Nancy skipped up the stairs that led to the main part of the campus. She felt lighter since George had offered to take her skates back to the dorm. Before heading over to the administration building, however, she decided to stop at the Emerson Museum. Luck was with her. Dean Jarvis’s car was still parked in front. She climbed the steps and banged on the closed doors. No response. She looked around and finding a small bell to one side, she pressed it. Half a minute later, the door opened a couple of inches and the guard who had identified Rob looked out at her.
“Sorry, the museum’s closed for the day,” he said gruffly, starting to close the door.
“I’d like to speak to Dean Jarvis,” Nancy said quickly. “I believe he’s inside. Please tell him it’s Nancy Drew.”
The guard scowled. “I don’t—” he began.
“It’s very important,” Nancy pressed.
“Okay, hold on.” After a few moments the door opened and the guard reappeared. “Okay,” he told her, “come on in. Dean Jarvis is over there.”
Dean Jarvis was standing with President Butler and Mr. Whorf. All three men glanced over at Nancy as she started across the entrance hall.
Dean Jarvis stepped away from the others and met her in the middle of the hall. “What is it, Nancy?” he asked in a low voice. “The guard said it was important.”
“It’s about the jewel theft,” Nancy said. “Have you heard that the police have taken one of your students, Rob Harper, down to the station for questioning?”
Jarvis drew his eyebrows together. “Harper? No, I—I know they’ve been questioning a few people here,” he continued. “I didn’t know they had taken anyone to the station.”
“I don’t think Rob had anything to do with the theft,” Nancy said, “but I don’t have proof at this point. What I would like from you is the college’s permission to look into the case.”
“Harper is a friend of Ned Nickerson, isn’t he?”
Nancy felt her cheeks redden. “Yes,” she said. “He is. But I can give you my word that won’t affect the way I handle the case. If I find evidence that Rob was involved, I’ll turn it over to the authorities immediately.”
Jarvis looked embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you wouldn’t,” he said quickly. “I was thinking more of how it might look to someone who doesn’t know you—the police, for instance.”
He rubbed his temples while he thought. At last he said, “All right, Nancy, you have my permission to investigate. You’ve helped the college out of tight spots before, and we can certainly use your help now.”
“Thanks, Dean,” Nancy said, smiling. “Would you mind if I check a couple of things with you? Is it definite that the jewels were stolen while the guards were distracted by the fire at the boat house?”
“Oh, yes.”
“How many people were in the museum at the time of the theft?” Nancy asked.
“About a dozen, from what I’ve heard,” Jarvis replied. “Plus the two guards. But once they heard the sirens, they all left the exhibit area and went to see what was going on. The police couldn’t find anyone who didn’t, as a matter of fact.”
“So the exhibit was empty—except for the thief,” Nancy pointed out. “Okay, thanks, Dean. I’d better get to work.”
“Thank you, Nancy,” he said. “And good luck.”
Nancy went slowly through the museum, checking out its layout and looking for anything unusual. As she expected, the emergency exit was just outside the last room of the jewelry exhibit —the room where the empress’s jewels had been displayed. The security room, where the alarm system was located, was a small, cramped room at the very back of the museum, far from both the exhibit and the entrance to the museum.
After finishing her inspection, she asked the guards a few questions, then checked her watch. She still had time before she had to meet the others at the student center, so she sat down on a bench in the museum’s entrance hall to think.
The thief had probably used the emergency entrance to make his exit. Since the alarm had already been shut off, there was no fear of it sounding. But how had he gotten in without anyone seeing him? She wished she could get a copy of the list of people who’d been in the museum at the time, but that didn’t seem possible.
Sighing, Nancy propped her elbows on her jeans and rested her chin in the palms of her hands. There was the question of how the boat house fire fit in, too. If the same person was responsible for both crimes, as she suspected, then he or she would have had to make quick time getting from the boat house to the museum after setting the fire. How long a walk was it?
There were two ways to go: along the lakeshore and past the field with the snow sculptures to the steps leading up the hill, or along the path that led through the little wood and up a gentler slope farther down the hill. The lake path seemed as if it might be a bit more direct, but it was also much more exposed. Nancy had a hunch that the thief would have taken the more hidden path instead.
Zipping up her jacket, she braced herself for the cold and headed along the bluff in the direction of the path that would lead to the small woods. The stretch of road between the museum and the path was pretty deserted—there weren’t any buildings, and there was a good cover of evergreens on both sides.
Nancy turned down the path. She kept a sharp lookout for anything unusual, pausing every so often to glance into the woods on either side of the path. She was about halfway through the woods when she noticed a line of footprints that left the path to enter a small clump of evergreens. Another line of footprints returned to the path a few yards farther on. The prints looked fresh, their edges still sharp. She bent down to peer in under the trees and felt her heart start to beat faster. What was that dark shape on the snow?
Carefully avoiding the two lines of footprints, she made her way across the snow and ducked under the interlaced branches. As she neared the shadowy objects, the strong smell of gasoline filled the air.
