Striding across the oriental rug, Nancy headed down a short hall and pushed open the door. The lavish ladies room was empty, but Nancy heard a muffled sob coming from one of the stalls.
“Darci?” she called softly. “Are you all right? It’s me, Nancy.”
The sobs stopped abruptly. Someone blew her nose. “I’m fine.”
Nancy shut the door behind her. “You don’t sound fine.”
“So? What do you care, anyway? You’re Shana’s friend.”
“Yes. But I’m also a friend of Madame, and I’m interested in making sure The Nutcracker production goes smoothly.”
There was a long pause. “So what does that mean?” Darci said in an angry voice.
“Why don’t you tell me,” Nancy challenged, folding her arms. She leaned back against the sink and waited.
Five minutes later, Darci opened the stall door and peered out. Her mascara had run beneath her eyes, giving her a haunted look. “Is anyone else here?” she asked warily. Nancy shook her head. With a sigh, Darci walked over to the sink. Grabbing a paper towel, she moistened it and dabbed at her eyes.
“Okay. So it’s no secret that I hate Shana,” Darci said bitterly. “And why shouldn’t I? She took the part that should have been mine. Then she stole Lawrence.”
Nancy raised one brow. “Stole Lawrence? I didn’t know you two were even dating. And from what I can see, Shana and Lawrence aren’t exactly on good terms.”
Darci snorted and threw the paper towel in the trash. “Yeah? Well, even hotshot detectives don’t know everything.”
Nancy wondered what Darci meant. But one thing was for sure: Darci was in no mood to confess. Nancy would have to try tripping her up. “You mean, things like who broke into the dance school?” Nancy said, studying Darci’s face to see how the girl would react. But Darci just looked at her curiously, then opened her purse to pull out a lipstick. “Or who turned on the snow machine at rehearsal the other day?” Nancy continued.
Darci spun around. “That wasn’t me!” she cried. Flinging her lipstick back into her purse, she pushed past Nancy and headed to the door. Her face was flushed, and she looked as if she was about to cry again.
“Darci, wait.” Nancy grabbed the girl’s elbow, but Darci jerked her arm from Nancy’s grasp. “I’d like to help,” Nancy said gently.
“No, you wouldn’t,” Darci spat out. “You just want to make sure that Miss Big Star Shana doesn’t go back to New York. Well, I’m sorry Madame got hurt, but I wouldn’t be sorry if my sister fell and broke her stupid neck!”
11
Terror in the Snow
Darci ran from the ladies room. Nancy sprinted after her, but when she reached the door, it swung toward her and she had to jump back. An elderly woman wearing a high-necked velvet dress and pearls had walked into the ladies room. It was Mrs. Farnsworth.
“Well, hello, Miss Drew,” she said in a polite voice, but her gaze bore into Nancy like a drill. “Have you located my ornaments yet?”
Nancy was caught off guard. “Uh, no,” she stammered. “But I know what happened to them,” she added quickly, trying to edge around the woman. “In fact, that’s what I’ve been working on tonight, so if you’ll excuse me—” She flashed Mrs. Farnsworth a big smile, then squeezed past her and dashed into the lobby.
Seeing that Darci wasn’t there, Nancy hurried into the main dining hall. Shana was next to the dessert table, talking to Bess. Standing on tiptoe, Nancy scanned the crowd for Lawrence. Had he taken Darci home? Then she spotted him, next to Madame and several parents who appeared to be leaving with tired kids. Nancy checked her watch. It was almost eleven.
Bess caught sight of Nancy and waved. “Boy, you should have a piece of this cake,” she said when Nancy walked up to her and Shana.
“Did you see Darci?” Nancy asked.
“Yes,” Shana replied. “She burst in here a second ago and told my dad that she was feeling sick and wanted to go home. They’re probably getting their coats.”
“I guess Darci didn’t confess,” Bess said.
Shana shook her head. “There’s no way Darci drove that van. My sister may have done some stupid things these last couple of days, and maybe she was trying to ruin the ballet. But she wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.”
Shana sighed heavily and set down her cake plate. “I’m exhausted. I guess I’d better round up my mother and Michelle. Dad will be back in a few minutes to get us. I’ll see you two Monday, okay?”
Nancy and Bess nodded and waved goodbye. Then Nancy turned to the dessert table and cut herself a slice of cake. “I’m convinced I’m missing something,” she told Bess, frowning. “I’ve been so sure the troublemakers were Lawrence and Darci that I haven’t suspected anyone else. Maybe . . .”
“Oh, come on, Nancy,” Bess chided as she studied a tray of cookies. “It has to be them. Shana’s just sticking up for her sister. I mean, Lawrence and Darci are the only ones with motives, right?”
“True.” Still, something was nagging at Nancy. Then she realized what it was that was bothering her: the footprints.
Plunking her plate on the table, Nancy twirled around. “Come on, we’ve got to go,” she told Bess. “I need to check out those footprints before the snow covers them. We may be too late already.”
“What?” With a look of dismay, Bess glanced at the dessert table, then back at Nancy. “We’re going to leave all this?”
“Yup.” Grabbing Bess’s hand, Nancy began to lead her friend to the coatroom. “To make up for it, I’ll owe you a sundae at Yogurt Heaven.”
Soon Nancy and Bess were back in the dance school’s parking lot. The snow had stopped, but now there was a confusion of footprints around the van.
“The police must have been here,” Nancy guessed. “They were probably trying to verify that this was the vehicle that rammed us.”
“How are you going to find Darci’s prints in all this mess?” Bess asked.
Flicking on her flashlight, Nancy walked from the van’s passenger side to the road. “I’ll have to find the path she made,” she said.
Suddenly, Nancy bent down. “Here they are,” she told Bess excitedly. “Just as I thought.” Nancy shined the light on the perfect prints.
“Are you going to fill me in?” Bess asked. Her teeth were chattering, and she was rubbing her hands up and down on her coat sleeves. “Before I freeze to death?”
