Part 10 (1/2)

”Of course I do,” she said with a wicked smile. ”It is-”

Lillian didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. All of a sudden, every light in the entire studio flashed on. Shading her eyes, Nancy glanced up to the director's booth, where the lighting controls were.

There, looking down at them from behind the thick Plexiglas, was Dwayne Casper! His expression was furious, and in his hand was a gun-pointed straight at Nancy!

Chapter Sixteen.

”WELL, h.e.l.lO, YOU two!” Dwayne's voice boomed at them, seeming to come from every imaginable direction. He let out a monstrous laugh. ”I only followed Lillian, but I've trapped both of you. How lucky! Congratulations, your death scenes will look so lovely on videotape. A videotape for my personal viewing pleasure only!”

For an instant, Dwayne relaxed his grip on the gun a bit. Nancy, seeing her chance, made a dash for the door. Just as she reached it, she heard it go whooossshh whooossshh, and the red light above it flashed on. The door was locked-vacuum sealed.

”Are we locked up down there?” Dwayne screamed in a grotesque parody of Luther Parks. He laughed again. ”A little stage fright, Ms. Elliot? Actually, I didn't know until yesterday that you and Ms. Elliot were one and the same. Very good bit of acting. Very realistic. You see, we strive for realism here-real bullets, real blood, real death.” He waved his gun playfully at them.

”You two are only the first act. Rick Arlen's death will be the climax of my little soap opera. He's gotten away from me so far, thanks to you, Nancy Drew. But with you two little nuisances out of the way, I don't think he has much of a chance. Do you?”

Dwayne paused, waiting for a reply. Nancy had to think fast. This might be her only chance to save her life and Lillian's. Somehow she had to distract him, make him forget he had a gun.

”Dwayne, why? Why do you hate Rick so much? Lillian and Mattie have more reason to hate him than you do!”

Her words seemed to ignite Dwayne's fury. He exploded at her, just as he had at Bess that day in his office.

”More reason than I? What do you know about it? Keep your ignorant little mouth shut! Rick Arlen has to die, and I'll tell you why. Because he killed me, that's why. He killed Dwayne Casper.”

Dwayne paused for breath. Nancy had the feeling Dwayne's story was a long one. That was good. She needed time-time to think of a way out.

”I was an actor,” Dwayne cried, all the hurt and rage in him pouring out with his story. ”I'd studied every aspect of my craft and was a master of Shakespeare, dialects, stage combat-everything. I was underrated and underappreciated-but brilliant. Then I met Mattie.

”We fell in love, and I was the happiest man on earth. Then-then came August. We did Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet. Mattie was Juliet, but Rick beat me out for the role of Romeo. The director was a sucker for a pretty face, and so, I soon found out, was Mattie.

”From that moment on, my life was never the same. And I never forgot what he had done to me.”

As Dwayne ranted on, Nancy looked around desperately for some way out.

”I am not like some people, who fall in love every day,” he rasped. ”When I lost Mattie, I knew that I would never love anyone ever again. I decided that if I couldn't have her, I'd make money, lots of money. I gave up acting and became an agent instead.

”I made them stars. I did it all. And how did Rick pay me back? By leaving me, that's how. I got nothing in return for all my hard work-nothing at all. He had destroyed me again.

”Once Rick left, other clients began to leave. All I had left was Mattie. And then-” Dwayne paused, and his expression grew dark with rage. ”Then he started luring Mattie away from me. That's when I decided to kill him. Which brings me back-” he raised the gun at Nancy, looking down at them ”-to you two ladies.”

”Dwayne!” Nancy shouted, shaking him out of his daze. ”Your story sounds like a soap opera. That stuff doesn't happen in real life!”

”That shows what you know about life, Nancy Drew,” Dwayne rasped into the mike.” ”Real life is is a soap opera. You'll learn that. Or rather, you would have, had you lived.” a soap opera. You'll learn that. Or rather, you would have, had you lived.”

”Rick didn't kill you,” Nancy insisted. ”You're still-”

Dwayne erupted again. ”Enough!” he screamed. ”It's time for the final closeup. I'm going to write you two out of the script forever.”

Quickly, he disappeared from sight. Nancy guessed that he was on his way down to the set. That only gave her a few seconds to think of something.

Nancy looked frantically around. Lillian was standing, shocked, unable to help in any way. She was frozen with fear. As clever as she had been in figuring out who the criminal was, she was utterly useless right then.

In the few seconds she had left, Nancy scanned the set, looking for something-anything. Then, she saw it.

Over in the corner stood a large metal cylinder. On it were written the words ”Smoke Machine.” Rus.h.i.+ng over to it, Nancy found the control switch and turned it to the Dense setting.

Not a moment too soon, either. Seemingly from nowhere, Dwayne appeared.

”Ah, there you are, my nosy little friend. Would you care to rejoin Ms. Weiss onstage?”

Nancy moved slowly back to the kitchen area, hoping that her plan would work.

”What's that hissing?” Dwayne turned and looked around nervously, but all he could see was the nearer half of the studio. The rest was hidden by a thick white fog, which was made even worse by the spotlights.

Quickly, while his back was turned, Nancy grabbed Lillian by the arm and pulled her into the protection of the fog. By the time Dwayne realized what was happening and turned around again, they were gone!

Dwayne cursed loudly as Nancy dragged Lillian into a foggy corner on the set. She left Lillian there and began to walk toward the sound of Dwayne's voice. She had to get the jump on him from behind.

Then she heard a sound that made her heart sink. It was the sound of a giant fan-the wind machine.

”Very clever, Nancy Drew,” came Dwayne's voice through the diminis.h.i.+ng fog. ”But there's an antidote for every poison, or vice versa.”

The fog was now down to a very small area, and Nancy knew that her time was running out. Crouching down, she took a deep breath and prepared to make a desperate dive at Dwayne. He would still have the gun, she knew. She had only one advantage-surprise.

Rearing back, Nancy flung herself through the air at Dwayne. At the last moment, he turned and saw her. The two of them fell together, toppling over each other, and Dwayne's gun emptied itself.

Chapter Seventeen.

”THOSE WERE GUNSHOTS coming from the set!”

”Quick, this way!”

When the police raced onto the set they found Dwayne Casper flat on the floor. On top of him was Nancy Drew, holding his arms in a double hammerlock.

”His gun is on the floor over there,” she told the police breathlessly as they relieved her of her burden.

”Nancy!” Eloise exclaimed, rus.h.i.+ng over to her.

”I'm fine, really, Aunt Eloise.”