Circle of Evil by Carolyn Keene Page A

help her. No one even paid any attention as the two of them went down to the lower level.
    As they walked along the hall, they passed the weight room, and out of the corner of her eye Nancy saw Bess. Her friend was on the rowing machine, going nowhere very slowly. It was easy to see that Bess was bored—she kept glancing around the room. Nancy was tempted to wave to get Bess’s attention. Maybe Bess would see Zach, realize that something was wrong, and go for help. But just as she was about to raise her hand, Nancy felt something on her back. She was wearing a thin cotton top, and what she felt was cold and hard—Zach was pushing her ahead with the gun.
    The hallway was empty. If Nancy was going to make a move, she knew she had to do it then. Pretending to stumble, she whirled around, aimed her left foot at Zach’s gun hand, and kicked. The gun went flying, landing at the bottom of the stairs. Nancy started to race toward it and then stopped.
    At the bottom of the stairs stood Max Fletcher. He bent down and calmly picked up the gun. He aimed it at Nancy. “Walk,” he said softly. Nancy had no choice but to turn around and walk.
    A few more feet, and they were at the door to the massage room. Max motioned with the gun, and Zach roughly pushed Nancy inside, then closed and locked the door behind them.
    Rita was waiting. At the sight of Max, shelooked slightly surprised. Not as surprised as I am, Nancy thought.
    â€œDon’t be too hard on yourself, Nancy,” Max said with a chuckle. “Except for ignoring me, you’ve been very clever. Of course, you wasted some valuable time with the lifeguard and that redheaded kleptomaniac.” He chuckled again. “But there was no reason for you to suspect me. After all, I never did anything suspicious. And I’m a very wealthy man. Sole owner of Fletcher Electronics, a multimillion-dollar company that manufactures, among other things, the Fletcher Home Alarm System and wall safes. Maybe you’ve heard of them?”
    Nancy stared at him. Now she knew why the name of his company had rung a bell when Joanna mentioned it. Fletcher alarms and safes were all over the place—in houses, office buildings, even cars. Home alarm systems, she thought. No wonder they were able to break into those houses without problems. Max Fletcher wouldn’t have any trouble dismantling his own product. And if a house used a different system, well, that wouldn’t stop him, either. He probably knew the competition’s alarms as well as he knew his own.
    â€œBut why?” Nancy asked. “You have enough money.”
    â€œThe challenge, Nancy,” he said. “The excitement. Fletcher Electronics is boring.Haven’t you ever been so bored you’d do anything for excitement?”
    Nancy didn’t answer.
    â€œFortunately,” Max said, “Rita and Zach shared my enthusiasm for a challenge, and I had no trouble getting them to join in my scheme. But, now that you know it all, I’m afraid we have to stop you.”
    Calmly, Max handed the gun to Zach. Then, with a nod and a smile to Nancy, he left the room.
    She looked around quickly, hoping to spot a way out. Rita laughed. “Don’t bother,” she said. “There’s only one way in and one way out, and Zach’s covering it.”
    Nancy looked at Zach, who was leaning against the door, pointing the gun at her. Then she looked back at Rita. “Well,” she said. “What now?”
    â€œLet’s get it over with, Rita,” Zach said. “The sooner the better.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Rita told him. “We have plenty of time.” She smiled at Nancy. “I have to tell you, you really had us hopping for a while. We tried everything—the shower, the diving pool, the messages, the weight machine, but you wouldn’t stop.”
    â€œHey, Rita.” Zach seemed very edgy. “I don’t think Max wanted us to chat.