Nancy Clue Mysteries 1 - The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse

by Mabel Maney

  The girls blinked at him with astonishment.

  "You have the license number?" Midge cried.

  "Well, you know I have this habit of memorizing things for fun," he said.

  "Why didn't you say so sooner?" Cherry admonished.

  "I forgot," Tom said apologetically. "I get nervous when things like this happen."

  "And they call females the weaker sex," Midge teased. "Let's have it." Tom closed his eyes, and concentrated. In a moment, he recalled not only the license number of the car, but other details, as well.

  "It was a fabulous shiny red convertible with California plates," he recalled. "I wish I had one!"

  "Midge says we can't call the police; how will knowing the license number of the car help us? We can't trace it ourselves," Cherry pointed out.

  "I know a cop we can trust!" Tom declared. "Midge, remember that uniform party I went to at the Miraloma Club last month?" Midge shook her head. She didn't remember.

  "You know," Tom urged. "I borrowed your cafe curtains for my costume. I went as Lawrence of Arabia."

  "I remember now," Midge nodded. "Our curtains never looked so good. He returned them washed and pressed," she told Cherry.

  "A uniform party? I could go to one of those," Cherry babbled nervously, remembering the two starched nurse's uniforms tucked securely in her luggage.

  "My point is," Tom continued, "at the party there was a girl dressed as a cop who turned out to be the real thing. She said to call her if I ever needed a friend on the force. Her name is Betty. I don't remember her last name, but she's the only girl cop in town, so it shouldn't be too hard to track her down."

  While Tom went downstairs to call the police station, Cherry went into the bathroom to powder her nose. Tom returned a few minutes later with good news. "Betty's on her way over," he reported. "She said not to touch anything, but I told her it was too late."

  Cherry grimaced as she surveyed the topsy-turvy bedroom. "Nancy Clue would have known not to touch anything," she mused.

  For a moment, her thoughts strayed from the drama at hand. It had been only two days since she had read about the murder of Carson Clue, but so much had happened in the meantime, she hadn't had a spare second to think about it. "I've been too busy even to read the newspapers. Golly, I hope Nancy's okay," she thought anxiously. Reluctantly, she put all thoughts about Nancy aside, and set about helping Tom and Midge straighten the room.

  While Tom tidied, he whistled a lively tune.

  "What a festive melody," Cherry said. "What is it?"

  "I don't know," Tom replied. "It's been going round and round in my head for the last hour, but I can't remember the title. This happens to me all the time, and it just drives me crazy!"

  "I know the title of that song," Midge said. "It's called `San Francisco'. It's from that old Clark Gable movie-why?"

  Tom shrugged. "I don't know why, but I can't get it out of my head. I must have heard it recently, and...I've got it! One of the men was whistling it. That's where I heard it! Why, I think they inadvertently gave me a clue!" he gasped. "They must be headed for San Francisco!"

  "And we're going to stay just one step behind them," Midge declared. "We're going to San Francisco, too!"

  Midge threw some clothes into a old leather valise, along with the book from Nurse Marstad. "Maybe along the way I'll figure out why this book is so important," she mumbled.

  "Let's get your car gassed up while Tom stays here and waits for Betty. Meet us at the diner on the corner of Fifth and Main as soon as you can," she instructed Tom.

  Twenty minutes later, Cherry and Midge had been joined by Tom and Betty, as well as Tom's roommate, Monty. Between bites of perfectly scrambled eggs and tasty toast, they excitedly explained everything to Betty.

  Betty sat quietly while everyone had their say. When she did speak, she exuded confidence and authority. Cherry felt better already, knowing that Betty was on their side.

  "The first thing to do is find out who owns the car that Velma was taken away in," Betty said.

  The group perked up.

  "But it's probably been stolen, so the information won't be all that useful to us."

  Everyone slumped with disappointment.

  "The good news is that Velma's pretty tough. She can take care of herself," Midge piped up.

  "Velma's tough?" asked Cherry, trying to picture the petite woman with the girlish giggle doing tough-girl kinds of things.

  "The stories I could tell you..." Midge leaned toward Cherry.

