“You’d only have to work there until you found out what was going on,” Bess said, urging her on.
“Okay,” said Nancy. “I’m not a great waitress, but I’d hate to see Pete get away with this.”
“Look at this face,” Bess said, breaking the heavy mood of the moment by holding Cynthia’s face in her hands and turning it from side to side. “Is this the face of a thief? No way!”
Cynthia couldn’t help breaking out in a small smile. “Gosh, Nancy. Bess was telling me how terrific you were and all—”
“Hey! There’s the girl who stole the money!” Two guys in denim jackets turned the corner of Touchdown and were looking directly at Cynthia. Their faces were plastered with big phony smiles, and they held out their hands, palms up.
“You got some for us?” one of the boys asked, rubbing his fingers against his thumb.
“Come on,” said Nancy, taking Cynthia’s elbow. “Let’s go to my car where we can have some privacy.”
Bess, George, Cynthia, and Nancy walked over to the Mustang, trying to ignore Cynthia’s tormentors.
“Don’t worry, Cynthia,” Bess said, opening the door and sliding into the back seat. “Now that Nancy’s on the case, it’s as good as solved.”
“Bess is my biggest fan. Now, tell me everything,” Nancy said, facing Cynthia, who was seated beside her in the front. “About Touchdown, Pete, Mark, that guy Edgar—everybody.”
“Well,” Cynthia began, “when I first got the job, everything was cool. Pete was friendly, Mark was friendly. Everybody got along. Then things started to change.”
“When did they start to change?” Nancy probed.
Cynthia thought for a moment. “I guess it was around the beginning of football season,” she said finally. “Pete started getting grouchy, then he became kind of paranoid. He started yelling at us whenever we did any little thing wrong.”
Cynthia looked as if she was about to start crying again. Without prompting Bess passed a tissue up to her.
“What else do you know about Pete?” Nancy asked gently.
Cynthia took a deep breath. “Let’s see—he’s a football nut. I guess that was pretty obvious by the club’s decor. He was a star at Bedford seven years ago.” Cynthia’s blue eyes were fixed, staring out the windshield at nothing.
“He’s built like a football player, that’s for sure,” George observed.
“Did he have a college or pro career?” Nancy asked.
“According to Rob, he had a bad injury his first year of college, and he never played after that.”
“You mean Rob knows Pete?” Bess inquired.
“Oh, sure,” Cynthia said, turning around to face Bess. “Pete’s tight with all the guys on the team. He’s like a groupie. Always gives them bags of goodies to take home when they leave Touchdown, that kind of thing.”
“What else, Cynthia?” Nancy asked.
Cynthia wound a lock of hair around her finger, corkscrew style, as she thought. “Rob said he tried to be a sports agent after he left college. He still handles a couple of not very successful pro players on the side, but I don’t think he really makes any money at it.”
At that moment a horn honked close to them, making them all jump. “It’s the guys!” Bess blurted out.
Rob and Bill were waving out the open passenger-side windows, and Lonnie was driving. Cynthia quickly checked her reflection in the mirror on Nancy’s visor.
“Do I look like I’ve been crying?” she asked, turning to Nancy.
“Not really,” Nancy lied, taking in Cynthia’s red-rimmed eyes.
“Hey, there!” Bill shouted as Lonnie steered his car into a space. All three guys seemed to be in great spirits.
“Please,” Cynthia said quickly, scanning the girls’ faces. “Don’t mention all this, okay? Not yet, anyway. I don’t want to spoil their good time—not right now.”
“Don’t worry,” Bess told her. “We won’t say a word. You can tell them when you have to.”
Cynthia flashed them all a quick smile. “Now, come on,” Bess urged. “Let’s say hi to the guys.” With that she opened the car door and got out. Nancy, George, and Cynthia followed her lead.
Cynthia Tyler really was a sweet girl, Nancy thought. She promised herself then and there to help solve the mystery of the missing money and clear Cynthia’s name.
“All right!” called the guys as they tumbled out of Lonnie’s car. They raised their fists in the air and shouted into the rosy twilight, “We’re number one!”
