Nancy Clue Mysteries 1 - The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse (16 page)

"She talks about you all the time," Lauren said. "About how you're a nurse, and so smart and all."

They were interrupted by a muffled shout. Midge seemed to be calling from the next room, but when they ran into a small sitting room with plush chairs and oak bookshelves, Midge was nowhere to be seen!

This is crazy, thought Cherry, stopping to think for a moment.

This reminded her of something that had happened to Nancy Clue in The Case of The Sensible Shoes. A ghostly voice had turned out to be that of a ventriloquist hiding in a nearby closet.

Cherry flung open the closet door, but, except for piles of neatly folded sweaters, it was empty. She wondered for a moment if Midge was playing a prank on them, but she immediately dismissed that idea. As fun-loving as Midge was, she knew when to be serious.

Cherry followed the muffled voice, which seemed to float out of the room and into the hallway. Suddenly, there was a knock on the wall right next to Cherry's ear. This time she really was frightened. "Suppose the house is haunted," she thought, "and there's a ghostly reason for Aunt Gert's disappearance?"

Cherry knocked on the wall, and the ghost knocked back.

"Why, it's a code," thought Cherry.

The ghost knocked twice. Cherry knocked twice.

Three knocks followed. Ditto, Cherry.

"If it would just continue, I'm sure I could crack the code," Cherry exclaimed, her ear to the wall. A few minutes went by, but there were no more knocks. She felt a draft from behind. Shivers ran down her spine. She whirled around to find Midge standing there with a big grin on her face.

"Shhh," said Cherry. "There's a ghost in the wall; it's trying to tell me something."

"Oh," Midge grinned. "Does it go like this?" She rapped three times on the wall.

Cherry looked puzzled. "How..."

"I'm the ghost," Midge laughed. "This way," she said to Cherry, leading her to the sitting room. Midge picked a book from the shelf and the massive oak bookcase swung silently open.

"Look-it's a secret passageway!" Cherry gasped.

"Good work," said Jackie, appearing behind them. "How did you think of looking for a hiding place?"

"I read it in a book when I was a kid. Remember Kit Karr, the girl detective? Once she was trapped in an evil professor's windowless study, and she escaped by finding the secret passageway in a bookshelf," Midge explained.

"I remember those books," Cherry cried. "My favorite was The Kandy Kane Kaper," she recalled, remembering the delicious delight of reading late at night under the covers, with only her flashlight for illumination.

Jackie interrupted their fond reminiscing. "We'll hold the book club later, girls," she said, as she slipped into the passageway. Cherry and Midge followed her lead, stumbling over each other as they groped their way through the darkness. Once they were inside, the bookshelf swung shut behind them. "We'll be trapped!" Cherry exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Midge said. "I know where the button is that opens the bookcase from the inside."

"Ouch!" Cherry cried. "Midge, stop stepping on my feet. If you had let me keep my purse, we'd have a flashlight right now," Cherry moaned, explaining that she always kept one in her handbag in case of an emergency. "Midge wouldn't let me carry my purse with this outfit," she explained. "She said it wasn't the, what was that word you used, Midge? Begins with a b?"

"Butch," Midge said. "It's not the butch thing to do." She pulled a book of matches from her pocket and handed them to Cherry. "Try these," she said.

Soon they came to a space large enough for two cots and a small chair. "Why, someone's been living here," Jackie said. Indeed, the small space bore evidence of human habitation. A teacup sat on the arm of the overstuffed chair, and the cots were heaped with warm blankets, including a quilt Cherry recognized as her aunt's handiwork.

On the floor next to one cot was a stack of books. "LookKit Karr mysteries!" Cherry cried, picking up The Kase of The Kreepy Kave. A piece of paper fell from between the pages of the book. "It's a map!" Cherry cried. "Perhaps it's a clue of some sort."

She held a match in front of the worn piece of paper. "It's too dark in here to make it out. We'll look at it later, under better light," she declared. She put the paper in her pocket. They looked around for more clues.

"A child's been living here," Jackie said, picking up a worn stuffed bear from the cot. "This bear's been around for a long time," she said, noting the repaired stuffed arm and mismatched glass eyes.

"Why, it's Billy," Cherry said, gingerly taking the stuffed animal and holding it close to her bosom. "I gave this bear to Aunt Gert years and years ago, when my father kicked her out of the house. I snuck it in her suitcase at the very last minute." She tucked the bear under her arm. "We've simply got to find the child who was last with Billy," she declared.

A quick survey of the tiny room failed to turn up any more clues. As they headed back to the entryway, the last match fluttered, and then went out. And try as they might, they couldn't find the secret button that opened the passageway. "That darn escape button was right here a minute ago," Midge scowled.

"We're trapped!" Cherry cried.

"Be calm," Jackie said in a soothing voice.

"But I can't breathe," Cherry said, clutching her throat. She was beginning to feel dizzy.

"Don't be silly, Cherry," Midge teased. "People have been living here-there's obviously plenty of air."

Cherry blushed and realized that Midge was right. She was thankful that the darkness hid her embarrassment.

"Where's that kid?" Midge wanted to know. She started banging on the wall for Lauren. They could hear her muffled voice coming from the other side of the wall.

"Lauren, let us out," they called.

"Grh mun thk?" Lauren mumbled.

"Darn it, Lauren, swallow the darn cookie and listen!" Midge was really annoyed this time.

The girl did as she was told. "How do I get you out?" she called.