  "We'll have story time later, girls," Betty said. "Here's the plan." She lowered her voice. "You girls go to San Francisco. When you get there, look up my friend, Officer Jackie Jones. She works out of the Castro Street station. Make sure to tell her you're a friend of Betty's. I'll do my best to get in touch with her before you get there, but it may be tough. There's a big case brewing in the city, and all the cops have been called in to solve it.

  "What happened?" Cherry asked, fascinated.

  "Someone's snatched a whole convent of nuns," Betty said darkly. "The entire order of The Sisters of Mercy has suddenly disappeared!"

  "Golly, why would anyone kidnap nuns?" Cherry slapped her hand on her forehead. "What's this world coming to?"

  Midge abruptly jumped up from the table. "I'll be right back," she said. But several minutes passed, and Midge hadn't returned. Cherry looked around the restaurant and spied Midge pacing in the corner. She was on the telephone, but she wasn't talking. "She's trying to get in touch with someone," Cherry thought. "I wonder who?"

  Midge put down the telephone receiver and came back to the table. "I'm sorry," she said. "Where were you, Betty?"

  "I was just about to say that I can post someone at your house in case anyone shows up or calls, if that's okay with you." Midge nodded her approval. "We'll keep in touch by telephone."

  "I want to go to San Francisco, too," said Tom, eagerly.

  "Tom, you have the most important job of all," Midge said, solemnly.

  Tom brightened. "What's my assignment?"

  "Your job, Tom, is to babysit the kids!"

  "What!" exclaimed Monty. "A dog on my beautiful new white carpet?"

  "No," said Midge. "Six dogs. Six dogs, a cat, one rabbit, one guinea pig, a bird and a turtle. The mice can take care of themselves."

  Monty put his head on the table and pretended to cry. Tom put his arm around his chum and tried to comfort him.

  "It's okay. We'll just cover the whole house in plastic. It will be just like your mother's!"

  "Oh, golly, could it get any worse?" Monty groaned.

  Everyone laughed, even Monty.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 10

  * * *

  San Francisco Bound

  Midge insisted on driving the first leg of the journey. "I'm too tense to sleep," she said as she took the wheel. Cherry quickly fell asleep in the seat next to her, using Midge's leather jacket as a pillow. When she awoke, Midge was singing along softly to a country western station between puffs on a cigarette. She noticed Cherry was awake and grinned. "I guess I shouldn't be smoking in front of a nurse. It is a filthy habit."

  Cherry said nothing, but opened the window to clear the car.

  "I read you," sighed Midge as she stubbed out her cigarette in the already overflowing ashtray. "I only smoke when I'm nervous. Or when Velma's family visits. Or after sex."

  Cherry blushed at the confession, making Midge laugh. "You're cute when you blush," she said, making Cherry blush even more.

  "You dating anyone?" Midge asked.

  "No," Cherry said abruptly.

  "Why not?"

  "I'm too busy. After all, nursing is an important profession and my job keeps me occupied. It's rewarding and fulfilling work."

  "And there's no chance of meeting anyone at work, right?" Midge teased her. "Golly, Cherry, you sound like a nurse recruitment poster! What's a nice girl like you doing all alone?"

  Cherry groaned. "You sound just like my mother," she said.
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  Midge laughed and lit another cigarette. "I bet your mother and I don't have the same thing in mind."

  "What did Midge mean?" Cherry wondered. "I just never seem to meet anyone I really like," she said.

  It was true. For try as she might, Cherry didn't find the doctors and interns at her hospital very interesting, despite the attention they paid her.

  "You'll meet somebody someday," Midge assured her. "I hooked up with a couple of losers before getting involved with Velma."

  "You mean.. .you and Velma..." Cherry blushed a deep crimson. "Golly! I mean...oh!" she cried, covering her red face with her hands. "Nurse Cassie Case is right. Sometimes I can be so na've!"

  Midge laughed at her consternation. "It's okay, Cherry. Lots of people think we're just roommates, especially since Velma's such a fem."

  Cherry blushed some more. Golly, Midge was bold!

  "Don't you think Velma's a dish?" Midge wanted to know.

