Nancy Clue Mysteries 3 - A Ghost in the Closet (34 page)

Agent Anderson was right behind them with Frank, dressed in a sharp Palm Beach dinner jacket, on his arm. Bringing up the rear were Midge and Velma, the Hardly parents, and Uncle Nelly and Willy, too! Joe and the chief were just pulling up in the patrol car, with big grins on their faces.

Nobody, it seemed, wanted to miss the social event of the season!

"Excuse me," a haughty fellow in a tuxedo stopped Jackie at the door. "Do you have an invitation?" he sniffed.

Jackie opened her coat to show him the gold detective's shield pinned to the lining. "This is my invitation," she said sternly. She pushed him aside. Next Agent Anderson flashed his badge. "Secret Agent," he said curtly.

Frank felt a little thrill course through his lean yet sturdy frame. Agent Andy was a man of few words, but when he did speak he was pithy!

"Oh, it's beautiful in here!" Cherry gasped as she got her first look at the grand ballroom. Blue velvet curtains with hand-sewn silver stars sparkled under shimmering lights coming from rocket ship-shaped lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Dozens of couples were already on the dance floor, gliding about to the tuneful melody of a jazz orchestra.

"There's Myra over there," Cherry exclaimed. Just in time, she remembered one should never point whilst wearing elbow-length gloves. "By that papier-mache model of the atomic bomb," she added.

"Let's wait before we drop our bomb," Agent Anderson suggested.

"We should time this just right for maximum embarrassment," Jackie proposed.

Agent Anderson agreed with a grin. "I'm going to check out the exits and see how many we need to cover. I want to make sure no one leaves before we make our arrest." He turned to Frank. "I'll be right back," he promised.

"Let's lose ourselves in the crowd," Fennel Hardly proposed to his wife. He was already getting stares and whispers from people who had obviously heard the radio broadcast fingering him as a Russian agent!

"Look, Willy," Uncle Nelly cried as he spotted a buffet table loaded with all sorts of delicious dishes. "They're about to light the mushroom flambe! Let's have a taste."

Jackie grabbed two champagne cocktails from a passing waiter and handed one to Cherry. "There's no crime in having a drink and enjoying ourselves in the meantime," she said.

"You know what happens when I drink," Cherry giggled.

"Yeah, and I can't wait!" Jackie grinned. "Cheers!"

Three champagne cocktails later, Cherry was swaying to the music in Jackie's arms. They made a handsome couple as they glided around the dance floor, but halted mid-step when they heard a familiar shrill shriek. It was Myra Meeks, and she had just spotted Frank!

"Stay out of the line of fire," Jackie instructed. She made her way over to her chums.

"What are you doing here?" Myra Meeks hissed to Frank. "Your mother's not an Atomic Wife!"

Mr. Hardly raced to his son's side. When Myra saw the worldrenowned detective, she gritted her teeth angrily. "You must be in the wrong place," she said haughtily. "This is hardly the place for a Russian spy to appear! Have you no sense of decorum, Fennel? Well, I see Chief O'Malley is here, too. I imagine with intent to get you!"

Frank noted with pride that his father didn't debase himself by exchanging cruel accusations. He just smiled and said in a charming manner, "It's nice to see you, too, Myra."

Myra turned pink with anger, unfortunately clashing horribly with her coral-colored gown. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly when she spotted Uncle Nelly and his camera over by the refreshment table. She pasted a big smile on her face, grabbed onto Uncle Nelly's arm and cooed,

"Mr. Nelly! I see you accepted my invitation to come to the Ball! You should have called; I would have sent my driver to fetch you," she scolded him lightly. "I'll deal with you Hardlys later," she hissed over her shoulder.

"You're just in time to see me accept the Atomic Wife of the Year Award," she informed Uncle Nelly as a man in a tuxedo walked on stage, flicked on the microphone and held up his hands for quiet.

"It's Judge Meeks," Frank whispered to Jackie. He scanned the crowd for Agent Andy and was relieved to see him approaching the stage. They exchanged delighted looks. "It's almost time," that look said.

