Nancy Clue Mysteries 2 - The Case of the Good-for-Nothing Girlfriend

by Mabel Maney

  "Oh course it's me, dear," Mrs. Meeks pushed past Cherry into the kitchen. "Will you help me with this cake?" she asked, struggling to keep her balance under the weight of a pink and white iced, three-layer wedding cake.

  "How nice," Cherry cried, "Someone you know is getting married!"

  Mrs. Meeks laughed. "You're such a goose. You know good and well this is the day Nancy Clue and Frank Hardly are tying the knot. Remember when I said I'd help with the wedding? Well, I felt so blue about our little misunderstanding in court, I decided to take it upon myself to provide a lavish wedding the likes of which River Depths will never forget. Now, hurry, dear. We've got little sandwiches to cut into triangles and punch to make. And it all begins in exactly one hour!

  "Nancy, hadn't you better go and get dressed? Of course you're wearing your dear mother's wedding gown, aren't you?"

  Jackie came into the room to see what all the fuss was about.

  "Oh, good, you've hired more help. Will you be a good girl and get the fancy punch bowl out of storage?" Mrs. Meeks cried when she spied Jackie. "And, goodness, dear, put on an apron. We have guests arriving soon."

  Jackie raised one eyebrow, crossed her arms over her chest, and gave Mrs. Milton Meeks a fearless look. Cherry put one arm through Jackie's and said, "I guess you don't recognize our friend; you met her in court yesterday." She continued with pride, "Mrs. Meeks, this is Detective Jackie Jones from the San Francisco Police Department."

  When Nancy saw Cherry take Jackie's arm, she hurried out of the room.

  "Oh, really," Mrs. Meeks thrilled. She put on her spectacles and took a good look at Jackie. "Goodness," she said. "You're with the police," she tittered. "Oh, my."

  "Jewel heists are my specialty," Jackie said dryly.

  "But she does many other things equally well," Cherry boasted.

  "Dear, do you have a powder room free?" Mrs. Meeks cried. Cherry directed her toward the downstairs washroom.

  "That was nice, Cherry," Jackie grinned.

  "You mean, the way she ran off with that look in her eyes?" Cherry giggled.

  "No, I mean the way you took my arm and showed me off," Jackie said softly.

  Cherry blushed to the roots of her hairdo. Golly, a few minutes ago she was feeling all tingly about Nancy, and now suddenly her heart was pounding something terrible because of Jackie!

  Suddenly, she felt like crawling into Jackie's strong embrace and staying there forever. "Love is supposed to be such a many splendored thing, but it's really full of heartbreak and sorrow," Cherry exclaimed. Golly, she had done a lot of growing up in the last few days!

  "Midge and Velma swear they'll never speak to one another again, and Nancy and I...well, I don't know what we are to each other anymore. Only last week I was sure she was my one true love. But now I don't know. Oh, I'm so confused," Cherry cried. "Why can't things be simple, like in the movies?"

  "Because life's not like that. Because girls aren't like that," Jackie grinned.

  Cherry had to laugh. "You sound like Midge now," she smiled. Then she grew somber. As bad as her own problems were, as much as her own heart was aching, she knew there were two people who were hurting much worse.

  "If Midge and Velma really do break up, then there's no hope for love!" she cried.

  Jackie agreed. "We've got to bring them back together."

  "Girls, stop standing there gossiping and help Mr. Donald with the decorations," Mrs. Meeks ordered. "And where's that other dark-haired girl? The one who looks like you?" she asked Cherry. "Nancy would look so lovely at the altar, flanked by two brunettes."

  Cherry was delighted to see Mr. Donald standing in the living room, holding a big tissue-paper bell and a box of assorted theatrical supplies. He was clad in mustard yellow sporty cashmere slacks, a matching silk shirt, and soft white suede loafers.

  "When I heard Frank and Nancy were getting married, I just had to see for myself!" he cried. Under Mrs. Meeks's watchful eye, Mr. Donald got to work transforming the attractive yet staid formal living area into a dream. Using crepe paper, fresh flowers from Hannah's garden, and a bolt of the softest pink velvet, he created a milieu straight out of a fairy tale.

  "We haven't any music!" Mrs. Meeks suddenly gasped.

  Mr. Donald opened his box of tricks and took out a Liberace recording of a wedding march. "Will this do?" he asked.