Their breath preceded them in soft white puffs as they sauntered, shoulder to shoulder, up to the girls. Cynthia stood waiting with a big smile on her face. Though her expression was obviously strained, Nancy could tell that Rob was too caught up in his own victory to notice.
“Hey, Bess,” Bill said, greeting her with a cozy arm tossed over her shoulder and a quick nuzzle. Bess’s face lit up from ear to ear in a dazzling smile.
Rob looked pale, but otherwise he appeared to have recovered from his earlier knockdown. He planted a kiss on Cynthia’s lips and gave her an affectionate squeeze.
“Nancy and George,” said a grinning Bess, “this is Rob and Lonnie.”
“Hi,” the guys said, each in turn, taking in Nancy and George.
“Let’s go celebrate,” Lonnie added, positioning himself next to George. “Your name is George?” he asked, shyly bending his handsome face toward hers.
“It’s short for Georgia, but everyone calls me George,” she answered, trying to cover her embarrassment with a casual shrug.
“Okay. George. Nice to meet you,” Lonnie said, raising his eyebrows and smiling at her. “Are you coming in?”
“I think so,” George answered with a quick look at Cynthia.
Cynthia stood still for a moment, obviously trying to decide whether or not to go back in. Her forehead was creased by two tiny vertical lines.
“Come on,” said Rob. “I’m starved. Let’s get a move on.” He took Cynthia’s elbow to move her along.
Nancy guessed that Cynthia decided Pete wouldn’t say anything to her with three of the Bedford stars as her escorts. He wouldn’t want to embarrass these guys.
Sure enough, when Pete saw them, he was cool and distant to Cynthia but polite in front of the boys. “Great game, guys!” he shouted, slapping Rob on the back. “Food is on me, so order whatever you want.”
As Cynthia quickly took a seat, Pete shot her a poisonous look, which only Nancy caught.
After Pete returned to the counter, Nancy decided to try to talk to him. “Excuse me,” she said to get his attention.
“Yeah?” Pete said, giving her a quick glance.
“My name is Nancy Edwards, and I’m looking for a job. I wondered if—”
“You’re Cynthia Tyler’s friend, aren’t you?” he asked. “Cynthia’s not one of my favorite people, you know.”
“Well,” said Nancy, her response all ready, “I’m actually friends with the other two girls. I only met Cynthia today. When I saw you fire Cynthia, I thought you might need a replacement.”
“Have you ever waitressed before?” Pete asked, eyeing her carefully.
“Sure, lots of times,” Nancy said brightly. She’d only done it once or twice in the course of investigations, but the lie was for a good cause.
“All right, come by tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll give you a try,” he said with a hint of a smile. “You’ll have to work odd shifts for a week or so. After that, if it works out, we can talk about a regular schedule, okay?”
“Great!” chirped Nancy, offering her hand.
Pete didn’t take it. “Be on time,” he warned her. Then he walked away, leaving her with her hand outstretched.
“I’ll be on time, all right,” Nancy said under her breath. Lonnie, Rob, and Bill were up at the counter ordering when Nancy got back to the table. While Cynthia listened, Bess seemed to be trying to talk George into something.
“Say yes, George,” she pleaded. “Come on. It’ll be so much fun!??
?
“I don’t know,” George said evasively.
“Don’t know what?” asked Nancy, slipping into her chair.
“Lonnie wants me to go out with him tonight,” George said. She didn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Bill and I are going dancing, and Lonnie wants to take George,” Bess explained. “We could double!”
“I don’t know,” George protested weakly. “I mean, I hardly know the guy!”
Nancy glanced oyer at Lonnie, who was in line with his friends. He certainly was good-looking, and a talented athlete, too. He and George would seem to have a lot in common. “Sounds like fun to me, George,” Nancy put in encouragingly.
“Oh, okay, I guess,” said George, blushing a little as the guys returned to the table.
“So? Did you think it over?” Lonnie asked George, flashing her a gorgeous smile of perfect teeth.
“Okay, I’ll go,” George agreed.
“Great!” said Lonnie. “How about you, Rob? You and Cynthia haven’t been dancing in ages.”
“You know Cynthia works Saturday nights,” Rob said quickly. “She starts in a couple of hours.”
“Actually, I’m off tonight,” Cynthia volunteered. “But you look tired. I think you should get a good rest tonight, Rob.”
