The Suspect Next Door

  Nancy got out of the car and breathed in deeply. The flowers growing beside the Drew house filled the air with a heady mixture of fragrances. Poor Nikki, Nancy thought. She wasn’t going to be happy to learn what Nancy had found out about Dan.

  Of course, Nancy didn’t have any hard evidence against Dan. It was entirely possible Dan had bought the jewelry with money that was rightfully his. Possible, but not likely.

  The Masterses’ house was dark. Nancy figured the family was out for the evening. She’d have to talk to Nikki the next day.

  Nancy was digging out her key when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned only her head, just in time to see a figure emerge from the bushes in front of the Masterses’ house next door.

  In the dark she couldn’t tell who it was, but Nancy herself stood out in the brilliant yellow of the overhead porch light. Seeing her, the figure was startled, then fled down the street, passing under a street lamp.

  In the pool of light from the lamp, Nancy made out a distinctive eagle patch on the arm of a jacket. The person fleeing from Nikki’s darkened house was Dan Taylor!

  Chapter

  Six

  THE MINUTE Dan was out of sight, Nancy dashed for her car. She hopped in the Mustang and sped off, keeping her eyes open for Dan.

  But by the time Nancy reached the end of the block, Dan had vanished. Circling the area, Nancy hoped to catch a glimpse of Dan’s old blue bomber. He had to have parked it somewhere nearby.

  As Nancy searched the blocks around hers, she wondered why Dan didn’t want to be seen. Was he afraid of making Nikki more angry by hanging around, or was it something more?

  Finally she spotted him at the next corner, just opening his car door. Nancy waited at the end of the block until he pulled out.

  Nancy carefully followed Dan as he drove to Ridgeview Road, past the town center, and into an older, run-down section of town. He pulled up in front of a video arcade across from the old Ridgeview Motel. Nancy sank down in the driver’s seat, peering out the window to see Dan glance around quickly before going inside the arcade.

  Judging from the rough-looking guys who were going in and out of the arcade, Nancy decided not to enter. No sense sticking out like a sore thumb.

  She pulled into the motel parking lot and turned off her headlights. From the lot she had a bird’s-eye view of the arcade’s entrance.

  It didn’t take more than a minute for Dan to reemerge. And who should come out with him but Max Hudson! Nancy felt her whole body tighten and become instantly alert. What if Max and Dan were working the thefts together?

  Just as that thought came to Nancy, her eyes widened in horror. Max had thrown Dan against the wall and was hitting him! Dan put his arms up in front of his face and curled up to protect his stomach. As far as Nancy could tell, he wasn’t trying to fight back.

  In any case he would have been no match for the muscular Max, who obviously spent a lot of time at the gym working out.

  Nancy reached for the car handle to open the door. But before she could get out of her car, Max had stopped. Evidently he’d decided Dan had had enough.

  Nursing his right fist in his left hand, Max headed back inside the arcade, leaving Dan slumped against the wall, his head buried in both hands. People milled around him, - but they seemed afraid to interfere.

  Nancy got out of the car and hurried over to Dan. His face was already swelling. When Nancy met his eyes she saw a look on Dan’s face that was terrified and confused. Her heart went out to him, and in that instant she understood why Nikki Masters was attracted to Dan Taylor. There was something so innocent and so needy in those eyes.

  “Wh-who are you?” he stammered.

  “I’m a friend,” Nancy answered. “Are you all right?”

  “I—I think so,” he said, feeling his face for painful spots. When his fingers reached his nose, he said, “Don’t think it’s broken, anyway.”

  “You’re going to have a black eye, that’s for sure.” Nancy held out a helping hand as he struggled to his feet. “Here, take these,” she added, giving him a few clean tissues from her jacket pocket.

  Without a word, he took them and held them to his nose.

  “What happened? Why was that guy hitting you?” Nancy ventured.

  The words seemed to shake Dan out of his confusion and back into his hard shell. He pulled himself upright and eyed her warily. “You’re Nikki’s neighbor. You followed me here, didn’t you?” he said slowly.

