My Deadly Valentine Read Online Free

Kristin appeared at the bend in the footpath.
    â€œThe ambulance is on its way,” Bess shouted, her breath forming puffs of mist. “We called the police, too.” As the girls joined them at Rosie’s side, Nancy rubbed the girl’s hands between her own, trying to keep her warm.
    â€œOh, Rosie,” Kristin said, thinking aloud. “Who did this to you?”
    â€œIf all goes well, she’ll recover completely,” Nancy said. “Then she can tell us who attacked her.”
    In the distance, the wail of sirens cut through the night air. “They’ll be here soon,” Nancy said, glancing up at Kristin. “In the meantime, talk to her. The sound of your voice might draw her out of her unconscious state.”
    Nancy gave Bess the job of massaging Rosie’shands. Then Nancy stood up and nodded at Ned. “Let’s search the area for clues.”
    They circled Rosie’s body, looking for footprints, drag marks, or any loose objects, although Nancy knew that the lamplight probably wasn’t bright enough to reveal anything significant.
    She and Ned combed the garden all the way to the wall of the building, where she noticed a steel door. “Where does this lead?” she called to Kristin.
    Kristin looked up and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably to an office or conference room on the ground floor of the union.”
    Nancy tried the knob, but the door was locked tight. What was on the other side? she wondered.
    â€œAny idea who might have done this?” Ned asked her as they continued combing the area.
    Nancy sighed, realizing that Ned wouldn’t want to hear the answer. “I know he’s your friend, but considering the note, the most obvious guess is Casey Thompson.”
    â€œCasey’s not a bad guy,” Ned said forcefully. “Okay, so he was mad when he left the locker room—but do you really think he’d do this to Rosie?”
    â€œMaybe it was a crime of passion,” Nancy said. “He was upset about losing the game. He was mad at Rosie. She told him to take a hike. And didn’t she say something about his temper? Apparently tonight wasn’t the first time Casey’s flown off the handle.”
    â€œThe guy does have a short fuse,” Ned admitted. “I know that much from being his teammate.”
    Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of an ambulance, escorted by a campus police officer. The vehicles pulled to a stop in the small lot beyond the garden. Dean Jarvis arrived a minute later, huffing and puffing from jogging across campus.
    â€œA student has been injured,” Nancy said, standing back to give the medical squad room. She pointed out the note to the campus security guard, who carefully unpinned it and placed it in a handkerchief.
    Everyone watched silently as the paramedics loaded Rosie onto a stretcher. The medics lifted the gurney into the back of the ambulance, then got inside and closed the doors. The van rolled down the campus lane toward the hospital, its red lights flashing.
    â€œWe’re lucky you found her,” Dean Jarvis told Nancy and Ned. “No one can survive these freezing temperatures for long.” He rubbed his gloved hands together briskly. “Now, let’s gather whatever evidence we can find out here,” he said to both the campus policeman and Nancy and her friends. “Then we’ll head into the union and wait for the Emersonville police.”
    Forty-five minutes later Nancy, Ned, Kristin, and Bess sat in the pit, a sunken lounge inside thestudent union. A few students trickled in and out of the building. Some stopped to stare at the cluster of police before they moved on.
    The teens had been questioned by Dean Jarvis, the campus security staff, and the Emersonville police.
    The black tape from Rosie’s mouth and the Cupid’s note were collected as evidence by the police. Their search of the crime scene had turned up