by Mabel Maney
"We'll take it," Midge replied.
"Sign here, girls," the woman said, pushing the register toward them. "That will be six dollars, in advance."
She gave them the key for room 319, along with the bad news that the elevator was broken and it was the bellhop's night off.
"Oh, and there are no men allowed on the premises, this being a girl's hotel and all."
"No problem," Midge said.
"Didn't think so," the woman replied. She winked at Midge, who returned the wink.
"I love San Francisco," Midge whispered to Cherry as they headed for the stairs, bags in hand. The woman bade them a good night, and invited them to come by her room for tea in the morning.
"All the girls do," she said. "Room 7. I'm Betty, by the way."
"Gee, there sure are a lot of Bettys in the world," Cherry said.
"Sure are," Midge grinned.
It had been a long day, and the three flights of stairs didn't help any. Cherry was happy to get to their room. Why, her bags felt as if they contained rocks. "Why did I pack so many outfits?" she groaned.
She threw herself on the bed and sighed deeply. "I've never been more tired," she declared.
"You'll feel better after a little nap," Midge said.
Midge bounced on the bed. "I haven't slept with another girl since the day I met Velma," she kidded.
Cherry jumped up. "I must unpack!" she cried nervously. She opened her suitcase and hung up her uniforms. In case she was pressed into professional service, she certainly wanted to look her best!
"What I need right now more than anything in the world is a hot bath," she declared.
Cherry opened the door to what she thought was the bathroom and was surprised to find a fold-out ironing board instead. She was puzzled. "So where's the bathroom?" she wondered aloud.
"Down the hall, princess," teased Midge, dumping the contents of her valise onto a chair.
Cherry was embarrassed. She had never been to a hotel without a private bathroom before. "But I didn't bring any thing to sleep in," she complained. "I left my nightie in Idaho; I was going to borrow one of Aunt Gert's. Why, I'll have to wear my slip to bed."
"You worry too much about the way you look. I'm sure the girls down the hall will think you're cute in any old thing you wear."
"What do you wear to bed?" asked Cherry.
Midge held up a pair of red plaid boxer shorts.
"Oh, those are cute," Cherry said. "But what do you wear on top?"
"On top? Do people wear pajama tops, too?" Midge teased.
Cherry assumed Midge was kidding. Or was she? Before she could ask, there was a knock at the door. Cherry opened it, expecting to find Jackie, but instead there stood a curly-haired girl clad in satin lounging pajamas. She introduced herself as Sally and invited them over for popcorn and gin rummy.
"Or, a game of Old Maid, if you like," she added.
Jackie appeared behind Sally, carrying a large paper sack, which gave off the most wonderful aromas. "I thought you two might be hungry," she said to Cherry and Midge.
Sally squealed with delight. "How do I get you to deliver to my room?" she asked, coyly giving Jackie's bicep a little squeeze. Even the usually unflappable Midge blushed.
Jackie just rolled her eyes and pushed past her into the room. "Get rid of the uniform queen," she whispered to Cherry.
Cherry thanked Sally for her generous invitation, and diplomatically explained that they had other plans for the evening.
Sally pouted for a moment and then gave up with a shrug. "See you at tea," she called cheerfully over her shoulder. Moments later they heard her knocking at another door, and the three girls were finally alone to discuss their case.
Jackie locked the door. "Let's have no more interruptions," she said, opening the sacks to reveal steaming containers of Chinese food. The girls eagerly dug into the chow mein, sweet and sour pork, and other goodies. They ate for a while, savoring the fragrant food.
"I have good news," Jackie announced, after a few bites of fried prawns. "I was able to trace the car."
Cherry was frankly relieved to be getting some professional help!
"It belongs to..." she flipped open her note pad for the address. "It belongs to a Miss Gertrude Aimless, 33 Lindy Lane. Isn't that funny, Cherry. She has the same last name as you."
"That's because she's my Aunt Gertrude!" Cherry gasped, almost choking on a won ton. "And although she knows I'm coming for a visit, she hasn't answered her phone for days!"
A concerned look crossed Jackie's face. "It looks like her car was stolen and used in the commission of a crime," she said. "I sent a buddy out to her address to check things out. She should be calling at any minute."
"I just know something terrible has happened to Aunt Gert," Cherry cried. "Please don't take this personally, Jackie, but I think we should alert the entire police force. Why, can't we call in the FBI?"
