063 Mixed Signals Read Online Free PDF Page A

me.”
    Nancy punched his arm lightly and said, “I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this soon.” Then, as Randy wandered off across the gym, she rejoined her friends in the bleachers.
    “What was that all about?” Bess asked.
    “Where’s Jerry?” Nancy asked. She was dying to tell Bess and Ned about her new case, but she didn’t want anyone else to hear about it yet.
    “He went to get some punch,” Bess replied.
    Putting a finger under Nancy’s chin, Ned turned her to face him. “Uh-oh. I can tell by that look that something is up, Drew,” he said.
    Nancy nodded excitedly. “Keep this under wraps, but I promised Randy I’d do a bit of sleuthing for him.”
    “Another case!” Bess squealed as Ned let out a loud groan.
    “Shh!” Nancy gave Bess’s knee a nudge. “Let’s not announce it to the whole campus,” she cautioned. Lowering her voice, she told her friends about the threats Randy had received. “After that fire at the pep rally, he’s pretty shaken up,” she finished.
    “Wow,” said Bess, her eyes wide. “I don’t blame him. I’d be scared to death!”
    “So much for kicking back and relaxing,” Ned complained. “I wonder if you’ll ever have a visit here that doesn’t turn into a major mystery.”
    Nancy just grinned at her handsome boyfriend. “I guess I’ll just have to keep visiting until I do!”
    “So where do you begin,” Bess asked. “Any suspects?”
    “Just the entire Russell football team,” said Nancy wryly. Turning to Ned, she asked, “Do you know any of the Pirates?”
    Ned shook his head. “Not personally. Their quarterback is dating one of our cheerleaders, so he hangs around on campus occasionally. He gets a lot of ribbing about dating the opposition, but he seems to take it in stride. His girlfriend is Tamara Carlson, the girl whose sister we met this afternoon.”
    “Right,” Nancy said. “With the crowd tonight, he or anyone from the Pirates might have been able to sneak up undetected and dump that kerosene. I’ll have to find a way to meet him. In the meantime, I have a few questions for Danielle Graves. She did threaten Randy this afternoon.”
    “But why would Danielle want Emerson to lose?” Bess pointed out. “She’s a cheerleader.”
    “That’s something I’d like to ask her,” Nancy admitted. “I need to find some answers—and soon. The game is only three days away.”
    She stood up when she noticed Jerry returning with punch. “In the meantime, this is a party—and you haven’t asked me to dance yet, Nickerson.”
    “I haven’t had much of a chance, have I?” he said. Grabbing her hand, Ned led her to the dance floor, and for a long time, Nancy forgot everything except how wonderful it felt to be in Ned’s arms.
    “You’re pretty terrific, Nickerson,” she said, winding her arms around his neck for a slow song. “It seems like forever since we’ve spent any time alone together.”
    Ned’s eyes shone as he tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “If you’re going to be on a case, at least it’s here at Emerson, where I can still see you.”
    Nancy nodded. Sometimes her cases took up so much time that it seemed as if there wasn’t a minute left over for her and Ned. But every second she did spend with him, Nancy felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
     
    “You and Jerry danced nearly every song together,” Nancy said to Bess in the lobby of Packard Hall. Ned and Jerry had just said good night after walking them home from the gym. “I hope you’re planning on asking me to be a bridesmaid at the wedding.”
    “Nancy!” Bess exclaimed in a shocked tone. Then she giggled. “I did have a lot of fun.”
    They were halfway across the lobby when Bess noticed a line of vending machines. “I could use a snack.” She fished some change out of her pocket. “Want something?”
    “No, thanks,” Nancy replied, glancing ahead at the elevators. Two cheerleaders were standing there waiting. Nancy started