My Deadly Valentine (13 page)

When Ned followed the woman, Nancy stood still for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Then she noticed a guy rolling a cart of boxes through a doorway at the side of the ballroom. She followed him and found herself inside a kitchen. A handful of women were at work, unloading platters of food into the giant refrigerators.

She walked past them and turned into the cleanup area. Marina Dombrowski was there alone, transferring china from crates into the plastic racks of a dishwasher.

“Hi, Marina,” Nancy said.

Marina glanced up, a startled look in her eyes. It quickly turned into a frown. “Nancy Drew—right?” She put her hands on her hips. “I wish I'd known who you were the other day when you came snooping around the diner. You're causing my father big trouble. He could lose his job because of you. Why are you out to get us?”

This isn't going to be easy, Nancy thought. “The only person I'm ‘out to get' is Cupid,” Nancy said firmly.

“You're imagining things.” Marina scowled. “Why would my father go after a bunch of sorority girls? He's got work to do—and so do I,
if you don't mind.” With that, she hoisted a tray of glassware and carried it over to the dishwasher.

Nancy followed her across the kitchen. “You know,” she said, “it's quite a coincidence that you're going to be working at the ball. Let's just hope Cupid doesn't strike tonight.”

“I work because I need the money,” Marina snapped. “My parents can't afford to pay for designer clothes and a car. I'm not as lucky as the girls of Theta Pi—I learned that much last year when they didn't give me a bid.”

“I heard about how you were blackballed,” Nancy said. “You were treated unfairly, but that's over. The girl who was against you graduated. And the sisters who are left don't deserve to live in fear.”

“Let them quiver,” Marina said, her dark eyes glittering. “They put me through agony last year. Now they know how it feels.”

N
ANCY EYED
M
ARINA
. The girl felt only bitterness toward the Theta Pi sorority. But had she acted on it?

“You know,” Nancy pointed out, “lots of girls don't get bids from the sorority they choose. And you weren't the only girl Theta Pi turned down.”

Marina shrugged. “Yeah, but they're not always singled out the way I was. They nixed me because I'm a townie and because my father isn't a corporate executive.”

“So you went to the rush tea to stir up trouble,” Nancy said.

“Exactly,” Marina snapped. “And I loved watching those girls squirm when I told the other rushees about some of the horrible things that have been happening to the Theta Pis.” Marina
picked up another tray of glasses and sighed. “I only wish my friend Jessie had been there to enjoy it. She was rejected by Theta Pi, too.”

“Jessica Watson?” Nancy asked, recalling the name of the girl who'd also wanted to pledge Theta Pi.

Marina nodded. “She and I were good friends.”

“But Jessica dropped out,” Nancy said.

“She never really liked college,” Marina explained. “She went back home and married her high school sweetheart. We've stayed in touch. I even called her this week and told her about the Theta Pi stalker. I thought she'd get a kick out of it, but she didn't care much. Jessie never really held a grudge.”

Unlike you, Nancy thought. Despite Nancy's probing, Marina wasn't about to say anything incriminating. Were she and her father planning to strike again as Cupid? Nancy couldn't read the answer on Marina's enigmatic face. She could only watch and wait.

“Any luck?” Ned asked when Nancy joined him outside the kitchen.

As they walked back to Greek Row, she told him about Marina's bitterness. “I don't blame her for being upset, but she's gone over the line. She really hates the Theta Pi sisters.”

“I'll put the word out at Chi Epsilon for the guys to be on alert for problems tonight,” Ned
promised. “If the Dombrowskis try anything, we'll be a step ahead of them.”

• • •

“I feel like Cinderella getting ready for the ball,” Bess said as she stretched her hand out on the dressing table. Mindy was painting Bess's fingernails while Kristin combed Bess's hair.

“Getting ready for one of these events is half the fun,” Mindy said as she dabbed the brush into the bottle of cherry red polish.

“Forty-three minutes till departure, ladies,” Kristin announced. “We'd better get moving.”

Saturday afternoon had been spent in frenzied preparation for the Sweetheart Ball. The girls of Theta Pi were working against a deadline of seven-thirty.

“I'm glad you're feeling up to attending,” Nancy told Mindy.

“I wouldn't miss it,” Mindy said, glancing over at Nancy's hair, which had been rolled on hot curlers. “Those rollers need to stay in for about ten minutes,” she said.

“Got it,” Nancy said, pulling her dress out of the closet. With a navy velvet bodice and a royal blue silk skirt, it complemented her blue eyes. As Kristin zipped up the back, Nancy smoothed the skirt. Her gold earrings winked back at her as she looked at herself in the mirror.

The doorbell began ringing at seven-twenty, and it never seemed to stop. Nancy, Bess, and
Kristin applied the final touches to their hair and makeup, then turned toward the bedroom door.

“Let's knock 'em dead, girls!” Kristin said as she led the way down the stairs.

Since Kyle was staying at the Omega Chi Epsilon house with Ned, the two guys arrived together.

“Happy Valentine's Day,” Ned said, giving Nancy a kiss on the cheek.

Just then Fitz and Kristin emerged from the dining room, where they'd been posing for photos with other Theta Pis.

“Ready to go?” Fitz asked.

“Are you kidding?” Bess flashed a huge smile. “I've been waiting for this all week.”

Ned drove the couples to the student union.

“Look!” Bess said as they walked into the ballroom. Tiny white lights had been strung across the ceiling. “They're like a million stars!”

The tables were covered with white lace cloths, and tall red candles flickered from silver holders.

“I've never seen this room looking so good,” Fitz said to Ned. “Maybe your decorating committee should take a shot at the rest of the building.”