  Mrs. Meeks lit up. "I love him!" she cried. "I practically swooned when I saw him perform last year at the River Depths Symphony Hall." She raced out of the room to call her friend Mrs. Tweeds and ask her to bring her new portable phonograph along with the clam dip.

  "What's really going on here?" Mr. Donald wondered as soon as she had left the room. "Darlings, you all look so weepy-eyed."

  "Oh, Mr. Donald, we're all having troubles today of the most wretched kind," Cherry sighed.

  "Love problems, I'll bet," Mr. Donald guessed. "Tell me everything," he urged. "If there's one thing I am, it's lucky in love."

  Jackie and Cherry quickly explained the argument that had led to the break-up of everyone's favorite couple.

  "And even though they love each other madly, they're both too proud to give in," Cherry exclaimed.

  "It sounds like those two need a good swat," he declared.

  "I believe Velma already tried that," Cherry said.

  "Then we'll go with Plan B!" Mr. Donald cried.

  "Sounds great!" the girls enthused. "What is it?"

  "It goes like this." Soon the trio was whispering furiously and giggling hysterically.

  "The wedding will begin in fifteen minutes!" Mrs. Meeks cried as she came into the room holding a tray of canapes. Guests began arriving, all excited by the turn of events in the Clue house. Gifts piled up, and soon the dining room was overflowing with gaily wrapped packages.

  Mrs. Meeks shrieked with delight when she spotted Miss Gladys Gertz and Miss Martha Mannish outfitted in crisp summer suits and wearing their press badges pinned to their lapels.

  "The reporters I met in court are here!" Mrs. Meeks called. "Now this is one wedding that should be on the front page!" She raced past them, all aflutter.

  Miss Gertz grinned and winked at Cherry. "Have you seen the latest edition of The River Depths Defender?" she asked.

  "I haven't had time to read a thing," Cherry explained earnestly. "Last-minute weddings can be such a headache!"

  Miss Gertz laughed merrily and handed Cherry the newspaper. "I'm so glad I didn't run you down in Dust Bin, dear," she smiled. "You're such a delight!"

  Cherry gasped when she saw Miss Gertz's by-line on the front page.

  GIRL DETECTIVE CRACKS CASE

  River Depths, Illinois-Intrepid girl detective Nancy Clue, with selfless disregard for her own well-being, revealed herself as the true murderer of her father, respected attorney Carson Clue, thus causing the judge to free accused murderess and housekeeper Hannah Gruel, who had been like a mother to the titian-haired sleuth since the death of her own mother twenty-two years ago.

  In a startling courtroom confession, Miss Clue revealed heretofore unknown diabolical aspects of her late father's nature that shocked and stunned the court. In recounting the events that led up to the justifiable homicide, Nancy described a side to Mr. Clue that startled even his most ardent fans.

  "He was really going to kill Hannah! Oh, it was just awful! " Miss Clue recalled after describing how she rescued the frail, elderly housekeeper from her father's clutches.

  In a decision that surprised few courtroom spectators, Judge Milton Meeks exonerated Miss Clue of all wrongdoing in the unhappy shooting.

  "I knew all along she must have had good reason," Mrs. Milton Meeks declared as the courtroom cleared.

  In related news, Police Chief Charles "Chick" Chumley has reportedly fled the state after admitting to this reporter that he fabricated evidence against Hannah Gruel.

  "The Chief was trying to cover for his friend, Carson Clue, by framing the housekeeper," Deputy Dwight Drone admitted. "Why, everyone knows Hannah would
n't harm a fly!"

  Right next to the story was a photograph of Cherry, Nancy, Midge, Velma, and Lauren, taken at the square dance in Dust Bin. The caption read, "A disguised Nancy Clue stopping for some brief recreation at the Round-Up Club in Dust Bin, Wy., on her way to save housekeeper Hannah Gruel from wrongful conviction-Photo by Miss Martha Mannish."

  "I don't know what you girls did with the Chief, and I don't think I want to know, but according to my sources, he deserved everything he got," Miss Gertz giggled.

  Cherry raced upstairs to prepare the bride while Mr. Donald, dismayed that Midge hadn't packed a tuxedo, hopped in his sports car and raced home for one of his.

  "What are we going to do?" Nancy wondered aloud when she peeked down the banister and saw there really was going to be a wedding. "I put on my mother's dress just to placate Mrs. Meeks," she explained.