"Good evening," Judge Meeks said, "and welcome to the 1959 Wives of the Atomic Age Dress-up Ball. Tonight I have the honor of presenting the Atomic Wife of the Year Award." He showed them the gold-plated statuette shaped like an upright MaxxThruster rocket.

"The nerve!" Joe whispered to his brother. "That's a replica of the very rocket he was going to blow up! Little does he know, his plan's been thwarted."

Judge Meeks took an envelope from the pocket of his tuxedo and as the drummer beat out a drum roll, pulled out the name of the winner. A look of feigned surprise crossed his face. "Why, it's my own lovely wife, Myra Meeks!"

Everyone cheered. "This award comes as no surprise, seeing all that Myra's done for this town," Joe heard a woman remark.

Myra hitched up her gown, and with Uncle Nelly firmly in her grip, jumped on stage to accept her award. "This is both an honor and a surprise," she cried. "And speaking of surprises, I have one for you. The gentleman by my side is none other than prize-winning writer Mr. Nelly, currently on assignment for Life magazine. He's doing a cover story on me for the next issue!" she squealed.

Frank and his father looked at each other with merry eyes as a murmur went through the crowd. Nicely dressed partygoers shot envious glances Myra Meeks' way. "Perhaps Mr. Nelly would like to say a few words about me?" Myra thrust the microphone in Uncle Nelly's face.

Uncle Nelly blushed nervously. He was much more a homebody than a public figure, and a whole day of pretending to be a reporter for a national magazine had left his nerves frankly frazzled.

"Go on. Say something," Myra begged. "Just one little thing."

"Myra, you and your husband are under arrest for attempting to blow up a rocket ship and saying untrue things about Fennel Hardly!" Uncle Nelly blurted out. Then he snapped a commemorative photo of Myra gasping in surprise.

"This must be a joke," Myra cried shakily. Her eyes bugged out in horror as Detective Jackie Jones and Agent Anderson leapt on stage.

"Hello, Myra," Jackie smiled. "Remember me?" She whipped out her handcuffs and cuffed Myra just above her thick gold bangle bracelet. "You have the right to remain silent-" Jackie began.

"It's all the judge's fault!" Myra screamed. "I told him it was a bad idea to plant a bomb on that rocket ship and make everyone think Fennel did it. I said to him,'Milton, if you think people around here are going to believe Fennel's a Russian spy, well, you're crazy!' "

"Judge Meeks, you're under arrest for espionage and libel, and transporting stolen poodles across state lines, among other things," Agent Anderson intoned.

Myra looked at her husband in shock. "You stole the poodles?" she gasped. "What kind of monster are you? I knew nothing about those dogs. Do you hear me? I'm innocent!"

She was still protesting her innocence when Chief O'Malley put her in the patrol car. Judge Meeks maintained a stoic silence as he was taken away.

"That was smooth," Midge patted Uncle Nelly on the back. She and Velma had observed the whole affair from behind the atomic bomb model.

"Good work, Nelson," Fennel gave his brother a hug. Uncle Nelly fanned himself with his hankie. "Can we go home now, honey?" he begged Willy.

"Nelson, you've been a pip. I'll take you home for some of my banana cream pie," Willy smiled.

Frank grasped Agent Anderson's hand to his chest. "Our first arrest together," he sighed happily.

"Not our last, I hope," Agent Anderson murmured back. He swept Frank up in his arms and waltzed him to a private corner of the dance floor.

"Golly, Frank," he gulped as he slipped off his thick hornrimmed glasses, and pulled the boy detective close for a deep, satisfying kiss.

Mrs. Hardly glimpsed the tender moment out of the corner of her eye. "Our boy has grown up," she smiled as she plucked a lace hankie from her satin evening bag and wiped away a happy tear.

"One more spin around the dance floor and then-home?" Jackie whispered in Cherry's ear.

"I'd love to go home with you," Cherry murmured.

Jackie took Cherry in her arms. "You're going to love San Francisco," Jackie promised, hoping that was the home Cherry meant.

"I already do," Cherry smiled back.

"You mean you'll go?"

Cherry nodded happily.

"I love you," Jackie murmured.

"I love you, too," Cherry sighed.

