Nancy Clue Mysteries 2 - The Case of the Good-for-Nothing Girlfriend (3 page)

Nancy looked puzzled, but Cherry's story had done the trick. She was no longer crying. This time she accepted Cherry's handkerchief gratefully, mopped her face, and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

At Cherry's urging, Nancy took her compact from her purse and applied a fresh dusting of powder to her pert but now shiny nose. Light pink lipstick completed her look. She then brushed her tangled titian hair until it shone.

"Feeling better?" Cherry asked.

Nancy admitted that she did feel much improved.

"A girl must always look her best and be prepared for the worst," Cherry said cheerfully.

Nancy smiled wanly but said nothing. Cherry could tell her mind was miles away. Sixteen-hundred eighty-six miles, to be exact.

They sat for a while on a big boulder in quiet contemplation before Nancy uttered a big sigh and stood up. "I guess if we're ever going to get out of here I should take a look at that darn automobile and see what can be done," she said resolutely, sounding once again like the sensible girl with whom Cherry had fallen truly and deeply in love.

"How brave she is," Cherry thought, her heart leaping with joy when she realized that Nancy must have abandoned her plans to fly home. "I'll bet we'll be out of here in a jiffy! We'll be speeding through the majestic mountain state of Wyoming before you know it! ",she bubbled.

Cherry felt a thrill when she imagined how exciting the sightseeing would be as they traveled through the picturesque and colorful state, with its many recreational pleasures. Nancy looked unconvinced, so, as they walked back to the car, Cherry kept up a chirpy chatter, hoping to cheer up her cynical chum. "We can have supper in nearby Pocatello while the car's being fixed. After all, we do have to eat in order to keep our strength up," she added.

"A nice dry martini would sure hit the spot right now," Nancy admitted, sounding a bit calmer.

Was it Cherry's imagination, or was Nancy sounding almost cheerful? Cherry smiled. Who else would have thought of having a cocktail but Nancy? Golly, she was so sophisticated, she always knew the right thing to do!

"I'll bet Midge knows a lot about cars," Cherry guessed as they walked back to the convertible. "I'll bet she'll get us out of here in no time at all."

She had to smile when she thought of their tall, strong traveling companion, Midge Fontaine, the only girl among them with the upper body strength necessary to get the car moving if it wouldn't start on its own. Cherry had met the muscular Midge during her recent adventure in San Francisco. Although Midge, a handsome girl with a take-charge attitude and a tendency to tease, and Cherry, a small-town girl with a bubbly, eager-to-please nature and a habit of blushing at the slightest provocation, were as different as two girls could be, they had become fast friends during their recent adventure.

A case of mistaken identity had brought the two unlikely chums together. Dark-haired Cherry and Midge's longtime girlfriend, the lovely Velma Pierce, bore an uncanny resemblance to one another, resulting in a scary mix-up that had put the vivacious Velma in grave danger! Luckily, Cherry and Midge had been able to save her and had become good friends in the process.

"Only, Velma's more stylish than I am," thought Cherry, who frankly felt like Velma's drab little sister in comparison with the older, more glamorous girl.

Cherry, a sweet, simple girl from a small farming town, had to admit she was more at home in a plain, starched white nurse's uniform or the simple, cotton frocks she favored, than in the revealing get-ups Velma wore with such aplomb. "Plus Velma is always impeccably groomed, while I'm usually slightly mussed and my curls are all asunder!

"Who would have guessed that their picture-perfect romance began under the most trying of circumstances, while Midge was an inmate at a women's prison and Velma was her teacher?" Cherry thought to herself. She shivered when she thought of how Velma had risked her own safety to smuggle Midge out of jail, and how the devoted pair had spent years hiding from the police. It was the most romantic story ever!

Lucky for Midge, they had met Officer Jackie Jones in San Francisco, who had not only helped them solve their exciting mystery but had used her influence to wipe Midge's record clean.

"Midge is no longer an escaped convict, but a productive member of society," Cherry gave a happy sigh. "And she and Velma make an awfully attractive couple," Cherry thought dreamily. "Midge's masculine outfits, slicked-back hairstyle, and rugged good looks perfectly complement Velma's feminine frocks and movie star glamour. They're a perfect match," Cherry thought.

"Where is everybody?" Nancy worried aloud, pointing toward the car. Cherry got her mind off fashion fast when she realized with a start that Midge was no longer where they had seen her last, leaning against the side of the car smoking a cigarette.

For that matter, Velma, who was usually never far from Midge's side, and the fifth member of the little group, Lauren Rooney, a spunky girl of sixteen who dogged the devoted couple "like a bad reputation," as Midge was wont to joke, were nowhere to be seen!

"We mustn't waste another minute out here," Nancy fretted, looking around frantically for the missing girls. "If we're to get to town and find someone to repair our automobile tonight, we'd better move fast."

"They must have wandered off to enjoy this splendid scenery," Cherry realized, noting that dusk was settling over the valley where their car had broken down. Cherry sucked in a swift breath of astonishment as she gazed at the dazzling pinks and reds of the summer sunset reflecting off the lofty mountain ranges surrounding them. Little wonder her native Idaho, with its rugged mountain ranges, rolling farmlands, and swiftly flowing rivers was often referred to as the Gem State!

She stifled an urge to break out in a resounding refrain of the state song, a melodic tune sung each morning in all Idaho schools, right after the Pledge of Allegiance. Cherry contented herself with humming the first stanza of "Here We Have Idaho" under her breath.

"Brrrr. It's started to get chilly," she shivered, folding her arms across her bosom and skipping ahead to the car so she could retrieve her sensible white cardigan sweater, which she had left in the back seat.

