My Deadly Valentine (6 page)

The day was overcast and dry, but there was certainly more light than there had been at night.

“When I visited Rosie at the hospital, she discovered that her Sweetheart locket was missing,” Nancy told the police. She described the locket, but after a half hour of searching the frozen grass, no one had come across the gold necklace.

As the police continued to search the area, Nancy and the dean discussed the investigation.

“Rosie didn't see who attacked her,” Nancy
told him, “but she thinks it was Tamara Carlson. And Fitz recalls seeing Tamara and her boyfriend in this building late last night.”

“Tamara Carlson, the girl who'll be Sweetheart now that Rosie's been eliminated,” Dean Jarvis said thoughtfully.

“Do you know her?” Nancy asked. “Do you think she's capable of attacking Rosie?”

Dean Jarvis sighed. “The rivalry between Rosie and Tamara was brought to my attention after an unfortunate incident last spring. They were involved in an altercation during Songfest.”

After what Mindy had told her, Nancy wasn't surprised. “Why did they argue?”

Dean Jarvis shook his head as if it pained him to recall the incident. “Tamara Carlson was elected Songfest queen, and Rosie came in second. Traditionally, the girls in the queen's court all wear matching dresses, but Rosie didn't like the style Tamara chose. When Rosie showed up in a different dress, the girls got into a screaming match. Apparently, Tamara tore Rosie's gown.”

Nancy frowned.

“I gave both students reprimands,” said the dean. “We can't allow that kind of behavior.”

“Rosie never mentioned it,” Nancy said.

“I'm sure she'd rather forget it,” Dean Jarvis replied. “But when it comes to competing against each other, there's no telling what those two are capable of.”

“Then there's Max Dombrowski,” Nancy said, telling the dean about her frightening encounter with the maintenance man. “It looks like Rosie was attacked with one of Max's tools. And Fitz says that Max was on duty last night—though I don't know what would have motivated him to harm a student.”

Dean Jarvis frowned. “We have a large staff, and I'm afraid I don't know Max very well. But I'll check his employment file.”

By the time the police had finished searching the area, it was nearly five o'clock. Dinner was at six, and Ned was picking Nancy up at seven-thirty for the Sweetheart Feature.

How am I ever going to sit through a movie when this case is heating up? Nancy wondered as she hurried back to the Theta Pi house.

• • •

When Nancy opened the door of the house, she was shocked to find Casey Thompson squaring off with Fitz. It appeared that a fight was just about to break out.

“Casey?” Nancy asked. “What's going on?”

Juanita and Kristin looked on from the living room, alarmed.

“Casey was just leaving,” Fitz said, putting his hands on his hips so that his chest expanded.

“I came over to return Rosie's ten-speed,” Casey explained. “She left it at my dorm after we went on a bike trip. I didn't realize I'd be greeted by a lynch mob.”

“Why don't you just go before somebody gets hurt?” Fitz threatened.

“Easy, guys,” Nancy said, surprised at Fitz's angry tone. She slipped her hand on Casey's shoulder and guided him toward the door. “I visited Rosie today,” she told him quietly. “She seems to be doing okay.”

“That's a relief.” Casey gripped the doorknob. “Did she ask about me?”

“She said that she doesn't think you were the one who attacked her,” Nancy answered.

“That's some consolation,” Casey said, stepping out the door. “Now all I have to do is get the rest of the campus to believe I'm innocent.” With that, he made a quick exit.

“He's got some nerve,” Juanita said when he'd gone. “Coming around here after what he did to Rosie.”

“Juanita, I think you're overreacting,” Brook said, emerging from the den. Nancy could see a group of girls working on their valentines in front of the television set. Bess stood in the doorway, listening curiously.

“There's no proof that Casey Thompson attacked Rosie,” Nancy pointed out. She told them about the evidence the police had found in the boiler room. “Could Casey even gain access to that room?” Nancy asked Fitz.

He shrugged.
“You
did,” he pointed out. “The boiler room is supposed to be locked, but sometimes Max is careless.”

“Well, whether or not he attacked Rosie, Casey Thompson is no friend of mine,” Juanita said. “It's a good thing Fitz was here to help him carry that bike down to the basement,
I
wouldn't have gone down there alone with him.”

“Let's not forget about Tamara Carlson,” Kristin pointed out. “We just got a call from Rosie. She definitely won't be out of the hospital before the weekend. So Tamara's the new Sweetheart.”

“And Fitz saw Tamara and her boyfriend in the student union last night,” Nancy said.

“And it was just minutes before Rosie was attacked,” Fitz added tensely.

A silence fell as everyone wondered who the attacker could be. “I don't know who to blame anymore,” Kristin said.

“Hey, girls,” called a voice from the kitchen. Trish appeared in the doorway, wearing a striped apron. “The spaghetti sauce is simmering, but we need help with the salad. Any volunteers?”

“I'll do it,” Nancy said, glad for the diversion.

“Me, too,” said Bess.

“Me, three!” Fitz chimed in.

The other girls went back into the den, and Trish led the new recruits into the kitchen.

“Hi, guys!” Mindy called. She was standing at a counter spooning melted butter on a long loaf of Italian bread sliced lengthwise. “I'm making garlic bread.”

“I'm working on the sauce,” Trish said.

Nancy peeked into a huge simmering pot of sauce as she tied on an apron.

“Just point me to the lettuce,” Bess offered.

“And I'll just be the lovable kitchen pest,” Fitz joked, perching on the counter near Mindy and sticking a strand of dry linguine into his mouth.

“So what else is new?” Mindy teased.

“Be kind, or I won't bid on your valentine, young lady,” Fitz told her.

“Hah!” Mindy laughed. “I heard a rumor that you're going to the ball with Kristin.”

