“I’m glad the medallion wasn’t stolen, for Mr. Kaiser’s sake,” Nancy said. “And it proves that Pete Grover wasn’t the thief.”
George nodded. “If Grover is working with Ted Henri, and now we have ample proof that he is, I’m sure he’s not a burglar. Yet, he has a criminal record—he’s wanted for check forgery. I can’t figure it out.”
“Neither can I,” Nancy admitted.
“And why would he pretend to be Russell Kaiser?” Bess asked.
“Well, if his job at the auction was to set us up for a fake mystery, maybe he’d done some research. Found out about the Kaisers, their family’s lion crest, and the names of surviving members he gleaned from Galen Kaiser’s recent obituary,” Nancy said.
“Then he and Henri wrote the note to Jacqueline, using the crest as a symbol,” Bess added.
“But what was all that business about a crooked auction?” George put in.
“Just a ploy to make the newspaper announcement about the sale of the Kaiser estate even more tantalizing,” Nancy replied.
“And all of this to keep us away from their case,” George sighed. “I bet if we had combined forces we’d have solved it by now!”
“Whatever we do,” Nancy said, “I don’t think we should let on to Jacqueline or Ted that we know what’s going on.”
“Three can play pretend as easily as two,” George said, trying to sound less anxious than she was.
“And tomorrow night we’re going to get our chance,” Nancy replied.
15
Stylist Trouble
Nancy’s announcement made both George and Bess stare at her in surprise.
“What do you mean?” Bess asked.
“We’re going to the Crystal Party,” Nancy replied.
“The what?”
Nancy laughed, then repeated Mr. Belini’s telephone conversation. “Ted Henri will be there, and it must have some significance. I think we’ll be able to pick up a clue there.”
“Where is it?” George inquired.
“I bought a newspaper on the way back from the fabric store, figuring there might be an announcement about it.” Nancy turned to a page listing future social events and handed it to her friends.
“ ‘The Crystal Party,’ ” Bess read aloud. “ ‘Highlight of the fashion year. Every major designer represented. Tickets two hundred and fifty dollars. Advance reservations only.’ ”
“Well, that lets me out,” George mumbled. “Who can afford it, anyway?”
Nancy giggled. “Lots of people,” she said.
“Only the crème de la crème,” Bess said, adding, “and Miss Nancy Drew, perhaps.”
“Now, now,” the young detective said, “I have a hunch we can go to the party without paying a penny.”
“Sure, if we sneak in,” Bess said. “I could disguise myself as Lady Macaroni and you could be Baroness von Hootenanny!”
“Even if we could wangle invitations, we’d have to wear the same things we wore to the benefit,” George put in, “and I spilled salad dressing on my gown.”
“See, it’s hopeless,” Bess insisted.
“On the contrary.” Nancy smiled. “We are going to be the three most eligible young ladies there and in the three most beautiful gowns! C‘mon!”
The girls paid the bill and trailed outside, letting Nancy lead the way. Salt trucks had spread the melting grains on the street and a similar layer covered the sidewalk, so Bess was able to keep pace as the trio walked up the street.
“Where are we going?” she asked Nancy.
“To Reese Associates, of course.”
“Oh, boy. I hope Mr. Reese is in a better mood than the one we left him in,” George commented.
“I hope so, too, because I’d like to persuade him to take us to the Crystal Party.”
To the girls’ relief, the man’s temper had subsided. He even seemed unusually happy, judging by his enthusiastic welcome.
“I just received some very exciting news! Come into my office,” he said, adding as they took seats. “Zoe Babbitt has decided to buy everything you modeled the other night, Nancy. Can you imagine? Everything!”
“Congratulations,” the visitors chimed in together.
“She said it didn’t matter one bit that most of the designs might have been scooped by another dress house,” the man went on. “There’s nothing like a Reese original, she told me.”
“So you were worrying unnecessarily,” George said.
