Nancy Clue Mysteries 2 - The Case of the Good-for-Nothing Girlfriend (29 page)

Bess handed her the empty dish. "We ate it," was all she could think to say.

"What's happening here?" Nancy asked.

"Nancy Clue, we heard all about what you did yesterday! "

Cherry gasped. Did everyone know that Nancy had come home with another girl last night?

"Who do you think you are, going to the Chief that way and insisting he release Hannah?" Mrs. Meeks snapped.

"It's all over town how you tried to bully him into letting that horrible housekeeper go," Mrs. Tweeds informed them in an icy tone. The girls gasped when they heard the sordid slander.

"We can't believe you'd take Hannah's side," the other women chorused from the porch. "Oh, Nancy, how could you?"

"So we've come to get our food," Mrs. Tweeds said coldly.

"Oh, dear," Cherry fretted. She had already mailed the thank-you notes for the delicious dishes.

"How can you take her side after she murdered your poor, dear father? And you didn't even bother to turn up for the funeral," Mrs. Meeks sniffed. She glared at Nancy's sunny outfit. "And you're wearing pastels, and its only been two weeks!"

"Shame on you, Nancy Clue," the matrons chorused from their position on the porch.

Mrs. Tweeds took a lace-edged hankie from her purse and wiped her eyes. "If I weren't a lady, I'd tell you exactly what I think of girls like you!"

"Your father was such a dear man," Mrs. Meeks added. "Why, they're building a statue in his honor right now in the town square. I'm the head of the fundraising committee. Care to contribute?"

Nancy gulped. "You don't understand," she said, tears filling her eyes.

"I think we do," Mrs. Meeks said in a frosty tone. "We understand that you are one ungrateful girl. After all your father did for you, providing you with a nice home in an exclusive neighborhood, sending you to the best private girls' school around, buying you closets full of attractive outfits, not to mention the parade of convertibles that came and went! Is this how you repay him? Is it?" she screamed. Her face was bright red when she finished with her harangue.

"Let's go, girls," she spat.

The angry matrons stalked off, leaving behind a trail of Chantilly. Nancy slammed the door behind them so hard, the entire house shook. She kicked it, too, for good measure. Then she limped into the pantry and returned a moment later with a bottle of cooking sherry. She poured a liberal amount into her coffee cup and was preparing to gulp it down when she saw the disapproving look on Midge's face.

"The answer to your problem is not in that bottle," Midge said.

Nancy tossed the drink down the drain. She leaned against the sink and gave way to a torrent of tears.

Cherry thanked her lucky stars that she had had the foresight to launder Nancy's handkerchiefs. She ran to get one.

"I must get Hannah out of jail before it kills her!" Nancy cried as she wiped her tears. "But how? Hannah's prints are all over the murder gun, and the only evidence that could possibly free her and exonerate me has been stolen by persons unknown!"

There was a sharp rap at the door. "If that's Mrs. Meeks come back to scold me again, why, I won't be quite so agreeable this time," Nancy declared. She flung open the door, poised for a fight. Instead, a wonderful surprise awaited her.

"Detective Jackie Jones, what are you doing here?" Nancy gasped in delight. "You're supposed to be in San Francisco!"

Jackie Jones put down her valise and swept up Nancy in a big hug.

"Oh, you couldn't have come at a better time! We're in an awful jam and need your help," Nancy said with relief.

The girls raced to greet their chum, who had started the journey with them but had been called back on official duty only minutes into the trip.

The girls had met Jackie Jones, a handsome girl with warm brown skin, sparkling black eyes, and a broad grin that always made Cherry melt just a little, in San Francisco on their last adventure. Jackie was still a beat cop when she had been drawn into The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse. Her work on the case had resulted in a happy ending for everyone. She had been promoted to detective, Midge had gotten her police record wiped clean, and a whole convent of nuns had been rescued.

"Who wouldn't like Jackie, what with her keen mind, powerful build, good looks, and warm, winning ways?" Cherry thought. In fact, Cherry's boss, Head Nurse Margaret Marstad, had begun a romance with the dapper detective the very first night they'd met!

"Your timing couldn't be any better," Midge grinned, slapping Jackie on the back.

Cherry beamed. Somehow she always felt so secure when Jackie was around. She didn't know if it was her well-developed biceps or the gun strapped in its leather case, which Jackie wore slung low over one hip. She didn't exactly know what it was, but she knew, all of a sudden, she just felt better!

They introduced Jackie to Bess and George, who were impressed to meet a police detective from a big city like San Francisco!

"Is that a real gun?" Bess tittered.

Jackie grinned. "How about a cup of good, strong coffee, and then I'll let you touch it."

Midge set a pot of water to boil while Bess bustled about the kitchen, preparing a scrumptious meal. Soon the room was flooded with the most delicious smells.

"I flew all night in a cargo plane to get here," Jackie said wearily as she settled into a kitchen chair. "We stopped at every big city between San Francisco and Springfield. Then I had to take three buses to get to River Depths because no cab driver would pick me up. Why, the way people stared, you'd think they'd never seen anyone like me before in Illinois!"

Bess almost dropped an egg when she heard this. "How horrid," she cried. "I hope you don't think all Illinoisans are like that!"

"I don't understand," Cherry exclaimed in a puzzled tone. "Did you tell them you were a decorated police detective? Did you show them your gold badge?" Cherry smiled when she remembered that after Jackie's swearing-in ceremony the brand-new detective had let Cherry pin her muchcoveted shield on her dress for just a minute. She knew Jackie felt the same way about her badge that Cherry felt about her nurse's cap. They were symbols of the lifelong commitments they had made to serve the public.

