minutes. Then you’ll be free to go.”
Brad, Justin, Heather, and Ned filed haltingly from the room, but Nancy stayed behind. She had a question of her own—and she wasn’t going to be frightened out of asking it.
“How did you know we all knew Marcia?” Nancy asked the chief.
“That wasn’t hard.” The chief pulled a familiar-looking sheet of paper from his clipboard. It was the one Nancy had tried to read in the squad car.
“We found this in the victim’s house,” he said, and began to read from it.
The sheet was an explanation of the Spotless marketing project. It listed all the students who were participating, their addresses, and the location and dates of the test.
“We also found these,” the chief went on. He pulled a pile of papers out of a large manila envelope.
They were Spotless questionnaires.
“ ‘Douglas Brody, age eighteen, formerly used Clearly,’ ” the chief read aloud. “ ‘Bonnie Harte, age seventeen, used Clearly—Chuck Loomis, age fourteen, several different products—Maryanne Jansen, age sixteen, no other product—Adam Poulios, age fifteen, used—’ ”
“Wait a minute,” Nancy interrupted tensely. “This can’t be a coincidence. I talked to some of those people this morning! Can I see that list?”
The chief held it out, and Nancy took it. Her hands were trembling with excitement.
“I knew it,” she said after a second.
All five poisoning victims she’d met in the hospital were on the list!
Chapter
Eight
T HIS LIST SOLVES ONE MYSTERY ,” Nancy told Chief McGinnis triumphantly. “Every one of the poison victims sampled Spotless.”
“Spotless? Isn’t that the cream you were testing?” asked the chief.
Nancy nodded. “All five kids I talked to at the hospital this morning took samples of Spotless. Every one of their names is here. That can’t possibly be a coincidence!”
When the chief looked at her curiously, Nancy went on. “At first I thought the poisoning must have something to do with River Heights High,” she explained. “But if everyone used Spotless, it all fits perfectly!”
Chief McGinnis stared at her thoughtfully. “It certainly makes a lot of sense,” he said. “Are you sure Marcia Grafton and your friend Bess both used the cream, too?”
“Bess definitely did,” Nancy said, nodding emphatically. “I saw her rub it into her face less than an hour before she fainted. I don’t know for sure about Marcia, but I’d guess she’d at least have tried Spotless. She’s been giving out samples of it—she must have put it on at some point.”
“Enough to send her into a coma, though?” asked the chief.
Nancy paused. “I don’t know. You’re right —that does sound a little farfetched. Still, I can’t believe there isn’t a connection between these poisonings and Spotless.”
Chief McGinnis nodded slowly. “You may be right, Nancy. There have been cases of product tampering, and this could be one of them. Good thinking on your part.” He reached for the phone. As he dialed, he said, “We’ll do some tests on your samples and contact the manufacturer.”
After he had given a few terse orders to the person on the other end of the line, Chief McGinnis turned back to Nancy.
“We’d better find your friends. Until we’ve resolved this, your marketing test is officially on hold.” He smiled at her ruefully. “We don’twant the entire teenage population of River Heights in the hospital.”
• • •
“Looks like that job with Premier just went down the tubes,” Justin said moodily. “I wish we could just dump this stupid booth in a trash can somewhere.”
Justin, Brad, Heather, Nancy, and Ned had just come from the police station. They were at the mall now, dismantling the Spotless booth they’d been so proud of just a day earlier. Everyone was feeling irritable.
“I wouldn’t give up hope about the job,” Ned told Justin. Ned and Nancy were packing the remaining samples of Spotless to take to
Brad, Justin, Heather, and Ned filed haltingly from the room, but Nancy stayed behind. She had a question of her own—and she wasn’t going to be frightened out of asking it.
“How did you know we all knew Marcia?” Nancy asked the chief.
“That wasn’t hard.” The chief pulled a familiar-looking sheet of paper from his clipboard. It was the one Nancy had tried to read in the squad car.
“We found this in the victim’s house,” he said, and began to read from it.
The sheet was an explanation of the Spotless marketing project. It listed all the students who were participating, their addresses, and the location and dates of the test.
“We also found these,” the chief went on. He pulled a pile of papers out of a large manila envelope.
They were Spotless questionnaires.
“ ‘Douglas Brody, age eighteen, formerly used Clearly,’ ” the chief read aloud. “ ‘Bonnie Harte, age seventeen, used Clearly—Chuck Loomis, age fourteen, several different products—Maryanne Jansen, age sixteen, no other product—Adam Poulios, age fifteen, used—’ ”
“Wait a minute,” Nancy interrupted tensely. “This can’t be a coincidence. I talked to some of those people this morning! Can I see that list?”
The chief held it out, and Nancy took it. Her hands were trembling with excitement.
“I knew it,” she said after a second.
All five poisoning victims she’d met in the hospital were on the list!
Chapter
Eight
T HIS LIST SOLVES ONE MYSTERY ,” Nancy told Chief McGinnis triumphantly. “Every one of the poison victims sampled Spotless.”
“Spotless? Isn’t that the cream you were testing?” asked the chief.
Nancy nodded. “All five kids I talked to at the hospital this morning took samples of Spotless. Every one of their names is here. That can’t possibly be a coincidence!”
When the chief looked at her curiously, Nancy went on. “At first I thought the poisoning must have something to do with River Heights High,” she explained. “But if everyone used Spotless, it all fits perfectly!”
Chief McGinnis stared at her thoughtfully. “It certainly makes a lot of sense,” he said. “Are you sure Marcia Grafton and your friend Bess both used the cream, too?”
“Bess definitely did,” Nancy said, nodding emphatically. “I saw her rub it into her face less than an hour before she fainted. I don’t know for sure about Marcia, but I’d guess she’d at least have tried Spotless. She’s been giving out samples of it—she must have put it on at some point.”
“Enough to send her into a coma, though?” asked the chief.
Nancy paused. “I don’t know. You’re right —that does sound a little farfetched. Still, I can’t believe there isn’t a connection between these poisonings and Spotless.”
Chief McGinnis nodded slowly. “You may be right, Nancy. There have been cases of product tampering, and this could be one of them. Good thinking on your part.” He reached for the phone. As he dialed, he said, “We’ll do some tests on your samples and contact the manufacturer.”
After he had given a few terse orders to the person on the other end of the line, Chief McGinnis turned back to Nancy.
“We’d better find your friends. Until we’ve resolved this, your marketing test is officially on hold.” He smiled at her ruefully. “We don’twant the entire teenage population of River Heights in the hospital.”
• • •
“Looks like that job with Premier just went down the tubes,” Justin said moodily. “I wish we could just dump this stupid booth in a trash can somewhere.”
Justin, Brad, Heather, Nancy, and Ned had just come from the police station. They were at the mall now, dismantling the Spotless booth they’d been so proud of just a day earlier. Everyone was feeling irritable.
“I wouldn’t give up hope about the job,” Ned told Justin. Ned and Nancy were packing the remaining samples of Spotless to take to
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