner. If you spot that fellow hanging around, try to get a photograph.”

“What an afternoon,” George said as she and Nancy watched the O'Connells walk off. “Nancy, you don't think she stole those skates, do you?”

“I doubt it, George,” Nancy answered.

“Well, we've still got a couple of hours before the men's singles,” George said. “Want to catch some dinner?”

“I am hungry,” Nancy admitted. “Want to invite Kevin to join us?”

George sighed. “I wish I could, but he said he'd be too busy,” she said. “I understand, but I sort of wish he'd find a little time to spend with me.”

She looked up into the stands. “In fact, there he is, in the back row, interviewing Ann Lasser.”

“Come on, George,” Nancy said gently. “Give him a break. Interviewing skaters is his job.”