“What a fabulous dress!” Bess screamed as they entered Daly’s. She pointed to an off-the-shoulder black velvet gown, with a tight bodice and flaring skirt. “I wonder what I could wear it to?”
Before Nancy could answer, Bess darted off to a counter with a display of jewelry. “Doesn’t this bracelet look great with my outfit?” she asked, holding up a chunky silver band. She tried it against her royal blue sweater dress, and the effect was devastating. “I’ve got to have it. It costs a fortune, but maybe they do layaway.”
With difficulty, Nancy dragged her away. “I thought we didn’t come to shop.”
“Okay, okay,” Bess said with a petulant frown. She led the way to a perfume counter. “Is Ms. Willert here?” she asked the saleswoman.
“She’s in her office, on the mezzanine,” the woman replied, pointing out the escalator to the mezzanine.
Ms. Willert was waiting by the door of her office. She was an elegant woman whose almost white blond hair was swept up in a perfect French knot. Her tailored olive-colored suit had funky, boxy trousers instead of a slim skirt, and a multicolored silk scarf pulled the whole outfit together.
“Can I help you? Why, it’s Bess Marvin!” she answered her own question. “How did your party go?”
“Great, thanks,” Bess told her. “Although it got a little overpowering by the end.” She explained to Nancy, “Ms. Willert helped me set up the perfume party.”
“It was a wonderful idea,” Ms. Willert praised her. “But call me Felicity, please. Someday you ought to go into promotion, Bess,” Felicity said.
“Do you think so?” Bess asked eagerly.
“I started out as a salesperson. Now look at me, running the whole department!” Ms. Willert let out a soft, low laugh. “Anything can happen.”
“You must know a lot about perfume,” Nancy said.
“It’s my passion,” Ms. Willert admitted. “No matter how hard I work, I never get bored with new fragrances. Take this one, for example. I think you’ll love it, Bess.” She took a tray of vials out of a locked drawer and held one up. Light shone through the tiny blue bottle, showing the amber, highly concentrated liquid inside.
“Can I try it on?” Bess asked, the excitement growing in her voice.
“Of course.” Felicity Willert pulled out the crystal stopper and placed a drop on Bess’s wrist.
“That’s heaven!” Bess said, holding up her arm for Nancy to smell.
“It is,” Nancy agreed. “What gives it that special smell?”
Felicity smiled knowingly. “A lot of things. Essence of rare wildflowers, the bark of trees found only on certain tropical islands. What makes the scent last, though, is a special oil that’s very hard to find.”
“Why is it so hard to find?” Nancy asked.
“Because it can only be taken in small quantities from an African animal.”
Bess was busy sniffing her wrist, but something Felicity said made Nancy think.
“What animal is that?” she asked.
Felicity Willert gave Nancy a curious look. “A civet, actually. Why do you ask?”
Chapter
Eight
A CIVET?” NANCY ECHOED. “Bess, listen. Felicity just told me that civet oil is used in perfume.”
Bess looked up. “You’re kidding!”
“Not at all,” Felicity said with a smile. “Hardly any perfumes are made with civet oil. It’s very hard to get, but very desirable. It makes fragrances keep their full scent longer. Perfumes made with plant oils tend to fade.”
Nancy felt they had their first real clue. What if the thief had taken the civets so he could sell their oil on the black market? “How hard is it to find civet oil?” she asked.
Felicity thought for a moment. “I doubt it’s too hard. Like most things involving the making of perfume, though, it can be expensive. That’s why most perfume companies don’t use it.”
“I don’t get it,” Bess said. “How do you get oil from the civet?”
“That you’d have to ask someone who knows about civets,” Felicity said. “I’d love to answer all your questions, girls, but I’m afraid I have to get back to work.”
“Of course,” Nancy said. “Thank you for your time.”
“And for these,” Bess added, pulling two full bottles of perfume from her purse. “They were left over, and I thought you’d want them back.”
“Thank you, Bess,” Felicity said, taking them from her. “If there’s anything else I can help you with, let me know.” She walked Nancy and Bess out of her office and to the top of the escalator. “Take care,” she said.
