All together, everyone in the audience shouted out one word: “ ‘Nightside’!”
“ ‘Cop’ is a good show,” Denise Ellingsen said. “And when ‘Nightside’ first aired, two years ago, we were almost canceled because we were on against it. That’s when ‘Cop’ was number one.
“But thanks to all you fans, ‘Nightside’ is now the highest-rated show in television history. And we owe it all to our writers, directors, and, most of all, to our stars, Will Leonard and Sally Belmont.”
The audience cheered and stamped its feet.
“The clip you’re about to see is from one of our most popular episodes, ‘The Sands of Time.’ I leave you now to Will and Sally.”
Denise Ellingsen sat down. Two faces lit up the screen: Will Leonard with his three-day growth of beard and wrinkled suit, and Sally Belmont with her deep blue eyes and long black hair.
“Did you hear the title of that episode?” Nancy whispered to her friends.
“I didn’t catch it,” George said.
“ ‘The Sands of Time’!” Nancy said excitedly. “Remember the kidnap note? “The Sands of Time are running out.’ Maybe the kidnapper was making a reference to this episode!”
The film began to roll.
Sally and Will were in a beige sedan in hot pursuit of a black Italian sports car. The sports car screeched to a halt in a parking lot, and a huge man with a bald head jumped out of his car and ran toward the back door of a building. Sally and Will’s car raced into the parking lot, parked, and Sally and Will followed the bald man through the back door.
It was dark inside the building, and Sally made a joke to her TV husband that no one could see how wrinkled his suit was. Suddenly the lights went on, and Will and Sally realized they were standing on the stage of an old theater.
Will and Sally looked out over all the empty seats, and Will made a joke that he’d always wanted to be a star but had hoped for a bigger audience. Suddenly a huge net fell on the two detectives, trapping them.
The net was hoisted forty feet in the air with the stars inside. It swung back and forth over the stage. Sally made a joke about a hammock.
The net holding Will and Sally was suspended from a rope hung over a metal railing. On the other side it was weighted down with sandbags, like a giant balance.
Then there was a shot of the bald-headed killer standing on the catwalk behind the metal railing. On one side of him the rope hung down, holding the net with Will and Sally. On the other side the rope hung down holding the sandbags. There was a closeup as the killer flicked open a cigarette lighter. Slowly he moved the lighter’s flame to the rope that held the two sandbags.
“Oh, I get it,” Bess whispered. “He’s going to burn the rope. The sandbags will drop on one side, and Will and Sally will fall on the other side.”
“And then we’ll have a mush of Will and Sally,” George said with a shudder. “I’m glad this is just a TV program.”
The rope began to singe, turning black as it began to give way.
The screen went black.
As the lights came on, Nancy turned to her friends. “That scene in the theater looks uncomfortably familiar,” she said.
“That’s what I was thinking,” said George. “You don’t suppose the real kidnapper would—”
“He might if the stakes were high enough,” Nancy said.
“What kind of stakes?” Bess asked.
“I can’t say for sure just yet,” Nancy said, “but I think it’s time we paid another visit to the set of ‘Cop.’ I want to know more about what’s at stake in the battle to be number one!”
14
It All Comes Together
As soon as the program was over, Nancy walked up onto the stage.
“Mr. Ziegler,” she called. “I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, hi,” he said distractedly as he gathered up some papers on the table. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t have time to talk. I’ve got to go directly from here to the Atheneum Theater to prepare for tonight.”
“This will only take a minute,” Nancy said. “I just need to know if ‘Cop’ is shooting today.”
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Ziegler said. “Why?”
“I’d like to visit the set again,” Nancy said. “After seeing the clip here, I finally realized what a great show it was, and I’d love to watch them film again.”
Ziegler smiled. “You have good taste, but I don’t think they want any visitors. The other day was a special exception because I know Dan.”
Nancy thought quickly. “I understand they don’t want to be disturbed,” she said, “but after the accident the other day, I never really felt I got a good look.”
Matt Ziegler’s face took on an anxious expression. “Oh, yes,” he said. “We’re still terribly sorry about that. The prop and costume people were fired, by the way.”
“What do you say?” Nancy asked. “Can we watch them shoot? We’d only stay a little while.”
Nancy waited while Ziegler thought it out. She hoped he’d be afraid to say no. He knew Nancy could make trouble over the accident. The last thing he wanted was a lawsuit or bad publicity.
“Tell you what,” Ziegler said. “I’ll ask Larry Greenberg, the producer. I’m sure he’ll say yes. They’re shooting today at the Sears Tower. Why don’t you and your friends head over there, and I’ll get Larry to call and tell the director to expect you.”
“Thanks,” Nancy said. She hopped down off the stage and rejoined her friends.
