My Deadly Valentine (12 page)

W
AIT
!” N
ANCY CALLED
, pointing to Max's arm. “That green stain. Where did it come from?”

Max glanced down at his sleeve and frowned. “When you're going in and out of electrical closets and boiler rooms, you don't notice every little spot on your uniform.” He stalked off.

When the door banged shut behind him, Ned turned to Nancy. “Forest green paint. You're thinking of the graffiti?”

She nodded. “We'd better watch out for Max. He's looking more and more like Cupid.”

• • •

“Who would like to open the bidding oh this fabulous valentine?” Kristin asked as she held up a baseball cap embroidered with hearts.

“I'll bid two dollars,” someone called.

“Make that five,” said a guy in the front row. Nancy guessed that the valentine had been made by Brook because she always seemed to be carrying a needlework bag around.

The living room of the Theta Pi house was crowded with Emerson students. The charity auction was open to every guy on campus, although according to Kristin, most of the guys in the room were boyfriends of the girls in the sorority.

Despite the festive atmosphere, Nancy felt an undercurrent of tension. What if one of the valentines was auctioned off to the stalker?

Brook clapped and smiled when her valentine was sold for twenty-two dollars to the guy she was dating.

Kristin moved on to the next valentine, a Walkman covered with cardboard hearts. Nancy knew it had been decorated by Denise, a music buff.

“Do I hear ten dollars? It's worth at least that much,” Kristin called, then nodded to one of the bidders. “There's ten, give me fifteen . . .”

“Fifteen!” shouted a tall, buttoned-down guy. Nancy knew he was Denise's boyfriend, Larry.

“Give me twenty,” Kristin challenged.

“Seventeen . . .”

“Twenty!” Larry persisted.

As the bidding continued, Nancy glanced over at the other valentines displayed on the table. Besides the magnifying glass, which she'd decorated
with foil hearts, there was a hand-painted mug, a cake with pink frosting, and a few other gadgets Nancy couldn't quite identify.

After Denise's valentine was sold to Larry, Kristin picked up a white plastic bottle dotted with glitter hearts. “This valentine belongs to a friend of Theta Pi—one of the
bubbliest
girls I've ever met.” She unscrewed the bottle top, pulled out a plastic stick, and started blowing bubbles.

Laughter rippled through the room. That's got to be Bess, Nancy thought, and darted a look at her best friend. Though Bess was smiling, Nancy knew she was thinking about her boyfriend, Kyle. He should have arrived by now.

Ned jumped into the bidding when he realized the bubble valentine belonged to Bess. Gradually, the bidding turned into a contest between Ned and one other guy. Bess watched the action tensely.

Suddenly Nancy noticed a familiar figure moving through the crowd. Several of the Theta Pis turned, raising their eyebrows when they saw the good-looking guy with curly blond hair and sculptured cheekbones. It was Kyle!

Nancy nudged her friend. When Bess saw him, a look of pure joy filled her face. Meanwhile, Ned had grabbed Kyle by the arm and was whispering and pointing at the auctioneer.

“Twenty dollars!” Kyle shouted out, sending a murmur of surprise through the crowd. That was double the existing bid.

“Wow!” Bess said, her eyes glistening. “He must really like me.”

A moment later Kristin banged the gavel, and the girls cheered Kyle's generous bid.

“I'm going over to congratulate the winner,” Bess whispered, then wove through the crowd to greet her boyfriend.

Nancy's valentine was next on the auction block. “What do I hear for this magnifying glass, sure to magnify any girl's affections?” Kristin asked as she held it up high.

Fitz opened the bidding at two dollars, and Nancy felt her stomach twist as other guys joined in, raising the bid.

“Five dollars!” said one guy.

“Six!” Ned called out.

“Seven dollars,” said Fitz.

The price soared.

When Fitz bid twenty-three dollars, Nancy's heart sank. This was supposed to be fun, but she didn't want Ned to have to shell out a small fortune. Why was Fitz bidding so high for her? He knew she had a boyfriend.

