A frown crossed George’s face. “That’s my boss,” she said. “Katrina Boggs. At the moment, she’s the one hitch in our big plan for success.”
“Is something wrong with her?” Bess asked. “She looks upset.”
“Beats me,” said George. “Kate’s been like that lately. It’s beginning to worry me. I mean, she’s a great coach, but when she gets upset, her behavior affects the team.” George shrugged. “Maybe she has problems at home.”
“Or love problems,” Bess suggested.
George and Nancy exchanged smiles. Bess loved romance and tended to see it everywhere she looked.
“Well, if that’s what it is,” George said, “maybe at the dance tonight we’ll meet the man who’s causing them. But right now let’s go get some ice cream. I, for one, have earned a big reward.”
• • •
Nancy arrived home late that afternoon. She raced to her room to take out the long gown she was planning to wear. It had gotten a little crushed in the closet and needed to be pressed.
“What’s going on?” Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, followed Nancy into her room. “Do you have a date with Ned tonight?” Ned was Nancy’s longtime boyfriend, and Hannah considered him almost a part of the family.
“Ned’s not coming home this weekend.” Nancy raced to the laundry room to set up the ironing board. “I’m going to the Soccer Ball at Pineview School with George and Bess. And I’m running late!”
“Oh, the Soccer Ball.” Hannah smiled. “Your father called to say he’ll be attending that, too. So you’ll see each other at the dance.”
“If I ever get there.” Nancy plugged in the iron. “George and Bess are supposed to meet me here at seven o’clock, and I still have to shower and—”
“You’ll make it, don’t worry,” Hannah interrupted, taking the dress from Nancy. “You go get ready. I’ll press your gown.”
Nancy smiled gratefully at Hannah. Nancy’s mother had died when Nancy was a young child, and, ever since, the housekeeper had been as devoted as a parent to her. “Thanks, Hannah. You’re a lifesaver.”
Hannah laughed. “Save your thanks for more important things,” she said. “I remember what it’s like to be a young lady going to a dance.”
• • •
Nancy did look the perfect young lady in her slim floor-length gown as she and her friends arrived at the entrance to Pineview’s Lester Auditorium and Banquet Hall. Her hair was twisted into a simple chignon at the nape of her neck, and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. Bess looked charming, too, in a frilly peach-colored gown, and George’s deep green velvet dress set off her dark hair perfectly.
“Ready?” Nancy winked at Bess as they pushed open the heavy oak doors. “Here come the River Heights heartbreakers!”
The banquet hall had been renovated the year before with money donated by the parents of a Pineview student. Inside, it looked elegant and new. The wood paneling gleamed. The marble floor reflected the tiny lights of a dozen chandeliers. A ten-piece orchestra played at one end of the room while couples danced.
The girls stood together at the entrance and watched the women in sparkling, expensive dresses, chatting with men in tuxedos as they nibbled on refreshments. Despite the soccer theme, this dance was clearly an important social affair.
“Here are the three loveliest young ladies I’ve seen all night.” A man in an elegantly tailored dinner jacket approached the girls with a smile.
Bess giggled. “Oh, Mr. Drew, you always flatter us.”
“What flattery?” The handsome criminal lawyer held up his hands in protest. “It’s the honest truth.”
Nancy smiled and slipped her hand into the crook of her father’s arm.
“Are you going to bid in the auction, Mr. Drew?” George asked.
“It’s a bit too rich for my blood, I’m afraid,” the lawyer answered. “They’re auctioning a pair of very valuable antique brooches. The school even brought in a highly respected jeweler from Chicago to swear that the jewels are worth a fortune before the bidding begins.”
“Sounds exciting,” Nancy said.
“Well, just don’t get any ideas, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said playfully. Then he excused himself and rejoined his friends.
“Oh, look, there’s Coach Boggs,” George said to the girls. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
George led them over to the refreshment table where the pretty, dark-haired coach was getting a glass of punch. Katrina Boggs was in her early thirties. She had an athletic build, sharp facial features, and strikingly high cheekbones—and she wore the same worried expression that Nancy had noticed on the soccer field that afternoon.
“Coach Boggs,” George said, “I’d like you to meet my cousin Bess Marvin. And this is my good friend, Nancy Drew.”
As Coach Boggs turned toward the girls, the stress lines around her close-set brown eyes seemed to soften.
“Call me Kate, please,” she said with a nervous smile.
“According to George, you’re quite a coach, Kate,” Nancy said, trying to put the woman at ease. “She says you’re the main reason the team has done so well during the past two years. I hope you make it all the way to Canada.”
“Thanks, Nancy,” Kate said. “And according to George, you’re quite a detective. She’s told me all about you, too.”
“I guess we can’t keep any secrets with George around,” said Nancy with a laugh.
“What has she said about me?” Bess asked. She gave George a curious look.
“She says you’re a good friend, even though you told her she’s crazy to coach a high school soccer team,” Kate said.
Bess blushed, and they all laughed.
Just then a cart was wheeled out onto the center of the marble floor directly beneath a large chandelier. A thin, tight-lipped man stepped up to the cart. He signaled the orchestra to stop playing. Couples broke off dancing, and a hush fell over the crowd.
