Mixed Signals Part 7

Nancy didn't wait to hear any more. Josh's attacker was getting away! She walked carefully down the wide center aisle, checking each narrower aisle of bookcases. She saw no one and decided that the attacker had already left the floor. Racing down to the second floor, then the first, Nancy searched each carefully. There were only a few students, and none of them was wearing dark clothing.

"Any luck, Ned?" Nancy asked as she rejoined her boyfriend by the first-floor elevator bank.

He shook his head. "No one came out. I guess with all the homecoming festivities, today isn't a big study day on campus. A bunch of people from the fair took the elevator up to see what had happened, though. They included Dean Jarvis and a couple of security guards."

Nancy let out a sigh of frustration. "It looks like our guy got away. All he had to do was take that ski mask off to fit in. We'll never be able to pick him out now." Running a hand through her hair, she added, "Come on, let's go back up to Josh."

"I'm afraid I can't," Ned said apologetically. "I hate to desert you, but I have to get over to the floats."

"That's okay," Nancy told him. "Bess and I will meet you at the student center for lunch at noon."

When Nancy returned to the third floor, Josh was surrounded by a larger crowd, which included his father, Dean Jarvis, and two campus security guards. Nancy also noticed Bess standing on the fringe of the group, talking with Zip and Tamara.

Josh seemed to be recounting the details of the attack. "I was sitting at this table, working on a paper, when a guy came up and grabbed me by the collar."

"Did he say anything?" Coach Mitch.e.l.l asked his son, shoving his hands in the pockets of his navy warm up suit.

Josh nodded. "He told me that Emerson had to lose Sunday's game. After that he dragged me to the window and-you know the rest."

That was the same threat Randy had received, Nancy thought. Didn't the culprit realize that Josh was suspended from the team roster?

"This business is getting out of hand," Dean Jarvis stated. "If I had my druthers, I'd cancel that game."

"Not the homecoming game!" someone said.

"Dean Jarvis," the coach began, "we have hundreds of alumni visiting campus this week. I don't think it would be wise to disappoint them by calling off the game."

"We can't buckle under now," Josh added. "I know that this guy is trying to scare the team. But we can't give him that satisfaction."

Just then two police officers strode up. Dean Jarvis quickly explained what had happened to Josh and filled the officers in on the earlier attacks against Randy. "I'm considering calling the president to cancel the game, officers. Any advice?"

One of the officers, a gray-haired man with a bristly mustache, shrugged, saying, "There's no guarantee that this kook will stop being a menace, even if you do cancel the game."

The second officer-the name on his badge was Pulaski, Nancy noted-was writing vigorously on a clipboard. "Did you recognize this person's voice?" Officer Pulaski asked Josh.

"No. I'm sure it was a man, but the voice wasn't familiar."

That made sense, Nancy thought to herself. She hadn't gotten a clear look at the menacing figure, but it would require a lot of strength to physically try to toss Josh out the window. That would probably rule out Danielle and Susannah.

Officer Pulaski tapped his pen against his clipboard. "Out of ink." He looked over at Josh. "Do you have a pen, kid?"

Josh checked his pockets, then shrugged. "Nothing to write with. Sorry."

Coach Mitch.e.l.l reached into his jacket and handed the officer a pen. "Now," said Officer Pulaski. "Can you describe what the a.s.sailant was wearing?"

"His face was covered with a black ski mask..." Josh began. His voice trailed off, and Nancy noticed that his eyes were focused on something in the crowd.

A moment later he pointed at Zip Williams. He said, "There. He was dressed just like that-in dark clothes."

Nancy glanced critically at Zip. His clothes were right, and he certainly had the motive, but he also had an alibi. She had seen him down at the fair just before the attack.

The crowd was silent as the two quarterbacks glared at each other. Zip sneered, then turned and stalked off indignantly, with Tamara right behind him.

Tension hung in the air for a long, silent moment. Finally Dean Jarvis addressed the crowd. "Josh is okay, and the homecoming game will go on as scheduled," he announced. "Now let's all move off and leave this matter to the police."

As the crowd began to disperse, Nancy and Bess lingered behind to hear the police finish their questioning of Josh.

"Ready to go, son?" Coach Mitch.e.l.l asked as Officer Pulaski tucked his clipboard under his arm. "Let's get out of here and grab something to eat."

