Nancy knew that hitting the brakes would do her no good at all . She turned the wheel hard to the right, taking the car in the direction it was already going, knowing that the only way to right her skid with three wheels was to use the Mustang's natural momentum .

Car brakes screeched all around her, horns sounded, and pedestrians ran for safety as Nancy's car careened across the intersection . Her maneuvering caused the car to swerve to the right of the telephone pole and jump up onto a broad, empty sidewalk . It hit a garbage can with a loud bang, spun around twice, and came to rest just inches short of three terrified passerby .

As soon as her heart was beating normally again, Nancy hopped out of the vehicle and rushed to see that the three pedestrians were all right . They seemed to be merely shaken up . They were a little angry until they saw that one of the car's wheels had come completely off . The lone wheel now lay on the other side of the wide avenue .

Traffic had come to a complete halt, and a police siren sounded nearby . People were talking excitedly about the accident, and Nancy was just glad to be alive . She knew very well how close she had come to dying ---- or to killing somebody else .

A squad car pulled up, and a young police officer she happened to know got out and came over to her . "What happened, miss ---- why, Nancy ---- it's you !"

"Hi, Officer Kelly," Nancy said . "One of my wheels came right off the axle . Lucky thing nobody was hurt ."

"I'll say," said the officer, scribbling in a notepad . Whipping out his walkie-talkie, he called headquarters, then put in a call for a tow truck .

Nancy bent down to look at her axle . It seemed to have survived the skid pretty much intact . She couldn't see anything wrong with it at first glance .

"You ought to keep that car in better shape, Nancy," Officer Kelly scolded her .

"But I do," Nancy protested . "I mean, I did . Just last month I had it tuned up and inspected ."

"Hmm," the officer said, bending down to examine the axle himself .

Glancing down the street, Nancy saw the tow truck coming . She crossed the avenue and rolled the wheel back across to her car .

"This is so weird," she said as a gangly young guy with long, greasy hair got out of the tow truck and came over to them . The sign on his truck read Bud's Auto Body and Towling .

"Hey, what's up, Kelly ?" he asked .

"Check this out, Skeeter," Officer Kelly said, pointing his flashlight at the axle . "Seems okay to me, but the wheel came right off it ."

Skeeter bent down to look, then straightened up and scratched his head . "Hmm ---- wait a sec," he said, then went over to his truck bed, returning with a screwdriver . Bending over, he pried the hubcap off the loose wheel . "Look here," he said . "Here's the problem . Four out of the five lug nuts are missing, and the fifth must have been loose . No wonder the wheel came off !"

Nancy blinked in astonishment, her mind racing .

"Whoa !" Officer Kelly exclaimed . "It's amazing you got this far," he said . "You sure you've been riding around okay ? I mean, no flat tires or anything ?"

"Nothing," Nancy said, shaking her head .

"Well, lug nuts don't just disappear," Skeeter said definitively . "Somebody took that wheel off, and when they put it back on, they just stuck the hubcap on without putting four of the nuts back ." He shook his head disapprovingly . "I'll tell you, some guys just don't care what kind of work they do ."

"All right, hook it up and take it in," Kelly said, and Skeeter pulled up the tow truck . "When was the last time anyone took off that wheel, Nancy ?"

"I can't even remember," Nancy said . "Months and months ago, certainly ."

"And you've been driving around like this since then ?"

"I don't think so," Nancy told him . "I think something must have happened to it very recently ."

Skeeter had hooked up her Mustang to the tow truck, and Nancy climbed into the cab with him . Kelly stuffed his pad into his pocket . "Be careful from now on, okay ? It's important to take care of your car ."

"I know, Officer Kelly," Nancy assured him . "Boy, do I know ."

* * * * *

From the body shop, Nan called Bess to ask her to lend her her car . Bess was less than happy about lending Nancy her car for the day, though .

"I just got it washed and detailed, Nan," Bess complained when she picked her up . "What if whoever sabotaged your car tries again on mine ?"

