097 Squeeze Play Read online

  "That sure gives her a motive," Luke commented when Nancy finished reading.

  "It could," she said.

  The three of them stopped at a drive-in several blocks down from the River's Edge. Over burgers and fries, Luke continued to talk about Stormy. Sean was quiet. When they were finished with lunch, Luke dropped off Nancy at her house. She told the guys that she'd see them at the game later, waved goodbye, and jogged up the walk.

  Inside, she headed straight for the phone and dialed George's number. Bess was with her cousin. Nancy told them everything that had happened at the hotel, then asked them to pick her up right away. "I've got a suspect to check out," she explained.

  "No problem," George replied.

  Ten minutes later Nancy heard a horn and dashed out the front door. When she reached her car, George scooted over so that she could drive.

  "Where to now?" Bess asked.

  "I want to check out Rebecca's apartment," Nancy said, taking her notebook out of her purse. "Let's see if we can find it."

  It took Nancy only a few minutes to drive to the run-down apartment complex where Rebecca lived. She wondered if Delgado had already posted an agent there. If so, would he let them in? Of course, the FBI was supposed to be keeping a low profile, so maybe they'd let her do as she wished.

  "Watch for building G," Nancy said as she turned into the long driveway. The apartment buildings showed all the signs of age and neglect —peeling paint, missing shingles, and overgrown flower beds.

  "There it is," Bess said, pointing to a large wooden G hanging on one of the buildings. Nancy quickly parked the car, crossed the lawn, and climbed to the second floor. On the landing at the top of the stairs, Nancy found her first clue.

  "Gray clay," George said as Nancy pointed it out. "Is that important?"

  "I don't know," Nancy said. "But there was gray clay by the side door of Sean's garage yesterday."

  Nancy knocked on the apartment door and waited several minutes before pulling out her lock-pick kit from her pocket. "Tell me if anyone comes," she said quietly before going to work.

  In a moment the door swung open and Nancy peeked in at an empty studio apartment with a tiny kitchenette at one end.

  "It won't take long to check out this place," Bess joked as she and George followed Nancy into the room.

  Nancy glanced behind her one last time before closing the door. No one had seen them go in. She stood still just inside the door, her sharp eyes taking in every detail of the apartment.

  "That must be Rebecca," she said, pointing to a picture on the coffee table. It was a shot of a young woman with short red hair and a bright smile.

  "It fits the description Luke gave us," George confirmed.

  "That's not all," Bess stammered, her eyes getting big. She stepped over to the picture to look more closely. "She's wearing a Falcons' concession stand uniform."

  "Are you sure?" George asked, joining her friends by the picture. "All you can see is the shirt collar."

  "You can see part of the Falcon emblem," Nancy said, pointing to the tiny embroidered image of Freddy the Falcon.

  "Why didn't Sean tell us she worked at the stadium?" George asked.

  "Maybe he didn't know," Nancy said, straightening up. "It could be an old picture."

  "Maybe she was fired and has a grudge against the Falcons," Bess suggested excitedly.

  "That's speculation," Nancy said. "But we'll have to check it out."

  "I can help with that," Bess said. "I'll ask around at work tonight."

  "Good idea," Nancy said. "Now let's see what else we can find." She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped it around the knob on the drawer of the end table. Inside, Nancy found a stack of papers.

  "They look like bills," George said as Nancy turned over each paper, using the handkerchief to avoid leaving prints.

  "Past-due bills," Bess added. "I guess Rebecca has money problems."

  She continued leafing through the stack, then stopped when she came to a half-written letter.

  "I've seen this handwriting before," she said, pulling out the letter and laying it on top of the table. "I bet it matches the shopping list we found at Sean's. The FBI will be able to say for sure."

  Nancy folded up the letter and put it into her pocket. She checked the tiny bathroom next and poked through each cupboard in the kitchen, but found nothing else interesting.

  "Well, we found two clues anyway," Bess said as Nancy carefully closed the door. "The letter and the unpaid bills."

