041 Something to Hide (5 page)

He ducked, laughing, as Brad hurled a sample bottle of Spotless at him. “Just for that, you can set up the display this morning,” Brad told him. “Justin and I will supervise.”

Nancy bent down to pull the box of supplies from under the table. “Where are the questionnaires?” she asked Heather.

“Oh, I think Marcia took them home yesterday.”

Nancy held back her surprise. Maybe Marcia hadn’t been lying after all. But if she’d been telling the truth, why had she been so upset on the phone?

It was only five minutes later that Marcia arrived—with a big envelope tucked under her arm and a big smile on her face.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. She didn’t look in Nancy’s direction, and Nancy didn’t say anything.

Marcia pulled a sheaf of blank questionnaires out of the envelope. “Maybe I’m being lazy, but I hope we don’t get too many people here today. I don’t want to compile all those results.”

Heather chuckled. “I’m glad that’s not my job, Marcia. I’d never get it done.”

“What do you do with the questionnaires?” Nancy asked Marcia. She could hardly believe that the relaxed, smiling girl in front of her was the same one she’d heard on the phone earlier.

“Oh, it’s much too boring to describe,” said
Marcia with a grin. “Let’s talk about something more interesting—like you. How did you meet Ned, anyway?”

Heather had been sitting at the end of the table, talking to the boys, but at Marcia’s question she whirled around. “Yes, I was wondering that, too,” she said. Somehow Heather’s tone managed to come off insulting, as though she couldn’t possibly imagine how Nancy had pulled it off.

Nancy smiled, remembering the first time she’d really noticed Ned. “I was on a case,” she said.

“A
case?”

Ned stood up and joined the conversation. “Didn’t I tell you that Nancy’s a detective? She’s pretty famous in River Heights. I guess you’ve all been away at school a little too long to have heard of her.”

“What kind of cases do you solve?” Justin asked excitedly. “Have you ever investigated a murder? Come on, spill the beans! I’ve never met a detective before!”

“Before you start your story,” Brad interjected, “could you tell me how Bess is? Have you heard anything about her?”

Thank goodness! A change of subject, Nancy thought. She never liked talking about her cases. Besides, if one of this group was the poisoner, she wanted to keep a low profile.

“I talked to Bess this morning,” Nancy said.
“And she’s much better. In fact, she expects to be released around noon.”

“That’s great!” Brad said delightedly. “Now she’ll be able to come to the party—”

“Excuse me. Can someone tell me the ingredients in this?” A pretty brunette had come up to the booth and picked up a jar of Spotless. “I’m allergic to so many things that I have to be careful.”

Heather stared blankly at her. “I have no idea,” she said. She turned to Marcia. “Do you?”

Marcia shook her head.

“Maybe I can help,” said Brad quickly. “I don’t know the whole list of ingredients for sure, but I do know that they’re all specially selected to be nonallergenic. Only one person out of a hundred thousand will have a reaction to Spotless,” he said.

The girl smiled. “You’ve convinced me. Can I have two jars?”

“I’m really sorry,” said Brad. “We can only give out one to a customer. You see, we’re doing a survey, and—”

In just a couple of seconds he and the dark-haired girl were deep in conversation.

“Brad’s a pretty fast worker,” Justin remarked under his breath.

“He seems to be,” Nancy agreed. “He sure knows his stuff about Spotless, though.”

“Well, he should,” said Justin. “There was
an intercollegiate chemistry contest we both entered in our freshman year. Guess who got first prize?” he asked wryly. “It wasn’t Justin Dodd, for sure. Brad won, and he wasn’t even planning to major in chemistry the way I was.” He shook his head. “I swear, some guys have all the luck.”

Nancy was just about to ask him more about the contest when she saw a familiar figure running toward her.

“What’s George doing here?” she asked in surprise. “She’s supposed to be at the hospital with Bess!”

As George approached, Marcia stuck ajar of Spotless in her face.

