Flirting With Danger Read online

Ned appeared to be fascinated watching the hero of the movie—a well-known star—rehearse. The actor jumped out of one car, leaving the door open behind him, and dragged a man out of another car parked nearby.

  Nancy’s mind wandered more and more until finally she knew she couldn’t stay there another minute.

  Josh had wandered off, and Nancy and Ned were looking for him so they could pick up his car keys. They were wandering behind the set when Nancy heard the roar of a car’s engine behind them. She turned to look back and gripped Ned’s hand.

  In the next instant her heart jumped into her throat. A green sports car with tinted windows was bearing down on them at top speed! In another second they’d be run over!

  Chapter

  Eight

  NANCY DIDN’T WASTE TIME talking. She dived to her right, pulling Ned with her. Belly-flopping onto the hard-packed earth, they rolled out of the car’s path just as its wheels flew past, sending out sprays of dirt. The right tires missed them by no more than a foot.

  “Are you hurt?” Ned asked, helping Nancy up.

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “Come on!” Her eyes were riveted on the car as it disappeared around a corner.

  She and Ned took off after the car at a dead run. They had to get a glimpse of the driver. When they made it around the corner, they found the car abandoned, with the door on the driver’s side hanging open.

  Josh and a couple of other crew members wandered toward them from the direction of their set.

  “What happened?” Josh asked, seeing how filthy they both were.

  Nancy was still checking for any sign of the driver, even though she knew it was probably hopeless. Whoever had tried to run them down was long gone.

  “Somebody tried to kill us,” Ned explained. “Fortunately Nancy saw them coming, and we rolled out of the way just in time.”

  “I’ll call studio security,” a guy in a plaid shirt called out. Another guy went to inspect the car.

  “This is getting pretty heavy,” Josh said, standing beside Ned and Nancy. “Somebody’s playing hardball now.”

  “Maybe we can get a lead from the license-plate number,” Nancy said hopefully.

  Josh shook his head. “It’s a studio car—we’re using it in the movie. Whoever wanted to run you down must have ripped it off when the prop people were busy.”

  Within a couple of minutes a man and woman in security officers’ uniforms arrived.

  “What happened?” the woman asked.

  Nancy explained that she and Ned had been walking along when someone tried to run them down, and the man in the jeans and plaid shirt told how the vehicle had been stolen from the property lot a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately, no one had seen anything.

  “I think we should let Lieutenant Heller know about this,” Josh said. He was pale under his suntan. “You two could have been killed.”

  Ned put an arm around Nancy and gave her a quick squeeze as he tried to reassure his friend. “We’re okay,” he said quietly.

  The security people left, telling them there wasn’t much they could do without a description. Nancy kicked herself for not having gotten a better look at the driver.

  Finally a man in a baseball cap called out, “All right, everybody! Back to work. We’ve got a picture to shoot!”

  Josh was reluctant to leave Nancy and Ned. “I’d better go,” he said. “Maybe you two should get out of here before something else happens.”

  Nancy glanced at her watch. “Could we take your car now, Josh?” she asked. “We’ll pick you up later.”

  “Sure,” he answered, tossing the keys to Ned. Then, with a slight wave, he turned and followed the others back to the movie set.

  “I think we’d better go change,” Ned said, looking down at his dusty clothes. Nancy’s were even worse, since she had put on white slacks that morning.

  “Me, too,” she said.

  “You’re sure you’re okay?” Ned asked as they walked through the lot to where Josh’s car was parked.

  Nancy gave him a squeeze. “I’m fine, Nickerson. How about you? You hit the ground just as hard as I did.”

  Ned grinned. “I’ll live. Though it has occurred to me that hanging around with you might not be the best way to have a long and happy life.”

  Nancy chuckled, but then her expression turned serious. “Any idea who it was?”

  Ned’s grin had faded into an angry frown. “Don’t know. Maybe the same person who shoved you off the deck at the party,” he answered.

  They’d reached Josh’s car, and Ned opened the passenger door for Nancy. “One thing’s sure—we had to have been followed from the Klines’,” Nancy pointed out as she slipped into the car.

