“We made you breakfast,” Nancy explained.
Hannah smiled. “I didn’t forget my own birthday, did I?”
“Nope,” Nancy said. “We just felt like doing it.”
“You have been very helpful lately,” Hannah said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
The girls watched as Hannah ate her toast and drank her juice. “That was delicious,” Hannah said when she had finished. “Thank you, girls.”
Nancy took Hannah’s empty plate to the sink. “We’ll wash up.”
Just as Nancy was about to turn on the water, she heard a very strange sound:
Thump! Clump! Clank!
7
Spying On Hannah
The laundry!” Nancy cried. She ran to check the machine. Bess, George, and Hannah were right behind her.
The washing machine was shaking so hard it looked as if there were a monster inside. They all watched in horror as a thick foam of bubbles poured out from under the lid.
Hannah stepped forward, being careful not to slip on the wet floor. She switched off the machine, and the noise stopped. So did the bubbles.
Hannah peered into the machine and groaned. She turned around and looked at Nancy, her hands on her hips.
“You know better than to touch the washing machine when I’m not around, Nancy,” Hannah said sternly. She looked at the mess on the floor. “You’ve been nothing but trouble for the past few days. You’re father is definitely going to hear about this!”
Nancy looked down at her sneakers. “I’m sorry, Hannah,” she whispered.
Hannah looked at her watch and sighed. “I’m going to be late. I’ll deal with this when I get back this afternoon.”
“Oops,” Bess whispered to Nancy as Hannah hurried out of the room.
“Double oops,” Nancy whispered back. “I guess we used too much soap.”
The girls found Hannah in the hall. “Hurry,” she said when she saw them. “Get in the car, and I’ll drop you off at George’s house.”
“That’s okay,” George said. “Bess and I rode our bikes over here. Can’t Nancy ride back with us?”
Hannah thought for a moment. “All right,” she said, and quickly called George’s mother to let her know the girls were coming. Then they all went outside.
“Goodbye, girls,” Hannah said, getting into her car.
Nancy watched sadly as Hannah drove away. “I just wanted to help so Hannah would want to stay. Now I’ve made so much extra work for her, she’s sure to take the job with crabby old Mrs. Garfield.”
Nancy, Bess, and George got on their bikes and rode toward George’s house.
“I wish we could be there to hear her interview,” George said as she pedaled.
Bess nodded. “That way we’d know right away if she got the job or not.”
“She’ll get it,” Nancy said. “Who wouldn’t want to hire Hannah?” She paused. “But I guess it couldn’t hurt to go over there to try to see what’s happening.”
When they arrived at George’s house, Mrs. Fayne told them they could go for a bike ride. A little while later, the girls were in front of Mrs. Garfield’s open gate. Hannah’s car was parked in the wide, curving driveway.
Nancy looked at her watch. “It’s only ten forty,” she said. “Hannah must still be inside. Let’s see if we can peek in the window and see her.”
“What if we get caught?” Bess asked as they wheeled their bikes through the gates and up the driveway.
“Don’t worry,” George said. “We won’t.”
They were almost to the house when they heard the front door open. “They’re coming out,” Nancy whispered. “Hide!”
The girls ducked behind a row of bushes near the door.
“Thank you so much for meeting with me,” they heard Hannah say. “I can’t wait to get started.”
“Wonderful,” another voice said. “You’re just the person I’ve been looking for to help me.”
“That sounds like Old Crabapple,” Bess whispered.
Hannah spoke again. “I’ll speak to Mr. Drew right away,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Good,” Mrs. Garfield replied. “Then I’ll see you a week from Friday.”
The front door closed, and a short while later the girls heard Hannah’s car drive away.
“This is terrible.” Nancy sniffled. “I wish we’d never come here.”
“Come on, let’s go,” Bess whispered. The girls stood up and saw that the big, black gate was slowly swinging shut.
“Hurry!” George cried. “Or we’ll be trapped!”
The friends leaped onto their bikes and rode as fast as they could. They made it through the big gate just as it clanged shut behind them.
“That was close,” Bess said, her voice sounding shaky.
Nancy nodded. “We’re lucky Old Crabapple didn’t see us.”
The girls slowly rode their bikes back to George’s house.
Nancy was very quiet. Usually she loved solving mysteries. But solving this one was no fun at all. The solution meant Hannah was leaving.
Nancy was thinking so hard that she almost didn’t see Brenda sitting on her bike at the end of George’s driveway.
“Ugh,” George whispered. “What’s Miss Nosy doing here?”
“Hi, George,” Brenda called with a smirk. “Where are your mom’s new flowers? I came over to see them, but I can’t find them anywhere in your yard.”
