The Cheating Heart by Carolyn Keene Page A

the screen?” Nancy asked.
    Ned nodded.
    â€œNed, that may be it!” Nancy said eagerly. She hurried back around the file cabinets and pointed to Ms. Belzer’s computer. At the bottom of the screen, the name of the file Ms. Belzer had been working on was clearly displayed: Honors Program.
    â€œDon’t you see?” Nancy said eagerly. “The name of Tavakolian’s file was Frosh Lit Test. Anyone walking by and glancing at the screen would know at once what this file contained. It was as good as displaying it on TV.”
    Ned nodded slowly. “But how could anyone have copied down the answers that fast? I was only away from the desk for a minute.”
    â€œIt wasn’t the answers that were stolen,” Nancy reminded him, “it was the whole test. Now show me again how you print it out. We’ll use Ms. Belzer’s file here as an example.
    â€œSo with just three keystrokes, someone could have told the computer to print out the whole test,” Nancy said after Ned showed her. “That must have been just after you’d left the printer, or you’d have noticed. And then after you’d returned to the computer—the thief went over to the printer and took out the pages.” She strolledto the table by the window and lifted out Ms. Belzer’s two-page document the laser printer had already printed out.
    â€œNancy, that’s it!” Ned cried.
    â€œAnd this is a fairly common software program—lots of people must know how to work it,” Nancy noted. “Where was Ms. Belzer at the time?”
    â€œShe went over to the faculty cubbyholes to put in some mail,” Ned recalled. “So someone could have been at the desk without being noticed. There were loads of students roaming around the department office that afternoon—professors, too.”
    â€œAnyone specific you can remember?” Nancy kept on. “It’d help us to have other witnesses.”
    Ned concentrated. “Only one person I remember for sure—Paul DiToma.”
    Nancy frowned, stowing the pages from the printer in her shoulder bag. “That’s right—he said he was here Monday afternoon. That’s when he first ran into Steve Groff.”
    Ned nodded. “Maybe he knows who else was around then. Why don’t you ask him? He should be at the Omega Chi house. We can pick up a quick sandwich there.”
    Ms. Belzer returned, and Ned and Nancy headed back to Greek Row. The campus was beginning to fill up now, and several students called out to Ned as they walked along. It’s as though a special glow surrounds Ned, Nancyreflected as she looked up at him. He’s one of the top guys on campus. I’m lucky to be with him.
    She slid an arm around his waist, and he instantly responded by putting his arm around her shoulder. She turned her head sideways and upward to study his square jaw, generous mouth, and sparkling dark eyes. She noticed his handsome features light up as he saw another friend approach.
    He really does love this place, Nancy thought to herself. No wonder he’d be so upset at getting expelled. I have to make sure it doesn’t happen!
    They parted outside the Theta Pi house, so Nancy could drop off her sweater now that the day was growing hot. She climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to Brook’s room.
    The door stood ajar, as usual. The Theta Pi sisters trusted one another so much that they rarely locked or even shut their doors.
    As Nancy stepped through the door, a length of rope hanging over the door frame brushed against her head. Surprised, she pulled back.
    The rope had been tied in the shape of a noose. Pinned to it was a scrawled note:
    Stay away or your going to get hurt!

Chapter

Twelve
    N ANCY WAS STANDING in the doorway rereading the handwritten note when Brook came up the hall from the bathroom. “Hey, Nancy, where’ve you been?” she asked cheerfully.
    Brook peered over Nancy’s