Secrets Can Kill (11 page)

Carla was chattering away about Bedford High's big dance as she and Brenda walked by, but she took the time to jostle the girls' table hard enough to spill Nancy's Coke.

Bess took a wad of napkins out of the container and handed them to Nancy. “Carla doesn't give up, does she?” she said, seething. “I don't understand why you haven't gotten back at her.”

But Nancy had other things on her mind. Brenda, for one.
Had
she been following them? If she had, Nancy would have to be super careful. The case was at its trickiest point. She couldn't afford to let Brenda's nose for news get even a whiff of what was going on.

Then there was Daryl Gray. How was she going to handle him? “Of course!” she said suddenly. “Carla just gave me the answer.”

“The answer to what?” George asked.

“How to get Daryl to spill his guts,” Nancy told her. “Bess, you said Alan Wales is playing at the dance tomorrow night, right? So you'll be there, won't you?”

“Of course,” Bess said dreamily. “I'm his biggest fan.”

“Good, I might need your help.” Nancy turned to George. “Yours, too.”

“But I don't have a date.”

“I've got one for you.”

“I don't like blind dates,” George protested.

“Trust me,” Nancy said with a grin. “You'll love the guy I have in mind.”

“So how are you going to handle Daryl?” Bess wanted to know.

“Very carefully,” Nancy said. “But no matter what, tomorrow night, I'm going to pop the question to him. Only it won't be one he's expecting.”

B
ESS SMOOTHED OUT
the skirt of her cherry-red dress and stood on tiptoe, trying to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror. “It's no use,” she said with a sigh. “I'll have to wait until this place clears out.”

“I'm not in any hurry anyway,” Nancy said tensely. She and George and Bess were in the girls' bathroom just outside the Bedford High gym. It was the night of the high school's first big dance. For an hour and a half Nancy had been putting on an act—first when Daryl had picked her up at home, then on the drive to Bedford, and for the past forty-five minutes
while she'd been dancing with him. She'd laughed and joked and made conversation, pretending that everything was the same between them. She probably deserved an Oscar for her performance, she told herself wryly. But staying in character was growing difficult. She'd been glad when the band had finally taken a break and she could take refuge in the bathroom and just be herself.

“Well, it won't be much longer,” she said with a nervous glance at her watch. “I wish my hands weren't so clammy.”

“Don't worry,” George told her. “Daryl will just think you're excited to be with him.”

“Speaking of that,” Bess said, giggling, “what do you think of Alan Wales, Nancy? Isn't he absolutely gorgeous?”

“Incredible,” Nancy agreed. Actually, she hadn't paid much attention to Bess's new heartthrob, but she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings. “When this case is over, we'll all have to do something together.”

“Oh, sure, that'll be great!” Bess said. “Of course, Alan's really serious about making it in the music business, so he's always busy. But we'll try to find a spare hour somewhere.”

Nancy was glad Bess had a new boyfriend, but she just couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the subject, not at the moment, anyway. It wouldn't be long before she had to confront
Daryl, and that prospect was making her heart pound so hard it almost drowned out the sound of Bess's voice.

A girl behind Nancy finally moved away from the mirror, and Nancy grabbed the space.
Well, you don't look terrified,
she told herself. Actually, she looked good. She was wearing a dress she'd worn the year before, at a university dance with Ned—a soft blue wraparound that hugged her waist and came to a mildly revealing V in the front.

That V had put a sparkle in Daryl's eyes, but Nancy knew that the sparkle would fade fast once she started talking to him about Jake Webb, a man at a defense plant, and a diplomatic compound. What worried her was what would happen next. If Daryl was the murderer, would he turn on her? It was hard to imagine his getting vicious, but she knew it was a chance she had to take.

Nancy leaned close to the mirror to touch up her lipstick, and just as she brought the tube to her mouth, a girl moved into the space next to her, bumping Nancy's arm with her elbow.

Nancy stared at the pale red smear on the side of her mouth, and then at the girl who'd helped put it there. Carla Dalton.

George passed Nancy a tissue. Bess raised her eyebrows and shook her head. Nancy wiped her mouth and started over again. Carla ignored
everyone, brushed her hair, and then turned to leave.

Suddenly there was a loud shriek, followed by a distinct thud. Carla was sitting on the bathroom floor, skinny legs sticking out in front of her, narrow lips pressed into a thin line of disgust.

Nancy was trying to figure out how Carla had gotten there, not that she cared, when Bess cried out, “Oh, I'm
so
sorry!” Her voice dripped with mock sympathy. “Me and my big feet! My mother always told me to be sure to keep my feet out of the way or people would trip on them, but I guess I just didn't see you coming.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Here, let me give you a hand up.”

“Don't bother,” Carla said through clenched teeth. “You've done enough!” She got clumsily to her feet and stalked out of the bathroom, but not before Nancy saw a large, soapy water stain smack on the rear of Carla's peach colored dress.

“Nice work. Thanks,” Nancy whispered to Bess.

“Well, I just couldn't let her keep dumping on you,” Bess giggled. “You've got enough on your mind.”

George fluffed out her short dark curls and then checked her watch. “It's almost time,” she said. “The band'll be back in just a couple of minutes.”