“Could I interest you in a sample of the best blemish cream you’ve ever seen?” Marcia suggested jokingly. “You’ll be amazed how—”

But at the sight of George’s face, Marcia dropped the act. “What is it, George?”

“Yes, what’s wrong?” asked Nancy.

“I was just at the hospital,” George said, panting. “Five more people have been admitted. And they all have the same symptoms as Bess!”

O
NLY
N
ED AND
N
ANCY KNEW
how serious George’s words were.

“Wow, I guess that flu must really be catching,” said Heather. “You don’t think any of us will get it, do you?”

“It’s not the flu!” George burst out before Nancy could stop her. “The doctors ran the same tests, and in all five cases the poison was the same as Bess’s!”

“Poison!”
Heather’s voice was almost a shriek. “Bess was poisoned?”

“Nancy, did you know this?” Brad asked. Nancy nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Brad burst out.

“We didn’t want to worry anyone,” Nancy said, not wanting to make George feel bad for telling. “Not until we knew more.”

“Oh, Nancy,” George said apologetically. “I guess I put my foot in it this time.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” said Nancy. “Now that six people are involved, this is a whole new kind of case anyway.”

She let out a sigh of relief. At least no one in this group had a grudge against Bess.

Quickly she explained to Ned’s friends what had really happened. When she finished, there was an appalled silence.

“What kind of poison is it?” asked Brad at last. “Do the doctors or police know?”

George shook her head. “They don’t know what kind it is, or who’s doing it, or why. Their theory is that some crazy person is contaminating a common food or drink.”

“Like lemonade,” Justin said flatly.

“Right,” Nancy told him. “That’s why we want you to test that powder.” There was no reason to keep it a secret any longer. Since more people than Bess had been poisoned, it looked as if none of the Emerson kids was involved.

Brad looked even more horrified than before. “You mean Bess got poisoned from the lemonade I got her? Then that means it’s my fault she’s sick!” He groaned and put his head in his hands.

“No, it’s not!” Nancy said hastily. “Don’t feel that way, Brad. For one thing, we have no idea whether or not the poison was in the lemonade. That’s why Justin’s testing it. Besides, Brad, she’s okay now.”

George checked her watch. “In fact, Nancy, you and I should head over there to get her.”

“And I’ll test that lemonade,” said Justin. “Ned, do you want to come along and help?”

“Sure,” said Ned. “Will the rest of you be okay without us?”

Marcia spoke up. “I’m sure we will. The crowds aren’t nearly as bad as they were yesterday. In fact, I think I’ll even go home for a late lunch. No more mall food for me!”

• • •

Nancy and George headed out of the mall and got into Nancy’s Mustang. On the way to the hospital, they discussed the case but came up blank. Nancy decided that once they were at the hospital she wanted to question the other poisoning victims to see if there was any common thread.

When Nancy and George arrived at the hospital, they found Bess still in bed. “I’m not ready!” she wailed at the sight of the girls. “I haven’t put on my makeup yet.”

Nancy chuckled. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, anyway. How long do you think it’ll take you to get ready?”

“Only twenty minutes, I swear,” said Bess.

Twenty minutes, Nancy thought. That will probably be enough time. “George, would you keep Bess company?” she asked. George nodded, and Nancy headed out of Bess’s room.

One of the nurses on duty gave Nancy the names and room numbers of the five other people who had been poisoned. “You’re in luck,” she added. “Visiting hours have just started.”

The first name on the list was Bonnie Harte. She’d been the first person after Bess to be admitted with the same symptoms. Nancy knocked on her door, and a cheery voice called, “Come in!”

Nancy opened the door to find a pretty teenage girl with short black hair and elfin features.

“I’m Nancy Drew,” she told Bonnie. “I’m a private detective, and I’m investigating this poisoning. Would you mind answering a few questions?”

Bonnie shook her head. “It’d be great to have someone to talk to. Being here is boring.”

In answer to Nancy’s first question, Bonnie said she was a junior at River Heights High. “That’s where I went, too,” Nancy told her with a smile.

