069 Running Scared Page 3

  "I'll come along," Bess offered immediately.

  "Me, too," George chimed in.

  The three girls walked to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door marked 428. It was opened immediately by Derek Townsend, who motioned them inside.

  Nancy drew her breath in sharply as her gaze swept over the large room. It was a shambles. Shirts and shorts had been torn in half and thrown every which way. Several black-and-silver running suits had been shredded. Running shoes had been cut apart and hung by their laces in the open closet. Two canvas athletic equipment bags had been savagely ripped.

  Looking pale and nervous, Annette sat with Derek on the room's couch. "Look on the dresser," Derek Townsend said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

  Nancy got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw what was on the dresser top. A long, thin-bladed knife had been stuck through a running shoe and a piece of paper.

  As Nancy looked at the paper, she heard Bess gasp behind her. On it was a crude drawing in black marking pen of a skull and crossbones. Underneath was another message composed of pasted-on magazine letters:

  Your time is running out!

  Chapter Five

  This is awful!" Bess said in a horrified whisper.

  George shook her head in silent disgust.

  After taking one last look at the threatening note, Nancy went over to Annette. The runner stared straight ahead, her jaw muscles clenched.

  "Annette, can we talk for a few minutes?"

  Nancy asked gently. Gesturing to her friends, she added, "You've already met my friend George, and this is Bess Marvin."

  Annette nodded to Bess and George, who sat down on the edge of the bed. Looking at Nancy, she said, "Derek says you might be able to figure out what's going on here."

  "Possibly," Nancy replied. "How long were you out of your room?"

  "I haven't been in here since I changed clothes this afternoon/' Annette gave Nancy a weak smile. "After you saved my life. I left at about six to go have dinner at Fritz's Steak House. Then I talked to reporters in the press room. Derek found me there and told me about his talk with you. Then we came up here—and found this."

  Nancy caught the look of surprise Bess gave her. "You didn't come in here at all between six and now?" Nancy pressed Annette.

  "No, I just told you," the runner answered.

  Nancy stood up. "If I'm going to help you, I need your complete honesty."

  "What are you talking about? I am leveling with you," said Annette.

  Squarely facing Annette, Nancy said, "Bess and I heard you arguing with Gina Giraldi in the hall earlier this evening. What were you doing there, if not going to or coming from your room?"

  Annette hesitated briefly before answering. "Oh, that. Gina and I don't get along, it's no secret. We ran against each other in Europe, and we argued even then. After dinner I wanted to go to my room to rest, but when I got on the elevator downstairs, Gina jumped in and started yelling the same old stuff. When I got off, she followed me."

  Annette shrugged. "I got fed up and told her to leave me alone. We stood there yelling back and forth until another elevator came. It was going up, but I got in anyway, just to get away from her. That was that."

  "What happened to Gina?" George asked.

  "I have no idea. I just left her standing there."

  "Then she could have gotten into your room," Bess suggested.

  "I wouldn't put it past her," Derek agreed.

  To Nancy's surprise, Annette shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "Gina's crazy, but this isn't her style. If she wanted to hurt me, she'd do something that would really hurt—trip me or kick me in a pack of runners, where it would look like an accident. She wouldn't give any warning, either. She'd just act."

  "Why was she yelling at you?" Nancy asked.

  Annette sighed wearily, then explained. "She was disqualified from the New York Marathon last year. A runner claimed that Gina elbowed her so hard she bruised her ribs and couldn't continue. It turned out there was a witness, and Gina was disqualified and fined. The witness testified anonymously, and Gina got it into her head that it was me. It wasn't, but now she swears she'll get even."

  Nancy nodded, then said, "Derek mentioned something about Gina sabotaging a friend of yours. Can you tell me about that?"

  "It happened earlier this year, in South America," Annette said. "My friend Maria Carlisle had to drop out of a race because of severe pain in her foot. Someone had put a jagged piece of metal under the insole of her shoe, and the pressure of her foot made the edge come through and cut her. That's Gina's style," Annette said bitterly.

  "You think Gina did it?" Bess wondered aloud.

