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  “Before you start your story,” Brad interjected, “could you tell me how Bess is? Have you heard anything about her?”

  Thank goodness! A change of subject, Nancy thought. She never liked talking about her cases. Besides, if one of this group was the poisoner, she wanted to keep a low profile.

  “I talked to Bess this morning,” Nancy said. “And she’s much better. In fact, she expects to be released around noon.”

  “That’s great!” Brad said delightedly. “Now she’ll be able to come to the party—”

  “Excuse me. Can someone tell me the ingredients in this?” A pretty brunette had come up to the booth and picked up a jar of Spotless. “I’m allergic to so many things that I have to be careful.”

  Heather stared blankly at her. “I have no idea,” she said. She turned to Marcia. “Do you?”

  Marcia shook her head.

  “Maybe I can help,” said Brad quickly. “I don’t know the whole list of ingredients for sure, but I do know that they’re all specially selected to be nonallergenic. Only one person out of a hundred thousand will have a reaction to Spotless,” he said.

  The girl smiled. “You’ve convinced me. Can I have two jars?”

  “I’m really sorry,” said Brad. “We can only give out one to a customer. You see, we’re doing a survey, and—”

  In just a couple of seconds he and the dark-haired girl were deep in conversation.

  “Brad’s a pretty fast worker,” Justin remarked under his breath.

  “He seems to be,” Nancy agreed. “He sure knows his stuff about Spotless, though.”

  “Well, he should,” said Justin. “There was an intercollegiate chemistry contest we both entered in our freshman year. Guess who got first prize?” he asked wryly. “It wasn’t Justin Dodd, for sure. Brad won, and he wasn’t even planning to major in chemistry the way I was.” He shook his head. “I swear, some guys have all the luck.”

  Nancy was just about to ask him more about the contest when she saw a familiar figure running toward her.

  “What’s George doing here?” she asked in surprise. “She’s supposed to be at the hospital with Bess!”

  As George approached, Marcia stuck ajar of Spotless in her face.

  “Could I interest you in a sample of the best blemish cream you’ve ever seen?” Marcia suggested jokingly. “You’ll be amazed how—”

  But at the sight of George’s face, Marcia dropped the act. “What is it, George?”

  “Yes, what’s wrong?” asked Nancy.

  “I was just at the hospital,” George said, panting. “Five more people have been admitted. And they all have the same symptoms as Bess!”

  Chapter

  Six

  ONLY NED AND NANCY KNEW how serious George’s words were.

  “Wow, I guess that flu must really be catching,” said Heather. “You don’t think any of us will get it, do you?”

  “It’s not the flu!” George burst out before Nancy could stop her. “The doctors ran the same tests, and in all five cases the poison was the same as Bess’s!”

  “Poison!” Heather’s voice was almost a shriek. “Bess was poisoned?”

  “Nancy, did you know this?” Brad asked. Nancy nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Brad burst out.

  “We didn’t want to worry anyone,” Nancy said, not wanting to make George feel bad for telling. “Not until we knew more.”

  “Oh, Nancy,” George said apologetically. “I guess I put my foot in it this time.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” said Nancy. “Now that six people are involved, this is a whole new kind of case anyway.”

  She let out a sigh of relief. At least no one in this group had a grudge against Bess.

  Quickly she explained to Ned’s friends what had really happened. When she finished, there was an appalled silence.

  “What kind of poison is it?” asked Brad at last. “Do the doctors or police know?”

  George shook her head. “They don’t know what kind it is, or who’s doing it, or why. Their theory is that some crazy person is contaminating a common food or drink.”

  “Like lemonade,” Justin said flatly.

  “Right,” Nancy told him. “That’s why we want you to test that powder.” There was no reason to keep it a secret any longer. Since more people than Bess had been poisoned, it looked as if none of the Emerson kids was involved.

  Brad looked even more horrified than before. “You mean Bess got poisoned from the lemonade I got her? Then that means it’s my fault she’s sick!” He groaned and put his head in his hands.

