his as they watched Dillon Patrick walk out on stage.
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
The music was still ringing in Nancyâs ears two hours later as she and Ned walked across campus after the concert. Brook and Paul had gone out for a cup of coffee, but Nancy had begged off. After her near-fall from the stands, her muscles were a bit sore, and a good nightâs rest sounded very appealing.
Ned pulled her against his shoulder as they walked. âThanks for saving my neck tonight,Nickerson,â she murmured, nuzzling against him, admiring the hard muscle of his shoulder.
âAnytime,â Ned replied. âItâs the least I can do for you, considering how youâve just saved me from being expelled.â
âI hope so,â Nancy said. âIâll be interested to see what Carrie Yu has to say for herself.â
âWhat can she say?â Ned asked. âYouâve practically caught her red-handed. Why else would she have written those answers on that memo slip?â
âI donât know, Ned,â Nancy said. âBut remember, you were found with a copy of the answers, too. And you couldnât explain why.â
An awkward pause fell between them, and Ned pulled his arm away. âIâd think youâd want to wrap up the case, so I wonât get expelled.â He sounded hurt, and Nancy cast about in her mind for a tactful reply.
âOf course I donât want you to get expelled,â she finally said. âBut the dean warned me that I canât give you special treatment. What would it look like if I accused Carrie and then found out she wasnât the thief? Iâd rather she confessed to me before I go back to the dean.â
âWell, I guess you donât care that my college career is on the line here,â Ned said.
Nancy was taken aback. âThatâs not true, Ned! That isnât true at all! And I am working on the case. But itâs veryâbaffling.â
âToo baffling for the great Nancy Drew?â Ned asked skeptically, striding ahead.
âNo!â she defended herself, walking fast to keep pace. âBut all I have is a piece of paper with some letters written on it. I canât prove when Carrie wrote them down, or why. And I canât prove that she stole that answer key. She had no more access to it thanââ
âThan I did?â Ned snapped back, stopping abruptly. He whirled around, and Nancy could see the cold fire in his dark eyes. âSo thatâs it. You do think Iâm guilty.â
Nancyâs mouth dropped open. âWhat? Iâve never believed you were guilty, not for a second. But that wonât convince Professor Tavakolianâor the dean, apparently. So Iâve got to catch the real thief, to get you off the hook.â
âThen youâd better do it pretty fast,â Ned said hotly. âI canât get expelledâI love Emerson! I love the basketball team, I love my frat, I love my classes and my friends. I canât believe Iâd have to leave, just because I made photocopies for a professor I donât even know!â
Nancyâs throat tightened in sympathy. âPlease, Ned,â she said urgently. âIf Iâm going to clear your name, I have to do it the right wayânot the easy way.â
Ned and Nancy locked gazes for a long moment. Then Ned ducked his head and muttered, âSorry. I guess the pressure is getting to me. Come on, let me walk you back to your house.â
At the door of the Theta Pi house, Ned took Nancy in his arms and gave her the kind of hug that made her think that everything was all right. Relieved, she lifted her face to his for a kiss. As they clung together for several minutes, their kiss went well beyond making up. Nancy felt limp in his strong grasp, powerless to do anything other than continue the long embrace. When they finally let each other go, it was slowly, reluctantly.
Her head still spinning, Nancy