False Moves by Carolyn Keene

and even though I can dance circles around them, my ankle is all he sees.” The ballerina shook her head. But then her face brightened. “Please, don’t let me bother you with my problems. You have problems of your own—like this criminal who stole the diamond.”
    â€œI’m doing my best to find him,” Nancy said with a smile.
    â€œWell,” Katya said, “I came up here only to get a videotape for Colby. I must hurry to class now.” She pulled a tape from the CBT collection and walked to the door. But then she turned back to Nancy. “I wonder if you’d like to come watch the class. You seem to love ballet, so it might be fun for you.”
    Nancy caught her breath quickly and grinned. She was actually being invited to watch the CBT practice! “Oh,” she cried happily, “I’d love to watch the class! Come on, Brad. Madame Alexandrovna’s in a hurry.” She grabbed her purse and took the tape of the pas de trois out of the recorder.
    Katya laughed. “Your enthusiasm is wonderful.”
    Together, Katya, Nancy, and Brad left the video center and walked to one of the studios. The ballerina pushed the door open and practically knocked it into a young dancer who was on the floor doing sit-ups.
    â€œOh, excuse me,” Katya exclaimed, stepping around the other woman. She bent down to talk to her. “Bridgit, did you find a pair of my pointe shoes in your bag? I think I may have dropped them in there by mistake a few days ago.”
    â€œSorry, Katya,” the younger ballerina groaned as she strained to do a few more sit-ups. “I didn’t see them.”
    Katya stood up. “I’ll have to make do with my new ones, then.” She turned to Nancy to explain. “New shoes are very painful to break in. Well, I’m going to warm up a little before class. You two can sit in the chairs over in the corner. Enjoy yourselves!”
    â€œI’m sure we will!” Nancy said happily.
    She glanced around the brightly lit studio. Dancers were lying on the smooth wood floor, stretching, or standing at the practice barres that lined all four walls. A few freestanding barres were set up in the middle of the room, too. Mirrors covered two walls.
    The dancers had left their bags in one corner so they wouldn’t take up space on the dance floor. Nancy dropped her purse near these and turned toward the corner Katya had indicated. Maybe this would be just the kind of relaxation she needed to help her forget her troubles.
    But just then Nancy glanced over and saw who was already seated in the same corner. Ned was there, so engrossed in a conversation with Belinda that he hadn’t noticed Nancy come in. Belinda was sitting just a little too close to him for Nancy to feel comfortable. As usual, the dancer looked gorgeous. She was dressed in a pale blue unitard and her dark hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head.
    Nancy hadn’t expected to see Belinda therebecause she’d been pulled from the performances until the diamond was recovered. I guess, Nancy decided, she and Andre are still allowed to take company class. After all, they do have to stay in shape. She was glad, though, to see Andre there. She needed to question him about what had happened the night of the robbery. She’d make sure she got her chance right after class.
    Nancy cast an unhappy glance at Ned and Belinda. Well, I suppose I’m going to have to face this sooner or later, Nancy told herself. As she and Brad approached the other couple, Belinda gave Ned a quick peck on the cheek and then stood up to join her class. As she passed Nancy, she gave her a haughty toss of her head.
    Nancy and Brad pulled up chairs. Nancy linked her arm with Brad’s when they were seated.
    â€œHi,” Ned said. Then he whispered just loud enough for Nancy to hear, “Who’s he?” Nancy hated herself for it, but she loved hearing the tinge of jealousy in his