Danger on Parade (14 page)

“Aunt Eloise, I found them!” Nancy called,
racing over to Bess and Greg. It took only a few moments to untie the ropes.

“Nancy, I'm so glad you're here!” Bess cried as Nancy removed the piece of tape covering her mouth.

Nancy pulled her friend to her feet. “We have to get out of here. The building's about to blow up!”

The three of them raced down the stairs, picking up Eloise on the second floor. Nancy could still hear the workers screaming at them.

“Thirty seconds!” Eloise shouted.

Nancy was moving so fast that she didn't even feel the steps under her feet as she hurried down the last flight. She made sure the others got through the door. Then she burst outside and rushed toward the street.

She had only gone a few yards when there was a huge boom.

Nancy felt herself being pitched forward. She closed her eyes, covered her head, and rolled to the ground as debris fell all around her!

F
OR A FEW
moments everything around Nancy was in chaos. Then there was silence.

Nancy's heart pounded as she finally lifted up an arm and peeked out. Just ahead of her, her aunt, Bess, and Greg were also lying flat on the ground. Stones and debris were scattered all around them. “Everyone okay?” she asked in a shaky voice.

She was relieved when the others started to dust themselves off and get up. No one appeared to be injured. As Nancy, too, got to her feet, she gazed back at the brownstone they had just escaped from. Where a four-story building had once stood, there was now a pile of rubble.

“I don't know what you crazy people think you're doing!”

Nancy turned to see the foreman heading
toward them, his face purple with rage. A few members of his crew followed behind him.

“You could've been killed in there!” the foreman sputtered. “What in the—” He stopped short, looking back and forth between Bess and Greg. “Where did you two come from?” he demanded.

“I'm sorry we rushed in like that,” Nancy said. “Our friends were trapped in the building, and we had to rescue them.”

“Trapped! What—?” The foreman wanted to know what was going on.

Nancy looked at her watch. “Sir, we'd love to stay and chat, but we only have forty-five minutes to get this young man to the lead float in the Mitchell's Thanksgiving parade.”

The four of them ran, leaving the foreman with a puzzled look on his face. As they hurried back to the parking garage, Bess and Greg explained what had happened.

“After we left the apartment, Greg and I went over to Neil's apartment to pick up the passes for the club,” Bess began. “When we walked inside, Neil was his usual self. He offered us some sodas and then went into the kitchen to pour them—”

“There's a cab,” Eloise interrupted. “Let's get it. I'll never find a parking space by the museum now. I'll just have to come back for the car later.” She hailed the cab, and they all piled in. Nancy's aunt told the driver their destination and asked him to hurry.

As they rode, Bess continued telling what had happened. “Anyway, Neil was gone for a minute, and then he called Greg to the kitchen.”

Nancy could guess what had happened next. “You stayed in the living room?” she asked. When Bess nodded, she said, “He separated you so you couldn't gang up on him.”

“You got it,” Greg said. “I walked into the kitchen, and before I knew it, Neil was swinging something at me, and everything went black.” He winced as he rubbed the back of his head.

“I heard a sort of thud, but I just assumed they had dropped something,” Bess said, picking up the story. “I mean, this was Neil, Mr. Guest Relations. So when he came out of the kitchen without Greg, I didn't think much of it. I never even saw whatever he hit me with, but I got knocked out, too.”

Eloise looked at Greg and Bess. “And when you woke up, you were tied up in that building?”

“Right again,” Greg replied. “Neil was still with us. He said he didn't think the wrecking crew would check inside the building as long as there was no sign of anyone tampering with the boards.” He let out a bitter laugh. “I guess Neil was very careful because he was right—they never did check.”

Bess's voice shook as she exclaimed, “It was awful! Neil even said that if anyone found our  . . . our bodies, they would never be able to trace them back to him!”

Nancy was seething with anger toward Neil. How could he hurt her friends like that? Turning in her seat, she saw Bess and Greg exchange glances. She knew they realized they were lucky to be alive.

“I found the clown costumes in his apartment,” Nancy told Bess and Greg.

“He told us about that,” Greg said. “He actually bragged about how clever he had been to set up Bess to take the blame. When the delivery boy arrived with the costumes, Greg made him wait.”

“That's when he met Greg and me to go to Morelli's. He pretended that we were leaving, then suggested that I treat myself to something in the store,” Bess explained. “After I signed the receipt, he brought it back to the delivery boy.”

Greg shook his head. “We were so busy looking around that we didn't think anything of it when he took off for a minute. The next thing we knew he was back, and we left for Morelli's.”

“So I was right about someone putting the delivery receipt on top of your charge receipt,” Nancy said. “There were probably a couple of copies of the receipt, and he must have used one of their carbons so your signature would show up on the charge receipt.”

Bess nodded, then said, “You were right about his slashing the balloons, too. He had everything planned so well.”

“It's scary. He almost got away with it,” Greg added, giving the others a meaningful look.

“Not with Nancy Drew on the case!” her aunt said, grinning at Nancy.

