151 The Chocolate-Covered Contest Read online

  the door closed behind her.

  “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me,”

  Nancy said.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled as Mr. Castle

  smiled. “It's always a pleasure to help a worthy cause,”

  he told Nancy. “Joyce says the Science Sleuths are here

  at Kings Commons for an educational field trip.

  Perhaps you could tell me a little about the work that

  you do.”

  Nancy gave a brief explanation of the group's

  mission and activities. Mr. Castle nodded encour-

  agingly as she explained how the park's rides, the

  wildlife, and the chocolate factory fit into their lesson

  plans for the week.

  “I'm impressed,” he said when Nancy paused to take

  a breath.

  “I'm sorry I can't give you more details,” Nancy

  apologized. “The leader of our group, Andrea Cassella,

  was supposed to meet with you this morning, but she

  was indisposed and I was asked to fill in at the last

  minute.”

  Mr. Castle fumbled with his pen, his expression

  suddenly very serious.

  “Pardon me. What did you say?”

  “I said our leader was indisposed—”

  “What happened to her?” Mr. Castle interrupted,

  his voice impatient.

  Nancy wiped her palms on Bess's blazer. She wasn't

  sure what had happened, but this interview had

  definitely taken a turn for the worse.

  Nancy cleared her throat. “Andrea has a peanut

  allergy. On the factory tour, she accidentally ate a

  peanut butter candy and had to be taken to the

  emergency room.”

  “Accidentally?” Mr. Castle pronounced each syllable

  distinctly. “How, exactly, did that happen?”

  Nancy explained that the candy wrapper was

  mislabeled.

  “Ah, yes.” Mr. Castle nodded. “The two hundred

  thousand dollar mistake. We were forced to stop

  production of our Jelly Rogers candies and pull all

  those currently scheduled for shipment. All because of

  your friend's accident.”

  Was Mr. Castle implying that it wasn't an accident?

  Surely he couldn't blame Andrea for what had

  happened, Nancy thought. Could he? “It certainly was

  unfortunate,” Nancy agreed, “but I'm afraid I don't

  understand—”

  “Frankly, Ms. Drew,” Mr. Castle interrupted, “Royal

  Chocolates is having a disastrous year financially. A

  competitor has introduced a rival candy which has

  decreased our profits dramatically. With the additional

  burden of today's Jelly Rogers recall—the one in which

  your friend was involved—I'm sorry to say that I've

  decided to suspend our educational grants program.

  Effective immediately.”

  Nancy relaxed her head against the chair's high

  back. She didn't understand what had just happened.

  Mr. Castle was acting as though Andrea had gotten sick

  on purpose. As though she had actually set out to hurt

  Royal's business.

  At the beginning of their conversation, Mr. Castle

  had seemed interested in the Sleuths' program and

  willing to help. Yet now he was saying that the entire

  educational grants program was to be discontinued.

  Before she could decide how to phrase an appeal,

  Mr. Castle stood, clearly ready to end their interview.

  “I'm sorry to have wasted your time,” he said. “If

  there are any changes in the status of the program, I'll

  let your friend—Ms. Cassella?—know.”

  Nancy nodded, aware of the tension in the man's

  voice as he said Andrea's name.

  “I'll let Ms. Cassella know. Now, if you'll excuse

  me—” He escorted Nancy to the door.

  Nancy handed him the Science Sleuths brochures

  that she had tucked into her purse. “I sympathize with

  your difficulties, Mr. Castle, but I hope you will keep

  us in mind if funds do become available. I'd like to

  leave these with you. They describe the Science

  Sleuths' program, and we would appreciate it if you'd

  review them at your convenience.” She shook his hand.

  “Thank you for your time.”

  Nancy found Joyce on the phone in her office. Joyce

  held up a hand and motioned for Nancy to sit while she

  quickly wrapped up her conversation.

  “What happened?” Joyce put a hand over Nancy's as

  she hung up the receiver. “You look as though you've

  been through the wringer.”

  “Our meeting didn't exactly go well,” Nancy said.

  “Mr. Castle claims the educational grants program has

  been canceled.”

  Joyce's brown eyes widened. “Really? I'm surprised.

  I am sorry, Nancy, but please don't take it personally.

  Mr. Castle is famous for his whims. I bet he changed

  his mind after we pulled that batch of Jelly Rogers

  today. The company lost a lot of money, and he's very

  upset.”

  Nancy nodded. She was sure there was more to it

  than that, but she didn't want to get into it with Joyce.

  “While we're on the subject of our company's sad

  finances,” Joyce said, “have you managed to come up

  with anything on Diana?”

  Nancy shook her head. “I'm following a few leads,

  but I don't have anything solid yet. Can I call you later

  to discuss what I'm working on?”

  “Sure. Whenever.” Joyce slumped down in her seat.

  “I'll be here.”

  Nancy glanced at her watch. “Oh, boy, I've got to get

  going. Bess and George will be having their hands full

  at the water park.”

  Joyce smiled. “I'll say. You go ahead. We'll talk later.

