Free The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery by Carolyn Keene

was right. There was no way
    they were going to get through the intersection without
    an accident.
    Crunch! The Mustang hit something hard and jolted
    to a stop. Nancy’s head snapped back and her seatbelt
    dug into her chest. But when she looked around, she
    saw with relief that Bess and the car seemed to be all
    right. We probably hit a curb, Nancy thought with
    relief.
    Bess was staring at her in amazement. “We’re still in
    one piece,” she said in a shaky voice.
    Nancy nodded slowly. “I think we made it.”
    “Whew.” Bess’s shoulders slumped and she buried
    her head in her hands. “Remind me never to go to a
    demolition derby. I’ve been in one already.”
    A rapping sound on the window made Nancy look
    up. A police officer was staring in at them, his brows
    furrowed with concern. Snow covered his police hat.
    “Are you ladies all right? That was quite a wild ride
    across the intersection.”
    “We’re fine,” Nancy replied. “Was anyone hurt?”
    The officer shook his head. “Believe it or not, it
    appears that we have just a couple of dented fenders.”
    Bess leaned forward. “It wasn’t her fault, Officer,”
    she said. “A van rammed us from behind.”
    “We know. Lucky for you, a witness saw the van hit
    you, then take off. They even gave us a license number.
    My partner’s calling it in.”
    “We already know who the van belongs to,” Nancy
    said grimly.
    “A jealous boyfriend?” the officer guessed as he
    pulled out a pad.
    Nancy shook her head. “The van belongs to Madame
    Dugrand’s Dance Academy on Mason Street. We think
    the person driving it broke into the school.”
    The policeman stopped writing. “Hmmm. This is
    serious. Let me see what my partner found out. Then
    we’ll fill out an accident report.”
    When the officer had left, Nancy opened the car
    door and walked to the front of the Mustang. Luckily,
    the car had only collided with the curb opposite the
    entrance to the apartment complex. The two side tires
    were crunched against the concrete. It looked as if she
    would still be able to drive it. Nancy was thankful they
    hadn’t been going very fast when the van rammed
    them.
    “Is the car okay?” Bess called.
    “I guess we lucked out.” Nancy glanced at the
    intersection. Fortunately, the Mustang was far enough
    off the road so that traffic could move around it. On
    the other side of the street were the two police cars,
    their red lights flashing. In the middle of the
    intersection three cars were piled into each other. A
    cluster of people had gathered around them.
    Nancy grimaced. “Those must be the drivers who
    had to brake to avoid us.”
    “We should go over and thank them,” Bess said.
    “That’s for sure.” Nancy shut her car door, then
    walked around to Bess’s side. “Then, after we make out
    our accident report, I’d like to go back to the dance
    academy. The culprit may have ditched the van back
    there.”
    Bess sighed. “I should have known you’d say that. I
    guess I don’t feel much like going to the gala anymore
    anyway. I mean, look at my stockings and shoes,” she
    added, glancing down at her snow-caked flats and the
    runs that striped her stockings.
    “It is getting late,” Nancy said as she walked to the
    edge of the road. Traffic was light, but the snow was
    still falling steadily. “We’re still going to the gala,
    though, Bess, so start getting in the party mood.”
    Nancy looked both ways, then sprinted across the road,
    calling over her shoulder, “I wouldn’t miss it for
    anything!”

    Half an hour later, Nancy and Bess pulled onto
    Mason Street. When the dance school was in sight,
    Nancy switched off the car lights.
    Bess grasped Nancy’s sleeve. “Look! The van!”
    Nancy peered out the window. She could see the
    dim outline of the van through the snow. As she’d
    expected, the vehicle was parked in its regular spot.
    Nancy turned the Mustang into the parking lot and
    stopped about twenty feet behind the van. “We