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No one had worked late the night before, and no one had noticed a stranger hanging around the building the previous few days.
    Finally Nancy left. She felt disappointed. When her father had asked her to come along, she had hoped she would be able to help. But there was little she could do. This was a job for the police. They had the manpower and the data network needed to solve a case of this type.
    But something else was bothering her— something she had overheard Steven telling her father as she left. “I’m worried, Carson,”he had said. “If I don’t get that program back, it could mean the end of Lloyd Software Systems.”
    Was that really true? Nancy wondered. If it was, George would lose her sponsor—and with him a very promising career in cycling!

Chapter

Five
    T HE VELODROME WAS only two minutes from Lloyd Software Systems. As she drove, Nancy’s thoughts returned to what her father had said at breakfast: “Make George drop out of the Classic.” It was good advice, but would George even listen?
    At the velodrome parking lot she swung into the first available space she found. All around her people were unloading bikes and gear and talking. Locking her door, she hurried toward the stadium to find George.
    Ten yards from the entrance tunnel, Nancy was stopped by Peter Cooper. Behind him, she noticed that workmen were putting up a new tentto replace the burned one. Another crew was erecting a chain-link fence in a circle around it.
    â€œâ€™Morning, Nancy. What do you think of our new security measure?”
    â€œI’m glad to see it,” she replied. “You’re going to station a guard here to check passes, aren’t you?”
    â€œYes. And we’re going to have dogs patrolling the area, too. That should prevent any more incidents like the one we had yesterday.”
    â€œI hope so.” Privately, Nancy doubted it. The tent might not burn again, but George could well be the object of a new attack.
    Peter smiled. “How is George doing? Has she recovered from her close call?” he asked, pushing a hand through his rust-colored hair.
    â€œI think so,” Nancy said. “It sure didn’t seem to affect her performance in the match sprint last night.”
    â€œYes, I saw the results this morning. I’m very impressed.”
    â€œPeter,” Nancy said, suddenly changing the subject, “can you tell me anything about the break-in at Lloyd Software Systems last night? I mean, something that Steven might not have wanted to tell the police?”
    Peter’s face clouded. “You know about that?”
    â€œYes, I was just over there with my father. Does Steven have any enemies—you know, a rival who might want to put him out of business?”
    Peter looked uncomfortable. “Well, I don’t know that I should—”
    â€œDon’t worry, you can tell me about it,” she said, assuring him. “My father’s working on the legal end of it.”
    â€œWell, there’s really not much to tell,” Peter said, relaxing. “Sure, we’ve got rivals, but I don’t know who’d stoop to something like this.”
    â€œWhat about personal enemies?”
    â€œSteven? You’ve got to be kidding! He’s one of the best-liked, most widely admired guys in the whole software business.”
    â€œI can believe it,” she said, and she meant it, too. Steven Lloyd was, in her judgment, a very decent man.
    â€œI can tell you one thing, though.” Peter’s voice lowered a notch. “If that program falls into the hands of another software company, Lloyd Software Systems is sunk.”
    â€œIs the program really that big a deal?”
    â€œYou bet it is. It’s going to revolutionize office computer systems. Believe me, whoever markets it first is going to be king of the mountain for at least a decade.”
    Nancy felt more frustrated than ever. Obviously the theft