Club Dread by Carolyn Keene Page B

“I’m going to be shutting down the desk in a moment—is there anything I can help you with before I do?”
    I was losing him. If his shift was ending, he could be heading up to his room at any moment. I had to get his attention and keep him down here. I tried again.
    â€œI studied Russian history in school,” I said quickly. “I’ve always been so interested in the country.” I leaned over the desk, looking Nikitin directly in the eyes—a trick I’d seen Bess use many times before. He shifted toward me.
    â€œWell, it is true. Russia has a fascinating history.” Nikitin turned away from the computer and faced me directly. He was smiling now. Clearly, this was a topic that was close to his heart.
    â€œUh-huh,” I said, smiling at him again. That was all the encouragement Nikitin needed.
    â€œFor instance, did you know that Empress Yekaterina—Catherine the Great, you might know her as—ruled Russia for thirty-four years? She was one of the most powerful women of her time. There is a reason Russia is known as the ‘motherland.’”
    This was going to be easy. I barely had to say anything. So long as I kept nodding my head, Nikitin kept talking. And he was right—it was fascinating. Despite what I’d told him, I didn’t know anything about Russian history. When I got back home, I’d have to get some books from the library. Any place with a history of strong women was a place I wanted to read about!
    I figured another fifteen minutes and Frank and Joe would be safely out of Nikitin’s room. There was a large clock on the wall behind him, and I watched the minutes tick down. It was after nine, and the lobby was nearly empty. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I noticed two pairs of footsteps running toward me, but I didn’t think anything of them until a hand grabbed my shoulder.
    â€œNancy!” I spun around. Bess and George were standing behind me. “We’ve been trying to call you!”
    It wasn’t like Bess to interrupt a conversation. She looked upset and flustered. Her cheeks were red, and both she and George were sweating. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have guessed that they ran all the way from the beach to the hotel.
    â€œI’m sorry, Bess. I must have put my phone in my purse and not noticed it because I was talking to Andrew .” I tried to emphasize those last words. I couldn’t afford to lose Nikitin’s attention right now.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Bess said, leaning over my shoulder to talk to Nikitin. “Do you mind if we borrow Nancy for a minute?”
    Before Nikitin had a chance to say anything, Bess and George had literally pulled me away from the desk. I’d never seen them act like this before! Something must be going on. Still, I was working with Frank and Joe, and I couldn’t let them down.
    â€œGuys, I can’t. I have to keep Nikitin occupied.” I pulled free of their hands, but when I looked back, Nikitin had already left the desk and the computer was shut off. I looked around the lobby and spotted him heading for the elevators. I was too late.
    â€œNancy.” George looked me dead in the eye. “We need to talk to you. It’s important.”
    I knew from the way she said it that it was true. They needed me now. They were my friends, and I trusted their intuition. If Bess and George thought that something was important, so did I. Besides, there was nothing I could do about Nikitin now.
    â€œOkay. Let me just warn Frank and Joe.”
    I called Joe, but it rang twice and went to his voice mail. I just hoped they were out of the room already.If not…I couldn’t think about what would happen if Nikitin caught them in his room. He was huge, bigger than Frank and Joe combined, and if he surprised them, they’d be in trouble. I left Joe a message saying Nikitin was on his way, and to call me if they needed