Nancy Clue Mysteries 1 - The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse (19 page)

The drive to Napa had been a breeze, except that Midge couldn't stop worrying about Cherry. "I feel bad about sending that shy kid out into the night all by herself," she confessed to Jackie, keeping her voice low so as not to awaken Lauren, who was sound asleep in the back seat.

"Well, if Cherry's not actually here, at least she's here in spirit," Midge added with a laugh, indicating the pile of carefully folded maps in a leatherette portfolio under the seat.

"I couldn't help but notice you got us here without having to check any of those maps," Jackie said.

"Oh, I was up here once a long time ago," Midge answered casually. "But it's changed a lot. Perhaps if we drive around a bit, I'll remember which road leads to the convent property."

"What in the world would have brought you, of all people, to a convent, of all places?" Jackie quizzed her.

"Once I thought I might take the veil," Midge said quickly.

"Will wonders never cease," Jackie laughed.

While they searched in the dark for the right road, Jackie told Midge everything she knew about The Sisters of Mercy.

Midge listened with a studied attentiveness. "It's a self-sufficient teaching order," Jackie said. "The nuns support their school for girls by growing grapes for local vineyards. Rumor has it that the church wants to take back the convent from the good sisters and develop the land into a retirement home for priests. The locals are sure to fight that. Everyone considers the nuns to be a calming influence in an unstable region. For as serene as this area seems, this county has the highest rate of runaway wives in the state!" she revealed. "It's the funniest thing. These women seem to vanish into thin air."

"Imagine that," Midge said, turning her face to the window.

"Imagine being married," Jackie shuddered. The girls had a good laugh.

Suddenly Jackie jammed on the brakes, narrowly missing a deer bounding across the road. Lauren jerked awake. "Are we there yet?" she groaned.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Midge assured her. "Turn here," she said, pointing out a dirt road to the left. Soon Jackie was navigating dark, bumpy country roads with only the moon and the stars to guide her.

"If memory serves, we should be behind the convent soon," Midge said, peering into the darkness ahead.

Just then Jackie noticed a pair of headlights in the rearview mirror.

"Gee, this must be a popular joint. Who else would be visiting a convent at this hour?" Jackie wondered.

The car that had been behind them sped past, almost sideswiping them. "That's Gertrude's car," Lauren shouted. The car turned onto a side road and stopped suddenly. Jackie turned off her headlights and pulled over. She peered at the scene through her binoculars.

A tall man wearing a long black overcoat got out, opened the trunk and took out state police roadblocks. He blocked the road and roared away.

"Those are fake roadblocks!" Jackie cried. "Look-he's added an extra "e" on the end of the word police!"

"Let's move them and follow him," Lauren urged excitedly.

"He's headed for the convent," Midge said. "I think we'd attract less attention if we followed him on foot. It's not that far."

Jackie got out of the car, opened the trunk and took out a tool box. Inside was an assortment of tools, rope and pipes of various lengths and weights.

"I got this from my locker at police headquarters," Jackie explained, "for those days when I need extra, added protection."

"From criminals?" Lauren asked.

Jackie laughed bitterly. "No, from my fellow cops!"

"Pipes make great weapons," Midge said with a grin.

"And they can't be traced," added Jackie.

"And they're easy to hide," said Lauren, picking up a pipe and sliding it down one leg of her overalls and into her boot. Midge and Jackie did the same, Jackie tucking her service revolver into her belt.

"Who's got the map Cherry found at Aunt Gert's?" Jackie asked.

"Don't you have it?" Midge asked.

Jackie shook her head. "I thought you had it."

Midge groaned. "I bet Cherry has it. Some detectives we are," she said. "We can't even hang on to the one clue we do manage to find!"

"Cherry did leave us the teddy bear," Lauren pointed out.

"Great," Midge grumbled. "Some help a stupid stuffed bear will be."

Lauren tucked the bear into the front pocket of her overalls. "He'll hear you," she admonished. Midge groaned.

"Let's go, girls," Jackie said. "This is no time for regrets. We'll do the best we can with what we've got."

Midge led the way. Although Jackie had a flashlight, they were afraid the strong beam would attract attention, and so they stumbled along in the darkness. They gingerly made their way through the thick brush surrounding the convent, aware that the dense foliage could be hiding anything.

"Or anyone," Midge shivered to herself. "Be careful," Midge whispered to her companions as they drew closer to the convent. "The building is ringed with old rose bushes, which have really big thorns. It's an allusion to Christ's crown of thorns," she explained. "It's a medieval practice."

They heard a twig snap somewhere ahead of them. The trio ducked behind the trunk of a thick old redwood. Jackie drew her revolver. "It sounds like someone's marching back and forth," she whispered.

"We're very close to the main portal of the convent," Midge said. "Someone must be guarding it."

Just then the full moon broke free of a cloud, and shone upon the spooky scene, providing the girls with enough light to clearly see their foe.

"There's someone in a flowing white robe guarding the entrance. And he's got a rifle," Jackie gasped.

Lauren took Jackie's binoculars and peered through them. "That's an altar boy," she said. "I know because when I was a kid, I wanted to be one, but Father Buchanan said girls weren't allowed that close to the Sacred Host."

"Look," Midge cried, grabbing the binoculars from Lauren and training them on the lower part of the large stone building. "There's something going on in the cellar," she whispered sharply, handing the binoculars back to Jackie.

"See? There's a thin beam of light showing through the basement window."

"This proves without a doubt that someone is hiding something in there," Jackie exclaimed. "But how would they have gotten them there? The police already went over these grounds with a fine-tooth comb, and found nothing. That's why we haven't seen any patrol cars in the area. They've already given up here," Jackie informed them.

"I say we jump the altar boy and get inside," Midge proposed. Lauren seconded the idea.

