Sisters in Crime

Nancy answered thoughtfully. “We are getting some information, at least. Rina may have been involved with this cheating ring, and wanted to tell the school authorities. Someone might have felt they had to get rid of her. Or,” Nancy added, “the murder may have been related to something Rina learned while she was treasurer. Or maybe the two things are somehow connected.”

  “And suspects?” Susan asked.

  “Well, cheating is one thing, and killing is quite another,” Nancy answered. “A lot of people in this house may be involved in cheating. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole inner circle was involved, and maybe Fran, too. It still doesn’t tell me anything about murder.”

  Susan picked up the red-and-green-striped dart that lay on top of the dresser. It was about six inches long and had a needle-sharp point. “You have no idea where it came from?” she asked.

  “None at all,” Nancy said. “The area was silent and deserted by the time we looked around. The person who threw it had time to get away while Kathy was pulling that out of my shoulder,” Nancy explained.

  Susan winced at the description.

  Nancy began to do gentle stretches and yoga postures. “I need to see that file box,” she said. “Today.”

  “And today is your third day here. I spoke to Lori last night and asked her if you could stay a few more days. She said she’d let me know today.”

  “Okay,” Nancy said, bending over to touch her toes.

  “And tonight’s our date with Ira and his friend,” Susan reminded Nancy. “Are you sure you feel up to it?”

  “Sure,” Nancy said, standing up straight.

  Susan began gathering up her books to go to the library. “One more thing you might be interested in. This afternoon at four o’clock is a big swim meet. Lori’s diving, so everyone in the sorority will be there to cheer her on.”

  “Everyone will be out of the sorority house?” Nancy asked.

  “Probably,” Susan answered. “Why?” As she placed her hand on the doorknob, Susan turned back to look at Nancy. “The file box?” she asked.

  “Let’s hope so. See you later.”

  • • •

  Soon after Nancy was showered and dressed, Rina’s mother and brother, Gary, appeared. Nancy introduced herself to Mrs. Charles as Susan’s cousin, not as the detective investigating her daughter’s death. Gary, Nancy noted, wore the same thick glasses that Rina had.

  “You girls have all been so kind,” Mrs. Charles said as she sat at Rina’s old desk and looked at all the things that Susan and Nancy had packed. Gary began carrying things down to the car, and although Nancy wanted to help him, she felt it was important to sit and visit with Mrs. Charles for a while. There may even be a clue, Nancy thought.

  “It meant so much to Rina that she was asked to be a Delta Phi—and so much to me,” Mrs. Charles said. “And to think she was so quickly given a position of responsibility,” she added with a sigh. “Do you know, my alumnae check came back endorsed by my own daughter.” Rina’s mother smiled proudly. “I gave twice my usual amount this year—in appreciation—six hundred dollars. I think Rina was very happy that I had been so generous. She thanked me every time we talked.”

  “Did anyone else endorse that check, Mrs. Charles?” Nancy asked, taking a guess that there would be two signatures needed for any sorority financial transaction.

  Mrs. Charles nodded. She looked tired, and sad, as she answered, “Yes. That lovely young woman who was so upset at Rina’s funeral—Lori Westerly.”

  Just then, there was a knock on the open door, and framed in the doorway was Lori Westerly.

  Mrs. Charles stood up to embrace Lori, and they greeted each other warmly. “I heard you were here,” Lori said as Gary returned to the room to get more boxes to carry downstairs. “I thought I might be able to help.”

  As Lori grabbed an armful of Rina’s things, she turned to Nancy and said, “I got approval for you to stay a few more days. Susan said you’d like to.”

  “Thanks very much,” Nancy said. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Oh.” Mrs. Charles sighed. “There’s nothing like Delta Phi for wonderful girls.”

  • • •

  In the late afternoon the entire sorority house was empty. It was unnaturally quiet, without the usual buzz and drone of radios, hair dryers, and voices.

  With a credit card Nancy expertly pried open the lock on Lori Westerly’s door and silently closed it behind her.

