A Date with Deception by Carolyn Keene

stockbroker’s reports. That wouldn’t be easy, and Nancy hated to do it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
    As she turned up the path to the institute, Nancy tapped her fingers thoughtfully on her cheek. Maybe she’d come up with a better plan if she just thought about it for a while.
    â€œWell?” Bess whispered, when Nancy slipped back into the seat beside her. “Did he do anything suspicious?”
    The rehearsal was still going on, and Dmitri was back in his usual place—front row center, his eyes on Sasha and Marina.
    Nancy nodded. “I’ll tell you later.”
    â€œOkay.” Bess rolled her eyes. “It’s been crazy here,” she said. “Yves threw another fitabout his sheet music. I’m really glad I didn’t let myself get serious about him.” She sighed, and then clapped a hand over her stomach. “I’m absolutely starving. Why don’t I go out and get us something to eat?”
    As if in answer, Dana Harding suddenly called out, “Okay, lunch, everybody!” Looking at her watch, she added, “We’ll start again at one-thirty. Don’t stuff; I want you light on your feet when you get back!”
    It was twelve-fifteen. Nancy suddenly had an idea. “Let’s take Sasha and Marina and Dmitri to the beach for lunch,” she said to Bess. “There won’t be time to swim, but it’ll be a nice break for them from this place. Besides, I still owe Sasha a hot dog.”
    â€œI’m tired of hot dogs,” Bess remarked.
    â€œThen you can get some fries,” Nancy told her, laughing. “Besides, eating isn’t the main reason we’re going.”
    â€œIt’s not?”
    â€œI’ll explain everything to you on the way there,” Nancy said. “Come on, let’s ask them before Dmitri starts passing out the sandwiches he brought back.”
    Fifteen minutes later, using two cars, the five of them arrived at the beach. Dmitri hadn’t been eager to go, but Sasha talked him into it. Nancy could tell that Sasha was hoping to spend the entire time with her, but if Bess did her part, he was only going to get five minutes.
    â€œMustard? Sauerkraut?” Nancy asked Sashaafter she’d bought two hot dogs. Bess, Dmitri, and Marina had decided to eat Dmitri’s sandwiches.
    â€œThe—what do you say?—the works,” Sasha told her.
    â€œRelish, too?”
    â€œOf course, relish,” he said. “The more stuff, the better.” He grinned. “It hides the taste of the frankfurter!”
    Laughing, Nancy told the boy behind the counter, and soon Sasha was taking an enormous bite of an overloaded hot dog.
    â€œI hope it doesn’t give you indigestion,” Nancy said, as they slipped off their shoes and stepped onto the warm sand. “Dana Harding would kill me.”
    â€œI can eat anything,” he told her, patting his stomach. “This idea of yours was great, coming to the beach,” he added. “Look, I think even Marina is glad to be away from rehearsal.”
    Nancy looked over to where Bess, Dmitri, and Marina were sitting behind a dune, out of the wind. The ballerina was laughing, and even Dmitri was smiling. Bess must have said something funny. Nancy was glad to see that Dmitri had taken off his windbreaker. It was weighted down with his shoes.
    Come on, Bess, she said silently. We don’t have much time.
    As if she’d heard, Bess stood up, casually dusting the sand off her shorts. Still laughing,she glanced far off down the beach. Suddenly she froze. Then she started shrieking, jumping up and down, and waving wildly.
    Marina and Dmitri were standing now, too, cupping their hands around their eyes and looking to where Bess was excitedly pointing. She was still shouting, and finally the word shark drifted back on the wind.
    â€œShark!” Sasha cried. “This is something I must see!”
    Nancy took his half-eaten hot