My Deadly Valentine by Carolyn Keene Page B

Feldman,” the nurse said.
    â€œAnd you should notify Sergeant Weinberg at the police station,” Nancy added. “If this candy was poisoned, he’ll want to investigate.”
    After Dr. Feldman went inside to attend to Mindy, Nancy and Bess settled into chairs in the waiting room. For what seemed like an eternity, they waited, their eyes glued to the examining room door.
    â€œI just wish we knew she was okay,” Bess said, as she got up and paced back and forth.
    Bess went to a pay phone to call the sorority house. Nancy noticed that Sergeant Weinberg had arrived and was speaking to a nurse at the reception desk. Nancy joined them, filling in the officer on her suspicions.
    â€œWhen I realized that the candy smelled likepeanuts, I remembered reading about a rat poison with that distinctive odor. It’s called Rodenticide,” she explained. “Since Mindy was the only one who ate the chocolates, and she wasn’t feeling well, it seemed likely that the candy had been tampered with.”
    The nurse said she would give the name of the rat poison to the attending physician and the lab.
    â€œYour suspicions were correct,” the doctor said a few minutes later as he entered the reception area. “We’ve treated Mindy for poisoning. She’s going to be fine, but we’re admitting her for observation. The nurses are trying to work it out so that she can share a room with her friend, Rosie Lopez.”
    â€œThank goodness she’s all right,” Nancy said, taking a deep breath.
    â€œHave you determined the source of the poison yet?” the sergeant asked.
    â€œWe believe it’s the candy, although the lab hasn’t had time to identify the toxic substance yet,” Dr. Feldman explained. “We’ll test it for traces of Rodenticide, as well as other substances.”
    â€œAnd I’ll need a few samples to take to the police lab,” Sergeant Weinberg added.
    Dr. Feldman’s brown eyes were serious as he turned to Nancy. “It’s a good thing you got that candy out of circulation. We could have had a lot of very sick students in here.”
    â€œNice work, Ms. Drew,” the officer agreed.“But this case—a sorority stalker . . .” He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. I have to call Dean Jarvis, and I’m about to recommend that he suspend all student activities on campus until we catch this psycho.”
    â€œCancel the Sweetheart Ball?” Bess asked, as she approached the group. “That would include the valentine auction, too. People would be so disappointed.”
    â€œAt least they’d be safer,” he said.
    â€œI don’t think this guy is going to back off if a few events are canceled,” Nancy said as she thought out the situation. “But I wish I had a better lead on who the stalker is.”
    â€œDon’t we all,” Sergeant Weinberg agreed.
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    â€œThe tea was disastrous!” Kristin told Nancy, Ned, and Bess as they sat in the corner booth of a Mexican restaurant in Emersonville.
    Ned and Kristin had joined the girls at the hospital around five o’clock. They had stopped in to see Rosie but had had to leave after just a few minutes. Visiting hours resumed at seven that night.
    â€œWe tried to get Mindy out quietly,” Nancy said, dipping a tortilla chip into a bowl of salsa.
    â€œNo one noticed,” Kristin said. “But somehow the talk turned to the attack on Rosie and the graffiti. Even though Fitz painted over it, some of the rushees had seen it earlier in the day. They started asking a lot of awkward questions.”
    â€œNews travels fast on campus,” Ned said. He stretched his long legs out in the aisle so that Nancy could see his purple and orange team sneakers. He had basketball practice later that evening.
    Kristin raked her fingers through her sandy blond hair and sighed. “It didn’t help