  Nancy thought it would be better for her to be straightforward. “Yes, I did,” she said. “I saw you sneaking around Nikki’s house, and I thought you might be a burglar.”

  “A burglar?” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m Nikki’s boyfriend!” Dan paused. Then he gave Nancy an intensely cold stare and went on. “I have a great idea. You mind your own business, and I’ll mind mine, okay?”

  “I was just being a good neighbor,” Nancy said, trying to sound affronted. She wondered what exactly was making Dan Taylor so wary.

  “Never mind,” Dan said, backing off. “Sorry I was rude. I’m just—you know,” he said, touching his face. “Thanks for the help,” he added.

  “You should get some ice on your eye,” Nancy suggested gently. “It would help the swelling.”

  “Yeah, good idea,” he said with a weary nod. “Thanks.”

  Nancy realized there was no sense in her hanging around any longer. Nothing was going to happen while Dan knew she was there.

  “Take care of yourself,” she said, and made her way back to her car.

  Dan nodded and stood there, his eyes fixed on her. Was he actually going to go back in the arcade, with Max Hudson still inside?

  Crossing the street, she got into her car and drove off. In her rearview mirror, she could see Dan in the neon light from the arcade, staring at her, making sure she was really leaving before making a move.

  “Well, I don’t trust you either, Dan Taylor,” she said out loud, turning back and heading for home. “And don’t think you’ve seen the last of me. Not by a long shot.”

  • • •

  When Nancy turned onto her street, the first thing that caught her eye was that there were lights on in the Masterses’ house. After parking her car, Nancy went over and rapped quietly on the door.

  Nikki opened it quickly when she saw it was Nancy. She put her finger to her lips. “Hi, Nancy,” she whispered. “My folks are asleep. Let’s talk out here.”

  “Where were you, Nikki? I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Mom and Dad went out tonight,” Nikki explained with a worried look. “I was alone in the house, and I was afraid to answer the door. I thought it might be Dan.”

  Nikki Masters was smart for her age. If she had let Dan in, he would have been at her all night, begging her to get back together, weakening her resolve. “Not a bad move,” Nancy admitted.

  “He was here—he rang the bell over and over. He must have tried for half an hour.”

  “I saw him,” Nancy told her with a sad expression. “Nikki, there’s something I’ve got to tell you about Dan.”

  Nikki must have seen from the look in Nancy’s eyes that what she had to tell her was serious. “Oh, no, it’s something bad, isn’t it, Nancy?” Nikki backed up a few steps and braced herself.

  There was no easy way to tell the girl the truth. Nancy decided to plunge in. “I saw Dan getting beat up tonight, Nikki. By a guy named Max Hudson. Ever hear of him?”

  “Yes,” Nikki said with a shudder. “He’s kind of a friend of Dan’s. Well, more like an acquaintance, I’d guess you could say.” Then the news about Dan’s being beaten up began to sink in. A tear fell from Nikki’s eye and ran down her cheek.

  Nancy put an arm around her shoulder. “Do you have any idea why Max would want to beat up Dan, Nikki?” Nancy asked.

  Nikki wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh, Nancy, Dan doesn’t seem to be able to stay out of trouble, does he? Is he okay?”

  “Well, he’s got a black
eye and a couple of cuts, but he’ll be okay.” Nancy decided not to tell Nikki about the thefts at Vanities and Dan’s possible connection. For one thing, she had no proof that he was involved. For another, she didn’t want to upset her friend any more than she already was.

  “Nikki,” Nancy said gently, “I hope you’ll stay far away from Dan from now on.”

  “I will,” Nikki promised. “Nancy, -do you think Dan will get his life back together?”

  “I hope so,” Nancy said. “Good night, Nikki. Sleep well.”

  • • •

  Nancy awoke late after a night of troubled dreams. She went down to the kitchen and poured herself a cold glass of orange juice and rubbed the cobwebs from her eyes. Outside, the day had begun brilliantly.

  The memory of Nikki and Dan walking hand in hand in the park the other night came back to her. What was happening to them now was so sad.

