“That’s just part of it.”
“Does that part have anything to do with Mr. Garrison?”
Kate frowned suspiciously. “Why do you ask that?”
“Well, he seems to have a finger in everything that goes on at Pineview. I know Mr. Morse is having problems with him.”
Nancy was careful not to tell Kate what Mr. Morse’s problem was.
“Jonathan is such a wonderful teacher,” Kate said. She hesitated and then went on. “It’s true, Russell Garrison and I don’t always see eye to eye. But he has supported the soccer program.”
“He claims he’s helped you out in other ways, too.” Nancy thought of the money Kate had borrowed from the school.
“Let me tell you something about Russell Garrison,” Kate said. “He never does anyone a favor without asking for something in return. That’s all I have to say.”
The bus continued down the main highway for more than an hour. Nancy dozed off a couple of times. The second time she awakened to find that the bus was traveling on an old two-lane country road.
“Where are we?” she asked sleepily.
“Route Twenty-seven,” said Kate. “About ten miles outside of Crighton, where the Forsythe School is.”
Just then Nancy saw a barrier across the road and a detour sign pointing to the right. Mr. Quinn swung the bus onto an even narrower, bumpier road that was full of potholes.
Kate leaned forward.
“What’s going on?” she asked Mr. Quinn.
“Road construction, I guess. This should take us back to Twenty-seven.”
The old bus half rolled and half bounced downhill on the gravel trail. It was traveling pretty fast when the road took a sudden left turn. Nancy noticed a small sign that read Baxter’s Creek. Mr. Quinn pumped the brakes as they went around the curve.
Then he shouted, “Oh, no!”
Nancy sat up and looked out the windshield. About fifty yards in front of them were barriers across the road. A huge sign said Bridge Out.
“I don’t think I can stop!” Mr. Quinn yelled.
“We’re going to crash!” shrieked Bess.
The girls screamed as the bus skidded toward the barriers that guarded the missing bridge.
9
Hustle and High Fives
For the next few seconds there was noise everywhere. The squeal of brakes, the sound of tires skidding on the road, and the screams of almost every girl on the bus. Mr. Quinn’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
But he stopped the bus! It knocked over the first barrier. Then it came to a halt about five feet from where the road ended and dropped off into the creek a hundred feet below.
For a moment there was silence. Then a couple of the girls began to cry. Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. She looked back at her friends. Bess was ashen. George was wiping off her face with a tissue.
Kate got up quickly and made sure the girls were all right. Nancy, meanwhile, got out of the bus and saw how close they had come to a tragic accident. Then she saw a police car come flying up the road behind them. A young trooper got out quickly.
“Everyone all right here?” he asked Nancy.
“I think so,” Nancy said. “But we’re all pretty shaken up.”
“Can’t blame you,” said the trooper. “Not a very funny joke, if that’s what it was. If we get the guy who did this, there will be some serious charges. I can promise you that.”
“A joke?” asked Nancy. She looked at Kate, Bess, and George, who had climbed off the bus and were joining her.
“Someone changed the road signs back there. This was the road that was closed. A guy who lives up the road saw the bus turn down here and called us. I guess we’re going to have to keep a better eye on things around here. Are you folks sure you’re all right?”
“Yes. But we’ve still got a soccer game to play,” Kate said.
As the others climbed back into the bus, Bess tugged on Nancy’s arm and pulled her a little to one side. “What do you think about all this?” she asked in a low voice.
“I sure don’t like it,” replied Nancy. “We could have been killed. I mean, you can’t help wondering whether someone switched the signs on purpose.”
“Exactly! And where was Kelly Lewis?” Bess whispered. “Why would she not show up for this game and this game only?”
Nancy shook her head. “I don’t know, Bess, but I intend to find out.”
By the time the bus arrived at Forsythe School, it was almost game time. The girls dressed quickly and then ran out onto the field for warm-ups. Nancy’s mind was full of questions, and Bess was still nervous from the near-crash. But once the game started they both relaxed a bit and enjoyed the action.
The Forsythe players weren’t very good, but at first they looked like world champs compared to Pineview. Maybe Pineview School’s poor play was caused by the accident with the bus. Or it might have arisen out of the conflict between Janine and Kelly. In any case, Pineview looked like anything but Canadian Cup contenders.
In the first minute of play, a pair of Forsythe forwards broke into the attacking zone. Leslie Phillips was playing fullback, but when she started to cut for the ball, she fell down. The Forsythe forward took a shot from about twenty feet away. It was the kind of shot Janine usually stopped with ease. Only this time she bent down a split second too late. The ball skidded past her for a score.