  And please send Andrea my best.”

  “I will. Thanks.” As Nancy stepped out of the office

  she practically mowed down John Tumey.

  “Pardon me,” he said, moving quickly out of her

  way.

  Nancy noticed his downcast eyes and his jumpy

  demeanor. He had obviously been eavesdropping,

  Nancy realized. Why would he care what she had to say

  to Joyce? There was only one thing she knew for

  certain, she decided. Royal Chocolates was one strange

  place.

  So was Water Wonderland, where Nancy found the

  Sleuths beside a pool cluttered with flip-flops and

  towels and people. Kings Commons seemed a world

  away. Rather than chocolate, the air smelled of

  chlorine. Speakers blared perky carousel music.

  “If I hear Row, Row, Row Your Boat' one more

  time. . .” Bess murmured through clenched teeth. “Oh,

  Nan, what happened?”

  Before Nancy could answer Kenny tugged on Bess's

  arm. “I forgot my towel,” he said.

  “That's no problem. We can rent one for the

  outrageous fee of two dollars.” Bess inserted quarters

  into a machine in rapid succession. “Voilà,” she said.

  “One towel. What I want to know is, how can Royal

  have financial troubles with prices like these?”

  “I don't know, but you wouldn't believe the troubles

  they do have,” Nancy told her. “Mr. Castle decided to

  ca
ncel the educational grants program today.”

  “You're kidding,” Bess said, handing Emma her flip-

  flops. “Why did he agree to meet with you in the first

  place?”

  Nancy shrugged. “If you ask me, the whole thing is

  very fishy.”

  Kenny whipped his towel through the air. “Will we

  be seeing any little fishies in the Royal Wave pool?”

  Nancy laughed. “Is that a hint, Kenny?”

  “Yes. I'm ready to go swimming.”

  “So are we. Come on. Let's go.” George hustled the

  Sleuths toward the wave pool.

  Glistening water stretched in every direction. Blue

  waves lapped against a sandy snore dotted with colorful

  beach towels. In the middle of the Royal Wave pool

  stood a tall ship with water slides and gangplanks for

  diving.

  “We're going on Her Majesty's Ship,” Emma

  announced.

  “Wait.” Bess stopped her before she took off

  running. “These are the rules. Stay with your buddy at

  all times. Listen to the lifeguards. No running. No

  cannonballs.”

  “Besides those,” Laura said, pointing at the large

  cannons on the side of the ship.

  “And Tyler and Katie, don't go in deeper than three

  feet,” Bess said. “This is not the place to try to learn to

  swim.”

  Tyler saluted. “Aye, Captain.”

  The Sleuths giggled.

  “No running!” Bess called after them as they took off

  for the water.

  A few minutes later Nancy, Bess, and George were

  treading water in the deep area beside Her Majesty's

  Ship, trying to keep their eyes on all ten Sleuths.

  “So what happened in Mr. Castle's office?” George

  asked.

  Nancy gave Bess and George a brief summary. “The

  strangest part was that Mr. Castle's attitude changed as

  soon as he heard Andrea's name. It was almost as

  though he knew her.”

  “But of course he doesn't,” Bess said, her breath

  coming in gasps as she struggled to keep her head

  above the water. “Know her, I mean. Andrea would

  have told us.”

  “I hope so,” Nancy said. “But Mr. Castle was so

  suspicious, Bess. In fact, he practically accused her of

  having an allergic reaction on purpose.”

  “As if she would almost die on purpose,” Bess

  scoffed.

  George pushed dark, wet ringlets of hair from her

  eyes. “I hate to say it, but Mr. Castles idea might not be

  so out there. I mean, Andrea is the one who ate the

  peanut butter—even if it was an accident. She's the

  one who drove our van off the road—even if it was an

  accident. And she's the one who gave Bess that instant-

  win bar. . . .” George trailed off.

  “Even if that was an accident?” Nancy asked. “Is that

  what you were going to say?”

  “I don't know,” George replied. “Andrea let us think

  she bought Bess's candy here at the park when she

  didn't. She told us she bought all the candy at once,

  when apparently she didn't. Also, how did Bess's

  wrapper get rubber cement on it? Unless Andrea put it

  there.”

  “But why would she do that?” Bess asked. “What

  would Andrea get out of any of this?”

  “This is just a theory,” Nancy said, “but Royal

  Chocolates and Mr. Castle have been hurt by every

  single thing that's happened to us. If—and it's a big

  if—if Andrea does actually have some sort of

  connection to Robert Castle, maybe she also had a way

  of getting the instant-win code from Royal. It's a long

  shot, I know.” Nancy spoke slowly, choosing her words

  with care. “But it's not inconceivable that Andrea's the

  one who counterfeited the winning wrapper.”

  “Then stuck it together with the rubber cement,”

  George said.

  Bess's jaw dropped and water ran into her mouth.

  “That doesn't make any sense,” she sputtered. “If she

  made herself an instant-win wrapper, why did she turn

  around and give it to me?”

