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  “It’s after noon,” Bess said, checking her watch. “You’d think he’d have been here by now.”

  “You’d think he’d be in more of a hurry to claim five thousand dollars,” George said with a wry smile.

  Nancy’s eyes were fixed on a figure in her rearview mirror. “Wait a minute! Here comes someone from Touchdown now. But it’s not Edgar—it’s Mark.”

  “I don’t get it,” Bess said, pursing her lips as Mark disappeared inside. “You saw Edgar delivering the blackmail note. It can’t be Mark!”

  “This case is complicated, isn’t it?” Nancy murmured.

  At least it was one case now, not two, and Nancy could sense a breakthrough coming.

  “Here he comes again,” said George, letting out a slow whistle. “He looks irritated.”

  “No fooling,” said Bess. “Duck, everybody! He’s looking this way.”

  The three girls crouched down in their seats to avoid being seen. When they came back up for a peek, Mark was gone.

  “Okay,” Bess said to Nancy. “What now?”

  Nancy was busy thinking, a plan forming in her mind. One sure way to get the confessions she needed was to lay a trap. “I think we’ve got to be aggressive in this case,” she said. “I want to arrange a little meeting of all the people involved and invite the police to listen in.”

  “Good idea,” said George excitedly. “How do we do that?”

  “Do you guys know where Bill’s, Lonnie’s and Rob’s lockers are at school?” she asked.

  “Cynthia will know,” Bess said eagerly. “I can probably find her during her study period. It’s at one o’clock.”

  “Great,” Nancy said with a jubilant smile as she started her engine. “Now let’s find a stationery store and a magazine stand. We need to put together some notes for you to take to Bedford High.”

  Within a few minutes the girls had everything they needed.

  “Now,” said Nancy. “Where can we work?”

  “How about that coffee shop?” George suggested, pointing to a small railroad car diner across the street from the magazine stand.

  “Perfect,” said Nancy, marching across the street.

  “May I help you?” asked the elderly waitress after Nancy and her friends settled into a cracked vinyl booth.

  “Anybody hungry?” Nancy asked as she spread the magazines out on the Formica table.

  Bess shook her head, and George shrugged. “Just three teas, I guess,” George told the waitress, who went off to get them.

  “Look for field, football, payment, and Doc,” Nancy told Bess and George, shoving a stack of magazines toward them.

  Half an hour later the written messages for Lonnie, Bill, and Rob were finished.

  Meet at the football field, tonight at 8. Be on time—it’s urgent. P.

  Another note was composed of words cut from magazines.

  Shepard—Come to the football field 8:00 tonight, with final payment of $5,000, or else. By the way, I know about your pal Doc. Bring him with you. I want you both there, on time.

  “Let’s hurry,” Nancy told her friends, putting enough money on the table to cover their bill and a generous tip. “I’ll give you a lift to Bedford High, do a couple of errands, pick you up, and we’ll drive back to River Heights.”

  Nancy drove over to Bedford High, and while Bess and George were inside delivering their messages, she went to a corner phone booth and dialed the local police.

  “Hello,” she told the officer who answered. “I’d like to speak to Chief Boyle. It’s Nancy Drew.”

  Only a minute passed before the chief got on the line. “Nancy Drew!” he said cheerfully. “It’s been a long time. Good to hear your voice again. Got a problem over there in River Heights?”

  “Actually, Chief Boyle, the problem’s here in Bedford.” She proceeded to tell him everything that had happened, feeding coins into the phone whenever her time ran out.

  “So you want us to show up there? Catch them in the act of exchanging the steroids?” the chief offered after he heard what Nancy had to say.

  “I think you should be there,” Nancy suggested.

  “I’d hate to see you girls in danger,” the chief murmured. “Maybe you should stay home.”

  “I want to be in on the end—if I can, Chief,” Nancy said.

  “All right,” the chief said with a reluctant sigh. “Where will we meet you?”

  “Under the bleachers,” Nancy told him. “Near the fifty-yard line.”

  The chief sighed. “If you’re right about this, Nancy, it’s going to be a big scandal. Town pride may never recover.”