Fitz shrugged. “So sue me. Doesn't mean I can't drive up the bidding on a few other valentines. What's yours going to be, Nancy?”

“I haven't thought about it much,” Nancy admitted. “I've been too busy tracking down Rosie's attacker.”

“When Nancy gets a case, she really throws herself into it,” Bess explained.

“I saw that firsthand this afternoon,” Fitz said. “By the way, did the police come up with any new theories?”

“They're convinced that Rosie was dragged through the boiler room,” Nancy said as she tore lettuce. “And I found the weapon—a wrench.”

“Wow,” Bess said, slicing a carrot into thin strips. “And what about the maintenance man you mentioned—Max? Do you think he attacked Rosie?”

“I don't know,” Nancy said.

“A new suspect appears every time you turn
around,” Mindy said. “Casey, Tamara—now Max.”

“It's hard to keep up, even for a gossip hound like you,” Fitz said lightly, punching Mindy on the arm.

“Cut it out,” she said, sidestepping him and knocking over a box of pasta. A shower of spaghetti spilled out, bouncing onto the floor.

Mindy winced. “Oops!”

“Nice move,” Trish said. “You'll have to get the broom. It's in the basement.”

“I'm up to my wrists in garlic butter,” Mindy said.

“I'll get it,” Nancy said, wiping her hands on her apron.

The basement door was beside the refrigerator. Nancy opened it, stepped onto the landing, and turned toward the steps on the left. The stairs were dark. She ran her left hand along the wall, feeling for the light switch.

Her hand closed around something—and suddenly her heart seemed to lurch out of her chest as an electric current shot up her arm!

N
ANCY REELED BACKWARD
and fell onto the threshold of the door. Everything went black for a second as her heart hammered wildly. She covered her face with her hands, still feeling stunned by the shock.

“What happened?” Bess called.

“She's hurt!” Fitz exclaimed as everyone rushed over and gathered around Nancy. They pulled her to her feet and helped her into one of the vinyl kitchen chairs.

“Nan, you look pale as a ghost,” Bess said, rubbing Nancy's back. “What happened?”

“I got a shock,” Nancy told them, starting to feel better at last. “I was reaching for the light switch, but the wires are exposed.”

“What?”
Mindy's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“How could that be?” Trish asked.

“I don't get it,” Fitz said. “Casey and I were just down there with Rosie's bike. We would have noticed it.”

“Wait a second,” Mindy said, touching Fitz's shoulder. “Do you think that Casey could have set it up—like a trap—while you weren't looking?” Her dark eyes filled with horror at the thought.

“Is there another way into the basement?” Nancy asked the girls.

Kristin nodded. “There's a door from the basement to the backyard, but it's kept locked.”

“Let's go down and see if it's locked now,” Nancy said.

With the help of a flashlight from the kitchen drawer, Nancy and Fitz checked out the light switch. The switch plate had been removed, and a wire dangled from the mechanism inside.

“It's definitely been tampered with,” Fitz commented.

The two of them descended the stairs and carefully made their way through the dark, musty basement until they reached the back door. Nancy pulled the knob, but the door didn't budge. “It's bolted tight,” she said. “Whoever rigged that switch must have come in through the upstairs.”

When Nancy and Fitz returned to the kitchen, it was crowded with Theta Pi sisters.

“This is unbelievable!” Fitz said.

“The question is,” Bess said, “could Casey have rigged the switch this afternoon?”

“Let me think,” Fitz said. “I kept an eye on him . . . but then I started rearranging some boxes to make room for the bike. He was already in the kitchen by the time I came back up.”

“And do you remember turning the basement light off?” Nancy asked.

“Not really. I'm not even sure we turned it on when we went down. It was still pretty light.” He shook his head. “The switch could have been rigged then. I'd say Casey's your man.”

“This is getting really weird,” Trish said.

“That's for sure.” Denise folded her arms as she looked from one sister to another. “Casey's not going to stop with Rosie. He's out to hurt all of us!”

Bess frowned. “He thinks Rosie broke up with him because of Theta Pi.”

Everyone started talking at once as panic set in. Nancy understood their fear, but she wanted them to realize that there were other suspects.

“Wait a second!” Nancy held up her hands until the group quieted down. “We've got no proof that Casey's the culprit. But one thing is sure. Someone's out to hurt the Theta Pis. You should all be on guard.”

The girls listened intently as Nancy added, “But you should also realize that Casey wasn't
the only one with access to that light switch.” She cast a pointed look at Fitz, but no one seemed to pick up on it.

“We're all targets now,” Kristin said somberly. “This is the real test of sisterhood. We've got to watch out for each other.”

The girls voiced their agreement and promised to stay alert and cautious. As they began to file out of the kitchen and set the dining room table for dinner, Nancy took Fitz aside.

“Let's talk in the den, where there's less commotion,” she said, leading the way.

The small, cozy den was empty. Fitz flopped down on an overstuffed couch and sighed. “What a day! First Rosie, and now this.”

Nancy nodded. “And the more I investigate, the murkier this case seems to get. I thought you might be able to help me think some of the details through, since you were nearby when Rosie was attacked
and
when that light switch was rigged.”

Nancy studied his face for a reaction, but Fitz seemed guiltless as he tossed a small pillow in the air, then pushed back his dark bangs.

“Boy, I wish I could help you,” he said. “I'd love to nail the guy who did this stuff.”

“Guy?” Nancy repeated.

“Just a guess,” Fitz said, shrugging. “But if Casey isn't the culprit, I'm afraid it could be our maintenance man, Max.” He buried his face in his hands for a moment, then frowned up at
Nancy. “I hate to point the finger at a guy on staff, but when I think of the wrench and the other stuff you found today . . . well, it seems pretty obvious.”