Nancy gave her friends a worried look. If Brenda found out they had lied yesterday, she’d never give up.
George looked worried, too, but Bess smiled sweetly at Brenda. “The flowers aren’t here,” she said.
Nancy gasped. What was Bess doing?
“They’re at Nancy’s house,” Bess went on. “We didn’t tell you yesterday because they’re a welcome-home gift for Mr. Drew. We didn’t want you to blab about it and spoil the surprise.”
Brenda didn’t even seem to notice the insult. “That’s not a big secret,” she said, disappointed. “Who wants to write about that?” Then she pedaled away.
“Good one, Bess.” Nancy grinned and gave her friend a hug. “I was afraid she was going to snoop around until she found out about the real mystery.”
Her smile faded as she remembered what they had just heard at Mrs. Garfield’s house.
When Nancy and her friends went inside, Bess’s mother was having tea at the kitchen table with her sister, Mrs. Fayne. The girls said hello and went upstairs to George’s room.
“This can’t be happening,” Nancy said, throwing herself on George’s bed.
“We can’t let it happen,” George said. “There’s still got to be a way to change Hannah’s mind.”
Bess shrugged. “How? You heard her. She wants to start a week from Friday.”
“I still don’t understand why she wants to leave,” George said.
Nancy rolled onto her back. “Old Crabapple probably offered her tons of money.”
“Maybe you can convince your dad to pay Hannah more,” Bess suggested.
“Maybe. I’ll see if he’s home yet.” Nancy ran downstairs and called her house. But nobody answered.
By lunchtime the girls still hadn’t come up with another plan to get Hannah to stay. They ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches quietly. At the same time, Mrs. Fayne and Mrs. Marvin talked about the charity auction their volunteer group was holding.
After lunch Nancy called home again. This time her father answered.
“Daddy!” she cried, glad to hear his voice. “Can I come home now?”
“Sure, Pumpkin,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you.”
Nancy said goodbye to her friends and their mothers, and quickly rode off on her bike.
All the way home, she tried to think of the best way to ask her father to give Hannah a raise.
Nancy found him in his study. “Hi there, Pudding Pie,” he said, reaching out to give her a hug.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said, squeezing him back. “How was your
trip?”
“Just fine,” he said. “Did I miss anything exciting around here?”
“Not really.” Nancy tried to sound casual. “But I was thinking, isn’t it time to give Hannah more money? I mean, she works so hard. She deserves it.”
Mr. Drew raised an eyebrow. “I agree, Nancy,” he said. “That’s why I gave her a raise just a couple of months ago. Why are you so concerned about Hannah’s salary all of a sudden?”
Nancy bit her lip. She couldn’t keep a secret from her father. “I think Hannah found another job,” she blurted out. “Hannah’s going to leave!”
“What?” Mr. Drew looked surprised. “Why do you think that?”
Nancy began telling him about her clues. When she started to describe Hannah’s suitcase, she paused and thought for a second. “Wait a minute,” she said slowly. “I just remembered something. Most of the clothes in that suitcase didn’t fit Hannah. She said so herself. Why would she be taking them?”
“Hmm. Go on,” her father said.
Nancy told him about the conversation she had overheard at Mrs. Garfield’s house that morning.
“It certainly sounds as if you might be right,” Mr. Drew said. “But do you have any solid proof?”
Nancy thought about it. Before she could answer her father, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” She ran to open the door.
When Nancy saw who was there, she forgot about everything.
Old Crabapple was standing right in front of her!
8
Hannah’s Real Secret
What are you doing here?” Nancy asked.
Mrs. Garfield looked startled. “I beg your pardon, young lady.” Her voice was very stern.
Up close, Nancy thought that Mrs. Garfield’s face looked more like a wrinkled-up crabapple than ever. “I’m looking for Hannah Gruen. Is this the right house?”
“You can’t take her yet!” Nancy shouted.
“Take her?” Mrs. Garfield said. “What do you mean? I’m here to return this. She left it at my house.” Mrs. Garfield held up Hannah’s address book.
“Who is it, Nancy?” Mr. Drew said. Nancy’s father had walked up behind her.
Mrs. Garfield introduced herself.
Mr. Drew shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Garfield,” he said. “Hannah has told me such wonderful things about the work you’ve done for the community.”
Nancy frowned. Her father knew who Old Crabapple was. What did that mean? And what community work was he talking about?
“Good,” Mrs. Garfield said with a smile. “I hope that means you’ll let me steal Hannah away from you for a couple of days. She’s just the right person to help me with my next event.”
