Dance Till You Die by Carolyn Keene

about Etienne’s financial worries. “Gaetan said that Etienne was worried about his job here—that the club was in financial trouble,” she said. “Is that true?”
    â€œNot at all,” Lonnie scoffed. “Those underground parties are giving us some competition, and we’ve had some unusual expenses because of plumbing and wiring problems, but the business is rock solid.”
    â€œI recall Bess saying you had a problem with a water tank right before she was abducted.”
    â€œThere was a problem with the valve,” Lonnie explained. “But it’s all fixed now.”
    â€œWe’ll be on our way and let you get back to work, Lonnie,” Nancy said.
    â€œYou girls coming to the Halloween bash tonight?” he asked. They nodded. “Bess isn’t coming back to work yet, I understand.”
    George started to reply, but Nancy cut her off. “She’s been feeling a little under the weather since her ordeal, so she’s not coming,” she fibbed.
    â€œThat’s too bad,” Lonnie said. “See you two later, anyway.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    â€œWhy did you lie about Bess’s not coming tonight?” George asked as they headed back to the car, which was parked along the street.
    â€œI want to keep it as quiet as possible that Bess will be there,” Nancy replied. “It doesn’t hurt to take precautions.” They arrived at the spot where the car was parked.
    â€œWhat’s that?” George exclaimed, pointing at Nancy’s car.
    Nancy looked at where George was pointing, and gasped. Someone had smashed a large granite rock down onto the hood of the car, denting it badly.
    A piece of paper was fluttering underneath the rock. Nancy pulled out the paper and read it. “It’s a note,” she said, reading it out loud. “ ‘Stay away from the Razor’s Edge tonight—or you’ll be the next to die!’ ”

Chapter

Twelve
    W HO COULD HAVE left this note?” George wondered aloud. “They’re threatening to kill you, Nancy.”
    â€œThe person who left this note is probably the same one who murdered Etienne,” Nancy replied. “And who helped kidnap Bess.” One thing the note proved to Nancy—Gaetan couldn’t be the guilty party.
    â€œI’m going to call B.D. about this note right away,” she said. “Let’s get this stupid rock off my car.
    Together, Nancy and George lifted the rock off the hood of the car and heaved it onto the sidewalk. Nancy surveyed the damage—the hoodwas dented and scratched, but the car was still driveable. “The fact that whoever left this note used a granite rock reminds me of our friend at the granite quarry, Tom Kragen,” Nancy said, remembering the suspicious rockslide and Tom’s veiled threat to her earlier in the day. “Maybe he’s warning me to stay off the case.”
    On the way home, Nancy and George stopped by the River Heights police station to show the note to B. D. Hawkins. The police detective was as puzzled by the note as Nancy was. “This certainly indicates that we have another active suspect on our hands—a potentially dangerous one,” he declared.
    Nancy described her suspicions regarding Tom Kragen, including her run-in with him earlier that day. She also described Lucas’s odd behavior the day before.
    B.D. rolled his eyes when Nancy described the doorman. “Are you talking about Lucas Diego, who works over at the Edge? Big guy, with a curly black beard?” Nancy nodded. “We’ve had dealings with him before.” B.D. spun around in his swivel desk-seat to face a computer monitor and keyboard. He punched in Lucas’s name. “See? This guy’s a really bad dude. He’s got a rap sheet a mile long.”
    Peering over the detective’s shoulder at themonitor, Nancy and George saw a list of arrests and convictions