  “It must have been a mistake,” George said

  dismissively. “She got the chocolate bars mixed up.”

  Nancy kicked onto her back and floated. “That's

  possible, I guess. But nothing adds up. We can't leap to

  conclusions, and we definitely have to talk to Andrea.”

  “Watch me!” Laura called. She bounced on the end

  of the gangplank, then did a quick somersault. Toes

  pointed, she landed a few feet from Nancy's head.

  Nancy choked as waves washed over her face. She

  lifted her head and looked toward the shallow end. Her

  heart went to her throat. Katie and Tyler were gone.

  9. Deepening and Darkening

  “Katie!” Bess called. “Katie! Tyler!”

  “They were just there a second ago.” Georges

  powerful crawl stroke had already propelled her

  halfway to the shallow end.

  Nancy turned to the lifeguard, who shouted at

  Nancy, “Do they know how to swim?”

  Nancy shook her head grimly as she got out of the

  pool. Just then she saw Katie's head pop out from

  behind the lifeguard tower. Her wet feet slapped

  against the pavement as she and Tyler both hurried

  toward Nancy.

  The guard blew her whistle at them. “No running!”

  “These are the children,” Nancy said to the guard.

  “They're here!” she called, waving her arms at Bess and

  George.

  “No running!” the lifeguard yelled as Bess raced

  toward them. George followed a few steps behind.

  “Don't you know you can't disappear like that?” Bess

  scolded, keeping one eye on the other Sleuths and the

  tall ship.

  “Sorry,” Katie said, her eyes downcast.

  “What do you think you were doing?” Bess de-

  manded.

  “Someone was spying on us,” Tyler said.

  “We saw her. Over there.” Katie pointed behind the

  lifeguard tower. “But her face was all covered up with a

  floppy flowered hat and sunglasses.”

  “We tried to catch her, but she got away. Look—we

  found a clue. Besides being a spy, she's also a litterbug.

  She dropped this.” Tyler held up a Crown Jewels

  wrapper. “It must have been that Diana lady who hates

  us. She's always eating these chocolates, and she's

  always following us wherever we go.”

  “Tyler, I don't mean to criticize your detective

  work,” Bess said, “but we're at Royal Chocolates

  headquarters. Everyone's eating these Crown Jewels

  bars.”

  “Wait a minute,” Nancy said to Tyler and Katie. “I

  know you guys are good observers. Did you notice the

  woman's legs?”

  “Yes,” Katie said. “She had a bruise on her knee. It

  was really big and purple.”

  Nancy turned to Bess and George. “I remember

  Diana complaining that she had bruised her leg

  yesterday. I know lots of people have bruises on their

  legs, but Tyler and Katie are right. Diana does seem to

  be following us whe
rever we go. Why is that?”

  “Hey!” George shouted at Kenny and Noah. “Stop

  splashing.”

  “But we're doing an experiment,” Kenny said.

  “Splash equals mass times acceleration,” Noah called

  out. “One, two, three. Go!”

  “Great. A contest to see who can splash the hardest,”

  Bess said. “Okay!” she yelled. “Out of the water.

  Everybody out.”

  “But we're not finished,” Noah said.

  “I didn't get to go on the water slide on my back,”

  Emma complained. “Only my stomach. I won't be able

  to compare the velocities for my assignment.”

  Bess held up her hands. “We're all turning into

  wrinkled prunes, and Laura's lips are blue. It's time to

  get out of the water. I'm sorry.”

  “Don't mess with Bess,” Katie said to Ashley. Nancy

  smiled as Ashley nodded solemnly.

  “I heard that,” Bess said. Then she grinned, and the

  girls burst into giggles.

  After changing back into their street clothes, the

  Sleuths waited in line at the gate to return to the main

  park.

  “Hey!” Kenny shouted.

  Bess jumped. “Kenny, you scared me half to death—

  —” she began.

  “Hey!” Kenny shouted louder. “There's that Diana

  lady.”

  Nancy spotted Diana coming through the gate that

  led into the water park. She looked up when she heard

  her name.

  “How come you were spying on us when we were

  swimming?” Kenny asked her. “Don't you know that's

  rude?”

  Diana turned to her husband, ignoring Kenny. “I

  wish those kids would leave us alone,” Nancy heard her

  say. “I don't know what he's talking about. I haven't

  been to the water park today.”

  She shoved through the crowd, and she and Phil

  disappeared inside the park.

  Kenny made his way over to Nancy. “Diana's lying,”

  Kenny said proudly. “I saw her hand. It had a whale

  stamp on it. That means she was already inside the

  water park. She was inside and then left.”

  “Great detective work, Kenny,” Nancy praised him.

  “How's this for detective work?” Kenny asked. “I see

  Royal Pain is running again.” He pointed off into the

  distance. “Therefore, I deduce that it must be fixed.

  Can we go on it now?”

  “Please? Pretty please?” the rest of the Sleuths

  chorused.

  “Sure,” George said.

  Bess shot her cousin a look. “I'm not going on that

  thing,” she whispered fiercely.