"Bess," Nancy assured her, "didn't anyone ever tell you lightning never strikes twice in the same place ? Trust me ---- I'll take good care of your baby for you ."

"Oh, all right," Bess grumbled, getting into the passenger seat so that Nancy could drop her off at home .

"How was the rest of your evening with Tom, by the way ?" Nancy asked as they drove .

"Pretty good," Bess said . "He seems like a fun guy . The only thing was, he seemed to be more curious about you than he was about me ."
"Hmm," Nancy said, scowling . "I'm not surprised ."

"Why ? Oh, Nan ---- you don't think he's the one who tinkered with your car, do you ? That would be so horrible !"

"Well, I don't know, Bess . It's a possibility, but there are lots of others . That's what I'm going to try to find out today . But one thing is for sure," she concluded as they pulled up in front of Bess's house . "Someone's upset that I'm investigating the Pierce family ---- upset enough to try to kill me ."

* * * * *

After dropping Bess off, Nancy headed back to the address Philip had given her for Karen and Jack's house . She wanted to interview them about the Pierce family situation, since she hadn't really had a chance to talk with them at the party .

The house was a modest split-level on a quiet side street in one of River Height's better neighborhoods . Just as Nancy pulled up, she saw Jack emerge from the house, holding a large briefcase in his right hand . He was furtively glancing around, as if he were sneaking out and wanted to make sure he wasn't being observed . Nancy decided to follow him .

Jack got into a beautifully maintained Thunderbird convertible from the sixties and took off down the street with a roar . It was all Nancy could do to keep up in Bess's little compact, but she didn't want to take any unnecessary chances driving her friend's car .

She followed Jack at a safe distance because she realized from the way he'd left his house that he'd notice anyone trailing him . He drove across town, passing the railroad station, and entered an industrial section of River Heights . Nancy was getting more and more curious . She was sure that Jack was up to something .

He slowed down outside a large, low building set among warehouses and railroad tracks .

Nancy pulled over about a hundred yards behind him, and whipped out her mini-binoculars to observe his movements .

Jack carried the briefcase to the door of the building and rang the buzzer . Moments later the door opened to admit Jack, then shut behind him .

Nancy knew there was no time to lose . She got out of the car and ran toward the building . The windows along the front were boarded up, but there was a little chink in one of the boards . She crept close to it and peered through, hoping to get a glimpse of what was going on inside .

She was lucky and could just make out Jack giving the briefcase to a man she didn't recognize, but one she wouldn't have wanted to meet in a dark alley . He had a brutish, scarred face and massive hands . When the man opened the briefcase, Nancy gasped . It was full of cash !

The man nodded and shook Jack's hand . Nancy guessed that this transaction concluded Jack's business and that he would be leaving . She ducked around the corner of the building to avoid being seen . Sure enough, a few seconds later Jack emerged, got into his car, and drove off .

Nancy came out of her hiding place, determined to find out what sort of place this was . She stepped up to the front door and pressed the buzzer .
An eye studied her through the peephole . Then the door opened a crack, and the brutish face looked out at her suspiciously . "Yeah ? What do you want ?"

Thinking fast, Nancy whipped out her wallet and waved it at him . If money had talked in Jack's case, maybe it would work for her, too .

The man scratched his head . "How'd you hear of this place ?"

"Jack Oliver told me about you," she fibbed .

"Hmmm . Okay ---- which team you want to bet on ?" he asked .

So, it was an illegal sports betting parlor ! And clearly, Jack was up to his neck in it .

"I'm not sure," Nancy said . "I'd like to have a look at the sheet for today . Can I come inside ?"

The man was uncertain . "I dunno," he said . "Since you're a new customer, I'd better clear it with the boss . Wait here a second ."

He slammed the door in her face and left Nancy waiting there for a full three minutes . When the door opened again, the man with the brutish face had someone else with him ---- someone Nancy had seen before .

It was Tom Walczek !
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