“Okay,” Bess said. “Here.” She handed the white envelope full of money to her mother.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Mrs. Marvin opened the passenger door to the van and leaned in. Then she stuck the white envelope into her purse. Nancy could see that Mrs. Marvin’s purse was standing open on the floor between the two front seats. A big brown padded envelope and a few other packages were there, too.
“Is that the money for the gift?” a voice behind Nancy asked.
Nancy, Bess, and George whirled around. Rebecca was standing behind them.
“Yes,” Bess said. “Why?”
“Oh, I just wondered how much you collected,” Rebecca said. “Because I still think you should get her something nicer than a cookie jar. Something like I’m getting. Crystal candlesticks, for instance.”
“You’re really getting her candlesticks?” Bess asked. Her mouth fell open. “You’re not even in our class.”
Rebecca didn’t answer. Instead, she stared past the girls into Bess’s car.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were friends with Greg Karoli,” she said, pointing into the backseat. “I heard he’s taking acting lessons. He’s practically famous!”
Bess looked over her shoulder quickly, then turned back to Rebecca.
“We’re not really friends. He’s in fourth grade. His mother is friends with my mom, so we’re giving him a ride home.”
“Who’s that other guy?” Rebecca said. “Look, he’s messing up your seats!”
Nancy, Bess, and George all looked this time. Rebecca was right. A boy named Josh Lemon was in the minivan, too. He was climbing all over the seats, trying to get Greg’s backpack away from him.
“That’s Josh,” Bess answered. “Hey, cut it out!” she called.
“I’ll make them stop,” Rebecca said. “I want to talk to Greg about his acting lessons anyway.”
Rebecca walked over to the side door of the minivan. She climbed partway in. The boys kept horsing around. Josh climbed over the middle seat to wrestle with Greg.
“She is so bossy,” Bess whispered.
“Bess is right,” George said. “I’m sick of her telling us what to do about Ms. Spencer’s wedding.”
“Oh, she’s just jealous,” Nancy said.
A few minutes later, Rebecca got out of the van. She came back to where Bess, Nancy, and George were standing.
“Those guys are jerks,” Rebecca said to Bess. “Greg wouldn’t even talk to me. Come on, Nancy. Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Nancy asked.
“Home, of course,” Rebecca said.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Nancy said. “I’m not walking home today. Bess’s mom is giving me a ride to my dad’s office.”
“Oh,” Rebecca said. She looked disappointed. “Well, see you tomorrow.”
Bess and George got into the van. Nancy waved goodbye to Rebecca. Then she climbed into the van, too. Nancy sat next to Josh in the first row. Josh made a silly face at Nancy. Greg barely said hello. He just sat in the backseat and looked out the window.
Ten minutes later Mrs. Marvin dropped Nancy off at her dad’s office. Nancy did her homework there. Then Nancy and her dad went home.
When they arrived, there was a message waiting for Nancy.
“Call Bess,” Hannah Gruen said. “Right away.”
Hannah was the Drew family’s housekeeper. She had lived with Nancy and her father ever since Nancy was three years old.
Nancy picked up the portable phone in the living room. She carried it up to her room to call Bess. “Hi,” Nancy said. “What’s up?”
“Something terrible,” Bess said. Her voice was shaking. “Remember that envelope that had the money for the wedding gift?”
“Yes,” Nancy answered. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s gone!” Bess cried.
4
No Money, No Gift
What do you mean?” Nancy said. “How can the money be gone?”
“I don’t know,” Bess said. “But it is. It’s gone. When we got home, my mom looked in her purse, and the envelope was missing.”
“Hold on,” Nancy said, putting the phone down on her bedspread.
She ran to her desk and opened a drawer. Inside was a special blue notebook—the one she kept notes in when she was trying to solve a mystery.
Nancy grabbed the notebook and a pencil and hurried back to her bed.
“Okay,” Nancy said. “Tell me everything. Where did you go after you dropped me at my dad’s office?”
