“Just think,” Nancy added. “Next they’ll start letting you iron the team’s uniforms.”
“That’ll be the day.”
Kate and Nancy laughed. George shook her head and walked off. Nancy took a few more spoonfuls of yogurt before looking back at Kate.
“I understand you’re quitting,” she said.
The older woman looked very surprised. “You really are a detective,” she said at last. “No one’s supposed to know that. And I certainly wouldn’t want the team to know. Especially just before the playoffs.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Nancy said. “Not even George.”
Kate nodded. She peered at Nancy through her dark lashes. “What else do you know?” she asked.
Nancy hesitated. She didn’t want to betray Mr. Garrison’s confidence, but she decided to use the information to draw Kate out. Finally Nancy said, “That you have some of the same sort of money problems as Ellen Sedgewick.”
Kate stared at her. “Well put, Nancy,” she said sharply. “I hope you don’t think I had something to do with that theft.”
Nancy was surprised at how direct Kate was. Clearly this coach believed that the best defense was a good offense.
“I don’t know enough about the case to think anything right now,” she said.
Kate leaned back. “Well, that’s something. But I’m not at all happy that you know about my quitting, or about my money problems, either. The only person who could have told you about them is Russell Garrison, and he’s not one of my favorite people.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve always felt he was very selfish,” Kate said. “I think he doesn’t really care as much about Pineview as he says. Don’t ask me why I think that. It’s just a feeling.”
“How about you? Once the girls learn you’re leaving, they’re going to wonder about your loyalty.”
“My reasons for quitting are personal,” Kate said. “I don’t have a choice. Let’s leave it at that, all right?”
Before Nancy could reply, George burst into the room. She looked very upset. “Coach!” she said as she rushed to join them. “More bad news. Some of our equipment is missing!”
Kate stood up. “What’s gone?” she asked.
“A couple of balls, Janine’s knee pads, one of the equipment bags, and who knows what else? I didn’t stay to look through everything.”
“Great,” Kate said in disgust. “And we’ve got a game tomorrow.” She sighed. “All right, practice is going to be short. When it’s over, we’ll go back and check again.”
The team’s luck had certainly turned bad. Halfway through practice, one of the girls began dribbling the ball in on Janine’s goal. Janine came out to cut down the angle on the shot. But instead of shooting, the girl continued to dribble and ran smack into Janine. The two girls fell with a thud. Janine lay gasping for breath.
Kate, George, and Nancy ran onto the field. The other girl, Leslie Phillips, looked at Kate. “Sorry, Coach. I wanted to try to fake around her, but I guess I lost control.”
“This was a light shooting drill, Leslie,” said Kate. “You’re not supposed to carry the ball in that deep. Next time, listen to me.”
Janine seemed to be recovering. She had had the wind knocked out of her. George and Nancy helped her to her feet, but she was still dizzy.
“Are you all right?” Kate asked.
“I think so,” Janine answered. “A little wobbly.”
“Better go take a shower and relax. We’re almost finished, anyway. We don’t need any more dumb accidents.”
Janine started toward the gym. After a few steps, she turned back toward the coach.
“Do you really think that was an accident, Coach?”
Kate just shook her head. Then she whistled the girls down to the far end of the field.
“What did Janine mean by that?” Nancy asked George.
“I’m not sure. But Leslie Phillips is Kelly Lewis’s best friend.”
Nancy thought about her conversation with Kelly. The girl certainly had it in for Janine. She hesitated before telling George about her conversation, though. She didn’t want to gossip about one of the team members. Still, George might have an opinion.
“Kelly really wishes she could play goalie for the tournament,” she said to George.
George snorted. “Don’t I know.”
Nancy cleared her throat. “You don’t think she’d do anything illegal to get a chance to play, do you?”
George turned to stare at her friend. “You mean, like take part in a jewel theft?”
Nancy shrugged. “It’s just a thought.”
George frowned and looked out at the girls, who stood in a circle around Coach Boggs. “Kelly’s a pretty determined girl,” George said. “I wouldn’t put very much past her. But still . . .”
Nancy patted her friend’s arm. “We’ll talk about it later,” she said.
