Danger on Parade by Carolyn Keene Page A

wasn’t outside when Bess and I arrived. Listen, about Bess—”
    â€œI can’t even look at her anymore, Nancy,” Jill cut in, lowering her voice. “I know you think she’s innocent, but she’s been connected to almost every attack on the parade. I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust her.”
    The two of them turned as one of the officers called out urgently from a float on the other side of the studio, “Detective! Over here!”
    Nancy and the others hurried over to the young officer. He was bending over a uniformed guard who was bound and gagged.
    â€œOh, no!” Bess exclaimed, her hands flying to her face. “Is he okay?”
    The officer quickly untied the guard and removed his gag. The guard looked surprised to see so many people in the parade studio. “I’m okay, except for this nasty bump,” he reported, gingerly rubbing the back of his head.
    â€œI don’t know how it happened, Ms. Johnston,” the guard went on. “I came in to make my rounds, and someone beaned me on the headfrom behind. I don’t know who it was or how he got in here.” He glanced at his watch. “That was about fifteen minutes ago. When I woke up just now, I was tied up, and you all were here.”
    â€œWe’re just lucky whoever it was left the door open,” Jill said, with a critical glance at Bess. “If the door is left open too long, it triggers an alarm in the police precinct. By chance, I was on my way over here to pick up some papers I needed, and I saw the police pulling up ahead of me. It was a lucky coincidence.” She glared at Bess.
    â€œWait a minute. You don’t seriously think Bess did this?” Nancy said defensively. “We weren’t even here fifteen minutes ago. Can’t you see? Someone else did all this, then arranged the phony message so that Bess would come down here. The door was open when we got here. Someone wanted Bess to get in so she would get caught. Call my aunt. She’s the one who took the message.”
    Nancy looked beseechingly at Jill, but Jill’s expression still remained stony. Detective Green didn’t look convinced, either. He finished taking Bess’s statement, while the other officers searched the parade studio.
    â€œMy men didn’t find a knife or any other sharp object Ms. Marvin could have used to slash the balloons. There’s no sign of forced entry, either,” Detective Green reported to Jill twenty minutes later. “We did find a small piece of cardboardtaped over the door so that the lock couldn’t engage.” He nodded at Bess. “Do you want to press charges for breaking and entering?”
    Bess grabbed Nancy’s arm, her eyes wide with fear. Jill hesitated a moment, frowning, before she answered. “That won’t be necessary.”
    Nancy was relieved when the police finally told the two of them they could leave. The two girls hurried outside to their waiting taxi.
    â€œNancy, I could’ve gone to jail tonight!” Bess wailed. “Why is someone doing this to me?”
    â€œMore importantly, who is doing this to you?” Nancy said, giving Bess’s arm a squeeze. “The real saboteur wants to make sure you get caught, instead of him or her. And I seriously doubt that that person is Greg Willow. Whoever called just used Greg’s name.”
    Bess wiped at her eyes and looked at Nancy. “Louis Clark?” she suggested.
    â€œOr his connection at Mitchell’s,” Nancy added. “A lot of people from the store were at Inverted. Anyone could have seen you with Greg and known there’s something intense between you. After we left, they could have left the message for you and then gone to the parade studio and knocked out the guard and slashed the balloons.”
    Bess reached into her bag, took out a tissue, and blew her nose. “What about Howard Langley? He was at Inverted tonight,