"It's a book on the third ...no, fourth shelf. In the middle. Just take it off the shelf," Midge replied.

"What's it about?" Lauren wanted to know.

"I'll tell you later," cried an exasperated Midge. "I am never having children," she added under her breath.

They could hear the girl rummaging all willy-nilly through the shelves. A moment later the door swung open. Lauren smirked at the trapped trio, her arms folded over her baggy overalls. "Aren't you going to thank me?" she wanted to know.

Midge just glowered at the girl.

Cherry tried to smooth things over and offered to help Lauren put the books back. "And neatly," she added, remembering that her aunt was particular about her precious books.

"Time for a private conference, girls," Jackie said, motioning Midge and Cherry into the bedroom next door. Lauren protested at being left behind, but, as Cherry was quick to point out, she hadn't finished putting back all the books.

They left a grumbling Lauren to her task and went into the bedroom. Jackie settled in a comfortable mossy green chintz chair, pulled out her notepad and started to write.

"What's up, officer?" Midge asked.

Jackie shook her head. "Nothing adds up," she said. "I hate to admit it, but I'm stumped! Somehow all these disappearances are connected, but I fail to see how. Cherry, Midge, is there something you haven't told me?"

Cherry flung herself on Aunt Gert's chenille-covered bed. "I don't know what else to tell you; all I know is that because of me, first Velma was kidnapped, and now Aunt Gert's disappeared." She started to cry. "I'm not only a terrible detective, I'm a danger to my friends!"

Midge found a handkerchief in the top drawer of the mahogany dressing table and handed it to the bereft nurse. Cherry dried her eyes. She noticed the monogram "C.M." on one corner of the lace-edged hankie. "Why, these aren't Aunt Gert's initials," she thought. "Where have I seen this before?"

Midge sat on the bed next to Cherry, looking pensive. "Maybe I should tell you..." But before she could continue, she was interrupted by a shout from Lauren.

"Hey, you guys, guess what?" Lauren called to them from the study.

"Not now," Jackie called back. "Midge, what were you going to say?"

But before Midge could answer, Lauren appeared at the doorway holding a book of female nudes. Cherry grabbed the book away from the young girl.

Lauren snatched the book back. "Now just wait a goshdarn minute," she scowled. "I've got to show you something."

Cherry covered her eyes. "I just won't look," she told herself, but when Jackie exclaimed, "Golly!" she just couldn't help herself. She opened her eyes, and when she saw what was in Lauren's hands, she, too, gave a little shriek.

"It's a photograph of my aunt and another woman dressed as nuns! But we're not even Catholic," she shrieked.

"Not just any nuns, Cherry," Jackie said excitedly. "The woman she's with is the Mother Superior of the order of nuns that's been snatched."

"And look at the car behind them!" Midge said excitedly. "Why, it's a convertible just like the car I saw Velma in earlier," Midge cried.

Jackie checked her notebook. "That must be Gertrude Aimless's car. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Velma and Gertrude's disappearances are linked to the missing nuns case, but how?"

She frowned. "The bad news is there have been no clues in the case of the missing nuns. Why, the detectives downtown are so puzzled, they've issued a public call through the newspapers for Nancy Clue."

"I guess it's time we ask for the famous girl detective's help, too," Midge admitted grudgingly. "But where is she?" Midge looked at Cherry. "You seem to know a lot about this Clue girl. Where do you think she's gone?"

"The newspaper said she's staying with relatives. I'd just check the phone book under Clue," Cherry replied brightly.

Jackie shook her head. "We already tried that. I don't think Nancy really has anybody out here. I think she's all alone, and probably feeling pretty down about her father's murder." She paused dramatically. "There was a rumor going around the Black Cat last night that Nancy Clue had been in there earlier, hitting the bottle pretty hard," Jackie said. "I told the boys downtown that she had been spotted there, but they just laughed. I was planning on following that lead tonight."

"That's it!" Midge cried. "Gather round, gals. I've got a plan!" Jackie, Cherry and Lauren gave their full attention to Midge as she laid out her scheme.

"I propose we go to the convent and investigate on our own," she said.

"Yippee!" cried Lauren. "Let's go!"

"Hush, I'm not finished. Besides, we're not taking you with us," Midge said firmly.

But Jackie disagreed. "Lauren knows more about Gert than any of us," she argued.

"I think she's proven herself an invaluable help," Cherry pitched in.

Midge scowled. "You can go only if you promise to obey all orders," she said gruffly.

"Yes, ma'am," Lauren grinned, giving Midge the traditional three-fingered Girl Scout salute.

"And it's just that kind of smart-alecky attitude that's going to get us all in trouble," Midge snapped.

The air was tense. Cherry thought quickly. What could she do to smooth tensions between these two? "I'll be personally responsible for her," Cherry suggested brightly.

Midge shook her head. "Cherry, you've got to stay in San Francisco and look for Nancy Clue."

"Me?" cried Cherry. "I'll never be able to find her," she protested. "You've seen what a terrible detective I really am. Why, I wouldn't know where to begin. Why not send Lauren? She's forthright."

"If anyone can find her, you can, Cherry," Midge said. "You told me yourself you solved a mystery at your hospital." She turned to Jackie. "All the way here, it was Nancy Clue this and Nancy Clue that. Cherry knows more about her than anyone."

"We have faith in you, Cherry," Jackie said, putting her arm around Cherry's shoulders. "Someone's got to stay here and look for Nancy Clue. And if the rumor about her is true, this is no job for a kid!"