  “You’re right,” Ned agreed, starting the ignition. He turned to face her. “Nancy, maybe we should think about dropping this. The police are on the case. Whoever this person is, he or she is dead serious.”

  “You know I don’t walk away from a case until it’s solved,” Nancy pointed out. “And it wasn’t necessarily the same person who pushed me. There could be several people involved.”

  “If you had been hurt—”

  “But I wasn’t, Ned. And neither were you. Look, we’re not stopping until we find Rachel and figure out what’s going on.”

  “I just hope we survive that long,” Ned said, pulling out of the parking lot.

  When the two of them arrived back at the house less than a half hour later, Mrs. Kline greeted them at the door.

  “My goodness,” she exclaimed, taking in their clothes. “What happened?”

  Nancy didn’t want to alarm the woman, but she couldn’t tell a lie, either. “There was an accident at the studio,” she said. “But no one was hurt.”

  Mrs. Kline’s eyes were wide with worry. “What kind of accident?”

  Nancy glanced at Ned before reluctantly replying, “We were almost run down by a car.”

  Josh’s mother gasped. “What?”

  “Apparently somebody wants us to stop asking questions,” Ned said quietly.

  “Which means we might be getting close,” Nancy added. “Mrs. Kline, have you heard anything from the police about the fingerprints?”

  Even before Karen answered, Nancy could tell by her expression that the news was disappointing. “They did find a set of strange prints,” she said. “But whoever broke in has no criminal record, so nobody can be identified.”

  Nancy sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I take it there hasn’t been any other news?”

  Mrs. Kline shook her head, and her eyes moved over Nancy’s and Ned’s clothes again. “Maybe you should just let the police handle this. Allen and I would never forgive ourselves if something happened—”

  “We’ve had experience with situations like this,” Nancy broke in gently, squeezing Mrs. Kline’s hand. “And I promise we’ll be careful.”

  With that, Nancy and Ned excused themselves and went upstairs. Once in her room, Nancy washed and changed into a pair of blue cotton shorts and a matching top. Downstairs, Nancy found Ned waiting to go to the Golden Hills Mall to meet Beth. Dennis’s apartment would have to wait until later.

  Once they were in the car and headed toward the mall, Ned glanced over at Nancy quickly as he steered the car onto the highway.

  “What do you think Beth wants to see you about?” he asked.

  “Something about Dennis’s relationship with Rachel, I hope,” Nancy replied. The two were silent until Ned parked the car and the two of them headed to the cool, glass-topped shopping plaza.

  After consulting a directory, Nancy and Ned found the colorful sign over the door of the pizza place.

  “Do you want to talk to her alone?” Ned asked. He thought Beth would probably feel uncomfortable opening up with him there.

  Nancy shook her head. “She sounded pretty anxious on the telephone this morning. Whatever it is, she’s having a lot of trouble holding it in.”

  They entered the restaurant, and Nancy spotted Beth in a corner of the room. Jess
ica was standing beside the table, her hands thrust into the pockets of her jean jacket. She didn’t look friendly.

  Nancy and Ned approached as quietly as they could.

  “You’d just better not spill the beans, Hanford,” Jessica was warning an ashen-faced Beth in acid tones. “Because if you do, you’ll pay for it!”

  Chapter

  Nine

  WHEN SHE TURNED AROUND and faced Nancy and Ned, Jessica’s cheeks were glowing with color. The girl took one hand out of her jacket pocket to push her hair back, and a piece of paper slipped to the floor.

  “Spill what beans?” Nancy challenged Jessica. It was obvious to Nancy that she had overheard something important. She wasn’t going to let Jessica off.

  Jessica and Beth were both caught off guard. Beth’s face was white, but Jessica had recovered quickly. “You know, Nancy,” Jessica said tartly, “I’m getting a little tired of all your questions. It just so happens that what Beth and I were talking about is none of your business.”