  "I don't know if I should say, since we look so much alike," Cherry smiled sheepishly. "She certainly seems like a lovely person."

  Cherry found the idea of Midge and Velma as a couple strangely stimulating. "Tell me how you met," she urged.

  "Velma." Midge sighed, lit another cigarette, and settled in to tell the story of their romance. "I had been single for a couple of years. Oh, I had a couple of dates here and there, but nothing to write home about. Then one day I was at the library looking up books about hypnosis. I had an idea, well, never mind. It's not important."

  "Oh, tell me," Cherry insisted. "Don't leave out a thing."

  "I was working on a book about a girl who hypnotizes her parents. I'm a writer." Midge grimaced. "Well, I would be if I could ever finish anything. But that's another story. Anyway, I knocked some books off the stacks, and this really cute girl came over to help me. When I looked up I found myself staring into the greenest eyes I had ever seen. I was completely smitten."

  Cherry was transfixed. "A chance encounter-how romantic!" she swooned. "You fell madly in love with each other, and you've lived happily ever after."

  Midge laughed. "Not so fast. You've read too many romance novels, Cherry. Our path to love was a little rocky."

  "How come?" Cherry asked. "What happened?"

  Midge shrugged. "Stuff got in our way. It took us a while, but when we finally did get together, it was well worth the wait." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Jeez, I'm tired," she yawned.

  "Midge, you look awful. Let's stop at the next diner," Cherry suggested. "A cup of coffee and a snack will invigorate you."

  Midge checked her watch and groaned. "There's no time! It's already two a.m. As it is, we're not going to get there until dawn."

  "If we have an accident because you're too tired to drive, we won't get there at all. Either stop and get a cup of coffee, or let me drive," Cherry commanded.

  Midge pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a small diner. "Let's get it to go," she suggested. While they waited for their order of cheeseburgers and French fries, Midge gulped several cups of coffee. Cherry tried unsuccessfully to contact her aunt.

  "Let's go," Midge said, grabbing the sack of food and heading outside. To Cherry's consternation, Midge was halfway through her sandwich by the time they got to the car.

  Midge slid behind the wheel and gunned the engine. Cherry hopped inside, spread a handkerchief over her lap and nibbled at her sandwich.

  "You're going to get sick," she warned, watching Midge wolf her food as they pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. "You should chew every mouthful thirty times to aid digestion."

  "Yes, Nurse Bossy," Midge said, gulping down the last bite of her food.

  "I bet you were a real handful as a kid," Cherry teased.

  Midge snorted. "Yeah, and I bet you were the real quiet type who always did as you were told," she shot back.

  Cherry nodded. "I tried always to obey my elders," she admitted. "I was the kind your type liked to pick on."

  "I was a real wiseacre, as my grandmother liked to say, but I was never mean," Midge assured her. "I don't pick on people. Unless it's an ex-girlfriend. Then it's okay."

  Cherry laughed. She was really beginning to like Midge, although sometimes she couldn't tell when she was teasing.

  "I shouldn't be enjoying myself," Cherry frowned. "Especially not now."

  "Everything will be fine," Midge said.

  Cherry shook her head. "How can you be so steady at a time like this?" she asked.

  Midge just shrugged. "Years of practice," she said vaguely. Cherry waited, but Midge said nothing more. She seemed lost in thought. Cherry wished she knew Midge better. She was dying to know why Midge seemed so upset when Betty told them about the missing nuns. "Is Midge Catholic?" she wondered. Cherry searched for something to say that would bring Midge back to the present.

  "You never finished your story," Cherry prompted. "About how you and Velma finally got together."

  Midge leaned back in the seat and lit a cigarette. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. One night we made a late date to meet at the library," she said.

  Cherry screwed up her nose. "The library doesn't sound very romantic!" she cried.

  "Where I'm from it is."

  "Where's that?" Cherry asked.

  "South," Midge said. "But that's not important."

  Cherry was becoming very curious about Midge. Was it her imagination, or was Midge a little vague about her background? She put her questions aside as Midge continued her story.

