Alan vanished before this show, like Barton did before the last one, it was going to look pretty suspicious. And they wouldn’t have such an easy time explaining it the second time around.”
“I wish they had taken me,” Alan said. “Ididn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I was so busy dreaming about how famous I’d be. If anything happens to Bess—or Barton—”
“We’ve got to find out where they’re shipping from,” Nancy put in, “and get there fast!”
“But you can’t look for her!” Alan’s voice rang out. “You promised. If they realize you’re coming after them, who knows what they’ll do to Bess!”
“Alan, think about it,” Nancy said, barely able to face the facts herself. “We don’t have any choice. You heard Vivian’s plans for Barton. If we don’t go after them, there may be two bodies going out with the albums.”
“What are we going to do?” Anguish was written all over Alan’s face.
“We’re going to get ourselves out of this madness out here,” Nancy said, determined. “And then we’re going to find that duck house Vivian mentioned.”
A few moments later, Nancy was running her index finger down the listings in a telephone book. “Duck House. Let’s see. D-U-B, D-U-C . . . Duck. The Duck’s Back, Duck Floor Coverings, Duck Sport and Leisure Shop. No Duck House.” She slammed the heavy book shut. “Any luck, George?”
George shook her head. She was bent over the yellow pages. “No pet stores with that name. Maybe duck house isn’t the name of the place, just a place that has duck.”
“How about stores that specialize in aquariums and water habitats?” Alan suggested.
“You’d be more likely to find goldfish there,” Nancy said.
“There are tons of pet stores listed that specialize in birds,” George said. “Not that we’d have any idea which ones to go to first.”
“Maybe we should divide up,” Roger Gold suggested. “There are enough of us to cover a pretty big area.”
With the concert postponed, the members of Bent Fender had gathered with Nancy, Alan, Ned, and George in the private office of the club manager, to try to come up with a rescue plan.
“Well, it’s true, there are plenty of us,” Nancy said, “but if we split up, I don’t see how one or two of us is going to be much of a match for a gang of killers. Besides, like George said, who knows if ‘the duck house’ has anything to do with pet shops at all? It’s just a shot in the dark.”
“But it’s the only shot we’ve come up with so far,” Alan reminded her anxiously. “Listen, there’s ‘Jungle Paradise,’ ‘Birds of a Feather,’ ‘Hot House Exotic Birds’ . . .”
“Somehow, I don’t exactly think a duck is considered an exotic bird.” Nancy’s mouth settled into a grim line.
“Or even a pet, really.” Linda Ferrare spoke up.
“The truth is, I kind of think of it as something to eat. You know, like Peking duck,” Roger Goldput in. “What a time to be thinking about food,” he said with a rueful smile.
“Roger!” Nancy jumped out of the lounge chair she had been sitting in. “Say that again.”
“What? What a time to be thinking about food?”
“No, before that.”
“Peking duck?”
“That’s it! Why didn’t I think of it right away?”
Ned put a hand on Nancy’s shoulder. “You want to let the rest of us in on it, Nan?”
“The Duck House, the lack of copyright laws in Mainland China, James Lee.” Nancy reeled off a list of clues.
“James Lee. You mean Dave Peck’s boss?” Ned asked. “I still don’t get it.”
“Don’t you see? Mrs. Peck said James Lee had taken her and Dave to a restaurant his brother owned, right? What if ‘Lee’ is the Chinese last name. It could even be ‘Li.’ Remember, we’ve never seen it spelled.”
“You mean Dave’s boss might be the connection to China. And Ann Nordquist isn’t mixed up in all of this?” Ned asked.
“Exactly,” Nancy affirmed. “China just might be
“I wish they had taken me,” Alan said. “Ididn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I was so busy dreaming about how famous I’d be. If anything happens to Bess—or Barton—”
“We’ve got to find out where they’re shipping from,” Nancy put in, “and get there fast!”
“But you can’t look for her!” Alan’s voice rang out. “You promised. If they realize you’re coming after them, who knows what they’ll do to Bess!”
“Alan, think about it,” Nancy said, barely able to face the facts herself. “We don’t have any choice. You heard Vivian’s plans for Barton. If we don’t go after them, there may be two bodies going out with the albums.”
“What are we going to do?” Anguish was written all over Alan’s face.
“We’re going to get ourselves out of this madness out here,” Nancy said, determined. “And then we’re going to find that duck house Vivian mentioned.”
A few moments later, Nancy was running her index finger down the listings in a telephone book. “Duck House. Let’s see. D-U-B, D-U-C . . . Duck. The Duck’s Back, Duck Floor Coverings, Duck Sport and Leisure Shop. No Duck House.” She slammed the heavy book shut. “Any luck, George?”
George shook her head. She was bent over the yellow pages. “No pet stores with that name. Maybe duck house isn’t the name of the place, just a place that has duck.”
“How about stores that specialize in aquariums and water habitats?” Alan suggested.
“You’d be more likely to find goldfish there,” Nancy said.
“There are tons of pet stores listed that specialize in birds,” George said. “Not that we’d have any idea which ones to go to first.”
“Maybe we should divide up,” Roger Gold suggested. “There are enough of us to cover a pretty big area.”
With the concert postponed, the members of Bent Fender had gathered with Nancy, Alan, Ned, and George in the private office of the club manager, to try to come up with a rescue plan.
“Well, it’s true, there are plenty of us,” Nancy said, “but if we split up, I don’t see how one or two of us is going to be much of a match for a gang of killers. Besides, like George said, who knows if ‘the duck house’ has anything to do with pet shops at all? It’s just a shot in the dark.”
“But it’s the only shot we’ve come up with so far,” Alan reminded her anxiously. “Listen, there’s ‘Jungle Paradise,’ ‘Birds of a Feather,’ ‘Hot House Exotic Birds’ . . .”
“Somehow, I don’t exactly think a duck is considered an exotic bird.” Nancy’s mouth settled into a grim line.
“Or even a pet, really.” Linda Ferrare spoke up.
“The truth is, I kind of think of it as something to eat. You know, like Peking duck,” Roger Goldput in. “What a time to be thinking about food,” he said with a rueful smile.
“Roger!” Nancy jumped out of the lounge chair she had been sitting in. “Say that again.”
“What? What a time to be thinking about food?”
“No, before that.”
“Peking duck?”
“That’s it! Why didn’t I think of it right away?”
Ned put a hand on Nancy’s shoulder. “You want to let the rest of us in on it, Nan?”
“The Duck House, the lack of copyright laws in Mainland China, James Lee.” Nancy reeled off a list of clues.
“James Lee. You mean Dave Peck’s boss?” Ned asked. “I still don’t get it.”
“Don’t you see? Mrs. Peck said James Lee had taken her and Dave to a restaurant his brother owned, right? What if ‘Lee’ is the Chinese last name. It could even be ‘Li.’ Remember, we’ve never seen it spelled.”
“You mean Dave’s boss might be the connection to China. And Ann Nordquist isn’t mixed up in all of this?” Ned asked.
“Exactly,” Nancy affirmed. “China just might be
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