038 The Final Scene by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

the real reason I’m homesick.” She stood and draped her purse over her shoulder. “I suppose you’ll find out soon enough, but Simon has called a press conference for later this afternoon.”
    “Another one? Why?”
    “He’s going to offer a reward for information leading to the release of your friend.” Deirdre sighed. “I’d like to say it’s because Simon is such a wonderful human being, but . . . ”
    “You think it’s just another publicity gimmick,” Nancy offered.
    Deirdre hunched her shoulders and shookher head as though she were tired and slightly disgusted. “See you around, Nancy.”
    “Yeah, see you.”
    As Nancy left the restaurant and walked through the hotel lobby she realized that the motive for his reward fit in perfectly with everything else she had learned about Simon Mueller.
    And perhaps the most disturbing bit of information was that Brady Armstrong might have a motive, too. He could have worked at the theater. Maybe he loved the old place also. But enough to stop it from being torn down?
    That’s stupid, Drew, she thought. Why would Brady engineer his own kidnapping and then not stop the “kidnapper” from taking the wrong person? It was impossible. Or was it?
    As Nancy was about to walk through the large revolving door out of the lobby, she heard her name being paged.
    “Ms. Nancy Drew. Pick up the courtesy phone, please.”
    She hurried to the white phone in the corner of the lobby. George was on the other end.
    “Nancy, you’ve got to get to the theater right away!” George sounded breathless.
    “What is it, George?”
    “We were right all along, Nan. Bess is still in the theater!”

Chapter

Eight
    W HAT HAVE YOU FOUND?”
    “Meet me in Joseph’s office. I’ll explain everything when you get here.” The sound of a dial tone told Nancy that George had hung up.
    Nancy wondered what her friend had found. To save time, she entered the theater through a back door and wound her way through the maze of hallways toward the front of the theater.
    As she walked past the stars’ dressing rooms, Nancy thought of the day when she had seenBess knocking nervously on that door. Bess had looked so pretty in her new dress. And she had been so excited about the prospect of seeing the boy she had had a crush on four years earlier.
    Nancy couldn’t bring herself to dwell on it. What happened, happened. All that mattered now was rescuing Bess.
    As Nancy neared Joseph’s office, she heard voices, George’s and Joseph’s. They were discussing something in very excited tones.
    “Wait until Nancy gets here. She’ll be so excited to hear the news,” George was saying.
    “To hear what?” Nancy asked as she charged into the room. “What’s up?”
    “Joseph and I found the proof we need,” George said. “Come on.” Nancy followed George and Joseph as they led her around the auditorium and down the stairs that led to more dressing rooms.
    “Where are we going?” Nancy asked her friend.
    “Joseph and I were looking below the stage. First we heard a tapping noise, then what sounded like someone crying.”
    “Bess?” Nancy said.
    George nodded, and Nancy saw her friend’s eyes light up. “We thought it had to be her, so we went looking.”
    With a triumphant grin, George turned to Joseph. Nancy looked at him questioningly.
    “There’s a secret doorway here that leads straight into the orchestra pit,” he explained. To prove his point, Joseph opened a closet door and pushed a rackful of costumes aside, revealing a small door.
    Single file they passed through the narrow door and found themselves facing the open side of the orchestra pit.
    George led Nancy and Joseph to a row of doors that were parallel to the pit’s walls. “What are these rooms?” Nancy asked as her friend opened one of the doors into a tiny room no larger than six feet square.
    “These were the musicians’ warm-up rooms,” Joseph explained. “Members of the orchestra could warm up in these rooms