Stage Fright (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

out of these chairs—actors are going to be running on and off right past you, and if you get in their way, it’ll throw the whole scene off.”
    With that, he disappeared, leaving Frank and me alone. Or well, as alone as we could be considering that fifty people were rushing around us, getting ready for the preview.
    “So this is like … a pre-opening show? Is it a dress rehearsal?”
    “No,” said Frank. “It’s a chance for people to see the full show, so that Linden can gauge their reaction and see if there’s anything that needs to be changed.”
    “Judging by what we saw earlier, I’d say pretty much everything needs to change, except for Claire! What’s your read on the plane?”
    “It could have been an accident … but I doubt it. The real question is, who sabotaged it and how?”
    I was about to respond, when Claire swept over to us. She was dressed for the preview in a period WWII uniform. A wig had been put over her real hair, giving her long curly brown locks that made her look like less of a teenager, and more of a pinup star.
    She laid her hand on Frank’s shoulder.
    “So, what exactly are your bodyguard duties?” she asked.
    Frank blushed, and I almost snorted. I loved watching girls hit on Frank. He never knew how to handle it, even with a girl like Claire who clearly flirted with everyone.
    “Well, we, you know, we look after you and make sure you’re safe.”
    “If I was in danger, you’d do something?” she asked, leaning in closer.
    “Of course!” Frank blurted out.
    “Well,” said Claire with a big smile. “Right now, I’m in danger of dying of thirst. Would you be a dear and get a juice pack from my dressing room? They’re in the fridge.”
    Frank smiled ruefully. He’d walked right into that one.
    “Sure thing, Claire,” he said gracefully. Once he was gone, she flopped down in his chair.
    “You seem pretty calm about this whole near-death-experience thing,” I said, hoping to get to know her a little better. She seemed nice, but she barely seemed to care about the threats and the accidents. I hated to suspect our client, but we’d seen this sort of thing before, people faking danger for attention.
    Claire laughed. “I’ve been on television since I was three. I got my first marriage proposal at seven, and my first death threat when I was ten. Two years ago, some girl got plastic surgery to look like me and managed to steal my yacht. Which we still haven’t recovered. So yeah, I’m pretty calm about this. It’s all part of being famous.”
    I smiled. There was more to Claire than met the eye.
    “How’s it looking out there?” she asked. I leaned forward in my chair, past Damien’s tape mark.
    “Well …”
    “Empty, huh?” she said.
    “Not completely, but yeah.”
    “That’s what I figured. Still, a star must go on. Thank you.”
    Frank reappeared and handed her a juice box. She sucked it down in one quick gulp. She made no effort to get up from his chair. Damien scurried around us like an ant, doing this job and then the next. In fact, everyone except for Claire seemed to be in a complete panic. The energy backstage was so intense you could feel it—asopposed to the energy in the front of the house, which was pretty much nonexistent.
    “I don’t get it,” said Frank. “How can you have such an army of fans outside, but no one at the show?”
    “Those fans?” said Claire with a yawn. “Those are my fans. They’re not here for the show. They’re here for me. Besides, they’ve all read the blogs. This show is falling apart.”
    She grimaced.
    “That bad, huh?” I asked.
    “No,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “I mean, yes, it is. But actually, right now, I don’t feel so well.”
    A shiver ran through her.
    “Places!” Linden yelled from the other side of the stage. “On in five!”
    “Ms. Cleveland?” said Damien, in a voice so quiet I could barely hear him. “Are you okay?”
    Claire had turned seriously green. Something was