“What made you suspect Garrison?” Ellen Sedgewick asked. “Was it because he seemed so eager to pin the theft on me?”
“Not really,” Nancy answered. “At first I thought he just wanted a fast solution so the school would stop getting bad publicity.”
Nancy looked around at her audience and smiled. “He also had what I thought was a perfect alibi. Why would a thief ask for an expert to examine the fakes in front of everyone? After all, if the switch hadn’t been discovered at the auction, the phony jewels would have been bought, and Mr. Garrison could have sold the real ones. The switch might not have been discovered for years, if ever.”
“So why did he invite Mr. Ray to the ball?” Janine asked.
“Mr. Ray told me that no one realized he planned to inspect the jewels again. Mr. Garrison simply asked Mr. Ray to write down the amount the jewels were worth and seal the appraisal in the envelope. He had no idea how thorough Mr. Ray would be.”
“Why did Mr. Garrison steal the brooches?” Kate asked.
“That’s what I wondered,” Nancy said. “So I had my father check on Garrison’s personal finances. According to his bank statements, he was barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. I guess after all those years of socializing with wealthy parents and alumnae, the glitz and glamour of money became too tempting.”
“I still don’t understand how he managed to make the switch,” Mrs. Sedgewick said.
“When you first brought the jewels to the school to set up the auction, Mr. Garrison had a stack of publicity photos taken. He had a number of copies of the photos made. That gave Jonathan Morse just what he needed to make the fakes. The switch, of course, was made on the day of the auction. Mr. Garrison made sure he was never alone with the jewels. He let the one man no one would suspect make the switch for him.”
“I remember now,” Mrs. Sedgewick said. “We were getting ready to put the jewels back into the safe, and Jonathan Morse began admiring them. He asked if he could look at them in a better light. He went over to the window in the corner.”
“Right,” said Nancy. “And because no one would ever think of Jonathan Morse as a possible thief, he made the switch right under your noses.”
“That’s incredible,” Janine said.
“It’s when you don’t think a crime will happen that it can happen most easily,” Nancy said.
“Then who pushed you into the boiler room?” George asked.
“That was Garrison. He must have followed me from his office. Strong-arm tactics aren’t really his style, but maybe he thought a push would scare me off the case.”
“Fat chance,” said George.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did he come to Canada with the soccer team?” Kate asked. “Why not just sell the jewels somewhere around River Heights?”
“There was too much police activity around River Heights,” Nancy said. “If the theft hadn’t been discovered, Garrison might have sold them there. But with everyone looking for suspects, he didn’t want to take a chance.”
She turned to George. “Remember the day Janine’s knee pads were missing? Dear old Mr. Morse was sewing the brooches into them. Garrison knew you were saving those new pads for the tournament in Canada.”
“One more thing,” said George. “Why did Russell Garrison try so hard to break the team’s morale?”
“Because he felt a divided team would more easily explain the vandalizing of the equipment. Besides, if the team lost the first game in the tournament, everyone would return to Pineview sooner, including Garrison. Except that he would have been a lot richer than when he left River Heights.”
“I’m glad it’s over,” Ellen Sedgewick said. “Fortunately, I am now in a position to offer the jewels for auction again. All the money will go to Pineview, with a portion, of course, reserved for the soccer program.”
“Speaking of soccer,” Kate said, “we have another important game to play tomorrow. I suggest that everyone get a good night’s sleep. We can all rest easier now, anyway, thanks to Nancy.”
“Just a minute,” Nancy said. “There’s one more thing I think you all should know. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
The others looked at one another. They wondered what Nancy was up to. Five minutes later, the detective returned with Kelly Lewis at her side.
“Here’s a member of the team who was so loyal she risked getting expelled from Pineview to come here and watch the games.”
Kelly blushed, but the girls from the team rushed up to her. Kate joined them.
“Now that we know about Russell Garrison,” the coach said, “I don’t see any reason for you to stay off the team. I’d be proud to have you suit up for the game tomorrow.”
Kelly looked around. She didn’t know what to say. Janine came up to her and extended her hand.
“And I need you there behind me,” she said. “I never told you this before, but having you competing with me these last three years has made me a better player. Even in the games, I always knew I could go all out because if anything happened, you’d be there to take my place.”
The two girls hugged each other.
Kate threw a fist into the air. “And tomorrow at this time we’ll have won the Canadian Cup!”
• • •
It was an almost magical game for Pineview. The girls were relaxed and confident. Their passes danced from foot to foot as though there were magnets on their shoes. They outplayed Clayton-Bagdall from the opening whistle.
Kate had told the girls before the game that she would be leaving Pineview. She had explained that, though she didn’t like to leave the team, she felt she had to pursue her own goals. Today the girls were playing for Kate.
By halftime, it was a 3-0 game. Pineview was completely in command. Nancy stood behind the bench and cheered as the score went to 5-1, with just five minutes left. Then Coach Boggs pulled Janine and put Kelly in her place at the net.
With Janine and the others cheering her on, Kelly made one outstanding save after another in the closing minutes. Pineview won the game by a score of 6-1. They had done it!
When the game ended, the large crowd cheered wildly as the Pineview girls took a victory lap around the field. They were led by Janine and Kelly, who held the large silver cup aloft. Then the girls hoisted Kate onto their shoulders and gave her a victory ride. It was a wonderful moment in Pineview history.
There was a big dinner planned that night at a local restaurant. The next morning the team would visit Niagara Falls, and they would fly home that afternoon.
Everyone thanked Nancy again for all she had done, but she surprised them when she said she would have to miss the victory dinner.
