“What in the world is going on around here?” William Pappas hurried onto the set, pushing people aside as he went. “This is all I need! Our insurance rates are high enough as it is!” he muttered angrily. “Is anybody hurt?”
“Nope,” Rick replied from his position on the floor. “I was just rescued by this beautiful creature.” He looked up at Nancy with a grateful smile. “Hello, gorgeous. Where have you been all my life?”
Nancy turned red to the roots of her hair as she scrambled off Rick and onto her feet. Brushing herself off, she started to push her way through the crowd of onlookers. She had to find Bess.
“Wait!” Rick called after her. “Don’t leave me now!” With that, a group of stagehands who were standing nearby broke out in nervous laughter.
Just then Nancy felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Mattie. “Thank heavens you were here. If you hadn’t gotten to Rick so quickly . . .” She shivered. Turning to the crowd, she called out, “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Nancy Drew. She’s my guest today.” Everyone clapped, and Mattie smiled weakly. “And now I’m going to call security. Maybe they’ll believe that someone really is after Rick!” And with a toss of her pretty head, she stepped off the set, headed for the intercom behind the scenery.
“Well, dear, that’s one way to meet a star,” Lillian observed caustically, glaring at Nancy.
“Wait just a minute—” Nancy began. But then she decided it would be better not to say anything. Lillian might not be the friendliest person she’d ever met, but the last thing Nancy wanted was to make an enemy at the beginning.
Beginning of what? Nancy asked herself. An investigation? Was there really anything to investigate? After all, she reasoned, accidents do happen.
Dodging Lillian’s pointed remark, Nancy excused herself and made her way over to the corner of the set. Rick was there, chatting with Bess.
“Ah, my savior!” he said when he saw Nancy. But her quick frown made it clear that she wasn’t going to fall for his lines.
“Hey, girls,” Rick suggested, “why don’t the three of us go back to my dressing room? We can have a soda and get to know each other a little better while they’re cleaning up this mess.”
“Oh, we’d
love
to!” crooned Bess. Elbowing Nancy in the ribs, she prompted her friend. “Wouldn’t we?”
“I guess that would be all right,” Nancy shrugged. Until security had finished looking around, no one would be allowed near the scene of the accident anyway. And maybe she could use the time to find out a little more about Rick Arlen.
“By the way, who was that woman—Lillian somebody—who was so angry at you earlier?” Nancy asked him as they headed down the empty corridor.
“Her name is Lillian Weiss,” he hissed, making the name sound snakelike. “She’s the assistant director. While Luther is up in the booth playing God, she’s his watchdog.”
“Sounds like she’s not your favorite person.”
“She’s not. But then, Lillian’s just a nobody around here. I don’t let her get to me—she’s not worth even thinking about.”
Just then they came to a door with a polished brass star on it and Rick’s name above the star. “Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly,” he quipped lightly. He ushered them in and closed the door quietly behind them.
The bright lights in the dressing room blinded Nancy for a moment when she stepped in.
“I love this room—it’s so warm and bright. This is the place I go to get away from the craziness out there.” He pointed toward the door. “Let’s see, now,” he mumbled. “I’d offer you a chocolate, but I’m afraid they’re a little bitter. But can I get you something to drink?” Rick opened a small refrigerator.
Bess pushed a lock of blond hair behind her ear before she said, “Okay. Um, a diet soda for me.”
“
Pour vous?
” he asked, turning to Nancy.
“The same, thanks.”
“You’re a very smart girl. And brave, too. Would you care to marry me?” Rick had taken Nancy’s hand gently in his own, and now he offered her a bouquet of imaginary flowers with the other.
Nancy pulled her hand away and looked at him. “I have a boyfriend. Sorry,” she said, apologizing.
“Ah—I’m crushed. Well, then,” he purred, instantly turning to Bess and taking her hand. “How about you? Would you marry me?”
Bess’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Okay, you’re on.”
“Oh, you only like me for my looks,” Rick complained. Nancy saw him catch a quick glimpse of himself in the mirror before he gazed back at Bess appreciatively. “But then, you’re not too bad yourself.”
Bess blushed. She seemed to melt into the dressing table as Rick stared at her.
Rick Arlen obviously knew how to flirt, Nancy observed. And Bess was definitely being taken in.