  "I'll spell out everything later! " Cherry cried. "Get in your bedroom and take off that dress," she ordered. Nancy blushed happily, hummed a gay tune, and raced for her room. By the time she got there, she had stripped off the ivory taffeta gown with its majestic flounced chapel sweep train, lacetrimmed veil, and chantilly lace elbow-length gloves.

  "The shoes, too," Cherry cried. Nancy kicked off her satin slippers. "Shall I take off my panties and stockings?" she wondered shyly. Cherry pondered this.

  "No, that would be unhygienic," Cherry replied. She scooped up the finery and raced down the hall to the washroom, where Velma had sequestered herself hours earlier.

  Using a handy hairpin, Cherry picked the lock and barged in. Velma was sitting on the side of the tub, her head in her hands.

  "Put this on," Cherry ordered.

  "But, Cherry, this is a wedding dress," Velma protested.

  "Yes, Velma, it is. You're getting married today. To Midge."

  "What!" Velma cried.

  "In ten minutes, Midge, pretending to be Frank Hardly, is going to be downstairs waiting at the altar. Well, the fireplace, really. Anyway, we need a bride, and you're just the right size, so get in the dress."

  "If this is some sort of scheme to bring us together, forget it," Velma cried. "I'll never go back to her. Never!"

  "Don't you love Midge anymore?" Cherry wailed.

  "Of course I love Midge," Velma sighed. "But you heard the horrible things we said to each other."

  Cherry nodded. Everyone had.

  "I know Midge too well to think she'd ever get over this fight!" Velma cried. "The things I said to her-and in front of everyone! Midge is a proud girl, Cherry."

  "Don't you think Midge is a big bluffer, too?" Cherry cried. "Don't you think she cares more about you than she does about her pride?"

  Velma grinned, then her grin faded into a sad smile. "No," she said. "I know Midge loves me, but I'm afraid I've injured her beyond repair."

  Cherry gasped. "So now you two are going to part ways and live lives of loneliness and despair just because ... because ... Miss Velma Pierce, if you'll forgive me for saying so, you're just about the most obstinate girl I have ever met!" Cherry cried.

  "Here I am, torn between two loves, walking around with my head held high but my heart wrenched in two. You have the most wonderful girl ever waiting downstairs for you, and you sit up here feeling sorry for yourself! Sure, Midge can be a big jerk sometimes, and her teasing can be wearing, plus she's not the tidiest person I've ever met-I for one am sick of cigarette butts lying about," Cherry confided.

  "Midge is not a big jerk!" Velma cried. "She's the most wonderful girl in the world!"

  Cherry smiled and put the wedding gown on the dressing table. Velma giggled and threw her arms around her chum. "Oh, Cherry, for such a simple little nurse, you sure can be smart!"

  Cherry smiled with pride when she heard those words.

  "Mr. Donald will give you away," she said. "I'll send him up for you in a few minutes." Velma nodded excitedly. She stripped to her slip and pulled the dress over her head. She was fiddling with her new hairdo when Cherry left the room to check on Midge.

  "Midge, you look so handsome," Cherry gasped when she saw her chum wearing a luxurious black tuxedo. "Doesn't she look spiffy?" Mr. Donald agreed. "Luckily, we're the same size, so everything fits to a tee."

  "I don't want to do this," Midge complained.

  "It's not legally binding," Mr. Donald assured her. He winked at Cherry. "You and Nancy are just doing it for show."

  "It's not that," Midge groaned. "I don't want to face anyone after what happened between me and Velma," she sighed.

  "Why, Midge?" Cherry wondered. "No one cares that you yelled the roof off. We've all forgotten about that by now. Everyone needs to let off steam now and then. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

  "Velma wasn't letting off steam," Midge said miserably. "She was getting rid of me once and for all."

  "Oh, Midge," Cherry wanted to cry. "You don't how wrong you are." But she held her tongue.

  Someone had put on the Liberace record. The wedding march began. "Time to go," Mr. Donald chuckled. "Do you and I need to have that father-son talk?" he joked.

  Tears filled Midge's eyes. She gave Mr. Donald a hug.

  "Hurry, Mr. Donald," Cherry cried. "You're giving away the bride. Jackie's the best man, and I'm the flower girl. Jeepers, if I'm the flower girl, I'd better get out there." She raced to Nancy's room, selected a darling mint green dinner dress and dyed-to-match satin pumps, powdered her nose, raced downstairs, and grabbed the basket of rose petals.

