Choosing Sides Read online

  Nancy went over to Caroline’s desk and used the phone to dial Wayne Buckley’s number. She let the phone ring a long time before hanging up. “No one’s there. I’ll just have to try again later.”

  “Now what?” Bess asked.

  Nancy drummed her fingers against the top of Caroline’s desk. “So far, Anna Dimitros is the only suspect we’ve been able to connect to Bobby Rouse. I think we should visit her again.”

  “Maybe Wayne Buckley was one of those secrets about Caroline that Anna hinted at,” Bess said. “Though I’m not sure how Anna could have found out about him.” She frowned and added, “Do you think Buckley could be the person who sent that photograph and the story about the fencing ring to Steve Hill?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. She headed for the door, with Bess right behind her. “We certainly have a lot of questions. I just hope that this time we come up with some answers!”

  • • •

  Nancy and Bess parked in front of Anna Dimitros’s building twenty minutes later, then made their way up the five flights to her apartment.

  “Oh, it’s you!” Anna frowned when she opened the door and saw Nancy and Bess. “Steve told me who you girls really are. You’re spies for that Hill woman.”

  Looking past Anna, Nancy saw that Steve Hill was sitting on the living room couch. When he spotted Nancy, he jumped to his feet, sending a pile of papers flying to the floor.

  “Call the police, Anna!” he snarled.

  “Why bother?” Anna replied. “I’ll just throw them out!” She started to slam the door shut, but Nancy managed to hold it open.

  “Wait,” Nancy said. “We’ll be out of here in a flash, just as soon as you two tell me everything you know about Wayne Buckley, Caroline Hill’s brother.”

  “What?” they said in unison, looking at Nancy as if she were crazy.

  “That’s right,” Bess said. “He’s trying to blackmail Caroline into dropping out of the race.”

  Anna Dimitros looked so surprised that she didn’t do anything to stop Nancy as she and Bess stepped past her into the living room.

  “Wayne Buckley claims that he and Caroline ran a fencing ring together,” Nancy explained.

  “What does that have to do with Steve and me?” Anna demanded, sitting down on the couch beside him.

  “You mentioned some big secrets you know about Caroline,” Nancy said. “Could one of them be that she had a brother who was involved in a fencing ring?”

  “No,” Anna said. “The secrets that I know about her concern her own ruthless ambition.”

  “So you never knew about Caroline’s brother?” Nancy asked, looking from Dimitros to Hill.

  “I’m getting real sick of your questions,” Hill said, his face turning red with anger.

  Nancy faced him squarely and said, “If you gave me a straight answer, I wouldn’t have to keep bugging you. If you’re so convinced that the story about Caroline is true, why won’t you tell us who gave you that information?”

  Hill hesitated. “I don’t know who sent me that stuff,” he finally said. “The guy never gave me his name.”

  “But you talked to him, didn’t you?” Bess asked.

  “If it’ll get you off my back, I might as well tell you,” Steve Hill muttered. “I talked to him just once on the phone. He told me what he knew, and then he mailed some more information with the photo. The guy had a deep, resonant voice. That’s all I know.” He leaned over and gathered up the papers he’d spilled. “Now, why don’t you two leave?”

  Nancy and Bess exchanged a quick look. It was obvious that they weren’t going to find out anything more. After saying goodbye, the two girls left.

  “I don’t believe we finally got Mr. Hill to tell us about the photo,” Bess said as they hurried down the stairs.

  “He practically admitted that he was fooled into going along with the fencing ring story. He doesn’t even know who gave him the information!”

  Bess gave her a sideways glance. “Unless he just said that to get you off his back.”

  “That’s possible,” Nancy agreed. “But they both seemed genuinely surprised to hear that Caroline had a brother. We can’t be sure, but my gut feeling is that they were telling the truth.”

  When they got outside, Nancy paused next to her Mustang. “And I have another feeling that Wayne Buckley is the key to figuring out this whole case.”

  “I hope you can get in touch with him soon,” Bess said. “But for now, I think I’d better get home. My aunt’s in town, and my parents want me home before dinner.”

  Nancy dropped Bess off, then headed for home.

