037 Last Dance

  “Cover your face,” she yelled. “Let’s go—the whole thing may catch fire any second.”

  Still clutching the cook’s arm, Nancy ducked past the fryer again. She bit off a cry of pain as the grease spattered her bare arm.

  She dragged the cook from the kitchen. By this time, smoke detectors were madly screaming alarms throughout the club.

  Ned pushed through the small crowd to stand beside Nancy. His face was grim.

  “Are you hurt?” he gasped.

  Before Nancy could answer, Pam Hastings rushed past them with a fire extinguisher. She stopped cold when she saw Nancy’s grease-covered apron.

  Jon appeared then, too, his face pale. “What’s happening?” he cried, taking the extinguisher from Pam and tearing into the kitchen as fire sirens screamed outside.

  After the fire was out, Jon joined the others in the hall.

  “This does it,” the cook sputtered. “Mr. Villiers, I quit.” She threw down her apron.

  “Wait a second, Carol,” Jon pleaded. “Can’t we please talk about this? Here, we can step into my office—” Still talking, he led the cook away, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder.

  In the crowd that had gathered behind them, Nancy spotted Laurie and Bess and George. But there was no sign of Adam.

  “Maybe you’d better go home for the rest of the night,” Pam said, looking Nancy over with a frown.

  Nancy shook her head. She wasn’t hurt; she would stay until the end of the shift because she meant to look into this “accident.”

  “If there’s another apron I could use—”

  Pam’s expression was disapproving, but she nodded and disappeared into a stock room. In a few moments, she returned with another apron and a new Moves T-shirt.

  “You’re sure you want to stick around?” Ned pressed, looking worried.

  Nancy nodded. “I’m sure,” she said, heading for the ladies’ room to change. George and Bess followed her to supervise.

  “It looks like somebody deliberately tried to cook you,” George pointed out.

  “But how would anyone know I was going into the kitchen just then?” Nancy countered logically. “And what happened to the person? How did he or she get out?”

  Then Nancy thought of Adam again. Had he been angry enough to do something so risky and dangerous?

  “Maybe it. was an accident,” she said, but somehow she doubted it. She washed her hands and face and then, with George and Bess following right behind her, she set out for the kitchen. Jon was there, talking to Pam and the head cook, whom he seemed to have persuaded to stay.

  “Are you all right?” he demanded, when he saw Nancy.

  “I don’t have any idea how this could have happened,” fussed the cook. “The fryer is supposed to have a regulator to keep it from overheating. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “Me, either,” agreed Pam, who was a little pale.

  “How did you get here with the extinguisher so quickly?” Nancy asked her.

  “I was just coming in to pick up an order,” Pam said. “I was right behind you and saw the whole thing. So I ran for an extinguisher in the club.”

  Nancy glanced at the clock. She wanted to find out who had set this fire. “I guess I’d better get back to work now,” she said, thinking about other possible leads.

  Jon stared at her. “Work? After what you’ve been through? Nancy, I want you to go home for the night.”

  “It’s only twenty minutes until quitting time,” Nancy argued politely. “And I’m not hurt. I’d like to stay.”

  Jon shrugged looking baffled. “Have it your own way,” he said and walked out.

  Nancy hurried back to the main part of the club with George and Bess right behind her.

  “We’ll each take a third of the room,” Nancy whispered. “I want to know if Adam Boyd is still around.”

  As Nancy worked her way through the crowd, several people stopped her to ask if she was all right. She spotted Ned, sitting alone at a table, and she saw concern in his eyes.

  “I’m fine,” she mouthed, but he only shook his head.

  When Bess, George, and Nancy met again, they exchanged the same story. There was. no sign of Adam Boyd. He was gone.

  • • •

  The next morning Bess and George dragged Nancy off to the mall’ for what Bess called a “relaxation session.” This consisted mostly of window-shopping and listening to Bess rave about the cute guys they saw. Ordinarily, Nancy would have enjoyed herself, but that day she couldn’t keep her mind off the case.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually going back to that place after what happened,” Bess protested. “You could have been scarred for life—or even killed!”

