“I’d also like to show you something that I found aboard the boat,” Nancy pressed on doggedly. “Would it be all right if a friend of mine and I stopped by to see you?”
Lyons was still chuckling. “Sure, come on over,” he said. “I’m not busy this evening. I’ll think up a good alibi.”
“Thanks. We’ll be there in half an hour,” Nancy said, and hung up. She turned to Ned. “Want to come watch me make a fool of myself?”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it.” Then he checked his watch. “But are you sure we won’t miss our dinner reservation? It’s getting late.”
“We’ll make it,” Nancy promised.
Half an hour later they pulled up in front of Lyons’s house. The roadway was still under repair, Nancy noted. It must be annoying for Lyons to live with all that dust and noise.
Lyons answered the door himself. “My housekeeper’s only here from nine to five,” he explained. “Evenings I rough it. Can I offer you two sodas or anything?”
“Please, don’t bother,” Nancy said. “We don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“Not at all,” he said easily. “Sit down, make yourselves comfortable.” He disappeared and came back a few minutes later with tall glasses of soda.
“Now, you wanted to know where I was the night Emily Terner disappeared? What fun! Let’s see, when was that?”
“Last Friday,” Nancy told him.
“Oh, right. As a matter of fact, I was right here, asleep in my bed.” He chuckled.
Nancy began to get annoyed. Lyons was certainly getting a huge amount of amusement out of this interview. “Can you prove that?” she asked.
“Nope,” Lyons said promptly. “No witnesses. But I do have a cast-iron alibi, nonetheless.”
“And that is?” Nancy urged. He was obviously waiting to be asked.
Lyons leaned forward and pushed his hornrimmed glasses up on his nose. “I can’t stand boats,” he told them. “Can’t even get near them. Inner-ear problems. I get seasick at the drop of a hat. I wouldn’t know a jib sheet from a bedsheet! You can ask anyone who knows me. I’m famous for it.” He grinned at them.
It certainly sounded like a cast-iron alibi. If Lyons was telling the truth, he certainly couldn’t have piloted the Swallow through rough waters at night, alone. Nancy would check up on his claim, of course, but she was sure he was telling the truth. It would be too easy to catch him if he were lying.
“So, am I still a suspect?” Lyons asked. “I hope so. Life around here has been pretty dull lately. A little melodrama is just what I need.”
“At this point all I’m trying to do is eliminate some of the possibilities,” Nancy responded, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. She was almost disappointed that Lyons had such a good alibi. He would have made a great villain, with his smug smile and patronizing manner.
She put down her soda glass and stood up. “Mr. Lyons, may we look at your shoe collection?” she asked.
Lyons looked surprised for a moment. “Certainly. They’re all in my closet upstairs. I’ll show you.” He snickered. “But I have to confess I threw the bloodstained ones away.”
Ned and Nancy followed Lyons up the stairs and into his bedroom. He threw open the louvered doors of a huge closet and gestured to neat rows of shoes. “There they are. Am I guilty?”
Ned pulled the napkin out of his pocket and handed it to Nancy. She unfolded it.
It was obvious at a glance that Lyons hadn’t made that muddy footprint. His feet were much too small, and, as far as Nancy could see, he didn’t even have a pair of deck shoes. Well, that was that. She rose to her feet.
“Sorry to disturb your evening,” she said to Lyons. “We’ll be going now.”
“No rush. Say, what happened to that Russian boyfriend of yours?” Lyons remarked. “I always see you two together. I thought you were inseparable.”
There was an awkward silence. Nancy couldn’t even look at Ned, she was so mortified. Then she gathered her wits. “Sasha’s just a friend,” she said. “Ned is my boyfriend.”
“Oh, my mistake. Sorry,” Lyons said as he showed them out. “Come back anytime,” he added, chuckling again. “This was fun.”
“Whew! What a jerk!” Ned said as they pulled away. “He really enjoyed that. No wonder Emily thinks he’s a crook.”
“Unfortunately, we’re not going to pin this crime on him,” Nancy pointed out. “I don’t see any way he could have done it.”
