by Mabel Maney
Velma broke into her thoughts. "Why don't you come home with us, and we'll get that rip in your dress sewn up," she suggested brightly. "We live just around the corner, and Midge just bought me a nifty new sewing machine."
"That would be swell!" Cherry cried. She looked glumly at the long tear in her skirt. "I do have a sewing kit in my purse, but this is an awfully big rip to mend by hand." Secretly she was relieved at her luck.
"I'll find a way to get Midge to look at that book," she schemed. "If by the end of the evening she hasn't discovered the note on her own, I'll confess."
"My, it's getting chilly," Velma remarked, taking a white chiffon scarf from her purse and wrapping it around her hairdo. "Let's go," she said, linking arms with both girls and propelling them down the sidewalk.
"At least now I can tell you two apart," Midge grinned. She stopped in her tracks. "But wait! I like to know a girl's name before I bring her home," she cracked.
Velma playfully punched Midge on the shoulder. "Yes, what is your name?" she asked.
"It's Cherry."
Midge laughed, then hastily covered up her laugh with a cough. "Uh...that's an unusual name," she said.
"The summer I was born my mother's cherry pie won first prize at the county fair. I'm just lucky it wasn't rhubarb." Cherry grinned. The girls laughed.
"Speaking of pie, I sure could use a snack," Midge declared.
Cherry had an idea. "I have a hamper full of delicious food waiting in my car," she exclaimed. "Maybe later we can have a picnic. But I'll need help finding my car. I'm all turned around. I'm afraid I may be lost."
At this, Midge chuckled. "You don't have to explain to us that you're lost. Why, you look like a kitten who's wandered too far from the litter."
Cherry blushed.
Velma laughed and squeezed Cherry's arm. "Oh, don't let Midge bother you; comparing you to an animal is one of her highest compliments."
"I didn't mean any harm," Midge said soothingly. "You just come with us."
"But I can't go on a picnic in this ripped dress!" Cherry cried.
"Don't worry, we'll fix everything," Velma said.
Midge and Velma directed Cherry to a pretty little cottage surrounded by tall fir trees. "This is it," Velma said, taking her key from her clutch purse. She opened the door cautiously. As she did, a black and white cocker spaniel stuck its head through the opening and barked a happy greeting.
"This is Eleanor," Midge said, introducing Cherry to a small dog with beautiful round black eyes. The dog extended her dainty paw in the most charming manner, then jumped up and licked Cherry squarely on the nose.
As the three girls entered the cozy living room, decorated in tasteful Danish modem, they were greeted by more barks and yelps. Five adorable puppies came tumbling down the stairs. "Oh, they're so cute!" Cherry cried, kneeling down to pet the spotted pups.
"Midge found Eleanor in the woods one day and brought her home to give birth on my best cashmere sweater," Velma explained. She frowned at Midge in a make-pretend way, then grinned. "Why, this girl is so animal crazy, I swear she drives around looking for strays to bring home."
"Bring home, bring home," came a high-pitched, sing-song voice from the next room.
Cherry jumped. "Who's that?"
"That's our bird, Pearl," Midge and Velma said in unison.
"A bird! Who else do you have here?"
Midge ticked off the pets on her fingers. "There's Chuck the guinea pig, Faye the rabbit, Eleanor and her five puppies, Pearl, Gray Cat..."
"...the mice who live in the cracker boxes in our cupboard..." broke in Velma.
"...and Mary."
Velma turned to Midge. "Who's Mary?"
"A turtle. She's in the bathtub. She's new. And that's it."
"And now you have me," said Cherry.
The girls laughed, pleased to have a new pal.
"Let's see if I can mend your dress, Cherry," Velma said. She went upstairs and returned with a simple black frock that fit Cherry to perfection. Cherry and Midge got acquainted while Velma went to her sewing room to mend the tear.
Midge served cocoa and cookies, while Cherry babbled happily about Seattle General Hospital. "Why, until recently, I was terrified of Nurse Marstad," she admitted. At this, Midge laughed merrily. Apparently, she and the head nurse were old friends.