"No doubts?" Jackie wondered anxiously. "Speak now or-"

"Not a one," Cherry assured her. Then a flit of concern crossed her pretty face. "Although, I am worried about something."

"What is it?" Jackie cried.

Cherry flushed. "I did the silliest thing earlier. I was at the refreshments table drinking some delicious fruit punch, and when you arrested Myra, I got so excited I accidentally dumped the contents of my evening bag in the punch bowl!"

Jackie grinned with relief. "I'll buy you whatever you need," she promised.

"I managed to fish out my lipstick and thermometer, but I had to leave my powder puff," Cherry admitted ruefully. "But what worries me is that I had a vial of that new extrastrength vitamin I found at the sanitarium in Dr. Fraud's laboratory, and now it's in the punch. Do you think I should warn people not to drink it?"

"Surely a few vitamins won't hurt this crowd," Jackie assured her.

"One can never have too many," Cherry agreed. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Jackie's chest. "I worry too much," she decided, "and about the silliest things, too!"

CHAPTER 59

A Happy Ending

"Mayhem in the Midwest!"

by Mamie Eisen Midwest Correspondent

When prominent River Depths society matron Myra Meeks peered into the mirror to admire her new coral off-the-shoulder gown just minutes before making her entrance at the annual Wives of the Atomic Age Dress-up Ball, little did she suspect that before the evening's end, the force of the federal government would soon fall down upon those very shoulders.

All eyes turned to Myra as she made her way through the grand ballroom that night. And why shouldn't they? After all, the prominent matron and her husband Judge Meeks were among the most influential and prosperous people in town and oft the object of many an admiring gaze. Little did Myra realize that among those eyes were those of the keenhearted sleuth Fennel P. Hardly, and his detective sons, Frank and Joe, hot on the trail of a space age crime that led them right to the Meekses' door.

"Myra's finally gotten the kind of publicity she deserves," Midge chuckled as she closed the latest issue of Life magazine, wriggled comfortably on the cushion-laden porch swing and yawned. After two days of hair-raising adventure and another few days of press interviews, Midge was finally able to relax and engage in one of her favorite pursuits. She was flat on her back with her head in Velma's lap.

"How nice for her," Cherry smiled. She was only half-listening as she was trying to compose a letter to her mother detailing all the exciting things that had happened to her that week.

"There will be a lot of committees needing members now," Nancy thought aloud. She was sitting on a comfy wicker rocker sorting through the club luncheon invitations that had arrived in the morning's mail. "With Myra Meeks dethroned, this is the perfect time for Mother to make her re-entry into society," she schemed.

Rebecca Clue had made remarkable progress in the few days she had been home. Nancy had big plans; ones she hoped would make up for her mother's years of confinement. Nancy's lingering vestiges of guilt over killing her father had disappeared as Rebecca Clue related the events leading up to her incarceration in the River Depths Sanitarium. Nancy had wept when she heard her mother's tale of true love, a vengeful husband and his nefarious plan to do away with his wife, and the beloved girl child she had been forced to leave behind.

"Maybe River Depths society won't be such a snobby group with someone as nice as your mother at the helm," Velma said. She took up the magazine to once again admire the splendid full-color photo of Myra Meeks on the cover throwing up her hands in alarm. "What a lovely portrait, Uncle Nelly," Velma said. "You should be very, proud."

"It's one of my best," Uncle Nelly blushed modestly. "I do believe I've really captured Myra's essence."

"Who wants a hot-cross sticky bun fresh from the oven and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee?" Willy cried as he came out to the porch.

Midge groaned. She was already stuffed from a delicious breakfast of blueberry waffles, sizzling sausage, cheese omelets and baking powder biscuits. "I may not be able to get up," Midge complained happily. "You're going to have to carry me onto that train tomorrow, swing and all." She selected a small bun, then licked the sweet stickiness from her fingers.

At the mention of their imminent departure, Velma bit her lower lip and blinked back tears. Jackie was downtown this very minute picking up four tickets for the Western Express leaving the next morning. It was going to be hard to break up the gay little group, but now that oil had been poured upon the turbulent waters of Nancy's family life, the good name of Hardly restored and the future of the Space Race assured, it looked like there was nothing left to do but go home.