004 Smile and Say Murder (11 page)

W
OW
, I
FEEL
like someone in one of your magazine articles,” Nancy exclaimed to Mick. She spread the skirt of her gold silk dress across the seat of the limousine and leaned back against the plush leather cushion.

“Do you want something to drink?” Mick asked, motioning to the car bar. “Sprite, Coke?”

“I’ll take a Coke, thanks,” Nancy said, feeling very luxurious. “Gosh, I’m so excited. The Maggie Awards! I’ve heard about them for years, and watched them on TV, but now I’m actually going to
be
there to see it all happen!”

“Imagine how
I
feel,” Mick said, handing Nancy her soda and taking a sip of his own drink. “I’ve known about the Maggies for years, too. Who would have guessed that my
magazine would eventually be nominated for one?”

“Actually, my friend Bess would have,” Nancy said with a laugh. “She’s been saying
Flash
should win the best teen magazine award for months now.” Nancy stared out the window as the limo cruised through the streets of Chicago from Mick’s fancy apartment to the Palace nightclub, where the Maggie ceremony would be held.

“Well, we haven’t won yet,” Mick said, trying to check his excitement. “We’ve only been nominated. We’ve got to beat out four other magazines to get the award.” He turned to Nancy and smiled. “By the way, you look great.”

Nancy’s flowing, full-length gold silk dress with long split sleeves showed off her figure beautifully. It was the perfect color to complement her shiny reddish blond hair. She’d completed the outfit with simple gold jewelry, gold sandals, and a gold clutch. She knew she looked good. And she needed to! Mick had told her Ned was going to be at the ceremony, too—with Sondra.

“Thank you, Mick,” Nancy said, “but there’s no way I could compare with you!” She looked at the art director and smiled. He was wearing beautifully cut tails with a white silk shirt and a black bow tie. Since it was impossible for Mick to wear anything traditional, the tails were made of soft black leather.

Mick smiled, then bit his lip. “Got to look my
best, just in case
Flash
does win and I have to go up there in front of the hottest people in the business to accept the award.” He shot a worried glance at Nancy. “Anyway,” he went on, “no matter what happens tonight, I’m glad I could share the evening with you. You’ve done so much for me.”

“I know,” Nancy said, giggling. “You definitely were not too thrilled about spending time in jail. Hey, I’m thankful for your invitation to the Maggies. I’ve been feeling a little like a social outcast these days.”

“It’s kind of crazy the way everyone at the office turned against you,” Mick said sympathetically. “I guess they’re all a little scared of Yvonne. When they found out you were working for her—well, they just wanted to stay away from you.”

“As of one week ago, I’m
not
working for her,” Nancy said, tapping her fingers on the armrest. “I just don’t understand. How could Yvonne fire me when I’m only trying to protect her? And how can she ignore the facts? It’s weird!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re still working on it,” Mick said. “I need to find out who tried to frame me.”

“It’s not really me—it’s Ned,” Nancy said. “He might make me furious at him, but he is a good detective. And since only you, Sondra, and Yvonne know who he really is . . .”

“You know, Yvonne tried to fire him, too.
But I told her I liked his work.” Mick grinned. “I just didn’t tell her it was his detective work I liked.”

Nancy finished her soda. “One way or another, we’re going to get concrete proof against whoever’s behind these threats, and I’m going to make sure Yvonne stays alive long enough to see that I’m right!”

Mick laughed. “You’re a fighter, Nancy. You’re the most determined person I’ve ever met.” He glanced out the window. “Here we are.”

The limo pulled up in front of what in the daytime probably looked like an old abandoned theater. But at the moment, it was bustling with activity. As Nancy and Mick got out of the car, cameras started clicking in a blinding series of flashes. “That’s Mick Swanson,” Nancy heard someone saying, “but who’s the gorgeous woman he’s with?”

Nancy beamed. She felt like a real celebrity. She and Mick were ushered quickly into the club. The inside was nothing at all like its unkempt outside. A long red carpet welcomed the guests as if they were royalty, and the Palace glittered with lights. Huge vases of flowers lined the wide hallway leading to the main room. A tall woman in a floor-length gown whisked their coats away.

