Contents
1 The Soccer Ball
2 Stolen Jewels
3 Rivalry on the Field
4 Suspect
5 The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
6 Strange Behavior
7 Trapped!
8 Where’s Kelly?
9 Hustle and High Fives
10 A Team in Trouble
11 Too Few Clues
12 All Aboard
13 Hot Pursuit
14 Carried Away
15 A Close Call
16 Cut to the Chase
17 The Canadian Cup
1
The Soccer Ball
“Nancy, watch out!”
Nancy Drew instinctively put her hand up to protect her face. A red-and-white soccer ball glanced off her arm and fell back onto the soft grass of Pineview School’s practice field.
“That was close,” said Nancy’s friend Bess Marvin. “I told you sports could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Nancy laughed and tossed her reddish blond hair over her shoulder. “With lightning-fast reactions, I was born to play soccer.”
She picked up the ball and threw it to Bess’s cousin George Fayne, who stood waiting in the middle of the field with her all-girl soccer team. George, a tall eighteen-year-old girl in a gray sweat suit, caught the ball easily. Then she blew her whistle to signal the end of practice and jogged toward Nancy and Bess, who stood on the sidelines.
“Sorry, Nancy.” George joined them, a little out of breath. “The ball just got away from the girls.”
Nancy grinned playfully. “I see, Ms. Assistant Coach. I just thought that was the way the Pineview Giants always ended their practice sessions—by bashing innocent bystanders on the head with the soccer ball.”
George laughed. “Hey, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait till we win the Canadian Cup.”
“Nancy told me about that,” Bess said. “Does the team really have a shot at the championship?”
George shrugged. “It’s touch and go right now. If we win the next game, we’ll go to Canada for the playoffs. But it will be our first tournament ever and the competition is very tough. We’ll need to work up a lot of spirit if we’re going to have a chance.”
“Well, the girls look great.” Nancy patted her friend on the back. “If you need an extra goalie, let me know.”
“Yeah, right.” George laughed.
“Somehow I don’t think she respects us as athletes,” Bess remarked.
“I always appreciate your stopping by.” George ran a hand through her short, dark brown curls. “Speaking of which, are you ready for the Soccer Ball tonight?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait,” Bess replied, her face pink with excitement. “I bought a new formal gown for the occasion. It’s not every day we get to mix with River Heights’s high society crowd.”
“This is more than just a dance, though, isn’t it?” Nancy asked George. “You mentioned some sort of fund-raising activity.”
George nodded. “They’re going to auction off some jewels that were donated by one of the parents,” she said. “The money will go to Pineview School, but part of it’s reserved just for the soccer program. That’s because the woman who donated the jewels has a daughter on our team. In fact, she’s our star goalie.”
“The pretty blond girl?” Nancy asked. “I was watching her. She’s really good.”
Nancy’s gaze wandered to the playing field. “Who’s that?” she asked George.
George looked where Nancy was pointing. A dark-haired woman in a blue sweat suit trudged slowly toward the gym from the sidelines. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was scowling at the ground as she walked.
