by Mabel Maney
"I'm sure that once Midge gets Nancy home and she gets a nice, hot supper and some rest, she'll be just fine," Cherry said. "I'll bet I know what happened. Nancy didn't eat any breakfast, and she forgot the lunch I packed for her. She probably had a cocktail and it hit her too hard. That can happen when someone drinks on an empty stomach," Cherry said. "Especially if they're not accustomed to drinking very much.
"Sometimes when it seems like someone is drunk, they're really just nutritionally deprived," she explained, adding, "I'll bet she's learned her lesson."
"I hope so," Velma said. "But I-" But she didn't get to finish, for at that moment a car screeched to a halt in front of the Clue residence. They heard a car door slam, and the muffled laughter of two girls. "Good, they're home," Velma said. "I'll go put the coffee pot on."
"Good thinking," Cherry said. "I'll wait here in case Midge needs any help." She waited, but Midge and Nancy didn't come inside.
Cherry was puzzled. Although she couldn't make out what they were saying, she could hear the girls having a rather urgent conversation on the front porch. Why weren't they coming inside?
"Maybe Nancy's fallen," Cherry worried. She flung open the door, hoping to be of some assistance, but instead found herself witness to a shocking sight! An attractive, redhaired stranger had her arms around Nancy. And she was just about to kiss her!
"Stop," Cherry yelled, before she could think of anything better to say.
"Yes, stop," Nancy murmured before collapsing in the redhead's arms.
* * *
CHAPTER 36
* * *
A Sudden Cry
"What a mess," Midge sighed. She snuggled closer to Velma. Finally, they were alone. "Poor Cherry," Midge thought. She shuddered when she remembered the ugly scene she had witnessed just a few hours before, when she had arrived home just as Nancy collapsed into the arms of a strange redhaired girl. "If only I'd found her before that girl did," Midge wished.
"When that redhead wrote down her phone number and asked Cherry to make sure Nancy got it, I thought there was going to be a fight," Midge whispered to Velma. "Cherry is never going to forgive Nancy; I just know it."
Midge ran her hand down Velma's soft curves. "Do you want to go for a ride?" she murmured as she put her hand between Velma's thighs and rubbed softly. She nuzzled Velma's neck. "Or we can take the car out and find a nice spot in the country where we can be alone under the stars. Golly, it's been days!"
Velma moaned and wriggled closer to Midge.
"I love you," Midge whispered softly. She pulled Velma's nightgown over her head.
A sudden knock at the door startled them both. Velma hastily shrugged back into her nightie.
"Midge? Velma?" they heard a girl sob plaintively. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"
It was Cherry, and from the sound of it, she was mighty upset!
* * *
CHAPTER 37
* * *
A Rocky Romance?
"Oh," Cherry gasped as she almost dropped the breakfast tray she had prepared for Nancy. On the silver platter were two soft-boiled eggs, a plate of dry toast, a cup of tomato juice, and a pot of strong coffee. Midge jumped up just in time to catch the pot of coffee before it crashed to the floor. She poured a cup for herself and one for Velma before returning the pot to Cherry's tray.
If truth be told, Cherry was a more than a little anxious about seeing Nancy after last night. Cherry had been aghast at the sight of Nancy in the arms of another girl, but had quickly put her feelings aside when she realized Nancy was intoxicated and in need of swift medical attention.
What was it her favorite teacher, Nurse Shirley Stern, had always said? "A good nurse has no time for personal problems." Although Cherry wondered if Nurse Stern had ever felt the kind of heartbreak she had experienced the night before. "Should I tell Nancy how I feel?" Cherry wondered.
On the way up to the second floor, Cherry bumped smack into Nancy-outfitted in a pale yellow cotton dress with a wide pleated skirt and a white pique collar-creeping down the stairs, one hand over her eyes as if to shut out the morning sun, and the other clutching her stomach.
"I've fixed a nice tray of food for you!" Cherry cried.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly eat a thing! " Nancy protested as she waved Cherry aside. Nancy made her way to the living room, grabbed her purse off the coffee table, and headed for the door.