  "So one night Velma and I ended up getting locked in the library. I guess the guard, er, the custodian, didn't see us when she locked up for the night. We, ah, talked all night and by dawn we knew we belonged together."

  Cherry raised an eyebrow. "You, ah, talked?" Now it was Midge's turn to blush.

  "That's all the detail and description I get from Miss Smart Mouth Midge?" Cherry teased.

  "C-h-e-r-r-y! Some things are private!"

  Cherry laughed. "You're as big a prude as I am!"

  "Wel-l-l... " Midge said.

  "I have an idea, Midge. Why don't you write about you and Velma?"

  "Maybe someday I will, kid," was all Midge would say, but Cherry could tell she was pleased by the suggestion.

  Cherry noticed that, despite the stimulants she had consumed, Midge was looking pretty tired. Midge didn't want to stop driving, but Cherry was firm. As a nurse she knew the importance of being fully alert while operating a motor vehicle.

  Midge grudgingly pulled off the road and gave up the wheel to Cherry. As soon as she had settled in the passenger seat, she fell fast asleep. Cherry rolled down the window a bit to clear the smoky car and dumped the ashtray full of butts into a little paper bag from the glove box. She was no litter bug!

  She covered Midge with the plaid stadium blanket she always kept in the back seat and got ready for the next few lonely hours. For company she turned on the radio, keeping it low so as not to wake Midge.

  Cherry pulled out of the parking lot and expertly steered the blue Buick onto the highway.

  She fixed her eyes on the road ahead. Little did she know of the adventure in store for her at the end of this long journey!

  * * *

  CHAPTER 11

  * * *

  Follow That Car!

  The Golden Gate Bridge glowed magnificently in the pink early-morning light. Cherry nudged Midge awake. "We're here!" she squealed.

  Midge sighed and covered her face with her hands. "It's too early to get up, Mom," she groaned sleepily. "Are you always so cheerful first thing in the morning?" she grumbled, squinting at Cherry. "Gosh, I feel awful. Where are we?"

  "We're exactly two hundred twenty feet above the Pacific Ocean, Midge, on the Golden Gate Bridge," Cherry answered.

  Midge looked troubled. "How far up did you say we were?" She gulped as she peered out her window at the blue expanse of ocean below.

  "Don't worry, Midge. There's enough steel wire supporting this bridge to circle the earth three times."
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  "If you ever give up nursing, you can become a tour guide," Midge laughed. She peered out the window at the giant steel structure, painted burnt orange. "So where's the gold?" she asked.

  "You ask a lot of questions, young lady," Cherry said sternly, doing her best Nurse Marstad imitation.

  Midge shook her head. "I've heard that before. I've always been like that. Drove my mom crazy." She fumbled through her jacket pockets for a cigarette, but found only empty packages. "Great. First Velma disappears. Now I run out of cigarettes. Could things get any worse?" she joked sourly.

  Cherry had some news she hoped would cheer up Midge. "Guess what?" she chirped. "I have some exciting news. I heard on the radio that Nancy Clue is believed to be somewhere in San Francisco, and if the authorities can find her, they're going to call on her to solve the case of the missing nuns! Maybe she could help us, too!"

  Midge made a face. "You mean that little rich goody-two shoes who's always doing some good deed? The one who works with her famous attorney father, Carson Clue? Who solves every mystery without mussing her hair?"

  "Haven't you heard, Midge? Don't you know what happened?" Cherry cried.

  Cherry related everything she knew about the murder of Carson Clue. "The Clue's loyal housekeeper Hannah Gruel, who had been like a mother to Nancy since the death of her real mother twenty-one years ago, went berserk a few days ago while making a pie and shot Mr. Clue dead!"

  Midge didn't seem too upset by the news. "If I had to clean somebody's house and cook his meals for twenty-one years, I'd kill him, too," she said gruffly.

  "But Nancy and her father were very close," Cherry explained, a little put off by Midge's flip remark.

  "Well that's too bad, then," Midge said, a softer tone creeping into her voice. "I guess I'm not much for family life, outside of me and Velma," she said. "Besides, even if we could find this Nancy Clue girl, we couldn't possibly afford her. Why, she's a rich society dame."