As the officers and the Mitch.e.l.ls headed for the elevators, Nancy found herself staring at the empty table. Something about it disturbed her, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She glanced over at Josh, then back at the table. Finally it hit her.

"That's strange," she said aloud. When Bess met her eyes, she explained. "Josh said he was sitting here studying, but he didn't have any papers or books with him. In fact, he didn't even have a pen to lend that police officer."

"No wonder he's such a lousy student," Bess commented.

Nancy thoughtfully drummed her fingers on the table. Could it be that simple? Or had Josh lied about coming there to study?

Come on, Drew! she chastised herself the next second. Josh was practically thrown from a library window. Give the guy a break!

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Nancy turned to Bess. "We might as well go back down to the fair."

The girls made their way downstairs and back to the crowded oval. They threaded their way past the booths, but Nancy hardly paid any attention to the items for sale. Her mind was focused on the details of the case.

Someone was after Randy-and now it looked as if that person was after Josh, too. The message had been consistent-lose Sunday's game.

What was so important about that game? Someone was going to an awful lot of trouble to make sure that Emerson lost. Maybe it was Susannah's way of getting revenge against Emerson or Zip's incredible need to win.

But each of their motives seemed flimsy in light of the seriousness of the crimes. Whoever was behind the attacks was willing to murder in order to make sure Emerson lost the big game. Nancy couldn't help thinking there was some important piece missing from the puzzle.

"Nan!" Bess's urgent whisper tore Nancy from her thoughts. "The police are back!"

"What?" Following Bess's gaze, Nancy spotted Officer Pulaski and his gray-haired partner walking across the oval with a purposeful stride. They wove around a family with two young toddlers, then cut across the lawn.

A moment later the police stepped up to Zip Williams, who was leaning against a tree at the edge of the oval, talking with Tamara.

"Come on," said Nancy, grabbing Bess's arm and pulling her toward the group.

As soon as Zip saw the police, he stood up straight and dropped his girlfriend's hand. Nancy saw him stiffen as Officer Pulaski clapped a hand on his shoulder and spoke to him.

"You're wanted for questioning down at the station."

Chapter Twelve.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Tamara demanded to know, placing a hand protectively on Zip's arm.

"I didn't do anything." Zip shook himself free of Officer Pulaski's grip.

"We're not arresting you," the gray-haired man told Zip. "We just want to ask you a few questions."

Nancy could see the fury in Zip's black eyes, but he managed to restrain himself. "I'll cooperate," he said firmly, "but I'm telling you, I know nothing about Josh."

Tamara watched tearfully as her boyfriend left with the officers. Then she turned and ran from the oval.

"How awful!" Bess said. "I don't know about you, but that just made me lose my enthusiasm for the fair."

"Me, too," Nancy agreed. "I can't believe they'll hold him, though. Anyway, we have to go meet Ned and Jerry for lunch."

Soon they were sitting with the guys in the student center, their plates piled high with Mexican food.

"I feel sorry for Zip," Bess was saying as she spooned chili into her mouth, "but I don't know what to believe-especially since he disappeared right before the masked man struck."

"What did you say?" Nancy asked suddenly, pausing with a nacho in midair.

"Zip disappeared from the oval," Bess repeated. "You remember how we saw him walking with Tamara on the way over to the fair? Well, a little while later I saw him jog off along the path beside Ivy Hall. He still hadn't returned when you ran off to help Josh."

"So Zip doesn't doesn't have an alibi," Nancy said excitedly, thinking aloud. "This changes everything. Zip could be the masked man." have an alibi," Nancy said excitedly, thinking aloud. "This changes everything. Zip could be the masked man."

"He must be the one behind all these threats!" Jerry said excitedly.

Nancy nodded. "If he worked with Susannah or Tamara, they could get access to the Wildcats' equipment-and to the weight room."

Jerry put down his soda and snapped his fingers. "It's got got to be him." to be him."

"Whoa, buddy!" Ned said, putting up a hand. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Does he match the description that Josh gave to the police?"

"Perfectly," Nancy told him, "except for the ski mask, but he could have easily ditched that. Isn't it funny that Zip didn't wear his red-and-white Russell team jacket today? It would have stood out more than dark clothing. But if he was planning a crime, his team jacket would have been a dead giveaway."