Nancy walked with Mick into the award room feeling as though she owned the place. But her confidence sank down to the hem of her silk
dress as soon as she saw Ned and Sondra standing cozily together in a spot she and Mick would have to pass to find seats.

Sondra wore a stunning green off-the-shoulder evening gown. And Ned looked so handsome that Nancy could barely stand it. He was always a killer in a formal suit.

Nancy felt like running off to the bathroom and stalling for time, but she knew that would be silly. Steeling herself, she walked right up to Ned and Sondra, Mick following closely behind. “Hi,” she said, trying to sound pleasant, but not too pleasant. It was hard to smile when your heart felt as if it had been split open with a meat cleaver.

“Nancy!” Sondra cried. “I’m so glad you’re here. You look fabulous.”

“Thanks,” Nancy replied tightly.

“Hello, Nancy,” Ned said, giving her an intense look. “I’ve been trying to call you recently but you’re never home.”

“Yes, I’ve been busy,” Nancy said coolly. “I think I’m going to be busy for a long time.”

Meanwhile, Mick had given his sister a hug and a kiss. “Hey, Ned,” he said. The two young men shook hands. After that, the foursome stood around uncomfortably for a moment. Finally Mick said, “Well, Nancy, should we go find seats?”

“Sure,” Nancy agreed. There was nothing she wanted more than to get away from Ned and Sondra.

“We’ll see you at the party after the awards,” Sondra told them.

Nancy and Mick found seats in the middle of the audience. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mick asked Nancy sympathetically.

“No, but I’m hoping the rest of the evening will be better,” Nancy answered, smiling at Mick.

“We should talk about that sometime,” Mick told Nancy.

“What’s to say?” Nancy asked.

“Lots,”
Mick replied emphatically. “I’m not sure you really understand what’s going on between those two.”

“The less I know, the better,” Nancy said.

“Not necessarily,” Mick returned. “Anyway, this is not the time or the place to go into a heavy discussion, so we’ll have to do it later.”

“Okay, that’s fine,” Nancy said.

She turned away and looked around the audience to see if she knew anyone. She recognized a few models and other celebrities, all wearing their glitziest. Yvonne, she saw, was sitting in front, close to the stage. She was wearing a classic black gown, and her hair was pulled softly away from her face. What do you know? Nancy thought. Yvonne actually wore something other than a business suit.

David was sitting next to Yvonne, looking as cold and untrustworthy as ever. Nancy just couldn’t understand what Yvonne saw in him.

Nancy and Mick settled into their seats and soon the Maggie ceremony began. Nancy found all the preliminary awards very boring, since she didn’t know anything about the magazine business. But there was still plenty for her to look at—the great clothes, for instance.

Finally, the master of ceremonies announced the best teen magazine award. “Here goes,” Nancy whispered. “I’m crossing all my fingers and all my toes for you.”

“Me, too,” Mick whispered back.

“The competition’s been tough this year,” the M.C. said, “but our judges came to a unanimous decision despite that. The envelope, please . . .” Nancy held her breath as the M.C. took the envelope and ripped it open. “And the winner is . . .
Flash
magazine. Congratulations, Yvonne Verdi and Mick Swanson!”

“We did it!” Mick cried excitedly to Nancy. “We actually did it!” He gave Nancy a big bear hug.

Nancy hugged Mick back. “Fantastic! You and
Flash
deserve it!”

Mick squeezed his way to the end of their row and walked up to the stage. Nancy could tell he was trying to look suave, but his happiness came through clearly in the bounciness of his stride.

Mick met Yvonne at the steps to the stage, and they walked up together and crossed the
stage. When they reached the podium, Mick turned and smiled happily at Yvonne.

At that moment, there was a terrific splintering sound. One of the heavy lights hanging from the ceiling broke loose and came crashing down—headed straight for Mick and Yvonne!