“Well,” said Nancy, trying to break the spell, “for a guy who just barely escaped a terrible accident, you’re in an incredibly good mood.”
“Of course! Of course I am!” Rick said agreeably as he poured the sodas. “I was lucky. That’s the best way to be if you’re going to be in an accident. Don’t you agree? But then, I’ve always been a lucky guy. I mean, I just met you two, didn’t I?”
“Some people don’t think the things that have been happening to you lately are accidents,” Nancy said.
Rick sank into a plush chair and looked at her impatiently. “Some people are also frightened of their own shadows. Look, when you’re a TV star, you have to expect a little craziness. It comes with the territory. Along with a lot of good things, too. Has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful,” he added offhandedly to Bess. She almost swooned into his costume rack.
She’s really eating this up, Nancy thought. Bess actually seemed to take Rick’s baloney seriously.
“Look, I’d better get back to the set,” Nancy said, putting down her soda. “Security should have had a good look around by now, and I want to find out exactly what happened. Are you coming, Bess?” she asked.
“Is it okay if I meet you back there in a little while?” Bess responded.
“Don’t worry about Bess here,” Rick put in with a grin. “I’ll take care of her.”
That was just what Nancy was afraid of.
Pushing through the thick, soundproof door, Nancy stepped back onto the set. Immediately she saw Mattie trying to break up a fight. One of the men was William Pappas. Nancy hadn’t seen the other man before. He was slim, handsome, and at that moment his eyes were ablaze with anger.
“It was an accident!” Pappas was shouting. “Technicians are only human. Now, if you’ll get off my back, I’ll find out who was responsible and deal with that person. I can’t do anything if you’re going to stand here and scream at me all day!”
“You
still
don’t get it, do you?” the other man shouted back. “Mattie could have been
killed
in there! And I promise you, if so much as a hair on my client’s head is ever hurt, your network will be facing the biggest lawsuit the world has ever seen! Come on, Mattie!” He grabbed Mattie’s arm and marched toward the door. Nancy ducked behind a piece of scenery and continued to watch.
“Dwayne, please, calm down!” Mattie protested. “No one was trying to hurt me! I was nowhere near the accident!”
“It’s the network’s responsibility to protect you from things like this, Mattie. Look at those shards of glass! What if one of them had cut your face? Your career would be ruined.”
“Nobody is going to get hurt, Dwayne,” Pappas said, calmer now. “This is never going to happen again. Now, will you please get out of here so we can clean up this mess and get on with the show?”
As Dwayne stalked off, Nancy heard Pappas remark to Mattie, “It’s just my luck that that idiot agent was here today. The last thing I need is a nervous Nellie on the set the day the roof falls in. No offense, Mattie, but the man is a complete fool. Excuse me, please, will you?”
As Pappas breezed by her, Nancy grabbed Mattie’s elbow, and they followed him. The producer walked immediately over to the chief of security and began asking questions. Nancy and Mattie got as close as they could without being noticed and listened intently.
“It looks like an accident, plain and simple, Mr. Pappas,” the security man was saying.
“Thank you,” Pappas muttered. Then he strode directly over to where the lighting technicians were gathered. “Which one of you was responsible for checking the lights this week?” he asked.
“I was,” admitted one of the men unhappily. It was the man with the beard who had talked to Nancy and Bess earlier. “But they checked out fine. In fact, just this morning—”
“What’s your name?” asked Pappas darkly.
“Uh, MacPherson, Mr. Pappas, but—”
“You’re fired, MacPherson. Stop by the front office and pick up your severance pay. I don’t ever want to see you around here again, understand?” Before the man could say another word, Pappas was gone.
Mattie and Nancy looked at each other. “You’ve got to believe me,” Mattie whispered urgently. “That was no accident, I’m sure of it!”
Nancy sighed. If security thought it was an accident, it probably was. Still . . . “I think I’ll take a look around myself. You never know.”
There wasn’t much to see. All the glass from the broken light had been swept into a pile in the corner, and the light itself was in pieces against the wall. Each piece had been tagged for reference. Security seemed to have done a thorough job.
Nancy was about to give up and go back to Rick’s dressing room but decided to take a last look around. As she walked over to the back wall of the living room, a flash of something metallic caught her eye, and she bent to the floor. There, almost completely hidden from view, was a piece of metal with a bolt attached. One edge of the metal was shiny, as if it had been scraped or cut.