  “No, it’s not!” Nancy said hastily. “Don’t feel that way, Brad. For one thing, we have no idea whether or not the poison was in the lemonade. That’s why Justin’s testing it. Besides, Brad, she’s okay now.”

  George checked her watch. “In fact, Nancy, you and I should head over there to get her.”

  “And I’ll test that lemonade,” said Justin. “Ned, do you want to come along and help?”

  “Sure,” said Ned. “Will the rest of you be okay without us?”

  Marcia spoke up. “I’m sure we will. The crowds aren’t nearly as bad as they were yesterday. In fact, I think I’ll even go home for a late lunch. No more mall food for me!”

  • • •

  Nancy and George headed out of the mall and got into Nancy’s Mustang. On the way to the hospital, they discussed the case but came up blank. Nancy decided that once they were at the hospital she wanted to question the other poisoning victims to see if there was any common thread.

  When Nancy and George arrived at the hospital, they found Bess still in bed. “I’m not ready!” she wailed at the sight of the girls. “I haven’t put on my makeup yet.”

  Nancy chuckled. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, anyway. How long do you think it’ll take you to get ready?”

  “Only twenty minutes, I swear,” said Bess.

  Twenty minutes, Nancy thought. That will probably be enough time. “George, would you keep Bess company?” she asked. George nodded, and Nancy headed out of Bess’s room.

  One of the nurses on duty gave Nancy the names and room numbers of the five other people who had been poisoned. “You’re in luck,” she added. “Visiting hours have just started.”

  The first name on the list was Bonnie Harte. She’d been the first person after Bess to be admitted with the same symptoms. Nancy knocked on her door, and a cheery voice called, “Come in!”

  Nancy opened the door to find a pretty teenage girl with short black hair and elfin features.

  “I’m Nancy Drew,” she told Bonnie. “I’m a private detective, and I’m investigating this poisoning. Would you mind answering a few questions?”

  Bonnie shook her head. “It’d be great to have someone to talk to. Being here is boring.”

  In answer to Nancy’s first question, Bonnie said she was a junior at River Heights High. “That’s where I went, too,” Nancy told her with a smile.

  “I thought you looked familiar!” Bonnie said, then frowned. “But I’m sure I’ve seen you recently, though,” she said thoughtfully. “You weren’t at the mall yesterday, were you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I was,” said Nancy. “So you were there, too? Did you have anything to eat or drink there?”

  “Nope,” Bonnie replied. “I went right after lunch so I wouldn’t be tempted by the icecream stand. I’m going to be a mermaid for Halloween, and I have to fit into my costume.”

  Strike one, thought Nancy.

  She said goodbye and went down the hall checking in on the other poison victims. Douglas Brody was a ruddy-cheeked football player whose only worry was how long he’d have to miss practice. Tiffany Weld was so sleepy that she kept dropping off in the middle of her sentences. Maryanne Jansen was fussing about all the homework she’d have to make up. And Todd Leithauser described his symptoms in such graphic detail that Nancy couldn’t wait to get away.

  None of the poison victims had had lemonade. The only thing th
ey had in common besides their symptoms was the fact that they were all students at River Heights High.

  “Bess, if only you were still in school, I’d have a link,” Nancy said back in Bess’s hospital room. “Maybe you’re the exception, though,” she mused. Maybe the other poison cases are linked. Could there be something going on at the school?”

  “I always said the cafeteria food was poisonous,” George quipped.

  Both Nancy and Bess groaned.

  “Speaking of food,” Nancy said, “do either of you feel like getting some lunch? I was just about to call Ned and ask him to meet me somewhere. I want to find out what Justin’s tests showed.”

  “Not today,” Bess said. “After this, I can’t even think about food.”

  “I don’t believe it!” George’s eyes widened in surprise. “This is one for the record books. Bess Marvin just refused food!”

  “Nancy, can you drop us off at my house?” Bess asked. “I know my parents are anxious for me to get home.”

  “Let’s go,” Nancy said, smiling. “I’m glad you’re back among the living, Bess.”