  • • •

  “Hi, Hannah!” Nancy called as she threw open the front door and went to the kitchen.

  “You’re home early from your volunteer work,” Hannah said, and smiled. “Are you staying for dinner?”

  Nancy grabbed an apple from a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. “You bet,” she replied, then headed for the stairs.

  When she got to her room, Nancy glanced at the answering machine on her bedside table and saw it was blinking. She sat down on her bed and hit the message playback button.

  “Nancy,” a familiar voice said, “this is Mayor Filanowski calling.”

  “Uh-oh,” Nancy muttered. “He found out I’m not the real Brenda Carlton.”

  The mayor’s recorded voice sounded urgent. “I have something to tell you, Nancy. Meet me at the building site at the end of Summit Road, north of town, tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp. Don’t tell anyone about this call or that you’re meeting me tomorrow. Both our lives could be in serious danger if you do!”

  Chapter

  Thirteen

  QUESTIONS RACED through her mind. What was so important? Why the cloak and dagger routine, with the deserted meeting place? Maybe she had been right about the mayor hiding something, Nancy thought. But did it have anything to do with Caroline? And why had the mayor decided to talk to her about it?

  Adrenaline pumped through Nancy’s body. She couldn’t stand waiting until the next morning to talk to the mayor. Setting down her apple, she flipped through her address book to find the mayor’s office number. When she dialed the number, Mrs. Wellborn answered the phone.

  “I’m sorry, the mayor is gone for the day,” the secretary replied in response to Nancy’s question. “Would you like to leave a message?”

  Nancy hesitated. “Er, no. But could you tell me where he can be reached?”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Mrs. Wellborn replied. “You’ll have to try again tomorrow.”

  Frustrated, Nancy hung up. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the mayor’s home number. She called information and was told the number was unlisted. Next, she called Caroline Hill’s campaign office to see if she had the number, but Nancy was told the candidate was out campaigning and couldn’t be reached.

  Nancy lay down on her bed. “I can’t just stay at home and do nothing!” she muttered, staring up at the ceiling. There were too many leads to follow—this secret business with the mayor, and finding out more about Wayne Buckley. . . .

  Nancy sat up straight. Wayne Buckley! She could at least try to talk to him again. She picked up the receiver and dialed the number for Patrick Gleason’s campaign office. If she was lucky, Ned would still be there.

  She was put on hold, and then her boyfriend came on the line. “Ned! I’m glad you’re there,” Nancy told him. “How would you like to take a trip to Chicago with me this evening?”

  • • •

  “I don’t know about that meeting tomorrow morning, Nan,” Ned said several hours later, as he and Nancy drove toward Chicago. “You thought Filanowski was hiding something. He might want to meet you there so he can threaten you.”

  Nancy took her eyes briefly from the road to look at Ned. “If he was planning to hurt me, why would he leave that incriminating message on my machine?” she countered. “Besides, I don’t have many leads in this case. I can’t not go.”

  “Maybe
you’re right,” Ned reluctantly agreed. “I just don’t like the idea of your going alone. But at least you asked me to come with you to Wayne Buckley’s. Someone who’s willing to blackmail his own sister might be dangerous.”

  “He sounds pretty down and out,” Nancy replied. “I’m still not sure Wayne is the one who called Steve Hill. Steve said that the guy he talked to had a deep, resonant voice, but that’s about the only clue we have.”

  It was after seven o’clock before they found the street where Wayne Buckley lived. Ned had to squint in the fading sunlight to read the addresses. “This is it, Nan,” he said, pointing to a doorway that was below sidewalk level.

  “They live in a basement?” Nancy asked as she parked behind a rusty van.

  Kids playing baseball in the street hit their ball Ned’s way. He caught it and tossed it back. “Who knows,” he said to Nancy in a low voice. “Two of those kids could be Buckley’s.”

  Nancy nodded and went down the steps to Wayne Buckley’s doorway. She heard a television on inside. When she rang the buzzer, she heard the sound switch off.

  “Who is it?” a reedy voice demanded.

  “My name is Nancy Drew. I’m here with my boyfriend, Ned,” Nancy said loudly. “I want to talk to you about the phone call you made this afternoon to your sister, Caroline.”