“Isn’t she a wonderful woman?” Bess asked as they went down. “Nancy?”
“Hmm . . .” Nancy turned around to face her friend.
“You weren’t listening. Were you thinking about the civet oil?”
“Uh-huh,” Nancy said, facing the front again and letting her eyes travel over the first floor of the department store. “It could be an important clue—Hey, Bess, look over there.” She pointed to a nearby counter. “Isn’t that Tyler Mack?”
“I think it is!” Bess leaned forward to get a better view. “Yep. I recognize the red hair.”
As the escalator descended, Nancy realized that Tyler was shopping at a watch counter. She pulled Bess off the moving stairs when they reached the bottom and ushered her behind a group of mannequins in spring clothes. There they had a good view of Mack.
Tyler was pointing to a watch in the case, which the clerk handed to him reverently. “Wow! That’s a gold watch, Nancy,” Bess said, craning her neck to see.
Apparently, Tyler liked the look of the watch. He nodded to the clerk, who helped him fasten it on his wrist.
As Nancy and Bess watched, he pulled a thick wad of bills out of his pocket and peeled hundreds of dollars in cash from it.
“Look at all that cash!” Bess whispered. “He must be a millionaire!”
“Why would a millionaire work at the zoo?” Nancy murmured.
Still admiring his new watch, the assistant zookeeper headed for the exit. “Let’s see where he goes,” Nancy said to Bess. Keeping their distance, they followed him across the store.
Tyler never looked back, so the girls picked up speed until they were only a few yards behind him. When he left the store, he headed over to an expensive-looking red sports car. After pausing to rub a spot off the car’s mirrorlike finish, he slid in and drove away.
“Should we follow him?” Bess asked.
“Might as well,” Nancy said. It was easy to keep an eye on Tyler’s conspicuous car. After a short ride, however, Tyler led them straight back to the zoo. He parked in the staff lot and hurried away.
“It must have been his lunch hour,” Bess said.
Nancy shook her head. “It’s too early for lunch, but I wonder where all that money came from?” she commented. “I doubt that he earns enough to buy such an expensive watch.”
“Maybe Mr. Berry will tell you his salary,” Bess suggested. “Meanwhile, I hate to be the one who always brings this up, but I’m starving. My stomach says it’s lunchtime—no matter what the clock says. Why don’t you come over and we’ll have something to eat?”
Nancy nodded. “I’ll pick up my car, and we can wait for George to call.” She jogged over to her Mustang in the zoo parking lot. “See you soon,” she said as Bess drove off with a wave.
Half an hour later Nancy and Bess were in Bess’s kitchen making tuna melts. As soon as the girls put the sandwiches in the oven, the phone rang. “It’s George,” Bess mouthed to Nancy. She was quiet for a few minutes, then turned to Nancy. “George wants us to go with her and Owen to a movie tonight,” she told Nancy. “A lot of people from the zoo will be there.”
Nancy nodded. It was a good chance to keep an eye on Tyler. “What time?”
“Eight o’clock. It’s a film about wildlife preservation, with a lecture afterward.” Bess listened for another minute and turned to Nancy, holding her hand over the mouthpiece. “George says
we can have our brainstorming session after the film. She and Owen are ‘busy’ this afternoon, if you get my drift.” Bess raised her eyebrows as she told Nancy this piece of news.
“I guess it’s okay,” Nancy said with a rueful grin. “I’d hate to stand in the way of true love.”
Bess confirmed the plans with George and hung up.
“I’m not nuts about the idea of a nature film,” Bess admitted to Nancy. “But I guess it’s important.”
“Is the film at the zoo?” Nancy asked.
“No, it’s at the River Heights Country Club. Apparently, it’s been set up for a while—it’s a benefit for the zoo.” Suddenly Bess’s face fell. “Oh, gosh, I just remembered. I can’t go.”
“Why not?” Nancy asked.
“I promised Ted I’d see him tonight.”