  • • •

  As she parked her Mustang in the Mexican restaurant’s parking lot, Nancy saw both Justin and Ned waiting for her by the front door.

  “Can you join us for lunch, Justin?” Nancy asked.

  Justin pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. “No way. I ate enough junk food last night,” he said ruefully. “I just wanted to give you the results of the test. Or, rather, the lack of results. Nancy, I tried every test I know, but there was no poison in that lemonade.”

  “Well, now that I’ve talked to the other five victims, I was expecting that,” Nancy told him. “Bess is the only one who drank lemonade. I guess that rules out Florida Fresh. At least the Andersons will be happy when I tell them. Thanks anyway, Justin.”

  “Happy to oblige,” he said. “I love mucking around with chemicals.”

  When she and Ned were seated in their booth, Nancy filled him in on her talk with the five other poison victims at the hospital. “All I can think is that there’s something going on at River Heights High,” she finished. “Either that, or—”

  She stopped. “Or?” Ned prompted her.

  “Well, I suddenly thought of another theory, but it sounds crazy,” said Nancy slowly.

  Ned’s smile was reassuring. “Nancy, I’ve seen you on a lot of cases, and when your instincts tell you something, they’re usually right. So what’s your latest hunch?”

  “Well, do you remember the sleeping pill scare a few years ago, when someone put cyanide in the pills?” asked Nancy.

  “Sure, I remember.”

  Nancy paused. “I just wonder if maybe this couldn’t be the same thing. Maybe the doctors are wrong about the poison being in food or drink. Maybe it was in a medicine.”

  “You could be right,” Ned said slowly, a new idea dawning on him. “Bess wasn’t feeling well even before she drank the lemonade.”

  “That’s what got me thinking about it. I wonder if she took anything for her sore throat. I’ll call her as soon as we get back to the mall. Did you have fun helping Justin?” Nancy asked.

  “I had fun, but I didn’t help—he had everything under control. You know, it was weird— when I watched Justin do those tests, I couldn’t figure out why he’d dropped chemistry. He’s really good!”

  “That’s not what he says,” Nancy replied. “He told me he switched majors because he wasn’t good enough. But maybe Justin doesn’t do anything unless he can be the best at it—no matter how many jokes he cracks.”

  Ned nodded. “I can vouch for that. You should see him in this marketing class. He’s the top student every time. I’m sure he’ll be the one to get the job with the ad agency.”

  “How about Heather?” Nancy asked, trying not to let any cattiness creep into her voice. “How does she do?”

  Ned winced. “She just sort of coasts along, but not badly actually. Grades aren’t exactly the main thing on her mind. Now, if an ad agency offered a job in the Stealing Guys from Their Girlfriends Department—”

  “Just as long as it doesn’t work with you,” Nancy told him.

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” Ned exclaimed. “Heather? Nancy, that’s an insult to my good judgment.”

  “Okay, okay,” Nancy said with a laugh. “I don’t want to start sounding like Marcia. And speaking of Marcia, I’d like to talk to her. Something about that phone call doesn’t make sense.”

  “Why don’t we go talk to her now?” Ned asked. “She went home for lunch.”

  Nancy checked her watch. “Good idea. Do you have her address, Ned?”

  “I sure do. I even know how to get to her house. Let’s drive there together in my car.”

  The trip to Marcia’s was short, and Ned and Nancy easily found her street. As Ned turned the wheel to pull onto her block, he was stopped by a police car blocking the intersection.

  “What’s going on?” Nancy wondered aloud. She rolled down her window and called to the officer in the car, “Can we go through here?”

  “Where are you headed?” he asked in return.

  “To visit a friend,” Nancy replied. “Marcia Grafton.”

  The officer just stared at her instead of replying.

  “I think she lives down at the end of the—” Ned began, but the officer cut him off.

  “Would you please park your car and come with me?” he asked them politely.

  “Why?” asked Nancy. “What’s wrong?”

  The man did not answer. He just gestured again to the side of the road.

  A feeling of dread swept over Nancy as she and Ned got out of the car. Something was wrong—very wrong.

