“Oh, no!” she heard George whisper behind her. Bess came up a moment later and stood next to them. “I don’t believe it!” she gasped.

Nancy didn’t either. She pushed her way through the players and stepped forward for a closer look. What she saw confirmed her suspicion: The figure wasn’t human after all. It was an effigy—a dummy dressed in an Emerson basketball uniform.

Looking closer, she saw a sign pinned to its chest. It read: Death to the Wildcats!

“That’s sick.”

Ned was standing next to her, she realized. A look of disgust darkened his handsome, square-cut face.

“You said it!” Mike O’Shea spat, joining them. “Who’d do something like this?”

That was exactly the question on Nancy’s mind. If this was supposed to be a joke, then it wasn’t very funny. Turning away, she walked over to Coach Burnett, who was standing to one side with Dr. Riggs. Both men were shaking their heads.

“The sooner I get to work on this the better,” Nancy said quietly. “Do you think you can get this gym cleared out?”

“Sure thing,” the coach replied. “Okay, guys! You’ve seen what there is to see. Let’s move out!”

The team started back to the locker room slowly. Nancy saw many unhappy looks and overheard the words “jinx” and “bad luck” as the players muttered to one another in low tones.

Coach Burnett was following his team out when Nancy stopped him. “That uniform the effigy is wearing . . . how could the joker have gotten hold of it?” she asked.

“Probably bought it.” The coach shrugged. “That’s not our official uniform—just a copy that anyone can purchase at the student bookstore.”

“You’re sure? It couldn’t have been stolen from someone on the team?”

“No, we’ve never used that number.”

“Okay, thanks, Coach Burnett. I’ll let you know the second I’ve got any solid leads.”

When the gym was finally empty, Nancy held a conference with Bess and George.

“First we’ve got to establish how the joker got in. George, you check every door to the building. I want to know whether they’re locked.”