“I know Ann was at the theater by then,” Cindy said. “I don’t know where Gayle was.”
Nancy looked at Cindy in the rearview mirror. “Who has keys to the apartment, besides you, Ms. Bowers, and Gayle?” she asked.
“Why, no one,” Cindy replied. She leaned forward, eyes wide. “I see what you’re getting at. Ms. Bowers couldn’t have done it, so it must have been . . . Gayle! But that’s awful. She’s my friend!”
Cody pounded the wall of the car with an angry fist. “That traitor!” he exclaimed. “I always thought she was jealous of your success, Cindy. But she acted like Miss Sweetness and Light when you were around. You’re too trusting sometimes, Cindy.”
“We don’t have any proof that Gayle is behind this,” Nancy warned him. “But the pieces do seem to fit. She could have taken the incriminating box from Cindy’s room yesterday, if she thought we were getting close. And she could have hidden the box Sherman brought to the studio yesterday, too.”
“But it’s hard to imagine Gayle chasing us in that car last night, or vandalizing Ms. Bowers’s car,” Bess remarked.
Nancy shrugged. “Well, we’ll know soon enough,” she said, stepping harder on the accelerator.
Once in Chicago, Nancy parked near the Film Center. As they got out, Nancy nudged Bess and pointed down the street to a dark midsize sedan. Bess nodded. “I can’t be positive,” she said, “but it sure does look like the car that chased us in the garage last night.”
Going up in the Film Center’s elevator, Nancy suggested, “Let me and Bess go in first.”
Cindy nodded. She looked very serious and a bit scared.
Charmaine let Nancy and Bess in the door. “We’re just taking a break,” she said. “Today’s been pretty hard work, but thank goodness, no more accidents.”
Entering the studio, Nancy spotted Gayle and Jason standing together near the set. Jason’s head jerked up as he saw Bess and Nancy. He turned to Gayle and whispered something. She peered over at Nancy and Bess and frowned.
“Carlo?” Gayle called. “I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can work with all these outsiders in the studio. Nancy, you understand, don’t you?”
“I understand better than you think,” Nancy replied. She turned toward the door and called out, “Come on in!”
Cindy walked in, followed by Cody.
Both Carlo and Stella recognized her at once, despite her swollen face. “Cindy!” they shouted.
Gayle gasped and reached out for Jason’s arm.
“I’m back, Gayle,” Cindy said firmly. “Your nasty plot didn’t work. Gayle, how could you!”
Gayle burst into tears. “I didn’t mean any harm,” she sobbed. “It was supposed to be a joke!”
“You knew Cindy was allergic to nuts, didn’t you?” Nancy asked Gayle sternly.
“Yes, she told me,” Gayle said faintly. “And then Jason and I were kidding around about it, you know? Like, what if Healthibits really had nuts in it and she tries it on the set and blimps out? We were goofing around, that’s all. Then the other night, we go up to the apartment and find a sample box of Healthibits on the kitchen counter, open.”
“So you put crushed nuts in it,” Bess said. “Knowing it would make Cindy’s face swell up.”
Gayle bit her lip and refused to answer.
Nancy pressed on, “Then, when Cindy vanished and we started investigating, you made a threatening phone call to us, and you slashed my jacket. You spray painted Ms. Bowers’s car to pay her back for calling us back on the case, and you tried to run us down in the garage last night.”
Gayle looked blank. “No, I didn’t,” she said, pouting. “All I did was fake being attacked last night in the studio, when Jason turned off the lights. We wanted to give everybody a scare. After all, everyone was so worried about Cindy—and not about me!”
“But this morning you followed us to the country and tried to trap us there,” Bess concluded.
“I didn’t!” Gayle declared. “I’ve been here in the studio since eight this morning. Ask anyone!”
She swallowed hard, and continued. “And I didn’t put the stuff in Cindy’s cereal. I joked about it, sure. But that’s all.”
As Gayle’s statement sank in, everyone in the room turned to stare at Jason. For a long moment, he stood there, shoulders back, jaw clenched, glaring. Then he made a sudden dash for the door.
“No way, buddy!” Cody shouted. He sprinted after Jason and made a flying tackle. Jason crashed to the floor and lay there, stunned.
Nancy turned to Carlo. “I think you’d better call the police,” she said.
• • •
After Jason and Gayle were taken away by the police for questioning, Cindy went to Carlo’s office to call her mother. When she returned, her cheeks were stained with tears, but she looked relieved.
Ann Bowers came hustling anxiously into the studio. “Carlo, where is she?” she asked. Seeing Cindy, she ran over to give her a hug. “Cindy, dear, it was terribly thoughtless of you to make us all think you’d been abducted,” she rattled on. “Your poor mother has been worried sick these past three days.”
“I know,” Cindy said contritely. “But look at my face. What could I do?” Then she sighed. “It was dumb, I agree. I ran away, hoping to save my career. And now, running away has ruined my career.”
Stella broke in. “Not at all,” she said. “Sherman Pike and I still want you to be the Healthibits girl. Why, we could even work your nut allergy into the script. What better way to show how healthy Healthibits are?”
“The filming will wait until your swelling goes down,” Carlo said. “Which will be tomorrow, right?” he added optimistically.
“I hope so,” Cindy said, giggling with relief.
“Jason has confessed to everything,” Nancy reported from her brief conversation with the police. “He still claims the whole thing was just a series of pranks that got out of hand. He says he’ll pay for my jacket and Cody’s tires and the damage to Ann Bowers’s car. But he’ll still face charges for vandalism and reckless endangerment.”
Carlo turned to Nancy and Bess. “You two girls have pulled off a miracle,” he proclaimed. “Tell me—have you ever thought of appearing in commercials? I am sure I could use your talents.”