  “It’ll recover, Chief,” Nancy assured him. “You know what they say—the truth makes you free.”

  Before heading back to pick up Bess and George, Nancy had one more thing to do. She got in her car and drove over to Pete’s house to deliver her little note.

  On the way she went over her plan again. She hoped the guys would arrive first, wondering what was going on. Then Pete and Doc would show up and deny inviting them. He’d probably tell them about the blackmail, and then they’d decide to wait for the blackmailer to show up.

  Nancy’s face tightened. She had one more note to write. Since she didn’t know whether the blackmailer was Edgar or Mark, though, she’d have to write notes to both.

  As Nancy turned the corner to Pete’s block, her mind was filled with thoughts about the upcoming evening. Slowing down in front of Pete’s house, Nancy’s attention was drawn to a figure walking up to Pete’s mailbox.

  Nancy would have recognized that goofy gait anywhere. It was Edgar Chessman.

  Once in front of the house, Edgar turned, climbed the front steps, and slipped an envelope inside Pete’s storm door. Then he turned and went back down the steps.

  In a desperate attempt to avoid being seen, Nancy ducked down in the front seat as Edgar walked directly toward her.

  Had he seen her, or had she gotten down in time? Nancy held her breath.

  After a few seconds she felt safe enough to peek in the rearview mirror. The street was empty.

  Turning to look out her window, Nancy gasped when she came face-to-face with Edgar’s bulging eyes.

  “Hiding from someone?” he asked.

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  NANCY FELT HERSELF FLUSH RED. “Edgar, I—I—” she stammered.

  What happened next took Nancy completely by surprise. Edgar gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you,” he said cheerfully.

  “Good to see you, too,” she replied, not sure of what to say.

  “Did you come to ask Pete for your job back?” Edgar asked.

  “No, I didn’t,” she answered tentatively. “Actually, I was just driving by. What are you doing here?”

  Edgar pointed in the direction of Pete’s house. “Just leaving a note for Pete,” he said.

  Nancy’s eyes widened. “What’s in it?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

  “I haven’t the foggiest idea,” Edgar quipped, putting on a funny face. “Mark asked me to bring it by.”

  Mark! A light bulb went on. “Edgar, has Mark asked you to deliver any other letters to Pete’s?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” He nodded casually. “I must have been here half a dozen times this month. They’re staff schedules. Sometimes Mark forgets to give them to Pete at work.”

  “I see,” Nancy said slowly. So that was how it worked. Looking at Edgar’s open, innocent face, Nancy was certain that he wasn’t a blackmailer, but only an unwitting tool of a clever criminal.

  “Do me a favor, Edgar,” Nancy asked. “Go get that note and bring it over here.”

  “Okay.” Edgar trotted back to get the note, then came back to the car. “What now?”

  “Open it, and read it out loud.”

  “Staff schedules are super boring, Nancy,” Edgar said. “They’re just charts with—”

  “This one may not be so boring,” Nancy said pointedly. “Go ahead and ope
n it.”

  “Okay,” Edgar said with a shrug. He opened the envelope, unfolded the note and read: “ ‘You’ll be sorry you didn’t deliver. One more chance—five grand, tomorrow at ten A.M.’ ” Edgar lowered the note slowly, his eyes round with amazement. “What is this? Blackmail?”

  Nancy tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “You got it, Edgar.”

  “But I don’t get it. Why is he blackmailing Pete?” Edgar asked, scratching his head.

  “I’ll tell you about it later. But first I need you to help me out,” Nancy replied.

  Edgar narrowed his eyes, and a grin opened up his face. “Okay, Sherlock,” he answered. “What do I have to do?”

  “You can start by putting this in Pete’s doorway,” she said, giving him the note she’d written for Pete.

  After Edgar returned with his comical loping stride, he asked, “What now?”

  “I’d like you to leave this in Mark’s bag when you get to Touchdown, okay?” Nancy handed him the note addressed to Mark.