Nancy shot her friend an impatient look. “Bess, can’t you cancel? I’d really like your help on this one.”
The look on Nancy’s face must have made her friend think twice. “Okay,” she said finally. “If it were true love, I wouldn’t cancel. But Ted is only a true crush.”
• • •
The country club was lit up outside with tiny white bulbs. It looked like fairyland. Inside, zoo employees and patrons milled around among masses of potted plants strung with more tiny lights and festooned with gold ribbons and bows.
“Look at those dresses,” Bess said, with awe, after they hung up their coats. Although it wasn’t strictly a formal affair, many of the women were wearing strapless dresses in jewel-like colors.
Nancy, Bess, and George had all chosen to wear two-piece outfits. Bess looked fetching in a drift of pink chiffon, while George was tailored in black and white checkerboard squares. Nancy wore a high-collared emerald green silk shirt and pants that looked vaguely Chinese. All eyes turned and followed the three girls as they entered the main ballroom.
There was a delay in showing the film because of problems with the projector. “The technician says it will be about fifteen minutes,” Maurice Berry announced. “Refreshments will be served in the lounge while we wait.”
“Good. This will give us a chance to check out the crowd,” Nancy said to Bess.
“And the jewelry,” Bess commented, her eyes wide. “Just look at that diamond necklace!” she said, grabbing Nancy’s arm and pointing at a glittering cascade of teardrop-shaped jewels.
“Let’s concentrate on people from the zoo,” Nancy told her. “Is Tyler here?”
“I haven’t seen him yet,” Bess said, her eyes still glued to the necklace.
“He’s behind that pillar, talking to Zoe,” said Owen from behind them. He pointed in the direction of the door. “She just came in,” he added, slipping an arm around George’s waist and pulling her aside.
The chic zookeeper was still wearing her coat. She and Tyler appeared to be arguing about something.
Nancy inched closer to the arguing couple, followed by Bess. But before they were near enough to hear anything, Zoe looked up and saw them.
Nancy thought she saw a look of annoyance cross Zoe’s face, but the zookeeper recovered easily and acted extremely friendly.
“I didn’t know you were interested in conservation,” she said, smiling at them. “It’s so great that you could come.” She made no reference to the scene at the zoo that morning.
Zoe blinked suddenly. “Oh, they’re flashing the lights. That means it’s time to go in.”
She took Nancy’s and Bess’s arms, leaving Tyler standing alone. “Mind if I join you?” she asked. “We’ll talk later, Tyler,” she called back over her shoulder. He stared after her, an expression of fury crossing his face.
At the door to the theater Zoe left them. “I’m sure you’ll want to find your friends, and so do I,” she said excusing herself. “Enjoy the film!”
“What was that about?” Bess wondered as they looked around for George and Owen.
“I’m not sure. She’s hard to figure out,” Nancy replied. The zookeeper had positively dripped friendliness.
“But so elegant! That little hat with the feather, and did you smell her perfume?” Bess enthused.
“I’m afraid I missed it,” Nancy said. “Where are they?” she added, half to herself.
“They’re probably sitting in the back somewhere, alone,” Bess said significantly. “Why don’t we sit down and look for them afterward?”
Nancy agreed, and they found two seats near the front. Nancy found the movie fascinating—animal preservation was such a pressing issue. Among the endangered animals were several species of Asian civets. Although they had different markings from the civets at World of Africa, she could see a resemblance.
When the movie was over, Mr. Berry announced there would be a ten-minute break before the lecture. “Let’s take a walk,” Nancy suggested to Bess, standing up. Picking up their coats in the lobby, they ran into Owen and George. “Where were you two?” Bess asked.
“In the back,” said George, reddening slightly. Bess raised her eyebrow at Nancy as if to say, “I told you so.”
“We were on our way to get some fresh air,” Bess continued. “Want to come?”
They all strolled down the walk leading to the parking lot. “It’s nice here in the winter, isn’t it?” George asked. “We usually only come in summer, to go swimming.”
“Don’t talk to me about swimming now.” Bess shivered, pulling her cream-colored wool coat more tightly around her.
