“I smell smoke,” she said.
“Then let’s get out of here.” Swinging around, Bess started toward the hall. For a second, Nancy hesitated. If she could locate the fire and put it out, it might prevent damage to the building.
Bess gave Nancy’s arm an urgent tug. “I know what you’re thinking, Nancy Drew, and don’t you dare. You leave the fire to the fire fighters.”
“You’re right.” Quickly, Nancy and Bess shut the doors and jogged down the now empty hall. They met George at the outside doors. She was ushering the last of the children down the slippery steps and into the parking lot.
“Is everybody out?” Madame Dugrand asked from the sidewalk. She was standing in the middle of a shivering group of youngsters. The sky was dark with clouds, and a light snow was beginning to fall.
“Yes,” Nancy called back. The blast of a siren made her look out into the street. A huge River Heights fire truck careened into the parking lot.
Racing down the icy sidewalk, Nancy met the first fireman off the truck.
“We smelled smoke in the recital hall.” She pointed toward the left side of the building. Waving to the others, the fireman headed in that direction.
As Nancy walked back to George and Bess, she scanned the small crowd huddled in front of the dance school. Shana Edwards was leading two kids toward a waiting car. Mrs. Wolaski was hobbling down the walk, holding on to the arm of a blond-haired young man about twenty years old. Several parents had driven up in front of the school. Madame Dugrand was separating their children from the group gathered on the sidewalk.
“Madame Dugrand,” Nancy called as she strode across the snow-covered grass, “maybe we should get the kids into our cars. It’ll be warmer.”
“That’s a good idea, Nancy. Thank you for your help.”
Just then a woman wearing a purple warm-up suit pushed past Nancy. A frightened-looking little girl in a leotard and tights clung to her hand.
“This fire is the last straw, Alicia!” the woman declared to Madame Dugrand. “I quit. You’ll have to get someone else to organize the props. And you’ll have to replace Tiffany, too. I’m pulling her out of The Nutcracker—and the school.”
With that, the woman spun around, dragging the unhappy little girl after her.
Madame Dugrand’s face flushed brightly. But she quickly leaned down to a young boy who was clinging to her leg. “Here’s something to keep you warm, Patrick,” she said as she took off her sweater and wrapped it around his shoulders.
When she straightened, she signaled to the blond-haired young man with a wave of her hand.
“Lawrence! Unlock the van. We’ll put as many students in it as we can.”
For the next few minutes, Nancy helped Lawrence, George, Bess, and Madame get the children settled in the van and in her Mustang. Several more parents picked up their kids, so there was room enough for everyone. Soon only Nancy and Madame Dugrand were left outside in the snow. Fire fighters were streaming in and out of the building, but Nancy hadn’t seen any fire or smelled any more smoke.
“What do you think caused the fire?” Nancy asked.
Shaking her head, Madame wrapped her arms tighter across her chest. She was looking worriedly toward the school. Her shoulders were hunched, and a light sprinkling of snow covered her gray hair. Just then, the fire chief strode down the steps. Nancy followed Madame Dugrand as she walked up the sidewalk to meet him.
“It appears that someone accidentally started a fire,” the chief said in a stern voice. “Part of your backstage curtain was burning.” He held up a cigarette enclosed in a plastic bag. “I suspect it was caused by this.”
Madame gasped. “I do not allow smoking in the building,” she said indignantly.
The fire chief shrugged. “Someone broke the rules.” He stuck the bag under his coat, then pulled a pad and a pen out of his back pocket.
“Actually,” the chief continued, “whoever set the fire probably did you a favor, Ms. Dugrand. Your building has several fire violations. Frayed wires, paint-soaked rags, and an exit blocked with chairs. It’s no wonder the whole place didn’t go up in flames. This,” he said, ripping the top sheet from the pad and handing it to Madame Dugrand, “is a citation. All the items on this list need to be corrected by next Friday or the fire department will close you down.”
Madame Dugrand’s face turned ashen as her blue eyes traveled down the list. “Next Friday is our opening night,” she said, looking up.
The chief shrugged again. “That’s your problem. Fires are mine, and I don’t want one here. You can all go on in now,” he added brusquely. Then he turned to his crew and yelled, “Let’s pack it up, guys!”
Madame Dugrand didn’t move. Her eyes were frozen on the citation in her hand.
“We’d better get the kids back into the school,” Nancy said gently.
With a deep sigh, Madame nodded. Twenty minutes later, the students who hadn’t been picked up by their parents were back in class.
“I’m going to take a look at the burned curtain,” Nancy told Bess and George.
“But the fire chief already checked everything, and I’m starved,” Bess protested, but Nancy was already starting down the hall.
“Hey!” a voice called. Nancy turned to see Shana Edwards coming out of the locker room. She was tall and slender, wearing a fuchsia leotard and pink tights. Her red hair was pulled back and tucked into a chignon, accenting her long neck and straight posture.
“Nancy Drew!” Shana exclaimed, her emerald eyes sparkling. “I was hoping I’d see you.” Just then she spotted George. The girls gave each other warm hugs.
“And we were hoping to see the famous Shana Edwards,” George said, holding her old friend at arm’s length.
“Too famous to have lunch with some dance school dropouts?” Bess joked.
“Never,” Shana replied. “I’ve got to work with Dewdrop and her flowers first, though. They’ve been having a little trouble with their scene. Would you guys like to watch? If you can stick around until it’s over, we can talk then. I’d love to know what everyone in River Heights has been up to. You know, all the gossip.”
Bess rolled her eyes. “Oh, it’s sooo exciting around here.”
The girls burst out laughing.
“And we’d love to hear all about New York,” George added.
“Great.” Shana squeezed Nancy’s hand. “And thanks, guys, for all the help during the fire alarm. Whew! What a madhouse.”