  "Yes, I do. She went around smirking and dropping little hints when nobody else could hear. Too bad about your friend' and 'Better check your shoes out next time,' " Annette said, mimicking Gina's voice. "Stuff like that. Of course, nothing could be proved."

  Bess moaned, and Annette stared at her. "What's the matter?"

  "Bess met Jake Haitinck today," George answered for her cousin. "And tonight Gina gave her an ugly look when Jake was talking to her."

  Annette nodded sympathetically. "I'd keep my distance, if I were you," she told Bess. "Poor Jake. Gina won't let him look at another girl."

  "Can you think of anyone else who might have it in for you to the point where they'd do all this?" Nancy asked Annette. "There are the notes, the hit-and-run attempt, and ruining your things."

  Annette shrugged. "I'm number one now, and everyone else wants what I've got. Some of the runners make a personal thing of it and say I'm stuck-up, stuff like that. I admit I'm not Miss Popularity, but nobody's ever done anything this terrible to me before. I have no idea who it is."

  "When you were interviewed today, you gave the impression that you could name people if you wanted," Nancy persisted.

  "Did I? Well, if I did, I was stretching the point a little." Annette gave Nancy a sly grin. "Give the public what they want, right?"

  Annette didn't seem to be taking this very seriously, Nancy thought. "You might also push whoever is responsible for the threats into doing something more extreme," she warned. "I'd cool it on hints like that. Anyway, Fll look into the situation, but please keep it confidential. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Fm just here to root for George."

  "If Brenda hasn't ruined that already," George said quietly.

  "Annette, if you don't want to bring the police in," Nancy continued, "that's all right—for now. But a time may come when we have to tell them what's going on."

  "Wait a minute—" Annette seemed ready to argue.

  "That's not negotiable," Nancy cut her off. "I know you have your priorities here, but your well-being is my priority. Do we have a deal?"

  Annette looked quickly at Derek Townsend, then replied, "Okay. I guess you know what you're doing." She stood up. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to call it a night. It's been a rough day, and I still have to straighten up this room.

  Nancy, George, and Bess said good night and went back to their own room.

  "It sounds as if anyone could have gotten into Annette's room and done that damage," George commented as she got ready for bed. "Gina could have or Renee Clark or Irene Neff—"

  "Irene Neff?" Bess cut in. "Why her?"

  "She has a stake in Renee winning the Heartland Marathon," Nancy supplied. "If Renee wins, it's good for TruForm, and that means it's good for Irene. So it's possible that she could have broken into Annette's room."

  Nancy went over to their own door, opened it, and examined the keyhole. "It doesn't look as if it would be hard—a file or credit card would do the trick."

  "You ought to know, after all the locks you've picked on your cases," Bess put in. She glanced at her watch. "Not to change the subject or anything, but it's not even ten, Nan. There's still time to get in a little dancing."

  "I'm with you," Nancy said. "Let's . . ." Her voice trailed off as the phone rang.

/>   "Not again," Bess muttered as George picked up and said hello.

  "Oh, hi, Kevin," George said, her face brightening. "What? . . . Really? . . . That's great!" Turning away from her friends, she whispered, "I'm glad I met you, too. . . . Okay, see you tomorrow morning. . . . Good night."

  She hung up and turned back to Nancy and Bess, her eyes gleaming. "That was Kevin."

  "Gee, I never would have guessed," Bess said, grinning.

  George didn't even seem to notice her cousin's teasing. "His agent just called to say he's setting up a meeting with a network sports executive," she went on, "about announcing on 'Worldwide Sports.' That's the big time!"

  "That's fantastic!" Bess exclaimed. "You must be good luck for Kevin!"

  "That's what he told me," replied George, turning red. "There's more, too. He and Annette have worked out a deal for exclusive interviews about her trouble here and how she's resisted the pressure to drop out of the Heartland Marathon. That's two big breaks in one day, and it's all because of his story on Annette. Isn't it great?"

  As Nancy listened, a very disturbing thought occurred to her. "That's really exciting/' she murmured, hoping she sounded more enthusiastic than she felt. "It's a great chance for Kevin— and for Annette. She'll be getting a lot of publicity as well, won't she?"

