Carolyn Keene - Stay Tuned For Danger

“Things aren’t going too well there, are they?”

“That’s putting it mildly,” she said, and told him the latest developments in the case.

Ned tried to sound comforting. “Look, Nancy, I’ve known you for a long time, right?”

“Forever,” she replied.

“And in all that time, I’ve never seen you blow a case. So just hang in there. You’ll figure it out.”

“But, Ned, I have only one more day!” she protested.

“Something will happen, and the pieces will all fall into place. You’ll solve this one, I know you will, Detective Drew.”

“Well, I’m glad somebody thinks so.” She sighed, not really convinced. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, though.”

“And, Nancy . . .”

“Yes, Ned?”

“Be careful, okay? I’d hate to have anything happen to you.”

Once again, the girls were slated to play nurses. Rick’s injuries had been written into the script. In the new story line, Rory, in a fit of despair, would try to throw himself out a window. He would be rescued, but not before he had cut his hands to pieces and had to be taken to the hospital.

“Nancy! How do I look?” Bess asked later that day. Twirling around in her nurse’s uniform, she fluffed her red wig carefully so the pert white nurse’s cap wouldn’t fall off. Her heart didn’t seem half as badly broken since she had found out she’d be working on “Danner’s Dream” again that day. She even had a “silent bit”—she was the nurse who would greet Serena when she arrived at the hospital.

“I called my mother to make sure she’d tape the program,” Bess said excitedly. “Then I can take it around to casting directors and stuff.”

Nancy smiled at her friend. Even in the middle of all this craziness, she was still managing to have a good time. Of course, her fun was tempered by her feelings for Rick. Whenever she saw him on the set, she turned and purposely avoided him.

“Oh, and you know what? I found out that that lady with glasses and clipboard over there is the casting director,” Bess whispered, pulling Nancy by the arm. “I’m going to go hang around her for a while. You never can tell, Nancy, this could be it . And won’t Rick feel like a fool when I become a bigger star than he ever was!”

Nancy sighed and looked at her friend. “Bess, as a friend, I’ve got to tell you this: You are totally insane!” Then pushing her friend playfully, she whispered, “But go for it. I hope she notices you. I’ll see you when it’s time for our scene, okay? I want to check out Rick’s new dressing room.”

Rick was dressing and being made up in an improvised area across the hall from the costume room. He sat staring listlessly into space, still stunned by what had happened the day before. Kay was with him.

“So, Rick,” she was saying, trying to cheer him up, “are you going to give me a hand here, or do I have to do this all myself?”

But Rick didn’t move. He seemed so scared—as though there was a voice inside his head telling him over and over again that someone was trying to kill him. And that he or she might very well succeed.

Nancy leaned up against a wall and watched as Kay put some warm water into the sink. “No mirrors in here, I hope you’ve noticed,” she said, trying to make a joke. When she saw she wasn’t getting through to Rick even a little bit, she sighed wearily and picked up a stick of makeup.

“Okay, here we go,” she said, uncapping it. Then, “Oops!” she cried as the stick slipped out of her hands and fell into the wet sink.

“Clumsy me,” she said to herself, shaking her head. Suddenly, there was a hissing noise. The water in the sink began bubbling furiously.

“What the—?” Rick gasped. A sharp odor rose from the sink.

Nancy recognized the smell. “That’s acid,” she whispered.

“Oh, my God!” Kay cried, her hands on her cheeks as she watched the acid eat holes in the stainless steel sink. “Rick, that could have been your face!”

Chapter Fourteen

“That’s it!” Rick exclaimed, “I’ve had it!” He tried to pick up his suede jacket, but even a simple action such as this was difficult because of the bandages on his hands. Growling with disgust, he stormed out of the room.

“Rick?” Kay called, following him down the corridor. “Where are you going?”

“Forget it, Kay. I’m taking a nice long walk and going someplace where nobody can find me.”

Just at that moment, a beet-faced William Pappas stepped into the hallway. “What’s going on here?” he asked as the handsome actor flew down the hall.

“I’m out of here. Off the show. I’m not taking any more chances.”

“But you’re under contract, Arlen! You can’t just leave!”

“Oh, yeah? Watch me.” With that, Rick pushed past the angry producer and made his way toward the entrance.

Pappas made a lunge for him, but a couple of crew members restrained him.

“Come on, Mr. Pappas, calm down,” they urged him. “Give him a break. The guy’s been under a lot of stress lately.”

Pappas let the men straighten his suit as he muttered under his breath, “He’s under tension? What am I—chopped liver? I’m behind schedule, and the network is breathing down my back. I have ratings to think of!”

But it was too late. Rick was out the door and gone. Nancy and Kay looked on as the producer fumed, powerless to stop him.

Seconds later Luther Parks hurried up to them, running a hand nervously through his silver hair. “Bill, someone just said Rick Arlen left! What do you want me to do?”

But Pappas was in no mood for creative solutions. “You’re the director,” he snarled, heading back to his office. “Think of something!”

Luther shrugged and turned to Lillian, who was standing beside him. “We’ll shoot the hospital scene with Mattie,” he said.

“Whatever you say,” Lillian drawled, throwing a wink Nancy’s way. “Report to duty, Nurse Drew. And try not to miss your cue.”

Standing in the make-believe operating room as the crew adjusted the lights, Nancy’s spirits sank. Rick was out on the street somewhere, unprotected. And there she was on her last day in town, about to walk around in the background of a fictional scene instead of tracking down a very real criminal.

Someone had found a way to get around the set undetected, again and again. That was the key. In spite of guards at the doors, and people everywhere, Rick’s enemy had gotten in. If she only knew how! If she could only discover the method behind the madness, she felt sure the rest would fall into place. But how could she do anything now?

“Action!” came Lillian’s voice. Taking her medicine tray, Nancy crossed the set, put the tray down, and walked back again, heaving a deep sigh.

Action . That’s exactly what was needed. If only there was some action she could take!

“Cheer up, Nancy.” Bess peered sympathetically into the mirror at her friend’s reflection. Nancy wasn’t used to losing and it hurt. Bess pulled a comb through her blond hair and twisted it up in one deft move. She fastened it in place, and searched for something comforting to say. “I know it’s a bummer, but you win some and you lose some.” Somehow those weren’t the words she had been looking for.

“Well, I don’t really feel like going out to dinner, that’s for sure,” Nancy replied listlessly. She reached for her makeup case on the bathroom counter.

“But we’re going to a really great restaurant! Your aunt, Eloise, said it’s one of her favorites. And I can’t wait to tell her about my big scene today. The videotape editor told me he was sure I got into the shot. Can you imagine? There I am, actually handing a paper to Mattie Jensen on national TV! My mother will flip!”