“You’re absolutely right, Rob,” Nancy told him. “Susan was smart—smart enough not to trust Whorf completely, even though they were working together. She tape recorded one of their conversations without his knowledge. When she played the tape for the police, that cinched the case against Whorf. He’ll be going to jail, too.”
Bess looked around at them and said slowly, “I kind of admire Susan. To risk everything to help her family—it can’t have been easy for her.”
Nancy held up a hand. “Now, wait a minute. Don’t forget that she did her best to frame Rob for the theft.” Turning to Rob, she added, “By the way, when I was talking to her at the police station, Susan told me that she hadn’t originally intended to frame you—or anyone, for that matter. But when she went to set the boat house fire, she happened to spot you leaving the annex and start off on your run. Seeing that you looked upset, and that you didn’t have your jacket, she saw her opportunity to set you up as the fall guy.”
“And she also played a couple of very dangerous tricks on you, Nan,” Ned added. “She may have some good points, but all in all, I’d have to say she’s not exactly my favorite person.”
Nancy sighed and leaned close against Ned. “She admitted that she locked me in the shed and removed the safety barriers from the lake.
“She didn’t seem to know about my ski binding being tampered with, though,” Nancy added. “My guess is that Whorf did that, although there’s no way to prove it.”
There was a short silence as everyone watched the dancing orange and yellow flames. After a few minutes Rob stood up and stretched.
“Don’t forget, it’s still Winter Carnival,” he said. “I’ve got my old Flexible Flyer up in my room. Who’s ready to take their chances on Suicide Hill?”
“That sounds terrific,” George quickly said. “I love sledding.”
Nancy glanced up at Ned, then said, “I think I’d rather take a walk.”
Ned nodded.
“I’m going to sit by the fire awhile,” Bess announced. “My toes still haven’t thawed out from this morning.”
“I’ll keep you company, if you like,” Jerry said, coming over to sit next to her.
• • •
As she and Ned set off hand in hand for a walk to College Woods, Nancy laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?” Ned asked.
“Not really funny, just nice,” she replied. “I’m just happy everything worked out so well.”
“Sure,” Ned said cheerfully. “Rob isn’t in jail, the museum is out of hot water, the boat house didn’t burn down, and I managed to dance with you twice last night before you went off detecting. What more could you ask?”
“This,” Nancy said, turning toward him for a kiss.
After a long, breathless moment, Ned pulled gently away. “Here, I have something for you.” He reached into the pocket of his parka and pulled out a small white box.
“Oh, Ned, you shouldn’t have,” she said.
There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he told her, “Maybe you better open it before you thank me.”
Shooting him a curious glance, she opened the small box, then laughed. A second later she lifted out a costume-jewelry necklace of red and clear glass set in fake gold. “It’s perfect,” she told him. “Right down to the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ stamped on the back!”
As he bent to kiss her a second time, she told him, “You can be sure this is one Winter Carnival I’ll never forget!”
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Simon Pulse
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Copyright © 1990 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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