Ned bit into a chip with salsa on it, then said, "There's only one problem. Why would Zip attack Josh when he's not even going to be playing in the game?"

"I wondered the same thing," said Nancy. "Maybe the attacker was using Josh to send a message to the whole team. You know, what happened to him could happen to any of them. In any case, I think Jerry's on the right track," she continued. "With Zip at the police station, half the case might be solved."

"What about the other half?" asked Bess.

"That's our job," Nancy said with a smile. At last it seemed that the investigation was coming together. "It's time to pay Tamara Carlson's room a little visit."

After lunch the guys headed out to take care of final preparations for the float parade. The wind had died down, and Nancy felt warm as she and Bess went back to Packard Hall.

As they pa.s.sed through the lobby of the dorm, Nancy spotted Danielle Graves sitting on a sofa in the lounge. She was nose to nose with a football player, who seemed smitten with her fluttering lashes and lilting laughter.

"Did you see that?" Bess whispered as soon as they were in the elevator.

"Looks like Danielle has gotten over Randy," Nancy said with a smile. "I'm beginning to rule her out as a suspect. There's no way she could have made that attack on Josh in the library. Besides, we didn't find anything in her room."

When they reached the fifth floor, Nancy went straight to Tamara's door. The door opened on her second knock, and Susannah poked her head out.

"Hi, Nancy. Hi, Bess," Susannah said. There was a worried look on her face as she ushered the girls into Tamara's room. Emerson banners and museum posters hung on the walls, and colorful pillows were scattered on the bed. A desk stood against the wall next to the window. "Have you heard?"

Nancy nodded as she and Bess sat on the bed. "We were there when the police came. That's why we stopped by," she said, mentally crossing her fingers. "To see how Tamara's taking it."

"Not so great," Susannah told them. "She went down to the police station to wait for Zip. I just hate to see this happen to him."

As Susannah spoke, Nancy glanced down at the desk. It took her a moment to realize that what she wanted to check was sitting right there. The typewriter!

"And Tarn is so unhappy!" Susannah exclaimed. She shook her head sadly, staring down at the floor.

Nancy took advantage of the opportunity to nudge Bess and nod at the typewriter on the desk. Type a letter! Type a letter! she mouthed. she mouthed.

"If there's anything we can do, just let us know," Nancy told Susannah.

"Well, we should let you get back to work," Bess added, getting to her feet. She walked over to the desk and ran a finger along the s.h.i.+ny edge of the typewriter. "Looks like you've been doing a lot of typing."

"Oh, just some correspondence." Susannah waved at the papers dismissively. "My handwriting is awful, so I type everything. Tarn's been letting me use her typewriter."

"Do you think I could use it for a quick note?" Bess flashed Susannah a winning smile. "I have rotten handwriting, too, and I've been wanting to write this letter-to my boyfriend, Jerry. It's sort of a love letter."

Way to go, Bess! Nancy cheered silently.

Bess picked up a blank piece of paper and slipped it into the typewriter. "I'll make it short," she said sweetly.

An amused grin lit Susannah's face. "Be my guest."

Pus.h.i.+ng down the b.u.t.ton to lock in the capital letters, Bess pursed her lips and began typing. Nancy forced herself not to watch while Bess pecked out one line, then two, then three....

"I thought you'd never finish that letter!" Nancy whispered when they had stepped back into their suite and closed the door.

"I got carried away," Bess said with a sheepish grin.

Nancy sat down on the couch and glanced down at the two threatening notes that still lay on the coffee table. Then, holding out her hand to Bess, she said expectantly, "Well?"

"Read it and weep!" Bess giggled as she handed Nancy the note.

The first words were "DEAREST JERRY." Nancy's heart pounded in antic.i.p.ation as she compared the E E's to those in the threatening notes.

"They don't match," she announced, fighting back disappointment. "The typeface on Tamara's machine is more angular, and the E E is solid." She frowned as she looked up at Bess. "Chances are, these hate letters did not come from Susannah or Tamara. Unless they have access to another typewriter, and that's pretty unlikely." is solid." She frowned as she looked up at Bess. "Chances are, these hate letters did not come from Susannah or Tamara. Unless they have access to another typewriter, and that's pretty unlikely."

"So what does it mean?" Bess asked.