Read Online False Moves by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online

were in the middle of an exercise!” He began to demonstrate the routine again, and the dancers quickly arranged themselves in loose lines in the center of the room.
    Belinda glared at Nancy before hurrying to takeher place. Within a few minutes the company was working through a series of stretches and leg extensions. James Ellsworth pulled up a chair next to Brad’s and joined the other three spectators.
    If Nancy hadn’t had so many things on her mind, the class would have been wonderful to watch. But she just couldn’t concentrate. Her thoughts were whirling almost too quickly to sort out.
    So she just let her mind wander as the whirling and leaping dancers passed before her eyes in a haze. Before she knew it, the workout was over and the company members were wandering over to pick up their dance bags.
    Nancy stood up, easily stretching her own back. Quickly she shook her head and forced herself to look for Andre Bernarde. He was the only suspect she hadn’t talked to yet, and she needed to get a sense of what he was like. The handsome dancer was standing at the barre in the far corner of the studio still doing a few final pliés. Good, Nancy thought, there’s nobody near him so we’ll be able to talk without being overheard too easily.
    She turned to Brad and said she’d be right back. Then to Ned she said, “Bye. I guess I’ll see you later.”
    â€œSure,” Ned replied. “That’d be nice.”
    Nancy smiled to herself. It seemed as though Ned really meant it. Then, slowly, she walked over to where Andre was working. She stopped near the handsomedancer, resting her hand on the smooth wooden surface of the barre. “Hello, Monsieur Bernarde,” she said. “My name is Nancy Drew.”
    Andre turned to her in the middle of a plié. “Oh, the detective,” he said, straightening his legs. His French accent was strong. “I knew you would come to interrogate me soon. You want to accuse me of stealing the diamond. Is that right?”
    â€œI just want to ask you a few questions,” Nancy replied.
    But Andre acted as if he hadn’t heard her. “Well, I didn’t do it! I wasn’t near Katya when the pin disappeared. I was on the other side of the stage!”
    â€œMonsieur Bernarde, please, I’m not accusing you,” Nancy said, trying to calm the dancer. “In fact, I need your help. You were onstage when the robbery happened. Did you see or hear anything strange?”
    Suddenly Andre stopped, catching his breath. “No, Ms. Drew, I did not. And that’s the odd thing, because I don’t think anyone could have sneaked onto the stage so quietly that I wouldn’t have heard him. It makes me suspect that one of the other dancers has to be involved—Belinda or Katya!”
    Nancy studied Andre’s face carefully. He acted desperate, and he was trying so hard—maybe just a little too hard—to deny that he was involved.Was he on the level when he said he thought the thief must be one of the other dancers? Or was he just trying to throw suspicion off himself? Nancy didn’t know enough about the man—or the case—to answer those questions yet.
    â€œCan you remember anything else?” Nancy asked. “Anything that seemed even a little out of the ordinary?”
    Andre shook his head hard. “I didn’t see or hear a thing. I just stood in my proper place, waiting to take my curtain call. When the lights came back on, the diamond was gone. That is all I know.”
    Well, Nancy told herself, I guess that’s all he’s going to say about it. The dancer hadn’t been much help, and it seemed as though he didn’t intend to be, either.
    But Nancy didn’t let her annoyance show in the least. “If you remember anything later, please let me know.”
    â€œYes, but I think I won’t remember more,” Andre replied.
    As the dancer returned to his