“Twenty-four dollars!” Ned said, pulling out his wallet and counting the bills inside. One of the auction rules was that payment had to be made in cash on the spot, and Nancy wasn't sure how much money Ned had brought with him.

“Thirty dollars!” Fitz announced.

Across the room, Ned and Kyle were going through their pockets, pooling loose bills and
coins. Ned added it up quickly, then shook his head. They didn't have enough.

Nancy was going to the Sweetheart Ball without her sweetheart!

“Going once!” Kristin shouted. “Going twice! Sold to Mike Fitzgerald for thirty dollars!”

The gavel dropped with a thud, dashing Nancy's hopes. She saw Fitz pick up the magnifying glass from the auction table and walk out of the living room. She followed him into the front vestibule, away from the noisy crowd.

“That was quite a bid,” Nancy said.

“This was yours?” He seemed surprised as he took the magnifying glass and turned it over in his hands. “I thought it belonged to Kristin.”

“A magnifying glass?” Nancy probed. “Why did you connect it with Kristin?”

“She's a stamp collector.” Fitz pushed a lock of black hair off his forehead as he tried to hide a grin. “This is embarrassing,” he said. “Since Kristin and I are both unattached at the moment, we agreed to go to the dance together. But it looks as if I've made an expensive mistake. See what happens when you play Mr. Nice Guy?”

How could she blame Fitz? His intentions had been good. “I have an idea,” Nancy told him as she glanced back toward the auction table. “But I need Ned's help.” She slipped through the crowd.

When Nancy reached his side, she explained the situation, then told Ned to bid on the picnic
blanket covered with hearts and the Theta Pi letters. In the end, Ned bought Kristin's valentine, and the two couples made a swap.

“That worked out well,” Kristin said when the auction was over and everyone had paid. People were milling around the living room, showing off the colorful valentines.

Fitz slung his arm across Kristin's shoulders and gave her a friendly hug. “You did a great job as auctioneer,” he told her. “I'll bet the Theta Pi sisters raised a lot of money for charity.”

“Where are my hard-earned dollars going?” Ned asked.

“To a children's hospital,” Kristin said.

“That must be something close to your heart, Fitz,” Nancy said, hoping to draw him out. “Dean Jarvis told me you're a pre-med major.”

Fitz blinked, as if Nancy had taken him by surprise. “Well, sure,” he stuttered. “I—I just didn't think Dean Jarvis even knew who I was.”

“You're too modest,” Kristin said, patting Fitz on the back. “He's acing biology and chemistry. Fitz is a science whiz.”

And a science whiz fits Cupid's profile perfectly, Nancy thought. But why would a guy who adored Theta Pi girls stalk them? Maybe she was getting off the track. Max and Marina were still the most likely suspects. All she needed was proof.

That night the college was sponsoring a Skate Under the Stars program at the frozen lake on the
edge of campus. After a quick dinner at the Theta Pi house, Nancy, Bess, and Kristin bundled up and walked over to the lake. Ned and Kyle were already on the ice, showing off jumps and turns. Not much later Fitz arrived, and the three couples competed in some of the events.

“I'm so glad you're here!” Bess said, hugging Kyle as they waited their turn for a skating relay.

Kyle grinned. “Once we finished trial prep for that big case we've been working on, the boss sent me packing.”

Nancy smiled at the mention of her father. “Dad can be a taskmaster, but he has a good heart.”

Love songs were playing over the sound system, and between events couples skated in pairs or drank steaming cocoa. After a few hours of fresh air and brisk exercise, the teens were ready to call it a night.

“Why don't we head back?” Ned suggested.

“Good idea,” Bess said. “My hands are beginning to feel like snow cones.”

Arm in arm, Nancy and Ned climbed along the wooded path that connected the lake to the campus. The other two couples were a few paces ahead. But as romantic as the setting was, Nancy couldn't help thinking about the case.