  “But I wasn’t,” Nancy pointed out reasonably.

  “Which only means that you might not be so lucky next time,” Bess replied.

  After checking out the music store and renting a video, the girls went into a restaurant for an early lunch.

  “Maybe the fire really was an accident,” George speculated, as she munched on her bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.

  Bess shook her head. “It wasn’t any more of an accident than the noose on Laurie’s porch or the message on the answering machine or the slashed tires. Somebody almost drowned Nancy, and now he’s tried to barbecue her!”

  Nancy couldn’t help chuckling at Bess’s dramatic way of looking at things. “I have a feeling you’re right, Bess. But I am going to solve this mystery, no matter what.”

  • • •

  Nancy arrived at work on the stroke of seven that night. With Bess and George she wanted to let Jon know that she was all right—he’d seemed so worried about her the night before—so she headed straight for his office.

  Just as she was turning the corner into the hall, however, she caught the scent of cigar smoke and stopped. A tough-looking, middle-aged man was just stepping into Jon’s office. He pulled the door closed behind him.

  Something about the man’s expression told Nancy that his business with Jon might be worth listening to. She crept up to the door, crouched down in front of it so that her shadow wouldn’t show through the frosted glass, and peered through the keyhole.

  The man with the cigar looked about fifty years old. His suit was shabby and his shoes were in desperate need of a polish. He was surrounded by a cloud of smoke.

  “I’m telling you, boy, you’ve either got to pay up or get the job done,” he was saying to Jon. “I can’t hold these guys off forever, you know.”

  The man turned in Nancy’s direction, and thinking he might open the door and discover her there, Nancy darted away. She was smoothing her apron when. Adam Boyd appeared in the main hallway beside her. Nancy didn’t want Jon and his visitor to find her there, but she couldn’t just ignore Adam.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he said.

  Nancy stood still, searching his face. Was he capable of hurting someone? She said nothing, waiting for him to go on.

  “I heard about the accident last night,” Adam went on. There was nothing in his expression except sympathy and relief. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt, Nancy.” He sounded so sincere that Nancy let down her guard a little. Still, she didn’t want Jon and the man with the cigar to find them in the hallway, so she took Adam’s arm and ushered him down the hall closer to the main club.

  “I want to apologize. I’ve acted like a real jerk,” Adam admitted to Nancy. “It’s just that Laurie meant so much to me.”

  Nancy looked closely at Adam. Had she been wrong about him?

  “It’s not easy to lose someone you care about,” Nancy said sympathetically. She hesitated.

  “Adam, can I ask you one question?” He nodded, and Nancy went on. “A few nights ago I saw you give Pam some money. Why did you do that?” she asked, deciding to be direct.

  Adam looked blank. “Huh? When? Oh, the only time I remember is that night when I chewed your ear off about Laurie and Villiers? Let’s see? I just asked Pam to make some c
hange. All I had was a twenty, and I wanted to leave her a tip. She didn’t have the right change on her, so she brought it to me later.”

  Nancy smiled. One small mystery solved. But a glance at her watch told her it was time to start working.

  She said a quick goodbye to Adam and then almost hit Ned when she pushed open the door. Adam breezed quickly by both of them. “Were you talking to Adam?” he wanted to know.

  Nancy grinned up at him. “Jealous, Nickerson?”

  Ned scowled. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to be teased. “You told me you suspect Adam of being behind some of the stuff that’s been happening lately. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to stay away from him?”

  “I now think Adam is innocent. But how can I find out anything if I avoid everybody?” Nancy reasoned.

  Ned sighed. “I guess you can’t.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Nancy promised.

  “Sometimes that isn’t enough,” Ned replied, obviously thinking of the incident the night before.

  Nancy knew it was time to change the subject. “Oh, look,” she said, smiling. “There’s George and Bess.”