“No, I guess not,” Ned replied. He glanced at his watch and whistled. “Nor do I see any way we’re going to make a seven-thirty reservation in Southhampton. It’s seven now, and South-hampton’s an hour’s drive from here, isn’t it?”
Nancy nodded, stricken. “Oh, Ned, I’m sorry. Can we do it another night?”
“Sure.” Ned shrugged. “Let’s get a pizza.”
They drove in silence for a while. Then Ned spoke in a quiet voice.
“So—was it true, what Lyons said about Sasha and you? Are you involved with him? Is that why you’ve been acting so weird since I got here?”
Nancy had been waiting for that very question. Tell him everything! a little voice urged, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Nothing has happened between me and Sasha,” she said.
“I mean, you talked about him a lot at the beginning of the summer, but then you stopped. I kind of wondered why, since you’ve obviously been seeing so much of him.” Ned gazed intently through the windshield. His jaw was tight.
“It’s not like that! I—” Nancy broke off. She felt awful. Why couldn’t she explain? “I’m not involved with him,” she finished lamely.
Ned was silent. “Okay,” he said at last.
Dinner was double torture. They caught up with Bess and George and their boyfriends at the Pizza Shack, but Nancy soon wished they hadn’t.
Sasha’s name kept coming up in conversation. He had shared every adventure the girls had had over the summer, it seemed.
“Sasha sure has a nose for mystery,” Gary was saying. “Remember when we thought he was involved in the theft of those plans from Jetstream? And then it turned out he actually discovered the real crook before anyone else. I guess I owe as much to him as to you, Nancy. Without the two of you, I’d probably be out of a job right now.”
Nancy did her best to smile at Gary. She knew he meant well, but couldn’t he see this conversation was making her uncomfortable?
“Yeah, maybe you two should consider going into business together,” Tommy suggested.
“Sasha’s a dancer, not a detective,” Nancy said with a forced laugh.
“And besides, Nancy doesn’t need a partner,” Bess put in loyally. “She’s got me and George and Ned—even though you complain about her cases all the time, Ned,” she teased him.
Nancy suppressed a groan. Bess was trying to help, but she was only making things worse.
Poor Ned bore it all heroically. But Nancy couldn’t ignore the questions and doubts she could see growing in his eyes.
Finally the party broke up. Bess and Tommy decided to go for a walk, but Gary had to work early the next morning, so George got a ride home with Nancy and Ned. Nancy tried not to be impatient—she desperately wanted to talk to Ned, but she couldn’t with George in the car. It would have to wait until they got home.
But when they pulled up to Eloise Drew’s house, Nancy had a surprise waiting for her.
Eloise always left a light on over the front door, so that people could find their way up the path in the dark. In the illuminated circle, Nancy could see two people standing close together. She felt a twinge of uneasiness. One of the people was Eloise Drew. The other looked like Seth Cooper. Seth Cooper, who was rapidly becoming one of Nancy’s biggest suspects.
Her uneasiness grew a moment later, as Seth drew Eloise into his arms and they shared a long, tender kiss!
Chapter
Ten
OH, BOY,” George murmured from the backseat. “Did we pi
ck the wrong time to arrive.”
When Eloise and Seth heard the car, they broke apart. Eloise fumbled in her bag for her door key, while Seth jammed his hands into his pockets.
“I think we embarrassed them!” George exclaimed. Nancy could tell by her voice that George was trying to hold back a laugh. “I never thought I’d catch your aunt kissing! I mean, she’s seen me with Gary often enough.”
In spite of her anxiety, Nancy couldn’t help giggling, too. It was a funny switch.
“Well, come on. Act like you didn’t notice anything,” she told George and Ned. The three of them walked up the path, trying to act normal. George’s mouth kept twitching, though.
“Hi,” Nancy called. “Just getting home?”
George snickered. “Dumb question,” she whispered. Nancy glared at her.
“Well, hello,” Eloise answered, sounding flustered. She finally found her key and opened the door. “Yes, we just got back from a chamber-music concert at the town hall.”