"Oops!" Cherry cried in embarrassment when she flung open the back door and got a sudden surprise. She turned a brilliant shade of crimson.

She had found Midge! And Velma, too!

"I'm gonna have to push this thing to town," Midge declared as she slammed the hood of the car in disgust.

Cherry quickly consulted the map of Idaho she always carried in her purse. If her calculations were correct, downtown Pocatello was only a few miles away. "We'll get there before it's completely dark," she was pleased to note.

Before Midge could start pushing, Cherry jumped into the back seat and grabbed her travel firstaid kit. She wanted it to be in easy reach in case Midge hurt herself.

Midge had to grin when she saw the attractive girl emerge holding the white metal box with the red cross emblazoned on the side. Every time Midge saw the comely, dark-haired nurse, she was amazed at the resemblance the girl had to her own Velma. In fact, the two looked so much alike that one night just eight days earlier, Midge had found herself in the embarrassing position of pinching the wrong girl! Luckily, besides being a first-rate registered nurse and crackerjack detective, Cherry had turned out to be a good sport as well.

While Cherry was girlish in every sense of the word, Midge disguised her more feminine attributes with a cool attitude. She was frankly passionate about two things and two things only: her cocker spaniel Eleanor, left at home in Warm Springs, Oregon, and "the other love of my life," the beautiful, curvaceous Velma, who had hopped back into the car and was at this very moment using the rearview mirror to refresh her lipstick and run a comb through her shoulder-length, shiny black hair, styled in an attractive page boy.

Midge snapped back to reality just in time to hear Nancy and Cherry chorus in alarm, "Where's Lauren? We can't possibly go until Lauren gets here! Where could she be?"

Midge flushed a little. "A while ago she expressed an interest in the natural beauty of our surroundings, so I suggested she take a walk," she admitted. "But I warned her not to go too far from the car," Midge added with concern in her voice. She called for their young friend, but there was no answer. "Everyone stay here," Midge ordered. "I'll go get her." She ground out her cigarette under the heel of her black penny loafers, kissed Velma good-bye, and strode off.

Cherry busied herself tidying the car, Nancy sneaked behind a bush to change into a fresh outfit, and Velma hopped up on the hood of the automobile and began applying a coat of polish to her long, tapered fingernails.

"Aren't you at all worried?" Cherry wondered as she brushed cookie crumbs from the white leather interior of the snappy convertible. She was frankly amazed at Velma's cool demeanor. "Lauren's lost, we're stuck on some back road, and, only moments ago, Nancy was on the verge of near-hysteria! " Cherry cried.

Velma grinned and patted the spot next to her. Cherry hopped up.

"Relax," Velma said kindly, squeezing Cherry's arm. She rummaged through her purse and tossed a bottle of Pearly Pink nail polish in Cherry's lap. "Those girls of ours are always involved in some little adventure, aren't they?" she added conspiratorially.

Cherry smiled. Velma was right. She hadn't thought about the consequences of being in love with someone as busy as a famous girl detective. She hoped she was up to the task! "How did you get so wise?" Cherry blurted out. "About people, I mean?"

"I've lived with Midge for eleven years," Velma laughed. "Honey, I could write a book!" The two girls laughed merrily. "You know what I think is the cutest thing?" Velma added with a chuckle. "I realized today that Lauren is turning into a miniature version of Midge!"

"It's true," Cherry agreed. "Earlier, when we stopped for sodas, I watched Lauren walking toward the car and thought, she's beginning to walk like Midge."

"That strut's kind of cute on a kid, don't you think?" Velma grinned. Then she got a dreamy look in her eyes. "When I see Lauren, with her scruffy clothes, tough attitude, and bossy ways, I think, that's what Midge must have been like as a young girl. I wish I had known her then, before five years in that women's prison made her so-"

"What do you think of this color on me?" Cherry cried loudly, cutting Velma off. "Do you think this particular shade of pink polish really complements my dress?" She flung her hands about, trying to warn Velma that Nancy was headed their way. Velma got the hint. Cherry was trying to keep unpleasant topics out of earshot of the distraught detective.

"I think that color is you, Cherry," Velma said enthusiastically. "Oh, hi, Nancy, you're back."

"We were just discussing nail polish," Cherry explained. She gave her chum a quick peck on the cheek. "What do you think of this color?" Cherry asked, holding out one hand. Nancy agreed with Velma that the pale pink polish looked especially nice with Cherry's pink taffeta outfit. "You do look good in pink, Cherry," Nancy said.

Cherry blushed prettily at the praise. "And you look enchanting in that full-skirted, sleeveless, paisley-print, silk chiffon summer dinner dress you've selected! It's darling! And I love that beaded sweater you've casually tossed over your shoulders. It looks like you're ready for a gay evening."

"I'm afraid my summer straw bag isn't nearly fancy enough for this outfit," Nancy admitted ruefully. It was the only purse she had with her! "Imagine forgetting to pack a dressy purse! What must I have been thinking?"

Cherry tried to steer Nancy away from serious topics. "I love your pearls!" she enthused, taking a closer look at the luminescent beads around Nancy's neck. "You have so many nice things," Cherry gushed, remembering the sapphire and diamond starburst brooch and earring set Nancy had worn the night they met.

"Hannah insisted I pack my portable jewelry case," Nancy explained, pointing to her purse, where she kept the small white leather case with its assortment of fine jewelry and some fun costume accessories, besides. Her face suddenly grew grim, and the sparkle went out of her pretty blue eyes. Cherry knew she was thinking of Hannah, whose only jewelry now was a prison identification bracelet. She quickly tried to change the subject.