  "But she's already on top," Bess put in. "She's getting about as much coverage as she could, isn't she?"

  "Hmm," Nancy said. She didn't like what she was thinking, but she couldn't ignore it.

  Kevin Davis seemed like an ambitious sports announcer, and "Worldwide Sports" was the biggest sports show there was. Nancy had assumed it a coincidence that Kevin happened to be on the scene when Annette was nearly hit by that car in the park. Now she realized there was another possibility. Maybe Kevin himself had maneuvered the attacks against Annette in order to create the story that would help build up his career. And if that was true, George was falling in love with a criminal!

  Chapter Six

  "Nancy, did you hear a word I just said?"

  Bess's voice brought Nancy back to reality.

  Blinking, Nancy saw that her two friends were both looking at her expectantly.

  "Oh—sorry," Nancy mumbled.

  Bess placed her hands on her hips and said, "I was just saying, if we don't hurry, we'll never make it to that club. Let's go!"

  "Right," Nancy agreed, shaking herself. She glanced at George, wondering if she should say something about Kevin.

  Maybe I'm just blowing this all out of proportion, she thought. She decided to hold off until she found out more about the sports announcer.

  Still, she was preoccupied as she and Bess said good night to George and took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, the rooftop level, where the club was located.

  "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow." Bess read the neon sign outside the club's doorway. A small plaque explained that it was named after the cow that was supposed to have started the Great Fire of 1871 by knocking over an oil lamp.

  Through the doorway Nancy saw that the walls were patterned with cartoon cows in funky outfits and sunglasses, dancing and sitting at tables. "I'm going to like this place," she said, grinning, as they went inside and looked around.

  On the walls of the club were flashing lights, and a purple neon stripe edged the high ceiling. The whole place was alive with dancers, moving to rock music being played by a band set up at the other end of the room. The cafe tables lining the walls were crowded with people.

  Nancy noticed a few women wearing Heartland Marathon T-shirts, though no one she recognized. Like George, the serious contenders would be in training and in their rooms.

  "This is fantastic!" Bess said, speaking loudly to make herself heard over the amplified band. "George is really missing out!"

  Maybe it was just as well George wasn't there, Nancy reflected. She really needed to talk to Bess about Kevin. "Listen, there's something that's bothering—"

  "Hi, Bess! Hi, Nancy!" Jake Haitinck stood before them. "Want to dance, Bess?"

  Bess hesitated and looked at Nancy.

  "Go ahead," Nancy urged. "We can talk later." 40

  A moment after Bess went with Jake to the dance floor, a guy wearing a T-shirt that said Terminally Hip asked Nancy to dance.

  She tried to get into the beat, but her mind kept going back to the situation with Kevin and George. When the song ended, she excused herself. She saw Jake and Bess sitting at a tiny table by the wall and went over to join them.

  "I'm sorry for the way Gina acted today," Jake was telling Bess.

  Giving Jake a brilliant smile, Bess said, "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."

  "Still, I feel bad about it," Jake said. "Gina isn't really so terrible. Her—how do you say it?" He ran a hand through his curly blond hair, trying to think of the words. "Her growl is worse than her bite, you know?"

  "Well, I hope so," Bess said with a nervous laugh, "but I keep hearing stories about how she's done terrible things to people she didn't like."

  Jake waved his hand dismissively. "It is only rumors."

  Nancy looked at Jake with fresh interest. As a member of the International Federation of Racing, he might have information that could help her get to the bottom of the attacks on Annette. "Do you know Renee Clark?" Nancy asked him.

  Jake tilted his chair back against the wall. "Renee? Sure. She is a sweet girl. And a very good runner. She will be the best one day."

  "Sounds as if you like her," Nancy said.

  "Everyone likes Renee. She doesn't have an enemy, there is only one thing wrong with her."

  "What's that?" Bess asked.

