En Garde (Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective Book 17) by Carolyn Keene

gigs lately, and when I’m on the road I miss too many classes. It’s a waste of money to pay tuition if you don’t go to class. But Una’s dad didn’t see it that way. Yes, I’m really getting somewhere with the music, but that’s not good enough for his daughter.”
    “And how does Una feel about that?” I asked, feeling sympathy for Raggedy Man all of a sudden.
    Doug frowned. “I don’t know for sure. She seemed pretty upset when he broke us up, but she went along with it. She’s refused to see me ever since. She won’t take my phone calls, she won’t answer the letters I’ve written. I thought if she saw me face-to-face, she might feel differently.”
    “So that’s why you were at the fencing meet on Tuesday,” I guessed.
    Doug nodded. “But that was no good—her dad was there. I should have known; he goes to all her tournaments. And then I saw her get injured, which was upsetting.”
    I remembered seeing Doug in the crowd surrounding Una during the suspension of her bout with DeLyn. It was true, he did look upset then.
    “But you were hanging around Salle Budapest a week ago,” I recalled, “the first time I saw you. Why Salle Budapest? Una doesn’t fence there.”
    Doug screwed his mouth to one side. “Well, I’dheard through the grapevine that she was dating somebody else—another fencer. That worried me. Her dad would love her to have a fencing boyfriend. So I went to River Heights to check out this guy, Damon Brittany.”
    “Damon?” Doug must have gotten his facts wrong. From the nasty comments I’d heard Damon make about Una, I’d say she was the last girl in the world he’d date.
    Doug nodded. “I saw him with Una at a college meet, and he sure looked interested. But that day in River Heights, he left fencing class with another girl—a tall African-American girl. They looked pretty connected.”
    “That was his twin sister, DeLyn,” I informed Doug.
    “You’re kidding!” He frowned. “So he doesn’t have a new girlfriend?”
    “If he does, it’s not her. But I don’t think it’s Una, either.”
    Doug looked relieved. “So I still have a chance?”
    “Una didn’t exactly welcome you with open arms back there,” I pointed out. “Any girl would be creeped out by having a guy stalking her.”
    “I’m not stalking her!”
    “I’m sorry, but that’s exactly what you’re doing,” I said. “And you could get arrested for it. She couldeven have a judge issue a restraining order.”
    Doug winced. “Really?”
    “Absolutely. So take my advice—stop lurking outside the salle. Find another way to win Una back.”
    “I think it’s cool that this rock musician is pining away for Una,” George said. “But can you imagine, he thought Damon was dating Una? Impossible. Damon can’t stand Una.”
    I looked over at George as we drove back to River Heights. “I know, crazy, huh? Well, I wish Doug and Una good luck. But if he’s not a suspect anymore, we’re further than ever from solving this case. What’s more, we’re suspects ourselves now, at least in Paul Mourbiers’s eyes.”
    I had been thinking. I hated the fact that Bela praised George to her face, only to put her down behind her back. I couldn’t let him get away with that. “George, I was just wondering—whenever Bela tells you how great you are, isn’t DeLyn usually nearby?”
    “Well, yes—why?”
    “Well, you know how coaches play mind games with their athletes. I wonder if Bela might not be . . . let’s say, exaggerating your ability, to motivate DeLyn.”
    Immediately I wished I had kept quiet. George’smouth dropped open, and her eyes filled with tears. “What? Are you saying I’m not a talented fencer? Are you saying Bela lied to me? Nancy, I’ve never known you to act jealous like this.”
    Jealous? Was she kidding?
    I could feel the heat of George’s anger in the seat beside me. Luckily, we were getting close to her house. I apologized, but George still seemed furious when she got out