  She had to wait a few moments before the door opened. The man standing there was in his early forties. His brown hair was thin and receding, and his creased face looked tired and defeated. His eyes skimmed over Nancy and Ned. Then he walked outside, went up a few steps, and looked up and down the street.

  “Caroline didn’t come?” he asked, eyeing them warily.

  Nancy shook her head. Wayne seemed to think this over for a second. “I guess that’s okay,” he decided. He came back down the steps and led them into his living room. Then he turned around. “So is she taking me up on my offer?”

  Nancy and Ned stood just inside the door. In the center of the room was a huge television set and a well-worn easy chair with a racing car magazine splayed across the arm. The floor was scattered with toys, schoolbooks, and homework papers.

  Nancy decided to call his bluff. “No, Wayne, she’s not dropping out of the race. I’m here to find out why you’re blackmailing your sister. I doubt there even is a fencing ring. Or if there is, there’s no way Caroline is involved.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Ned asked, picking up on Nancy’s reasoning. “Is someone paying you?”

  Wayne grabbed an open can of soda sitting on the television set and took a big gulp. “She told you that I was lying? I figured she would,” he said. “Well, it’s not a lie. And nobody is paying me anything. I’m blowing the whistle on her because I don’t think it’s right that she should be mayor when she’s committed a crime.” Wayne took another swallow of soda and gave them a self-righteous look.

  Ned snorted with disbelief. “Are you the one who leaked the fencing ring story that ended up in Today’s Times?”

  “Yeah. So?” Wayne asked.

  Nancy stared at him. Steve Hill had said the person he spoke to had a deep voice, but Wayne Buckley’s voice was pretty high. What was his game, anyway? “Then why did you give Steve Hill a doctored photograph?” she asked. “Why didn’t you just send the canceled checks as proof in the first place?”

  “My mistake,” Wayne replied. “I didn’t think I had enough proof, so I staged that photograph with Rouse. It was a reenactment of what actually happened, only it wasn’t Caroline in the photograph. But it could’ve been!”

  Nancy and Ned exchanged a look. “Did you know that the man in that photograph, Bobby Rouse, was murdered?” Nancy asked.

  Wayne shifted his eyes nervously. “So what? He was a hood, and he got into trouble.”

  “What about Greenwood?” Nancy asked. “Is he the one who convinced you to blackmail your sister?” She knew it was a shot in the dark, but she had to try everything.

  Wayne crushed his soda can and pointed it at them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Look, I have proof of the fencing operation. And I’m talking about more than the canceled checks. I’ll show you.”

  Waving for Nancy and Ned to follow, he stalked down a hallway to a doorway and flicked on the overhead light. Surrounding a narrow bed were stacks of stereo equipment boxes. Nancy looked more closely. There had to be at least a hundred CD players stashed there.

  “Yikes!” Ned whistled, running his hand over a pile of boxes. “This bundle must be worth thousands! Where did you get all these from?”

  Wayne laughed and grabbed a box. “Let’s just say they fell off a truck.” He fished his key chain out of his pants pocket, then slit the factory tape open with a key. “And this is just one day’s shipment,” he said proudly. “Caroline puts up the money that this load cost, then I turn around and sell it again for two, maybe three times that. She gets half the profit, and I get half.”

  Nancy felt her stomach sink. All Wayne had to do was call Today’s Times with this story, and Caroline’s chances of winning would be zilch.

  “How can you prove that Caroline received any money from you?” Nancy asked Wayne.

  “I can’t, she got paid in cash,” Wayne explained. He pulled a shiny black CD player out of its protective foam shell. “It’s a nice little operation,” he said, holding the player up for Ned and Nancy to inspect. “But I can’t be doing this stuff anymore. I’ve got an obligation to my kids to go straight.” For the first time, Nancy saw his expression soften.

  “This is pretty impressive, Wayne,” Ned said lightly, looking around the room. “But do you realize how much you’re hurting your sister by pretending that she’s financing this operation?”

  “I’m not pretending,” Wayne insisted. He shepherded Nancy and Ned out of the room ahead of him.