Nancy then saw that the shadow was a purple jacket with orange leather sleeves lying crumpled up on the snow. Jackpot! she thought triumphantly. Maybe the jacket belonged to whoever had set the boat house fire? When she bent down to pick it up, the harsh odor of gasoline intensified, causing her to cough.
She carried the jacket back out to the path and held it up. She gasped when she saw the crossed oars on the back. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she turned the jacket around to read the name embroidered on the front.
The jacket belonged to Rob Harper!
Chapter
Six
AS NANCY STARED at the jacket, a whiff of gasoline burned her nose, sending her into another coughing fit. But before she could get her breath back, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
“Okay, young lady,” a gruff voice said. “You’d better hand that over and explain what you’re doing!”
Nancy whirled around and found herself face-to-face with a beefy police officer, who sported a crew cut and glasses. She’d been coughing so hard she hadn’t heard him come up behind her.
“Officer, I think I’ve just found—”
“You’re coming with me, miss,” the officer cut in. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do!”
If you’ll let me, Nancy said to herself.
• • •
Forty-five minutes later, at the police station, Nancy was still trying to explain what had happened, but no one was listening.
“Look, Sergeant Balsam,” she said for what seemed like the billionth time, “if you’ll just telephone Dean Jarvis—”
“I’ll get to that, Ms. Drew,” the police sergeant said. “But first,” he continued, “I’d like you to tell me again what you were doing in those woods with that jacket.”
“I already—” Nancy began.
He cut her off. “I know, you already told me. But I have a short memory, especially when I’m talking to people who’ve been tampering with important evidence. Try telling me again.”
Nancy sighed and shifted in her chair. “I w
as walking along the path from the museum to the boat house,” she said wearily, “when I noticed some footprints going off into a clump of trees. Then I saw something lying on the ground in the middle of the trees. It was the jacket. When I brought it out to the path where the light was better, your officer came along.”
“Uh-huh,” the sergeant said. He frowned at her. “What would you say if I told you that a police team swept that area earlier today and didn’t find a jacket or anything else? Would that make you think again about your story?”
“I’m sorry, Sergeant,” Nancy said firmly. “I’ve just told you what happened. Either your crew missed the jacket earlier or it wasn’t put there until later.”
“You wouldn’t have been in the process of putting it there yourself, would you?”
Nancy reminded herself to be patient and polite. “If you would just call Dean Jarvis,” she repeated, “he’ll tell you who I am.”
“A detective,” Sergeant Balsam said with disdain. “Is that right? An amateur detective. And you think you’re going to make fools of the police by solving this theft when we can’t. Is that right, Ms. Drew?”
“No, of course not, Sergeant. But sometimes I can find out things that the police can’t—because I’m an amateur.” Somehow, she didn’t think the sergeant would appreciate hearing that.
“Uh-huh.” The sergeant straightened up and adjusted his gun belt. “Would you mind telling me where you were at the time the fire in the boat house was discovered?”
“Not at all. I was at the dedication ceremony for the new rowing tank. I was standing with four friends, all of whom can vouch for me. I’ll be glad to give you their names if you like.”
“Later, maybe. And what did you do at that point?”
Nancy thought back, then replied, “We went around to the front of the boat house to watch the fire fighters.”
“Together?”
“Together,” Nancy replied with a nod.
“And was Rob Harper part of your group?”
Nancy hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to make things worse for Rob than they already were, but she couldn’t lie to the police. She just hoped he wasn’t counting on his friends to give him an alibi.
“He was with us when the ceremony started,” Nancy said, choosing her words with care. “I don’t recall seeing him when the fire was discovered. There was a lot of confusion.”
“So I hear,” the sergeant said. “But he rejoined you while you were standing in front of the boat house. Is that right?”
“That’s right,” Nancy said.
“At that time, was he wearing this jacket?” Sergeant Balsam pointed to the purple and orange jacket.
“No, just a sweater,” Nancy replied, with a sinking feeling. The evidence was all too neatly pointing at Rob.
“I see.” The sergeant walked over to his desk and picked up the telephone. Keeping his back to Nancy, he dialed and spoke in a low voice to the person who answered. When he hung up, he said, “All right, Ms. Drew. I just spoke to Dean Jarvis. You can go. But let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t interfere with our investigation. You’ll just muddy the water for us, and that can make us feel real angry.”
“Thank you, Sergeant Balsam,” Nancy replied. As she stood up, she added, “What about Rob? Is he free to leave?”
Without answering Nancy’s question, the sergeant walked out of the room. A few moments later he returned with Rob.
“Nancy!” Rob exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s a long story,” Nancy told him. She looked at the sergeant. “May we go now?”
“Yes,” he said gruffly. Shooting Rob a wary glance, he added, “But don’t think you’ve heard the last of this.”
“Let’s go,” Nancy said to Rob. “The others are probably worried about us.”
As they walked back to the campus, Rob told her about the questions the police had asked him. “I can’t believe they think I set that fire. I mean, crewing is the most important thing I do at Emerson,” he said, shaking his head. “I would never sabotage the boat house!”