  "Three, counting the clay," George added.

  "Yes," Nancy said as they descended the stairs. "But remember, sometimes what you don't find can be just as important as what you do."

  Bess and George wanted to know what else she had discovered. Nancy was about to explain when she nearly bumped into a plump, silver-haired woman in thick glasses who was on her way up the steps.

  "You must have come to see Rebecca Carter," the woman said, eyeing the girls suspiciously.

  "What makes you say that?" Nancy asked.

  "Because you're coming down the stairs, and only Rebecca and I live up there," the woman said. "You didn't come to see me, did you?"

  "Rebecca was supposed to meet us for lunch today, and she didn't show," Nancy said. "Do you know where she might be?"

  "No, but you're the second set of visitors Rebecca has had today," she said. "Unusual for such a loner."

  "Really?" Nancy said. "Who else was here?"

  "Two young ladies," the woman said. She cocked her head to one side as though suddenly realizing something of great importance. "They were in her apartment this morning. But it's funny, I didn't see Rebecca. In fact, I saw her leave yesterday, and I didn't see her come back."

  "What did her other visitors look like?" Nancy asked. "Maybe I know them."

  "Well, I'm pretty sure one of them had brown hair," the woman said, her eyes narrowing to slits. "But it could have been blond. And the other one was wearing shorts and a shirt—white, I think, or maybe blue."

  Bess turned her head just enough so the woman couldn't see her when she rolled her eyes.

  Nancy thanked the woman warmly and went to her car.

  "Who do you suppose was in Rebecca's apartment this morning," Bess whispered as they climbed into the Mustang.

  "The FBI, maybe," Nancy said, wondering what the agents might have found.

  "I'm supposed to be at the ballpark in forty-five minutes," Bess said. "Could we swing by my place so I can get into my uniform?"

  Nancy agreed. While she and George waited for Bess, they talked about the case. They planned to eat dinner at the stadium during the game. It took Bess almost half an hour to change. Back in the car on the way to the Roost, Bess started to get nervous about being late. "I knew I should have ironed this blouse earlier," she fretted. "But maybe I'll still be on time."

  She was checking her watch for the third time when Nancy pulled up to an intersection. A large truck hauling lumber was making a slow turn, blocking their way.

  "Now we missed the light," Bess said as the signal turned red. "And this is not a good day to make my supervisor unhappy. I wanted to ask her about Rebecca."

  "I think this is a bad-luck intersection," George said. "This is the same place the concrete truck nearly hit us yesterday."

  "Yes," Nancy said as the light turned green again. "There must be some construction going on west of town."

  A few minutes later Nancy pulled her car into the Roost parking lot. Bess hurried toward her concession stand, and George followed Nancy to the locker rooms.

  "I want to see if I can talk to Rod Sanders before the game," Nancy said, taking long strides. "He's the one who recommended Rebecca to Sean."

  "How are you going to talk to Rod without telling him about the kidnapping?'' George asked.

  "I thought I could pretend to be a free-lance writer/' Nancy said. "With Luke's help it just might work."

  Nancy and George found a batboy to take a message into the locker room to Luk
e, but they had to wait almost fifteen minutes before he came out.

  "We were having a team meeting," he explained, flashing a smile in George's direction. "Barrows is trying to get everyone psyched up for this one."

  He agreed to tell Rod that Nancy was a freelance journalist.

  Nancy and George waited while Luke went back into the locker room. When he reappeared, Rod wasn't with him.

  "I don't understand it," Luke said. "He refused to come out, and he never turns down interviews."

  "Maybe he didn't believe I was a reporter," Nancy said quietly.

  "No, that wasn't it," Luke said. "He just doesn't want to talk to reporters. He said you could call him next week."

  "It almost sounds like he has something to hide," George remarked.

  Nancy was about to agree when the locker room door swung open with such force that it slammed into the wall with a crash. An angry

  Sean Reeves strode through the door and grabbed Nancy by the shoulder. He steered her forcefully down the corridor to a quiet corner and pushed her up against the wall.

