by Mabel Maney
"Perfect," Midge replied. The waitress bent close to Midge and refilled her cup. Midge surveyed the curve of the girl's breasts under the thin cotton material of her uniform. "Er...ah...I'll need a few minutes to look over the menu," Midge stammered. She noticed that a large man wearing a loud plaid jacket was gesturing frantically at the waitress.
"Take your time," the girl replied in a smooth manner. "I'm here until two. That's when I get off. Two o'clock. In the afternoon-"
Midge hurriedly pointed at the menu. "I'll have this," she said, not even caring what she was ordering.
The girl took the pencil from behind her ear and flipped open her order book. "One Dish of the Day," she murmured. "Would you like anything else? Anything at all?"
Midge blushed and shook her head. She watched the waitress walk away, swaying to the country music coming from the jukebox. "I'm not used to getting so much attention from other girls," Midge thought. "I've practically got the word `married' stamped on my forehead!" She gulped down the rest of her coffee and lit her first cigarette of the day. "Can everyone tell that I'm starved for romance?" she wondered. She counted the days on her fingers. She realized with a start that she hadn't been alone with Velma for two days.
"Two whole days!" Midge moaned.
Her thoughts of Velma were interrupted by the waitress, back with a platter of food. "Sausage, flapjacks, fried eggs, grits, bacon, ham, homemade biscuits, jam, and grapefruit juice. Can I get you anything else?"
Midge shook her head dumbly, overwhelmed at the feast set before her. "At least I can eat all I want," she sighed, cracking the yolk of an egg with a fluffy biscuit before stuffing it into her mouth. She turned her attention to the newspaper she had picked up outside the diner. She was relieved to see no mention of Hannah's trial.
"What are you doing, Midge? Reading the newspaper?" Lauren slid into the booth and tried to get Midge's attention.
Midge groaned. What was Lauren doing up?
"Trying to," Midge replied. She was determined to have one quiet breakfast. Why, since they had begun their journey, she hadn't had one minute to herself.
"Can I have the comics?" Lauren wanted to know. She reached across the table, and clumsily knocked over Midge's coffee.
"Darn it, Lauren," Midge yelled, hastily trying to mop up the hot liquid with her thin paper napkin. "Cherry's rightyou are headed for reform school." Midge had to grin a little when she said this. More and more, Lauren was beginning to remind her of herself.
The waitress appeared. She quickly mopped the table top and provided Midge with a fresh cup of coffee. "Would your little friend like some milk?" she asked.
"Milk?" Lauren scowled. "I'll take a cup of coffee. Make it black," she snapped.
"Milk," Midge mouthed. She noticed Lauren eyeing her plate of food, and pushed it across the table. "You can have some," she said, "but only if you promise not to do anything but sit there and eat."
"I promise. But, Midge-"
"Not another word," Midge scowled. "I want total silence." She took a sip of her coffee.
"But-" Lauren started.
"Not one word," Midge grumbled.
"Fine, but just don't blame me 'cause I didn't give you Velma's message."
Midge hastily put down her cup. "Velma gave you a message to give to me? Why didn't you say so?"
Lauren shrugged and took a big bite of ham. Midge looked annoyed.
"She wants to see you back in the room," Lauren finally spit out.
Midge jumped up from the table. "Stay here," she said. "Finish your breakfast and sit until I get back." Midge raced out of the diner and headed for their room.
"Hi, Midge," a cheery voice called out. Cherry, crisply outfitted in a pink poplin jumper and white blouse, was standing next to their newly repaired car, a paper sack in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
"That nice mechanic just dropped off the car," she reported. "Nancy has gone to sell our piece of gold and settle the repair bill. I'm going to tidy the car before we begin the last leg of the trip," she planned aloud. "And that nice motel manager gave me some boxes so I can organize Lauren's rock collection."
"Good!" Midge cried as she raced past her. She took care not to be seen by the manager and was relieved when she made it through the door. Midge's heart melted at the sight of Velma, curled up in bed, a pile of warm blankets near her feet. She kicked off her loafers, peeled off her shirt, and slipped under the covers.