  Susan had told Nancy that the third floor had the most desirable rooms, and Nancy could see why. From Lori’s window she had a breathtaking view of the water, beaches, and palm trees. Evidently, the higher you are in this sorority, Nancy thought, the higher your room is in the house. Nancy scanned the large room. Piled on the bed were clothes, books, and even a pair of swim fins. The desk was also disorganized. On the walls were posters of athletes. All divers, and all Olympic champions.

  In the large walk-in closet Nancy found more athletic equipment. Lori’s weights for working out, a wet suit for scuba diving, and also rock-climbing equipment. But not what Nancy hoped she would find.

  Not until she lay down on the floor and looked under the bed did Nancy find the green file box Susan had told her about. Excitedly, she pulled it out, picked the lock, and looked in. But after examining the contents, Nancy felt disappointed. There was just a form letter thanking people who had donated money to Delta Phi and a listing of all the alumnae who had done so since the beginning of the school year.

  How could this be worth anything? Nancy wondered. But then she remembered that Lori had felt it was important enough to retrieve before people even knew what had happened to Rina, Nancy took a small pad out of her pocket and quickly copied down the information. It may be nothing, she thought. But it’s worth examining further.

  Nancy relocked the file box, returned it to its exact place under the bed, and checked to make certain that everything in the closet was as it had been when she entered. She listened at the door before she swiftly and cautiously left Lori’s room.

  • • •

  “Oh, good, you made it!” Susan exclaimed as she moved over to make room for Nancy on the bleachers in the huge indoor swimming arena.

  In front of Susan sat Fran Kelly and Jan Miller. Looking back when Susan greeted Nancy, the two girls stopped the animated conversation they were having.

  “The diving competition started about ten minutes ago,” Susan said. “So far Lori has had one dive. She’s getting ready for her second.”

  Jan Miller turned around once more.

  “Hi,” Nancy said as Jan stared directly at her.

  But Jan didn’t return the greeting. Strange, Nancy thought. She had been friendly enough on the porch the other day. It seems Fran Kelly may have been telling her some interesting things about me.

  “Next diver, Lori Westerly, for SDU,” came the announcement over the loudspeaker. “Double forward flip, with jackknife entry.”

  Lori approached the board with confidence, measured off her steps, and took a moment for deep concentration before she did the remarkable dive. Perfect entry, Nancy thought as she, along with the rest of the students sitting around her, burst into applause.

  When Lori got out of the pool, she waved to her appreciative sorority sisters and then headed over to sit with another swimmer. He was a large guy who slipped his arm around Lori’s shoulders affectionately.

  “Is that her coach?” Nancy asked Susan.

  “No. That’s Mike Jamison. He’s Lori’s boyfriend—captain of the men’s team; does breaststroke, butterfly, and men’s relay.”

  Nancy looked over at Mike as Susan continued. “He’s in Zeta Psi—pronounced Zeta ‘Sigh,’ ” she said, joking and pointing to a row of young men who sat in the bleachers to their left. “Did you ever see so many muscles in one row? Those are his fraternity brothers. That’s who we’re having the Valentine’s Day mixer with on Friday.”

  “I remember Lori mentioning the mixer at dinner the night I arrived,” Nancy said, loo
king at Mike. Somewhere, she thought, I have met him. Nancy searched her memory as Mike put one leg in front of the other and bent down to stretch his calf muscles. His brownish blond hair was wet and slicked straight back on his head. Maybe just somewhere around campus the past couple of days. Or maybe . . . Nancy tried to recall somewhere else.

  Nancy enjoyed the rest of the swim meet, and as everyone hurried out of the huge gymnasium afterward, Kathy walked up to her.

  “Nancy, how are you doing?” she said in a high-pitched voice that was louder than Nancy liked.

  “I’m fine now,” Nancy said quietly. “Let’s go out this exit,” she suggested, leading Kathy and Susan away from the crowd.

  To Susan, Kathy continued, “It was awful. There was a dart—this long, I swear!” Holding up her fingers to indicate the size, Kathy made it at least twice the length of the actual dart that Susan had already seen. “And it came out of nowhere!” Kathy exclaimed.

  Nancy had successfully steered them away from the other students. The fewer people who knew about her incident, the better.

  Kathy turned to Nancy. “Do you think we should have reported it after all?”

