If Looks Could Kill by Carolyn Keene Page A

said. “I was alone in the weight room. I don’t get much chance to work out during the day, and I needed to blow off some steam.”
    â€œYou resent Martika, don’t you?” Nancy said.
    â€œWouldn’t you if you were me?” Kurt asked. “She only hired me so she could humiliate me.”
    â€œWhy did you take the job if that’s the way you feel?” Nancy searched his eyes for any hint of evasiveness, but Kurt looked directly back at her.
    â€œI need it,” he admitted. “I lived pretty high after the Olympics, what with all the money from my commercial endorsements. But after my movie career flopped, nobody wanted me. I lost the house I’d built in L.A., my fancy cars—everything. You get used to living well, you know? I figure this is my chance to build up my bank account so I can strike out on my own again—set up a sports clinic, something like that.”
    â€œYou’d like to see this place fail, though, wouldn’t you?” Nancy pressed on.
    Kurt frowned and stared at the ground. “Well,” he said softly, “I’d love to see Martika eat a little humble pie. But on the other hand, I do need this job. Besides, believe it or not, I still care about Martika. In spite of everything.” He met Nancy’s gaze levelly. “Does that answer your questions?”
    â€œJust one more thing,” Nancy said, sitting down next to him. “You’re not a very good speller, are you?”
    Kurt laughed. “Everyone knows that,” he said. “I’m dyslexic. Hey, no one’s good at everything.”
    Nancy laughed lightly.
    â€œNow it’s my turn,” he said. “Why are you spying on me?”
    Nancy decided to take a chance and be honest with him. “I’m here to protect Cloud Nine, actually,” she said. “And Martika. Someone took a shot at her last night.”
    Kurt sprang up from the bench and spun around to face Nancy. “What are you talking about? Who did it?”
    â€œIf I knew that, I could relax and go swimming,” Nancy said calmly. “I thought it might be you.”
    â€œMe?” Kurt started pacing back and forth. “Are you nuts?” Then he stopped and faced her again. “Oh, I get it. I’ve got a motive, right? Well, so does Christina Adams. So do lots of people. Martika has a real talent for making enemies.”
    â€œMartika got three threatening notes,” Nancy told him. “All with misspellings in them.”
    â€œI see,” Kurt said slowly. “So someone’s trying to make me seem guilty. Now I understand.” He paused and after a moment continued. “Do you think I sent them?”
    â€œI can’t rule you out,” Nancy said. “But I’d appreciate your help from now on. It would help clear you of suspicion.”
    â€œAnything I can do,” he said, offering her his hand. “And sorry about grabbing you. I had nobusiness doing that.” Smiling at her as he got up, he said, “I’ve got to go. Good luck, Nancy. I hope you get to the bottom of this soon.” Kurt took off, leaving Nancy alone in the herb garden.
    Well, she thought to herself. Kurt Yeager had just been surprisingly frank with her. Or had he? His sincerity could have been an act—a way to gain Nancy’s confidence so he could stay one step ahead of her investigation.
    She got up slowly and after a while made her way to the patio behind the main building. About an hour later, George and Bess joined her, and they decided to have lunch as she filled them in on her morning.
    â€œWow!” George said when she heard about Nancy’s encounter with Kurt. “No wonder he was so quiet when we played tennis.”
    â€œWell, I just can’t believe he’d try to kill Martika,” Bess said with certainty. “He’s got honest eyes. People with honest eyes are never killers.”
    Nancy resisted the urge