  "Listen and listen good!" he said. "I want you off this case, and the FBI, too. I want you all to get out of my life!"

  Chapter Ten

  Staring into Sean's anguished eyes, Nancy knew immediately that something awful had happened.

  "Okay," she said carefully. "If you're sure that's what you want, I'll back off. But first let's talk."

  Sean took his hands off her shoulders and tipped his head back in a way that told Nancy he was trying to get himself under control.

  "Tell me what happened," she coaxed gently.

  "I got another phone call," he said, still gazing toward the ceiling. "It was Caitlin." He lowered his head and put both hands up to his face. "She was crying."

  Nancy waited, afraid to speak or even to move for fear Sean would stop talking.

  "She kept saying she wanted to come home," he said, his voice cracking. "She begged me not to tell anyone. She said if I tell, she can't come home."

  Nancy's mind was racing. She knew the call had terrified Sean, but it gave her new hope. At least Caitlin was all right.

  "When did you get the call?" she asked.

  "Just now," he replied, finally looking at Nancy. "In Barrows's office."

  "Did Barrows take the call?" Nancy pressed.

  Sean nodded.

  "Did he talk to Caitlin?"

  "No," Sean said. "He said it was some guy, then when I got there, Caitlin was on the line."

  Nancy quickly considered her male suspects. It couldn't have been Rod Sanders or Bill Barrows. Both of them had been in the locker room. So who could have made the call?

  "Listen carefully," Nancy said firmly. "Some guy has Caitlin and he doesn't know you've told anyone or you wouldn't have gotten that call. Are you sure you want me off the case?"

  Sean gazed up at the ceiling again, then shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm not sure of anything, except that I want my little girl back."

  "Then you've got to give us more time."

  Sean took a deep breath, pressing his eyes closed for a moment. "Okay," he whispered at last.

  Nancy turned away from him long enough to observe Luke and George watching from down the corridor. Nancy nodded to them, and Luke came over quickly to stand beside Sean. Nancy took a deep breath. "You two have a ballgame to play," she said, trying to sound as upbeat as she could.

  "She's right," Luke said, slapping Sean lightly on the shoulder.

  "Yeah, I know," Sean said tonelessly. The two players were almost to the locker room door when Sean turned around. "Thanks, Nancy," he said, and then he was gone.

  "What was that all about?" George asked.

  "Sean got another phone call," Nancy said. "He's scared."

  George shook her head sadly. "Is he going to throw another game?"

  "I think so," Nancy said. "The note yesterday said he had to lose the whole series."

  "Well, Nancy Drew, fancy meeting you here."

  Nancy saw Brenda Carlton strolling down the corridor.

  "Are you really only here to watch the ballgame?" Brenda asked, eyeing Nancy suspiciously.

  "Sure," Nancy said brightly. "What else is there?"

  "A mystery maybe," Brenda said. "Involving a certain baseball player?"

  Nancy felt a lump form in her throat, but she kept smiling. "You must know something I don't," she said. "What's going on?"

  Brenda stuck the reporter's notebook she'd been holding into a pocket of her shoulder bag. "I heard from an anonymous source that the FBI is in town and that they're investigating the playoffs."

  "Really? How exciting," Nancy said, trying not to show her shock. "What type of case is it?"

  "That's the mystery," Brenda said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, I guess you really don't know anything, then. Too bad. It sounds like a big case."

  "I'm sure you'll solve it," Nancy replied, though Brenda didn't seem to notice the trace of sarcasm that had crept into her voice.

  "I'm sure I will, too," Brenda said, leaving. "Just keep watching the paper,"

  Nancy swallowed hard. She started down the corridor toward the stairway that led to the inside of the stadium.

  "That sounds like trouble," George commented.

  "It sure does," Nancy agreed, stepping into the stream of fans heading for the bleachers. "And knowing Brenda, she won't think twice about putting this in the paper if she figures it out."

  Once again Luke had gotten them front row seats in the section above the stadium boxes.

