“Hold on,” George said. “We’re going to get you down from there.”
Several police officers raced to the stage, dragging a heavy piece of blue plastic. The plastic was almost as big as the stage.
Gripping the rope tightly, Nancy strained to see what they were doing.
One officer pulled a plug. There was a loud hissing sound. The blue plastic rose, and Nancy realized what it was—a huge inflatable cushion to break her fall.
“Okay, Ms. Drew,” a policewoman called to her from the catwalk. “We’ve got three officers up here holding the rope so the other two don’t fall. We want you to let go of your end and fall onto the mattress. Do you think you can do that?”
“Just watch me,” Nancy said faintly.
“At the count of three, Ms. Drew,” the officer coached her. “One . . . two . . .”
Nancy didn’t wait for the final count. She let go of the rope and closed her eyes.
It was like landing on a cushion of air. There was a burst of applause all around her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Bess and George hurry over. They lifted her from the air mattress.
As soon as Nancy and her friends were in the clear, the three officers on the catwalk lowered the net with Sally and Will.
Minutes later Nancy was being hugged by Bess, George, Will, Sally, and Denise Ellingsen. A handcuffed Dan Redding slumped in a seat in the audience, glowering at them.
A police officer pulled him to his feet. “Okay, Mr. Redding,” said the officer. “It’s down to the station house to book you for kidnapping and attempted murder.”
“It’s too bad too,” another officer said. “I really liked your show. You made me feel good about being a cop.”
Nancy and the others watched the officers escort Redding out the stage door.
Then Bess said, “I’m so glad you’re all right. When I saw you hanging up there, I could just imagine . . .”
“Enough, Bess,” her cousin said. “Don’t think about what could have happened. The important thing is that everybody’s okay.”
“Thanks to Nancy,” Sally Belmont said, wiping a tear from her famous blue eyes. “For a couple of minutes up there, I thought it was all over for us. I don’t know how I can ever pay you back.”
“That goes double for me,” Will Leonard said. “I know I was pretty obnoxious back at the hotel. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you let me drop like a ton of bricks.”
“No hard feelings,” Nancy told him. “I’m sure you get people bothering you all the time for your autograph and everything.”
“And that’s another thing,” Will said, turning to Bess. “I owe you one major autograph, with a personal dedication saying anything you want. In fact, I’ll do better than that. How’d you girls like to come to Hollywood and visit us on the set of ‘Nightside’? It’s on me.”
“That’s a great idea,” Sally said. “In fact, why don’t you stay at my house? I’ve got ten bedrooms, so you can take your pick.”
“And I’ll lend them one of my sports cars,” Will said.
“I’ll pay for gas,” Sally said.
“We’d love to come,” Nancy said, smiling. “I can’t help noticing, though, that you two are getting along a lot better than you were before.”
“It’s amazing how something like this can bring you together,” Will agreed. “It made me realize what a strong person Sally is. And it made me realize I was too competitive with her. There’s room for two stars on ‘Nightside.’ ”
“And I realized Will isn’t as arrogant as he seems,” Sally added. “He just wasn’t used to being a star. But he’ll have to get used to it,” she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “He’s going to be a star for a long time.”
• • •
That evening Matt Ziegler stood in front of the curtain of the Atheneum Theater, bathed in a giant spotlight.
His voice boomed over the microphone. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to welcome you to the final event of this year’s Mystery Lovers Convention—the annual Awards Ceremony. And here to introduce the awards is our honored guest, the star of ‘Cop,’ Mr. Dan Redding!”
The audience applauded, and the curtain opened—to reveal Will Leonard and Sally Belmont.
Flustered, Matt Ziegler took a step backward and almost fell over the podium. “Uh . . . ladies and gentlemen . . . I, uh, don’t know what to say, I thought . . . I mean . . .”
Will calmly took the microphone from Ziegler and said, “Hi, everybody!”
The audience screamed and stomped their feet.
Will handed the microphone to Sally. “Thanks, Will,” she said. Then she turned to the audience. “You haven’t seen us at the convention since that first day. I don’t know how much you know about what happened to us, but for a few days, our lives were in great danger.” There was a hush over the theater as Sally told the audience about the kidnapping.
When she had finished, she handed the microphone back to Will, who said, “And if it weren’t for one special person, there wouldn’t be any more ‘Nightside’—or any more us. She tracked down the kidnapper and saved our lives. So I’d like you all to welcome tonight’s real honored guest—the real-life detective who saved us and our show—Ms. Nancy Drew!”
The applause was deafening. Nancy, in the wings with Bess, George, Denise Ellingsen, and Braddock, stood absolutely still.
The audience began to shout Nancy’s name. “Nan-cy! Nan-cy! Nan-cy!”
“What’s the matter?” Bess asked. “They’re calling for you.”
“I can’t go out there,” Nancy said.
“Why not?” George asked. “They love you.”