H
EY
, M
ICK
, I brought you something,” Nancy told the bandaged and unmoving figure in the bed.

“Not more flowers, I hope,” Mick said. “People have given me so many I’m beginning to think I’m in a funeral home instead of a hospital.”

“Well, a beautiful spring Thursday would probably be a nice day to be buried on,” Nancy joked. “Anyway, thank goodness you aren’t going to be.” She dropped into a little chair by Mick’s bedside. “That light could have finished you off with no trouble. If it had hit you squarely instead of just grazing you, that would have been the end. Thank goodness Yvonne jumped out of the way in time.”

“Yeah, I guess I was lucky,” Mick said with a
laugh. “All I got was a dislocated shoulder, a broken leg, five stitches in my arm, and assorted cuts and bruises. That’s the kind of luck you wish on your worst enemy!”

“Speaking of enemies,” Nancy said casually, “do you have any, Mick?”

Mick adjusted himself uncomfortably in the bed. “Hey, what kind of a question is that? And what happened to the present you brought me?”

“Okay,” Nancy said, laughing. “Present first. Questions later. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Nancy took a silver-wrapped box from her shoulder bag and handed it to Mick. “Get well soon,” she said. “Your cameras miss you.”

“Uh, do you think you could open that for me? I’m kind of incapacitated here.”

“Of course.” Nancy tore away the silver foil and took the top off the box. Inside was a remote control dune buggy, perfect for Mick since it was painted with zebra stripes. “It reminded me of those shoes you have,” Nancy told him, “so I just had to buy it.”

“I
love
it,” Mick said. “It’s going to be the prize of my collection when I get back to the office. Put it on the floor.”

Nancy set the dune buggy down beside Mick and handed him the remote control. Mick had a great time making it do tricks for a few minutes. Pressing the buttons was about the only activity he could do easily, because of his bandages and casts.

“So, Nancy, why the question about enemies?” he asked finally, dropping the remote control onto the bed.

Nancy sighed. “I hate to tell you this, but the police found out that the light didn’t fall by accident. The wire holding it in place had been cut—and by a very ingenious device. An ax had been rigged up to a remote control—”

“Oh, no,” Mick groaned. “Another murder attempt against Yvonne! You don’t still suspect me, do you?”

“No. That photo of the newsstand clears you. Besides, half the
Flash
staff saw the stunt you pulled on me and the other half heard about it. Anyone could have used the same trick at the Maggies.”

“Whew,” Mick said. “I’m glad the killer didn’t get Yvonne. She’s not as bad as I sometimes make her out to be.”

“Yes, the killer messed up again,” Nancy told Mick, “but maybe the murderer wasn’t as far off the mark as we think! You see, everyone assumes the ‘accident’ was meant for Yvonne and not you because there have already been two other attempts on her life. But what if that light was meant to get you both?”

“But, Nancy,” said Mick with a gasp, “why?”

Nancy leaned forward and rested her hand on Mick’s good arm. “Here’s what I think. Those other attempts were meant to kill Yvonne and discredit you at the same time. So our killer is out to get you, too.”

“That’s true,” Mick said slowly.

“Well,” Nancy continued, “once I cleared you, the creep could no longer do that. So now he has to kill you
and
Yvonne in order to get you both out of the way!”

Mick was silent for a moment. “That’s really frightening,” he said at last. “But who’s doing it, Nancy? And why?”

“I’m not sure,” Nancy said thoughtfully, “but I have a few good ideas. It’s highly possible that MediaCorp’s behind the whole thing. By getting rid of
Flash’s
owners, they’d be able to buy the magazine cheaply and without any trouble.”

“Incredible!” Mick cried.

“If it
is
MediaCorp, I’d lay bets that David’s doing the dirty work. He’s on their payroll, you know. I found the evidence in his office. At this point, it’s all just speculation,” Nancy said more realistically, “but it’s a theory I want to investigate further.”

“It’s a great theory!” Mick exclaimed. “Because other than MediaCorp, I don’t think I have any enemies. At least none who hates me enough to try to kill me!”