  Suddenly the front door banged open, and a boy who looked about eight years old zipped past Nancy and Ned. “Dad,” he pleaded, hopping on one foot in front of Wayne while he juggled a baseball in his hands. “Can Suzy and I have some money for the ice cream truck? Please please please?”

  Wayne’s expression softened again. He reached into his pocket, then handed the boy a few dollars. “Here,” he said. “Now, make sure you share this with your sister.”

  “Thanks!” Tommy exclaimed. As he took the money, he accidentally dropped his ball, and it rolled into the bedroom. Tommy ran after it and dove behind a stack of CD boxes. With a look of panic, Wayne ran in after him.

  “Tommy, be careful in here!” he shouted, just as Tommy knocked into the boxes with one knee, causing the whole stack to rock. With a light touch, Wayne quickly steadied the boxes.

  As Nancy watched from the doorway, a warning bell went off in her head. Wait a minute, she thought. Something about those boxes isn’t right. Heavy audio components shouldn’t be so easy to move.

  She pulled Ned aside in the living room, while Wayne shooed his son out the door. “Try to distract Wayne in the kitchen,” Nancy whispered to Ned. “I want to take another look at those boxes.”

  As Caroline’s brother rejoined her and Ned, Nancy said, “Wayne, I’d like to get a photo of these CD players to show Caroline.”

  “Sure, why not?” Wayne shrugged.

  “My camera’s in the car,” Nancy fibbed. “I’ll be right back.”

  As Nancy slipped out the front door, she heard Ned ask Wayne for a drink of water. She paused outside the door for a moment, holding it open a crack until she heard the two men walk into the kitchen at the far end of the apartment. Ned was telling Wayne that he believed him, not Caroline, and Wayne fell for it.

  Good work, Nickerson! Nancy thought.

  Walking on tiptoe, Nancy sneaked back into the bedroom and lifted one of the boxes. It couldn’t have weighed more than a few ounces—much lighter than it would be if it contained a CD player.

  The box had to be empty! No wonder Wayne had managed to steady the stack so easily.

  Reaching down, Nancy picked up the whole st
ack of seven CD boxes. They all felt empty.

  Her excitement built as she quickly checked the other stacks. Except for the one Wayne Buckley had opened for her and Ned, every single one was so light that Nancy knew they were empty.

  Her suspicions had been right. Wayne had filled this room with boxes so that it looked as if there was a fencing ring. But his stolen electronics story was really a big fake.

  Chapter

  Fourteen

  NANCY’S HEART LEAPT. Finally she had some solid proof that would help prove Caroline’s innocence.

  Trying to control her excitement, Nancy sneaked back to the front door. She pretended to be coming in from her car and shut the door loudly behind her. Then she walked into the kitchen, where Wayne Buckley and Ned were still talking.

  “I must have left my camera at home,” she said, trying to look disappointed. She decided not to confront Wayne about the empty boxes. She was fairly certain he wasn’t in this operation alone, and confronting him would give him enough time to stock up on real CD players before leaking his story to the press. Then Nancy would have a much harder time proving that the whole thing was a scam.

  Turning to Wayne, Nancy asked, “Why didn’t you go directly to the newspaper with the fencing ring story in the beginning? Why did you pick Caroline’s ex-husband to talk to?”

  “Who?” Wayne asked.

  “Steve Hill, Caroline’s ex,” Ned explained, shooting Nancy a glance. Wayne didn’t seem to know who Steve Hill was!

  “Oh, right!” Wayne said in a rush. “Steve Hill.” He laughed nervously. “I knew he wasn’t crazy about Caroline, so I called him. I was hoping I could avoid getting myself in trouble, but that didn’t work out.”

  “I see,” Nancy said blandly. She was beginning to think that someone else, not Wayne, had given Steve Hill the story about Caroline. Now that person was using Wayne to back up the story.

  Wayne clapped Ned on the shoulder and escorted Nancy and Ned out onto the sidewalk. “Then I’ll be hearing from Caroline tomorrow?” he asked. “I mean, she won’t still run for mayor once she hears that you’ve seen the evidence, right?”