"I don't think the boys downtown can do any more than what we're already doing. Besides, everyone's assigned to the big missing nuns case. They're not going to be too worried about someone's missing aunt."
Cherry paced nervously around the room. "What do we do now?" she cried.
"I put an APB out on the car, but it's probably been abandoned by now," Jackie said. She put more food on Cherry's plate, but the girl was too worked up to eat.
"I'll eat it," Midge volunteered. "It's nerves. I always eat when I'm upset."
There was a knock at the door. It was Sally. "Telephone for Officer Jones," she said brightly.
"Thanks," Jackie said.
"Sally. That's my name."
"Well, thanks, Sally," Jackie said, this time smiling a little as she brushed past the girl.
Sally lingered in the doorway. "So, you're visiting?"
"Yes," Midge said, obviously reluctant to engage in conversation with a stranger.
"You staying long?"
"Hope not."
Midge said nothing more, yet the girl wouldn't leave. "Who's your friend?" she asked, pointing down the hallway in Jackie's direction.
Midge was thoroughly annoyed. "Look..."
"Sally."
"Look, Sally, we'd really like to be alone right now."
"Oh! The three of you..." Sally voice trailed off. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it. You don't have to draw me a picture ... well, unless you really want to, that is," she giggled. "Ta, ta," she sang, flouncing down the hallway.
"Well, she finally got the message," Cherry said, relieved.
Midge rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure it was the right message, but at least she's gone."
The girls heard Sally laughing from the hallway.
"If I'm in trouble, will you rescue me?" they heard her coo.
"What's keeping Jackie?" Cherry wondered. "Perhaps I'd better go and get her." She headed determinedly for the hallway. Just then, Jackie sauntered back into the room, stuffing a piece of paper into her breast pocket and grinning.
"Good going," Midge grinned. "Now who called?"
"A pal of mine talked with Gertrude Aimless a week ago, and she was all excited about Cherry's visit. What's more, she purchased four tickets for the dog show this weekend. She wasn't planning on leaving town, that's for sure."
"So where does that leave us?" Cherry cried.
"That leaves us with another mystery on our hands and no time to waste. Let's go to Gertrude Aimless's house and investigate," Jackie proposed.
Cherry brushed crumbs from the front of her shirt. She threw the food containers in the wastebasket and pocketed the fortune cookies for a late-night snack.
"Is she always this neat?" Jackie leaned over to Midge.
"She made me clean the car every hundred miles," Midge joked.
Cherry made a face at them both. "`It's always nice to come home to a tidy house,"' she said, quoting her mother. "Besides, you'll thank me for this later."
"If we come home," Midge mumbled.
They got into Jackie's car. She explained that it was an unmarked po
lice car which she had borrowed from the station.
"Only they don't know it yet," she grinned. She drove expertly over the steep hills and through the heavy traffic. "Goodness, where is everyone going at this hour?" Cherry wondered aloud, checking her watch. "Why, it's almost nine p.m. If I'm not working, by this time on a Friday night I'm home in bed."
"Everyone here stays out all night dancing on Fridays," Jackie explained.
"Oh, my!" Cherry exclaimed. "I'd never be able to socialize all night. Why, I'd end up in bed all the next day."
"We'll see about that," Midge said. "As soon as we find Velma and your aunt, we're going to paint this town red."
Cherry secretly doubted that her Aunt Gertrude would ever go to a bar, but didn't want to dampen Midge's enthusiasm.
Why, if they could get out of this mess, Cherry would be willing to go anywhere Midge wanted!
* * *
CHAPTER 14
* * *
Missing!
It was obvious Aunt Gertrude hadn't been home for a while. A week-old newspaper was propped up in front of a cold cup of moldy coffee.
"She must have left in a pretty big hurry," Jackie said, pointing to two stale pieces of toast still in the toaster.
"Or had Aunt Gert been forced to leave?" Cherry wondered anxiously, looking around her aunt's tidy kitchen.
"Don't touch anything," Jackie cautioned as they looked around. A knock at the door startled them all.
"Get behind the door," Jackie said to Midge and Cherry as she took her revolver from its holster and peeked through the cafe curtains. Cherry thrilled at the sight of the girl in uniform boldly taking charge.
"It's just a kid," Jackie said. She opened the door and poked her head out. Cherry peeked and saw a slender lad clad in baggy overalls and a plaid shirt with a newsbag slung over his shoulder.
The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the police officer. "What's wrong, officer?" he asked. "Where's Gert?"