"That's probably why I feel so close to Jackie," Cherry reasoned. "We have the same desire to help others."

"I imagine that out here the color of my skin counts more than the color of my badge," Jackie said in a disgusted tone. She waved her hand as if dismissing a pesky fly. "Tell me what's happened since I jumped ship," she commanded.

"First, you eat," Cherry said, putting a plate of just-perfect fried eggs, sizzling ham, and tasty toast in front of her chum. The others helped themselves to food from the stove, and soon they were sitting around the table, emptying cups of coffee as fast as Bess could refill them, and munching happily on the delicious food.

Jackie finally pushed away her plate and rolled up her shirt sleeves. "Now tell me what I've missed," she said in a calm, authoritative tone that sent shivers down Cherry's spine.

Cherry thrilled to the sight of the strong girl taking charge. She was frankly relieved to finally be getting some pro fessional help! "We're in a real pickle here," she proclaimed passionately.

"Tell me everything," Jackie said in a sympathetic tone. She took her detective's notebook and a pen from her inside jacket pocket.

In a trembling tone, Nancy brought Jackie up to date on the events of the last few days. "Surely you've read the scandalous things the newspapers are printing about Hannah," she said.

Jackie nodded.

"I couldn't take it any longer, so in Wyoming I called the Chief to confess to killing Father. He was so understanding and kind; he wasn't at all angry with me. Then when I told him I had evidence that would prove my father's crime, he got all excited and asked me where it was. He said he would take care of everything."

"And you told him where to find your evidence," Jackie quizzed her.

Nancy nodded. "But then someone broke in here and stole it! "

Jackie looked suspicious, but said nothing.

"I fully expected Hannah to be here when I got home, and when she wasn't, I went to the Chief's office to find out what was going on. He acted as though I had never spoken to him!" Nancy blurted out.

"My theory is that the person Nancy spoke to over the telephone was an impostor," Cherry added. "Midge speculated that the Chief was abducted by aliens."

Jackie shot Midge a swift grin. Midge just rolled her eyes.

Jackie grew grim again as she took a moment to review their statements. Then she slowly went back over the chain of events.

"On Saturday you called the Chief, confessed to murdering your father, and told him where you had hidden the evidence that would clear you."

"Or some impostor pretending to be the Chief," Cherry interjected.

"Or some impostor," Jackie smiled a little.

Nancy nodded.

"Then, that very same night, someone broke in here and stole your evidence," Jackie repeated. "Evidence that was in a secret hiding place that only you and the Chief-or the impostor-knew about."

"That's correct," Nancy said.

Jackie frowned and made a notation in her notebook. "What else has happened?"

"We just had a visit from some miffed matrons," Cherry remembered.

"They took back their casseroles," Bess added as she spread some of Hannah's heavenly homemade marmalade on a piece of toast and popped it into her mouth.

Jackie looked puzzled. "Miffed matrons? Casseroles?" she said.

Nancy explained. "Mrs. Meeks and Mrs. Tweeds; they're the ones who brought us food."

"Meat loaf A la king and tuna salad," Bess said wistfully.

"Well, they're peeved because somehow they found out I tried to get Hannah out of jail. Mrs. Meeks is one of the biggest gossips in town," Nancy said angrily. "And to think that not a year ago I risked my neck helping her rid her mansion of a ghost! "

"Who turned out to be her nefarious nephew determined to drive her mad," Bess added when she saw the alarmed expression on Cherry's face.

"Tell Jackie about the blackmailer," Cherry urged Nancy.

"Wait a minute! You're being blackmailed?" Jackie pricked up her ears. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Have you received letters asking for money? Threatening phone calls?"

Nancy quickly told Jackie about the ominous phone call she had received at the DoubleD Motor Lodge, warning her to stay away from River Depths lest a tragic fate befall her.

"And we were followed by jewel thieves, too," Cherry blurted out. Then, to Cherry's utter mortification, Midge explained in detail how the thieves had come to follow them across the plains states.

"It's not unusual for thieves to target travelers," Jackie when she saw how red Cherry had become. "Especially ones as wellgroomed and fashionably dressed as you girls," she nodded at Cherry, Nancy, and Velma. "I'll do my best to track down your mother's brooch," she tried to comfort Nancy.

Cherry smiled. She knew Jackie would be relentless in her pursuit of justice!

"Hypers," George cried. "I just remembered something. Milton Meeks is the judge that will try Hannah's case!"

"Wait a minute; there's something else," Nancy concen trated hard. So much of what had happened the day before was still a fog. Suddenly, the frightful words she had heard in the bar echoed in her ears. She repeated them for her friends.

" 'It's too bad Miss Gruel's been assigned Gerald Gloon to defend her. Why, everyone knows he's just about the worst lawyer this side of the Mississippi!' "

"Doesn't Gloon work for the district attorney?" Bess wondered aloud.

"He quit a week ago to take a job at the Public Defender's office," George said, adding, "I think his timing is highly suspicious."

"Hannah doesn't stand a ghost of a chance! " Nancy cried.

Jackie nodded her head. "It seems like a perfect frame-up," she said, "except for one thing."

"What?" the girls chorused.

"There's a signed confession and iron-clad evidence, right?"

The girls nodded.

"If they've got such great evidence, why are they going to such lengths to make sure Hannah is convicted?" Jackie wanted to know. "Why give her a lousy lawyer to boot? What are they really worried about?"

Cherry looked to Midge for an answer.

"I'm not saying a word," Midge groaned.

"I think they're worried the truth about Mr. Clue will come out," Jackie finally suggested.