  As they followed the officer toward another squad car, Nancy spotted a familiar figure.

  “Chief McGinnis!” she called. She had worked with the chief on earlier cases. “Maybe he’ll tell us what’s going on,” she said to Ned in a low voice.

  Chief McGinnis turned and stared at her. “Nancy, are you here to investigate?” he asked.

  “Investigate what?”

  Now the chief’s expression was grim. “There’s a young woman on this street who’s very sick.”

  Nancy grabbed Ned’s hand.

  “Who is it?” she asked.

  But she didn’t need to ask the question. She knew the answer before Chief McGinnis had opened his mouth. His words only confirmed her worst fears.

  “Marcia Grafton.”

  Chapter

  Seven

  WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?” Nancy asked, her eyes wide.

  “We’re not really sure,” Chief McGinnis replied. “But we’ll know when we get the report from the hospital. By the time the rescue squad had arrived, Marcia was unconscious.”

  Nancy and Ned exchanged a glance. Marcia’s collapse sounded frighteningly familiar.

  “You don’t seem too shocked,” the chief commented. Then, staring hard at Ned, he asked, “Who’s your friend?”

  “Ned?” Nancy asked, surprised. “This is my boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, Chief.”

  She stopped when she caught sight of the other police officer’s raised eyebrows. He looked down at the top sheet of paper on a clipboard and nodded at the chief.

  “Would you two please get into the back seat?” Chief McGinnis asked. He made a quick gesture toward his car and wouldn’t meet Nancy’s startled eyes.

  “Tell me about your relationship with Marcia Grafton,” the chief said abruptly when Nancy and Ned were in the back seat.

  He can’t suspect me of anything! Nancy thought in amazement. He knows me!

  Ned was speaking now in a calm and measured voice. “She’s a classmate of mine,” he explained. “We were working on a special research project at the mall.”

  The chiefs face was expressionless. It was impossible for Nancy to guess what he was thinking. “Who else is working on the project?” he asked.

  Ned gave him the names, and Chief McGinnis jotted quick notes on his clipb
oard, comparing his notes to the sheet of paper the other officer had left with him. Nancy tried to catch a glimpse of that sheet, but the wire mesh separating the front and back seats made it impossible.

  “How about you, Nancy?” the chief asked in an expressionless voice. “What’s your connection here?”

  Nancy steadied her nerves. What was going on? “I was helping Ned and the rest of the group,” she said.

  Chief McGinnis made another note. “If your project was at the mall, why were you going to Marcia’s house?” Again there was just a hint of suspicion in his voice.

  “She was eating lunch at home, and I wanted to ask her a few questions.”

  “Oh, so you are investigating this case?” the chief said instantly.

  “Well, I— In a way I am, yes. You see, my friend Bess was—”

  Before Nancy could finish, the other police officer opened the front door of the squad car and climbed inside. “No change in her condition,” he said.

  “How sick is Marcia?” asked Nancy.

  “Very,” said Chief McGinnis tersely. “The last report from the hospital was that she’s in a coma.”

  “A coma! But she was fine two hours ago!” Nancy gasped.

  “Well, she’s not anymore,” answered the chief.

  “Was she at home when you found her?” asked Nancy.

  “Yes. She was lying on the kitchen floor not far from the phone,” the other officer added. “She looked as if she were about to have lunch. The table was set, and there was a half-full glass of soda at her place.”

  The police radio squawked, and Chief McGinnis picked up the receiver.

  “We’ve got the others,” a woman’s voice said. “We’re on our way to HQ.”

  “Good work,” said the chief. “So are we.”

  He turned to Nancy and Ned. “You’ll have to come to headquarters with us. We need to take some statements.” He gave them a long, appraising look, as though he were trying to decide something. Then he added, “You can take your own car.”

  Nancy and Ned got back into Ned’s car. Chief McGinnis drove off, Ned following.

  “A coma!” Nancy exclaimed as she and Ned drove toward the center of River Heights. “I can’t believe it!”