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exercises, Nancy headed toward the pile of dancers’ bags where she’d left her purse. Brad walked over and joined her, saying he was going out for a drink of water and that he’d meet her in the hall. Ned and Belinda had disappeared, as had James and Colby. Katya was sitting on the floor massaging her ankle. The room had pretty much emptied out,and only a few dancers were left practicing particularly difficult steps.
    As Nancy grabbed the strap of her purse, she noticed that the zipper was open. I’m sure I didn’t leave that undone, she thought. Then she noticed a white square of paper sticking out. With a feeling of foreboding, she pulled it out. Even before she opened it, she knew what it was—another threat letter. One of the company members must have slipped it into her purse before leaving the studio.
    I should have paid much more attention to people while they were leaving, Nancy scolded herself. But I was too busy having that useless discussion with Andre, and so I missed a chance for a valuable clue! I’ve got to face it, I’ve been sloppy in my detective work.
    Calmly, she unfolded the piece of paper.
    We’re both looking for the same object. But I am sure you won’t find it. In fact, I challenge you to a race to see which of us can locate it first. The winner gets to keep the pin.
    The Thief.
    Nancy reread the note carefully, her heart beating excitedly. So the person who had stolen the Raja diamond didn’t know where it was, either! How could that be possible?
    It was her first break of the case. If the thiefdidn’t have the pin, there was no way it could have been smuggled out of the country. Nancy felt as though she’d gotten a reprieve.
    She had no idea which of the dancers had hidden the letter in her bag. It could have been anyone. But who could have written it?
    Nancy skimmed the letter once more. There was something about the way it was phrased that seemed familiar. Wait now, hadn’t Ana just called the diamond, the object? Yes. She had said, “That priceless object belongs to the Rajas!” It was a small point, but it did link Ana with the note.
    Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nancy remembered someone else using that same word to describe the missing pin. But who had it been? She couldn’t quite remember. Was it Belinda? She couldn’t be sure.
    Nancy folded the letter carefully, suddenly feeling happy. Whoever the thief was had challenged her. And Nancy was never one to turn down a dare. In fact, the idea of competing with the unknown criminal made Nancy feel almost giddy.
    I’m going to win this race for the diamond, Nancy promised herself. I’m going to win it if it’s the last thing I ever do.

Chapter

Nine
    B RAD, I HAVE a very important assignment for you,” Nancy said.
    â€œYou do?” Brad answered doubtfully.
    â€œUh-huh.” Nancy pulled photocopies of the two threat letters out of her bag. “We need to check the type on these notes against that of the different typewriters around the CBT offices. If we can match the letters, we’ll have a good lead to the thief.”
    â€œGreat,” Brad said enthusiastically.
    â€œAll you have to do is get samples of print from a few offices—especially James’s and Colby’s. Itshouldn’t be too hard. Meet me back here in the lobby in a half hour, okay?”
    â€œOkay.” Brad gave Nancy a kiss, then hurried up the broad lobby steps toward the main CBT offices. He seemed very intent on his mission.
    He was so serious, in fact, that Nancy almost felt like laughing. By getting Brad busy doing something, she was free to investigate without being held back by him. Because of the challenge the thief had thrown at her the day before, Nancy was more determined than ever to find the pin.
    Right then, Nancy’s goal was to go to the dancers’ lounge to talk to some of the dancers who weren’t on her suspect list. It was