“Well, I still don’t know how my other clients will feel, but it’s nice to know I haven’t lost Mrs. Babbitt.”
“Will she be at the Crystal Party?” Nancy inquired.
“Most certainly, and wearing one of my winter creations, I suspect.”
“Speaking of winter creations,” Nancy continued, “we came by today for a reason.”
The man perked up his ears. “Is it my turn to ask what you’ve discovered?”
Nancy smiled. “Well, we’ve discovered some facts, but it’s really too early to discuss them.” She was worried that the temperamental designer might inadvertently slip something to the wrong people.
But Reese’s curiosity was aroused. “Well, what exactly did you find out?” he pressed the girl.
“As I said, I can’t tell you yet.”
“Can’t tell me?” he bristled. “But I’m the man who—”
“Mr. Reese,” George interposed, “it’s important to keep things confidential—for now.”
“Tomorrow night could produce the final chapter,” Bess added.
Seizing the chance, Nancy quickly expressed how crucial it was for the young detectives to attend the Crystal Party.
“I can arrange that easily. On one condition, though,” Mr. Reese bargained. “That you tell me everything.”
“I promise,” Nancy smiled. “After the party.”
The man grumbled in annoyance, but finally agreed to obtain invitations. “And what are you planning to wear?” he inquired.
“I suppose my old green skirt and blouse,” Nancy said.
George mentioned her dress with the oily stains on it and Bess shrugged helplessly.
“Well, you can’t go to the Crystal Party looking like Cinderellas before the ball,” Mr. Reese said. He strode to the doorway, addressing a secretary. “Find Rosalind for me.”
Nancy was surprised to hear that Rosalind had been rehired by Mr. Reese after he fired her and she went to work for Millington. Now the young detective was doubly happy she hadn’t revealed her discoveries to Reese!
Soon Rosalind appeared. She returned the girls’ hellos with a silent nod, then glanced at the designer. “Yes, Mr. Reese?”
“You remember Miss Drew?” the designer said to her.
“Of course,” she murmured.
Nancy tried not to seem too obvious about her examination of the woman’s face, which contained thin lines and shadows under the small eyes. The skin was paste white, giving her a sickly appearance.
Mr. Reese instructed Rosalind to bring in several gowns. “One for each of the girls,” he told her.
Without inquiring about size, she looked at them from head to toe, then hurried out of the room.
“She’s a whiz,” the designer commented.
“I thought you fired her,” Nancy couldn’t resist saying.
“I did, but she came back.”
“On her own volition?” Nancy asked.
“Well, I didn’t get down on my hands and knees, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
Nancy ignored the comment as Rosalind reappeared with a variety of silks, taffetas, and velvets.
“Those are fine,” Mr. Reese said to the assistant. “Now help them make selections.”
“That one’s gorgeous!” Bess exclaimed, eyeing a royal-blue taffeta dress with a broad ruffle around the bodice. “May I try it on?”
Rosalind was already leading the girls to a cubby of dressing rooms. “You can’t leave here unless you do,” she said.
While Nancy and George se
ttled on their choices, Bess was trying to zip up the narrow waist.
“I was almost positive this would fit you,” the stylist said to her.
“I’m flattered—really flattered,” Bess squeaked as the woman forced the zipper to close. “Only problem is, I can’t breathe!”
“I can fix that,” Rosalind said, tapping her fingers on her chin.
“You can?” Bess said hoarsely. “Right away?”
Instantly, the woman pulled the zipper down and the girl let out a heavy sigh. “How are you both doing?” she called out cheerfully to her friends.
“Fine,” Nancy and George replied, but in fact they were having similar difficulties.
All the clothes were much too tight, George’s more so than anyone’s. The narrow silk skirt she had chosen hugged her ankles, forcing her to take birdlike steps.
“I’d never catch a thief in this thing!” she laughed, poking her head into Nancy’s cubicle.
“Me neither!” Nancy giggled. She gazed at her elegant ivory gown with a skirt that fell in a mass of folds.
