price.”
“That’s what she says. Believe me, Nancy, she has her price. Why would I lie to you?”
“Why would Yvonne lie?” she said.
“I can’t answer that,” Mick said.
“Neither can I. Anyway, I’m hoping you’ll be able to give me a few leads on what happened at the Maggies. Did you see anything odd? Anyone suspicious in the audience?”
Mick thought for a moment. “I can’t remember anything unusual. But to tell you the truth, I was too excited to notice very much that night. It was like a fantasy come true—and who looks for flaws in the middle of a living fantasy?” Mick sighed, remembering the evening. “And to think I never got to accept my award. Now that is a real tragedy!”
Nancy laughed. “Well, you certainly made the biggest splash in the history of the Maggie ceremonies! I’m just glad you’re all right.” Nancy decided to let the questioning go. Clearly, Mick wasn’t going to be able to help her much.
“How are you keeping yourself occupied?” she asked.
“Doing a lot of reading,” Mick told her. “Yvonne was really sweet. She brought over a whole bunch of mystery novels for me.” He pointed to a stack of paperbacks piled on his night table.
“That was thoughtful of her,” Nancy mused.
“Yeah. This accident has actually made her want to be civil—even nice—to me.”
“Are any of the books any good? Yvonnedidn’t seem very interested in mysteries when I first met her. I wouldn’t suppose she’d know the best writers.”
“Are you kidding?” Mick said incredulously. “Yvonne’s the biggest mystery fanatic south of Alaska! She probably knows more about them than you or I do! She even wrote a few after she got out of college. I’ve read them. Real thrillers.”
Nancy gasped. “And I bet I can guess her pen name. She’s not, by any chance, Ivan Green, is she?”
“Brilliant deduction, Detective Drew,” Mick said with a laugh. “Ivan, which sounds like Yvonne, and Green, which is English for the Italian word verdi, her last name.”
Nancy suddenly glanced at her watch. “Oh, look, it’s almost five o’clock!” she exclaimed with fake surprise. “I promised my father I’d meet him for dinner at quarter after, so I’d better be running.” Nancy leaned down to kiss Mick’s cheek.
“Well, thanks for coming, Nancy. You’ve definitely broken the monotony of hospital life. And I love the dune buggy. It’s kind of like a pet puppy.”
“I’m glad. I’ll come visit you again soon.” Nancy grinned at Mick, but her smile disappeared the moment she stepped out of his room. She was thinking hard. She had a lot of work ahead of her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to do it all alone. But who could she ask for help? Usually she called Bess or George, butthey were in River Heights. Too far away. Ned? After everything that had happened between them, could she still call him?
Nancy gave an exasperated sigh. I’ll have to, she decided, no matter how much pride is at stake.
Nancy hurried to the hospital cafeteria and found a telephone. Not stopping for a moment, she pushed seven numbers.
The phone rang once before Scott’s voice said, “Hello, Flash magazine.”
“Yes, I’d like to speak to Ned Nickerson,” Nancy said, trying not to sound like herself.
“Hold one moment,” Scott said. He hadn’t recognized her voice.
The next voice Nancy heard was Ned’s. “Hello?” he said.
“Hi, Ned, this is Nancy. Are you alone?”
“Oh, wow, I’m so glad you finally called!” Ned exclaimed happily. “I’ve missed you so much. When can we get together and talk this thing out?”
“Hold on. I’m not calling to make up, and I don’t want to hear the sordid details of your relationship with Sondra.”
“What sordid details?” Ned cried. “All we did was—”
“I don’t care.” Nancy cut Ned off. “I need to talk to you about something much more important.”
“More important than us, Nancy? I don’t think that
“That’s what she says. Believe me, Nancy, she has her price. Why would I lie to you?”
“Why would Yvonne lie?” she said.
“I can’t answer that,” Mick said.
“Neither can I. Anyway, I’m hoping you’ll be able to give me a few leads on what happened at the Maggies. Did you see anything odd? Anyone suspicious in the audience?”
Mick thought for a moment. “I can’t remember anything unusual. But to tell you the truth, I was too excited to notice very much that night. It was like a fantasy come true—and who looks for flaws in the middle of a living fantasy?” Mick sighed, remembering the evening. “And to think I never got to accept my award. Now that is a real tragedy!”
Nancy laughed. “Well, you certainly made the biggest splash in the history of the Maggie ceremonies! I’m just glad you’re all right.” Nancy decided to let the questioning go. Clearly, Mick wasn’t going to be able to help her much.
“How are you keeping yourself occupied?” she asked.
“Doing a lot of reading,” Mick told her. “Yvonne was really sweet. She brought over a whole bunch of mystery novels for me.” He pointed to a stack of paperbacks piled on his night table.
“That was thoughtful of her,” Nancy mused.
“Yeah. This accident has actually made her want to be civil—even nice—to me.”
“Are any of the books any good? Yvonnedidn’t seem very interested in mysteries when I first met her. I wouldn’t suppose she’d know the best writers.”
“Are you kidding?” Mick said incredulously. “Yvonne’s the biggest mystery fanatic south of Alaska! She probably knows more about them than you or I do! She even wrote a few after she got out of college. I’ve read them. Real thrillers.”
Nancy gasped. “And I bet I can guess her pen name. She’s not, by any chance, Ivan Green, is she?”
“Brilliant deduction, Detective Drew,” Mick said with a laugh. “Ivan, which sounds like Yvonne, and Green, which is English for the Italian word verdi, her last name.”
Nancy suddenly glanced at her watch. “Oh, look, it’s almost five o’clock!” she exclaimed with fake surprise. “I promised my father I’d meet him for dinner at quarter after, so I’d better be running.” Nancy leaned down to kiss Mick’s cheek.
“Well, thanks for coming, Nancy. You’ve definitely broken the monotony of hospital life. And I love the dune buggy. It’s kind of like a pet puppy.”
“I’m glad. I’ll come visit you again soon.” Nancy grinned at Mick, but her smile disappeared the moment she stepped out of his room. She was thinking hard. She had a lot of work ahead of her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to do it all alone. But who could she ask for help? Usually she called Bess or George, butthey were in River Heights. Too far away. Ned? After everything that had happened between them, could she still call him?
Nancy gave an exasperated sigh. I’ll have to, she decided, no matter how much pride is at stake.
Nancy hurried to the hospital cafeteria and found a telephone. Not stopping for a moment, she pushed seven numbers.
The phone rang once before Scott’s voice said, “Hello, Flash magazine.”
“Yes, I’d like to speak to Ned Nickerson,” Nancy said, trying not to sound like herself.
“Hold one moment,” Scott said. He hadn’t recognized her voice.
The next voice Nancy heard was Ned’s. “Hello?” he said.
“Hi, Ned, this is Nancy. Are you alone?”
“Oh, wow, I’m so glad you finally called!” Ned exclaimed happily. “I’ve missed you so much. When can we get together and talk this thing out?”
“Hold on. I’m not calling to make up, and I don’t want to hear the sordid details of your relationship with Sondra.”
“What sordid details?” Ned cried. “All we did was—”
“I don’t care.” Nancy cut Ned off. “I need to talk to you about something much more important.”
“More important than us, Nancy? I don’t think that
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