"I'm a friend of Gert's," Jackie said casually, determined not to alarm the child. "I'm watching the house for a while."
The boy said nothing and just stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"Is there anything you need?" Jackie asked.
"Yeah. Gert owes me for a month of papers."
"Isn't it a little late at night to be collecting?" Jackie wanted to know, as she dug in her pocket for some money. She paid the boy, but he still stood there. "Is there anything else?" she asked, puzzled by his queer behavior.
"Cookies," the boy said. "Gert always gives me some cookies to take home. I got a brother," he added. "But I don't give him any."
"That's nice," said Jackie, hoping he would just leave. "Gert's gone and I don't have any cookies for you, so you'll just have to leave. Good night." She shut the door, but she could see through the sheer curtains that the boy was still standing on the porch.
Jackie opened the door. "Honey, I don't have any cookies," she said gently.
"She keeps 'em in the cupboard next to the stove," he replied, walking right past Jackie into the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a tin of chocolate chip cookies, stuffing one into his mouth.
"Where's Gert? She at church?" he asked, crumbs spilling down his chin.
"But Aunt Gertrude doesn't go to church!" Cherry cried, jumping out from behind the door. Cherry was puzzled by his remark. Her aunt was many things, but she was not religious!
"Grfh thy ashd asyu hj?" the lad replied.
"What?" the three girls asked in unison.
He swallowed his mouthful of cookie and brushed the crumbs from his face. "I said, what the heck's going on here? Why were you hiding? What kind of game is this?"
He eyed Cherry with interest. "Say, you're Gert's niece, right? Berry or Peach or something."
"My name's Cherry." She could feel a flush rising up her neck. "And who are you?"
"The name's Lauren," the lad replied. "Gee, you look just like Gert when she was in the army," he added.
Cherry looked puzzled. "My aunt was in the army? Really?"
The boy nodded. "Don't you know anything?" he scoffed. He went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of milk. Before Cherry could stop him, he drank right from the bottle.
Cherry was annoyed. It was not only rude to drink right from the container, it was downright unsanitary. "Young man," she said, taking the bottle from him. "Where are your manners? Do you act like this at home?" she asked. She shuddered to imagine the kind of home this juvenile delinquent came from!
He burped and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Gert lets me drink it straight," he said in his defense.
"No matter," Cherry said briskly. "Now what's this church thing? What church?"
"I just meant that maybe she went somewhere with her nun friends. She usually spends the weekends with them." The boy looked worried. "Golly, is something wrong? Where's Gert? It's awful funny that she would leave the same weekend as the dog show."
Jackie didn't want to involve the teen, but she needed more information. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Sure. I keep tons of 'em. Got some myself," he bragged.
Jackie looked at Midge and Cherry, who nodded their approval. Jackie told Lauren about Gert's sudden departure, being careful not to mention the possibility of kidnapping. She cautioned him not to tell anyone.
"Gee, I wouldn't do anything to hurt Gert," he said, his eyes filling with tears. It was clear Gert meant a lot to the young man. Cherry regretted that she had been so harsh earlier and gave the lad a consoling hug. To her great surprise, under that baggy shirt were the soft curves of a young girl!
"Why, you're a girl!" she gasped.
Lauren blew her nose on her sleeve. "Sure I'm a girl. She took off her cap to reveal a long braid of sandy-colored hair. "I'm almost sixteen!"
"A girl," Midge said, with a laugh. "Well, I'll be."
The girl mistook her amusement for doubt. "You want me to take off my shirt?" she asked, starting to unbutton it.
Midge raised her eyebrows. "Keep your shirt on, girl."
Jackie broke in. "That's enough, girls."
"No matter what you are, you have atrocious manners!" Cherry scolded mildly.
Midge pinched Cherry on the arm to shut her up. "Don't be so charming, Cherry. We'll spank her later. Right now we need her help."
Midge was right. They needed all the help they could get, especially from someone who was familiar with Aunt Gert's habits. They resumed their search of the house, aided by Lauren, who had obviously spent many hours there. As the girl grew friendlier, Cherry warmed to her. They searched Gert's bedroom, and Cherry was pleased to find a photo of herself in her nurse's uniform, nicely framed and perched atop her aunt's bed table.
Cherry told Lauren how many times she had begged her parents to let her visit her favorite aunt. But they'd always said no. "Gert said I could come see her anytime and stay as long as I'd like," she remembered fondly.
"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 reas
on 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?"