A few moments later, the cab pulled up to the curb at Seventy-seventh and Columbus, next to the Museum of Natural History. As they got out of the cab, Greg looked ruefully at his dusty, wrinkled black jeans and button-down shirt. “I hope there's a costume waiting for me here. Nobody's going to want a grand marshal who looks like this.”

Bess took his hand and squeezed it. “The fans should just be happy they get to see you at all,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Come on, we've got to find Jill and Neil,” Nancy said.

As they headed toward Clown Corner, Nancy saw that everything was just about ready. Dozens of clowns in colorful costumes, wigs, and makeup were taking their places in the parade lineup. Floats and bands and balloons stretched down the street in a dazzling line as far as Nancy could see, and the sidewalks were thick with spectators.

“There's Jill!” Eloise called out.

Nancy followed her aunt's gaze and spotted Jill standing between a balloon and a high school band. She looked even more worried and upset than she had earlier—until her gaze landed on the group coming toward her.

“Greg! Where have you been?” she asked frantically. “I've been worried sick.”

Greg opened his mouth to explain, but Nancy
cut in. “We'll explain later. Where's Neil?” she asked, looking around.

Jill pointed to the table where coffee was being served. Neil was chatting with a few of the parade guests. Nancy couldn't believe he could act so nonchalant when he had just tried to have Bess and Greg killed.

“You still don't think he was the one trying to sabotage the parade, do you?” Jill asked, eyeing Nancy dubiously.

“I don't
think
so,” Nancy told her. “I
know
so! I found the clown costumes in his apartment.
And
he kidnapped Bess and Greg last night.”

Jill's eyes flitted nervously to Greg and Neil. Before she could ask any questions, Nancy said, “You'll find out the rest in a minute. Right now, we have to get him.”

Nancy was off, leading the group over to the table where Neil was standing. She was still about twenty feet away when he saw them coming toward him.

At first he smiled at Nancy. But when his gaze landed on Bess and Greg, his face went white with shock. He looked nervously around and started to back away, but a group of clowns blocked his way. Some of the clowns thought Neil was trying to joke with them, so they kiddingly blocked his path and squirted water at him from the trick flowers in their lapels.

“Out of my way!” Neil shouted as he tried to get through.

“Give it up, Neil,” Nancy called, heading toward him.

Neil shoved a clown out of the way and darted around to the other side of the doughnut table. For the briefest instant, he stared right into Nancy's eyes, and the dark look she saw chilled her to the bone.

Suddenly Neil's hands shot forward, and he grabbed the edge of the table. Nancy gasped as he gave the table a mighty heave, sending it flying right at her!

N
ANCY
instinctively dove to the side. She felt something hard strike her foot, then heard the table clatter to the pavement next to her. Cries of alarm rose up from the clowns nearby.

Rolling to her side, Nancy quickly got up. Her foot was sore but didn't seem injured. Doughnuts and coffee cups were scattered on the ground around her.

“Are you all right?” Bess asked with concern. Eloise, Jill, and Greg were right behind her.

Nancy didn't bother to answer. Her attention was focused on Neil, who was running away from her through the crowds. “Stop him!” she shouted, taking off after him.

Within seconds she closed the distance between them. With a final burst of speed, she covered the last few yards and lashed out with a
karate kick to Neil's left leg. He fell to his knees with a cry. Nancy quickly grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

A moment later Bess and Greg hurried up with a police officer. “He's the one, Officer,” Bess said, pointing at Neil.

“It's no use, Neil,” Nancy added, handing him over to the policeman. “We know everything. You were the one who knocked me out last night.”

Neil glared at Nancy, but his gaze faltered when he saw Jill. She was looking at him with a mixture of hurt and pity in her eyes.

“Was it really you, Neil?” she asked quietly. “Do you really hate me enough to wreck the parade we both worked so hard for?”

“No, I— It wasn't me!” Neil protested.

“You're lying,” Nancy said, shooting him a probing gaze. “You stole Heath Nealon's ID. In fact, I bet you have it right now.”

Neil took a step back as the police asked him to empty his pockets. He looked as if he were about to protest. But seeing all the unyielding faces around him, he finally relented.

“My goodness, he
does
have two IDs,” Eloise murmured from behind Nancy.

Sure enough, Neil handed over two cards to the police officer. Nancy felt a bubble of triumph when she saw the name
Heath Nealon
on one of them. He also handed over a pocketknife.

“I bet this is what you used to slash the
balloons in the warehouse,” Nancy guessed. “And to cut the ropes supporting the helium balloons in the museum last night.”

Neil glared at her but said nothing.

“Why me, Neil?” Bess asked, coming over to stand right in front of him. “Why did you try to make it look as if
I
did all those terrible things?”

Neil kicked at the pavement with his shoe before answering. “You set yourself up,” he finally said. “I wasn't going to try to pin the sabotage on anyone in particular. But after the explosion, your sunglasses were found near the torches.”

“She must have dropped them when I yelled at her to get away from the tanks,” Jill put in, “just as you guessed, Nancy.”

Nancy nodded but remained silent.

“You were the one who pretended to be Greg and arranged for me to meet him at the parade studio,” Bess accused him angrily.