  Nancy shook her head. “I’m sure it was just a mean prank,” she said. To bring in the police would make her attacker go into hiding, and Nancy didn’t want that. So they had told the nurse that there was no need to report it to campus security, and the woman hadn’t seemed to care one way or the other.

  “And I’m fine now, really, Kathy,” Nancy said, smiling. “Thanks.”

  Kathy began to launch into the story again, making the dart another couple of inches longer, but Nancy cut her off. “I’d actually prefer it,” Nancy said, “if you didn’t tell anyone else about it—if you don’t mind. Okay?”

  Kathy looked disappointed. “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because,” Nancy explained, “sometimes when something like this happens, you get ‘copycat’ behavior.” Nancy looked seriously at Kathy. “And I’d hate to have darts flying all over campus.”

  The muscles in Kathy’s shoulders tightened. “Yeah, you’re right,” she agreed. “Gosh, I’m sorry. I just didn’t think—”

  Kathy turned around as a guy with wet hair and a bright smile tapped her on the shoulder. “Bob!” she chirped, smiling up at one of the divers. She said, “See you later,” to Nancy and Susan and walked off with him.

  Continuing their walk back to the sorority house, the two friends looked at each other. Susan put her hands about two feet apart and said, “This big, I swear!” They both burst into laughter.

  “Do you think your black linen jacket would fit me?” Susan asked Nancy as they walked up the stairs to their room.

  “Maybe. Why don’t you try it on?”

  “Were you going to wear it tonight?” Susan asked as she put the key in the door.

  “No, you’re welcome to borrow it,” Nancy said, smiling. Susan, never one to pay much attention to her clothes, was clearly excited about her date that night.

  And Nancy had to admit to herself that after all the things that had happened the past couple of days, a pleasant evening out would be great.

  Susan unlocked the door of their room and gasped. Then Nancy saw the dart that was piercing her pillow!

  It was identical, except for the blue and yellow stripes, to the one that had jabbed her shoulder. This one was holding a piece of folded paper in place. Another message, Nancy knew.

  You are trying very hard to find out what is none of your business. The last person who slept here knew too much. If you’re smart, and I think you are, you’ll give up now.

  Chapter

  Ten

  THEY’RE TERRORIZING YOU,” Susan said, outraged.

  “They’re not succeeding,” Nancy answered angrily, and tucked the blue- and yellow-striped dart into her suitcase, along with its mate.

  “Well, I’m afraid they are with me, Nancy,” Susan confessed, sitting on her bed and looking at the floor. “I’m very scared that something will happen to you.” Looking up at Nancy, Susan said, “Please tell me your plans.”

  Nancy sat down across from Susan. “Tonight I plan to go out and have fun. That’s my first plan. Tomorrow, I’m going to find out all I can about dart throwing and cheating on this campus. I wasn’t able to get an appointment with the accountant, Linda Peterson, until Friday. But I do want to see what I can learn by looking at the financial records.”

  “Peterson? The name in the notebook?”

  Nancy nodded.

  “How did you find out who it was?” Susan asked.

  “Fran Kelly generously told me.”

  Susan walked over to her closet and began choosing clothes for her date. “What role do you think Fran Kelly has in all this?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “But she sure acts like she’s got it in for me, so I need to watch her closely.”

  “She’s so jealous,” Susan said. “She could just be acting that way because she sees what an attractive and neat person you are.”

  “Or because she has something to hide,” Nancy added. “Was there anything at all that you can possibly recall that Rina may have referred to about the cheating scheme?” she asked Susan.

  “I spent all last night trying to think of that, and I have absolutely no memory of Rina giving me even a hint. If she was in on that, she was very closemouthed.” Choosing a yellow sundress to wear under Nancy’s jacket, Susan said, “Rina could keep a secret better than Kathy.”

  “Anyone could,” Nancy said. “Unless Kathy was exaggerating the way they cheat like she did the story about the dart.

  “I think,” Nancy mused, “I’ll have to learn more about this cheating ring before we know if that’s related to Rina’s murder.”

  • • •

  “The chilis rellenos are great here,” Ira said with a smile. “If you like them hot.”