  “I feel like the merry mailman,” Edgar joked. Then he read the note Nancy handed him. “ ‘I’ll have your money tonight, eight-oh-five at the football field. Be on time.’ ”

  A sly smile lit up his face. “You’re too much, Nancy,” he said. “Like I said before, you should consider becoming a detective.”

  “I already am one, Edgar,” Nancy said with a small laugh. “My real name is Nancy Drew.”

  Edgar’s jaw dropped. “You’re Nancy Drew?” he exclaimed. “And all this time I was working right next to you, not even knowing!”

  Nancy shrugged modestly. “Can you meet me at the football field at seven-thirty? There’ll be a few other people there, too.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Edgar. “Nancy Drew, huh? I can’t believe it!”

  • • •

  The phone was ringing when Nancy got home. “Nancy, I heard you were fired,” came the worried voice on the other end of the line.

  “Yes, but it’s all right, Cynthia,” Nancy told her. “I’ve solved the case. We’re going to spring a trap tonight. Do you want to be there?”

  “And how!” said Cynthia excitedly. “Who are we talking about?”

  “That’s something I have to tell you about—first.” Nancy told her about Rob’s drug involvement and asked if she still wanted to go.

  “I do because Rob needs help.”

  “Meet me at the football field at seven-thirty.”

  • • •

  It was already very dark when Nancy, Bess, George, Cynthia, and Edgar assembled at the fifty-yard line. Nancy looked around at all their faces. Everyone was serious and determined.

  “Okay,” Nancy told them. “Here’s the plan. First, we all hide under the bleachers.”

  “All in one place?” Bess wanted to know.

  “No,” Nancy answered quickly. “I’ll be in the middle, at the fifty-yard line. You guys space yourselves out every ten yards or so. That way, no matter what gets said, somebody’s sure to hear it. Also, try to stay in eye contact with one another.”

  “What exactly are we supposed to listen for?” Edgar asked.

  “Anything. A good witness remembers everything. Some of what you hear may be pretty shocking, but no matter what happens, don’t move or make a sound until I signal you. Understand?”

  “Got it, Nan,” said George, shooting her friend a special smile. George had helped Nancy many times before, and Nancy knew she could trust her totally.

  “It’s a quarter to eight,” Nancy announced, glancing at her watch. “Let’s go.”

  From her position behind the bleachers, Nancy was pretty sure she’d be able to hear and see everything on the field when the others showed up. She was right. At about eight, two hulking figures came walking toward them from the parking lot.

  “I could kill the guy,” Lonnie Price muttered as he and Bill Ellman strode across the field to the fifty-yard line. “I mean, who does he think he is, backing out at a time like this?”

  Standing nervously next to him, Bill asked, “Do you think he’ll rat on us to the coach?”

  “He’d better not,” Lonnie growled in reply. “What time is it?”

  “Just about eight,” Bill answered. “There’s Pete’s car. He’s parking.”

  A few minutes later Nancy saw Pete and Doc appearing at the edge of the field. A smile crossed her face as she watched them approach. So Doc had risen to the bait. But where was Rob? It was past eight now, and he still wasn’t there.

  “Hi, guys,” said Pete warily. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”

  “What do you mean, ‘What are we doing here?’ ” Lonnie asked, challenging him. “You told us to show up here at eight!”

  “I did not!” Pete said, astonished.

  “Yeah, right,” Bill snorted in disbelief. “If you didn’t, who did? Your friend here?”

  “Oh, this is Doc, by the way.”

  “Doc what?” asked Lonnie.

  “Just Doc to you,” said Doc, in a condescending tone of voice. “I’m the source of your success, if you get my meaning.”

  Nancy shot a quick glance over at Cynthia, who had her hand to her mouth in shock.

  “Be nice to Doc,” Pete told the boys. “You wouldn’t want to be left high and dry before the Carlisle game, would you? Where’s Rob, by the way?”

  “He punked out,” Bill explained.

  Doc spoke out. “Should we be worried about him?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Lonnie. “But listen, if you didn’t write those notes to us, who did?”

  Pete shuffled around a bit. “I haven’t the vaguest idea. Probably the same person who told me to be here.”

  “And just who is that?” Lonnie asked.