“If Max and Marina are actually working together, it will be harder to catch them,” she said aloud.

“What was that?” Ned asked.

“The Dombrowskis,” Nancy explained, and Ned let out a laugh. “What's so funny?” she asked.

“I'm thinking about the stars and the pretty girl at my side, and you're rehashing the case.”

“I can't let it go unsolved,” Nancy said, smiling up at Ned's handsome face.

“That's one of the reasons I'm so crazy about you,” Ned said, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

“I'm going to be at the student union tomorrow when the catering crew arrives,” Nancy said. “Want to come along?”

Ned winced. “Nine o'clock on a Saturday morning?” When Nancy gave him a firm look, he added, “I wouldn't miss it.”

• • •

“Good morning,” Nancy said, sitting down at the breakfast table with Kristin and Mindy.

“You're up early,” Mindy said. She'd been released from the hospital the night before. Now, as Mindy ate scrambled eggs and toast, Nancy was glad to see her looking healthy again.

“Mindy and I have breakfast duty,” Kristin said. “What's your excuse, Nancy?”

“I've got a nine o'clock appointment. Besides, sleep is the last thing on my mind when I'm wrapped up in a case.”

“Are you closing in on Cupid?” Mindy asked.

“I sure hope so,” Nancy said. As she took a bite of toast, she noticed an open book on the
kitchen table,
“Hearts Aflame.
Just like the movie. Who's reading this?”

“I started it while I was in the hospital,” Mindy said. “I wanted to see what I missed in the movie, so I bought a copy of the book. I was so tired on Wednesday night that I fell asleep after the first ten minutes.”

“Was that you I heard snoring behind me?” Kristin teased.

“I wasn't snoring,” Mindy insisted. “I'm sure Fitz would have nudged me if I was.”

“You and Fitz sat together that night,” Nancy said, remembering the Sweetheart Feature.

“Right,” Mindy said. “We had the two seats on the aisle.”

Nancy's mind raced ahead. “If you fell asleep, Fitz could have slipped out unnoticed. The rest of us were sitting in front of you.”

“What are you saying, Nancy?” Kristin asked.

“He could have sneaked back here and painted the graffiti,” Nancy said.

“Fitz?” Kristin shook her head. “Why would he do that?”

“You're way off base,” Mindy agreed. “Fitz was the one who painted over the graffiti. He's always pitching in to help us. The guy doesn't have a bad bone in his body.”

Just then there was a knock on the kitchen door, and Kristin peeked out the window. “It's Fitz,” she said.

“Speak of the devil.” Nancy exchanged a look with the other girls, then shrugged. Could he have heard them from outside? She didn't think so, but the guy had uncanny timing.

Kristin opened the door, and Fitz stomped in.

“I know it's early,” he said with a forlorn expression. “But is there any way I can beg a meal from my favorite sorority sisters? They're serving chipped beef and eggs at the dining hall.”

“Ugggh!” the girls said in unison.

“Sit down,” Kristin insisted. “We've got scrambled eggs ready, and there are pecan rolls in the oven.”

As she watched Fitz settle in, Nancy noticed again how comfortable and happy he seemed around the girls. Clearly, he adored them.

Nancy finished breakfast and ran upstairs to change into her jeans and sweatshirt. As she dressed, she tried to rehearse questions for Marina. In the end, though, Nancy knew she'd have to play it by ear.

Twenty minutes later Nancy and Ned were descending the ramp in the center of the student union. The sounds of brisk voices and clattering china arose from the ground floor, where the catering crew was setting up. When they reached the entryway to the ballroom, an authoritative woman looked up from her clipboard and asked, “Can I help you?”

“I'm Ned Nickerson, from Omega Chi Epsilon,” Ned said, turning on the charm. “And you
must be the caterer. Just checking in to see if there's anything you need.”

“Cora Miles,” the woman said, softening. “I'm glad you're here. We're a tad worried about the placement of this rose trellis. Let me show you.”