  Nancy looked up from the menu in front of her and out the window to the waterfront. It was another clear, star-filled night in San Diego, and the ocean looked as if the stars were dancing on it wherever the lights from the Mexican restaurant reflected on its gentle ripples. A couple was strolling along the beach hand in hand, and Nancy found herself missing Ned more than ever.

  “Nancy does, don’t you, Nan?” Susan asked.

  Nancy was so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard Susan’s question. “Don’t I what?”

  “Like hot food,” Larry said. “This place is famous for its spicy food. If you order in English, they don’t make it so hot, but if you order in Spanish, watch out.” Ira’s friend, Larry, seemed like a nice guy. He appeared to be studious in the wire-framed glasses he wore. Nancy smiled and told herself to stop thinking of Ned Nickerson for the moment and enjoy the evening.

  As the waiter approached, Larry spoke to him in Spanish. Only a moment later the waiter returned carrying a platter of piping-hot nachos for everyone to share.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay now,” Ira said kindly to Nancy. “People don’t usually get attacked on this beach, and I’m really sorry you were a victim on your first day in town.”

  Susan and Nancy exchanged glances, knowing full well that the attack on the beach had not been random. Far from it.

  “Thanks,” Nancy said to Ira. “I’m glad you showed up when you did. How did you happen to be there at that time?” Nancy asked curiously, still wondering whether she could trust Ira.

  “He’s a bit of a watchdog,” Larry answered for his buddy. “Ira considers all the area within view of the Institute’s scuba-diving resource center his own private beach.”

  “I wish that somehow I could have prevented what happened,” Ira said.

  “I wish I could have done something for Rina, too,” Susan said.

  As the waiter once again approached their table, Larry asked the group, “Trust me to order for us all?”

  “Sure.” Nancy smiled, and Susan and Ira nodded their agreement. Larry ordered in Spanish.

  “But how could you have save
d her?” Ira asked, looking at Susan. “You weren’t around the beach that day, were you?”

  Susan looked at Nancy, wondering whether she should tell him the truth. Nancy now felt certain that Ira really was trustworthy. She had been wrong before, of course, but this time she felt safe discussing the case with both Ira and Larry.

  “Why don’t you just explain what Rina told you before she died,” Nancy suggested.

  Susan nodded. “Right before she died, Rina confided in me that she knew something—a secret that she couldn’t tell yet.” Taking a sip of the ice water, Susan said, “We’re afraid that someone wanted to make sure she never did tell it.”

  “Murder?” Larry asked, shocked.

  “It’s a possibility,” Nancy answered.

  “That makes more sense to me than what the police have come up with,” Ira said thoughtfully. “Because there is no way that Rina Charles would dive with faulty equipment—or by herself.”

  A band began to play slow music in the background as they continued to talk.

  “But murder?” Ira said. “She was such a nice kid.”

  Susan reached over toward Ira. Nancy saw Ira squeeze Susan’s hand and felt glad that they liked each other so much.

  For a few minutes the four of them sat in silence, until Ira turned to Susan and quietly asked her to dance. Nancy could see Susan’s eyes light up.

  When Susan and Ira left the table, Nancy asked Larry, “Did you say you were in the math department?”

  Larry nodded and finished chewing a nacho before answering, “I work for Professor Zucker as a teaching assistant.”

  “Did you ever hear of TAs who ‘cooperate’ with students and give them exams beforehand?” Nancy asked.

  “Sure,” Larry answered. “But I wouldn’t call it ‘cooperating.’ I’d call it ‘cheating.’ ”

  Nancy grinned. “Me, too.” Taking a sip of her lemonade, Nancy asked, “How does it work?”

  “Well, there’s nothing tricky about how it works. Sometimes it’s a straightforward bribe. And sometimes a good-looking girl finds a TA to fall in love with her, then she asks him to do her ‘this one little favor’—to give her the test questions before the exam. He asks her to please never tell anyone that he’s done it or he’ll lose his assistantship, and she agrees. She then shares the exam with all of her friends who are taking the class, and they laugh behind his back. After they all ace the final, she breaks up with him. She has to find someone in another department to keep her average up. Nice, huh?”