Nancy took a deep breath. “You guys know what you're supposed to do, right?”

George nodded. “Don't worry. We'll be there.” She grinned. “By the way, you were right about that date you got for me. He's terrific.”

“I kind of like him myself,” Nancy agreed with a laugh. “Okay, then,” she went on. “I'll see you after the next break. Keep your fingers crossed.” With another deep breath and a last look in the mirror, she walked out of the bathroom and into the Bedford High gym.

The band was just reassembling, and Nancy took a moment to try to relax before finding Daryl. The gym was decorated with hundreds of crepe-paper streamers, and colored spotlights sent shafts of red, blue, and orange to the floor. Nancy spotted Walt Hogan, looking happier than she'd ever seen him. She didn't see Hal or Connie, and she realized that Connie probably never went to dances.
Maybe when this case is over,
Nancy thought,
Connie will straighten her life out and stop trying so desperately to be somebody she's not.

Alan Wales, the latest love of Bess's life, picked up his electric guitar and, with a frown of concentration, started in on a wild, pounding rock number that put everyone into motion.

“Okay, Daryl,” Nancy said under her breath, “here I come, ready or not.”

Her heart still pounding, Nancy threaded her
way through the crowded gym until she reached Daryl Gray's side. Without a word, Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him.

“Hey,” Nancy joked, “this is a fast dance. I don't think I can move like this.”

“Who wants to move?” Daryl whispered in her ear.

“I know what you mean.” Nancy traced his lips with her finger and pretended to be feeling as passionate as Daryl was. “Let's just stick around a little while longer, though, okay? If we leave now, everybody will know why.”

“I don't care about everybody,” Daryl said with a grin. “But all right. As long as we're here, we might as well dance.”

For almost half an hour, Nancy danced with Daryl. The band was good, keeping up a steady stream of popular rock numbers, as well as a few originals. They were all loud and fast, and it was almost impossible to carry on a conversation. Nancy was just as glad. She'd have to do some fast talking soon enough.

Finally, just before the next break, the band started in on a dreamy slow dance. Daryl took Nancy in his arms and held her tight, barely moving to the music. With a sigh he said, “This has to be the best night I've ever had.”

This is it, Nancy told herself. She pulled her head back until she could look in Daryl's eyes. Touching his lips again, she whispered, “It could be a whole lot better, though, couldn't it?
Especially if we spent some time alone together. I've danced enough now. How about you?”

With a slow smile Daryl laced his fingers through hers and led her through the gym, around the slow-dancing couples, and out the door.

Nancy shivered as they crossed the parking lot, but it wasn't because of the cool night air. It was because the dangerous part of the evening was coming up, when Nancy would find out who Daryl Gray really was. Was he a nice guy gone wrong, or was he a killer?

Except for a few widely spaced lampposts, the Bedford High parking lot was dark, as Nancy had expected. Daryl's Porsche loomed like a black hulk in the shadows. Nancy forced herself to smile as Daryl unlocked the car and ushered her inside. As he walked around to the driver's door, she heard strains of music coming from the gym, and wished, for a second, that she were still at the dance.

Once Daryl got in the car, though, Nancy didn't have time to think of anything but his arms. They were around her immediately, and Nancy couldn't help remembering that just a few days before, she'd loved that feeling. She didn't love it anymore, but even as Daryl held her, she felt a pang of regret that such a gorgeous guy was involved in something so rotten.

Thinking of what Daryl had done, and might
have done, made Nancy pull away. “Hey,” she said breathlessly. “Not so fast, there's plenty of time.”

“I know, I know.” Daryl was just as breathless. “I just love the way you feel.” He leaned forward to kiss her.

Nancy put her arms around his neck, and when the kiss was over, she decided it was time. Bringing her lips close to his ear, she whispered softly, “I thought you'd like to know—I found out why Jake Webb was killed.”

F
OR A SECOND
Daryl didn't move, and Nancy wondered if he'd even heard her. “Daryl?” she whispered again.

Finally, slowly, Daryl pulled away from her and sat back. In the faint light Nancy could see a look of surprise on his face. But fear was mixed with that surprise, and she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same between them again.

“Well,” Daryl said. “Good work, Detective. How'd you do it?”

“I was lucky,” Nancy admitted. “A piece of evidence was right in front of me, but I didn't see it for a while. It was on the tape.”

“The tape? Jake's tape?” Daryl asked sharply.

“The one and only.”

“Wow, you never know, do you?” Daryl gave a low whistle. “So which one did it?”

What an actor, Nancy thought. “It wasn't Hal or Connie,” she told him. “It wasn't Walt Hogan, either.” That was a guess on Nancy's part.

Daryl frowned. “But I thought you said you knew who killed Jake.”

“No, I didn't. I said I knew
why
he was killed. There's a big difference.”

Daryl shifted impatiently. “He was killed because he was blackmailing people and one of them finally stood up to him. We already know that.”

“Yeah, that's true,” Nancy agreed. “But it wasn't one of those three. They were all tucked in their beds when Jake took that fall.” Nancy was still going on guesswork. For all she knew, Hal, Connie, and Walt could have formed a team and pushed Jake down the stairs on the count of three. But she didn't believe it, not for a minute. “So,” she went on, “don't you want me to tell you what I found?”