Sisters in Crime by Carolyn Keene Page A

organized,” he answered,picking up another dart, closing one eye and aiming. “Whoever comes is welcome, usually only about six of us show up. Darts isn’t a big sport on campus.” His last dart missed the target, hit the edge, and fell to the floor.
    â€œWell, you do your best,” he said good-naturedly. “Sometimes you get a hit and sometimes you get a miss.”
    Nancy smiled as she watched him throw his last shot. It hit the center of the target, directly in the bull’s-eye.
    â€œNice!” she said appreciatively.
    â€œThanks. Sure you don’t want to try?”
    â€œNot right now, thanks. Do you ever have any girls come?” Nancy asked.
    â€œA couple show up every once in a while,” he answered. Then he made note of his score on a piece of paper and called, “Jonathan, you’re on.”
    â€œDo you know their names?” Nancy asked.
    â€œI wasn’t here last week, but someone said a girl showed up then.”
    â€œDo you know who she was?” Nancy inquired.
    â€œNope, and most of these guys wouldn’t know a pretty girl from a dog. They’re really into darts.”
    Turning to Nancy, he said, “Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I don’t have any idea if your friends ever come here. We’re pretty loose about that kind of thing.”
    â€œSure,” Nancy answered, discouraged. “Thanks anyway.”
    Well, she thought to herself as she left Blake Hall. You do your best. Sometimes you get a hit, and sometimes you get a miss.
    This time, as Nancy walked across campus in the dark, she kept alert, watching for people, darts, or anything else.
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    After the meeting, when Susan came back to her room, she found Nancy lying on the bed thinking about the case.
    â€œWho got it?” Nancy asked curiously, putting her thoughts aside for the moment.
    Susan shrugged her shoulders as she reported, “Alice Clark is our new treasurer.”
    â€œAlice Clark?” Nancy asked. “That’s a surprise!”
    â€œTo you and everyone else,” Susan said. “A lot of people really wanted that job. And, of course, Fran Kelly had her heart set on it. She even read a letter from our accountant, Linda Peterson, saying she’d be the best. It was sort of pathetic,” Susan added.
    â€œAnd Alice?”
    Sitting beside Nancy, Susan said, “Alice was silent, as always. She didn’t give a speech, like the others did, or say anything about how she was qualified for the position—only kind of a shy ‘thank you’ after she was elected.”
    Susan took her shoes off and crossed her legs under her. “Lori Westerly spoke for Alice, saying that Alice was the most brilliant person around,stuff like that. It was obvious that Lori wanted Alice to be treasurer, and that’s all you need around here, I guess.” Susan sighed. “Why do you look so discouraged?” she asked.
    â€œEvery time I think I’m getting somewhere, I run into a dead end,” Nancy explained to her friend.
    â€œKathy says that there’s no way Rina could have known about the exam stealing.” Nancy leaned her head back against the wall and thought out loud. “But if Kathy knows that Rina was murdered, and that her involvement in the cheating scheme was the cause of her death, then of course Kathy never would have told me that Rina was involved.”
    Looking back at Susan, Nancy continued, “So either Kathy is an excellent liar, or she was telling me the truth, and cheating has nothing to do with why Rina was killed.”
    â€œWhich do you think?” Susan asked.
    â€œI think Kathy is telling the truth,” Nancy said, folding her arms across her chest. “And that I’ve set up a group of people to study a phony exam for Monday who have nothing to do with the murder.”
    Susan rested her elbows on her knees, and looked down.
    â€œTomorrow, though, I