Nancy walked over to the lighting technician, who was gloomily gathering his things together. “Excuse me,” she said, “but—could I ask you a question?”
The man turned around and looked at her for a moment. “Oh, hi, I remember you. You’re the girl who saved Rick’s life,” he said with a smile. “I guess I should thank you. I’d have been in
real
trouble if he’d gotten hurt.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Nancy waved him off. “But you could tell me what this is.” She showed him the bolt she’d found.
“Why, that’s a C-clamp. They’re used to hold the lights on the bar.”
“Does it look odd to you? Is there anything strange about it?”
MacPherson studied the clamp briefly. “One end’s been sawed,” he gasped. “Almost clean through. The rest looks like it snapped off. This must be— But if—”
“Just what I was thinking,” Nancy said, agreeing. “That was no accident this morning. The light was rigged so it would fall. Somebody tried to kill Rick Arlen—and almost succeeded!”
Chapter Four
“
D
O YOU BELIEVE
me
now
?” Mattie was on the verge of tears as she pleaded with the chief of security. She and Nancy had just shown him the broken clamp. “I’ve been telling people for weeks that someone was after Rick, but nobody believed me. You’ve got to believe me now!”
“Now, Mattie,” Pappas said, patting his leading lady on the arm. “Let’s not get hysterical and blow this out of proportion.”
“Well, I’ll be,” the security man muttered as he examined the C-clamp. “Where exactly did you say you found this, young lady?”
“By the back wall of the set,” Nancy replied.
“Well, it proves the light was sabotaged. No doubt about it.”
“This is just what I need,” Pappas muttered in frustration. “I don’t have enough problems without someone sabotaging my show!”
“Mr. Pappas, who actually has access to this stage?” the chief wanted to know.
“Well, the crew and the actors, of course. Nobody else, really. Maybe an occasional guest, but they all register at the front desk.”
“Wasn’t there a tour group in here earlier today?” Nancy asked.
Pappas snapped his fingers. “Right!”
“And some of them were mad at Rory Danner, too,” Nancy said.
“You don’t suppose some crazy fan could have—” Pappas shook his head.
“There’re a lot of nuts out there, Mr. Pappas,” the chief said. “All it takes is one person who can’t tell fantasy from reality.”
“That settles it!” Pappas exclaimed. “From now on this set is closed to anyone not directly involved in the show.” Yelling across the studio, Pappas repeated his order for everyone to hear. “That means no guests, no agents, no mothers, fathers, sisters, or brothers. I want this set sealed tighter than a pharaoh’s tomb!
“Now, we’ll take a couple-hour break and then back to work. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”
After Pappas walked away, Nancy turned toward Mattie.
“Thank goodness he gave us a break,” she told Nancy. “I’ve got to go rest.” Rubbing her eyes, she added, “See you later. And thanks again for saving Rick’s life.” Flashing Nancy a grateful smile, Mattie walked off the set.
Since the set was closed to guests, Nancy and Bess had to leave. Nancy began to make her way back toward Rick’s dressing room to collect Bess. But she soon realized she must have gone through the wrong door or made a wrong turn somewhere. One long corridor led to another, and for a moment Nancy didn’t know which way to turn. Then the sound of a door slowly opening caught her attention. Instinctively knowing that she shouldn’t be there, Nancy moved back into a recessed doorway and waited silently.
Nancy could just see Lillian Weiss nervously looking both ways before stepping into the hall. Once the door was closed behind her, Lillian seemed to relax. Nancy’s heart was in her throat as she realized Lillian was heading straight for her. Nancy opened the door behind her and slammed it, making it sound as if she had just come through that door. She stepped out into the corridor.
“Well, well,” Lillian said, greeting Nancy with a snarl. “Is our fair rescuer lost and helpless?”
“Yes, I guess I am. I was looking for Rick’s dressing room, actually,” Nancy told her. Well, it was almost the truth.
“Continue down this corridor and make your first left,” Lillian snapped. “And by the way, it was nice knowing you. I’m sure now that Pappas has closed the set, you won’t be around anymore. Too bad. I’m sure you were Rick’s favorite little bodyguard.” With a smug smile, Lillian continued down the hall and disappeared around a corner.