Free False Moves by Carolyn Keene

replaced it after it had been smashed two days before? Or was the thief back again? Gently, Nancy leaned against the door and listened. She could hear voices coming from inside the room.
    Being careful not to make a sound, she pushed the door slightly ajar and peered in through the crack.
    Two people were pulling costumes off hangers and frantically inspecting them. Ana! Nancy recognized the petite woman’s long dark hair. And the man with the wavy sandy hair was Andre!
    â€œWe must find the diamond,” Ana said hysterically. “The pin has to be here in a costume! It’s the only way it could have been smuggled out of the theater.”
    Andre threw aside a tutu glittering with rhinestones and began grabbing props off the shelves. Top hats, canes, even a plastic skull for the ballet of Hamlet flew onto the floor. He snatched up a blue felt bag and ripped it open.
    All at once Andre stopped his wild searching and stared at something in his hands. He waved it excitedly in the air. “I’ve found it!” he cried. “Ana darling, look!”
    Ana was at Andre’s side in a flash. She snatched the sparkling pin from his hands and examined it greedily. Nancy’s heart sank. They had the diamond. They had found it even before she had figured out they were the thieves.
    Disgusted with herself, Nancy watched as Ana studied her prize. Nancy had no idea what to do. Should she rush in and confront the duo? No, Andre was incredibly strong and in fantastic shape; she wouldn’t have a chance against the two of them. But if she ran to get help, Ana and Andre might be far away by the time she returned.
    But as Nancy continued to peer through the slightly open door, she was shocked by what happened next.
    Gently, Ana laid the jewel on the floor. Then slowly she raised her foot. With one sudden, violent movement, she brought the heel of her shoe down on the gem.
    And the diamond shattered into a hundred pieces.

Chapter

Ten
    A NA AND A NDRE stared silently at the shattered diamond. “Fool!” Ana hissed. “That was only a glass copy!”
    Andre looked horrified. “I—I forgot that the company had a pin made of fake stones for the performances when we didn’t have the real diamond to use.”
    â€œYou forgot!” Ana said, raising her voice. “Well, you had better not forget any more important details.” Nancy decided she wouldn’t like to have Ana angry at her, and she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Andre.
    â€œPlease, Ana sweetheart, don’t scream,” Andrepleaded. “Someone will hear, and we’re going to be in big trouble if they catch us in here.”
    â€œUntil we recover the Raja diamond, I really don’t care about anything,” Ana replied, but Nancy noticed that she did lower her voice.
    It seemed pretty clear to Nancy that Ana and Andre were dating, but she didn’t have time then to wonder about their personal lives. She had to deal with their professional lives—which seemed to include big-time jewel heists.
    Nancy tried to reason calmly. Ana and Andre hadn’t actually said they had stolen the diamond. But it looked as though they had. But why would they be looking for the diamond if they had stolen it? Perhaps in the confusion of that night they had slipped it into a costume hanging on a rack and now couldn’t remember which one. But why was Andre looking through the props? None of it really made sense, but Nancy still felt they had to be guilty.
    She sighed. She needed help. Someone had to help her keep an eye on those two. Someone who could actually stop them if they tried to leave the theater.
    James! Since Ana and Andre appeared to be the thieves, the managing director was cleared as a suspect for the moment. And he certainly wouldn’t let the thieves get away because it would cost the ballet company so much money. But she had to notify him immediately.
    Nancy took off to get Brad before