“Nancy, your aunt tells me you rescued Emily Terner,” Seth rumbled. “It’s quite a story. Do you really believe she was kidnapped?”
Did he bring that up just for conversation’s sake, or is he trying to find out what I know? Nancy wondered.
“Yes, I do,” she said, moving past him into the living room. “I’m trying to find out who’s guilty.” She put a teasing tone in her voice. “Everyone’s a suspect now—even you, Mr. Cooper. So tell me, where were you on Friday night?”
“Ah, that’s for me to know and you to find out,” he responded, but Nancy saw a glint of disquiet in his eyes.
“Oh, come on, you can tell me,” she urged, smiling. If he was innocent, he’d answer openly.
Seth shrugged. “If you really want to know, I went to the movies in Montauk.”
“What’d you see? The African Queen was playing at that great repertory theater, wasn’t it? I wanted to go, but I didn’t feel like driving there in the rain.” Nancy made it sound as if she’d lost interest in the interrogation.
It worked. Seth nodded. “That’s right. It’s a great flick—you should see it sometime.”
“Why are we all standing around?” Eloise asked suddenly. “Sit down and relax, everyone. Seth, can I offer you a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks. I ought to get back to my boat,” he said. He took Eloise’s hand and pressed it to his lips with a flourish. “Thanks for a lovely evening.”
“I should thank you,” Eloise responded. Her cheeks pinkened slightly, but her smile was brilliant. “Why don’t I walk you out to your car?”
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, George doubled over with giggles. “They’re still embarrassed,” she said. “It’s so cute!”
“No wonder they’re embarrassed, with you around,” Ned told her.
“Hey, guys, it’s not that funny,” Nancy said anxiously. “Seth is getting higher on my list of suspects. He lied about where he was on Friday.”
“How do you know?” George asked, sobering.
“The African Queen wasn’t playing. Last week was James Bond week,” Nancy answered.
Ned frowned. “So he lied. Does that make him your kidnapper?”
“I don’t know yet,” Nancy said. “But I’m going to find out.”
• • •
Nancy got up early on Wednesday morning and jumped into the shower. Then she went back to the big bedroom she shared with Bess and George.
They were sleeping peacefully in their twin beds. She yanked up the blinds so the sun poured in. “Rise and shine, guys,” she called. “We’ve got a busy day!”
“Go away,” George mumbled, and threw a pillow at her. Bess just moaned.
“I’ll be in the kitchen making pancakes,” Nancy told her friends. “Hurry down, or they’ll get cold.”
“Blackmailer,” Bess complained to Nancy’s departing back. Nancy grinned.
Soon they were all gathered around the kitchen table. Nancy stood at the griddle, outlining the day’s tasks as she flipped pancakes.
“We’re going to have to break up into two teams,” she said, carrying a stack of cakes to the table. “Here, Ned, these are for you.”
“Thanks,” he said shortly. He took them without looking at her. He was still upset about the night before, Nancy realized. Well, she could talk to him as they did their errands.
“Two people will have to check out Roland Lyons’s story about getting seasick. He’s probably not lying, but we have to make sure,” Nancy said. “I think the best way to do it is to go to his office in Montauk and get into a conversation with his secretary or something. The people he works with will probably know.”
Ned looked up. “I’ll go. Want to come with me, Bess?”
Bess looked taken aback. “Sure, I guess so,” she said, glancing at Nancy for confirmation.
Nancy shrugged, hurt. Ned was trying to avoid her. Well, it was her own fault.
“Okay, then, George and I will check area stores to see if we can trace the flashlight and batteries,” Nancy concluded.
They finished breakfast quickly, and Bess and Ned left for Montauk. Nancy and George drove into town and started on the stores.
By ten-thirty they had covered every hardware store and drugstore in town, with no luck. Nancy drove into the parking lot of one of the public beaches, then switched off the ignition and stared out the windshield at the ocean.