  “I really don’t know,” Pete admitted. “See, boys, somebody’s been onto us for the past few weeks, and, well, I’ve had to pay him off.”

  “Blackmail?” asked Bill.

  “That’s right,” said Doc. “He knows about the steroids, and he’s holding it over us.”

  “Does he know about our contracts with you, Pete?” Lonnie asked.

  “No, and he’s not going to find out, either. When you boys are big, and I’m getting ten percent of each of you, the money he’s getting now won’t look like much. If he knew about our contractual agreements, he’d be asking for a lot more money than he is now.”

  “He should be here any minute,” Doc added. “He thinks he’s going to collect his final payment.” Nancy heard the man laugh in a menacing tone. “He is, in a way.”

  “Maybe Bill and I shouldn’t be here,” Lonnie hedged.

  “You stay right where you are, and be quiet,” Doc commanded him. “You two are in this up to your necks, and you’re not backing out now.”

  The four men came over and sat on the bleachers less than two feet from Nancy, waiting for the blackmailer to show up. She held her breath as the boards creaked over her head. Stealing glances to her left and right, she saw the looks of surprise on the faces of her friends. They all had their eyes on her, waiting for her to give the signal.

  “Hello, over there!” called a voice from across the field. The four sitting figures in front of Nancy rose to their feet as one.

  “Mark!” Pete gasped. “I should have known it was you. You rotten snake, I ought to—”

  “Hello, Pete,” said Mark cheerfully as he approached the fifty-yard line. “And Doc, too. What a pleasant surprise. You don’t know me, but I know you. Hello, boys,” he greeted the players. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  “You crumb,” Pete snarled, stepping down from the bleachers to meet Mark head on. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know that?”

  “I wouldn’t talk if I were you,” said Mark. “Providing steroids to minors isn’t exactly in the Boy Scout manual, Pete. Neither is stealing from your own restaurant. The corporation wouldn’t take kindly to that, you know.”

  “You tell them, and I’ll kill you!” Pete rage
d, grabbing Mark’s lapels.

  “Let go of me, you ape,” Mark said with a gasp. “Doc, call off your dog. He can’t seem to see his own self-interest, even when it stares him in the face.”

  Pete loosened his grip. “What does he mean, Doc?” he asked, still looking at Mark.

  “He means,” Doc said, “that we must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately.”

  “Exactly,” said Mark, smoothing his shirt after Pete let him go. “Now, you should have a payment for me, right? Five thousand dollars, wasn’t it?”

  “I couldn’t get it on so little notice,” Pete snarled. “Why did you tell these guys to show up, anyway?” he added, pointing to Lonnie and Bill.

  “What are you talking about?” Mark snapped, “I never told them to show up. Besides, I left you a note days ago and told you to put the payment in the P.O. box. When it wasn’t there, I sent that idiot Edgar over to your house with the other note, about tomorrow. Then you wrote me that you’d have the money tonight. Make up your mind, Pete.”

  “I never wrote you any note,” Pete said incredulously.

  Mark looked at him briefly, a look of anxiety spreading over his face. “Wait a minute,” he said slowly. “If you didn’t write me a note, who did?”

  Nancy looked left and right again, wondering where the police were. They were late. Everyone was ready, so Nancy decided to proceed. Raising her hand, she gave a signal for the others to sit tight. Then, taking a deep breath, she straightened up and walked out from under the bleachers.

  “I wrote the note,” said Nancy, calmly facing the startled group. “By the way, I heard everything you said just now,” she announced, looking at them one by one.

  “You!” Pete gasped.

  “That’s right,” she repeated coolly. Nancy listened for any sign of the police arriving. So far, nothing. Hurry, Chief, she prayed.

  “Let me at her,” Lonnie spat, his fists clenched cock hard. “I’ll kill her if I have to!”

  “Stay away from her!” cried Edgar, suddenly jumping out from behind the bleachers and tackling Lonnie.

  “Edgar, no!” Nancy cried out. Forced to keep her attention on the other three, Nancy was unable to come to Edgar’s aid as Lonnie grabbed Edgar by the neck.