  Ned grumbled something, but when the girls came over to them, he warmed up. In fact, since Nancy had to work, he asked Bess to dance.

  Nancy took the opportunity to work her way back toward Jon’s office, hoping to hear what Jon and the strange man were saying. She was distracted, however, when a disturbance broke out in the dancing area.

  Nancy ran back and watched as people were pushing and shoving to escape the room’s three exits. Smoke was billowing up from the floor. Then a voice screamed a single word over the din.

  “Fire!”

  Chapter

  Ten

  FIRE! NANCY’S HEART STOPPED. The club was so crowded, it would be almost impossible to keep order until everyone was safely out.

  A glance around the club confirmed her worst suspicions. She scanned the crowd and saw George, Bess, and Ned all making their way to her from different directions. The exits were jammed and people were being pushed down and stepped on in the rash to escape.

  “At this rate,” Bess said, shouting to be heard, “nobody’s going to get out of here alive!”

  “We need to cover the doors,” Nancy shouted back. “And make sure people keep moving without pushing and shoving.” The smoke was getting so thick her eyes were stinging.

  George and Bess went off to cover the side door. Ned pulled Nancy into his arms and hugged her hard.

  “Be careful” was all he said. Then he pushed his way through the crush to the front door.

  Nancy made her way toward the back. The I hallway and kitchen were packed. She started I urging the frightened kids through the delivery I door in a brisk and orderly manner, and her I natural authority made them listen and clear a path for her.

  “Take it easy,” she repeated over and over. “It’ll be okay.”

  After what seemed an eternity everyone was out. Nancy decided to make one last check of the hallway. The smoke was dense there, but she was glad she’d taken the time to investigate because she spotted Pam Hastings at the top of the basement steps, gripping the doorknob and coughing. The girl couldn’t move.

  “Pam!” Nancy cried, coughing hard herself as she dashed to the other waitress. “Come on—you’ve got to get out of here!”

  Pam just shook her head weakly. Alarmed, Nancy put one arm around her waist and practically carried her down the hall. Outside she could hear fire engines arriving, their sirens wailing.

  Nancy’s eyes and throat were burning badly by the time she reached the kitchen. She was just about to burst out into the fresh air when she heard a muffled and hoarse voice call for help. The shout came from deep inside the club.

  Nancy hesitated. Her lungs were screaming for air, but she couldn’t make herself go. Not when she knew someone was still inside.

  “Go on, Pam,” she croaked, shoving Pam through the doorway.

  Nancy gulped in a couple of lungfuls of fresh air before hurrying back into the club. She slithered along so that most of the smoke rolled over her. It was like a black, acrid cloud now, and she could barely see.

  “Help me!” the voice cried again. “Somebody—please—”

  “Where are you?” Nancy called, pushing through the swinging doors that led into the dancing area.

  “Over—over here—”

  Nancy followed the weak voice between small pockets of flames. “I can’t see you! The smoke is too thick.”

  “Here—here, by the sound booth—”

  Nancy found Adam Boyd on the floor, struggling to stand. Obviously he’d been knocked down by someone rushing to escape. He was still dazed.

  While Nancy was using all her strength to help Adam up, he collapsed and fell unconscious. She dragged him and groped her way to the front door, where firefighters were storming through with hoses and equipment.

  Seeing that Nancy was in trouble, one firefighter rushed over and hoisted the unconscious Adam over one shoulder. “Follow me, miss. Get out of here fast,” he shouted over the roar of water and fire.

  “Laurie.” Adam woke up and choked out the single word.

  “Where?” Nancy asked.

  “Laurie’s in there somewhere—I saw her—”

  Nancy went outside and stood gasping for air while she scanned the crowd gathered to watch the firemen battle the blaze. There was no sign of Laurie anywhere.

  Before anyone could stop her, Nancy raced back into the club, zigzagging between areas of now-raging flames. She had to find Laurie!

  “Laurie!” Nancy shouted, making a quick round of the dance floor and the area behind the sound booth. The name seemed to tear at her throat. “Laurie!”