"Oh, old Peg just acts bossy so the doctors will be afraid of her. She's really a great big marshmallow, especially when it comes to nurses," Midge declared.
Cherry agreed. "She was so nice the other day when I lost a patient. Why, I thought I was going to be fired, but instead I got to go on vacation, as planned." Cherry sipped the delicious cocoa.
"It must be horrible when a patient dies," Midge said sympathetically. "Of course Peg wouldn't fire you!"
"Oh, no," Cherry explained. "Nobody died. I mean, I really lost a patient. She disappeared right from the ward. It was so strange. She was sitting in bed talking to a nun, and when I left the ward fora minute, Lana disappeared."
"Wait, who's Lana?" Midge asked. "I'm confused."
"Lana's the amnesia patient who disappeared, but her name's not really Lana," Cherry said. "We called her that because she looks just like Lana Turner!"
"Oh my god!" Midge cried, almost tipping over her cocoa. She steadied her cup and calmed her voice. "I mean, golly. Lana Turner? Really? How interesting. Did you say something about a nun?"
Cherry repeated her story. "Come to think of it, she was the biggest nun I've ever seen," she added. "And rather unfriendly. The priest was a lot nicer."
"There was a priest, too?" Midge asked, raising one eyebrow. Her voice had a casual tone, but Cherry could see that her story had piqued Midge's interest.
Cherry continued. "When I ran into the hallway to see if someone needed help, no one was there except this priest. And he said he hadn't heard anything. He was very nice," Cherry said, adding, "Although, I have to admit, priests make me a little nervous."
"Yeah, they make me nervous too," Midge muttered. "Tell me, what did he look like?"
"He was dressed all in black," she said.
Midge groaned. "Is that it?" she asked impatiently.
"He was wearing thick black-framed glasses," Cherry added helpfully.
Midge jumped up from the table and started pacing around the tiny kitchen. She yanked the book from her jacket pocket and flipped through it. "Phew!" Cherry breathed a sigh of relief. Midge had found the note!
As Midge read, a flash of anxiety crossed her face. Cherry held her breath. She could tell that there was something very wrong!
Midge dropped the book on the table and grinned at Cherry. It was a forced grin, Cherry thought.
"Tell me more about working at the hospital, Cherry," Midge said casually. So Cherry chatted on about her nurse friends and her many patients, but all the while she had the feeling that Midge wasn't really listening. Her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.
A minute later, Velma came skipping down the stairs. She was wearing Cherry's mended frock, which looked stunning on her. She danced around the tiny kitchen, admiring the way the full skirt twirled above her soft, curvy legs.
"I hope you don't mind that I put it on," she said. "I just love the color!"
"Be my guest," Cherry said. "After all, you were kind enough to loan me this lovely frock."
Velma noticed a loose thread hanging from the hem. "I'm going back upstairs to put the finishing touches on this mending job. Say, Cherry, why don't you stay the night? That way you can make a fresh start in the morning. I'll just put some fresh linens on Midge's bed and you can have her room."
"But I don't want to put anyone out! I can sleep on the couch," she said, nervously eyeing the uncomfortable-looking white vinyl sectional. "I certainly can't expect anyone to give up their room for me."
"No, no, no, no, no," Midge reassured the nervous nurse. "It's no trouble at all. -I don't mind sleeping with Velma. Really."
Cherry saw that Midge meant what she said. She was tou
ched by their hospitality and told them so.
"Hey, what's a fellow Girl Scout for?" Midge shrugged.
"How could you tell?" wondered Cherry aloud.
"Oh, we can always spot another Scout," said Midge, winking at Velma.
"While you girls are finishing the dress, I'm going to walk Eleanor," Midge said, hopping up from the table and putting on her jacket.
"Come on, girl. Time for a walk," she called to the cocker spaniel, who was fast asleep on the sectional sofa.
"I could go with you. We can walk Eleanor to my car and then all drive back together!" Cherry cried. "All my things are in the car, so I have to go out anyway."
Midge looked hesitant. "Um, I...Well, to be honest, I always take a walk when I need to think. I won't be very good company," she admitted.