“Everything needs work,” Rosalind admitted, looking at each girl in turn.
One by one, she fitted them, sticking pins along seams.
“Ouch!” Bess cried as a pin slipped through the zipper into her skin.
“Be careful, Rosalind,” Mr. Reese told her from the other room. “After all, these young ladies are my personal detectives!”
With that, the woman overturned a box of pins on the floor. She fumbled, and nervously put them back. When she finished her work, she announced that the dresses would be delivered to the girls the next afternoon.
“I will give your names to the chairperson so you won’t have to buy tickets,” Mr. Reese said. “I assume you know where the party is being held. I will meet you there—if that’s all right.”
“Great,” Nancy said gaily. “Thanks for everything!”
“I’m just sorry we can’t invite Dave, Burt, and Ned,” Bess said when they reached Aunt Eloise’s apartment house.
“Next time,” Nancy remarked.
“Humph—next time,” Bess pouted.
But as morning came and the sun shone over a glaze of snow that had fallen during the night, she regained her old enthusiasm.
“I’m really going to pamper myself today,” Bess declared, fluffing her curls.
“Considering it could be a long evening,” Nancy said, “I think that’s a terrific idea—for all of us!”
Despite the fact the threesome chose to stay inside all day, the hours flew quickly. When Aunt Eloise arrived home from shopping, it was already late afternoon and the altered dresses had not yet arrived!
“Maybe we should call Mr. Reese’s office,” Bess suggested.
Nancy dialed the number, but a voice told her that the designer had left early.
“Is Rosalind there?” the girl inquired.
“Just a minute, please.”
After a long pause, the voice returned.
“No, I’m sorry. She isn’t here, either.”
George spoke as Nancy hung up the receiver. “Well, it’s back to salad stains,” she said. But a few minutes later, the buzzer from downstairs signaled the delivery.
“Thank goodness!” Bess said, when she saw the gowns in plastic bags.
The girls immediately removed them and disappeared into the bedroom to change. But as they pulled on the small metal tabs to open the long zippers, they discovered tiny stitches around the teeth.
The dresses had been sewn up tight!
16
Undercover Disguise
The three girls stared at the gowns in horror.
“What are we going to do?” Bess gasped.
Nancy quickly asked her aunt if she had a pair of small scissors.
“Or three pairs?” George added.
“All I have are these,” the woman replied, removing tiny shears from a sewing basket and large ones from a desk drawer, “and I’m afraid you might cut a hole in the material, if you use the big pair.”
“We don’t have much time,” Nancy said, “so I’ll have to take the chance.”
While the cousins went to work with the small blades, Nancy slipped the longer ones under the top threads that held the zipper of her dress. She cut through stitch after stitch until she reached the metal base that seemed miles from where she had started. It was only after the threesome had finished the arduous job that they took a moment to talk.
“Who would do such a thing?” Bess said as she hurried to change. “Not Rosalind, I’m sure.”
“You never know,” Nancy said thoughtfully, remembering Rosalind’s connection with Millington. But since the alterations turned out to be done properly, she concluded that Bess was probably right.
“Well, somebody didn’t want us to go to the Crystal Party tonight,” George said, combing her hair as quickly as she could.
“But whoever it was didn’t count on three fine seamstresses.” Aunt Eloise laughed.
The girls paraded in front of her, bringing a sigh of contentment from the woman.
“Now that’s how I like to see you all—going off to a lovely party,” she said. “No dangerous mission, I hope.” There was a tone of uncertainty in her voice.
“As long as we stick together,” Nancy assured her, “we’ll be okay.”
“Uh-oh,” Aunt Eloise said. “Does that mean you do expect trouble?”
“I don’t expect anything,” the girl detective said, winking. “‘Bye.”
