032 High Marks for Malice Read Online Free

it as a reminder of our kid days. Hey, what’s this?”
    Tucked among the individually wrapped pieces of candy was a strip of paper. Nancy peered over his shoulder. The strip contained one line of printing, which made no sense at all to her. “Does that mean anything to you?” she asked.
    “Looks like a computer command. If it is, it’s in a programming language I’ve never seen before. But why put it in the taffy?”
    Nancy turned him around to face her. “Ned, you don’t think Line fell from the carillon trying to get the statue, do you?”
    “No. Cassandra was right. He’d never pull a stunt like that.”
    “Then what do you think happened?” she asked, not wanting to be the first to say it.
    He wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t know. Let’s finish cleaning up.” After putting the slip of paper in his wallet, he returned to the chaos around the computer.
    Nancy decided to drop the subject for the time being. It was obvious that Ned didn’t want to talk about it right then. She told herself to give him some time to get over the shock of the accident.
    She picked up a textbook from the floor. Something fluttered from its pages—a sheet of notebook paper folded in half. Opening it, she felt a chill.
    “Ned,” she said, handing it to him.
    “ ‘Mind your own business,’ ” Ned read aloud, “ ‘or we’ll mess you up so bad you won’t live tomess with your computer!’ ” He stared at it. Finally he looked at Nancy, his eyes wide.
    “Line was in trouble,” he said, his voice thick. “And I bet that’s why he insisted that you come with me. He was in over his head and needed our help.”
    “I agree,” Nancy said softly.
    “Somebody pushed him from the top of that tower. Somebody tried to kill my buddy, Nan. Who—”
    “Shhh.” Nancy cut Ned off. “Somebody’s out there,” she whispered. Muffled footsteps sounded outside the door. Their attacker must have come back! “Hit the lights,” Nancy said. “When he comes in, we’ll jump him.”
    Just as Ned switched off the lights, the door burst open. A bright light blinded them and before Nancy could react she felt the cold nuzzle of a gun poking into her side.

Chapter

Four
    P OLICE ! H ANDS UP ! Nobody move and you won’t get hurt.” The policeman turned on the lights and said, “You’re under arrest. Read ’em their rights, Floyd.”
    Nancy stared at him, her eyes round with shock. “Under arrest!”
    “For what?” Ned asked, hands held high as he was patted down.
    “You aren’t telling us this is your apartment, are you?” the first officer asked. “We’re booking you for breaking and entering.”
    “You’re making a mistake,” Nancy said, trying her best to sound honest and sincere and law-abiding.After all, they hadn’t done anything. “My name is Nancy Drew, and this is Ned Nickerson. We’re guests of the guy who lives here.” She explained about Line being in the hospital and Ned being his friend.
    But she saw that the police didn’t believe them. “A doctor named Garrison is on duty in the emergency room,” she said. “We just came from there. He’ll confirm we’re friends of Line’s.”
    “And we didn’t break in,” Ned added. “We have keys.”
    “But the door was unlocked when we arrived,” Nancy said, “and someone was in here.”
    “Whoever it was decked me and knocked me out cold as soon as I walked in,” Ned continued. “Then he threw a blanket over Nancy’s head and ran out.”
    “And you didn’t report it?”
    “It just happened a few minutes ago,” Nancy said. “Once we got the lights on, we saw the mess he’d made, but it didn’t look as if anything had been stolen. See?” She nodded toward the stereo.
    “Sure, nothing had been stolen,” Officer Floyd said. “We got here too soon. What’d you plan to do, pack the stereo in the footlocker? And why’d you have the lights out?”
    “We thought you were the attacker coming back,” Nancy said.
    “Now I’ve heard