  "She doesn't have what you Americans call 'the killer instinct,' " Jake replied. "She lets up when she is ahead. She doesn't like to embarrass another runner. Once she lost a race she should have won because of that. Her trainer, Mellor, and the woman from TruForm are always after her not to do that ever again."

  Nancy recalled what Kevin had said about there being big money in distance running. "I guess Renee Clark must be a gold mine for Irene Neffs company," she commented.

  Jeflf gave her a skeptical look. "She will be, once she starts winning. TruForm Shoes is taking a chance on the future with Renee. Irene Neff got them to sign her to a very big endorsement contract. If Renee doesn't start winning, it could cost Irene her job."

  Nancy sat up straighter, and Bess leaned in, suddenly more interested.

  "What's Irene like?" Nancy asked Jake.

  "Very tough, that one. All business."

  Bess had started tapping her foot to the music. Turning to Jake, she asked, "Ready for another dance?"

  Jake hesitated. "One more," he decided. "Then I have to go to my room. I shouldn't really be here at all."

  As they went back out on the floor, "Terminally Hip" appeared and asked Nancy for another dance. She smiled but said no. She just couldn't enjoy herself when she was worried about George.

  When Bess and Jake returned to the table, Jake said good night and left.

  "He sure is tough to pin down," Bess said, sighing. "I tried to make a date for tomorrow, but he just said he's got a lot to do for the race and he'll call if he has time. That guy really has marathon on the brain," she finished glumly.

  Nancy couldn't help laughing. "The marathon is his job, Bess, but I hope he gets done early so you can spend some time with him." Leaning closer to Bess, she asked, "Can we talk where it's quieter?"

  Bess's hand flew to her mouth. "I totally forgot about that problem you mentioned! Sorry, Nan." She stood up and gestured to a set of glass double doors on one wall. "It looks as if there's a terrace. Let's go out there."

  The two girls went through the glass doors to an outdoor space with some tables and chairs. Some of the dancers were cooling off there. Nancy chose an empty table a little removed from the crowd.

  "What's the matter?" Bess asked.

  "This has to be just between you and me for now, all right? It's about George."

  Bess's blue eyes widened. "A prob
lem with George?"

  "Not with George exactly. It's about Kevin." Quickly Nancy told Bess of her suspicions about Kevin. While she spoke, Bess twisted a strand of her long blond hair between her fingers.

  "I see what you mean," she said slowly. "That is a problem."

  Feeling relieved that Bess was there to share her worries with, Nancy asked, "So what do you think we should do? I mean, don't you think

  George should know that Kevin is one of the suspects?"

  "Definitely," Bess agreed. 'The main thing to remember is that George is our friend. I'm sure she'll understand why you're suspicious of Kevin."

  "I hope so," Nancy said, giving Bess a grateful smile. But deep down she wasn't so sure.

  "I can't believe George actually got up at six o'clock to go work out with Kevin," Bess said the following morning as she and Nancy were finishing breakfast in the hotel's coffee shop. "You couldn't pay me to do that."

  Nancy laughed and flipped over the check the waitress had left on their table. "It's eight-forty now," she said. "George's note said to meet her at the gym at nine. We'd better go."

  Glancing toward the glass wall that separated the coffee shop from the hotel lobby, Nancy saw Renee Clark coming in from the street with Charles Mellor and Irene Neff. Irene had a grip on Renee's forearm and was talking very intently to her.

  Quickly Nancy got up and left the money for their breakfast on the table. "Come on, Bess. You can pay me back later. There's Renee Clark and her entourage, and I want to talk to them. Follow my lead, okay? We're big fans of hers."

  Bess grinned at Nancy. "Whatever you say." She followed as Nancy left the cafe and approached the trio.

  "This is the biggest opportunity of your career," Irene Neff was saying in a low, gravelly voice that seemed to contradict her elegant suit and sleek blond hairdo. "We're a team. Charles and I will do all we can, but you—"

  "You're Renee Clark, aren't you," Nancy asked in a breathless, gushy voice. "My friend and I think you're terrific! We hope you win on Sunday, and we'll be cheering for you."

  Renee gave them a delighted smile, as though she still found it fun to talk to fans. "Thanks!"