As they talked, George got to her feet.
“You sure you’re all right?” Bess asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” George said. She rubbed the back of her head gently. “Just shaken up a little. I’ll be okay.”
“Good.” Nancy turned to Kate. “Can you tell if anything’s missing?”
Kate glanced around the room. “Everything seems to be in place,” she said. “I can’t be completely sure.”
“Maybe this wasn’t just an accident,” Bess said.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Nancy said. “Kate, do you mind my asking what you’re doing down here so late at night?”
“Nancy!” George gasped.
Kate gave Nancy a surprised smile. “It’s all right, George, that’s a fair question,” she said. “Our game uniforms were supposed to be returned from the laundry today. I just wanted to make sure they got back in time.” She looked around. “Yes, they’re here.” She nodded past Nancy at the stack of uniforms on a nearby table.
Nancy smiled, as if to say she hoped there were no hard feelings. “Mind if I stop by to watch the practice tomorrow?” she asked. “I want to see more of this championship team.”
“We’d love to have you.” Coach Boggs sounded as though she were answering a challenge.
“I think we’d better get George home,” Bess said. “She still looks shaky to me.”
“Good idea,” said Nancy.
• • •
The Sunday papers all ran front-page stories on the clever jewel, theft. The inside pages featured interviews with Russell Garrison and Gideon Ray.
“I don’t like the way this article is worded,” Nancy said to her father as they sat reading the paper at the kitchen table. “First it says that Mrs. Sedgewick is thought to have severe money problems. Then it says the jewels were heavily insured. It says next that she refuses to comment on the theft. That suggests that Mrs. Sedgewick had a good reason to steal her own jewels.”
“Just because she could have used the insurance money doesn’t mean she stole the jewels,” Mr. Drew replied. He shook his head sadly. “I don’t know, though. I’d be surprised if she wasn’t Detective Ryan’s prime suspect right now.” He gave his daughter a stern look. “That still doesn’t mean you have to get involved.”
Nancy thought about the case later that day as she drove to soccer practice. Her father had been right when he suspected her of getting caught up in the mystery. It was true—she really wanted to find out who had stolen the jewels from under so many people’s noses.
“Detective Ryan doesn’t want you interfering,” she reminded herself as she parked her blue sports car in front of the school. But Ryan couldn’t keep her from thinking about the case. She smiled as she stepped onto the pavement.
It was a beautiful fall day. There was only a hint of chill in the air. The narrow tree-lined paths that connected the school buildings gave the campus a picture-postcard look. Pineview was more than one hundred years old and had a nationwide reputation for excellence. Some of its students even came from other countries.
When Nancy walked out to the soccer field, the girls were already practicing. This time Coach Boggs was in charge. She had the team running up and down the field, three at a time, while kicking the ball back and forth.
Nancy was again impressed by how well most of the girls handled the soccer ball. George had said Kate Boggs was a great coach. Nancy could see that was true.
Nancy spotted Janine standing by the goal area on the far end of the field. The girl’s blond hair shone in the afternoon light. She was talking to a taller girl with dark hair.
Nancy shaded her eyes with her hand and peered across the field at them. It looked as if the two girls were arguing. Janine seemed very upset. The other girl made some wild gestures, as though she was shouting at Janine.
The two girls were interrupted by the sound of Coach Boggs’s whistle. Janine instantly came to attention in front of her goal. The other girl trotted to the goal at the opposite end of the field. It looked as if a practice game was about to begin.
George passed by on her way to the far end of the field. She stopped to say hello to Nancy.
“Who’s that girl?” Nancy asked. “The other goalie?”
“Kelly Lewis,” George answered. “She’s good, but not as good as Janine. She’s our second-string goalie. That means she doesn’t get to play unless Janine is out of the game.”
Nancy watched carefully as the practice game began. The players worked the red-and-white ball toward one goal or the other, then tried to kick it into the net. Janine moved back and forth in front of one goal. Dark-haired Kelly protected the other one. Both girls tried hard to keep the ball away from their goal.
Nancy remembered how quick Janine had been at tending goal on Saturday. But Nancy saw no fancy footwork today. Janine looked bored and distracted. Too many easy shots got past her. Meanwhile, Kelly Lewis made several leaping and diving saves. She even won a round of cheers from her teammates.
Toward the end of the game, Nancy saw Coach Boggs approach Janine and ask her something. Janine shook her head. The coach left, and less than a minute later Janine missed another easy shot.
“What’s wrong with Janine?” Nancy asked when George and Kate joined her after the game. The girls on the soccer team were running two laps around the field to stretch their muscles. “She didn’t play half as well today as she did yesterday.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Kate said. She frowned into the distance. “She sure isn’t herself today. That bothers me.”
“What bothers me,” George grumbled, “is that if Janine doesn’t play well, our chances of winning the Canadian Cup are practically zero.”
“She’s that important to the team?” asked Nancy.
“Oh, yes.” Kate nodded. “Janine is a top-notch goalie. She plays like a professional. That gives any team a big advantage.”
“What about Kelly Lewis?” Nancy asked.
“Kelly would be tops on a lot of teams,” Kate said with a sigh, “but she’s never been as good as Janine.”
“Does that bother her?”
“Kelly can be a hothead,” Kate admitted. “She’s very competitive and wishes she could be our first-string goalie. Of course, any athlete worth her salt thinks she should play every game.”
