Flirting with Danger (9 page)

The detective returned his revolver to the holster beneath his suit jacket and slowly took in the mess. “I hope you haven't touched anything,” he said.

Ned and Mike were standing just behind Nancy, one on either side. “We haven't,” Ned said. “We just got here.”

“I take it this happened since you were here last time?” Nancy asked, stepping carefully over a broken vase.

The detective nodded. “Yep. My men came by last night. When Mr. Kline let me know Rachel had called, I thought I'd double-check this place. I didn't expect to find it like this, though.”

He went to the telephone, lifted the receiver with a handkerchief, and punched in a number with the end of a pen. “This is Heller,” he said, then he barked out the address and asked for a fingerprint person.

Mike's gaze landed on a denim jacket lying on the floor. He walked over and picked it up, his face gray. “This is Rachel's,” he said, turning around and holding the garment close to his chest for a moment.

“Let me see,” Lieutenant Heller said gently.

When Mike held out the jacket, a piece of paper slipped to the floor. Nancy reached for it.

She found her voice shaking as she read the note out loud: “ ‘We're in terrible trouble. Find us. Please.' ”

A
S SOON AS
N
ANCY
finished reading the note, Mike leaned back against the wall, clutching Rachel's jacket to him, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Ned looked on with a worried expression on his face. “Do you think Rachel wrote it?” he asked.

“Let me see that,” Lieutenant Heller said, holding out his hand.

Mike glanced at the piece of paper as Nancy gave it to the lieutenant. “That's Rachel's handwriting, all right,” he said, his voice shaking.

Nancy looked around the ransacked apartment. “What are you going to do now?” she asked the detective.

“Ask for more manpower,” the policeman answered. He went back to the telephone and called the station in the same careful way he had before.

Nancy turned to Rachel's ex-boyfriend. “Are you okay, Mike?”

The boy nodded glumly, but his grip on the jacket was still so tight that his knuckles glowed white. “I—I think I just need some fresh air,” he said haltingly. He stumbled toward the open door, and Nancy watched as he went down the hall.

“This is hitting him hard,” Ned commented to Nancy.

Nancy nodded thoughtfully. “He must still love her,” she replied.

The lieutenant completed his phone call and turned back to Nancy and Ned. “Was he all right?” he asked, cocking a thumb toward the door that Mike had taken out. “He looks as though he's been kicked.”

“He's the guy who went with Rachel until about a month ago,” Nancy explained. “They broke up when Rachel started dating Dennis Harper. Obviously, Mike still cares about her.”

“This can't be easy for him,” the lieutenant said. Then he went outside to find Mike. Nancy followed, with Ned close behind.

“You seem pretty shook up,” the policeman said to Mike, who was sitting on the front steps. “You must care a lot about this girl.”

“I do,” Mike agreed. Then, quickly, he corrected himself. “Did.”

“Mike, is there anything you can think of that would explain why Rachel might be in danger?” Nancy asked.

“Or what might have made her leave that note?” Ned added.

“I know what you think,” Mike snapped, still holding Rachel's jacket across his lap. “You think maybe I'm connected with this somehow, that I wanted to get even with Rachel or something! Well, I wouldn't hurt her. I really loved her!”

“That's not what we're saying, son,” the lieutenant said in a gentle voice. “We're just looking for some kind of lead.”

Mike lowered his head. “I don't know what to tell you. I'm just as confused as you are. All I want is to find her before something really bad happens.”

The lieutenant nodded and rose to his feet. “So do we, son. So do we.” He paused for a moment. “I'll need the jacket for evidence,” he
said, holding out one hand. Mike gave the jacket to him.

Two squad cars pulled up, and three uniformed officers—along with the woman who had come to the Klines' to lift fingerprints—came across the narrow lawn.

At the sight of them, Mike got to his feet and stood staring out toward the ocean.

Mike was lost in thought and seemed unaware that Nancy and Ned were standing next to him. “Those cats can be dangerous,” he muttered under his breath with a shake of his head.

Nancy touched his arm. “What did you mean just now?” she asked. “About cats being dangerous?”

Mike almost jumped at the question, but he recovered his composure almost immediately. “I just meant ‘those guys,' criminals in general,” he said. Nancy thought Mike was acting a bit flustered. “Look,” he said suddenly, glancing at his watch and trying to smile, “I've got to get to work pretty soon. Think you could drive me back to the Klines' so I can pick up my car?”

“Sure,” Ned answered.

“I'll ask the lieutenant if it's okay for us to leave,” Nancy added.

Minutes later they were in the Camaro.
Soon after they arrived back at the Klines', Ned and Nancy watched Mike drive off to work.

“Come on, Nickerson,” Nancy said, grabbing his hand and leading him back to Rachel's car.

“What's up?” Ned asked.

“I don't know exactly,” Nancy said as Ned started up the car. “But I get the feeling Mike's hiding something. Remember what he said about ‘those cats'?”

Ned nodded and pulled out into the street. Mike's car was making a turn at a stop sign up ahead.

“I'll bet you anything it's got to do with those cat symbols we've been seeing.” She counted them off on her fingers. “Beth's necklace. The graffiti on the wall at the Snake Pit. And this invitation.” She pulled it out of her purse.

