Free Power of Suggestion by Carolyn Keene

next I think it might all be an act. You’ve got to admit his behavior is very odd.”
    It was after eleven in the evening, and the two of them were sitting in her blue Mustang, parked on a darkened residential street several blocks from campus.
    â€œHe is acting weird,” Ned agreed. “It’s a side of him I never saw before yesterday. At least keep an open mind, okay?”
    Nancy kissed Ned’s cheek. “That’s why we’re here,” she told him.
    She glanced across the street at the single-story green building where Wayne had lived. It was in a neighborhood of rundown houses near thecampus—the student rental district, Ned had explained. The house was roped off with police tape, but Nancy wasn’t going to let that stop her.
    â€œIf you see anything suspicious, beep the horn twice,” she told Ned. When he nodded, she slipped quietly out of the car, leaving him sitting behind the wheel of her Mustang.
    Nancy had gone back to the dormitory and changed into black jeans and a dark, hooded sweatshirt. Now she crossed the street and slipped around to the side of the house. She tested all the windows, until at last she found a basement one that opened. She took a deep breath, then climbed through, dropping several feet to the floor.
    Nancy had brought a penlight with her, and she shone it around her briefly. The basement was a mess, full of boxes and piles of books. Before going through those things, however, she wanted to examine the rooms where Wayne had spent most of his time. Moving as silently as she could, Nancy picked her way carefully to the stairs on the other side of the basement.
    For a moment she stopped, holding her breath. Had she heard the floor above her creak? She listened, her heart pounding, but heard nothing more. It must have been the house settling, she decided.
    Nancy climbed the stairs and stepped into a tiny kitchen with dirty dishes still piled up in the sink. The kitchen led to a small living room fullof musty furniture. There were bookshelves and file cabinets everywhere, and a computer sat on a desk.
    Nancy played her penlight over the papers piled on the desk. She would definitely check those out as soon as she’d made a quick survey of the house.
    She tiptoed across the living room to another doorway, which she guessed must lead to the bedroom. After carefully pushing the door open, she took a step in. It was pitch-black.
    A sudden sound behind Nancy made her whirl around. She flicked on her penlight—and gasped.
    A shadowy figure lurking behind the door was swinging a heavy bowling trophy right at Nancy’s head!

Chapter

Nine
    N ANCY REACTED INSTANTLY. She ducked, and the swinging trophy swooshed harmlessly past her ear.
    Lashing out with her hand, Nancy caught her attacker’s wrist. She pivoted, twisting the person’s arm over her shoulder and following through with a judo throw that carried the shadowy figure right over her.
    The attacker sprawled awkwardly on the floor. A quick glance told Nancy that it was a girl about her own size. In a flash, Nancy pinned the other girl’s arms in a judo hold. With her free hand, Nancy reached out and found her penlight, which she had dropped during the attack. She flicked it on and shone the beam in the other girl’s face.
    â€œDiana DeMarco!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you all day, and now I find you here, trying to kill me!”
    â€œI was not!” the pretty, dark-haired girl protested.
    Nancy looked at her dubiously. “Then why did you attack me?”
    â€œI heard you coming up the stairs and got scared. I thought you were Wayne’s killer! I was just protecting myself. Now let me go—you’re hurting me!”
    Nancy released her grip, and Diana got to her feet. “Who are you, anyway? Why are you here, and how do you know who I am?”
    â€œI think I’m the one who should be asking the questions,” Nancy said,