person. Just to know for sure.” Alan took a breath.
“Anyhow, I went over to his office late this afternoon, while Bess was out jogging. He wasn’t there, but Vivian was. She was sitting in his office using the telephone, and the door was open a crack. I could hear everything she said, and it was what I just told you about the publicity story and my record contract.”
“And something about a shipment of some sort?” Nancy asked, recalling his earlier words.
“Yeah. I don’t know what kind of shipment, but she told whoever she was talking to that it was going out tonight.”
“The bootleg albums,” Nancy said. “Did she say where they were being shipped to?”
“Heading east, that’s all.”
“Weird,” Roger said. “I thought New York was as far east as you could get. Maybe she meant the east side of town.”
“Or maybe she wasn’t talking about this country at all,” Nancy said. “Maybe by east she meant the eastern hemisphere.”
“Like China?” Roger asked.
“Exactly,” Nancy sighed. Her hunch about the lack of copyright laws in that country could very well play out. But that didn’t make her feel any better. It meant that Ann Nordquist might not be off the hook after all.
However, any further thoughts about China and Ann Nordquist ceased when Alan began talking again. “I don’t know if the destination is going to matter much when you hear the rest of Vivian’s conversation,” he said.
“Oh no.” Nancy steeled herself for what was next.
“Vivian said that there was a body going out with the shipment.”
“Barton!” Roger Gold exclaimed in horror.
“Tell me Vivian’s exact words,” Nancy instructed Alan, her heart filling with dread.
Alan tensed. “Like I said, ‘one body going out with the shipment,’ was the way she put it. Then the person on the other end of the phone must have said something. Vivian answered, ‘No, we’re going to do it right before we ship him out—silence him for good.’ ” Alan’s voice was shaking again. “The last thing I heard was, ‘Yeah, pick up at the duck house, as usual. Ten-thirty. Right.’ Then Vivian hung up.”
Nancy glanced at her watch. Nine o’clock. “What happened next?” she said, her own voice trembling. If she couldn’t find Barton in an hour and a half, she might never find him— alive —or find Bess either!
“I tried to sneak out,” Alan said, “but I was so freaked out about what I’d overheard that I knocked something over as I was leaving the outer office—a chair, I think. After that, I just ran as fast as I could, down the stairs and out the building. I went to the hotel and got Bess and brought her here to the club. I thought I got away clean.”
“But you didn’t tell Bess what you’d heard?” Nancy asked.
Alan shook his head. “I knew I had to tell you everything—tonight, I thought, here at the club—so I figured I’d level with Bess at the same time. Besides, I guess I wanted to put that partoff as long as possible, having Bess find out she’d fallen for a worthless bum.”
“But how did Vivian find out you knew?” Nancy asked.
Alan reddened. “Vivian looked out the window and saw me leaving. She knew she’d find me here at the concert.”
“So she arranged the power outage and had Bess kidnapped to keep you from talking?” Nancy asked, beginning to put all the pieces together.
Alan stood up, reached into the back pocket of his leather pants, and pulled out a crinkled piece of yellow lined paper. Silently, he handed it to Nancy.
She smoothed it out and read the words printed in bold, box letters. DO NOT SAY A WORD TO ANYONE IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR GIRLFRIEND AGAIN, the note read.
Chapter
Twelve
W HO GAVE THIS to you?” Nancy demanded, waving the note.
“Someone pulled me off stage and pressed it into my hand while the lights were out,” Alan explained.
“What I don’t get is why they didn’t just take Alan.” Roger said.
“I think they realized that if
“Anyhow, I went over to his office late this afternoon, while Bess was out jogging. He wasn’t there, but Vivian was. She was sitting in his office using the telephone, and the door was open a crack. I could hear everything she said, and it was what I just told you about the publicity story and my record contract.”
“And something about a shipment of some sort?” Nancy asked, recalling his earlier words.
“Yeah. I don’t know what kind of shipment, but she told whoever she was talking to that it was going out tonight.”
“The bootleg albums,” Nancy said. “Did she say where they were being shipped to?”
“Heading east, that’s all.”
“Weird,” Roger said. “I thought New York was as far east as you could get. Maybe she meant the east side of town.”
“Or maybe she wasn’t talking about this country at all,” Nancy said. “Maybe by east she meant the eastern hemisphere.”
“Like China?” Roger asked.
“Exactly,” Nancy sighed. Her hunch about the lack of copyright laws in that country could very well play out. But that didn’t make her feel any better. It meant that Ann Nordquist might not be off the hook after all.
However, any further thoughts about China and Ann Nordquist ceased when Alan began talking again. “I don’t know if the destination is going to matter much when you hear the rest of Vivian’s conversation,” he said.
“Oh no.” Nancy steeled herself for what was next.
“Vivian said that there was a body going out with the shipment.”
“Barton!” Roger Gold exclaimed in horror.
“Tell me Vivian’s exact words,” Nancy instructed Alan, her heart filling with dread.
Alan tensed. “Like I said, ‘one body going out with the shipment,’ was the way she put it. Then the person on the other end of the phone must have said something. Vivian answered, ‘No, we’re going to do it right before we ship him out—silence him for good.’ ” Alan’s voice was shaking again. “The last thing I heard was, ‘Yeah, pick up at the duck house, as usual. Ten-thirty. Right.’ Then Vivian hung up.”
Nancy glanced at her watch. Nine o’clock. “What happened next?” she said, her own voice trembling. If she couldn’t find Barton in an hour and a half, she might never find him— alive —or find Bess either!
“I tried to sneak out,” Alan said, “but I was so freaked out about what I’d overheard that I knocked something over as I was leaving the outer office—a chair, I think. After that, I just ran as fast as I could, down the stairs and out the building. I went to the hotel and got Bess and brought her here to the club. I thought I got away clean.”
“But you didn’t tell Bess what you’d heard?” Nancy asked.
Alan shook his head. “I knew I had to tell you everything—tonight, I thought, here at the club—so I figured I’d level with Bess at the same time. Besides, I guess I wanted to put that partoff as long as possible, having Bess find out she’d fallen for a worthless bum.”
“But how did Vivian find out you knew?” Nancy asked.
Alan reddened. “Vivian looked out the window and saw me leaving. She knew she’d find me here at the concert.”
“So she arranged the power outage and had Bess kidnapped to keep you from talking?” Nancy asked, beginning to put all the pieces together.
Alan stood up, reached into the back pocket of his leather pants, and pulled out a crinkled piece of yellow lined paper. Silently, he handed it to Nancy.
She smoothed it out and read the words printed in bold, box letters. DO NOT SAY A WORD TO ANYONE IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR GIRLFRIEND AGAIN, the note read.
Chapter
Twelve
W HO GAVE THIS to you?” Nancy demanded, waving the note.
“Someone pulled me off stage and pressed it into my hand while the lights were out,” Alan explained.
“What I don’t get is why they didn’t just take Alan.” Roger said.
“I think they realized that if
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