hugged Bess. Then she stood up. âItâs almost twoâIâd better go. By the way,â she added, smiling, âthereâs an engagement party tonight for Hayden and me. Eduardo will use any excuse to throw a party. Heâs a good guy. But heâs really down over his stolen motorcycle, and Iâm hoping the party will take his mind off it. Youâll all come, wonât you?â
âWe never miss a party,â Bess assured Natalia as they followed her to the tent.
Inside, Nancy nearly butted noses with a woman who had a huge snake coiled around her upper body. âExcuse me,â Nancy said, backing away.
In the tent, workers were busy leading show dogs, carrying props, and checking cables, ropes, and wires.
Natalia shot off to join Hayden, Katrina, and some other performers who were waiting on the bleachers. âWhy didnât you tell her about Veraâs real name?â George asked quietly.
âFinding out you donât even know your motherâs real name isnât all that pleasant,â Nancy answered. âThereâs the rehearsal, then the party tonight. Iâd hate to upset her right now.â
Just then Morgan York shouted into a megaphone, âAttention, please! Weâve got sound problems here, so listen up!â
As the noise leveled off, Morgan rushed through a roll call. Only one man failed toanswer. Morgan frowned, made a note on the paper on her clipboard, then continued. âMr. Keiser will say a few words first. Then weâll bring the animals in and practice the walk-around.â
So Keiser would be occupied for a while. Nancy knew there would never be a better time to check the typewriter in his office. She beckoned for her friends to follow and ducked out.
âThis is only going to take a second,â Nancy tried to reassure Bess as she approached Keiserâs office, credit card in hand. âStand outside and warn George if anyone comes toward the arena.â
âIâll knock if anyone does,â George said, stationing herself outside Keiserâs door as Nancy let herself into his office.
Nancy closed the door and crossed to Keiserâs desk. She moved a stack of papers off the old standard typewriter, rolled in her postcard, and typed several letters, including the letter /. The nerve endings in her fingers tingled. The letter was raised half a line! A perfect match!
Hearing something bump against the wall that separated Keiserâs office from the prop room, Nancy jerked to attention. Her pulse surged as George knocked on the door. She raced to the window and slid it up.
The screen was stuck! It must have been painted over, she thought.
Georgeâs second, more urgent knock sent Nancy hurrying across the office to hide in the first tall cabinet. Then came footsteps. Her heartpounded as she hid behind a sequined jacket. The dusty smell of it made her nose itch. Oh, no! she thought. She was going to sneeze. She covered her nose with both hands. But it was no use. The sneeze exploded.
Marshall Keiserâs bellow rang out. âI hear you in there! What do you think youâre doing?â
Chapter
Ten
N ANCY CRINGED . Marshall Keiser had said no more questions. Breaking into his office had to be ten times worse. Pulse racing, she waited tensely for him to throw the cabinet door open.
But the door remained closed. Nancy listened hard. She heard voices coming from the prop room. Keiser was still bellowingâbut not at her!
Relief rushed through her. The cabinet door creaked as she opened it. Wincing, she tiptoed soundlessly to the office door and opened it, checked to make sure there was no one in sight, and slipped out.
George had crossed the corridor so as not to give Nancy away. She was studying the circus posters. Her feeling of relief was obvious on her face as she turned and saw Nancy. In silent agreement, they raced out the front door.
âWhere is he? I thought for sure heâd catch