Before Nancy could reply, Bess put her hand on Nancy’s shoulder and jumped off the box. “Well, you did almost drop Shana on her head,” she pointed out.
“That was Shana’s fault,” Lawrence said. “She’s trying to ruin my career.”
Before Nancy could stop her, Bess said, “We happen to know that you’re the one who’s trying to get rid of her.”
“Look, another mouse,” Nancy cut in quickly, pointing at the floor behind Lawrence. “It just ran under the cannon.”
“Excellent!” Lawrence dropped to his knees again, and the two girls hurried quietly out the prop room door.
“Let’s get out of here quick,” Bess said, skidding down the hall after Nancy. “That guy with his mice is nuts.”
Nancy stopped at the end of the hall. “I should probably look around first,” she said. “If Lawrence is telling the truth, then the person we surprised in the prop room might still be in the building somewhere.”
“No way.” Bess tugged on Nancy’s coat sleeve. “’Cause if Lawrence is lying, he’ll be after us in two seconds.”
“You’re right.” Nancy headed toward the front door. Suddenly, lights from outside the building briefly flooded the hallway.
“Headlights!” Nancy exclaimed. She rushed to the door just in time to see the school van roar out of the parking lot.
“Do you think Lawrence is making a getaway?” Bess asked.
Quickly, Nancy slipped her high heels back on, then started outside. “I don’t know,” she replied, “but we need to find out. It could be the person who was wearing the Mouse King headpiece.”
“If we go after the van, we’ll miss the gala!” Bess protested, struggling into her red flats. But Nancy was already heading down the steps to the car. Slipping and sliding on the ice, she made her way to the Mustang.
“Wait for me!” Bess called. She was shuffling carefully along the snowy walk, trying not to fall.
Nancy jumped into the car and started the engine. Reaching across the passenger seat, she opened the door for Bess. “Hurry!” she urged.
As soon as Bess had climbed in and strapped on her seatbelt, Nancy pushed the gas pedal to the floor. She wanted to catch whoever was driving the van—or at least find out where he or she was going.
“Oh, no.” Bess was bent over in her seat. “Look at my stockings. They’re ruined!”
“Mmmm,” Nancy commented without really hearing her friend. She was trying to spot the white van. Suddenly, she saw it make a left turn several cars ahead. “There it is!” she cried, wheeling the Mustang abruptly into the left lane.
Bess grabbed for the dashboard. “Can you see who’s driving?”
Nancy shook her head. “Too far away.”
Just then fat, wet snowflakes began to hit the windshield. “Oh, great,” Nancy groaned as she flipped on the wipers. “Just what we don’t need. Brace yourself, Bess, I’m turning.”
With both hands tight on the steering wheel, Nancy made a sharp left. The snow was falling faster, and it was hard to see out the window.
“Did we lose the van?” Bess asked.
“Let’s hope not.” Nancy checked out the side window. “Can you tell where we are?”
“Yeah,” Bess replied. “It’s that new apartment complex. You know, the one they advertise as having Jacuzzis, a health club, and an indoor pool.”
Nancy thought for a minute as the Mustang cruised down the street. There were three apartment complexes on each side. “Who from the dance school would have a place here?” she mused.
“My guess would be Lawrence,” Bess replied. “But I think this place is pretty expensive.”
Glancing out the window again, Nancy noted that each complex consisted of four apartment buildings built around a central court. In the middle of the court was a pool and some kind of recreation room. The apartment buildings themselves were three levels high, with fancy balconies overlooking the pool.
“They do look pretty nice.” Nancy stopped the car at the end of the main thoroughfare. “So where did the van go? There’s no way out.”
Bess turned in her seat to look at Nancy. “I think we’ve been led on a wild goose chase.”
“Maybe.” Nancy turned the Mustang around and headed back to the main street. “Still, tomorrow I’m going to check all the addresses of people associated with the dance school. We may just get lucky.”
Suddenly, as Nancy drove past the second complex on the right, she heard the roar of a motor close behind them. She looked in the rearview mirror, but the rear windshield was covered with heavy snow.
Then she heard another roar. Something smacked the Mustang’s rear bumper so hard that Nancy and Bess were both thrown forward.
Bess’s eyes widened. “Someone’s crashing into us!” she cried fearfully.
“Hold on,” Nancy said in a low voice. She rolled down her window and shot a look over her shoulder. The white van was about fifteen feet behind them. Almost immediately, its motor roared as it headed after them again.
Sticking her head back inside, Nancy stepped on the gas, hoping to shoot out of the van’s path. But as she did, the Mustang’s back wheels spun in the slippery dusting of snow on the street, and the car fishtailed forward. Quickly, Nancy wiped off the side mirror. The van was swerving after them, as if its driver were determined not to let them get away.
Suddenly, Bess sat up straight in her seat. “Nancy, stop!” she screamed. “We’re headed for the intersection!”
Nancy hit the brakes hard. At the same time, she heard the crunch of bumper against bumper as the van rammed them from behind. The force sent the Mustang skidding forward, through the red light and straight into traffic!
9
A Gala Event
