038 The Final Scene by Carolyn Keene

said. The pieces were beginning to come together. “Joseph is an old-timer, too. He might have called it that himself. We only have his word for it that there was a phone call at all.”
    “But Joseph couldn’t have kidnapped Bess,” George said. “He was making the introduction for the movie over the PA at the time. Remember, we heard it in the women’s dressing room.”
    “We heard Joseph’s voice, so we just assumed that he was in the sound booth at the time,” Nancy said. “But he could easily have made the tape ahead of time and rigged the PA system to play at the right moment.”
    “Do you really think Joseph would be capable of kidnapping someone just to save that building from destruction?” George asked.
    “I know Joseph,” Nicholas said. “He’s agood person.” He thought for a moment. “But he loves that theater more than anything. It’s possible he might do anything to save it.”
    “Of course,” Nancy said. “I should have thought of it before. That’s why Joseph’s been staying in the theater night and day.”
    “And he’s the one who found Bess’s earring!” George added. “Not only that, but I just realized something.”
    “What?” Nancy asked.
    “Joseph was the one who thought of searching the stage again yesterday, when we heard that tapping noise and found the room she had been in.”
    “He led you to it, George! He must have wanted us to know that she was still there!”
    Nancy found herself excited, worried, and relieved at the same time. If Joseph was the kidnapper, then they were on their way to finding Bess. If they still had time.
    The trailer door opened, and Bart Anderson stepped inside. He was wearing a broad grin that made Nancy uneasy. Anything that made Bart Anderson that happy had to be bad news.
    “I’ve just been on my car phone,” he told Nicholas, “and I pulled a few strings at City Hall. I had to cash in on some long-standing favors that I’m owed, but it was worth it.”
    “What was worth it?” Nancy asked, afraid she didn’t want to know.
    “I moved the demolition time up.”
    “You did what?” George exclaimed.
    Anderson smiled and pointed to the thin gold watch on his wrist. “That’s right. That building’s coming down in fifteen minutes. I don’t want any of this foolishness to interfere with my project. And the only way to stop it from interfering is to finally destroy the place.”
    “Fifteen minutes!” Nancy reached out and grabbed the front of Bart Anderson’s jacket. “We just solved the case. We know who kidnapped Bess. And now we’re sure that she’s still in there!”
    Anderson looked suspicious and doubtful. “Do you really? Or are you just trying to stall me again?”
    “It’s Joseph Hughes,” Nancy said. “It has to be.”
    “The janitor?” Anderson asked.
    “He’s a lot more than the custodian. Joseph is the soul of that theater,” Nancy said. Her heart was in her throat. She had to make him believe her.
    “Please, Mr. Anderson,” she continued, “I don’t have time to explain all the details to younow, but we really do have very strong reasons to suspect him. You’ve got to stop that demolition. Our friend is in that building. If they tear it down, she’ll die.”
    • • •
    Not more than five minutes later Anderson’s Mercedes was hurtling down the dirt road, sending a whirl of dust into the air.
    “Can’t you drive any faster?” George urged.
    “It won’t help your friend if we get ourselves killed before we get there,” he said grimly. But from the passenger seat, Nancy saw him press the accelerator closer to the floor and the speedometer jump another ten miles per hour.
    “Try to get your crew on the phone again,” Nancy suggested. “Or better yet, let me try. You’ve got your hands full driving.”
    She dialed the number he gave her, but there was still no answer.
    “That means they’re at the theater already,” Anderson said.
    “Do you think we’ll make it in time?”