“So you think Mike knows who these ‘Kats' are?” Ned asked.

“There's only one way to find out. I hope if we follow him, we'll learn more.”

Up ahead she spied Mike's blue sports car. Ned kept as much distance between the two vehicles as he could without losing sight of Mike.

Soon the sports car zoomed up a freeway
ramp. At the moment, Nancy knew, they were headed in the general direction of Sound Performance, where Mike had said he was going. Still, she recalled what Mike had said about having a few days off. Was he going to work or not?

“I doubt if Mike is involved in Rachel's disappearance, though,” Ned threw in as Mike slowed down for an exit. He dropped back a few car lengths, then took the same ramp. “He seemed honestly shook up back there.”

“It could have been an act, though,” Nancy said. She was almost disappointed when Mike headed straight for Sound Performance, turned into the parking lot beside the store, and got out of his car. She'd been so sure they were on to something.

Ned cruised past to go around the block. “He might know he's being tailed,” Ned said. “In which case, he's leading us on a wild-goose chase.”

“Or he's really going to work,” Nancy said.

Ned pulled into the parking lot of the car wash across the street. The sign overhead pictured a big pink elephant, outlined in neon, spraying water out of its trunk. “Maybe. Let's just sit here and watch for a while.

“You know what?” Ned said after a few
minutes. “Why didn't Rachel tell you where she was last night on the phone?”

“There could be an easy explanation,” Nancy answered, keeping her eyes on Mike's car. “Maybe she was afraid of being caught talking on the phone.”

Just then Mike came strolling out of the front door of Sound Performance. He walked straight toward the parking lot and got into his car.

“Pretty short workday, huh?” Ned said, starting the car.

“I'll say,” Nancy agreed.

Mike's sports car made a U-turn, and he drove past them without glancing in their direction. Ned waited a few beats and then pulled out behind him. There were three cars between the Camaro and Mike's sports car.

After driving on the freeway for a while, Mike took an exit leading back to the general vicinity of Dennis's apartment. Nancy sat up a little straighter in her seat, intrigued.

Mike took several unexpected turns, but Ned managed to keep up. Eventually, they were on a street called Beach Drive—the ocean within sight.

The name of the street seemed familiar to Nancy, and she took the Kat Club invitation
out of her purse. Sure enough, the party scheduled for that night was being held on Beach Drive. She had the growing feeling that their chase had been worthwhile.

A few minutes later Mike stopped in front of a small two-story beach house. There were cars parked everywhere, and Nancy and Ned kept their distance.

“This is it,” Nancy whispered, seeing the cat logo painted above the front door.

“You mean—” Ned began.

Nancy nodded. “Yep. I'll bet you anything this is the Kat Club.”

“That means that for all his denying it at Dennis's apartment, Mike does know these Kats! Or is one!”

The words were barely out of Ned's mouth when Nancy saw two people she knew come out of the Kat Club and greet Mike—Beth and Jessica. In her mind she saw Beth playing with the cat necklace around her neck.

Nancy's words caught in her throat. “They're Kats, too!”

T
HEY
'
VE BEEN LYING
to us all along!” Nancy said.

Ned grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute. We don't know that they're Kats. We don't have proof that any of them are behind the note we got.”

“But they know Kats,” Nancy pointed out. “That much is obvious. And they probably know who left that note. Ned, we've got to get in there and find out what's going on.”

Ned shook his head. “Not now. There's too much chance of being seen.”

“You're right,” Nancy agreed reluctantly. “I
guess we'll have to come back tonight as we planned. But, Ned” —Nancy stopped short— “I just had a terrible thought. Suppose they're holding Rachel in there? Her note did say she was in terrible trouble. We know one of the Kats doesn't want us looking for her. What if they're the ones hiding her?”

Ned backed the Camaro around a corner. “Her own friends? Why would they do that?”

Nancy ran a hand through her hair distractedly. “I know it doesn't make sense. Think about it, though—Mike was lying to us about the Kats. He might be lying about not knowing where Rachel is. Beth obviously knows more than she's telling, too.”

“It might all be perfectly innocent,” Ned pointed out. “Although I doubt it. All I know is, it wouldn't be smart to go in there in broad daylight. Not with so many people around.”

Nancy hated leaving when they could be so close to finding Rachel. She knew Ned was right, though. They'd be no help to Rachel if they were caught.

“Next question,” Ned said, when they were on the freeway again, headed toward Beverly Hills. “Do we call in the police?”

Nancy considered carefully. “No,” she finally answered. “Let's keep this to ourselves until
we know what's going on. As you said, we don't have any proof.”

“And the Klines?”

“I don't think we should get their hopes up,” Nancy said. “We don't even know if she's in there.”

Back at the Kline house, the afternoon passed slowly. Mrs. Kline stationed herself by the telephone, hoping for another call from Rachel; Josh and Mr. Kline were both at work.

Nancy felt guilty about not saying anything to her about the Kat Club, but she didn't know what she'd say. They really didn't know who the Kats were or if they were holding Rachel. She still didn't know if Dennis was a Kat, or if he was responsible for Rachel's disappearance. She'd just have to sit and wait until dark and sneak into the Kat Club.