A Secret in Time by Carolyn Keene Page B

hall. “I’m the only one who knows where my office is, so you’ll have to follow me.”
    Nancy sneaked a glance at George and Bess, who both looked as puzzled with the woman’s behavior as Nancy was.
    Kimberly led the girls down the same hallway they’d passed through before, the one decorated with tapestries and suits of armor. Up ahead, Nancy saw the wall covered with ancient weapons. Though Kimberly started to walk past it, Nancy stopped.
    â€œThis is quite a collection,” Nancy said, quickly scanning the wall to see if one of the knives was missing. There were no empty spaces, but several of the knives had pearl handles. “Do you have any more like this?” she asked, pointing to the knife most similar to the one in her purse.
    Kimberly frowned. “I thought you came here to discuss brooches, not knives,” she said.
    â€œI’m like you,” Nancy said coolly. “I have many interests.”
    â€œMy knives are not for sale,” Kimberly said firmly. Then her golden cat’s eyes crinkled at the corners and almost gleamed. “But sometimes I choose to give one away,” she said, “to one of my special friends.”
    What did she mean by “special friends”? Nancy wondered. Did she mean she’d “given” the knife to Nancy by sticking it in the Drews’ house?
    Kimberly turned her back on the girls and led them to a different room from the one they’d been in the day before. This one, despite its stone walls, was a modern office furnished with the latest technology, including a computer, a laser printer, and a fax machine. As in the sitting room, there was a table covered with a red velvet cloth.
    This time Kimberly didn’t leave the room to get her jewelry collection. She unlocked a heavy wooden cabinet and removed the same wooden tray Nancy and Bess had seen before. On it, among the necklaces and bracelets, was the globe brooch with its amber and emerald continents and sapphire oceans.
    As Nancy picked up the brooch to study it, she came up with one last ploy. “You know,” she said, “this brooch is beautiful, but I’ve recently seen a similar piece that’s a little nicer.”
    â€œSimilar?” Kimberly asked with interest. “What does it look like?”
    Nancy described the rose brooch’s ruby petals and emerald stem.
    â€œI’d love to get my hands on that,” Kimberly said, her eyes gleaming. “Do you know where I might find it? I know you saw it first, but you don’t mind a little competition, do you?”
    It was exactly the reaction Nancy had been hoping for, and yet she was still dissatisfied. Kimberly could have said she wanted to find the brooch to hide the fact that she herself had stolen it. Or she might have been simply interested in acquiring another piece of jewelry.
    For good measure, Nancy decided to make her position clear. “I’m afraid I do mind,” she said. “The brooch may never be mine, but it certainly won’t be yours.”
    â€œDon’t bet on it,” Kimberly said with a wink. “I can be very persuasive.” Standing up, she said briskly, “Well, if we can’t do business, may I bid you a fond farewell?”
    Kimberly led the girls back into the hallway. As they approached the front door, she gave them one last grin. “Who knows when our paths will cross again?”
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    â€œMy head is reeling,” Nancy said to Bess and George as they drove home. “Everything Kimberly said made her sound guilty. But I’m still not sure she’s done anything wrong.”
    â€œShe’s a puzzle, all right,” George agreed. “I sure hope your thief comes through tonight, or we may never get any answers to this case.”
    â€œYeah,” said Bess. “We’ve never worked on a case where there were so many people who seemed guilty.”
    George dropped Nancy in