  Beth bit down hard on her lower lip, then bolted out of her seat. “I can’t talk to you now, Nancy,” she said hurriedly. “Sorry!”

  Before Nancy could think of a way to stop her, Beth raced out of the restaurant without a backward glance.

  Nancy folded her arms and turned to Jessica, who raised her chin a degree and stared defiantly into Nancy’s face. Nancy wouldn’t let Jessica get away.

  “I’ll get some sodas,” Ned said, and he went over to the counter.

  “Sit down, Jessica,” Nancy said. She could tell the girl was hiding something, and she was determined to find out what.

  Jessica shook her head. She pushed back her brown hair again and gave Nancy a steely stare from her icy blue eyes. “Why should I?” she asked with a smirk.

  “Whatever you said really scared Beth,” Nancy began.

  Jessica shrugged. “Beth is a wimp,” she said.

  Nancy thought about the fall she’d taken from the Beckers’ deck and the near miss on the studio lot that day. She wondered if Jessica could have been behind one or both attacks. The girl seemed to be good at threatening people, and it was only one step further to actually endangering a life. She confronted the girl.

  “You know, Jessica,” she said, “whatever it is you’re hiding, I’m going to find out. And if you’re involved with Rachel’s disappearance, the charges might be very serious.”

  A shocked expression passed over Jessica’s face, but she quickly composed herself. When she spoke, her words were harsh and bitter. “Rachel deserves whatever she gets,” she said. With that, she stormed toward the door, almost knocking down Ned, who was carrying three sodas on a tray.

  Jessica is hiding something, Nancy thought. She didn’t even try to defend herself. Quickly Nancy went over and retrieved the piece of paper that had fallen from Jessica’s pocket. She hadn’t wanted Jessica to see her pick it up.

  “What happened?” Ned asked, setting down the tray and glancing over Nancy’s shoulder as her eyes scanned the note.

  On the front of the paper was a sketch of the cat she and Ned had seen on Beth’s necklace and on the wall at the Snake Pit. “ ‘Special party at Kat Club Headquarters,’ ” she read out loud. “ ‘Four twenty-two Beach Drive. Seven P.M.’ ”

  “When is it?” Ned asked.

  “It’s tomorrow night.” She tapped the cat drawing with her fingernail. “I have a feeling we’re about to make a major breakthrough.”

  Ned pushed one of the sodas toward Nancy and sat down opposite her. “Did you find out anything from Miss Personality?”

  Nancy sighed. “No. And there’s probably no use in trying to talk with Beth, either. Jessica really intimidated her. After we leave here, let’s go to Dennis Harper’s apartment.”

  Ned narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Nan. After everything that’s happened, I think we should let the police handle Harper.”

  “But—”

  “Look, he could be the one who’s been trying to scare you away. Maybe he knows you’re on to him. He could be laying a trap for you right now.”

  Nancy had to admit that Ned had a point. Dennis Harper could be dangerous. “How about if we go later with Josh?” she asked. “With three of us, we should be safe.”

  “You don’t let up, do you?” Ned said in mock exasperation. Nancy shook her head. “But now I think an afternoon in the sun beside the Klines’ pool won’t hurt, either,” Ned suggested.

  Breaking out in a wide grin, Nancy offered her hand for a shake. “It’s a deal,” she said.

  When they arrived at the Klines’, Allen Kline wasn’t at home. He had forced himself to go to his office for the afternoon. Mrs. Kline was speaking to the police on the telephone. She shook her head, indicating that there were no new developments, so Nancy and Ned went upstairs to change.

  Fifteen minutes later they were sitting with their feet dangling in the Klines’ pool. “Not one word about the case,” Ned said, laying a finger to Nancy’s lips just as she was about to open her mouth.

  She slipped into the water and swam out to the middle. Ned took a plunge off the diving board. While they were swimming, Nancy forced herself not to think about the case once. By the time they were drying off, her mind was clearer.

  “I guess we’d better get Josh,” Ned said, touching Nancy’s cheek briefly with one finger. “You know, Nan, I wish we could be together like this more often.”