“Me? Tired?” Rob raked a hand through his sandy blond hair. “Maybe I am,” he admitted with a slow grin.
The order was brought to the table soon, and the hungry group started wolfing down their food. As Bess reached for the ketchup, she rapped Cynthia’s glass of water with her knuckles and spilled it all over the table.
“That was so clumsy of me!” she said, embarrassed as she madly tried to sop up the water with her napkin.
“I’ll get more napkins,” said Rob.
As he stood, Rob suddenly swayed backward. Cynthia reached out to steady him. “Rob? Are you okay?”
“Umm. I’m fine,” Rob said slowly. He rubbed the back of his neck. “My head hurts a little, and I got a little dizzy—that’s all.”
“Let me go for the napkins,” Cynthia said, standing up.
“I’m okay. Really.” But as Rob took a step away from the table, he suddenly pitched straight forward and collapsed in a heap on the floor!
Chapter
Three
ROB!” CYNTHIA TOOK, A STEP and dropped to her knees beside her boyfriend. “Wake up! Oh, no,” she moaned, gently rolling him over onto his back.
“He’s fainted!”
Nancy knelt on the other side of Rob. Picking up his wrist, she felt for a pulse. “His pulse is weak,” she announced. “Somebody call an ambulance!”
“I will.” George raced off to find a phone.
“Lonnie, keep everyone back. He needs air,” Nancy ordered firmly. Lonnie quickly organized the busboys and waiters in a circle around Rob.
“Rob, Rob!” Cynthia cried. Behind her stood Bill and Bess, who was biting her lower lip anxiously.
Nancy had placed her ear against Rob’s chest to listen to his breathing. It was ragged and shallow.
“He did just faint, didn’t he?” Cynthia asked breathlessly.
Nancy looked up and shook her head gently. “If it were just that, his pulse and breathing would be normal,” she answered.
Cynthia grasped her boyfriend’s hand. “Oh, please, please let him be all right!” she sobbed.
Nancy spotted Bill Ellman beside Bess. “Could you sit her down and get her some water?” she asked.
“Sure thing.” Bill nodded, helping Cynthia up. “Come on, Cyn,” he murmured.
“He’ll be all right, you’ll see.”
“Here’s a napkin. I ran cold water on it,” offered one of the busboys.
“I don’t need it,” said Cynthia, taking the cloth and returning to Rob. “I want to be near him.” She bent down and pressed two ends of the napkin against her boyfriend’s temples.
“Bill, get a jacket and roll it up. Put it under his head,” Nancy said, much calmer than she felt. She reached for his pulse again. This time it was so weak, she barely found it. There was no time to waste, so Nancy began to give Rob mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She blew deeply and repeatedly through Rob’s mouth, trying to force air into his lungs.
“Please wake up, Rob,” Cynthia moaned. “Please!”
Nancy sat up to catch her breath, and Bill took over the mouth-to-mouth for a minute. After Nancy replaced Bill again, she finally saw Rob’s chest moving. “He’s breathing,” Nancy whispered softly. Flushed with relief and exhausted by her efforts, she knelt back on her heels.
“Good work, Nancy—and Bill,” said George, who was standing behind them now. “The ambulance should be here soon.”
“Thanks, George.” Looking up at her friend, Nancy’s attention was caught by a movement she saw out of the corner of her eye. Turning quickly, she was shocked to see the assistant manager, Mark, rifling through the navy blue gym bag hanging on the back of Rob’s chair! His hands were deeply imbedded in the bag with Yale printed on it, and he seemed to be searching for something at the bottom of it.
Suddenly, as if sensing her eyes on him, Mark looked up, straight at Nancy. “Here,” he said quickly, yanking a sweatshirt out of the bag. “We can cover him with this. It’ll keep him warm.”
“Good idea,” Nancy said as Mark tucked the sweatshirt around Rob. The quarterback was breathing steadily now. His pulse was regular, even if it was still weak.
In the distance Nancy heard a siren. Thankfully, the paramedics would soon be there. “Okay, everybody, clear a path for the medics!” Pete bellowed from the front door, where he’d been keeping a lookout for the ambulance.
