The Case of the Photo Finish by Carolyn Keene

doing.”
    Steve sidestepped him and said, “Let’s ask her. Cheryl, am I harassing you?”
    â€œLook, I came out here to be alone,” Cheryl said, “not to have people fighting over me. The meet starts in a couple of hours, and I want to be calm and together for it. So if you’ll all excuse me—”
    â€œDo you want a lift back to the house?” Nancy offered sympathetically.
    â€œThanks, but I’d rather use the bike—as long as no one tags along and bugs me, that is.” Cheryl looked sharply at Barbara and Steve and started across to the bleachers, where she had left her jacket and the bike. A few moments later, she rode out the gate.
    â€œWe’d better get moving, too,” Barbara said to Steve. “Listen, Nancy, I’m sorry if I got angry before. I’m not used to having people tackle me, that’s all. Can we get together later on? I’d love to hear your ideas about this harassment business.”
    And tape them, Nancy added to herself. Aloud, she said, “That’s a great idea, Barbara. I’ll see what I can do.”
    Once Barbara and Steve were out of earshot, Nancy turned to Eric and asked, “What were you doing here at six-thirty in the morning?”
    â€œTaking pictures of Cheryl, of course.” His raised eyebrows hinted that Nancy was crazy for even asking the question.
    â€œBut how did you know she would be here this early?” she pressed.
    Eric shrugged. “I heard her mention it to you last night, at the party. Besides, Cheryl usually looks over the track first thing on the morning of a meet.”
    â€œWhen did you get here?”
    â€œA little after you and a little before Cheryl,” he replied with a grin. “I saw you climbing up into the announcer’s booth.”
    Nancy sighed. She had hoped that Eric might have arrived early enough to get a glimpse of whoever had tied the nylon trip wire across the track.
    â€œI’d better get moving,” she said. “See you later.”
    Nancy climbed up to the announcer’s booth to retrieve her binoculars, then headed for her car. She pulled into her driveway just as Cheryl was walking the bike into the garage.
    â€œHi,” Cheryl called, emerging from the garage. She seemed to have regained her good spirits. “I’m starved.”
    â€œMe, too,” Nancy replied. “Let’s see what we can find to eat.”
    The girls were just sitting down to a breakfastof granola topped with raisins and fresh sliced strawberries when the phone rang. Nancy glanced at her watch, then grabbed the receiver.
    It was George. “Nancy,” she said in an urgent voice, “this is getting serious. Marta got another threatening phone call about ten minutes ago. She’s been hysterical ever since. Helga is starting to wonder if she should call a doctor.”
    â€œSame kind of call as yesterday?” asked Nancy.
    â€œI guess so,” George replied. “I didn’t hear this one.”
    â€œToo bad,” Nancy said. “By the way, where was Marta before the call?”
    George hesitated. “Out for a run, I guess. She and Helga were both gone by the time I woke up. I thought they were together, but I guess not, because Marta got back a few minutes earlier than Helga.”
    â€œHmm,” said Nancy. She glanced at her watch again. “I don’t have time to come over before we go to the games. You’ll just have to do your best to calm them down, and we’ll go over everything later. I’ll see you at the games, okay?”
    She hung up the telephone and walked slowly back to the kitchen table. The case was getting more confusing every minute. New attempts had been made to sabotage both Cheryl and Marta, and both girls had a reason to want the other out of the competition. Marta and Helga had bothbeen out of the Faynes’ house early enough to have set the wire. And Cheryl could easily have stopped