Nancy noticed her hand suddenly clench the receiver. A moment later Charmaine hung up and turned to Nancy, her face set in an expression of shock.
“Who was it?” Nancy demanded.
“I don’t know,” Charmaine said slowly. “But whoever it was, he told me to give you two a message.”
She licked her lips and repeated the words. “He said that if you and Bess don’t go home and mind your own business, you’re going to get hurt . . . badly hurt!”
6
A Chase into Darkness
“Nancy, I’m scared,” Charmaine continued. She reached out both hands, and Nancy took them. “It didn’t sound like an ordinary crank call. And whoever it was, he knew your names, and he knew you were here in the studio.”
Nancy rapidly thought about who might know where she and Bess were. Cody, of course, and Ann Bowers. And Paul Norman—if that was him they’d seen in the hallway a few minutes ago. He certainly had stared closely at her and Bess as if he knew them.
And there had been someone else in the hallway—Nancy felt sure of it. Who was it?
Bess looked shaken, too. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Did you recognize the voice? Was it a man or a woman?”
Charmaine blinked a couple of times. “The voice was pretty deep, but I guess it could have been either one.” she said. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t anybody I’ve talked to before, unless he or she was using one of those gadgets to distort your voice.”
“Are those very common?” Bess asked.
“Well, my aunt Dahlia, who lives alone, bought herself one last year,” Charmaine replied. “She was getting these crank calls that really made her mad. So now when she answers the phone, she sounds like a three-hundred-pound tackle for the Bears. Her friends know it’s her and they hang on. But if it’s a crank, he usually hangs up after hearing three words.”
“What exactly did this caller say?” Nancy asked.
Charmaine frowned. “I don’t know if these are the exact words, but it was something like, ‘This is a message for those two snoops, Nancy and Bess. They’d better go home and mind their own business before they get badly hurt.’ ”
“What is this? Who is saying this?”
Nancy looked over her shoulder. Carlo was standing there, his face red with anger.
As soon as Charmaine explained, Carlo exploded. “This is an insult of the worst sort!” he shouted. “Nancy, Bess, you must please ignore all this nonsense. And when I discover who is responsible, I promise he will be very sorry!”
Hearing Carlo’s shouting, Stella, Erik, and Sherman Pike came out from the side room where they had been arguing. “What now?” Stella asked as they joined the little group by the phone. “More trouble?”
“Nothing else to hold up the campaign, I hope,” Sherman added, rubbing his forehead nervously.
Carlo said, “Charmaine, tell them about the call you just got.”
As Charmaine recounted the threatening call, Nancy kept a close eye on her listeners. After all, if someone was sabotaging this ad campaign, any one of these three people might be connected.
Erik looked unimpressed, though Nancy had the feeling that he was listening closely. Stella listened wearily, as if overwhelmed by the recent series of events.
But Sherman Pike’s reaction was surprising. “Well?” he demanded, when Charmaine finished. “Why are these two girls here, anyway? What if something happens to them and it gets into the newspapers? The last thing we need is bad publicity. Send them home, right away.”
“What will that accomplish?” Carlo asked, with irritation. “Nancy and Bess are experienced detectives, and they know Cindy. I have asked them to find her as quickly as they can. If someone is worried enough to call here with threats, perhaps they are already close to a solution.”
Nancy glanced over at Bess. It was nice to hear Carlo express so much confidence in them. She just wished she felt they were that close!
Sherman Pike jutted his chin forward. “But what if they’re really working for Amalgamated?” he protested. “They could have arranged that threatening call themselves, to fool us into thinking they’re on our side. How do we know who they really are? Cindy’s not here to vouch for them, is she?”
“Oh, really, Sherman!” Stella exclaimed. “I think you’ve been watching too many bad detective shows on TV.”
“No, wait a minute,” Nancy broke in. She turned to Sherman. “Who is this Amalgamated? And what makes you think they might be responsible for what’s been happening?”
The cereal company executive looked nervously right and left, then reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. Catching Charmaine’s warning eye on him, he quickly put them back.
“Amalgamated Mills,” he muttered. “Our biggest rival. I know for a fact that they’ve been developing a new cereal product to compete with Healthibits, but we’re at least two or three months ahead of them. If we can hold on to that lead, we’ll really knock them out of the market. But if they can slow our campaign down, it’ll be a whole different ball game.”
“And you think that’s why they might be trying to delay this commercial?” Bess asked.
Sherman shrugged. “It’s a theory. That’s more than the rest of you seem to have.”
“Amalgamated Mills . . . ” Carlo said in a far-off voice. “Charmaine, didn’t Paul Norman do some work for them last year? Those commercials with old people sailing boats and playing tennis, then eating bowls of cereal?”
“That’s Amalgamated, all right,” Sherman Pike said quickly. “But who’s Paul Norman?”
Erik broke in. “He’s a top-notch filmmaker,” he said. “I can’t believe he’d be involved in anything underhanded. I’ve worked with him myself, on a couple of accounts. He was always cooperative and professional, and we completed every project on schedule.”
As he said this, Erik gave Carlo a sidelong look, as if to add, Unlike you. Carlo obviously picked up on the unspoken insult. Nancy saw the color rise in his face and his fists clench by his sides.
But before Carlo could speak, Stella stepped between him and Erik. “This constant bickering has just got to stop,” she said firmly. “We all have to pull together on this project. Do you hear me? Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave, Erik.”
Erik seemed to realize that he had gone too far. “Don’t get me wrong, Stella,” he said. “I want McVie and Martin to keep this account, just as much as you do. In fact—”
Nancy stopped listening to Erik’s semi-apology. The other side of the soundstage was still in shadows, but suddenly, near the entrance, she noticed a wedge of light spilling across the floor from the entry hall.