For a moment Midge lay quietly, enjoying the way her body fit so perfectly with Velma's. She gently put her hand on Velma's hip and kissed the back of her neck. Velma moaned and wriggled closer to Midge.
"I've been waiting for you," she sighed, rolling over to face her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around Midge's neck and pulled her close.
"Lauren took forever to give me your message-otherwise I would have been here minutes ago!" Midge cried out excitedly.
Velma grinned, roughly rolled Midge on her back, and climbed on top of her. "Did you lock the door?" she murmured.
Midge nodded as she worked feverishly to rid Velma of her pink satin pajama trousers.
Velma grabbed her purse from the bedstand. With one hand she swiftly emptied its contents on the floor. "I swiped this from Miss Gertz," she explained, holding up her yellow bandanna from last night's square dance. Within seconds she had expertly bound Midge's wrists to the decorative cattle horns on the headboard. "Nancy's not the only one who earned her Rope-Trick Badge," Velma grinned.
"I could use a free hand," Midge protested mildly.
Velma ignored her. She ran her tongue over Midge's breasts.
"Just for a minute?" Midge pleaded.
Velma bit her softly but said nothing.
Midge groaned and closed her eyes. She knew when she was licked.
A sudden knock at the door startled them both.
"Ignore it," Midge groaned, locking her strong legs around Velma's waist. Velma did her best, but it was difficult to ignore what came next.
"River Depths calling Miss Nancy Clue," a man's voice rang out. It was the motel manager. Both girls had the same thought. It must be an emergency!
"We're coming," Midge yelled, trying to stop the man from shouting again. The last thing they needed was for those nosy reporters staying just three doors down to discover that Darcy New was really Nancy Clue!
Velma leapt out of bed, jumped into her clothes, and headed for the door. She whirled around and raced back to the bed. "Sorry, honey," she said, as she quickly untied Midge. Then she raced out the door.
Midge groaned and buried her head in the pillow. She was as close to tears as she'd ever been!
When Velma returned a few minutes later, she had a horrified expression on her pretty face. "Oh, Midge!" she cried. "The most horrible man was on the phone!"
Midge leapt from the bed where she had been anxiously awaiting Velma's swift return and raced over to her girlfriend. She held the trembling girl close.
Velma's story tumbled out in gasps and sobs. "When I went to the phone ...I intended... to say.. .that I wasn't Nancy... but before.. .1 could say... any more than `hello,' a dreadful voice... came on the line. He said the most awful things," Velma gasped. She repeated his exact words. " `Nancy Clue... if you know... what's good for you... you'll stay.. .away from River Depths lest a tragic fate... befall you.' Then he said ...he'd make... sure... she spent the rest of her life... behind bars... if she didn't... keep... her... mouth... shut!" Velma cried. "Oh, Midge, what are we going to do? We can't let Nancy go back there now!"
"I will, too, go back," Nancy declared. They were surprised to see Nancy standing in the doorway, holding a sack of groceries, her cheeks aflame with anger. "I don't know why someone would try to scare me off, but it's not going to work," she declared. "I will not go to jail for the murder of my father when it was clearly a case of justifiable homicide!" she exclaimed. "What did the man sound like? Could you identify an accent or any unusual characteristics?" she quizzed Velma.
Velma sh
ook her head. "It was hard to make out his voice," she admitted, adding, "It was all muffled. But I did hear a slight buzzing noise in the background. It must have been a bad connection."
"So he was disguising his true identity," Nancy deduced. "He was probably using the old handkerchief-over-thereceiver trick. It's popular with crooks who use telephones in their wicked misdeeds."
Nancy put her bag on the bed and took off her scarf and dark glasses. "When I called Chief Chumley yesterday, I gave him the phone number of the motel. Some criminal must have stolen it from a pad of paper on his desk. I'll bet he overheard the Chief talking to me and hatched his evil plan. My best guess is that he's setting a trap for blackmail," she concluded. "When we get to River Depths, this petty thief will probably be the first to contact us. I will simply turn his extortion attempt over to the Chief, and we will be done with him," she declared.
"Not a word of this to Cherry," Nancy pleaded. "You know how much she worries."
