Hidden Meanings by Carolyn Keene Page B

there. ’Bye.” Jane scooted into the elevator that had just arrived.
    Nancy, curious, watched her go. The arrow-shaped light above the elevator showed it was going up, not down to the pool level. Was Jane really going to the pool and had just gotten into an up elevator by mistake? Why had she made up that lame story about looking for a friend? Jane definitely was behaving strangely.
    Remembering that George wasn’t scheduled to lifeguard that night, Nancy decided to drop by the pool to check Jane’s alibi. She pressed the Down button, and an elevator arrived instantly.
    A big, burly man in jeans and a sweatshirt was getting off. It was Nick Kessler! Why was he still hanging around the hotel?
    Seeing Nancy, the bodyguard looked alarmed. He hopped back into the elevator and jabbed a button. Nancy was so surprised that she didn’t move. The elevators doors slid shut, leaving her behind.
    Nancy frowned. Clearly Nick Kessler knew who she was. Could he have left that message on her phone?
    Was Nick Kessler the one harassing Gina? He certainly knew the ins and outs of the hotel, Nancy mused. And he had a motive: he’d been pretty upset at losing his job guarding Gina.
    Then another thought struck Nancy. Could Nick Kessler have been paid off by Mr. Fiorella’s enemies to hurt Gina? Was he working with the bearded man?
    A shiver ran through Nancy. Luckily, no one has been seriously hurt—yet, she thought. But she had an ominous feeling that something bad would happen—and soon.
    Just then another Down elevator arrived and Nancy stepped in. She pressed the button for the third floor and proceeded to the pool. Glancing through a picture window in the corridor, she saw Jane Sellery emerge from the locker room, tugging a swim cap down over her red hair. Well, at least that story is true, Nancy thought.
    But Nancy’s mind was still on Nick Kessler. She decided to go to the lobby. She went downstairs and asked the front desk clerk whether a Nick Kessler was staying there. He checked the register and said no.
    Nancy drifted over to one of the side alcoves and dropped into a leather armchair. Here, she knew, she could see without being seen. If the bodyguard didn’t have a room in the hotel, he’d have to walk through the lobby at some point, Nancy figured, and she’d keep her eyes peeled for the man in the beard, too. Maybe he was just a friend of Evan Sharpless, but then why had he run away from her that afternoon?
    An hour came and went. The lobby was a constant parade of people—meeting, mingling, going out for the evening, coming in for the night. Flocks of students from the workshop went by, chatting eagerly. But Nancy saw no sign of Nick Kessler or the bearded man.
    Finally, Gary Ruxton came strolling across the lobby. The boy who’d been sick at the banquet was with him, along with an anxious-looking blond woman—the boy’s mother, Nancy guessed. The boy looked fine now, but Nancy knew it had been a close call. She felt sorry for Mr. Ruxton. This workshop had been nothing but headaches for him so far.
    Then she saw Bess, in her waitress uniform, walking a few paces behind Mr. Ruxton. The wistful, adoring expression on her face was too much. Nancy stood up and darted behind a lush potted fern, spying on her friend.
    As Bess passed near the footbridge over the pool, Ralph trotted down the steps from the front door and grabbed Bess’s hand. Bess twisted around and stared at him in panic. She yanked her hand away, but Ralph went on jabbering ardently. Meanwhile, Mr. Ruxton had turned to go up the steps and out the front door. Seeing him leave, Bess collapsed with a sigh.
    Nancy smothered a smile. Then she saw that Ralph had actually convinced Bess to go somewhere with him, because the two disappeared down a side hallway. Nancy stretched her limbs and straightened up. She wasn’t having any luck finding her suspects, so she decided she might as well go back to her