They reached the parking lot. “I guess we’d better go back,” Nancy started to say when suddenly George grabbed her arm.
“Isn’t that the car that tried to run you over?” she asked, pointing to a van that was backing out.
“I think so.” Nancy strained her eyes, unable to make out the color of the van in the dark. “I’m going to check.”
“I’m coming with you,” George said firmly. They moved across the lot to investigate, being careful to stay in the shadows. Owen and Bess followed.
As they approached, the van finished pulling out and drove away at top speed. Once she got a closer look, Nancy was convinced it was the same one.
“At least the driver didn’t notice us this time,” George commented.
“He’s going too fast for us to follow him,” Nancy said disappointedly. “We’d never catch up.”
“If it was a he,” George pointed out. “I didn’t see who was driving, did you?”
“No.” Nancy frowned. She’d been so busy watching the van, she hadn’t thought to check the identity of the driver.
“For what it’s worth, I bet we’ll see the van again soon,” George said, comforting her friend. “It keeps turning up.”
“I guess so.” Nancy turned away. “We might as well—What’s that?”
“What?”
“I heard a noise.” She held up her hand for quiet. “Listen, there it is again.”
There was a faint scrabbling sound, followed by a thumping noise. “It’s coming from over there,” Nancy said, pointing to a nearby car.
“That’s Owen’s car!” George exclaimed. “The beat-up white one. Be careful,” she added as Nancy ran over.
The noise was definitely coming from inside the car. Nancy tried the front door and found it unlocked.
She pulled the door open, and a bloodcurdling howl filled the air. Nancy smelled a strong, musky odor and saw fangs gleaming eerily in the darkness. Then she felt sharp claws rake her hand.
She was being attacked by a frenzied civet!
Chapter
Nine
HER HEART JUMPING, Nancy slammed the car door shut, trapping the civet inside. As it howled its frustration, George dashed to Nancy’s side.
“What was that?” George’s voice was high and reedy.
“A civet, I think,” Nancy replied, speaking with a calm she didn’t feel. They heard a thump as the civet threw itself against the car door, desperately trying to get out.
Nancy leaned against the door, feeling slightly faint. “I think it scratched me,
but I’m all right.”
“All right! Nancy, that’s the second time you’ve almost been killed!” George was pale.
“When I saw that thing coming at you, I nearly died!”
Owen and Bess ran up to them. “I thought I heard a civet, but—” Owen stopped when he saw the gash on Nancy’s hand. “Nancy, what happened?”
Bess let out a little scream. “You’re bleeding! We’ve got to get you to the hospital right away!”
Nancy shook her head. “It’s not that bad,” she told them, taking a deep breath of the cold night air. The scratches on her hand throbbed a bit but weren’t too painful.
Nancy turned to Owen. “There’s a civet in your car—it looks pretty frightened.”
Owen nodded. “I have some animal tranquilizers. But I think we should take care of that scratch first. I have a first-aid kit in my trunk,” he told George, throwing her the keys.
While George unlocked the trunk and got out the kit, Owen examined Nancy’s hand. “It’s not too deep,” he commented. George gave him the first-aid kit, and he swabbed the scratch with disinfectant. Then he applied a soothing ointment.
“That feels much better, thank you,” Nancy said as Owen wrapped the scratch in a professional-looking bandage. “You should have been a doctor,” she added.
“That’s what my parents say, too,” he said, smiling. Then his face grew serious. “Now I’d better take care of the civet.”
“What is it doing here?” Bess wondered.
“Obviously, whoever was driving the van planted it,” George said grimly.
The civet in the car gave a mournful howl. “I think we ought to deal with the poor animal before we talk about this,” Nancy said. “The poor thing looks and sounds terrified.”
Bess said, “Nancy, you sound like you feel sorry for it! After what it did to you . . .”
“But, Bess, it wasn’t planning to hurt Nancy,” Owen told her. “It acted out of instinct.” He looked at the civet through the window. “Nancy’s right, the civet is scared to death. That’s why it’s giving off that musky smell.”