  Nancy felt a deep sadness as she watched the players warming up on the field below. Sean had come to River Heights to try to get his game back together and save his career. Instead, he was being forced to throw lousy pitches to save his daughter's life.

  "I wish I could get excited," George said solemnly. "I can't believe the series is tied and we're sitting here with no hope the Falcons will actually win the championship."

  "I know what you mean," Nancy said. "Let's see if we can spot Stormy Tarver," she said, turning her mind back to the case. She located Stormy near her box, gleefully working the crowd. Twice Nancy saw her put her arms around a fan to pose for a photograph.

  "She looks awfully confident," George said.

  "No kidding," Nancy replied.

  When the game started, the Falcons took an early lead with two runs in the second inning, but they had to struggle as the Rangers scored three in the fifth.

  Nancy watched the gum-chewing Bill Barrows urge his team on, but without much enthusiasm, it seemed. She remembered Luke's description of him as a sad old veteran possibly facing the end of his career. She hoped he wouldn't be too hard on Sean.

  The Falcons managed to hold the score at two to three until the seventh inning when Sean grimly took the mound. He walked the first batter and watched the second Ranger hit his fastball into center field for a double. One strikeout and a sacrifice fly left the Rangers with two outs and runners on second and third. When the next batter hit a line drive to score two runs, Barrows came to life. He jumped off the bench and threw his cap on the ground before calling time out and stomping out to the pitcher's mound. After much arm waving, Barrows retreated to the sidelines and Sean threw three strikes.

  Then it was the Falcons' turn to bat. They quickly got two runners on base with only one out.

  "Oh, Nancy, what do you think he's going to do," George said, putting her hand on Nancy's arm.

  Nancy looked up from her bag of peanuts to see Luke walking to the plate.

  "I don't know," Nancy whispered. "But I'm glad I'm not in his place."

  Nancy knew Luke was committed to baseball and to his team. But she also knew he cared enough about Sean and Caitlin to understand that the Falcons had to lose. She wondered if he would really try his hardest at bat.

  "Strike two!" the empire yelled as the ball whizzed past a second time. Luke walked a slow circle before coming back to the plate and sending the third pitch on a wobbly ride to first base, w
here he was tagged out.

  The team struggled on until a Falcon rally in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the River Heights team the lead by two runs. The crowd yelled and whistled its approval.

  When Sean took the mound in the ninth, Nancy knew that all he had to do to assure a Falcon win was keep the Rangers from scoring. Sean quickly allowed four hits and a Ranger run.

  The Falcon fans saw their victory slipping away and started yelling for a new pitcher.

  Nancy noticed Sean glance toward the stands. Then Luke called time out and walked to the mound.

  "I wonder what he's saying," George said tensely.

  Luke returned to his spot behind the plate and Sean struck out the batter with a perfect knuckleball. As he prepared to make his next pitch, the Ranger runner on first took off to steal second base.

  Sean reacted quickly, but instead of his usual perfect throw, the ball went way out of reach of the second baseman. The runner slid into second base safely.

  "Get that bozo off the field!" Nancy heard someone scream from near her in the stands. Immediately a wave of boos went up from the crowd. Coffee cups, wadded-up popcorn bags, and apple cores all began to fly onto the field.

  Sean waited for the ball to come back from center field and then dropped his head as he turned around to face the next batter. After that, Sean pitched the worst game of his career, allowing hit after hit until the Rangers were ahead by two runs.

  The Falcons didn't score their last time at bat, and the Rangers' bagged another victory.

  "Tomorrow's a day off, but if the Rangers win on Wednesday, they'll take the series," George said as she and Nancy stood up to leave.

  More than anything in the world, Nancy wanted to find Caitlin and solve this mystery in time for Sean to have a chance to play his best.

  "Maybe Bess has some news about Rebecca," George said hopefully. They fought the milling crowd down the corridor to the concession stand where Bess was working.

  "It's going to be a while," Bess said when they arrived. "I've got clean-up duty."