My Deadly Valentine Read online

  “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.”

  “Why do you think Max is Cupid?” Nancy asked. “Is he connected to the sorority in any way?”

  Fitz’s face reddened. “Why’re you asking me?”

  “Only because you’re so involved with the girls in this house,” Nancy said pointedly.

  “I don’t know what makes Max tick,” Fitz said. “But for me, being friends with the Theta Pis is the best thing I’ve got going here at Emerson. Maybe it’s because my older sister died last year. Jessie and I were really close. I like thinking that I have a lot of sisters, right here in this house.”

  As he spoke, Nancy felt sorry for Fitz. Granted it was a little strange that he spent so much time with the girls and didn’t seem to have any male friends. But there was something endearing about the guy. And it was awfully sad about his sister.

  “Just do me a favor and remind the Theta Pis to be extra cautious until Cupid is caught,” she said. “They trust you, and they’ll listen to you.”

  “Will do,” Fitz agreed, a grin spreading across his face.

  • • •

  “The Sweetheart Feature starts in twenty minutes!” Kristin called up the stairs of the sorority house. The sisters who didn’t have dates were attending the film as a group so that no one would be left in the house alone.

  Ned had already arrived and was standing in the front hall. “Ready for Hearts Aflame?” he asked, winking at Nancy as she came downstairs. “It’s a 1950s classic.”

  “How romantic,” Bess said, putting on her jacket. “Hey,” she told Nancy and Ned, “why don’t you two go on ahead? I’ll stick with the Theta Pis so you can pretend you’re on a date.”

  “Okay.” Nancy laughed as she pulled on her mittens. “We’ll see you later.”

  The film was being shown in the theater that was also used for plays and assemblies. The main entrance of the Gothic-style building was decorated with red and white streamers and red balloons that fluttered in the steady wind.

  Nancy laughed when she saw the candy displayed at the refreshment stand—red cinnamon hearts, red licorice, and solid chocolate hearts. “They’re really into Valentine’s Day,” she said as Ned bought a box of chocolate hearts.

  As they walked down the theater aisle looking for a seat, Nancy spotted Tamara Carlson snuggled up to a handsome guy wearing a red-and-white Russell University letter jacket. That’s Tamara’s boyfriend, Nancy recalled. Zip Williams had been a suspect in a case she’d investigated at Emerson. In the end, she had proved that he was innocent.

  Nancy smiled at the couple sitting on the aisle, but the minute Tamara spotted Nancy, her face scrunched up in anger, and she jumped out of her seat. “Just a second, Nancy—” she called.

  Ned looked on in surprise as Tamara marched up to them and snapped at Nancy, “Have you got a problem?”

  “Excuse me?” Nancy said.

  “I know what you’ve been saying.” Tamara’s dark eyes flashed. “The word’s out on campus that you’ve got me on your list. You think I knocked out Rosie? Well, think again. I didn’t touch her. So why don’t you back off?”

  “Easy, now,” Ned said.

  “I’m trying to find out what really happened,” Nancy said. “And you’ve already lied to me, Tamara. You didn’t go back to the Delta House after last night’s game. You were seen in the student union—near the scene of the crime.”

  Tamara’s nostrils flared. “So?” she hissed. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

  “We’ll have proof soon enough,” Nancy said, studying Tamara’s face for a reaction. “The police found the weapon. They’re analyzing it for fingerprints right now.”

  “Big deal.” Tamara rolled her eyes. “Leave it to Rosie to launch a police investigation.”

  She doesn’t seem at all concerned about being caught, Nancy thought. Maybe Tamara wasn’t involved in the attack. “Why did you lie if you have nothing to hide?” Nancy probed.

  Tamara pouted as she considered the question, then she waved Nancy off. “Forget it. I’m not letting Rosie Lopez drag me into more trouble. Just keep me out of this!” She spun on her heel and walked back to her seat.

  “There goes one unhappy suspect,” Ned said as he and Nancy continued down the aisle. They passed Mindy and Fitz, who were sitting t
ogether at the end of one row. In front of them, a handful of Theta Pis sat with Bess. Nancy and Ned found seats off to the side, away from the crowd.

  “This case is getting weirder by the minute,” Nancy said as Ned slipped his arm around her shoulders. She told him about how she’d been shocked by the rigged light switch.

  “Nancy!” Gently, he smoothed a hand over her reddish gold hair. “You could have been hurt! You’d better be careful.”