“Oh,” Bess said. “Um . . . let me think. First we took Greg and Josh to Greg’s house. Then we went to the post office. We had to mail a package to my grandmother. Then we came home.”
Nancy was silent for a moment. She opened her notebook to a clean page. At the top she wrote:
Ms. Spencer’s Wedding Gift Money
Then she wrote:
Envelope—Mrs. Marvin’s purse—in car. Drove to Greg’s house. Drove to post office.
“You didn’t go anywhere else?” Nancy asked. “Try to think.”
“I am thinking,” Bess said, sounding upset. “Someone stole the money from my mom’s purse. And I know who it was. It had to be one of those creepy boys.”
“Maybe,” Nancy said. She doodled a picture of the envelope in her notebook. Then she wrote:
Ms. Spencer’s wedding—Saturday!!!!!
“We’ve got to find the money before the party,” Bess said. “We’ve only got two days!”
“I know,” Nancy said.
“My mom called Ms. Frick and told her about it,” Bess went on. “My mom offered to buy the present with our own money. She said she feels like it’s her fault.”
“It’s not her fault,” Nancy said.
“I know,” Bess agreed. “But the money was in my mom’s purse. So she feels it’s her job to make up for it. But Ms. Frick said no. She said that if someone stole the money, that person should give it back. Also, she didn’t want everyone talking about the stolen money. She said Ms. Spencer might hear about it. It would spoil the surprise.”
That was true, Nancy thought.
“Okay,” Nancy said. “Let’s make a list of suspects. I’m writing Greg’s name in my notebook right now. And Josh. He was in the car, too.”
“Right,” Bess said. “It’s got to be one of them.”
“Well . . . ,” Nancy said slowly. “There is one other person.”
“Who?” Bess asked.
“I hate to say it,” Nancy said. “But it could have been Rebecca. She was in the car, remember?”
“Do you really think so?” Bess asked, sounding surprised.
Nancy thought about it for a minute. “Ummm . . . maybe yes, maybe no,” she finally said. “I don’t think she’d steal anything. But still, she’s been acting really jealous lately. Maybe she took the money so she could buy those crystal candlesticks.”
“Put her name down,” Bess said firmly.
Nancy wrote Rebecca’s name on the list in her notebook.
“There’s one other thing,” Bess said. “My mom searched the car. And guess what she found? A book. With Ned Nickerson’s name in it.”
Ned Nickerson? Nancy thought. He was a fourth-grade boy, too. Nancy had always liked Ned. He didn’t tease her just because she was younger. Nancy didn’t think he would steal anything.
“Was he in the car today?” Nancy asked Bess.
“I didn’t see him,” Bess replied. “But we weren’t watching the whole time. He could have been.”
“What kind of book is it?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, some mystery,” Bess answered. “It’s about two brothers who are detectives. I read a few pages. It looked like a really good story.”
“Okay,” Nancy announced. “I’m going to call Greg and ask him if he saw the money.”
“My mom already called,” Bess said. “But he wasn’t home. She called Josh and Ned, too.”
“What did they say?” Nancy asked.
“Nothing,” Bess said. “Th
ey weren’t home either.”
“Okay,” Nancy said. “I’ll call them all.”
“But please don’t tell anyone that the money is missing, okay?” Bess said.
“Why not?” Nancy asked.
“Because,” Bess said, “everyone will blame me. There was fifty dollars in that envelope—and now it’s gone. People will think it’s my fault.”
“I’ll try not to tell them,” Nancy promised before hanging up.
A few minutes later, Nancy sat cross-legged on her bed. She looked up Josh’s, Greg’s, and Ned’s phone numbers. She dialed Josh’s number first. No answer.
Then she called Ned, but he wasn’t home.
Finally she called Greg’s phone number.
“Hello,” Nancy said. “May I please speak to Greg?”
“I’m sorry,” Greg’s mom said. “But he’s not here right now. He went out with his father to buy a new pair of inline skates. May I take a message?”
“Uh, no thank you,” Nancy said. Then she hung up.
