Choosing Sides by Carolyn Keene

“Murderer!” One guy was holding up a sign in dripping red paint: The Answer: Hill Killed Rouse.
    Nancy gasped and jumped to her feet. “Bess, we have to get them out of here right away! This could ruin Caroline’s campaign!”
    She had only gone a step when the three young men rushed up to the dais.
    â€œThey have something under their shirts!”Bess said, gripping Nancy’s arm. “They’re going to hurt Caroline!”
    Nancy sprinted toward the guys, but it was too late.
    â€œNo! Don’t do it!” Caroline shouted as one of the men heaved a small, round object at her. It was a balloon, Nancy realized.
    Nancy froze as she saw the balloon strike Caroline and explode. The next instant, Caroline was covered head to toe in blood!

Chapter

Seven
    N ANCY WATCHED IN HORROR as Caroline staggered backward, dazed, dripping with the gooey red liquid.
    â€œYou’ll never get Bobby Rouse’s blood off your hands, Hill!” a wiry member of the trio snarled.
    Nancy leapt into action, covering the last few steps to Caroline. Bess was right behind her. Catching Caroline by the shoulders, Nancy and Bess turned her away from the hecklers.
    â€œIt’s paint,” Nancy told Caroline as soon as she saw the red liquid up close.
    Hector and several volunteers sprinted up from their chairs and tackled two of the attackers, while the third got away. The whole crowd was in an uproar.
    All at once Caroline seemed to recover from the shock. “This has to stop!” she said angrily.She strode over to the two men who were pinned to the ground. Nancy and Bess followed.
    â€œWhat is the meaning of this outrage!” Caroline demanded.
    The two men got to their feet. Nancy saw the beefy guy’s Adam’s apple bob as he looked at Caroline. “You know what it’s about!” he shot back. “It’s all over the front page of Today’s Times. Bobby Rouse was found murdered last night.”
    â€œWe know you killed him,” the wiry one broke in. “Why don’t you just give up now?”
    â€œUh-oh,” Nancy whispered in Bess’s ear. “This kind of publicity is really going to hurt Caroline.”
    â€œThat’s just what these guys want,” Bess said, shaking her head in disgust.
    â€œCaroline,” Nancy said, stepping forward, “I think you should know that these guys work on Patrick Gleason’s campaign.”
    Turning back to the young men, Caroline demanded, “Does Patrick Gleason know anything about this?”
    â€œHe had nothing to do with this,” the thin one replied. “We were acting on our own.”
    Caroline’s questioning was interrupted when two police officers showed up to take the protesters away. Caroline regained her composure. Before she returned to the dais, she said to Nancy, “I’m going to have to change clothes after this,but I’d like you to meet me back at headquarters later to fill me in on any new developments.”
    While Caroline tried to calm the crowd, Bess whispered, “What are we going to do to stop all these lies, Nancy?”
    â€œWe have to find out who planted that story about Caroline and who killed Bobby Rouse and why,” she said. “Right now Steve Hill and Patrick Gleason are our only suspects. I’m meeting Ned for lunch later. Maybe he can help me find out what, if anything, either Gleason or Steve Hill knows about Bobby Rouse’s death.”
    â€œAnd about that Greenwood thing in the note we found in Rouse’s car,” Bess added.
    Nancy nodded. “Right. Caroline and Patrick Gleason are going to be debating this afternoon at four. Maybe Ned can help me check out Gleason’s office for clues then, while everyone is at the debate. But for now, why don’t you and I wait for Caroline at her headquarters?”
    Nancy dug her notebook out of her shoulder bag and ripped out one of the pages. “This is the license