I’M GETTING a federation official right now!” Elaine shouted at Trish, grabbing the skates from Trish’s locker. “I’ll make sure you’re thrown out of this contest!”
Before Trish could say anything, Elaine stormed out of the locker room.
“Elaine!” Trish cried, running after the other skater. “I didn’t take them. Honestly, I didn’t!”
George turned to Nancy. “If Trish had taken the skates she wouldn’t have opened up her locker in front of us,” she pointed out.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Nancy agreed.
Walking back from the locker room doorway, Trish pleaded with Nancy and George. “She won’t talk to me. I didn’t take them—I swear I didn’t. You’ve got to believe me.”
“Who do you think did it?” Nancy asked.
Trish shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Well, until you find out who the real thief is,” George warned her, “you may be in hot water.”
“I know.” The red-haired skater leaned against a locker and let out a long sigh. “I can’t believe I’m going to get kicked out of the nationals for something I didn’t do!”
“Let’s go see what we can do about it,” Nancy suggested. “Kathy Soren seems like a reasonable person. Maybe we can convince her to hold off doing anything drastic.”
Wiping away a tear, Trish nodded. The three girls hurried up to the main arena. Most of the spectators had left for the break between programs. That night, Nancy knew, the men’s singles program would pack the stadium.
“I see Elaine talking with Kathy Soren over there,” Nancy said, pointing to the front row of seats.
“Thank goodness there are no reporters around,” Trish murmured. “If this gets into the news, I’ll just die!”
Elaine’s mother was at her side, looking angry. As they approached, Nancy could hear Mrs. Devery say, “Okay, I understand why you can’t change my daughter’s score on the compulsories, but why can’t you punish Trish O’Connell? Shouldn’t you throw her out of this contest before she has the chance to steal someone else’s skates?”
Kathy Soren seemed very weary as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. “This is a very serious charge you’re making,” she told Mrs. Devery.
“I didn’t steal her skates,” Trish broke in. “I would never do anything like that!”
Ms. Soren shot Trish an impatient look. “Her skates were found in your locker,” she said. “Can you explain that?”
Trish’s lip began to tremble, and Nancy stepped forward. “I think I can, Ms. Soren,” she said. “My friend and I were there when the skates were discovered. It seemed to us that Trish hadn’t taken the skates. All she had to do was keep her locker shut until we left, and none of us would have guessed the skates were inside. But she opened her locker in front of us, and then didn’t even try to hide the fact that the skates were there. She was as surprised to see them as we were.”
“I agree,” George said.
Ms. Soren looked from Trish to Elaine and let out a big sigh. “Oh, dear,” she said helplessly. “This is just what we didn’t need.”
“I don’t see why you’re hesitating,” Mrs. Devery said hotly. “Trish O’Connell should be thrown out of the competition!”
Ms. Soren put a hand on her hip and shook her head. “Since we can’t prove that you took the skates,” she said to Trish, “I’m going to allow you—for the moment—to continue in this competition.”
“Oh, thank you,” Trish said. “I swear I didn’t take them. I would never do anything so rotten,” she added.
Elaine and her mother ignored Trish. “Okay, Elaine,” Mrs. Devery said quietly. “We’ll just have to abide by that decision.” From the strained expression on her face, Nancy thought she was working hard to keep her cool.
“Elaine, I only hope that the real thief is found,” Trish said. “Honestly, I didn’t take your skates. I didn’t even have a way to get into your locker!”
Without looking at Trish, Elaine turned to her mother. “I want to go back to the hotel,” she said. “I’m tired.”
Elaine’s mother put a comforting arm around her daughter’s shoulder and shot Trish a poisonous look. “Let’s go, honey,” she murmured.
Just then Nancy spotted Brett O’Connell walking into the arena from the lobby. “There’s your dad,” she told Trish.
“Dad!” Trish cried, waving to him. “He’s already so unhappy, and now I have to tell him about Elaine’s skates.”
“Ready to go, Trish?” Mr. O’Connell asked, his car keys in hand.
“Oh, Dad,” Trish said. “I have bad news.” She quickly filled him in on what had just happened.
Mr. O’Connell seemed distracted as he listened to his daughter.
“What a mess,” he said finally, giving Trish a hug.
“This is one of the worst days of my whole life,” Trish said, unable to hold back her tears.
“Mine, too,” her father said.
“I know.” Trish sniffed. “Nancy told me about the Optoboard chips.”
“George and I were on the press level when it was taken, Mr. O’Connell,” said Nancy as she and George stepped closer to him.
“Some clever ploy that thief used,” Mr. O’Connell muttered bitterly. “Setting up my guards like that. They’re good men, too.”
“Mr. O’Connell,” Nancy said. “I have reason to suspect a person I saw here in the arena.”
Trish’s father raised his eyebrows and stared right at Nancy “Oh? You do?” he asked. “That’s right, you’re a detective, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Nancy replied. “I’m not certain about this, but I saw a man come out of the power room door yesterday,” Nancy said. “He was wearing a press pass, and as far as I could tell, he had no reason to be anywhere near that door. I suspect he tampered with the lock so he could cause the blackout to give him cover to steal the chip.”
Mr. O’Connell said, “Can you tell me anything else about him, Nancy?”
Nancy gave him a brief description of the man. “He had a slight foreign accent, but he definitely knew enough English to read the sign on the door.”
“Foreign accent? What kind?” Mr. O’Connell asked.
“German, I think. Why?”