Just then, Cherry skipped into the room. She spied the bag of groceries. "Oh, good, you got the money and purchased food. Well, I've been a busy bee, too, while you've been gone. I've tidied the car and updated our driving schedule. Barring any more breakdowns, we should be in River Depths in exactly twenty hours and seven minutes, not counting rest stops and meals. Oh, Nancy!" she cried, throwing her arms around her favorite date. "I have such a good feeling about today. I just know that once we get to River Depths, everything will be okay!"
* * *
CHAPTER 21
* * *
"O, Nebraska!"
"I'm bored," Lauren complained as she surveyed the long stretch of unending fields before her eyes. "Aren't we ever going to get out of this flat place?" she scowled. "There's nothing to look at here besides miles and miles of stupid corn and boring wheat!"
Cherry gasped indignantly. "Nebraska is the heart of our nation, Lauren," she admonished. "Look all around you-see that wheat growing tall and proud?" Her voice cracked with emotion. "See it glistening gold in the sun? I'll tell you who lives here, Lauren. People who feed hungry folks with the toil of their hands." Cherry swelled with pride when she thought of the vast and rich resources of her country. "Despite heat and hail and dust storms and insects, hearty Nebraskans keep going! " she cried. "And why? To nourish people just like you and me, Lauren. To grow wheat so you can have your morning sticky bun, and the roll around your frankfurter, not to mention corn on the cob and other favorites.
"Look above you, Lauren," Cherry said as she threw her head back and squinted into the brilliant sunlight. "Have you ever seen a sky so radiant and rich in color? Have you ever seen such cottony clouds, racing across the prairie swells?"
Lauren had to admit that the sky was awfully blue.
"It will be dark as we drive through Iowa," Cherry warned as she checked her travel itinerary. "So soak up these broad fields, deep skies, waist-high wheat, fields of golden corn, and brilliant sunshine while you can, Lauren."
She was excited to realize they would reach River Depths right on schedule! They would cross the state line into Iowa at approximately six o'clock, stop for a yummy supper, then drive swiftly but carefully across Iowa, arriving at the Illinois border at approximately one o'clock in the morning. From then on, it would be a mere matter of hours before they arrived in River Depths. "And Nancy will see Hannah and finally put all her worries aside."
Cherry was a little disappointed that they would drive through most of corn country under cover of darkness.
"Iowa-now that's a most important state in the exciting story of our nation's food production," she declared. "Did you know, if you put Iowa's corn crop for one year in freight cars, the train would stretch from New York to California?" Cherry cried excitedly. "Nobody, however, would really do this," she was quick to assure them. "It's a good thing, too, because then we would have to do without things like corn syrup and penicillin and cornsilk for our face powder."
"Or corn chowder," Velma piped up. "Yum."
"And popcorn," Lauren added.
"Corn fritters," Nancy licked her lips.
Cherry settled into the cushy leather back, closed her eyes and soon was dreaming of rows and rows of silky golden wheat swaying in the gentle breeze. A few hours later, the crack of thunder, then the soft splashing sound of summer rain on the canvas convertible top roused Cherry from her restful sleep.
"Are you feeling refreshed?" Velma asked softly, handing her chum a cup of cool water. Cherry was pleased to see that Velma had remembered to fill their travel thermos. She took a generous gulp of the cool liquid and smiled her thanks.
"Have I been asleep for long?" Cherry asked Velma, who was sitting in the front seat next to Midge, who was still at the wheel.
"We're almost to Iowa," Velma replied.
"But Nancy's supposed to take the second leg of the Nebraska excursion'" Cherry cried. "Didn't you check the schedule?
"Nancy's sleeping," Velma whispered.
Cherry realized with a start that Nancy was stretched out in front of her on the floor of the back seat and was sound asleep.
"We stopped for lunch about an hour ago. You were sleeping peacefully, so we left you in the car. I'm afraid that Nancy overdid it a little and passed out," Velma explained.
"Good Midwestern cooking can have that effect on many people," Cherry remarked.
