Carolyn Keene_Nancy Drew Mysteries 050 by The Double Jinx Mystery

solo and so interesting to Nancy that she sat on the edge of her seat and watched intently. The dancer was a star performer named Boris Borovsky. His muscular control and grace, combined with a handsome appearance, were captivating. He interspersed the dance with spectacular leaps. During one dramatic movement Boris swooped through the air from one end of the stage to the other with such ease he really seemed to be flying. Nancy overheard a comment that perhaps Boris was Peter Pan in disguise.
    Ned was fascinated too. When the number was over, he whispered to Nancy, “Is he your villain?”
    She shrugged. “We’ll find out after the show.” The applause was thunderous and continued until Borovsky began to dance an encore. Other numbers followed, but none could equal his, which had been the high point of the evening.
    When the curtains were drawn finally, Nancy and Ned walked toward the stage and opened a side door. They ascended a few steps and watched the scene onstage. A man in a business suit, apparently the director, was talking to the dancers, who were still in costume.
    Nancy and Ned politely waited until he had dismissed the ensemble. Then, as the man turned to leave, they stepped onto the stage.
    “Mr. Van Camp?” Ned asked.
    The man nodded. “You are the couple who asked to see me?”
    “Yes,” Nancy replied. “First, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the entire ballet. Your dancers and the selections were really wonderful.”
    Ned smiled. “I admit Nancy dragged me here, but I found myself liking the performance very much—particularly the high jumper.”
    The director smiled at Ned’s athletic reference to the troupe’s star dancer, and Nancy was grateful for an opening to ask her first question. “Mr. Van Camp, do you know of any other male dancer in this area who can compare with Boris Borovsky?”
    “Yes, I do,” the director replied. “He used to be with this troupe and I hated to lose him. He was one of the best talents I ever worked with. Unfortunately I had to let him go.”
    Mr. Van Camp looked questioningly at the young people. “Did you have a particular reason for wanting to know?”
    Nancy wondered just how much she should reveal and replied, “Yes. My father is an attorney and something strange happened on the case he’s handling. A clue to someone involved might be a male dancer who can leap unusually high.”
    Mr. Van Camp now divulged the fact that he had discharged the other dancer for his disreputable connections and unprofessional attitude.
    “I don’t know what he’s doing now, but I imagine he’s been dodging the law since he left here. His real name is Mervin Gantry but the stage name he uses is Merv Marvel.”
    Ned asked, “Could this Merv Marvel guy be mixed up in any kind of a land deal?”
    Mr. Van Camp frowned. “I imagine he could be mixed up in almost anything. Merv had a strange way of mesmerizing people. He could get them to do just about anything.”
    Nancy was struck by the word mesmerized. “How did he mesmerize people?”
    The director said he had even heard a rumor that Marvel had tried fleecing superstitious people by scaring them with signs of warning and strange omens of bad luck.
    “What kind of signs?” Nancy asked quickly.
    “Various kinds, I was told,” the director replied. “By the way, if you ever come across him don’t let him try to sell you anything!”
    “Thanks for the tip,” Ned replied with a grin.
    “Could you tell me,” Nancy persisted, “what any of the signs were?”
    Mr. Van Camp said that Merv was very angry at being discharged. “He left one of his symbols on my desk.”
    The director pulled a note pad from his pocket and with a pencil drew a circle with a cross inside. Nancy wanted to shout for joy, but restrained herself as did Ned who said nothing. She had picked up a real clue!
    Mr. Van Camp went on, “I’ve been told that this symbol means bad luck of some sort.”
    Nancy did not comment but wondered, “Is