"That's odd," Nancy murmured when she opened the front door and spied her snappy convertible parked in its usual place under the old Sycamore tree. "If Midge came to get me last night, how did my car get here? Well, never mind. I haven't time to wonder about petty details." She donned her dark glasses as defense against the bright summer morning.
"You're not leaving without any breakfast, are you Nancy?" Cherry called in astonishment as she followed close behind her chum, taking care not to spill any of the delicious, piping hot food on the silver serving tray.
"I have things to attend to," Nancy insisted as she rummaged through her purse for her car keys.
"You must keep up your strength," Cherry admonished her.
Nancy paused in the doorway. She realized Cherry was right. "Maybe a cup of black coffee, then. And an aspirin," Nancy groaned.
"Anything else?" Cherry asked cheerfully.
"Some quiet!" Nancy snapped as she whirled around and headed into the kitchen for some cooling ice to put on her forehead.
Cherry raced close behind, all the while biting her lip to keep from crying. With trembling hands, she poured Nancy a big cup of steaming hot coffee and handed her two headache pills. Her keen intuition told her it was not a good time to ask Nancy about the redhaired stranger who had brought her home the night before. Cherry felt in her pocket for the slip of paper with the girl's phone number scribbled on it. She was sorely tempted to throw it away, but decided against it. "It's not your property, Aimless," she told herself. "It rightfully belongs to Nancy."
"Cherry, are you all right?" Velma asked in a concerned tone. "You seem upset."
Cherry blinked back tears. "I'm fine," she said in a shaky voice. "Don't worry about me." She plopped down on a kitchen chair.
"I know why you're upset," Nancy said finally, after having gulped down two cups of the strong brew and eaten the crust off a piece of toast.
Cherry's heart soared. Now that Nancy was herself again, she was going to beg Cherry's forgiveness for the ugly scene on the porch last night, Cherry was sure of it! Tears came to Cherry's eyes. There must be a reasonable explanation as to how Nancy ended up in the arms of an attractive stranger!
"You're upset because I disappeared all day and left you all here worrying frantically about my whereabouts," Nancy blurted out. "Why, I don't even remember how I got home," she admitted. "I know I called Midge from the Tin Tan Club, and then the next thing I knew, I woke up this morning with a terrible headache."
Cherry waited for more about the attractive redhead. "And?" she prompted her chum.
"And, er, it was swell of you to come and get me, Midge," Nancy added hastily. "I hope I wasn't any trouble. You all must have been terribly worried. I'm so sorry," she said.
Nancy seemed so sincere, Cherry instantly forgot all about her own broken heart. "Of course I forgive you!" Cherry cried happily. Cherry crumpled the piece of paper in her pocket. There would be no need for it now, she thought, as she flung her arms around her chum.
Midge groaned.
"What is it, Midge?" Nancy worried. "Was I a handful last night?"
"Let's just say you weren't at your best," Midge said tersely. "I didn't mean to be so harsh," Midge added quickly when she saw Nancy's eyes fill with tears. "It's just that, well, you can get into some awfully big trouble drinking like that. I almost lost Velma that way," Midge admitted.
Cherry gasped. Was Midge implying that she and Velma had once had problems?
Midge looked Nancy straight in the eye. "Don't make the same mistake," she warned.
Nancy nodded solemnly. "I'll never do it again. I pr
omise. I don't know how it happened. One minute I was walking out of the Chief's office in a daze, and the next, I was in a bar. Many bars," she added in a low, embarrassed tone. "It's just that after my horrible encounter with the Chief, I didn't know where to go, or what to do..." her voice broke off into a sob.
"What did happen?" the girls chorused.
Nancy quickly explained the turn of events that had put her in such a tizzy the day before. "I went to the Chief's office to ask him why he hadn't let Hannah go, and he acted as though our phone conversation had never taken place!" Nancy cried out. "Why, he acted as though I were crazy!"
"What?" the girls chorused.
"I was so shocked, I didn't know what to say," Nancy admitted. "I began to doubt whether I had even made that call from Wyoming. But I did, didn't I Midge?"
Midge nodded.
