The Cinderella Ballet Mystery Read Online Free

her,” Nancy said after a while.
    George nodded. “It looked like she tried totrip Andrea yesterday at rehearsal. But it might have been an accident.”
    â€œNo way,” Bess said. She grabbed a handful of buttery popcorn that Hannah had made for the girls. “That was no accident.”
    â€œSo maybe Nadine stole the slippers to ruin the ‘Cinderella’ ballet for Andrea and everybody else,” Nancy mused. “And while she was stealing them, her barrette fell and got stuck in the crack in the shelf.”
    George typed everything into the computer. “Let’s look at it from a different angle. What if the barrette fell and got stuck there some other time? Like last week or last month or whatever?” she said out loud.
    â€œOr what if the barrette belongs to somebody else with the initial N ?” Bess added.
    â€œI think we need to talk to Nadine as soon as possible,” Nancy announced.
    â€œI have to ask you something,” Nancy told Nadine.
    It was Thursday, a few minutes before rehearsal. The studio was already crowded with dancers who were stretching and getting ready. Nancy, Bess, and George had found Nadine in the corner by herself.
    Nadine tugged her black leg warmers over her tights and glanced up at Nancy and her friends. “What?” she asked suspiciously.
    Nancy pulled the silver barrette out of her dance bag and held it out to Nadine. “Is this yours?”
    Nadine stared at the barrette. “Nope, that’s not mine. Lately I only wear barrettes that are shaped like flowers, animals, or musical notes. That one is shaped like … well, I’m not sure what it’s shaped like. It’s either a lightning bolt or a really skinny tree.”
    â€œActually, we think it’s the letter N ,” George piped up.
    â€œWe? What do you mean, we ? You’re not on one of your crazy Clue Crew cases, are you?” Nadine asked.
    â€œWe are. We’re trying to find the missing Cinderella slippers,” Bess replied. “This barrette is a clue. A very important clue.”
    Nadine’s jaw dropped. “Am I one of your suspects?” she demanded.
    â€œWhere were you between the end of Tuesday’s rehearsal and the beginning of Wednesday’s rehearsal?” Nancy asked her.
    â€œDid you steal the slippers?” Bess blurted out.
    â€œWhat made you do it, Nadine?” George added.
    â€œI don’t believe this!” Nadine exclaimed. “Of course I didn’t steal those stupid slippers. Why is everyone so worried about them, anyway? Andrea can wear another pair of ballet shoes. I’m the real victim here. I was rejected for the part of Cinderella, not once, but twice!” She held up two fingers and stabbed them in the air dramatically.
    â€œMaybe you stole the slippers because you’re mad about not getting the part,” Bess said.
    â€œOf course I’m mad. I should have beenCinderella!” Nadine huffed. “But why would I make things even worse by committing a crime? I don’t want to spend opening night in jail!”
    Nancy, Bess, and George exchanged a look. Nadine was being her usual drama-queen self. But was she telling the truth about not stealing the slippers?
    Sometimes clues are a lot easier to figure out than people , Nancy thought.
    On the studio floor, rehearsal was under way for one of the Act Two scenes. Nancy watched George, Bess, and some of the other dancers practicing pirouettes with Mr. McGuire’s help. Pirouettes involved spinning on one foot and were difficult to do.
    Nancy was not in this scene, so she took the opportunity to do a second search for clues. This time, she crawled around on the floor on her hands and knees to get a really close look. She peeked into every crevice. She peered intoevery nook and cranny. She found a lot of rusty bobby pins, empty paper cups, and dust bunnies. Yuck , she thought, making a face.
    And then she found something a