Trish’s father scowled. “Interesting. Lots of firms have a big interest in the circuit board design and the chips, but there’s one particular German firm that wants it badly. I’ll call my office now and give them your description of the man. Maybe they can come up with a name to match. Too bad we don’t have a photograph.”
Nancy nodded. “Unfortunately, he’s probably long gone by now, and the chips with him.”
“Maybe,” Mr. O’Connell said. “But maybe not. He might just stay here—it would be the best cover. If this fellow is a well-known corporate spy it won’t be easy for him to get out of the country with the chip. Customs keeps a long list of corporate spies, their whereabouts, and their aliases. He’ll have to be very clever.”
“He’s already proven he’s clever,” Nancy pointed out. “My idea, though, is to keep track of him through his accomplice. If we can find her and get her to confess then we’ll have our thief and the proof to hold him.”
Mr. O’Connell raised his eyebrows. “The girl who screamed is an accomplice?” he asked.
George nodded. “She left some sequins behind,” George put in. “Show him, Nan.”
Nancy fished the sequins out of her pocket and held them out to Mr. O’Connell.
His face fell. “These look familiar,” he said softly. “Trish?”
“Yes?” Trish came closer and looked at the sequins.
“Aren’t these like the ones on one of your costumes?” her father asked.
“I don’t think so,” Trish said. “I do have blue sequins on my freestyle costume for my long program, but I haven’t even unpacked it yet.”
Mr. O’Connell was obviously relieved. “Let’s talk again soon,” he told Nancy. “Right now, I want to make some calls and get some dinner. If you spot that fellow hanging around, try to get a photograph.”
“What an afternoon,” George said as she and Nancy watched the O’Connells walk off. “Nancy, you don’t think she stole those skates, do you?”
“I doubt it, George,” Nancy answered.
“Well, we’ve still got a couple of hours before the men’s singles,” George said. “Want to catch some dinner?”
“I am hungry,” Nancy admitted. “Want to invite Kevin to join us?”
George sighed. “I wish I could, but he said he’d be too busy,” she said. “I understand, but I sort of wish he’d find a little time to spend with me.”
She looked up into the stands. “In fact, there he is, in the back row, interviewing Ann Lasser.”
“Come on, George,” Nancy said gently. “Give him a break. Interviewing skaters is his job.”
“Well, he sure is an overachiever,” George grumbled. “Or at least he was with Veronica. Anyway, I’m famished.”
Nancy was glad to change the subject to something neutral. “Me, too,” she said.
“Want to try Harper’s?” George suggested. “It’s not far from here, and Kevin said the food was pretty good.”
“Okay,” Nancy agreed, starting for the exit. When they stepped outside, Nancy noticed an expensive-looking silver sedan with dark-tinted windows parked at the curb. As they walked out toward the street, Gilbert Fleischman hurried past them with quick strides. He slipped into the passenger side of the car, and, in the next moment, the car drove away.
Nancy stopped short. In the split second that the door had been open, she saw the woman who was behind the wheel of the car. “Fran Higgins was driving that car,” Nancy told George. “She’s a reporter for the Morning Sun.”
“But the judges aren’t allowed to talk to the press,” George said, her brown eyes opening wide.
“I know,” Nancy replied as they continued on their way to her car. “There’s a lot of funny business going on around here, George. First, there’s a paper clip on the ice. Then, a skater gets a threatening message and another one has her skates stolen. There’s the blackout, and the Opto circuit board and chips are stolen.”
“And now the judge goes riding off with someone from the press,” George added, “which everyone knows is a no-no.”
“So what does it all add up to?” Nancy asked, making her way to her Mustang. “If someone is sabotaging the skaters, does it have anything to do with the stolen Opto chips?”
George shrugged. “Beats me,” she said.
Nancy opened her car door, got in, and snapped her seat belt, still puzzling over all that had happened. “I didn’t think this would happen, George, but somehow, we’re in the middle of a case!”
Nancy turned the ignition, and soon the girls were off, riding toward the town of Montgomery. Harper’s was conveniently located on the main street, just at the edge of the downtown area.
“This looks nice,” George said after they entered the restaurant. A sign propped up on a small table in the entryway read: “Please wait to be seated.” Next to the sign were two velvet love seats and a row of large palm plants.
“I wonder where the hostess is?” Nancy said, gazing at the crowded tables.
“Please,” a female voice pleaded from behind the plants, catching Nancy’s attention. “Please, let’s not fight.”
The voice sounded familiar. Nancy peered through the leaves of the plants to see Yoko Hamara sitting with her coach and a young man.
“My sister knows her routine upside down and backward, Adderly,” the young man was insisting. “She’s giving a hundred percent for this competition!”
“A champion has to give more than a hundred percent, Ito,” the coach said firmly.
“The way you want to work her, she’ll burn out!” Ito Hamara shot back.
“I’ve gotten her this far.” Brian sniffed once.
“Oh?” Ito countered. “Well, I disagree with that. In fact, Yoko might be better off with a coach who’ll give her a little respect. Maybe she should think about changing coaches!”
At that Brian Adderly stood up and threw down his napkin. “Oh? Are you threatening to fire me? Just when I’ve brought your sister to the top levels of competition?” he fumed. “Then all I can say is, do it! Go ahead and ruin her career!”
He turned to Yoko and bent down so that his face was just inches from hers. “Getting rid of me now would be extremely self-destructive, Yoko. Self-destructive and dangerous. If you do it, you’ll be sorry. I can promise you that.”