  “All the girls are on the alert now,” she promised. “But I’m beginning to feel that I’m walking on eggshells. One wrong step and everything could crack.” She sighed. “I’ve got to solve this case before Cupid strikes again.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” Ned said as the lights dimmed and the movie started.

  At first Nancy found it hard to focus on the film because thoughts of the case kept whirling through her mind. But when the hero began to remind her of Ned, she got hooked on the movie.

  Hearts Aflame told the story of two researchers separated when the South American rain forest where they were conducting a study was ravaged by fire. The two characters traveled the world, continuing their research, never sure if the other one was still alive. Nancy found herself crying when the two of them found each other at last.

  As the movie ended, Ned gave her a hug. “I’m a sucker for a good romance,” he said.

  “You’re a soft touch, Nickerson,” Nancy said. “But that’s why I love you.”

  They filed down the aisle. Outside it was snowing. “Snow. I love it,” Nancy said delightedly, linking her arm through Ned’s.

  “Looks like an inch already, and the weather service predicted a few more,” he said, pausing to zip his jacket.

  While Ned was distracted, Nancy crept behind him and scooped up a handful of snow. “Hey, Nickerson,” she called. “Think fast!”

  Ned turned around just in time to catch a snowball in the shoulder. “Cheap shot!” he protested, scrambling to scrape up a patch of snow. “But I’ve got a killer hook shot!”

  Nancy laughed when the snowball hit her arm. “Two points!” she cried as she packed another one.

  As other moviegoers streamed past, Nancy and Ned enticed a few to join in the fight, and soon snowballs were flying through the air.

  By the time the battle wound down, Nancy had nearly forgotten the trouble at the sorority house earlier. But as she and Ned turned up the walkway to the Theta Pi house, Nancy noticed that a group of sisters were gathered in the driveway, pointing to the back of the house.

  “Looks like trouble,” Ned said as they quickened their pace.

  “What’s going on?” Nancy called out. “Is everyone okay?”

  “No one’s been hurt,” Brook answered. “But our house has been vandalized.”

  “It must have happened while we were all at the Sweetheart Feature,” said Kristin.

  Pushing through the crowd, Nancy hurried to assess the damage.

  Graffiti had been scrawled across the white siding on the back of the house. Nancy read the message splashed in green paint:

  THETA PI MUST DIE!

  It was signed “CUPID.”

  Chapter

  Eight

  THIS IS NO JOKE,” Mindy said, staring at the message. “Someone’s definitely out to get us.”

  Nancy studied the graffiti. Despite the dripping paint, she could see that the letters were scrawled in the same block print used in the note that had been pinned to Rosie’s coat. At least Cupid was consistent.

  Ned scowled. “This Cupid is a real creep.”

  “We need to notify campus security,” Nancy said, realizing that Dean Jarvis would want to know about this and the rigged electrical switch.

  “I’ll make the call,” Kristin offered.

  “Let me go with you,” Nancy said, following the girl into the house. After Kristin notified security, the campus operator put Nancy through to Dean Jarvis’s home. She gave him a quick rundown on the two incidents, and they agreed to meet in his office the next morning.

  “In the meantime, I’ll alert campus security to keep a close watch on the Theta Pi house,” he said. “It seems that Cupid is acting out a vendetta against the sorority.”

  Outside, Nancy found Ned helping a few of the girls clean off the excess wet paint. “You’ll be able to paint over it tomorrow after this has dried,” he told them. “But it’ll take a few coats of white to cover this green.”

  The girls thanked Ned, then filed into the house through the kitchen door. “Will you please tell them to be careful?” Ned whispered to Nancy as he paused just inside the kitchen door.

  “They’ve already been warned,” Nancy said. “Thanks for a fun night—till now, at least.”

  Ned shrugged. “I’ve got to spend the morning hitting the books for a psych test. What are you going to do?”

  “I need to have a talk with Tamara’s boyfriend, Zip Williams,” Nancy said.

  “But he’s over at Russell U,” Ned said.

  “It’s only a few miles away,” Nancy replied. “And I’ve got to find out the inside story on Tamara. Besides, he owes me a favor.”

  “I’ll catch up with you in the afternoon.” Ned dropped a kiss on her cheek, then backed out the door.

  Upstairs in their bedroom, the girls discussed the recent turn of events as they got ready for bed.

  “It gives me the jitters to think someone’s out to get us,” Kristin said, crawling under her comforter.