A couple of days? Her next event? Suddenly Nancy realized what Mrs. Garfield was talking about—and what Hannah’s real secret was.
She waited until Mrs. Garfield said goodbye and had walked back to her car. Then Nancy turned to her father. “Daddy, you knew the real answer all along.”
Mr. Drew laughed as he shut the door. “I guess that means you’ve finally figured it out.”
Nancy followed her father into the living room and sat beside him on the couch. “Hannah’s helping Old Crab—I mean, Mrs. Garfield, with her charity, right? That’s what the meeting was about. And that’s what the old clothes and stuff in the suitcase were for. Hannah’s giving them away.”
Her father nodded. “You solved it, Pudding Pie.”
Nancy looked at her father. “But why didn’t you tell me right away?”
Mr. Drew ruffled her hair. “I wanted to hear your clues first.”
“They all seemed to make sense,” Nancy said. “But I guess I was looking at them the wrong way.”
Just then they heard the front door open. A moment later Hannah came into the room. Nancy leaped up and ran to give her a hug. “I’m sorry about the laundry this morning,” she said.
Hannah hugged her back. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. But why are you and your friends so eager to help out these days? You’re running me ragged.”
“I thought you were going to take another job and leave us,” Nancy said. “I thought if I showed how much help I could be, you would stay.”
Hannah looked at Nancy and Mr. Drew. “Leave?” she exclaimed. “What made you think such a thing?”
Nancy explained her clues. “You don’t usually wear a suit,” she said. “And people wear them when they’re looking for jobs. Bess’s mom said Mrs. Garfield needed a new housekeeper.” She blushed as she remembered spying on Hannah. “And I kind of overheard you talking to Joan on the phone. You told her Mrs. Garfield was a great boss.”
“Yes, I did,” Hannah said. “That’s because I wanted to recommend Joan for the housekeeper’s job, since the family she works for is moving to Florida.”
“It was quite a coincidence that Mrs. Garfield needed a new housekeeper at the same time Hannah was meeting with her,” Mr. Drew said. “That’s the trouble with circumstantial evidence. It often leads to the wrong answer.”
“Circumstantial?” Nancy repeated.
Her father smiled. “That means evidence that seems to support your answer, even though it doesn’t really prove it.”
Nancy nodded. She was going to write down the word in her notebook later.
“I’m glad the circumstantial evidence was wrong,” she said. “I was so scared Hannah was going to leave. That’s why I tried to do all that stuff to help—even though I mostly just ended up making a mess.” She told her father about all the things she had done.
He laughed when he heard about the laundry disaster. “I made the same mistake myself the first time I used that machine,” he said. “And to help Hannah out, why don’t you and I take care of it after dinner?”
Nancy looked at Hannah. “And maybe next spring I could help you plant more flowers in the backyard,” she said hopefully. “That way you’ll really have a reason to stay forever.”
Hannah hugged her. “All the reason I need is here in this room. You’re like a family to me—no circumstantial evidence will ever change that.”
That made Nancy feel much better. “There’s still one clue I can’t figure out,” she said. “Why didn’t you let me into your room the other night?”
Hannah was quiet for a second. Then she grinned. “I guess you caught me,” she said at last. She hurried out of the room while Nancy and her father exchanged a puzzled look.
A moment later Hannah returned. She was holding a pretty notebook covered with flowered cloth and decorated with ribbons. “Here,” Hannah said, handing it to Nancy. “I should have known better than to try to surprise such a good detective.”
Nancy opened the book. On the first page, in Hannah’s neat handwriting, was the recipe for apple cake.
“I’m going to write down all the recipes I teach you,” Hannah said. “That way you’ll have them all in one place when you’re ready to cook on your own—someday far, far in the future, that is,” she added with a grin. “After all, you’re not allowed to use the oven until you’re at least ten.”
Nancy gave Hannah another big hug.
• • •
That night before she went to sleep, Nancy took out her notebook. She opened it to her latest mystery and began to write:
I’m glad nosy Brenda never found out about this mystery! I can’t believe I was so wrong about everything. But I’m glad I was. I should have known that Hannah would never leave just to get a raise or live in a big house. That’s not how things work in a family.
Case closed.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A MINSTREL PAPERBACK Original
A Minstrel Book published by
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSch
uster.com
Copyright © 1997 by Simon & Schuster Inc.
Produced by Mega-Books, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Minstrel Books printing September 1997
NANCY DREW, THE NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS,
A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.
Cover art by Aleta Jenks
ISBN 978-1-4424-6793-4 (ebook)
Carolyn Keene, Hannah's Secret
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