"Oh, I don't know what to think anymore!" Nancy cried. "Why would the Chief deny having spoken with me? Why would he promise to take care of everything, and then act like I made the whole thing up?"
Cherry gasped in alarm. Suddenly, she understood what Nancy was trying to say. "Are you saying that the person you spoke with on the telephone two days ago, the one who promised to help you, wasn't the Chief at all? That it was an impostor?"
"That must be it," Nancy exclaimed in relief. "The Chief would never let me down, I'm sure of it. Why, it was the first time he had heard it! No wonder he sent me to Dr. Fraud for a thorough examination!
"But I hopped out of the patrol car at the first opportunity and ran away," Nancy quickly added when she saw her chums' alarmed expressions. "I'll bet now that the surprise of what I told him has worn off, Chief Chumley realizes I was telling the truth! Plus I must inform him that someone's running around impersonating him! "
"I saw something like this in a movie once," Cherry said, "but I didn't think anyone in real life could be that deceitful!"
Midge rolled her eyes in disgust. "I'll bet he'd been abducted by aliens that day and a Martian had taken his place," she commented dryly.
"Although I sincerely doubt that, no reasonable explanation should be overlooked," Cherry agreed.
Midge slammed her fist on the table so hard the coffee cups clattered in their saucers. She got up and started pacing around the sunny kitchen, her hands jammed deep into her pockets and a fierce expression on her face.
"What is it, Midge? Do you have another theory that would explain these puzzling events?" Cherry inquired.
"Don't you see?" Midge persisted. "Nancy, I don't know how to put it to you gently, so I'll just say it. Chief Chumley is not your friend!"
"Midge, what a terrible thing to say. Can't you see Nancy's already upset enough?" Cherry scolded. "Honestly, Midge, I know you mean well, but sometimes you can be so...so... frank."
"Nancy, the Chief has no intention of helping you," Midge insisted. "Quite the opposite. He's lying! I just know it! He did receive that phone call from you, he did promise to free Hannah. Oh, Nancy, don't you see that he's the one who stole your evidence! "
"I won't listen to this!" Nancy resisted. She put her hands over her ears. "Police Chief Chumley has always been one of my best friends in River Depths! What possible reason could he have to turn on me? Me!" she cried. "I won't believe these terrible lies. Why, I'd stake my reputation on the Chief's good character! "
"Don't you think it's rather suspicious that he was the only other person who knew exactly where you had hidden your evidence, and now it's gone?" Midge said angrily.
"Maybe he did talk to Nancy, but now he's covering it up for a very good reason," Cherry offered. "He's probably out investigating the case right now."
"There is no case, Cherry," Midge reminded her. "They've got a dead body, a signed confession, and a murder weapon with Hannah's fingerprints all over it. Case closed."
"I'll go to the prison tonight and see Hannah," Nancy planned. "Maybe they're scheming together. Yes, that must be it. Hannah and the Chief are waiting for just the right moment to come forward with the truth."
"What's going on?" George yawned. She appeared in the kitchen, trailed by Bess. By the sleepy look on their faces, it was clear they hadn't gotten much rest the night before. "I'll bet they were awake all night worrying about Nancy," Cherry thought fondly. "As was I."
George plopped down in a chair and pulled Bess onto her lap. Bess grabbed a piece of toast, broke off a corner, and popped it in George's mouth. "Yes, what's going on?" she repeated George's words.
"Instead of speaking to the real Chief the other day, we believe Nancy spoke to an impostor who cleverly disguised his voice in order to trick her into telling him where her evidence was hidden," Cherry announced.
"What?" Bess and George exclaimed.
"Either that or it really was the Chief, and he's covering up for some sleuthing he's doing," Nancy hastily added.
A sharp knock on the back door interrupted their conversation.
"Who could that be?" Nancy wondered.
"Maybe it's the Chief now," Cherry said brightly. "Maybe he couldn't speak openly with you at the police station because his investigation is top-secret, so he's coming here to confer with you in private."
Midge looked utterly astonished at the thought.