In-line skates? Nancy thought. They’re expensive.
I wonder where he got the money for them.
5
Thanks a Lot, Rebecca
Good morning, Pudding Pie,” Nancy’s father said as she hurried into the kitchen the next morning. “Want a ride to school today?”
“No thanks, Daddy,” Nancy said. “Not today. I need to walk to school with Rebecca. She’s one of my suspects.”
“Suspects?” Carson Drew repeated. His eyebrows went up. “Are you trying to solve a new mystery?”
“Yes,” Nancy said, nodding. “And you can help. How much do in-line skates cost, Daddy?”
“Oh, probably about fifty dollars,” Carson Drew said, “or more.”
Fifty dollars? Nancy thought. That’s exactly how much money was in the envelope.
“What’s going on?” Carson Drew asked.
“Tell you later,” Nancy said.
She ate her oatmeal quickly. Hannah had put raisins and brown sugar in it. Then Nancy grabbed her books and her lunch. With a quick goodbye to her father and Hannah, she hurried out the door.
Rebecca was waiting for her at the corner.
“Hi!” Rebecca said, waving.
“Hi,” Nancy called back.
Then the two girls started walking to school.
“Listen,” Nancy said. “I want to ask you something. When you were in Bess’s car yesterday, did you see that envelope full of money?”
“Why?” Rebecca asked. “Is it gone?”
Nancy’s eyes opened wide. “How did you know?”
“I just guessed,” Rebecca said.
“Yes, the money is gone,” Nancy admitted. “Did you see it?”
Rebecca shook her head solemnly. “No,” she said. “But if the money is gone, then you can’t get Ms. Spencer a gift. And it’s all Bess’s fault!”
“That’s not true,” Nancy said.
“Poor Ms. Spencer,” Rebecca went on. “She was going to get a party and a cookie jar. And now—nothing.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Nancy said. “We’ll still have the party.”
Rebecca shook her head sadly. “Yes, but you won’t have a present for her. So your whole party’s going to be ruined.”
Thanks a lot, Rebecca! Nancy thought.
• • •
At recess girls started coming up to Bess.
“Did you get the present yet?” Amara Shane wanted to know.
“Is it pretty? Did you get silver-and-white wrapping paper?” Lindsay asked. “My mom always uses silver paper for weddings.”
“How big is it?” Brenda Carlton asked.
Bess bit her fingernails. She didn’t know what to say.
George stepped in to rescue Bess.
“Quit bugging her about it,” George said. “Bess’s mom didn’t get the present yet. But she’ll get it tonight.”
“Well, she’d better get it tonight,” Lindsay said. “The party is tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry,” George said. “Everything will be fine by tomorrow.”
I hope you’re right, Nancy thought. She saw that George had her fingers crossed behind her back.
“Nancy,” Bess said when the three girls were alone, “do you have any clues yet?”
“No,” Nancy said, “but I have some ideas.”
“Like what?” George asked.
“Like him,” Nancy said, pointing to Ned Nickerson.
Ned was tossing a baseball back and forth with another fourth-grade boy.
“I want to ask him something,” Nancy said. “Be right back.”
Nancy jogged over to Ned and called his name.
“What,” Ned said without looking over.
“Uh, I wanted to ask you about your book,” Nancy said. “Bess Marvin found it in her car.”
“No way,” Ned said. “I’ve never been in Bess Marvin’s car in my life.”
“Really?” Nancy said, thinking hard. “Well, did you—”
But Ned wasn’t listening. He had stopped playing catch and was running toward the baseball field.
Hmmm, Nancy thought. Why did he run away? Maybe he didn’t want to admit that he’d been in Bess’s car.
Nancy scanned the playground to find Bess and George again. But George was all alone. Nancy ran over to her.
“Where’s Bess?” Nancy asked, looking quickly all around.
“She ran inside, crying,” George said.
“Why?” Nancy asked.
“She thinks everyone will hate her when they find out the money is gone,” George explained.
