The Case of the Photo Finish Read Online Free PDF Page B

that.”
    Nancy opened the back door and held it for Cheryl, Annelise, and Ramsay, then followed them onto the back porch.
    Suddenly Nancy saw a glint of light to her left, behind the bushes at the edge of the yard.
    It looked like the reflection of sunlight off a gun barrel—and it was pointing straight at them!

5
Too Many Suspects
    â€œGet down!” Nancy dived forward, catching Cheryl and Annelise in her outstretched arms and pushed them to the floor of the porch.
    Behind her, Nancy heard a crash and the sound of shattering glass. Something cold splashed her leg and soaked into her sock.
    Ignoring Cheryl’s and Annelise’s cries, Nancy called out, “You in the bushes! Come out right now, unarmed, or I’ll call the police!”
    â€œNo, please, don’t do that,” a familiar-sounding voice called out. “It’s just me!”
    Nancy got to her knees and peered over the porch railing. Eric Land was ducking through the bushes, protecting his camera and long telephoto lens with his left arm. That was what she had thought was a gun barrel, Nancy realized. Thecrash had been the pitcher of lemonade breaking.
    Eric got clear of the bushes and straightened up. “I’m sorry,” he called. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    â€œWell, you did scare us,” Cheryl said, getting to her feet. She sounded furious. “What on earth did you think you were doing, hiding out there?”
    â€œI wanted to get a few candid shots,” Eric explained sheepishly. “You know, ‘Track Star and Friends Share Lemonade and Cookies in Host’s Backyard.’ ”
    â€œNo lemonade,” Ramsay announced, pointing to the broken pitcher. He stood and dusted off his knees. “Not anymore. And the cookies aren’t in such great shape either, thanks to you.” He started picking up the pieces of broken glass and putting them on the tray.
    â€œHey, I said I was sorry, didn’t I? Here, let me help.”
    At the back door Hannah appeared, a concerned look on her face. When she saw the broken pitcher, she went and got a broom and dustpan.
    Taking them from her, Cheryl said to Eric, “You’ve done enough already. And let me tell you—the next time you pull a stunt like this, I’m dropping the project and writing to the people at Athletics Weekly to let them know how you’ve been acting.”
    Eric’s face took on a stony look. Turning away from Cheryl, he bent down to help clear up the rubble.
    â€œI’ll make more lemonade,” Hannah offered. She took the tray of broken glass from Ramsay and started to go inside. “It’ll be ready in a jif.”
    â€œThanks, Hannah,” Nancy said. She turned back to the others. “Well, let’s go sit down. Eric, will you join us?”
    â€œHe already did,” Cheryl muttered.
    Eric gave Cheryl a pleading glance, then looked at Nancy. “Thanks,” he replied. “Oh—you know those slides you asked me about? The ones at the ceremony today? I was right. There’s no place in town that has the equipment to process them overnight.”
    â€œWhat slides are you talking about?” asked Cheryl. “Of me?”
    â€œI was taking pictures when you fell off the stand,” Eric explained. “Nancy thought they might show something interesting.”
    â€œLike Marta or Helga shoving me, you mean?”
    â€œI’m not saying it’s likely,” Nancy cautioned, “but I thought it was worth a try. Eric, is there any way you could send them off for rush processing?”
    He hesitated. “I don’t think so,” he said unhappily. “The thing is, I was shooting so much that I didn’t have time to number my rolls of film. I’m not even sure which one it is.”
    â€œSend them all,” suggested Ramsay.
    Eric shook his head. “I can’t afford to do that. With a rush job, the lab isn’t always