the open door, her handbag, her jacket. . . . She sighed over and over again with happiness.
“So?” Bess giggled, her spirits finally lightening after the grisly discovery they’d made at dinner.
George looked around, as if waking up and noticing where she was for the first time. “Oh, Bess, Nancy . . .” she murmured. “Hi.”
Nancy and Bess shot each other amused looks. It wasn’t often that their poised friend acted so out of it.
“Sooooo . . .” Nancy tried this time.
“Oh—” replied George. “You want to know about Jack? He’s wonderful. So—charming, so—” Her eyes lit up at the very thought of Jack Kale.
“So handsome?” Bess finished for her.
“Yes, and sweet, too. Very sweet. Incredibly sweet, in fact.” George sat in a club chair with a rapturous smile plastered on her face.
“I take it he didn’t try to murder you?” Nancy asked with an amused smile.
“Oh, no. Nancy, it can’t be him. He’s just too wonderful. He took me to an incredible place for dinner and then to this gambling parlor in the East Eighties.”
Bess’s eyes grew big. “Gambling’s illegal.”
“Oh, Bess, I know that! Anyway, he dropped five thousand dollars or so, but he said he could afford it.”
Nancy’s eyebrows went up. Jack Kale’s only real connection to wealth was his aunt. Five thousand dollars was a lot of money to blow in one night!
After a few moments George seemed to be waking from the trance she was in. The smile was still there, but there was also a glimmer of the old level-headed George coming through what she was saying.
“He’s not really bad. At least, I don’t think so. But he does have a problem—he is messed up about money, you know? He takes big chances and then he panics. That’s what I saw tonight, anyway.”
“What do you mean, he panics?” Nancy asked.
George’s eyes flickered with disappointment. “He admitted stealing the ruby. He said he was only going to use it as collateral for a loan, and he swore he was going to give it back. But honestly, Nancy, he really loved Sarah. He was awfully grateful that she and Joshua raised him. Imagine how hard it is to be an orphan.”
It was plain to see George was smitten, but herinstincts about people were always on the mark, Nancy knew. If George Fayne thought Jack Kale was okay, Nancy had to believe it. That is, unless George had completely flipped.
Just to make sure, Nancy put it to her directly. “George, be honest, have you lost your mind over this guy?”
George looked up at her friend and considered the question carefully. “Well, maybe a little, Nancy. I mean, I’d never want to get involved with someone who gambled. And I really don’t approve of him taking the ring—but I swear, Jack Kale would never hurt a fly. He’s not the type.”
That sounded more like George.
“So it was Jack who took the ring. I wonder if he took the jewelry box, too.” Nancy was thinking out loud now.
“Oh, no. I forgot to tell you. Jack thought that whole theft was a real hoot. He always knew all the jewels in that box were fakes. Whenever they stayed at the Plaza, Sarah kept her good stuff in the hotel safe—except for the ruby, of course.”
“Well, if we rule out Jack Kale . . .” Nancy was on her feet, pacing. Then she fell silent and looked up at the ceiling.
Bess looked up, too, and saw nothing there but carved plaster roses. “So, Nancy, who did it?” she wanted to know.
Nancy bit her lip and answered slowly. “Knowing who did it doesn’t do much goodunless you can prove it, Bess. And there’s only one way I can do that.”
“And that one way is?” asked George.
“I need some stationery.” Moving to the rosewood desk, Nancy pulled out three sheets of embossed Plaza Hotel notepaper.
“Here goes,” she murmured, scribbling furiously.
Bess and George watched as she wrote a message on each sheet of paper. She tucked each sheet into a separate envelope, sealed them, and stood up.
“Come
“So?” Bess giggled, her spirits finally lightening after the grisly discovery they’d made at dinner.
George looked around, as if waking up and noticing where she was for the first time. “Oh, Bess, Nancy . . .” she murmured. “Hi.”
Nancy and Bess shot each other amused looks. It wasn’t often that their poised friend acted so out of it.
“Sooooo . . .” Nancy tried this time.
“Oh—” replied George. “You want to know about Jack? He’s wonderful. So—charming, so—” Her eyes lit up at the very thought of Jack Kale.
“So handsome?” Bess finished for her.
“Yes, and sweet, too. Very sweet. Incredibly sweet, in fact.” George sat in a club chair with a rapturous smile plastered on her face.
“I take it he didn’t try to murder you?” Nancy asked with an amused smile.
“Oh, no. Nancy, it can’t be him. He’s just too wonderful. He took me to an incredible place for dinner and then to this gambling parlor in the East Eighties.”
Bess’s eyes grew big. “Gambling’s illegal.”
“Oh, Bess, I know that! Anyway, he dropped five thousand dollars or so, but he said he could afford it.”
Nancy’s eyebrows went up. Jack Kale’s only real connection to wealth was his aunt. Five thousand dollars was a lot of money to blow in one night!
After a few moments George seemed to be waking from the trance she was in. The smile was still there, but there was also a glimmer of the old level-headed George coming through what she was saying.
“He’s not really bad. At least, I don’t think so. But he does have a problem—he is messed up about money, you know? He takes big chances and then he panics. That’s what I saw tonight, anyway.”
“What do you mean, he panics?” Nancy asked.
George’s eyes flickered with disappointment. “He admitted stealing the ruby. He said he was only going to use it as collateral for a loan, and he swore he was going to give it back. But honestly, Nancy, he really loved Sarah. He was awfully grateful that she and Joshua raised him. Imagine how hard it is to be an orphan.”
It was plain to see George was smitten, but herinstincts about people were always on the mark, Nancy knew. If George Fayne thought Jack Kale was okay, Nancy had to believe it. That is, unless George had completely flipped.
Just to make sure, Nancy put it to her directly. “George, be honest, have you lost your mind over this guy?”
George looked up at her friend and considered the question carefully. “Well, maybe a little, Nancy. I mean, I’d never want to get involved with someone who gambled. And I really don’t approve of him taking the ring—but I swear, Jack Kale would never hurt a fly. He’s not the type.”
That sounded more like George.
“So it was Jack who took the ring. I wonder if he took the jewelry box, too.” Nancy was thinking out loud now.
“Oh, no. I forgot to tell you. Jack thought that whole theft was a real hoot. He always knew all the jewels in that box were fakes. Whenever they stayed at the Plaza, Sarah kept her good stuff in the hotel safe—except for the ruby, of course.”
“Well, if we rule out Jack Kale . . .” Nancy was on her feet, pacing. Then she fell silent and looked up at the ceiling.
Bess looked up, too, and saw nothing there but carved plaster roses. “So, Nancy, who did it?” she wanted to know.
Nancy bit her lip and answered slowly. “Knowing who did it doesn’t do much goodunless you can prove it, Bess. And there’s only one way I can do that.”
“And that one way is?” asked George.
“I need some stationery.” Moving to the rosewood desk, Nancy pulled out three sheets of embossed Plaza Hotel notepaper.
“Here goes,” she murmured, scribbling furiously.
Bess and George watched as she wrote a message on each sheet of paper. She tucked each sheet into a separate envelope, sealed them, and stood up.
“Come
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