“I thought you looked familiar!” Bonnie said, then frowned. “But I’m sure I’ve seen you recently, though,” she said thoughtfully. “You weren’t at the mall yesterday, were you?”

“As a matter of fact, I was,” said Nancy. “So you were there, too? Did you have anything to eat or drink there?”

“Nope,” Bonnie replied. “I went right after lunch so I wouldn’t be tempted by the icecream stand. I’m going to be a mermaid for Halloween, and I have to fit into my costume.”

Strike one, thought Nancy.

She said goodbye and went down the hall checking in on the other poison victims. Douglas Brody was a ruddy-cheeked football player whose only worry was how long he’d have to miss practice. Tiffany Weld was so sleepy that she kept dropping off in the middle of her sentences. Maryanne Jansen was fussing about all the homework she’d have to make up. And Todd Leithauser described his symptoms in such graphic detail that Nancy couldn’t wait to get away.

None of the poison victims had had lemonade. The only thing they had in common besides their symptoms was the fact that they were all students at River Heights High.

“Bess, if only you were still in school, I’d have a link,” Nancy said back in Bess’s hospital room. “Maybe you’re the exception, though,” she mused. Maybe the other poison cases are linked. Could there be something going on at the school?”

“I always said the cafeteria food was poisonous,” George quipped.

Both Nancy and Bess groaned.

“Speaking of food,” Nancy said, “do either of you feel like getting some lunch? I was just about to call Ned and ask him to meet me somewhere. I want to find out what Justin’s tests showed.”

“Not today,” Bess said. “After this, I can’t even think about food.”

“I don’t believe it!” George’s eyes widened in surprise. “This is one for the record books. Bess Marvin just refused food!”

“Nancy, can you drop us off at my house?” Bess asked. “I know my parents are anxious for me to get home.”

“Let’s go,” Nancy said, smiling. “I’m glad you’re back among the living, Bess.”

• • •

As she parked her Mustang in the Mexican restaurant’s parking lot, Nancy saw both Justin and Ned waiting for her by the front door.

“Can you join us for lunch, Justin?” Nancy asked.

Justin pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. “No way. I ate enough junk food last night,” he said ruefully. “I just wanted to give you the results of the test. Or, rather, the lack of results. Nancy, I tried every test I know, but there was no poison in that lemonade.”

“Well, now that I’ve talked to the other five victims, I was expecting that,” Nancy told him. “Bess is the only one who drank lemonade.
I guess that rules out Florida Fresh. At least the Andersons will be happy when I tell them. Thanks anyway, Justin.”

“Happy to oblige,” he said. “I love mucking around with chemicals.”

When she and Ned were seated in their booth, Nancy filled him in on her talk with the five other poison victims at the hospital. “All I can think is that there’s something going on at River Heights High,” she finished. “Either that, or—”

She stopped. “Or?” Ned prompted her.

“Well, I suddenly thought of another theory, but it sounds crazy,” said Nancy slowly.

Ned’s smile was reassuring. “Nancy, I’ve seen you on a lot of cases, and when your instincts tell you something, they’re usually right. So what’s your latest hunch?”

“Well, do you remember the sleeping pill scare a few years ago, when someone put cyanide in the pills?” asked Nancy.

“Sure, I remember.”

Nancy paused. “I just wonder if maybe this couldn’t be the same thing. Maybe the doctors are wrong about the poison being in food or drink. Maybe it was in a medicine.”

“You could be right,” Ned said slowly, a new idea dawning on him. “Bess wasn’t feeling well even before she drank the lemonade.”

“That’s what got me thinking about it. I wonder if she took anything for her sore
throat. I’ll call her as soon as we get back to the mall. Did you have fun helping Justin?” Nancy asked.

“I had fun, but I didn’t help—he had everything under control. You know, it was weird— when I watched Justin do those tests, I couldn’t figure out why he’d dropped chemistry. He’s really good!”

“That’s not what he says,” Nancy replied. “He told me he switched majors because he wasn’t good enough. But maybe Justin doesn’t do anything unless he can be the best at it—no matter how many jokes he cracks.”