Illusions of Evil by Carolyn Keene Page A

sincerely.
    â€œJust how did you manage to get out of Nancy’s knots?” Ned asked.
    â€œIt’s an old Houdini trick,” Adriana explained. “The secret is to grab a bit of slack while the knots are being tied. Nancy thought she had tied the bonds tight, but they were really loose from the start. As she tied them, I breathed in, expanding my chest, so that the loop you put around my body slipped when I relaxed. Then I wiggled until I could get my hands on a knot and started untying.”
    â€œNow that’s the sort of secret you can’t find in books,” Ned said appreciatively.
    Dr. McGill came over then and asked Adriana to sign autographs for the children.
    â€œWould you mind if I came around to their ward in a few minutes?” she asked. “I want to get out this costume.”
    Then she fixed her deep green eyes on Nancy. “And, I think that Nancy and I need to have a little talk—”
    Nancy raised her brows.
    When the doctor wandered away, Adriana touched her arm. “There’s a little lounge down the hall. Can you spare a few minutes?”
    â€œOf course,” she replied, smiling at Ned.
    â€œGeorge and I will meet you in the front waiting area,” he said smoothly.
    Nancy nodded, then followed Adriana to an exit at the far end of the cafeteria. When theyreached the lounge, Adriana gestured for her to sit down, then collapsed onto the sofa across from her.
    â€œWhew,” she said, taking a handkerchief out of her pocket and running it across her brow. “It was hot in there.”
    Despite the magician’s air of casualness, all of Nancy’s sense were on alert. Of course, she’d wanted to talk to her, but somehow she hadn’t expected Adriana to take the lead.
    Adriana twisted the handkerchief in her hand. Nancy could tell that she was having a hard time choosing her words. “What a surprise it was to see you at the restaurant last night,” she finally said.
    Nancy smiled. “Yes, it was.”
    â€œYour father is a wonderful man,” she went on quietly. “I’ve never met anyone quite like him.”
    Nancy’s expression softened. “He is wonderful. I’m very lucky to have him for a dad.”
    Then Adriana frowned. “This morning I had breakfast with another man,” she began. “Misha.”
    The two of them remained silent for a moment.
    â€œTo be honest,” Nancy said, “I was wondering about that. You know, he threatened me in the parking lot at Riverfront yesterday. He really wants you to leave Conklin Falls.”
    Adriana sighed deeply. “Please forgive him.He has a volatile nature. And he’s quite  . . . attached to me.”
    â€œSo I gathered,” Nancy commented dryly. She crossed her legs and put her hands on one thigh. “I really don’t mean to pry,” she went on carefully, “but I need to know about the two of you—for the sake of the case.”
    Adriana shrugged. “What can I say? Misha loves me. He’s asked me to marry him more than once.” The magician began removing bobby pins from her hair and shaking it loose. “But to me, he is a dear friend, nothing more. Unfortunately, he won’t take no for an answer, and he is very possessive sometimes.”
    Relief flooded through Nancy. She was overjoyed to learn that Adriana wasn’t really involved with Grigov. But she kept her face impassive. “Can you imagine him feeling so strongly about getting you away from Riverfront that he’d sabotage the place?”
    â€œOh,” Adriana half-cried out, shaking her head energetically, “absolutely not! He’d never do anything like that! First of all because he’d never hurt me, and second, because it would be illegal.”
    â€œBut, Adriana,” Nancy said, “yesterday around six a man driving a black sports car very much like his just about ran me over the cliff on River Bluff