Hidden Meanings by Carolyn Keene Page A

thought at once of the man with the beard who’d run away from her at the pool earlier.
    Emerging onto the pool terrace, she crossed over to the oleander bushes. Though the sun was going down, floodlights lit up the terrace, and Nancy knelt to inspect the shrubs. Soon she found a patch of oleander with several branches hacked away. Milky sap still oozed from the cuts. The cutting was recent.
    Nancy walked back to the elevators, deep in thought. Why would anyone do something so dangerous—risking the lives of many young people? And was this crime related to Gina Fiorella’s incidents?
    She considered her two main suspects so far. It was hard to believe that Jane Sellery would go this far just to settle a school rivalry. Nick Kessler might be angry about Gina firing him, but would he have hurt Gina? He did seem to have a crush on her, though; would he have hurt other people for Gina’s sake?
    Nancy decided to return to her room so she could think about the case without being disturbed. Taking the elevator up to her floor, she strolled down the hall, thinking about where all the clues left her. It was still possible that Gina’s father’s enemies were behind everything. From what she’d heard, they might be the kind of people who would hurt a banquet full of students. Was the bearded guy working for them?
    Unlocking her door, Nancy stepped inside. The red message light was flashing on her phone. She crossed to the phone, lifted the receiver, and punched the button to retrieve the call. Then she listened for the recorded message her caller had left.
    It was a deep voice, probably a man’s, Nancy figured. It sounded harsh and gravelly—and very frightening.
    The voice snarled, “Keep your nose out of things that don’t concern you, Nancy Drew!”

Chapter

Seven
    N ANCY FROZE, THE PHONE receiver in her hand, as the message lapsed into a dial tone. The anonymous caller’s threat still rasped in her ear. Whoever was behind all this knew who she was now. And clearly this was someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his or her goal.
    But what was that goal?
    Nancy called the hotel’s operator. “This is Nancy Drew, in room 714,” she said. “I just picked up a phone message I didn’t understand. Could you tell me who left it?”
    â€œI’m sorry,” the operator said. “Our system is fully automated. No operator talks to the caller, and there’s no record of the call.”
    â€œThanks anyway,” Nancy said, and hung up. “The marvels of modern technology—it only makes things easier for criminals,” she muttered to herself.
    Nancy glanced around the room to make sure her caller hadn’t left any other surprises for her. Then she checked her watch. It was almost eight o’clock. The dinner was probably ending now, but Bess and George would be cleaning up for at least an hour. She didn’t feel like staying here alone—not after that call. She decided to go find Ned.
    Stepping back into the hallway, Nancy headed for the elevators. As she turned the corner, she saw Jane Sellery. Nancy’s mind flashed to an image of Jane at the banquet, standing by the stricken boy, mouth open in horror. Jane’s behavior suggested that she was shocked by the poisoning, but Nancy knew that Jane could be playacting. Nancy noticed that Jane was still wearing the dress she had worn at dinner, but now she had a towel over her shoulder.
    â€œHi,” Nancy said brightly. “Going for your swim?”
    Jane looked startled to see Nancy. “Uh—yes,” she answered.
    Nancy raised an eyebrow. “But the pool is on the third level,” she pointed out. “And your room is on six, isn’t it?”
    Jane’s eyes widened. “I was just . . . just . . . looking for a friend whose room is up here,” she stammered. “Well, maybe she’ll come on down to the pool and meet me