“I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “But the auction was supposed to help the soccer team. I’ve noticed some problems at practice. I was just curious.”
Garrison shrugged. “Of course, winning the cup would be a feather in our cap,” he said. “But Pineview can do just fine without it. We don’t really specialize in athletics.”
Nancy nodded. “Well, it’s getting late,” she said. “Thanks for seeing me.”
“You’re welcome.” Mr. Garrison smiled at her. “Actually, this has been the easiest part of my day.”
“I understand.” Nancy shook his hand and turned to leave. As she did, Mr. Garrison called her back.
“Wait a minute, Ms. Drew. I have one question of my own,” he said.
“Yes?”
Garrison hesitated. He seemed unsure whether to go on. “Have you been able to use the information I gave you about Coach Boggs? She still owes us that money, you see.”
“I’ve talked to her,” Nancy said carefully. “But she didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know.”
Garrison nodded. He looked down at his hands. “Not that I want to spread gossip about her,” he said. “I should explain that Ms. Boggs and I have never really gotten along. It’s just that I have this feeling about her. . . .”
Nancy nodded. The headmaster was acting awfully strange. “Thank you, Mr. Garrison,” she said. “I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“Oh, Ms. Drew? May I remind you that what I told you about her is just between us?”
“I’ll remember. Thanks again.”
As Nancy left the administration building she wondered whether George was still in the equipment room. She walked across the lawn to the gym, but the front doors were locked. She went around the building and tried another door. It was open.
Nancy walked through the gloomy gym to the dark metal stairway. She started down, holding on tightly to the rail.
“George?” she called. Her voice echoed against the cement walls. She thought she heard a door open downstairs. She stopped, but there was only silence. Slowly she started down the stairs again.
As she entered the narrow hallway, she heard a low droning sound coming from the room at the end of the hall.
Nancy walked down the corridor to the room. Its large metal door stood partly open. Nancy pushed it open farther and saw, by the light from the corridor, a gigantic boiler pumping heat up into the gym. That was where the droning sound was coming from. Beside the boiler were several large water heaters. The floor of the small room was covered with soot and the walls were black.
Nancy laughed to herself. What had she imagined was down here? But before she could turn around to go back to the equipment room, Nancy heard footsteps behind her. Then two hands shoved her hard from behind. She fell headlong into the boiler room.
“What?” As she started to get up, Nancy heard the large metal door slam shut behind her, then lock.
She was trapped.
7
Trapped!
Nancy leapt up and grabbed the door. She knew it had been locked, but instinct made her try it, anyway. This was certainly no accident.
The door remained shut tight. Nancy felt for the light switch. She couldn’t find it. She banged on the heavy door and yelled for help. It was hot in the room with the boiler running. She fought the panicky feeling that there wasn’t enough air.
“Help!” she shouted. “Somebody help me!”
No one answered.
“I wonder if I’ll be here all night,” she said to herself as she sank down to the floor. “By morning I’ll have melted away in this heat.”
She waited another ten minutes. Then she stood up and began pounding on the door again, yelling for help. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she heard someone pound back.
“Nancy, is that you?”
“George!”
“Hang on, Nan. I’ll be right back.”
Nancy wiped the perspiration from her face and waited. Finally she heard the sound of a key in the lock. The big heavy door swung open. The light rushed in faster than George, but her friend wasn’t far behind. Behind George stood a big, burly man dressed in jeans and a dirty T-shirt.
“What happened, Nan? Are you all right? When you didn’t come down to meet me I went over to Mr. Garrison’s office. He said you’d left, so I came back here. I figured you might have gotten lost.”
“ ‘Lost’ isn’t the word. Someone shoved me in here and locked the door.”
“Are you kidding?” George stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Do I look as if I’m kidding? It’s hot and dirty in here!”
“That’s why we leave the door open, ma’am,” the burly man said.
“This is Mr. Quinn, the custodian,” George said. “He had the key.”
Nancy turned to him. “Thanks for helping, Mr. Quinn.”