"I'll be as quiet as a mouse," Cherry promised. "Velma, is it okay that I wear your dress?"
Velma nodded and handed Cherry a jacket and her chiffon scarf. "Better bundle up. It gets awfully chilly here at night."
With that settled, Midge put a leash on Eleanor, and off they went.
It was a quiet walk to Cherry's car. Midge appeared to be deep in thought. Besides a few questions about the mysterious disappearance at the hospital, which Cherry answered in as brief a manner as possible, Midge said nothing. They walked for about twenty minutes, going slowly so the dog could take her time and sniff interesting spots.
"Babies are hard work, aren't they?" Midge murmured as she scratched behind the dog's ears.
"What a nice girl," thought Cherry. "I hope that someday I have a roommate just like her." When they got to Cherry's car, Midge lifted Eleanor into the back seat. The three of them made their way home, not realizing that trouble lay ahead.
* * *
CHAPTER 8
* * *
Kidnapped!
"What's this?" Cherry exclaimed as she reached the darkened front stoop and found the door ajar.
"There's been a breakin!" she cried, her keen eyes noticing the forced lock. "And the porch bulb has been unscrewed."
Midge dashed into the house and called for Velma, but there was no reply.
There was a crash from upstairs. Midge flew up the staircase with Cherry at her heels. Next to Velma's bed was a little gray cat, lapping up spilt milk.
"Oh, kitty!" Midge cried, scooping up the shards of glass before the cat could cut her paws. Cherry searched the rest of the house, but Velma was nowhere to be found! She ran back upstairs to join Midge, who was standing in the middle of Velma's room staring at the bed. "Midge, could it be Velma's gone out for a walk?" Cherry asked hopefully.
Midge shook her head. "Something suspicious has happened," she said. Tears ran down her face.
"I'll call the police," Cherry said, handing Midge the clean handkerchief she always kept in her purse in case of emergencies.
"No police!" Midge cried.
By the tone in her voice Cherry could tell the desperate girl meant business. What was it about the police that alarmed Midge so?
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" called a masculine voice.
"Up here!" Midge yelled. "That's our chum Tom," she explained.
The man coming up the stairs was tall and slender with large basset-hound eyes. In his arms was Eleanor.
"Midge, what's going on? The door was wide open and Eleanor was left on the stoop. Is Velma back yet? She left so quickly I didn't even get a chance to say hi."
"You saw Velma!" Midge cried. "Where? When?"
"Velma's mysteriously disappeared," Cherry added solemnly.
"Velma's disappeared? How frightful!" Tom cried.
"Where did you see Velma? What did she say?" Midge asked impatiently.
Tom deposited Eleanor on the bed and sat down. "She was leaving the house when I walked up. I came over to see if you girls wanted to hear my new Sinatra record, but before I could speak to Velma, she got into a car with two men and drove off. I'm sure she saw me, but she didn't wave or anything," he said. "Frankly, my feelings were a little hurt."
"What men? What car?" Midge cried.
Tom shook his head. "No one I've seen before, and believe me, I would have remembered these characters." He shuddered. "One man had on a long black coat that was buttoned all the way up to his chin and a hat pulled low over his face. He looked like a spy or a government worker. I guess some people find that style attractive, but I must say I prefer a softer look." He smoothed the leg of his beige pleated pants, which were pressed with a razor-sharp crease.
Something about Tom's description of the man rang a bell in Cherry. Where had she run into a man clad in a long black overcoat?
"Oh, no!" Cherry shrank back in her chair. "I just remembered! I saw him on the way to Idaho!"
"What?" Midge and Tom chorused.
"Was he driving a shiny red convertible?" asked Cherry excitedly.
"Yes!" Tom admitted.
"What is it, Cherry? What do you know?" Midge asked.
"I had a most unpleasant exchange with an unsavory fellow driving a red convertible back in Washington, not long after leaving the hospital. Oh, dear," Cherry wailed. "I think I'm being followed. Whoever took Velma thought she was me. It's all my fault," she sobbed, collapsing on the bed in tears. "People are always disappearing around me. Why, when I was a dude ranch nurse-in-training, an entire family disappeared and was never found!"