Velma made a funny face and passed Cherry a brown paper sack. "Er, yeah," she said. "Here's a meat loaf sandwich, some stewed tomatoes, and a nice piece of raisin pie for you."
Cherry hungrily downed the tasty lunch, then wiped her hands on a hankie. She settled back to enjoy the ride.
"Don't you think it's exciting to be in the middle of a storm, watching the sky turn all sorts of colors? Look over there! Is that lightning?" Cherry squealed as a flash lit up the sky.
Midge cracked a smile. Around Cherry, it was hard not to. "When I was a kid and it stormed, my grandmother and I would take the kitchen chairs outside and sit under the old oak tree and watch the sky light up," Midge remembered fondly. "You're not really supposed to," she chuckled. "But as my grandmother would say, there're worse ways you could go."
Cherry's eyes grew big with alarm. She could see now was as good a time as any for some weather-safety tips!
"Never stand under a tree or fix your television antenna during a thunderstorm," Cherry cautioned. "Stay away from sailboats and water as well. And if you come across a tornado, run to the nearest basement! A tornado is a whirlpool of air so violent that houses in its path may fly apart like matchsticks, and trains can be pulled right up off their tracks," she explained helpfully. "Did you know that next year, the United States Government has plans to launch weather satellites which will circle the globe every one hundred fifteen minutes at an average height of nine hundred miles, and report back threatening weather conditions, thus saving countless lives?" Cherry said in awe. "Imagine! Three times a day, the satellites will make snapshots of the entire earth!"
"Do you think weather is all they're interested in?" Midge wondered.
Cherry was puzzled. "What could you mean, Midge? Why else would the government put cameras up there?"
"Maybe they like to look at what people are doing," Midge guessed.
"Golly, Midge, you've got to stop being so suspicious!" Cherry cried. "What a thing to suggest. Why, that would be snooping, and that's downright un-American!" She shivered at the thought of a big camera in the sky taking her picture. "Of course it couldn't see through roofs, so no one could see me when I'm undressing," she reasoned. Still, the idea made her nervous.
Silly Midge! Always seeing trouble where there wasn't any. True, during their recent San Francisco adventure, Midge had been right about many things, including the true nature of the evil priest who had tried to kill them, but that was an isolated case, wasn't it? Cherry thought Midge could certainly do with a more positive outlook on life.
She lay back on the comfy white leather seat. "We're almost to Omaha," she thought dreamily. She wriggled on h
er side so she could gaze into her sweetie's face. If only Nancy would awaken and realize I'm here, Cherry thought wistfully. She lightly touched the sleeping girl's cheek and wished her awake. But Nancy slept on.
* * *
CHAPTER 22
* * *
At Long Last, Iowa
Cherry hummed happily as they crossed the Missouri River into Iowa. Although the river wasn't nearly so glorious as the raging Mississippi-a secret and eccentric river full of thick trees, tall grasses, birds, mosquitoes, deer and turtles, and an industrial artery with a ceaseless flow of traffic, as well-it was a nice tributary just the same.
"And I do remember a nifty song that travelers often sing as they pass over the Missouri," Cherry suddenly realized. She sang out, clear and true.
She knew there were many more words, but for the life of her, those were the only ones she could remember. "Sorry, that's all I know," she said.
"That's quite enough," Midge grinned. She steered the car over the impressive concrete expanse that linked Nebraska and Iowa, stopping only to pitch a quarter into the box at the toll plaza.
"Midge, aren't you tired of driving yet?" Cherry worried. It occurred to her that Midge had spent an awful lot of time behind the wheel. "Next time we stop for gasoline, and have our tires and fluid levels checked, I'll revise the driving schedule so you get some time off," she declared.
"I don't mind driving," Midge said. "It gives me something to do besides just sit and think." She wanted to add, "and worry," but didn't.
"Thinking can be very wearisome," Cherry declared.
"Besides that, it causes those awful worry lines on one's forehead. I'll let you in on a little trick my mother taught me, Midge," Cherry shared helpfully. "Several times a day, for as long as you can, try to think of nothing at all. It works wonders! Oh, look!" she squealed, pointing to a roadside sign in the shape of a giant ear of corn.