  Nancy nodded and studied her handsome boyfriend. What other guy could make her laugh and would help her out on cases the way he did? Nancy reached up and threw her arms around his neck as Ned wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up into his warm brown eyes and was drawn closer to him. Before she knew it, they were caught in a breathtaking kiss that seemed to last forever.

  “Wow,” Ned murmured when it was over. “I love you, Nancy.”

  “I love you, too, Ned,” Nancy said into Ned’s ear. Reluctantly she pulled away and met his eye. “We’d better get going. I think Josh would resent having to walk all the way home.”

  As they headed to the studio ten minutes later traffic was especially heavy. Nancy and Ned were a few minutes late to pick Josh up at the studio gates. He appeared to be tired and discouraged.

  “Any word?” he asked as they drove away.

  Ned was still at the wheel. “Sorry, buddy,” he said sympathetically. “As far as we know, there haven’t been any new developments.”

  “We did find out about something called the Kat Club,” Nancy told him. “They’re having a party tomorrow night, and Ned and I are planning to crash it. Want to come along?”

  Josh was frowning. “The Kat Club?”

  Nancy reminded him about the threatening note they’d gotten the night of the party at the Surf Club. “These Kats, whoever they are, don’t want us around. Crashing their party is the best way to find out just who they are.”

  When they arrived back at the Kline house, Mrs. Morgan told them Mr. and Mrs. Kline were having dinner in their room. No one needed to say how difficult the last few days had been for them.

  “I hope they’ll let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Nancy said. “Josh, I want to ask you a favor—”

  Just then the phone rang, and Nancy and Ned paused while Josh answered it. As he was hanging up he gave them a weary smile. “That was the studio. I have to go back to work for a few hours.”

  After Josh left, Ned said, “You’re disappointed we can’t go to Harper’s place, aren’t you?”

  Nancy nodded. “But I guess it can wait. First thing tomorrow, though, right?”

  “Right. Now how about—”

  Mrs. Morgan came to find them. “Dinner is ready,” she told them. “If you don’t mind, I’ve set the table in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Morgan,” Nancy said.

  “I’m starved,” Ned said.

  “What else is new?” Nancy replied, giving him a friendly punch in the side.

  In the kitchen crisp s
eafood salads and warm rolls waited for them. Ned took a couple of sodas from the refrigerator and filled both their glasses.

  Nancy sat down and picked up her fork. Through the kitchen windows she could see the swimming pool sparkling turquoise in the early-evening summer sun. She let her mind wander, chewing thoughtfully. “I think I’ll call Beth later,” she said after a while. “Maybe she’s ready to talk now.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Ned answered, breaking a roll apart and buttering it generously. “It looked to me like Jessica scared her but good,” he said.

  “About what, that’s the question,” Nancy said. “What if she knows where Rachel is, and Jessica was warning her not to tell?”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Ned said, pushing back his plate. “Why would Jessica not want us to find Rachel?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “It is a little confusing. If Beth is really Rachel’s friend, she’d find some way to let us know where she is.”

  “I’d say so,” Ned agreed. “We still don’t know how this Harper guy is involved,” he pointed out.

  “Jessica seems to think they’ve run off together,” Nancy said. “Still, if that were the case, I think Rachel would have called her parents by now to let them know she was safe.”

  “What do you say we try to watch a movie on the VCR?” Ned suggested.

  Reluctantly Nancy agreed. There was nothing more for her to do that night. Nancy and Ned rinsed their plates and cups and set them in the dishwasher. Then Ned took two cans of soda from the refrigerator, and they headed to the den.

  Nancy looked at the tapes lying beside the VCR. She smiled when she saw Casablanca, one of her favorite old movies. “Can you stand it again?” she asked Ned. He smiled and then switched on the big-screen TV after slipping the tape into the VCR.

  Ned settled himself on the couch next to Nancy, head back, arms folded across his chest. They waited, but nothing came on the screen. Frowning, Nancy got up and took the tape out. “Somebody must have erased it or something,” she said. She put the tape aside and picked out another one.