“We could try Southampton and Montauk,” she said despondently, “but I doubt we’d have better luck. This is just a waste of time!”
“Hey, don’t take it so hard,” George said. “It’s not vital evidence. We can still crack this case. What are you so upset about?”
Nancy sighed. “I’m just down. Didn’t you notice that Ned was avoiding me this morning? And last night he went to bed without a word to me. I haven’t had any time to talk to him since he got here.”
“About Sasha, you mean?” George asked.
Nancy nodded, then told George about her conversation with Sasha, and about what Lyons had said, and the clumsy way she’d handled it when Ned questioned her about the relationship.
“I don’t know why it’s so hard to talk about it with him,” she finished. “Ned is so understanding. I don’t know what I’m afraid of.”
“Maybe you’re afraid of the choice you’re going to make,” George suggested. “You’ve been with Ned for a long time. If you’re thinking of breaking up with him, that’s a very big step.”
“Am I prepared to break up with Ned?” Nancy wondered aloud. “The whole idea seems so unreal. Could I really leave him for Sasha?”
George shook her head. “It’s a tough situation,” she said sympathetically. “If you don’t decide soon, though, you’ll lose both of them.”
“I know.” Nancy started the car. “I know.”
She stopped in at the florist’s on the way home, to pick up flowers for the big vase in Eloise’s foyer.
The florist was making up a spray of orange lilies for Keith Artin’s hospital room. “Poor Keith.” The florist sighed. He was a plump man with a reputation as a gossip. “Ran out of brake fluid, the police say. He should have had his car tuned more often.”
“Ran out of brake fluid?” Nancy repeated. “I can’t believe it. He spent all his free time working on that car, from what I heard.”
The florist eyed her unkindly. “Well, he didn’t check the brake fluid, I guess.”
He sounded hurt that she doubted his story. Shrugging, Nancy paid for the flowers and left.
George was meeting Gary for lunch, so Nancy drove back alone. At home she found a note from Bess on the kitchen table. Lyons’s story checked out, and now Bess and Ned were on the beach.
Nancy had changed into her suit and was about to join them when the doorbell rang. She opened the front door. Her heart turned over.
Sasha stood there, a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. “You have been avoiding me,” he stated, walking into the living room. He laid the flowers on the coffee table. r />
“I’ve been busy,” Nancy defended herself, although she knew he was right. She could have made time to talk if she’d been ready to face him.
“You do not wish to make a difficult decision, so you make work for yourself,” Sasha said with chilling accuracy. “But I will not let you run away any longer. I need to know, Nancy.”
“Wh-what?” Nancy asked. Sasha’s eyes were mesmerizing—just looking at him, her thoughts got muddled and she couldn’t find her tongue.
He moved swiftly forward and seized her hand. “You know I have the chance to stay here for a year. My decision would be easier if I knew your heart. I have told you that I love you. Do you love me?”
Sasha’s eyes bored into Nancy’s, and his hand held hers so tightly it hurt. Her heart felt as if it were about to burst from all the conflicting emotions in it. She groped for words, but all that came out was a sigh.
The sound of the deck door opening shattered the moment. Nancy turned to see who it was.
She let out an involuntary cry of distress.
It was Ned!
Chapter
Eleven
NED STOOD THERE for an instant, his face frozen in an expression of shock. Without a word, he turned and strode away. He moved so fast he was almost running.
Nancy wrenched her hand free of Sasha’s. “I can’t talk to you now. I have to go after him,” she said tensely. “I can’t let him think—”
“Think what?” Sasha pressed.
“You’d better go,” Nancy said, ignoring the question, and ran after Ned. How could she have done it? How could she have hurt him so badly?
She paused at the crest of a dune and looked around. Which way had he gone? The beach was crowded, and he would be hard to spot.
“Hey, Nan!” Bess was waving to her from a blanket. Nancy ran across the sand to her friend. “Ned went up to the house to see if you were back. Did you miss each other?” Bess asked.
“No. He found me. But he found Sasha with me,” Nancy said flatly.
Bess’s mouth formed a soundless Oh.