“You guys did a fabulous job with the decorations,” Nancy told Ned as they sat down at a table. A long-stemmed rose had been placed beside each plate. She picked hers up and smiled.

Ned squeezed her hand. “We Omegas pride
ourselves on knowing a thing or two about romance.”

Although Nancy was on guard for anything that might go wrong, the evening went smoothly. A special table had been set at the head of the dance floor for the Emerson Sweetheart, and Tamara Carlson sat there with her boyfriend, Zip.

“It burns me up to think that Rosie is missing out on all this,” Kristin said, looking over at the head table.

“But now it's up to Tamara to make the most of the evening,” Nancy pointed out diplomatically.

Just before dinner Ned's fraternity assembled to serenade Tamara with the Emerson song. The Emerson Sweetheart gave each guy a chocolate kiss in return.

Nancy and Ned managed to get in a romantic slow dance before dinner was served. Then they took their seats for a dinner of soup, salad, lemon chicken, wild rice, and string beans with almonds.

“That was delicious,” Bess said.

“And look at dessert,” Kristin said as a waiter pushed a cart past their table. “Heart-shaped pastries and strawberry mousse!”

“Is there anything that
isn't
heart-shaped?” Nancy asked, nudging Ned.

“Hey, don't knock our theme,” he teased.
“Which reminds me—I'd better go see how the deejay's doing. We need more love songs!” Ned disappeared into the crowd around the dance floor.

“And I'd better go check on the night manager of the union,” Fitz said, standing.

Suddenly a tune with a strong, fast beat rang out from the amplifiers.

“This is a song everyone can dance to,” Kristin said, jumping up. “Let's go!”

Nancy, Bess, and Kyle followed her onto the floor, where they joined a line of dancers.

Swaying and swerving around tables, Nancy laughed aloud. A couple of guys were clowning on the dance floor. She was just about to circle a table when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Nancy.” It was Fitz. A serious expression darkened his eyes.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“You'd better come quick,” he said. “Max is Cupid! I just found proof in the boiler room.”

Nancy's eyes widened. More than anything, she wanted to solve this case before anyone else got hurt. She looked around for her friends but realized they had danced off with the conga line. She would have to catch up with them later.

Quickly, Nancy followed Fitz out the door. The sounds of the crowd and the music faded behind them. “I can't believe you found evidence that the police and I missed,” Nancy said, her heart racing with excitement.

“We all missed it,” Fitz said as he led the way past the central ramp, then turned down the corridor. Nancy was right on his heels as he tugged open the door to the boiler room. He switched on the overhead light and held the door for Nancy.

“It's in here,” Fitz said, opening the drawer of the worktable. “I wasn't sure if I should touch it. You know—tamper with the evidence?”

A gold object gleamed from inside the drawer. “You were wise not to,” Nancy said. “We don't want to smudge any prints.” Using the blunt end of a screwdriver, she poked at the dusty gold object. It was a chain—with a heart-shaped charm.

She turned it over with the screwdriver and read the inscription: Emerson Sweetheart, Rosie Lopez.

“The locket!” she gasped.

“I figure we all missed it when we checked the room,” Fitz explained. “Or else, maybe Max held on to it for some reason. But he definitely keeps his stuff in this drawer.”

“Max's alibi must have been a lie,” Nancy said, staring at the locket. “He must have had one of the workers at the sports complex cover for him. And he has access to most of the buildings on campus. It must have been easy for him to stalk the Theta Pis.”

She spun around and looked at Fitz. “We've
got to report this immediately. The police have to arrest Max before he strikes again.”

“I'll call the cops from the office,” Fitz said, rushing toward the door.

“Ask for Sergeant Weinberg!” Nancy called after him. In the meantime, she was going to comb the boiler room for any other evidence they might have missed.

With her eyes focused on the dusty floor, Nancy circled the furnace, looking for clues. The igniter kicked on while she searched, and flames roared to life in the square chamber of the burner, casting an eerie glow over the room.

Slowly, Nancy paced across the floor without discovering anything else. She went back to the workbench and stared down at the locket. What was taking Fitz so long? He should have been back by now. Leaving the locket in its place, Nancy left the boiler room.

Stepping through the wide concrete entryway, Nancy pushed open the second door and peered down the hall. The corridor outside the offices was empty, and the doors were closed. Where was Fitz? She didn't relish the idea of running into Max before the police arrived.

Expecting to find Fitz on the phone, Nancy pushed open the door to his office and looked inside, but it was dark. She snapped on the light and stepped into the tiny room crowded with a desk and half a dozen file cabinets. The desk was cluttered with papers. Fitz's black leather knapsack
sat on top, like a giant paperweight. On the far corner was the phone.

Nancy was pushing the clutter aside to call the police when the name tag on Fitz's knapsack caught her eye. The printing, all in capital letters, struck her as familiar. The letters had a squared-off look that reminded her of the printing on Cupid's notes.

It can't be, Nancy thought.

She straightened, pushing a lock of hair off her cheek, then carefully opened the knapsack and looked inside. There was an Emerson yearbook, with dog-eared bookmarks in spots. Nancy pulled the yearbook out and saw that it was the last year's edition. She turned to one of the marked pages, and the book fell open to a picture of the Theta Pi sorority.

What she saw there made her heart sink. Using a red marker, Fitz had drawn a huge
X
over the faces of Rosie, Mindy, and Kristin—the girls who'd been struck by the stalker! Nancy drew in a ragged breath.

She'd been wrong about the Dombrowskis. Fitz was Cupid!

But why was he stalking the Theta Pis? Nancy riffled through the contents of the knapsack and found some wrinkled clippings from a Florida newspaper. One was a wedding announcement, another a story about a local picnic. In both photos, a pretty girl with straight black hair smiled at the camera.