The Mystery at the Crystal Palace by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

8

Death Drops

“Kerri Welch did not poison herself,” Bess said. “No way.”

George sighed and turned to Nancy. “You think I’m right, don’t you, Nan?”

Nancy looked thoughtful. “I think your hunch makes sense,” she told George. “But there’s one problem. Kerri almost died.”

“Maybe she miscalculated the dose,” George suggested.

Nancy shook her head. “If she wanted to avoid competing, there are a million easier ways to do it. She could fake a leg injury, the flu, anything.”

“That’s true,” George admitted. “I guess it wouldn’t make sense for her to poison herself.”

“It was a good idea, though.” Nancy moved toward the bathroom. “Okay. I have got to take a shower. See you in the morning.”

• • •

“You tossed and turned all night,” George told Nancy when she woke up the next morning.

Nancy yawned. “I know. I was having nightmares about this case. What time is it?”

“Almost nine,” George replied. “I bought some bagels when I went out to run.”

Nancy groaned and got out of bed. “I can’t believe I overslept.”

“The competition starts this morning,” Bess said as she munched on a bagel with cream cheese. “Ice dancing is first.”

“I’d like to see Scott and Amanda skate their short program this afternoon, but I think I’ll skip the ice dancing,” Nancy said. “I want to visit Kerri during morning visiting hours.”

“I’ll go to the hospital with you,” Bess said. “I want to say hi to Kerri, too. I hope she’s awake.”

Taking a cinnamon bagel from the plate, Nancy agreed with her friend. She had plenty of questions to ask Kerri.

• • •

“I wonder if Kerri knows she was poisoned?” Bess said an hour later as she and George followed Nancy down the hospital corridor, which smelled of maple syrup, orange juice, and disinfectant.

Nancy was busy looking at room numbers. “Kerri’s in four fifty-one, and it just skipped from four twenty-nine to four seventy-five.” She stopped a passing nurse. “Excuse me, could you tell us where to find room four fifty-one?”

The nurse smiled. “So you’re here to visit the famous skater. She’s very popular this morning.” He pointed around the corner and down the hall. “It’s the room with the police guard at the door.”

Nancy exchanged a look with Bess and George. The police must have thought Kerri was in danger.

“May I see a photo ID?” a solemn-looking police officer asked Nancy when she told him she was there to visit Kerri.

“Sure.” Nancy flipped open her wallet to show him her driver’s license, and he wrote her name on a clipboard. As he added Bess’s and George’s names, Nancy stole a brief, upside-down glance at the list of people who had already visited Kerri this morning. One entry on the long roster jumped out at her—Meg Abbott.

Nancy walked into the room ahead of Bess and George. Kerri was sleeping. Bess tiptoed around the dresser and inspected the flower arrangements Kerri had received. She pointed to one especially beautiful crystal vase of long-stemmed pink roses. “These are from Meg,” she whispered.

Nancy raised her eyebrows. Kerri said she and Meg didn’t get along.

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