  “And did you notice the color of the paint? Green,” Mindy said as she brushed out her shiny black hair. “That’s Delta Zeta’s color.”

  “Do you think Tamara painted the graffiti?” Bess asked as she buttoned her nightgown.

  Nancy shook her head. “I don’t think she’s the person we’re looking for. First of all, I don’t think she could sneak into the basement of this house to rig a switch without attracting attention. And as far as the graffiti goes, I saw her in the theater before the movie began.”

  “I did, too,” Kristin said. “She was with her boyfriend, Zip Williams. I saw them as they were leaving the theater after the movie. So you’re right, Nancy. Tamara couldn’t have painted that message.”

  Mindy frowned. “I didn’t notice them. But isn’t it strange that the message was painted in one of Delta’s colors?”

  “Maybe someone would like us to believe that Delta Zeta is behind the vandalism,” Nancy said. “But let’s think about other suspects. Who wasn’t at the film when the graffiti was painted?”

  The girls were silent for a moment as they considered the question. Then, in unison, they answered, “Casey Thompson!”

  • • •

  “The whole world is covered with white stuff!” Fitz said as he peered into the kitchen on Thursday morning.

  “Good morning, Fitz,” Kristin said, smiling up at him. His black hair was sprinkled with snowflakes.

  Nancy, Bess, Kristin, and Brook were sitting at the kitchen table, finishing off bowls of oatmeal with brown sugar and cream. They had been staring out the window, watching the snow. It was coming down heavily, and the backyard was buried under mounds of snow.

  “I come bearing gifts.” Fitz held up an electrical switch plate and a large heart-shaped box of candy.

  “That’s beautiful!” Brook said, taking the pink-and-red box from him. Beneath the clear plastic wrap, the box was decorated with satin ribbon and a spray of tiny plastic hearts. “Who’s it for? All of us?”

  “It must be for me,” Kristin teased, looking over Brook’s shoulder.

  “Check the card,” Fitz said as he opened the door to the basement and assessed the job ahead of him.

  A white envelope was taped to the plastic. “No name on it,” Brook said as she ripped it open and pulled out a Valentine’s Day greeting card. “It says ‘Your secret admirer,’ ” Brook said. “Is this from you, Fitz?”

  “I found it sitting out on the front porch,” he explained, sliding his black leather knapsack to the floor and shaking the snow off his co
at.

  “A secret admirer,” Bess said dreamily. “Who could it be for?”

  Brook and Kristin smiled at each other.

  “I don’t know,” Brook said, “but I have a feeling every girl in this sorority is going to claim this package.”

  They all laughed.

  “Considering what’s been going on around here, maybe you should make sure the candy came from someone you trust,” Nancy pointed out.

  Brook examined the heart-shaped box. “But it’s sealed in plastic. And it would be a shame to waste such a huge box of chocolates.”

  Kristin nodded. “Let’s save it for the rush tea this afternoon. We can serve the candy then, and everyone will get a kick out of the secret admirer story.”

  “A rush tea?” Bess said curiously.

  “It’s a chance for sisters and potential pledges to get acquainted,” Kristin explained. “They get to learn about our sorority, and we check them out to see if they’d fit in. After we get through a series of rush events, we’ll choose the girls we’d like to join the sorority and begin pledging them.”

  “I’m the rush chairperson,” Brook added, checking her watch. “Which reminds me—I have classes all morning, and we need some snacks for the tea at three.” She pulled a grocery list off the refrigerator door and handed it to Kristin. “Can you make a run into town?”

  “I guess I can squeeze it in around lunchtime,” she said, eyeing the list. “But I have to get out of here, or I’ll be late for an economics quiz.”

  “And we’ve got a few leads to check out,” Nancy said, nodding at Bess. “Though this snow has put a crimp in my original plan.”

  “Do you really think Tamara’s boyfriend will talk to you?” Bess asked.

  “I have to try,” Nancy said. “Rosie is convinced that she’s the one who attacked her. Even Dean Jarvis said that the girls were reprimanded for fighting. Tamara may have been at the Sweetheart Feature when the graffiti artist struck, but I need to find out what she was really doing on Tuesday night.”

  After the house emptied out, Nancy went to the secluded nook at the top of the stairs and picked up the phone. With so much snow on the ground, she knew it wouldn’t be wise to drive to Russell University. Instead, she dialed the number of the school’s switchboard and asked for Zip Williams. The operator put her through.