  Nancy understood what Nikki saw in Dan, but she also knew that Nikki had good sense. She wouldn’t have fallen for a guy if he’d shown signs of having big problems in the beginning. Dan Taylor must have changed a whole lot in the last three months, maybe into an entirely new person. The question was, why?

  Nancy was pondering the question when the phone rang. “Hello?” she said, lifting the receiver.

  “Nancy?” came the agitated voice on the other end of the line. “This is Trisha Rapp.”

  “Trisha, hi,” said Nancy, glancing at her clock. It was close to ten.

  “I think you’d better get over here right away.” Trisha’s voice was shaky.

  “Where are you?” Nancy asked.

  “At the store—where else would I be?” Trisha answered.

  “Trisha, what’s the matter?” Nancy asked calmly.

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, Nancy.” Trisha’s voice had a hard edge. “There was another theft here during the night. A big one.”

  Chapter

  Seven

  DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!” Nancy banged her hand on the steering wheel as she drove to the mall. How could she have let this happen? Why hadn’t she staked out the place?

  Nancy let out a breath of frustration. She had blown it royally, and was she ever going to hear about it from Kate Hayes when she got to Vanities!

  Nancy pushed through the glass entrance to the store. Kate Hayes was behind the opened cash register, poring over a list that Trisha Rapp held out to her.

  “Nancy. Good morning. Or should I say, I wish it were good.” Kate’s greeting was far from cheery. Trisha just nodded.

  “We lost a lot this time. A lot,” Kate said, with a sad shake of her head. “A shipment of Bob Broward separates. Every piece of jade in the store.”

  “And more,” Trisha added regretfully, handing her boss yet another list. “I can’t find these things, either.”

  “Was there any sign of a forced entry?” Nancy asked.

  Kate shook her head. “No, there wasn’t,” she answered tersely.

  Nancy began walking around the store and checking out the employees. Tony Selby was in a black mood, his mouth set, his eyes on Charlene. For her part, Charlene seemed unusually jumpy. She kept dropping things, bumping into people, and apologizing profusely.

  Max Hudson seemed to be working hard, even with his bandaged right hand. He had been out late the night before. Had he finished the night up at Vanities?

  Nancy edged back to the stockroom, making her way toward the office. As she did, she heard Kate Hayes on the phone inside. From the sound of her conversation, she was talking to her insurance company, and she obviously didn’t like what she was hearing.

  “But I tell you, the jackets really did disappear!” the store owner was complaining as Nancy peeked in through the door. “Do you think I made it all up?”

  Kate held her hand to her forehead while she waited for their reply. “Please,” she said, after a moment. “I know we’re having special problems here, and believe me, we’re trying to get to the bottom of them. But if you drop my policy now, I’ll be finished!”

  If Kate Hayes was inventing these thefts, she was doing a great acting job. And if she’d done it to scam her insurance company, the trick didn’t seem to be working. From what Nancy was hearing, they weren’t buying a word of her story.

  Nancy heard her hang up with a slam of the receiver. She knocked softly on the half-open door and walked in.

  Kate was rubbing her temples, and her eyes were squeezed shut. “Come in, Nancy,” she murmured, without looking up.

  “Are you all right?” Nancy asked.

  “I’m afraid not,” Ms. Hayes answered with a wince. “It seems I’ve reached the limits on my coverage. My insurance company is acting as if I’m trying to pull something funny. Essentially, if there are any more thefts, Vanities is out of business, and so am I.”

  Kate Hayes lifted her head and tried to compose herself. It didn’t work. For all her pride, she looked defeated.

  “We’ll figure this out, Kate,” Nancy said, mustering an assurance she didn’t really feel. “I promise you we will.”

  “Well, I certainly hope so. Meanwhile, I’m going to pay my insurance agent a personal call. I think we need to talk face-to-face.” She stood up and reached for her elegant silk jacket. “Good luck to all of us,” she murmured hopelessly.

  After Kate left, Nancy walked to her desk and glanced at the open phone directory. There was the number of the insurance company. More proof that Kate Hayes had not been acting.

  “You know,” Trisha said, standing in the doorway with an angry scowl on her face, “you have a lot of nerve!”

