had been partners in the Vanities thefts, there could have been a lot more than two hundred dollars at stake. Nancy resolved to keep her eye on Max Hudson.
Nancy left Vanities, went to a phone booth on the mall’s street level, and dialed Nikki’s number. She’d reached a dead end at Vanities, but maybe the girl could remember some small clue that would provide Nancy with a lead. True, there was a phone in Kate Hayes’s office, but Nancy didn’t want anybody else listening in on her conversation.
“She’s feeling better now,” Mr. Masters replied to Nancy’s question about how Nikki was. “Do you want to talk to her?”
“Please,” said Nancy.
Nikki got right on the line. “Hello, Nancy? I really haven’t gotten a chance to say thank you for all your help, and I don’t know when I will again.”
“Don’t mention it,” Nancy said. “Nikki, about last night. I’m kind of at an impasse. Could you just go over it one more time for me? Any little thing might help.”
“Well,” said Nikki, sounding calm and rational now, “as I told you, Dan was very apologetic, and said if I wanted out, that was okay, but that he’d made a decision, and he was turning over a new leaf.”
“He used those words? Turning over a new leaf?”
“Well, something like that. I got the impression he was willing to say goodbye, if I would only spend this one last night keeping him company. When he asked me to take a ride with him, that’s what I thought was up.”
“Go on,” Nancy prompted.
“It started to rain, I remember, because he turned on the windshield wipers. Then he pulled up at a store and went in to get sodas.”
“You didn’t mention that before,” Nancy said, alert.
“Didn’t I? Well, he went in for the sodas, and he made a phone call. I could see him through the store window.”
“A phone call? He made a phone call?”
“Yes. I didn’t ask him who he was talking to, though. I mean, I’m trying to ease myself out of this guy’s life, right? So I wasn’t going to ask him about anything.”
Nancy nodded. “Okay, okay. Go on.”
The rest of the story was the same as before.
“That phone call,” Nancy said when Nikki had finished. “Is there anything else about it you can remember?”
“Well, let’s see,” Nikki said, pausing. “No, not really, except that it looked like a pretty intense conversation.”
“Oh? How could you tell?”
“Well, he was gesturing with his arm, andevery once in a while he’d rub his forehead like he was frustrated.”
“Thanks, Nikki,” Nancy said. “You’ve been a big help, believe it or not.”
“I have?”
“Yes, you have. Nikki, I’ve got to go now, but I’ll call you later.”
After Nancy hung up, she stood in the phone booth for a full five minutes. Dan had made a phone call. Why, at a time like that, in the middle of a crisis with the girl he loved, would he have taken time out to call somebody?
It had to have been an important phone call. But what could have been so pressing on a rainy Saturday night? Dan had mentioned turning over a new leaf. Could he have been calling his partner in the Vanities crimes? Arranging a meeting? Maybe Nikki’s pleading with Dan had had some effect after all! Maybe Dan was telling his partner that he wanted out. And maybe his partner had killed him because of it!
Buzzing with excitement, Nancy raced to her car and drove straight to police headquarters. She wasn’t quite ready to confront Chief McGinnis with her fleshed-out theory, but she wanted to have a look at the official reports on the case. They’d be a lot more complete now than they were late last night.
“Still working on my theory,” she explained toChief McGinnis when he gave her a puzzled look. “Mind if I mess up your desk?”
The chief laughed out loud at that one. His desk could not have been more of a mess than it already was. “How are the Masterses doing?” he asked.
“Not too bad, considering. My dad’ll be back this
Nancy left Vanities, went to a phone booth on the mall’s street level, and dialed Nikki’s number. She’d reached a dead end at Vanities, but maybe the girl could remember some small clue that would provide Nancy with a lead. True, there was a phone in Kate Hayes’s office, but Nancy didn’t want anybody else listening in on her conversation.
“She’s feeling better now,” Mr. Masters replied to Nancy’s question about how Nikki was. “Do you want to talk to her?”
“Please,” said Nancy.
Nikki got right on the line. “Hello, Nancy? I really haven’t gotten a chance to say thank you for all your help, and I don’t know when I will again.”
“Don’t mention it,” Nancy said. “Nikki, about last night. I’m kind of at an impasse. Could you just go over it one more time for me? Any little thing might help.”
“Well,” said Nikki, sounding calm and rational now, “as I told you, Dan was very apologetic, and said if I wanted out, that was okay, but that he’d made a decision, and he was turning over a new leaf.”
“He used those words? Turning over a new leaf?”
“Well, something like that. I got the impression he was willing to say goodbye, if I would only spend this one last night keeping him company. When he asked me to take a ride with him, that’s what I thought was up.”
“Go on,” Nancy prompted.
“It started to rain, I remember, because he turned on the windshield wipers. Then he pulled up at a store and went in to get sodas.”
“You didn’t mention that before,” Nancy said, alert.
“Didn’t I? Well, he went in for the sodas, and he made a phone call. I could see him through the store window.”
“A phone call? He made a phone call?”
“Yes. I didn’t ask him who he was talking to, though. I mean, I’m trying to ease myself out of this guy’s life, right? So I wasn’t going to ask him about anything.”
Nancy nodded. “Okay, okay. Go on.”
The rest of the story was the same as before.
“That phone call,” Nancy said when Nikki had finished. “Is there anything else about it you can remember?”
“Well, let’s see,” Nikki said, pausing. “No, not really, except that it looked like a pretty intense conversation.”
“Oh? How could you tell?”
“Well, he was gesturing with his arm, andevery once in a while he’d rub his forehead like he was frustrated.”
“Thanks, Nikki,” Nancy said. “You’ve been a big help, believe it or not.”
“I have?”
“Yes, you have. Nikki, I’ve got to go now, but I’ll call you later.”
After Nancy hung up, she stood in the phone booth for a full five minutes. Dan had made a phone call. Why, at a time like that, in the middle of a crisis with the girl he loved, would he have taken time out to call somebody?
It had to have been an important phone call. But what could have been so pressing on a rainy Saturday night? Dan had mentioned turning over a new leaf. Could he have been calling his partner in the Vanities crimes? Arranging a meeting? Maybe Nikki’s pleading with Dan had had some effect after all! Maybe Dan was telling his partner that he wanted out. And maybe his partner had killed him because of it!
Buzzing with excitement, Nancy raced to her car and drove straight to police headquarters. She wasn’t quite ready to confront Chief McGinnis with her fleshed-out theory, but she wanted to have a look at the official reports on the case. They’d be a lot more complete now than they were late last night.
“Still working on my theory,” she explained toChief McGinnis when he gave her a puzzled look. “Mind if I mess up your desk?”
The chief laughed out loud at that one. His desk could not have been more of a mess than it already was. “How are the Masterses doing?” he asked.
“Not too bad, considering. My dad’ll be back this
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