"But why would someone want to kidnap you?" Midge wondered aloud.
"I don't know!" Cherry cried. "I'm just a simple nurse. But, now that I think of it, ever since Lana was kidnapped, strange things have been happening. Maybe I'm just a jinx. First Lana disappears, and now Velma's gone."
"Something strange is going on here, Cherry, but I don't think it's your fault," Midge said. She didn't explain what she meant. She simply sat on the edge of the bed and frowned.
Cherry was puzzled. Midge was being awfully mysterious. But before she could quiz her, Midge jumped up from the bed.
"Something is different about this room. I noticed it the minute I came in, but I haven't figured out what it is yet," she said, peering intently around the bedroom.
Cherry surveyed the charming room, but everything seemed in place. "That's a nice photograph of you on Velma's night stand," she remarked.
"That's it!" Midge cried, giving Cherry a little squeeze. "Cherry, you're a genius!"
"But what..."
Before Cherry could finish her sentence, Midge raced down the stairs. "It's here!" she yelled as she bounded back up the stairs and ran into the bedroom. In her hand was the book from Nurse Marstad.
"What could Lana's book possibly have to do with this?" Cherry blurted out.
"Lana's book?" Midge cried. "What do you mean? This is the book Peg sent me."
Cherry quickly explained how the book had ended up in Nurse Marstad's hands. "I was so confused when she said it belonged to her, and then, when it showed up as a present for you, I didn't know what to think!"
"That explains a lot of things," Midge said mysteriously.
"I'm awfully confused," Cherry said. "I don't understand."
"On the night stand I had another copy of this very same book-the one Peg gave me last year for my birthday," Midge explained. "I was reading it to Velma last night in bed, er, well, never mind. What's important is that now the book is gone! Don't you see?"
Cherry and Tom shook their heads. "Frankly, I'm confused," Tom said. "But then again, a lot of things you girls do confuse me."
"Do I have to draw you two a picture?" Midge sighed impatiently. Tom and Cherry nodded. Midge rolled her eyes and continued.
"The men who followed Cherry are after this book. They took my old copy by mistake. That means we've still got what they want. Whatever that is," she wondered, staring at the book in her hand.
"That's good news...isn't it?" Cherry faltered.
Midge shook her head. "It would be, except the kidnappers must think they've got what they wanted. They won't be coming back here an
y time soon. And they've got Velma."
"Can't we just find these terrible men and give them the book in exchange for Velma?" Tom asked.
"It may not be that simple," Midge said ominously. "You finish in here, Cherry. I'll search downstairs, and Tom, you search my bedroom and the bathroom."
"What are we looking for?" he asked.
"Anything that could lead us to Velma. Anything at all!"
The three split up and for the next ten minutes they turned the tidy house upside down in a frantic attempt to unearth a clue regarding Velma's disappearance.
* * *
CHAPTER 9
* * *
An Important Clue
Tom came out of the bathroom looking distressed. "I didn't find any clues," he admitted. "Unless this is one," he said, holding up a pair of sheer black panties. "Whose could they be?" he teased.
"They're Velma's-of course!" Midge said, blushing a little. She snatched the panties out of his hand and threw them on the bureau. She clutched her stomach. "Gosh, I get hungry at the queerest times!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I can continue to hunt for clues on an empty stomach," Tom chimed in. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Speaking of food, I just remembered something. I overheard the men who took Velma talking about food. I think they were discussing pies, of all things. Now what kind was it?" he mused.
"Apple," guessed Midge.
"Chocolate?" guessed Cherry. "Pecan? That's my favorite."
"No, it was a fruit." Tom thought a minute. "I've got it!" he cried. "I he..rd them say something about cherry pie."
"Cherry pie!" Cherry yelped. "They weren't talking about cherry pie, they were talking about me! That settles it; they were after me! I just remembered-Velma was wearing my buttercup-yellow frock! They must have gotten us mixed up! But who are they?"
"Would it help if we had the license number of the car?" Tom suggested.