Oh, no, Nancy thought. She could imagine how Bess felt. Everyone was expecting a gift for Ms. Spencer—and the party was the next day.
“You’ve got to solve this case today,” George pleaded with Nancy. “For Bess’s sake.”
I know, Nancy thought. For Bess’s sake. I’ve just got to.
6
No Clues
Class, we’re going to do something special this afternoon,” Ms. Spencer said after lunch. “Take out your journals. I want you to write one paragraph. Describe what you think a wedding should be like.”
Nancy reached into her desk. But she didn’t take out her journal. She pulled out her special blue detective’s notebook instead. She opened it and studied the list of suspects.
Greg. Josh. Rebecca. Ned.
Did she have even one clue about who stole the money from Mrs. Marvin’s car?
No. Not one.
That means something, Nancy thought. I usually have one clue—at least.
With her favorite blue pen, Nancy doodled and made notes on the page.
First she wrote, “No clues. No clues. No clues.”
Beside Rebecca’s name she wrote, “Candlesticks?”
Beside Ned Nickerson’s name she wrote, “Says he’s never been in Bess’s car. How did his book get there?”
Beside Greg’s and Josh’s names she wrote a whole bunch of question marks.
Then Nancy tore off a tiny corner from the page. In her smallest handwriting, she wrote a note to Bess.
“Is Greg riding home with you today?” it said.
Nancy passed it to Bess when Ms. Spencer wasn’t looking.
Bess nodded.
Then Nancy tore off another tiny piece of paper. She wrote, “May I have a ride home?”
Bess nodded again.
Good, Nancy thought as she took out her journal. She started to write her paragraph for Ms. Spencer.
If I ride home with Bess, I can ask Greg where he got the money for those in-line skates. Then maybe I can still solve this mystery before it’s too late!
• • •
After school Nancy and Bess hurried to the van.
“Do you want me to come, too?” George asked. “We could gang up on him.”
“No,” Nancy said. “It’s better if I ask him myself. He might get mad if we gang up on him.”
Nancy and Bess said goodbye to George and started walking toward the car. N
ancy’s heart began to pound. This is it, she thought. Almost my last chance to solve this case.
The minivan was parked at the edge of the parking lot. The sliding side door was open. Mrs. Marvin stood outside, talking to some of the other mothers. Bess went over to her mom to say hello.
Greg was already sitting in the backseat. Nancy walked over to the car alone and climbed in. She sat in the middle seat.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Greg answered.
Nancy noticed Greg was holding his brand-new in-line skates. They were so shiny, Nancy could see her reflection in them.
“Hey, cool skates,” Nancy said. “Where’d you get them?”
“Bought ’em last night. At Skate Escape,” Greg said.
“Hmmm,” Nancy said. “They look expensive.”
“Yeah,” Greg said. “They were.”
“Where did you get the money?” Nancy asked. She looked Greg right in the eye.
“I got a bunch of money for my birthday from my grandmother,” Greg said. “So I bought them—and my mom couldn’t say anything.” He gave Nancy a happy grin.
“Cool,” Nancy said. But her face fell. She was sure he was telling the truth.
“What’s wrong?” Greg asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Nancy said.
But when she saw Greg’s face, she decided to trust him. Quickly she told him about the missing money.
Greg’s face turned bright red.
“What’s wrong?” Nancy asked. “Do you know something about it?”
“No,” Greg said, shaking his head hard. But Nancy didn’t believe him.
“It’s just that . . . uh, well, something of mine was stolen yesterday, too,” Greg went on.
“What?” Nancy asked.
“A book,” Greg said. “A mystery I was reading.”
“The one about the detectives?” Nancy asked.
Greg nodded. “It’s not even my book,” Greg went on. “It was Ned Nickerson’s. He loaned it to me.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. So that’s it, she thought. That’s how Ned’s book got into Bess’s car.
“Your book wasn’t stolen,” Nancy said. “You left it in this car. Ask Bess. She has it at her house.”