When the trio arrived at the hall where the party was being held, they were completely awestruck by the decorations. Fine, dainty snowflakes and crystal stars hung from the ceiling that overlooked an array of birch trees with silvery branches. Mirrors on dinner tables glowed from candlelit centerpieces that carried out the winter theme.
“It’s a fairyland,” Nancy said, as women in stunning evening clothes and men in tuxedos mingled animatedly.
“There’s Mr. Reese,” Bess commented, “and that must be his wife. Wow!”
The designer spotted the girls at the same time and came forward, introducing Sheila.
“She left our house in Florida just to come up for this party,” he said, explaining the woman’s deep tan.
“Richard has told me a lot about you all,” she smiled, her teeth as glistening as her sleek, white gown.
But before the conversation could continue, another woman called her away, leaving Mr. Reese with the three girls. He led them through the crowd, pausing to make introductions.
“I know Reese creations when I see them,” declared one man, handsome with a long cap of white hair. “Aren’t you going to tell me who these mystery ladies are, Richard?”
But the designer pretended not to hear and joined two other men less than a foot away. The girls, however, hung back to talk with the white-haired man. They practically froze when he announced his name.
“I’m Arnaud Hans,” he said.
The designer under whose name the Reese gowns had appeared in the Chalmers catalog! No wonder Mr. Reese had ignored him!
When the young detectives finally gave their names, Hans seemed to recognize Nancy’s.
“I’ve been hearing about you, Miss Drew, that you are doing investigative work for Richard. Well, I want to go on record that I didn’t steal anything from him. He blasted me on the phone the other day, claiming that I had taken some of his spring designs and sold them to Chalmers. It’s not true and I can prove it. I have dated copies of every sketch!”
Nancy was careful not to say too much, but conceded that it was not impossible for the men to have come up with the same ideas.
“Personally, I don’t think Millington stole anything from him, either,” Hans went on. “Other people simply created similar designs before Reese did and he’s angry about it. That’s all. His pride and ego are hurt because he knows he’s slipping.”
“I don’t think he’s slipping at all,” Bess said in Mr. Reese’s defense. “I love this dress.”
; “Yes, well, it is pretty, but I think it’s last year‘s,” Hans replied maliciously.
The discussion ended abruptly as Nancy edged the girls away.
“Where are we going?” Bess asked.
“To see Russell Kaiser,” Nancy said.
“Mr. Kaiser’s here?” the cousins replied in astonishment.
“Not the real one,” their friend whispered. “Ted Henri’s buddy, Pete Grover. Here he comes.”
When he saw the trio, he greeted them with enthusiasm. “What a pleasant surprise,” he said.
“We read about the burglary,” George put in.
“Burglary?” the man stumbled.
“Yes, in your apartment,” Bess said.
“Oh, oh, of course, that burglary.” He laughed nervously. “Let’s not talk about such a dreary subject,” he said. “As a matter of fact, Nancy, I had planned to give you a call about the man who bought my uncle’s medallion at Speers.”
“You have a lead on him?” Nancy inquired.
“No,” the man replied. “But I wanted to find out if you knew anything.”
“Well, I haven’t spoken to him since that evening,” Nancy said, “but I think I know where to find him.”
“You do? Oh-that’s wonderful. You must tell me all about him. But first let me talk to my friend Bob over there. I’ve been trying to get hold of him all evening. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
With that, Grover turned and was quickly swallowed up by the crowd. The girls were convinced he had just used his friend as an excuse and that he would try to avoid them for the rest of the evening.
A moment later Nancy caught sight of Grover behind a silver birch tree again. Another man in a tuxedo was with him. Wondering who he was, Nancy darted away from the cousins, but was stopped short by Sheila Reese’s long, brace leted arm.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” the designer’s wife asked. “Come, I’d like you to meet some friends of ours.”
Nancy did not wish to appear rude, so she followed the woman to a table where her husband and another couple were seated. Bess and George had witnessed the diversion, and to Nancy’s relief, went to follow Grover instead. A few moments later, however, they joined the group at the table.