As soon as the altar boy turned his back, the girls raced towards him, with pipes in hand. He twirled around just in time to see them coming.

"Jesus Christ!" he yelled when he spied the girls.

Jackie pulled her gun on him. "Shut up!" she said in an angry whisper, grabbing his gun. "One peep out of you and there'll be one fewer altar boy at mass next Sunday!" she threatened.

"I'm not afraid of you," he sneered. "Why, Father will be here any minute with five armed deacons, and they'll take care of you girls."

"Wanna bet?" Midge replied. She grabbed the muscular lad by the collar and raised him high in the air.

"Please don't hurt me," he whimpered.

"Where's Velma?" Midge demanded.

"Who?" the boy asked, his voice quavering.

"You know. She was kidnapped and brought here. She's got dark hair, and was wearing a yellow dress."

"If you put down that gun, I'll tell you everything," the boy whimpered.

But instead of keeping his promise, he cried for help. Jackie grabbed him. "I ought to do you in right here," she said.

"Wait," Midge interrupted.

"Yeah, wait. You wouldn't dare harm an altar boy," he said arrogantly.

Midge slugged him, knocking him unconscious. "What I meant to say was, wait, a gun will make too much noise. That should keep the arrogant little brat quiet for a few hours."

"We'd better get moving," Jackie said. "He said his father was going to be here any minute."

"And look! The light from the cellar's been extinguished. We've got to hurry," Midge said. She jerked the robe off the limp boy and handed it to Lauren. "Here-put this on and pick up that rifle. Quick," she whispered. "I hear footsteps coming this way."

Lauren donned the billowy white robe and took her post, while Midge and Jackie ducked behind a rosebush and prayed that Lauren would pull off the charade.

"She's really quite good," Midge thought, noticing that Lauren gave a convincing performance as an arrogant altar boy. She even remembered to spit now and then. "Why, she's a born Girl Scout," Midge thought proudly.

The man they had seen drive up in Aunt Gert's car opened the thick wooden front door and poked his head out.

"Joe, is everything okay out here?" he asked.

Lauren grunted her reply. The man seemed satisfied, and went away.

"I recognize that man," Jackie whispered. "My god, it's Father Helms. His picture was in the newspaper along with the story about the church taking this land from the sisters. If the missing nuns are really trapped in there, that makes him the ringleader. Why, if that's true, this case is even bigger than anyone imagined!"

"I heard him talking to someone," Lauren reported as she joined them. She struggled out of the billowy robe. "Right as he closed the door, some guy said something about that stubborn nurse not giving them what they wanted. Then the other one said he had ways of making her talk! "

"I must get in there and save Velma!" Midge cried. "This is so frustrating! I have what they want, but they don't know it."

She pulled the book from her jacket pocket. "This contains something that priest wants desperately, but what is it? I've looked through it over and over, but I've found nothing." She fell to her knees. "Oh, Velma!" she sobbed. "Where are you?"

"Look," Jackie cried, pointing to the book, which had fallen open on the ground beside Midge. "Could this be something?" She picked up the well-worn novel. "See how the spine here is broken? Maybe this page contains a clue of some sort."

"'The heart of every convent is the chapel,"' she read. "And it's been underlined. It might be a clue."

"The chapel-I think I remember how to get there," Midge said, composing herself. "Stay low to the ground so no one can see us."

They made their way in the dark, clinging to the rough stone of the building. Soon they came to a series of low, wide windows.

"This is the refectory," Midge whispered. "It's where the nuns take their meals. Get down!" she hissed suddenly. "There's someone in there!"

"Look!" Lauren whispered. "Nuns!"

Lauren was right. Coming through the long narrow room were three nuns, each holding a tray of steaming food. And Father Helms was behind it all, with a gun trained on them!

The group turned a corner and disappeared into darkness.

"That looks like a lot of food for one puny priest," Jackie commented. "They're either feeding the nuns, or..."

"Or there's more of his kind inside," Midge shivered. "Why, for all we know, there's legions of evil priests all over this place. And they could all be armed." She looked around. "Where's Lauren?" she cried, alarmed that the young girl seemed to have disappeared.

"Over here," Lauren called, taking care to keep her voice low. She was calling through the refectory window!

"Come in through that side door," she added, pointing to a small passageway near the kitchen. "And stop chatting so much. You'll give us away."

"She's a smug little twerp, but awfully handy," Midge grinned to herself as she made her way inside.

"Lauren, how did you find a way in? All the doors we've tried are locked."

"I used my matches to melt the leading on a stained glass window," Lauren bragged. "I managed to remove a piece big enough for me to slip through."

They tiptoed to the chapel, Midge reciting from the book as they walked. "`The centerpiece of any religious order is its chapel, especially if such chapel is lucky enough to contain a relic."'

"What's a relic?" Jackie asked.

"We studied relics last week at Sunday School," Lauren reported. "It's a bone or a fragment from a saint with a shrine built around it. Sometimes they have a statue made that looks like the saint-only dead-and put the bone in that. Keen, huh?"

"That's very colorful," Jackie said. "I had no idea the Catholic Church had such tasteful traditions."

"I can tell you guys all kinds of really cool stuff," Lauren bubbled.

"We will certainly look forward to that," Midge said dryly. "Now hush up before they hear us!"

They had arrived at the chapel without incident. "The door to the sacristy is open," Lauren said. For Jackie's benefit, she explained that the sacristy was a special room where priests' vestments are kept.

"No one except priests are ever allowed in there," she said solemnly. "Why, you could go straight to hell!"

"This is a bad time to worry about hell, Lauren," Midge said. "Let's go check it out." The sacristy was a small room paneled in the finest oak. Inside were many vestments sewn of the finest silks. "I think this is gold thread," Midge reported.