  As Cherry walked up the makeshift aisle, her heart filled with a kind of sad joy. "Even if I am doomed to be unlucky in love, I can at least take comfort in the knowledge that I have helped bring others together," she told herself as she made her way to the altar, Mr. Donald and Midge right behind her.

  "Oh, isn't she beautiful," the guests gasped when they spied the shrouded figure of the bride descending the stairs. Cherry could see Midge glancing furtively around the room, looking for her beloved Velma. "She looks as though her heart would break," Cherry thought, blinking back a tear.

  Midge looked puzzled when she spied Nancy in the crowd, clad in a frock of the palest blue and wearing her mother's diamond-studded horseshoe-shaped brooch. Then a delighted grin broke over Midge's handsome features. With shaking hands, she lifted the bride's veil.

  "Why, that's not Nancy," everyone murmured in surprise.

  "What's going on?" Mrs. Meeks cried. "Oh, Nancy, have you been left at the altar? Oh, dear," she cried as she fanned herself with a hankie.

  Nancy silenced the guests. "The wedding will proceed as planned." She looked over to Midge and Velma. "Right?"

  "Right," they chorused happily.

  "I'm not marrying Frank Hardly because I'm in love with someone else," Nancy declared. Cherry's heart started pounding when she realized Nancy was looking straight at her!

  "Will there be another wedding?" everyone cried as they glanced around the room, trying to spot Nancy's beau.

  "Not today," Nancy said shyly. "But maybe very soon." She shot Cherry a searching look.

  Cherry felt dizzy with confusion. Could she and Nancy iron out their problems and recapture the splendor of their earlier love? "I won't think about that today," Cherry told herself. "Today is Midge and Velma's special day." She gave Nancy a little smile. Just maybe, the smile said.

  "Dearly beloved..." the minister began, and before Cherry could wipe the tears of joy from her eyes, Midge and Velma were married!

  "My, that was a lovely ceremony," she overheard a nearby matron remark as they sat in the garden and ate slices of the delicious cake. "Although," she added, "have you ever seen a groom weep like that?"

  "I timed their kiss," she heard someone else remark. "It lasted ten whole minutes. Why, I was beginning to feel faint!"

  "Goodness, they do make an awfully attractive couple," a girl added. "I wish I could find someone like that Frank Hardly. He's even more handsome than I remember!"

  "Where did they go on their honeymoon?" someone asked Cherry. "Niagara Falls?
"

  "Lake Merrimen?"

  "The Poconos?"

  "Did you see how quickly they left? Why, the bride didn't even bother to throw her bouquet," someone whispered loudly.

  "They must have rushed off to catch a train," another girl speculated.

  Cherry blushed. What would these society mavens think, she wondered, if they knew the honeymoon had already begun right above their heads, in the secret attic room upstairs? Cherry smiled as she recalled the sight of Velma hiking up her long gown and racing to the attic with Midge hot on her heels.

  Jackie joined her on the wrought-iron garden bench. "I'll bet we won't see them for a few days," Jackie guessed as she peered up to the third floor. Was it her imagination or was the house shaking just a bit?

  "What are you going to do now, Cherry?" Jackie quizzed her. "Go back to ward work at Seattle General? Stay here while the dust settles? If you decide to go back West, you're welcome to hitch a ride with me. I'll be leaving in a few days for San Francisco.

  "You don't have to decide now, Cherry," Jackie added softly.

  Cherry looked into those warm black eyes. She knew if she turned her head just another inch, their lips would meet and the decision would be made.

  "I mustn't let my heart rule my head," Cherry told herself. "I don't have to decide anything today. For tomorrow is the day after today, and that will be soon enough."

  The End

  About the Author

  Mabel Maney was born at All Saint's Hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin, to Marge Muldoon Maney, a former beauty queen whose titles include Miss Muskie Queen 1949 and Miss Cheese Log 1951, and Milton Maney, a traveling footwear salesman specializing in sensible shoes.

  After her parents were lost at sea, Mabel's spinster aunt, Miss Maude Maney, a successful women's undergarments buyer for a local department store, enrolled Mabel at St. Agatha's School for Girls in nearby Bear Lake, where she excelled in Conversational Skills and Table Manners. After an idyllic four years spent in the highest academic pursuits, Mabel was expelled for behavior too unpleasant to mention here.