  Nancy’s eyes widened. “Oh?” she answered calmly.

  “Yes. You act like you can solve these problems, but I don’t think you can,” she scolded. “You’ll be happy to hear I didn’t tell Ms. Hayes that you were at the movies instead of on the job. I probably should have!”

  So Trisha had seen her! “Thanks, Trisha,” Nancy said quietly. “I really appreciate that.” An apologetic smile passed over Nancy’s face. No matter how irritating Trisha was being right now, antagonizing her wasn’t going to get Nancy anywhere.

  As Trisha was about to walk away, Nancy stepped around the desk. “Trisha, wait,” she called out. “What can you tell me about a guy named Dan Taylor?”

  Trisha started. She blinked her green eyes a few times before answering. “Dan Taylor?” she asked finally. “What about him? He used to work here, but that was before all this stuff started happening.”

  “I know that,” Nancy said, stepping out of Kate’s office and standing next to Trisha in the hallway. “But what do you know about him?”

  “Well, I know one thing for sure. He’s not the guy you’re after. Frankly, he’s not smart enough or nervy enough to be a thief. That’s my opinion, anyway.”

  “You didn’t like him, I take it.”

  Trisha scowled. “Actually, I fired him. He was totally unreliable.” She shook her head. “He was even late for his first interview here. The only reason he got hired is that he knew the Pratt family. When Kate heard that, she insisted on hiring him. He was a nice guy, but totally in the ozone, if you know what I mean. Sort of flaky.”

  “Why did you fire him?” Nancy asked.

  “I caught him lying—right to my face. He was always lying. He always had a story about why he was late or why he couldn’t work on weekends. I knew it, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Then one day he called in sick, and I saw him taking a girl out to lunch. That was the end. When he finally came in, I fired him on the spot. I told Ms. Hayes about it later. If I’d asked her permission, she would have said to give him another chance. I told you that she’s a bad judge of character.”

  Nancy nodded. Trisha’s decision seemed a bit harsh, but apparently Dan had pushed his luck too far.

  “I’ve got to get back to work now,” Trisha said. “And if you want my advice, you should, too.” With that, Trisha took off down the hall.

  “Watch out!” The man’s voice was loud and sounded irritated. N
ancy ducked back into Kate’s office doorway and peered down the hall. Max Hudson was barreling down the corridor, carrying a stack of cartons on his shoulder. He appeared to have come from the loading docks under the mall.

  Tony Selby, holding a sheaf of papers, was about to run into him. He jumped out of Max’s way, and headed for the bulletin board at the rear of the hall. Once there, he started busily tacking up papers.

  “Do you mind if I ask you where you were last night?” Nancy asked him.

  Tony looked at her strangely. “Um, I was home. Sick.”

  “Was anyone with you?” Nancy prodded him.

  “Nope,” he answered with a shrug.

  “You were sick, huh? You seem fine now.”

  Tony shot her a bored smile. “I got better,” he said.

  “Well, nice talking to you.”

  Nancy headed for the stockroom. She wanted to talk to Max, and she hoped he’d be more cooperative.

  Max Hudson was slicing cartons open with a packing knife. So he was lying when he said he never opened the cartons, Nancy thought to herself. “I saw you at the arcade last night, Max,” Nancy said casually. “How long were you there?”

  Max frowned. “All night,” he answered, and set to work again.

  “Really?” she asked incredulously. “You sure you weren’t at the Sixplex?”

  That caught him off guard. But Max recovered in an instant. “Oh, yeah,” he said casually. “I was just passing by, and I went in to say hello to a friend who works there.”

  “They let you in without a ticket?”

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  “I see,” said Nancy lightly. Obviously, Max was not telling her everything, and he must have a good reason for lying.

  Passing from the stockroom back into the store, Nancy watched Charlene nervously checking racks of dresses.

  “Hi, Charlene,” Nancy began.

  Charlene acted as if she’d just gotten an electric shock. “Oh, hi, Nancy,” she said, spinning around.

  “I’m asking everyone the same question,” Nancy began.