The paramedics burst in, carrying a stretcher and a medical bag. Gently Bess helped Cynthia to stand up and pulled her back from Rob.
After listening to his pulse and breathing, the medics lifted Rob onto the stretcher and carried him outside to the waiting ambulance.
“Sorry,” one of them told Cynthia as she tried to climb in the ambulance. “No one but immediate family rides in the ambulance.”
“We’ll follow in my car,” Nancy said, taking Cynthia’s elbow in one hand and grabbing Rob’s gym bag in the other. She didn’t want to leave it behind for Mark to rifle again. George and Bess picked up their things and trailed Nancy out. Bill and Lonnie said they’d meet them at the hospital.
Opening the door to her Mustang, Nancy threw Rob’s gym bag onto the back seat. “Which way is the hospital?” she asked Cynthia as they climbed in.
“Not far. Stay on Bedford to Main,” Cynthia told her numbly.
Nancy pulled out into traffic. The ambulance and Lonnie’s car were far ahead, though they could hear the siren in the distance.
“That hit Rob took today,” Bess said. “Do you think that’s what made him pass out?”
“Probably,” Nancy said, stopping for a red light.
“Oh, I’m so afraid for him,” Cynthia murmured softly.
“He’s in good hands now,” George said comfortingly as Nancy drove on. “There’s the hospital up ahead.”
“I know it’s hard, but try not to worry,” Nancy suggested. “It won’t do Rob any good.”
Nancy quickly parked, and the three girls ushered Cynthia inside the hospital and into the emergency room. Bess stepped up to a nurse seated behind a green counter. Lonnie and Bill were waiting for them there.
“How is he?” she asked the boys.
“He’s in with a doctor now,” Bill told her.
“If you want to wait, I’ll have her give you a status report when she’s through examining him,” the nurse told them.
“Thanks,” said Bess.
“Let’s all sit over there,” said Nancy, pointing to some orange molded-plastic chairs across from the counter.
“This may take a while. Anybody want anything from the cafeteria?” Bill asked.
“No, thanks,” Cynthia answered weakly.
“Why don’t the four of you go for something? I’ll wait here with Cynthia,” said Nancy. r />
Nancy watched the foursome disappear into the hospital elevator. Beside her, Cynthia fidgeted, barely able to control her anxiety. She picked up magazines and tossed them down after flipping through the pages once. She got up, paced, then sat down again.
“Cynthia, what do you know about Mark?” Nancy asked, remembering that she had seen the assistant manager go through Rob’s gym bag. “What’s he like?”
“Mark?” Cynthia seemed to forget for a moment who Mark was. “Oh, Mark Gatwin! I don’t know much about him really, except that he’s totally nice to everyone who works at Touchdown. Not like Pete.” Cynthia shivered at mentioning his name.
Nancy nodded. “Anything else?” she asked.
“Well, he’s about twenty-two, I think. He took a two-year course in restaurant management,” Cynthia said, finally settling into one of the orange chairs. “He told me he interviewed for the job as manager, but the corporation picked Pete because he had been a local football hero.”
“Did Mark ever say he resents that?” Nancy asked.
“Not in so many words,” Cynthia said pensively. “But it’s pretty obvious that he does.”
“So—Mark wants Pete’s job,” Nancy said, mulling the idea over. “Do you think he could ever get it?”
“I don’t know,” Cynthia said with a shrug. “Pete must be in trouble with the corporation because of the missing money. I guess Mark would be next in line for the job.”
Nancy let out a low whistle. “Interesting,” she murmured.
“Nancy,” Cynthia asked, her eyes wide, “are you saying you think Mark is the thief? That he took the money to make Pete look bad?”
“I’m not saying anything,” Nancy answered tentatively. “It is a possibility, though, isn’t it?”
Cynthia let out a big breath. “I guess so, but Mark seems like such a nice guy.”
Nancy remembered the intent look on Mark’s face as he went through Rob’s gym bag. She couldn’t help feeling he was doing more than fishing for a sweatshirt.
The two girls sat quietly for a few more minutes. Finally the doctor emerged. She was a tall, well-built woman of about thirty-five, with almond-shaped bluish green eyes. “I’m Dr. Gebel,” she said, with a slight foreign accent.