  No answer.

  With her apron over her face to filter out some of the smoke, Nancy raced toward the back of the club and Jon’s office.

  “Laurie!” she cried, bursting through the doorway to the office, which the fire had spared so far.

  It was there that she thought she heard a whimpering sound, barely audible.

  “Laurie, where are you?” Nancy called, desperation in her voice.

  She heard the sound again and, after a quick check of the room, realized that it was coming up through the heating vent in the floor. She dropped to her knees and called through the grating. “Laurie, it’s Nancy. Can you hear me?”

  The reply was faint. “Nancy—”

  Laurie was trapped in the basement! Nancy ran out into the hallway and raced toward the cellar stairs. She tore down seven steps but was stopped by a locked door at the bottom.

  Nancy doubled up both fists and pounded on the heavy wooden obstacle. “Laurie!” she called, choking out the name. “Laurie, open the door!”

  “I can’t,” Laurie replied from the other side. Her voice sounded weak.

  Remembering that Jon always left an extra set of keys on his desk, Nancy fled back up the stairs to the office. The hallway was becoming impassable now; the fire had spread there, too.

  Nancy ran her hands over the surface of Jon’s desk and then plundered the drawers in search of his key ring. In the last drawer she found it. She was back at the cellar door within seconds, frantically trying one key after another.

  But key after key failed to open the lock. Nancy fought against the panic that threatened her. If she lost her head now, she and Laurie would both die.

  At last Nancy found the key that fitted the lock on the cellar door. She felt relief sweep through her when the knob turned in her hand.

  The basement was dark, but the smoke wasn’t bad. Nancy stepped inside.

  “Laurie!” she cried, coughing.

  A groan came from somewhere in the shadows.

  Nancy flipped the light switch beside the door, but nothing happened. Obviously, the fire had already destroyed the building’s electrical system. Nancy began to grope, calling her friend’s name over and over again as she screamed in the pitch darkness.

  She stumbled over Laurie, lying pro
ne on the floor. Before she could lift her, Nancy heard the cellar door swing shut with a solid thud.

  “Oh, no,” Nancy whispered as a terrible possibility struck her. She made her way back to the door and tried the knob. It wouldn’t turn.

  Behind her, Laurie was stirring in the darkness. “Nancy? Oh, my head—”

  “Help!” Nancy yelled, hoping that one of the firemen would hear. She battered at the door with both fists and shouted again. “Help!”

  “My head—hurts—I think somebody hit me,” Laurie was saying in a dazed voice.

  Nancy rested her forehead against the heavy door for the brief moment, breathing hard, struggling to calm herself. When she laid both palms against the wood, she realized that the door was still cool. The fire hadn’t gotten any closer yet. The smoke wasn’t as bad as it was in the hallway, either.

  She turned, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, to see Laurie sitting up, one hand pressed to her head.

  “Wh-what’s going on?” Nancy’s friend asked.

  “We’re in big trouble,” she answered quietly. “The club’s on fire and we’re locked in down here.

  “Help!” Laurie screamed.

  “I tried that,” Nancy said. “No one’s going to hear us. We’ve got to find another way out.”

  Laurie was too scared to be of any help. Spider webs draped themselves over Nancy’s arms and hair as she searched, exploring the walls for a window. If there were any, they were either painted or boarded over.

  “What’s going to happen to us?” Laurie moaned.

  Nancy didn’t want to think about the answer to that question. She began going over the floor for something she could use to pry open the door.

  “Nancy, what’s going to happen to us?” Laurie repeated, sounding even more scared than before. Nancy didn’t blame her for being frightened, but she knew her friend had to keep her head.

  “We’re going to get out of here,” Nancy said, still searching. She went to lay her hands against the door again, checking it for heat. It felt disturbingly warm now. “Somehow, we’re going to find a way out.”

  The calm resolution in Nancy’s voice must have comforted Laurie, because she got up and began running her hands over the walls, looking for a way to escape.