Nancy gave him a sympathetic look. She believed him, but considering the evidence so far— the jacket, his disappearance during the dedication ceremony, and his being suspended from the crew team—it would be tough to prove his innocence.
“Look, Rob,” she said, “where exactly did you go when you left the dedication ceremony? It’s important for you to establish an alibi. Everybody knows you weren’t at the ceremony, because the coach thanked you by name and asked you to stand up.”
“He did?” Rob asked, surprised. “I didn’t know that. I’m glad I had the sense to duck out. I don’t know if I could have stood that, after everything that’s happened.”
He took a deep breath before continuing.
“I was feeling so . . . I don’t know, restless and upset about being off the team that I decided to go for a run across campus to Foster Gate, then back the long way by the heating plant.”
Nancy nodded. “Did you see anybody you know?”
“The cops asked me that, too,” he said. “And I’ll tell you what I told them. I didn’t notice anybody. I’m not saying I didn’t pass a few people, but I didn’t pay any attention.”
Nancy sighed. If nobody saw him, it would be impossible to find someone who could verify his story. Rob sure wasn’t making her job any easier. “What about your jacket? Are you sure you left it in the boat house?”
“I’m positive!” he shouted. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve done nothing for the last half hour except answer questions about that stupid jacket.”
“Do you have any idea how it could have gotten soaked with gasoline?”
He raised his hands, palms up, in a gesture of exasperation. “How should I know?” he said miserably. “I don’t understand any of this. I mean, when I woke up this morning I was just a normal student like everyone else. Now all of a sudden I’m a major criminal!” He shook his head. “Do you realize that on top of setting the boat house fire, the cops think I stole those jewels? Can you believe it?”
“I can’t believe you did it,” Nancy admitted. “But you’d better face the fact that the police have good reason to suspect you. And it looks as if somebody is trying to give them better reasons.”
Rob looked at her in disbelief. “You mean someone’s setting me up?”
Nancy nodded. “It looks that way. Can you think of anybody who might want to get you in trouble?”
“Not this kind of trouble,” he said. “I’m not saying everybody’s a friend of mine, but I usually get along with people.”
Nancy studied Rob’s face. His expression was sincere. “Okay,” she said reassuringly. “But if anything comes to mind, let me know.”
Another twenty minutes brought them to the student center. As they walked in the door, Ned called out, “Nancy! Rob!” and rushed over to them. “I was so worried. What happened to you?” he asked, taking Nancy’s hand in his. “We thought you’d get here an hour ago! We were just about to go look for you.”
“I might as well tell everyone at the same time,” Nancy said, leading Ned over to the others.
While Nancy told them about finding Rob’s jacket and being taken in for questioning by the police, Rob stood by silently, a gloomy expression on his face.
Jerry turned to him, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Ol’ buddy, it sounds to me like somebody is fitting you for a frame.”
“I already told Nancy, nobody dislikes me that much,” Rob said in a downcast voice.
“But maybe somebody simply wants to send the police off on a false trail. Maybe the reason you’re the target is that the thief happened to find your jacket and realized that he could use it.”
“You mean the thief might not have any connection at all to Rob?” Bess said. “Then how on earth are we ever going to track him down?”
“The usual mixture,” Nancy said. “Sound thinking, hard work, and a touch of good luck.”
“I s
ure could use the good luck,” Rob said, smiling weakly. “But let’s not talk about my problems anymore. It’s Winter Carnival, after all.”
Nancy was glad he was making an effort to cheer up, even if it was only for everyone else’s sake. Glancing over Rob’s shoulder, Nancy saw someone who wouldn’t help his mood.
Rob was unzipping his parka and starting to take it off just as Susan Samuels walked past. She ducked to dodge his outstretched arm, but ended up falling against him. She tumbled to the stone floor.
“Sorry,” Susan and Rob said at the same instant. As he reached down to help her to her feet, she looked up and recognized him.
“Get your hands off me!” Susan said, pushing him away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” Rob began.
“You heard her, Harper,” a deep voice said.
Nancy turned to see a guy who was half a foot shorter than Rob, but just as wide and muscular. He was wearing a motorcycle jacket and a long wool muffler in the Emerson colors of purple and orange. He grabbed the collar of Rob’s parka and added, “Back off!”
Rob pushed the guy’s hand away and said, “Get lost, Forsyte. What makes you think you can give me orders?”
For an answer, the other guy planted his feet solidly on the floor and drew back his arm to throw a punch at Rob’s face!
Chapter
Seven
GREG, NO!” Susan screamed.
Rob’s hands tightened into fists, and the look on his face told Nancy that he would welcome a good reason to strike out at anyone. Grabbing his arm, she said, “Rob, don’t.”
At the same time, Ned and Jerry moved in between Rob and the guy Susan had called Greg. “Hey, cut it out, you guys,” Ned shouted.
He took Rob by the shoulders and urged him to back up, while Jerry stood right in front of Greg, talking to him in a low, calm voice.
“I want him to stay away from Susan,” Greg said loudly.
Cold as Ice Page 4