Nancy opened the door and was surprised to find Mrs. Milton Meeks, Mrs. Thaddeus Tweeds, and four other River Depths matrons standing on the back porch, with furious expressions on their faces.
Mrs. Meeks marched right past Nancy, opened the refrigerator, and removed her casserole dish of tuna salad. Mrs. Tweeds was right behind her.
"My meat loaf a la king, please," Mrs. Tweeds demanded in an angry tone.
Bess handed her the empty dish. "We ate it," was all she could think to say.
"What's happening here?" Nancy asked.
"Nancy Clue, we heard all about what you did yesterday! "
Cherry gasped. Did everyone know that Nancy had come home with another girl last night?
"Who do you think you are, going to the Chief that way and insisting he release Hannah?" Mrs. Meeks snapped.
"It's all over town how you tried to bully him into letting that horrible housekeeper go," Mrs. Tweeds informed them in an icy tone. The girls gasped when they heard the sordid slander.
"We can't believe you'd take Hannah's side," the other women chorused from the porch. "Oh, Nancy, how could you?"
"So we've come to get our food," Mrs. Tweeds said coldly.
"Oh, dear," Cherry fretted. She had already mailed the thank-you notes for the delicious dishes.
"How can you take her side after she murdered your poor, dear father? And you didn't even bother to turn up for the funeral," Mrs. Meeks sniffed. She glared at Nancy's sunny outfit. "And you're wearing pastels, and its only been two weeks!"
"Shame on you, Nancy Clue," the matrons chorused from their position on the porch.
Mrs. Tweeds took a lace-edged hankie from her purse and wiped her eyes. "If I weren't a lady, I'd tell you exactly what I think of girls like you!"
"Your father was such a dear man," Mrs. Meeks added. "Why, they're building a statue in his honor right now in the town square. I'm the head of the fundraising committee. Care to contribute?"
Nancy gulped. "You don't understand," she said, tears filling her eyes.
"I think we do," Mrs. Meeks said in a frosty tone. "We understand that you are one ungrateful girl. After all your father did for you, providing you with a nice home in an exclusive neighborhood, sending you to the best private girls' school around, buying you closets full of attractive outfits, not to mention the parade of convertibles that came and went! Is this how you repay him? Is it?" she screamed. Her face was bright red when she finished with her harangue.
"Let's go, girls," she spat.
The angry matrons stalked off, leaving behind a trail of Chantilly. Nancy slammed the door behind them so hard, the entire house shook. She kicked it, too, for good measure. Then she limped into the pantry and returned a moment later with a bottle of cooking sherry. She pou
red a liberal amount into her coffee cup and was preparing to gulp it down when she saw the disapproving look on Midge's face.
"The answer to your problem is not in that bottle," Midge said.
Nancy tossed the drink down the drain. She leaned against the sink and gave way to a torrent of tears.
Cherry thanked her lucky stars that she had had the foresight to launder Nancy's handkerchiefs. She ran to get one.
"I must get Hannah out of jail before it kills her!" Nancy cried as she wiped her tears. "But how? Hannah's prints are all over the murder gun, and the only evidence that could possibly free her and exonerate me has been stolen by persons unknown!"
There was a sharp rap at the door. "If that's Mrs. Meeks come back to scold me again, why, I won't be quite so agreeable this time," Nancy declared. She flung open the door, poised for a fight. Instead, a wonderful surprise awaited her.
"Detective Jackie Jones, what are you doing here?" Nancy gasped in delight. "You're supposed to be in San Francisco!"
Jackie Jones put down her valise and swept up Nancy in a big hug.
"Oh, you couldn't have come at a better time! We're in an awful jam and need your help," Nancy said with relief.
The girls raced to greet their chum, who had started the journey with them but had been called back on official duty only minutes into the trip.
The girls had met Jackie Jones, a handsome girl with warm brown skin, sparkling black eyes, and a broad grin that always made Cherry melt just a little, in San Francisco on their last adventure. Jackie was still a beat cop when she had been drawn into The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse. Her work on the case had resulted in a happy ending for everyone. She had been promoted to detective, Midge had gotten her police record wiped clean, and a whole convent of nuns had been rescued.
