Nancy laughed. “What happened to being psyched about the ultimate physical challenge?” she asked.
“It’s hard to get psyched about anything until I’ve had breakfast,” George said. “Ned said he was going to bring us some, right?”
“Yup. Tea and muffins.” Nancy eyed the ribbons of pale yellow light that began to brighten the horizon. “I hope he gets here soon. The Clues Challenge starts in less than twenty minutes.”
Small groups tromped toward the bell tower. Some people were already there, stretching or jumping up and down to keep warm. Even in the dim light Nancy recognized a lot of faces from the night before. Like her and George, they all wore sleek warm-up gear and sweaters under their parkas. Only a few die-hard spectators, bundled up from head to toe, had braved the cold and the early hour to be there.
“Nancy! George!” Ned’s voice rang out.
Nancy turned to see her boyfriend’s tall silhouette walking up the snowy, tree-lined path with a thermos and insulated cups. Grant and C.J. were with him. All three guys wore bright yellow caps that glowed in the darkness.
“Omega Chi Epsilon!” Nancy said, reading the Greek symbols printed on the hats in neon green. “They’re perfect.”
“Tea and team hats.” George grinned as C.J. pulled two more hats from his pocket and handed them to her and Nancy. “Okay. Now I’m psyched.”
They were just digging into their muffins when Randy hustled up with his camera. “How about a team photo?” he asked. “Guys in back, girls in front.”
C.J. had started toward Dede’s team, which was doing stretches next to the tower, but Randy pulled him back. As Randy motioned for C.J. to take his place between Ned and Grant, Nancy noticed the team from Sigma Pi heading toward the tower.
Nancy didn’t miss the way Dennis’s eyes flitted between C.J. and Dede. Rolling his eyes at C.J., Dennis muttered loud enough for them all to hear, “We’ll see who’s the top jock around here after the competition.”
“There’s Mr. Lorenzo now,” Ned said.
Mel Lorenzo was just walking up the tree-lined path to the bell tower, Nancy saw. His round face was almost completely obscured by his tinted glasses, knit cap, and thick scarf. His heavy ski jacket made his large frame look even bulkier than usual.
“Let’s talk to him,” Nancy said.
They caught up to him outside the arched stone doorway to the tower. “Ready for the challenge?” Mr. Lorenzo asked them.
“Ready, willing, and able,” Ned assured him. “But before we start …”
He and Nancy told him about the muscle relaxant they had found on their dessert. As he listened, Mr. Lorenzo’s expression grew more and more sober.
“This is a serious accusation.” Mr. Lorenzo shook his head and gazed at them over the tops of his tinted glasses. “Man, oh, man. You say no one saw the person who … um, the person who … did it?”
Suddenly the store owner seemed distracted. His eyes were focused on something behind Nancy. When she turned, she saw Randy headed their way with his notebook open and ready.
“C.J. just told me about a possible sabotage incident,” Randy said, tapping his pen against the page. “And what’s this about threats to hand over clues? Care to comment, Mr. Lorenzo?”
“No,” Mr. Lorenzo practically growled at the reporter, then walked away from him.
“Mr. Lorenzo,” Nancy said, hustling after him with Ned. “We think whoever put those pills on our dessert could be the same person who sent you that computer threat.”
“I already told you, that was nothing,” Mr. Lorenzo insisted. His eyes kept jumping to Randy, who hovered nearby.
“We saw Joy talking to you last night. You seemed uncomfortable, and then suddenly you left,” Ned said. “Did she say something that made you leave?”
Mr. Lorenzo held up a hand and shook his head. “I had to meet Jimmy, an employee. He hid the clues for me,” he explained. “Joy was just making small talk.”
He turned to Nancy and Ned with an understanding smile. “I’ll keep my eyes open for trouble,” he assured them. “But I’m afraid I can’t suspend anyone from the challenge without much more solid evidence.”
Nancy saw the doubt in his eyes. Mr. Lorenzo clearly thought she and Ned were blowing the whole thing out of proportion.
“Okay, everyone.” Mr. Lorenzo pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew it. “To the starting line!”
Excited murmurs rose from all four teams. “This is it!” George said as she, Grant, and C.J. joined Nancy and Ned.
They had already agreed that C.J. would run for the first clue for their team. He took his place at the entrance, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. Joy, Dennis, and Dede’s sorority sister Krista lined up next to him.
“On your marks!” Mr. Lorenzo called. “Get set …”
He blew the whistle, and all four runners sprinted through the bell tower doorway. Shouts and cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Yes!” Nancy jumped up and down as C.J. took the lead on the stairs. “Go, C.J.! Go!”
The runners’ pounding footsteps mixed with cries of encouragement from their teammates and spectators. The outer wall of the tower was dotted with small, diamond-shaped windows that rose in the same curve as the stone stairs inside. Nancy followed the flashes of movement as the runners sprinted higher and higher.
“They’re almost at the top!” George said, squinting upward at the tower. “But I can’t see which runner is—”
“Aiieeeeee!”
An earsplitting cry rang out from the top of the bell tower. The anguish—and pain—in the voice made Nancy shiver from head to toe.
“Oh, no,” she said breathily. “Someone’s hurt!”
5
A Cry for Help
